there are no immortals in this life; even stories come to die

Galena · (This post was last modified: May 29, 2020, 10:41 PM by Galena.)

Galena appraised the mute woman as she searched for clues to reveal her name. The storm cloud had met many like her before — those who did not, or could not, speak... either by nature or nurture. She had once heard of a clan of nuns in the misty mountains who had taken of vow of silence to better communicate with their ancestors. This quite juxtaposed Galena's heritage, where Mothers and Sisters became well versed in speech and the manipulation of the tongue. They would became truthsayers and diplomats, crafting their intonation to better command those beneath them. Words, words, words... it was quite exhausting, really. There was something magickal about the silent, feral nature that Ikkalrok and Astara possessed... and Galena was transfixed by it.

With a cock of her head, a gentle expression overcame a curious one. Galena understood. "Silence is underappreciated," she said with a hint of admiration. Suddenly, the woman's focus racked towards a bear in the distance. Galena's gaze followed.

"A bear!" she whispered, hushed. Galena recalled Merrick speaking about them. Though she had seen signs of their kind, this was the first time one made an appearance. She turned to Ikkalrok. "Merrick says we're supposed to live in peace with the bears..." her voice trailed off as she watched the beast, growing a bit uncomfortable with what she had just repeated. "He told me the progenitor of Bearclaw Valley sacrificed flesh to appease them." Galena's moon-colored eyes shifted back to her companion, wondering what she thought about that.