Dragoncrest Cliffs i've always been a girl armed for war

for @Thuringwethil ♥

Eske spends the morning patrolling — which is her typical early morning routine. She wakes up before the sun rises, hunts for breakfast and when he belly is full and content she heads right to the borders. She pauses for a brief moment to rub her scent along a tree whose scent has begun to grow stale and when she gets to the cliffs, though she hardly thinks it needs to be patrolled because she doubts anyone will be trespassing from them lest they manage to find a way to climb up the treacherous cliffside she walks it’s edge nevertheless, she gives herself a moment of rest. She reclines back upon her haunches to watch as the rising sun behind her glitters across the rippling waves of the sea in the distance. It is a magnificent view that Eske appreciates as she draws in a deep breath of salty brine, the cool kiss of the salty air against her to combat the humid warmth of the morning feels nice. Eske no longer wonders what the sea holds for her mother, whom always spoke of it with such reverence when she spoke of Stavanger Bay and then later of Odinn’s Cove. It is a beautiful, yet untamed thing and though Eske prefers to enjoy it from afar, safe as she feels upon the cliff it calls to the nature of women like Gyda …and like her, because Eske feels they can understand it. She rises, then, stretches languidly for a moment before she continues on her way never one to stray from her duties.

There are days where Thuringwethil doesn’t actually want to get up. Parenting, it seems, has made her lazy at times. She doesn’t mind it. She enjoys waking up to a tangled mess of three growing puppies and seeing her mate passed out on the opposite side of them. Soon, they’ll have to expand to move of the cavern and, eventually, they’ll all find their own spots to sleep. For now she enjoys the simply life of them drooling, wrapped up in one another, and occasionally making a sound in their sleep that causes them to stir and twitch. The cavern is illuminated with a little light as the sun makes its appearance and, slowly but surely, Heda gets to her feet without waking the four of them and slips out into the open.

She spots Eske right away but she does not approach her first, catching @Isengrim from the corner of her eyes. Lying by the lake a little too close to Hougeda’s entrance, Thuringwethil approaches him first and barks an order to move. “Go check the borders,” she commands of him and she ignores the look he gives her in return. His time in Drageda hasn’t proven to be much use to her yet and the thought of cutting him loose and sending him away is becoming stronger each day. A thought for another day, however, as she slips back the way she’d come and smoothly trots in the direction Cheka had gone in.

When she is close enough, she offers a chuff to draw her attention back to her.

Eske begins to walk but does not make it too far before the sound of approaching footfalls cause her ears to perk atop her head. Eske’s steps draw to a decisive halt when she hears the Commander’s chuff. Ears swivel back and flutter elegantly against the strong curve of her crown as she glimpses over her shoulder at her Heda before she turns and faces the Commander in full. She has known and respected Thuringwethil all of her (short) life and she wonders, suddenly (and perhaps a bit absently) how it must feel to lay eyes upon Heda for the first time. To be born of a pack in the coalition, to know her through stories by name but to actually lay eyes upon her after years of hearing of her. Eske wonders if it is wondrous or if it is terrifying; but tucks that thought away to later reflect upon — or better yet keep it back to ask the next wolf that comes from a pack within the coalition. She would ask Arlo but he has been here long enough now that surely whatever he'd felt meeting Heda for the first time has long waned from his memory. Eske isn't sure why she's curious about it, only that she is but in light of The Commander's presence doesn't deign to dwell upon it. “Heda,” Eske greets her warmly with a wag of her tail as she approaches and offers The Commander a few, submissive licks beneath her chin.

Eske turns to greet her and she offers a slight smile and elevates her nose a fraction as her guard licks her chin a few times. They are often together most days, Eske one of the most trusted wolves in Drageda along with Dio and Wildfire, and the knowledge between them are protected to the council. She is not necessarily in the hedonakru but in a branch that works closely enough she is council-adjacent. Thuringwethil points her nose and steps up, walking alongside the Cheka with ease as they’ve become familiar with one another over the months.

“There is something I’ve wanted to talk to you about,” she explains, turning her head once to see her reaction before she refocuses her attention on where they are walking. “The children are getting big enough that their training needs to begin,” she adds. She’s done a little with her trio, sharping their motor skills and they’ve sparred with one another here and there but their proper training will begin within a few days. Portia and Dio’s children are a different story, far more reclusive than Drageda born children should be. “I’d like you to oversee their progress.”

For a moment, unexplainable as it is, when Heda tells Eske that there is something she would like to speak to her about in which Eske’s heart momentarily jolts into her throat, or rather she is overcome by a strange feeling of nervousness and it simply feels as such. She swallows the feeling and says “Ok,” in a tone that conveys her understanding and encourages The Commander to continue on with what it she wishes to speak of. Eske blinks as she turns her gaze to Thuringwethil, keeping her gaze steady but lowered as to not present challenge (because she wasn’t challenging her in any shape or form) seeking to appear attentive. The children come up and Eske lets out a small breath of surprise when Heda comments that she would like her train them. Though Eske’s experience with children is …limited despite that she recently stepped over the threshold into womanhood a handful of days ago she knows it is an honor to be asked to do such a thing. “I would be honored to teach them, Heda,” Eske accepts with a soft smile trying to temper the pride that tries to swell beneath her breast. Though her job as Cheka is important and makes her feel important, so, too, does this honor. “Thank you.” Despite her worry (because she’s never been a teacher before!) she finds that she is eager and excited by the idea.

Tags for visibility. Some assumptions have been made, haha.

Thuringwethil feels a wave of relief when Eske accepts the challenge. Five children to train may be a handful, but she’ll be there. Dio will be there. Arlo and Hux, too, when the time comes. “They may not actively pursue to gona but they will fight for Drageda if the time comes. You will have help when you need it, of course,” she explains with ease. Eske hasn’t been around them much except for the cavern the little bit she is there but her skills have become impressive over the months. She knows what she needs to accomplish in order to win a fight, even if it means playing a little dirty. She should know.
 
“I’d like you to pay extra attention to Sirio and Dalia,” she says, though she does not elaborate. She isn’t sure entirely if their reclusiveness has been picked up by the others but their shells will eventually break or their fate in Drageda may not last as long as they should. The thought is easily kept to herself as she tightens her jaw.
 
With that out of the way, Thuringwethil falls silent for a moment as she travels from the clearing of the lake to the thickening trees of the redwood. She has no particular destination in mind but the company is comforting anyway.
 
“And the new girl, @Julep. The one that washed up. I want to start integrating her into the pack now that she is healing. I want someone with her at all times. You, Arlo, Hush… feel free to organize it as you see fit. The guardians brought her here for a reason and we’ll find out why soon enough,” she adds. She’s spoken to @Dio about her as well, the mystery that is the girl that washed up upon their shores nearly a month ago, and it is time they started to put together all the puzzle pieces.

“I will not fail you, Commander,” Eske vows, dipping her head. She does not expect any of them to take to Gona but being able to fight for and defend themselves is a crucial skill they will need. “They do not have to become Gonas but when I am done with them they will know how to fight and defend themselves.” She promises, unable to hide the soft smile that creeps upon her lips, twisting the corners of them upwards. Just as Gyda had taught her. It was only natural that Eske gravitate towards Gona, though, for she was aggressive since the day she was born. It is an outlet for her aggression and hostility, helping it to be useful instead of destructive. Valkyrja, her mother had called her once. “I will keep a close eye on them,” Eske responds to her Commander’s request to keep a watch on Sirio and Dalia. Thuringwethil does not elaborate upon that request and Eske respectfully does not pry — she supposes the reason for it will either become clear or it will not.

Julep. Eske has seen her in passing but has paid her little mind, admittedly, though she learns that such is error on her part. “I will relieve the boys when you do not need me,” But first and foremost The Commander is her priority. “You speak of the Guardians and it reminds me of my mother and her Gods.” Eske says with a fond chuckle. She does not believe in higher powers. She believes in The Commanders but Thuringwethil is living proof to her that they exist.

Thuringwethil is curious to know how Eske will train them but she holds her tongue for a moment, letting the conversation roll on to the girl and the guardians. She doesn’t speak much of Julep but instead the guardians, comparing them to those of Gyda’s beliefs. The Viking culture is largely a mystery here except what an outsider may know going in and since the woman had left, she’s had little time to focus on it. Eske has never been much for it, either, which gives her solid ground in Drageda and her conquest to continue to serve. What happened to the other siblings is beyond her and she doesn’t give them the time of day anymore.

“The guardians are a mystery to us and they always have been, and likely always will be. When they’ve visited Seageda a few times, they never come close enough. Speaking to them… it’s never been told. It is rumored when the former commanders pass on, they are able, but they have not told me anything about them,” she begins, though she knows she’s spoken to her about this before. Perhaps not in such detail, but nonetheless the guardians are with them now that they reside on the coast. “But they always bring something, or they take away. I saw them before the storm and when Julep washed up on our beach…” she trails off in thought with an indifferent shrug. The beach is not accessible without going through Hougeda or, in the girl’s case, washing up from the ocean. It had been a miracle she survived at all. “I think she’s a wolf that’s meant to be here. I do not believe they would lead me astray.”

Eske listens as duty dictates of her as Thuringwethil went on to explain the Guardians to her — that they are apart of their culture but that only Commanders and those that are dead can speak to them and thus Eske is not worried she is about to hear divine voice randomly. She is not a night blood and not a Commander; nor will she ever be. In that, she is almost relieved. She struggles to believe in things she has no tangible proof of — like Gyda’s Gods. She does not voice her thoughts though, instead offering Heda a sage nod of her head. Thuringwethil believes that Julep is some divine offering and something about it turns Eske’s stomach. To Eske, the child is little more than a soggy whelp and until she proves she is worth something and can offer something to Drageda she does not play host in her mind to such fantastical things that she can not understand. I hope you are right, Eske thinks in regards to the Guardians not leading her astray. Regardless of if the girl is divine gift or not she is an outsider and thus she will remain such until she can prove otherwise (as far as Eske’s concerned, anyway). If she proves otherwise — and the statistics do not stack the odds in her favor — then Eske is willing to change her shrewd view of the whole matter. The statistics prove that few that remain loyal to Drageda began as outsiders for most of their ranks swell with those born here or in a pack within the coalition and coalition and Drakru born far outnumber the outsiders.

“I realize I should start off small with the first lesson — make a game out of it something to entice them. Perhaps I will have them partner up in two and have the last one spar with me…within reason of course. There is an odd number of children, after all,” Her salmon pink tongue draws across her lips as the salty brine ruffles the fur of her nape. She lesson plans aloud, looking for Heda’s advice, admittedly eager to get off the topic of Julep. She will do as she is commanded and take her turns at playing babysitter but it doesn’t mean she has to be happy about it. “I don’t expect anything of the introductory lesson other than to gauge what strengths to favor and what weaknesses will need worked on …and whom to pair them with.” The right sparring partner can make all the difference, after all. In a true fight Eske knows one does not get to chose their opponent and will have to rely on their skill and mind alone to win them the fight but they are just children and for now she thinks paring them with those that force them to work on their weaknesses will be advantageous to them. At least, at first. As they advance beneath her tutelage she will mix and match them to show them that fights are not always fair and you will not always be on equal or upper footing.

Eske does not say anything else on the matter despite having brought it up with purpose. She turns her head and narrows her gaze to scrutinize her expression and try and read what she is thinking. What she does see, she does not like, and her jaws clench together. She’s seen the doubt in Seageda before and finding it so abruptly in Eske does not settle well in her chest and the sudden shift back in conversation does not make it any better.

Pink tongue slips out and covers her dry lips, listening to the words but she does not speak with any insight. Her attention remains elsewhere, despite wanting to know her approach, but the retreat in their discussion puts the whole thing out of mind. One ear twitches with slight irritation, the only indication anything is wrong, and she nods her head once but has little to add. If Eske does not believe the ways of Drageda, how can she trust her to teach the children?

"I'm sure it will be fine," she says and lifts her head, refocusing her gaze on her direction and purpose in her steps as she redirects her goal to the borders for duty to silence their conversation.

Eske notices the twitch of The Commander’s ear and the tension filled silence that has come between them and she realizes now her error. Still, brought by Guardians or not Julep is still an outsider and to Eske she will have to prove herself like any other, whether their culture dictates it or not. Eske will not bow and scrape to a whelp (especially an outsider) simply because “Guardians” have brought her to Drageda. She had to earn her way, her place here and she was among the first children to be born to Drageda: so why should anyone else be treated any different, she cannot help but think. Hard work and perseverance are what Eske acknowledges not entitlement that is not even earned. She trusts Heda, and she does not think potential treasonous things because she seeks to rebel (she does not). She just struggles as she always has, to put her trust without it first being earned in an outsider; of whom she’s always been hostile towards. Kendra, perhaps, was one of the few exceptions, Wildfire and Dio included for they were already here when she was born. Gyda, too, she supposes but she was her mother and a different story entirely. Mother or not, Gyda always remained an outlier though, an outsider. “Heda.” Eske speaks in farewell as she bows her head in submission and ventures a different way than The Commander to finish her patrols knowing that if The Commander needs her she will call.