Blackwater Islands bailando

set after this thread & backdated to hmmm maybe a week/two weeks after? let's say uhh may 1st lol

the journey had been longer than belen expected. and when she had looked back over her shoulder and found that akashingo was gone, swallowed by the roll of landscape, she had grown sick. hiding her tears from marina (@Cerulean), she had traveled beside the blackwater wolf largely in silence. eventually the terrain changed again, as did the wind. salt filled the air. the crash of waves could be heard even before belen and marina had reached the beach. while the girl had been informed she would have to swim, she was still caught off-guard. it took some coaxing for marina to bring her into the water. belen was exhausted and near weeping again by the time that she and the seawolf hauled themselves dripping onto the opposite bank. the teekons' mainland was far away now, and akashingo even farther. belen shivered and looked around as marina called for @The Listener. everything about blackwater was vastly unfamiliar, and now she would have to serve here as she had served in the palace. she told herself it was the role chosen for her by the pharaoh, and stayed quiet, subdued as she waited.

the waters raged. high tide, and with it the isolation the druids had been cultivated upon; the bridge of souls was invisible to the eye now, impossible to cross unless one knew the way. without such knowledge, a wolf could be lost at sea forever. even with it, the journey was harsh and at times treacherous.

yet cerulean came nonetheless, bearing a gift from akashingo. a slight woman, introduced by the speaker as belen, former fellahin of akashingo. cerulean might have thought to explain more, had the listener not dismissed her. the prophet bade her rest; the journey had been long.

belen. tell me the role of a fellahin in akashingo, the prophet invited with a gesture of her muzzle to indicate that the girl should walk with her. they would tour the islands, and she would learn the scope of her new role.

servant or not, belen had become accustomed to the splendor of the palace. this place was near feral in comparison, replete with a raw beauty that she might come to enjoy. but for now her legs trembled with the effort of the long swim. she wanted to sink down, to close her eyes. kasmut came to her mind and belen knew she must not lose face now. she arranged her young features into a smooth expression. "i gathered berries. i welcomed guests. i brought meals to the nobles and the guards. and i did whatever else pharaoh asked of me. he is a man with many hungers." she would leave it light, though she wondered at the youth of the other and her odd, enchanting formality.

quick cameo!

At the clarion sound of his mate's return, Ego appeared at the treeline, scanning the shore of the bridge until two figures emerged from the tumultuous surf. The cast iron wolf approached to receive the freshly returned @Cerulean, hanging back as she relinquished her companion to the nebulous form of the Listener.

From a distance, he looked over the newcomer -- a creature as dainty as a matchstick and just as pitiful when wet. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

When Marina was dismissed, Ego happily collected her, eager to abscond into the woods. But before they were gone, he caught the Listener's first words to the unfortunate Belen, and he thought it a miserable welcome.

the listener filed each word away carefully, all the while scheming how best she might put belen to use. the girl's grief was of no concern to her; she would learn to swallow it and live, or she would die here.

but the prophet had plans for this gift, yes. grand plans indeed.

did you enjoy your work? then, before the girl could answer: speak truly. if you would reach for more, this is the moment to grasp it.

if you would reach for more. she thought of crowfeather and what she had told him of her own wants. but he had gone away and left her in the palace. what did her desires matter? "i did," belen said, tripping over a piece of driftwood. she recovered her gait but only just barely. "it would be an honor to provide the same to your royals," the girl murmured, testing for any word of the hierarchy in which she would serve for some time.

i did, she said, yet she spoke nothing of pleasure; she spoke of honor.

there is no honor in leading a life that was not meant for you, the listener meant to provoke. perhaps belen was only being polite with her words — or perhaps she was being dishonest. the prophet thought a measure of offense might serve to loosen her tongue and bring forth the truth of it. anger often made wolves careless. you wish for nothing but berries and greetings, then? you desire no power of your own? you think nothing of marriage, of children, of a land you might call yours? or even the immaterial luxuries; you do not crave new knowledge, new experiences?

the prophet looked on her new acolyte, intense yet unreadable. if she noticed the former fellahin's stumble, her expression betrayed none of it.

you are pretty. a delicate thing. blackwater is no place for pretty, delicate things. you will find the fire in your heart, or your spirit will drown in these black waters.

this was not the first time that belen had been quizzed so coldly. she was reminded at once of the priestess qiao. but this time she did not shrink or shy away. the girl was gripped by frustration and bit her tongue on that matter. "i was sent here by my pharaoh to serve blackwater in whatever way its leadership saw fit, noble one." she tried to keep her voice steady, but if the listener wanted to demand she would find belen locked tight as a chest. "you seek to harden me but you will find nothing but obedience." on impulse she flicked her eyes over the dark features and then let her gaze move to the ground. but she was afraid now.

you will find nothing but obedience. a lie, the listener thought; the girl had a fire of her own, a flame of icy blue which rendered her as unforgiving as a slow-moving glacier. if i sought to harden you, i would have sent my keeper to you. you are hardened already, and you mask your defiance in obedience to that which you know, the listener countered, displeased by all she saw. the druids' ways are not the ways of akashingo. it is fire i seek from you. if you wish to serve, you will serve by becoming more than a servant. the fate i offer you is far kinder than the fate you would meet as a servant among druids.

who was this whelp to speak so condescendingly to her? had she not dealt with the little prince she might have snapped right then. a muscle jumped in her cheek. she hated that she was not as veiled as jawahir. "i provide fire in the bedchamber," belen murmured, her voice a silken overture. her time with kasmut had proven enough. but she did not think this girl was interested. "i am ready to be taught, listener." this time her voice did not move. defiance. belen tested as she had been taught by the politics of her court.

the pharaoh's gift began to come undone, fine threads of vexation snapping and fraying at the edges of her carefully-woven composure. finally, her words failed to disappoint. the intensity of the listener's gaze eased on the still-damp belen, whose discomfort she finally chose to acknowledge.

good. your journey was long and difficult; i expect you will desire rest and food, and a space to call your own. none of the druids will disturb you. i will show you where these things can be found, but i must ask that you keep your own company until i seek you again.

if belen did not argue, the listener would lead her to a den-site she had once used for a transient of blackwater. a gentle sort of cave, a place of greenery and light where the mild burbling of the nearby stream and its adjoining waterfall reigned over the crashing of waves more often than not. a den chosen for one accustomed to a more forgiving terrain; even the forest near the cliffs grew tamer and less dense.

after she departed, the prophet would linger in the druids' grove to ensure her orders were obeyed. soon, she would seek belen again.

this can be faded unless belen has more to add or ask <33 i'll post a new thread for us as well since the listener will be returning soon.