Raven's Watch xiv aimagvik

In the morning, after Kigipigak had killed a trio of squirrels and made sure to have @Chanel eat, the pair began the arduous task of finding the Watch. Thankfully Kigipigak was a decent navigator; he recognized many of the paths as they made their way, and soon enough the sprawling lake that he had found alongside @Valmúa came in to view. An hour or so of winding trails led them to the edge of the lake itself.

From there Kigipigak could see the ridge where he'd sparred with @Stjornuati and watched it for signs of life—but if his bond-brother was nearby they were lurking elsewhere. While they waited Kigipigak moseyed to the shallows and took a quick drink. The water was colder today despite the afternoon sun beaming upon it. Soon winter would be upon them.

Kigipigak grew impatient; he lifted his still-dripping snout towards the overcast sky and called for those of the Watch:
I am home! Come, I am not alone!

It was not the ridge he lingered upon this day but the depths of the forest itself, searching for the sýn he had found the other day, the red-eyed white dragon raven ( @D'Artagnan ). As the sýn were wont to do, however, they appeared when they wanted to, not when they were sought for. Still, when the call went up, he was reluctant to leave the boughs of pine.

Good thing he had the strength of will to peel himself away, heading for the lake where the call had sourced from. His own went up in reply, one that asked patience, and that spoke of being on his way. Easily, the star-eater picked his way along the Watch's rise, slinking gait carrying him toward his goal, helping him to arrive in no time at all.

And, just like he had said, Kigipigak was not alone. Another stood at his side, gentle and demure, overtly feminine in appearance, though Stjornuati's assumptions ended there. While there was no overt display of dominance, an air still settled about him. Liver colored eyes remained guarded as he looked between the two of them, tail flicking as he waited for an explanation. Who. Why. Whatever answer he could glean from the Tartok male.

With her brother's song, so too did Valmúa let loose her own notes. At last, her boy candy had returned, and with a friend. Just as she had hoped, he had brought back a little somebody who would hopefully become Stjornuati's wife in time. Excited to see how well he had done, Val ran up the path that she had used with Kigipigak not so long ago. It led up to the alpine lake and was slowly beginning to be easier to travel the more times she took it.
She found the three of them at the edge of the lake. Indeed, the newcomer was a pretty little sweet thing, exactly the type of woman that the ginger sister had envisioned might distract her brother. Her tail waved in greeting as she glanced at Kigipigak's northern gaze. She feigned surprise at the female's presence, giving her a look of mild disgust for no apparent reason.
Shouldering her brother, she looked the woman over while pushing past Stjornuati. Who is this? She spat, as though she couldn't fathom such an offense.

Whatever sort of kind greeting Chanel had been imagining, this certainly was not it. The girl had followed him to the waters, happy that they had arrived, and nervous yet giddy when he called for the Northeners. But the serious looking man that came- Stjornuati, she assumed- and the woman- who had to be Valmua, then- they were a cold people. While the brother was silent, the woman gave her a look that caused her ears to flatten immediately, tail tucking almost instinctively though inwardly she was clutching her pearls at such impolite behavior. But that was as far as her subtlety in this situation went, because she was eager to speak up, I'm Chanel Vasselli! I'm a sitter and hunter. Kigipigak said this place could use another woman, and more friends. And with that her tail wagged slightly and she offered a shy smile, hoping that they would drop their stormy exteriors and lighten up now that she'd introduced herself.

The arrival of his bond-brother was met with a gleeful wave of Kigipigak's tail; then came Valmua with her barbed words, and at first Kigipigak did not catch on, not until Chanel spoke up for herself. He was watching the red-coated woman with a dubious expression leaking across his face that could have spoiled everything, but then upon hearing Chanel, Kigipigak turned his attention towards her.

Yes—yes, she is here to join the Watch. A flicker of appreciation swam in his copper gaze as he looked upon the new recruit. Kigipigak looked to Stjornuati next, his prideful posture diminishing as he peered at his friend's confused face.

Chanel was unhappy in her home tribe. I bring her to you, Stjornuati, so she may be one of us. She... Can stay, yes? He was hopeful, expectant even, thinking he had done a good job. If they were to hold the Watch for themselves they would need more bodies regardless of how those bodies were used.

His reaction was automatic, teeth reaching out to give Valmua a hard, corrective pinch on her haunch for shoving past him. Though he did not outright demand respect as their elders had, he still did not appreciate Valmua's lack of it. When they were alone, he had no issue, but this was different — this was in front of others and he would not tolerate the behavior. Striding forward, his purpose was to stand ahead of Valmua, a pointed glare shot in her direction before looking to the others, listening to their words.

The judgement held behind his dark eyes would remain known only to himself, locked behind his silent demeanor. There were things he noticed, things he took into account, that all made it to the notebook of thoughts; a number rose noteworthy: the lack of raven-song, the look Kigipigak gave his sister, Valmua's own, odd reaction (since when was she an outright tík to strangers?). Stjornuati voiced none of this and instead allowed his gaze to settle upon the female in question.

You leave your people because you are unhappy? He asked, seeking clarification. For what reasons? A glance then, to the other male, his impassive countenance giving nothing away before he returned his attention to Chanel.

For a brief moment, Valmúa almost rejected the correction and let out a tight growl, turning her gaze toward her brother. Immediately, she let it go. It was unlikely that any of her siblings would ever manage to train her out of these poor mannerisms when around other people. She huffed.
Looking at the girl, she held back a sneer as she said could use another woman. She pretended as though this bothered her, licking her teeth and eying Kigipigak as though jealous of the dainty little brat. It was true that Valmúa was a vain and shallow woman, and it was also true that she had missed her boy candy. However, she had no interest in having complete ownership of him, though she acted that this might be so.
Kigipigak, new at these covert ops as he was, nearly blew it as he looked at her. She was thankful that Prinsessa diverted his attention.
The red woman was quiet while Stjornuati interrogated her. She was the age where indeed it was normal to want to disperse. Her brother's questions hardly made sense, but it didn't matter. She stood firm, having backed up to allow Stjor in front, a miffed expression on her features.
Inwardly, she was quite excited that her Kigicandy had done so well.

The rude people didn't explain their behavior. Kigipigak spoke up to explain her circumstances, and she nodded gently after him, then looking to Stjornuati as the question was offered. Well, they were fine people, just lovely, but... I'm afraid I never quite found my place there. I was always on the edges, you see, She sighed regretfully with a shake of her head. I'm hoping I can meet some fresh faces here. She finished, though she now wondered how well she could fit in with these siblings who seemed so... cold.

Chanel spoke her truth and Kigipigak listened with a turned ear. He did not see the point in questioning the girl too thoroughly; if Stjornuati trusted his bond-brother's judgement then everything would be fine in the end. The girl was young, healthy, and held skills that none of the others could boast about. The lot of them were warrior-bred. Having someone a little bit softer and more malleable would be good for them—plus, well, look at her, Kigipigak thought. She was cute.

She knows the people of this land better than we do. Even if her stay is brief, perhaps we can learn something of the tribes from her? Kigipigak mentioned, looking to Stjornuati carefully while utilizing their shared language. He did not mean to exclude the newcomer—passing her a brief look and a sly smile.

We come from very far, our ways are different from many. It will be an adjustment—but one we can all benefit from. He added in common, for Chanel's benefit. A more nervous expression oriented itself upon Kigipigak's face as he looked from her to Stjornuati, knowing the golden man would pass the only judgement that truly mattered.

The opinions of others mattered not to Stjornuati. Their actions, however, weighed in his mind; a tension sang in the air with a heavy, pregnant tune. There was something amiss here. The feeling resonated within him as he looked from Chanel, to his sister, to Kigipigak, then back to the one who sought the company of the Watch wolves. Tail flicked as thoughts brewed, their shared language filling his ears as he settled on his next question, though the oddity of the male's suggestion was not missed -- why bring a source of information here, when she could have been more use in the field, a constant stream of information of the packs surrounding them?

Your clan. They give you blessing to leave and join us? Dark eyes settled upon her now, awaiting her reply.

Just take her you idiot. Why was he being so difficult? She was a gorgeous young maiden, ready for new experiences and especially the experience of a good northern kelling.
Briefly, Valmúa looked at her brother in front of her, nose flaring. Her gaze turned then to Chanel, who was doing her damndest to stand there and look pretty. The sister kept up her front, eyes cold as ice, heart beating thick and heavy in her chest. Perhaps once this was over and Chanel found her new home at the Watch, she might reintroduce herself to her and offer something more than a mean face.
But not now. Poor sweet thing.

Unfortunately for Stjornuati, the white feathered raven had been on the other side of the forest, picking and scraping through the leaf-littered floor in search of a snack. Had he known the pale man had been searching for him, he would have made his way over posthaste, yet he had been a little preoccupied. That was until the wolf howl went up, calling for the others who were planning to settle among the cliffs.

Curiously, though also taking his sweet time, D'Artagnan leisurely made his way towards the source of the call, hopping from tree to tree before he spied the small gathering of wolves. With a flutter of wings and a low, brooding caw, the raven landed amongst the branches of a tree that offered a top down view of the meeting, and he listened with a tilt of his head as the great white one spoke.

His gaze flicked immediately to the smallest, darkest one. He had not seen her about yet. He knew wolves were picky about others intruding upon their land; perhaps she was a tresspasser? Stjor then spoke, speaking of clans and blessings. Oh. A new member, then? How tiresome to be a wolf, to go through all these formalities in search of a new home, he thought, eyes drifting back over to the little female with a studious gaze.

It was awkward for a moment as Kigipigak spoke in his language with them. Was he saying things he did not want her to hear? Would she be able to learn this language, perhaps, in time? His smile to her eased her fears, though the red woman was still making her wary. It was Stjornuati's question that brought her outside her head, and she gulped awkwardly. Frankly, darling, I didn't think to ask them, She sighed casually, They don't own me, now do they? I don't need their blessings. She laughed. Perhaps Chanel was far too light hearted about it all- but she couldn't see the harm, when she had never made close friends at that place anyway.

With nothing more to add, Kigipigak sank in to the background. He lingered alongside Chanel; patient, but cautious. The acceptance wasn't his to give—he waited now for Stjornuati to make his decision, or for Valmua to drive off the other woman, which from the look of things might happen. Valmua was doing a good job of acting up her dislike of the new girl and Kigipigak briefly forgot about the plan, thinking her harsh look and pointed words were truth.

Y'all wanna wrap this one up? <3

His silence was stiff as he ruminated upon the girl's words, yet feeling like something in this was amiss, something he could not quite put his paw upon. A flutter of wings in the tree above them cast his gaze upward, finding the feathered creature he had been searching for, before settling on this Chanel once more. You may stay. He would finally judge, leaving the ominous words for now free from his tongue. If she did not prove her worth, she would have no place here, after all.

The next words out of the girl's mouth brought a strange, unlikely smile to Valmúa's lips. They don't own me, she said. Suddenly there was a hidden fire in the little prinsessa, and she wanted to stoke it as much as she could. This might just be the girl that could steal her brother's heart with the right guide, and that was exactly what the cinnamon woman planned to do.
With what seemed as little trouble, Stjornuati accepted her into their Watch. The sister allowed her smile to dissipate as she once more feigned distaste, moving off as soon as she was able with disinterest.