Hideaway Strath lacrima

they were three.

germanicus invited @Valiria on patrol that afternoon as a mist of rain rose over the hinterlands. "it was not so many days ago that i met towhee while ranging. she was your mother's closest companion, if you remember the name. the redhawks reside somewhere in these lands. i do not intend to seek them out."

he was quiet thereafter, prepared to answer any inquiries.

Although she didn’t necessarily want to fraternize with the man who’d hurt several of the most important women in her life, Meerkat wanted to at least establish a line of communication with their southerly neighbors. She set out toward the strath this morning with two rabbits wrapped in a rather rough-and-ready deerskin. Thankfully, the journey wasn’t long, as it was an awkward parcel for Meerkat to carry.

She arrived at the arch and set the bundle at her feet. Her whisky eyes raised contemplatively to the natural gateway, remembering Towhee’s dire warnings about entering the hideaway. Meerkat shifted her weight and sent up a note announcing herself, then lowered her gaze to watch for the infamous Germanicus to appear.

Valiria walked alongside her father, her attention partly on him and partly on their surroundings. It was good to have work to do again—meaningful work with a beginning and an attainable goal. She thought the Strath a perfectly fine territory to claim, and it felt refreshing to devote herself now to protecting it and securing a future for herself and her family here.

She did remember Towhee, which she indicated with a nod. She found it odd, his statement. She did not connect the woman his father had taken to mate and abandoned with the Redhawks right away, but her memory told her vaguely that there was a connection there. In any event, she was growing used to her father mentioning this wolf or that family or pack and claiming they ought to keep their distance. It seemed Germanicus had very few friends left in these Wilds—a problem they would perhaps need to work on at some point if they ever wanted allies.

Before she could say a word, a call rose over the trees from the North. Her ears lifted, but she did not recognize the voice. She turned to look at Germanicus, ready to follow his lead should he decide they ought to attend.

he too thought of the future as they moved. rebuilding. reforging. remarrying, though he balked internally at the very concept. 

there existed so great a rift between he and his children that germanicus could not conceptualize asking valiria if she planned to marry. his offspring were soldiers as he was. love did not mingle with dutiful expectation.

the point was moot. a call rose and he moved to meet it. a woman waited outside the strath, pelted with tones of honey and sand. the tactician paused his step to offer a short nod. "hail."

the scents of meat and of deerskin were sweet in the air. a diplomatic mission, then, and who else resided in these territories save for the redhawks?

A dark figure appeared in the middle of the stone corridor, a contrasting she-wolf flanking him. The infamous Germanicus, Meerkat identified, eyes shifting to the young woman, and his… mate? The thought had her chewing the inside of her cheek as she thought of Fennec.

Hello, she responded when the dark man greeted her. I’m Meerkat Sveijarn-Corten, from Sun Mote Copse. My mother, Towhee, told me I’d find you guys here, so I wanted to introduce myself. I’ve brought a housewarming gift, she added, motioning at the bundle at her feet.

She drew in a breath, then fell silent to let them respond however they would.

Valiria followed her father dutifully to answer the call. Her eyes landed on the stranger the moment she came into view. They did not stray as her father addressed the woman—wariness and curiosity holding her steady.

Meerkat introduced herself, naming herself daughter of Towhee and a neighbor. She seemed kind, and her gesture reinforced that notion. Still, Liri wondered then if she might get a glimpse of what it was in her father's way that made him so many enemies these days.

meerkat sveijarn-corten, daughter to towhee.

sun mote copse. and they had settled far too close.

"hail, lady meerkat. i am germanicus. this is valiria redsand, my daughter. her mother, lady ruenna, was close companions with your own."

pledged to peace while in the region, the imperator straightened. "if you are in need of hunting or ranging for your home, i would be happy to provide it while we are here."

he did not volunteer his children.

The young woman said nothing. Her counterpart—her father, as it turned out—introduced both of them very formally. He mentioned Ruenna and Meerkat smiled, recalling the woman mostly from her brief stint at the caldera.

I remember Rue, alias Auntie Woo, she replied fondly, glancing at the woman’s grown daughter. We can take care of ourselves, though I appreciate your offer. While we’re on the subject, there was a one-eyed, white-furred man called @Amaguq lurking in this area who had no respect for boundaries, pack or personal. It’s been a month since we crossed paths but I still wanted to mention so you could keep an eye out.

Aside from that news and a welcome, Meerkat didn’t have much more to offer them. Well, she supposed she could show them the items she’d brought to their doorstep. She motioned at the bundle resting at her feet, toeing at the opening of the wrap.

It’s just some rabbits, tucked inside a deer hide. I’m not very good at treating them yet, so I apologize that it’s not in better shape. It’s still soft, though. Warm too, she said with a light laugh before falling quiet.

valiria excused herself then to seek aquillius, and germanicus was left alone with meerkat.

"thank you for the gift and the warning. they are well appreciated, domina meerkat."

the hide could be placed with one of his children, the rabbits cached.

"i apologize. there is no report i can offer you, save peace," the ranger remarked, an irony in how the silent strath made him feel unworthy.

Father and daughter exchanged a few whispered words before the latter departed. Meerkat said nothing, eyes trailing after Valiria for a moment as she disappeared into the strath. Her brow knitted slightly.

Germanicus’s voice recaptured her attention. “Domina”? she wondered, though she didn’t ask what it meant. Meerkat shook her head gently at the apology, lips twitching a little at the mention of peace.

Peace is all we want, she said. I’ll leave you to settle in, she added, seeing no particular reason to linger much longer. Take care.

Meerkat offered him a polite smile, then turned to begin the trek back home. She glanced back to see if he was watching her, eyes panning up to the rocky outcroppings behind him. She would not turn him away, should he pay them a neighborly visit at the copse, though Meerkat felt an uneasiness creep through her.

She was glad she’d make the trip, held out an olive branch, though she would not soon darken this doorstep again.

his yellowpaint eyes watched meerkat depart, a nod of head given in her direction.

he himself turned back for the strath with valiria, when he had found her again, commenting naught on the visit that had been offered them.

they carried the gift away.