Sun Mote Copse light of the seven

arunik'ra had set that morning to finding her sister -- a task, it seemed, that was better left for another day. arunik'ra was aware of the irony as she struggled to keep up with the path left in the ekar-aji's wake: here she was, nearly as infirm as asherah, scaling a cliff in hopes of finding eshamun.

when she at last came upon her sister she was instantly aware of whatever presence caused eshamun's hackles to rise: innately, arunik'ra felt her own lift -- with a slow growl to announce eshamun was not alone the sunspear padded heavily forward. alone, arunik'ra might have regarded the stranger without hostility -- but seeing eshamun's own hackles raised gave arunik'ra cause for defensive alarm. the beast before them was larger than any wolf of their homeland; arunik'ra was keenly aware that in surrendaal, such a mongrel would have been labeled as an ogre of molech's will, blighted by darkness and ruin. black wolves were rare in their culture, and the sunspear regarded this wolf the same way she regarded the ghost-like spectre she had encountered at the summit: with great distrust and misgiving.