Redtail Rise thou art the (wo)man

it is here.

here, she'll avenge her mother.

here, she'll raise an army to rise against Nyra.

here, she will be in firm grasp of her destiny.

she has known it the minute she stood upon this place again; where her auntie had driven her to near-ruin; where her ancestors had forged a name for themselves—

Redtail Rise

she's unaware of the power beneath her paws, and yet she places a forefoot firmly upon this ground;

calls out;

a war-cry, a trumpet blare, a call to arms.

Redtail Rise lives!—

and she is its wealda

He heard the call - it was hard to miss.
Still, his people had not found him. And the man roamed.

The call sounded strangled but also powerful, at least in affect.

Tulimaq climbed the rise and stopped when the sun caught upon red. Were it not for the snow covering every inch he'd have thought it only a pile of leaves, but most were barren.

He did not advance to investigate further, but neither did he leave. The girl drew his eye and his curiosity.

he's older, older than her father, even. 

she sees him summit and nods, beckoning him closer. she takes in his rugged appearance, the scars that cut through his thick pelt. he's seen enough life to know it doesn't come out right all the time.

he's seen a fight.

she needs him.

who arh 'you? Avicus demands loudly—but her voice is not so sharp as it once was. it's grown resonant, deliberate; she dares not waste a breath, lest it be her last.

her indigo eyes stare him down.

like a tractor-beam, she pulls;

he's entered the rise. he is hers, now, by rights.

He draws nearer with her motion.

It is only a girl — one who barely controls her tongue, if she holds one in her mouth at all. Too young to be an issumatar, but not so young to avoid blood.

He is intrigued.

Tulimaq. Answers the wolf while he scrutinizes her. She has a wild look about her; more than that, something feral in the way she stares at him.

He likes the look but finds it off-putting in equal measure.
There is potential here, he thinks.

only a girl.

if she would know his thoughts, she'd strike him down where he stood. but she's not a mind-reader, and she takes his name with a nod, squaring her shoulders to look him in the eye.

Avi, she offers back briefly, with a swish of her tail.

you fighhh'? 

the end of that word is guttural, if not clipped. he'll know what she is saying. in illustration, she bares her teeth, indigo gaze burning into his.

why you here?

He had not asked her name, perhaps assuming she would give it in return.

Tulimaq liked to think he had the aura of a warrior. Perhaps not so linear or superstitious in nature; superior, being the key phrase. Her questions made him flash his teeth with a curl of the upper lip, grimacing.

Then he relaxed as if the ire had not sparked within him.

I heard the call. You seek to make a claim here, become issumatar. He answered as a soldier might answer a general, and the mental image made him want to roll his eyes. She was small and could barely speak - he had little proof this girl could back up her desire.

I have nowhere to be. If you can offer me something for the work, I will aid you. At least until his savaktuk arrived, or something more appealing drew his attention. He thought of the pale boy who followed the snow-woman then, and his brow creased.

issumatar. she doesn't know the word, but he says it reverently enough that she straightens a bit more, meeting his gaze. he's taller, stronger and older than she is—and could likely have his say in any goings-on, should he wish.

and yet, he's here.

foodhh, Avicus answers, and her mouth waters at the thought. she swallows. home. 

ragged tongue leaves her mouth, swiping briefly across her chops. bloodhh, she adds, and her chest tightens as the ghost of her mother's iron-tang death-smell fills her nostrils.

so? her indigo eyes beckon a response.

Food — he could get that from the snow-woman. Enlist the hunters she had at the ready, the pale boy specifically, if he were hungry. Or go it alone.

The slurring of home brought a hard glint to his eye. Tulimaq was a ranger by nature, he need not barter himself away for a piece of land. It was not the way of his people.

But blood — his ears twitched.

He grins, the expression ill-fitting upon his rugged face, but lends a youthfulness that hadn't been there previously.

Then, issumatar, what shall I call you? The word auktuk sprang to mind, but Tulimaq did not think it appropriate to label this girl in the ways of his people, at least aloud.

As he spoke, his head lowered an inch or two in deference.

she ruminates on this for a moment, a little thrown at his quick acceptance. she kind of likes the word he's chosen, but it has so many esses she'll never be able to utter it herself.

but. . .

Avicus had been unwell, after Nyra, and @Ashlar had found her. brought her to his father, and she'd recovered. she did not belong to their people for the long run—she was too bloody for the bards—but in her fevered dreams, words had floated to her mind.

ancient prayers—songs—curses? sounds deep as the earth.

Wealda, she decides, tripping only slightly over that last consonant. it sounds strong, a two-syllable punch like Ursus had been.

and you. . . Avicus looks him over, taking in his form, his age. you hunhh'? or fighh'?

Wealda. Alright.

There are caribou in this place. Many wolves who chase them. It will be easy enough to find some carcasses if that is what you wish, or fresh meat, so it will not be contested. He looked over his shoulder towards one of the camps, which was distant enough; but he had one ear turned to her, and soon looked back upon the young auktuk.

The stoicism remained upon his face, his grin having melted. He could go now, if she wished. It would give him time to mull over the conversation and decide for himself if he would uphold his pledge to her; this puny girl seething with blood-hunger.

hunt, then. you are Ulfhedinn, she declares, and I go wi' you. she assumes caribou are like the other ungulates she's chased, and her body begins to stir in response to the chase, muscles growing taut and loose altogether, her mind abuzz with strategy.

fre'hh, Avicus adds; fresh. she's had enough carcasses to fill her belly for a lifetime.

plus, this is a good opportunity to see whether the young Wealda and the seasoned hunt-master make a good team.

she stares him down. leadh' me 'hhere.

up to you whether you want to play this BTS or have a new thread!

Wanna do a new thread? :O I'll fade here!

It strikes him that she will go to hunt herself, earning some form of respect from Tulimaq. It was not a strong feeling within him but enough to warrant a nod of his head, the beconing of his body as she moved to run alongside him.

Soon he was moving also, leading her as she wished, to where the caribou would be found milling about in the snow. No doubt surrounded by various wolves loyal to snow-woman or the glacier — but they need not involve themselves, Tulimaq knew where best to find their target without disturbance.

It was a time to study this girl and see if she truly was made to lead, or if it would only be a momentary fancy, and Tulimaq would be thorough with his due diligence, even if he was not fully committed.