Valley of Gold bone & wine

HW wolves!

"on, mazoi," khusobek ordered in the darkness of pre-dawn, voice issued to @Ironspine. eset had taken this one on as a soldier. "activity due northeast. not war, but worthy of investigation."

the man said no more as the hours passed from muat-riya to the valley of gold, where the first rays of Ra transformed the fields into a shimmering expanse of gilt. he called out sharply, "who comes to place their camp at muat-riya's eastern gate?"

the mazoi's voice thundered loud enough to wake doves from their morning feed.

She slipped from the grasses silent and poised. A small family, Reverie answered softly. Formerly of Hushed Willows.

Yes, she knew this man. The dancer stepped closer, but not too close. Not yet. It's good to see you again, Khusobek, She added, though there was a slight hesitation in her tone. She wasn't quite sure whether it was good to see him — but she certainly hoped so.

just a lil cameo! tag if he's needed. <3

he is called by the other mazoi, given the direction they were to head and told that it was not war but warranted investigation. stark is quiet as he shadows khusobek, whose name reminds him a bit of sobek the crocodile god and wonders if that was who he was partially named after.

stark amuses himself with that a bit but it does not take long for them to reach the northeast border. nor does it take long for someone to appear: a woman, dressed in blondes and creams who appears familiar with khusobek.

he offers no words; content to observe how his companion handles this situation, with the intent of using it as a template to how he was to handle such issues.

she spoke to him with familiarity, the little golden woman, but he could not remember ever having met her before. 

in the manner of a guard pivoting away the point of his spear, he exchanged a long look with ironspine before his attention returned to the woman.

"why are you here?" this time khusobek's voice was more even if not kind. he held no dislike for her; he did not know her. but a "small family" could quickly become more, too close to the palace. "was there strife in the willows?"

Strife in the mountains, Reverie offered, wondering at the lack of familiarity in his gaze. He had come to her borders with a message not so long ago. But she didn't linger on it then, not with more pressing matters before her.

She hadn't thought Muat-Riya so close as Khusobek implied. A frown knit her features. I didn't realize Muat-Riya is so close. We can move elsewhere if you'd like - but I do love this valley... Reverie glanced briefly over her shoulder as she said it, gazing over the gilded grasses for a moment. Then her eyes found Khusobek again. All we want is to raise our children in peace. Maybe we can... work something out? If you want passage through the valley, we can do that.

it would have warmly amused khusobek to know her thoughts, as mazoi carried many messages without formal meet and little interest in recalling faces. 

but he did not know them, and so busied his own mind with consideration of her beauty and how it suited her to be here amid the golden field. "your departure is not my decision to make. our pharaoh is kind. she wants alliances. it may be that you are able to reach an agreement of greatly benefit to the wolves of ...?" she had not given a name to her encampment, and he was curious.

ironspine remained silent, and of this khusobek approved. "what sort of strife? war? were you and these children made to flee?" as he spoke he turned his eyes on the mountains, remembering vaguely where the willow forest stood.

He was late to the party, having been off on a hunt with one of the girls. But the rude awakening had brought him as quickly as his paws were able, and he arrived on the scene already with a special bushiness to his bottlebrush tail.

He didn't want to interrupt Reverie, but what the fuck was a pharaoh, and why was he meant to care? He wasn't at the eastern gate of shit as far as he was aware, and the call itself had incensed him for its lofty presumption.

The coywolf was shocked to see another of his kind had been behind the call. He stepped up beside Reverie, staking a meaningful claim on the woman.

"I'm sorry, I must have missed something," he said, as polite as ever. "Can I get a synopsis?"

She'd grown accustomed to facing these things on her own; it hadn't even occurred to her to wait for Dusty Rose, or wish for him, but there he was. Reverie pressed herself gratefully to his flank, letting some of the tension fade from her. It was good to be reminded that she was not alone.

Our pharaoh is kind, Khusobek said. She wants alliances. Alliances. The word alone gave her pause. Isolation had been the goal of their flight — and now this. Reverie glanced to Dusty Rose briefly, hoping to catch his eye before she addressed Khusobek again.

Lone trespassers and other predators drove us from the willows, She explained softly. We haven't decided what to call ourselves yet - we only arrived a few days ago. Um... you can call us the Medeiros family for now.

I'd like to speak to your pharaoh, when she's ready, Reverie added. They would speak, if nothing else. But she had a feeling that this pharaoh would ask for more than she was willing to offer. For Dusty Rose's benefit she murmured, This is Khusobek of Muat-Riya.

no one had ever referred to khusobek as a coyote before, and it remained to be seen how the man would take being spoken to as anything less than a wolf.

a cursory glance of the icewater eyes took them in as a pair, and only because decorum demanded did he not allow his stare to linger.

"your family has chosen a camp near to the second palace of our pharaoh. akashingo controls the flatlands through the pass, through the cenote, with scouts in all surrounding areas. no one moves without the knowledge of pharaoh isetnofret @Toula and her Gilded Consort and semer-wati @Rashepses."

it was enjoyable to speak of the power he served, though his tone had lost its forcefulness. "i am certain she will be in contact," khusobek murmured, straightening. "in the interim, as you are new to these lands, we will patrol between here and the cenote, and relay any threats to you."

it was not a request, and khusobek felt himself to be very generous as he tipped his head to the medeiros folk and stepped back in indication that he would depart with ironspine unless more was said.

It did not seem settled at all to Dusty Rose, who hated himself for a perceived cowardice that kept him from attacking the two men. He was terrified for his wife and their children, recognizing at once the threat that Tamar had warned him of. He should have known.

"Can I just go see the pharaoh?" he asked, wanting it as far as possible from his family, whatever a pharaoh might be. "Y'know. Save them some time."

He was pretty sure this place was right out either way. He just wanted to be sure they made a clean getaway first — even if that meant kowtowing for a minute far from his family's eyes.

As much as she hated to disagree so openly with Dusty Rose in the company of strangers, that simply wouldn't fly. Reverie pressed closer, both to soften the words and help maintain their image of unity. Maybe we should talk about it first, She suggested, eyes seeking his for a moment.

In no world would she allow him to walk into Akashingo's lands — or Muat-Riya's — alone and unprepared.

"she resides at her main palace during this time. it is not in the desert, but muat-riya will offer an escort to the red land."

he studied them, sending their unease. what sort of tribute could be offered by a tiny clan? and yet the cunningness in the crocodile told him he must not underestimate any others.

"it is better that i arrange a meeting between yourself and our hebsut, eset. that way there is not far to go, and decisions do not need to be made in this moment. it is eset who holds muat-riya. servant to pharaoh and no one else."

he straightened. "have no fear. i am but one face of the palace. hers is much more welcoming than mine."

He was annoyed only briefly to be challenged. He looked at Reverie's face when she called silently for his eyes and saw the truth written there. They would leave the valley — and they would do it on their own terms before they were forced.

He looked back at Khusobek.

"I wouldn't bother her with it," he said, his tone apologizing for the back-and-forth. "We'll probably be gone before too long. We're only passing through on the way to the next place. Far from here."

He hated the words and the conciliatory tone. He hated Khusobek, just a little, and the wolf behind him quite a lot.

"Thanks for stopping by," he said, finally allowing polite escape.

Reverie had nothing more to add — not so long as Khusobek and his minion lingered near. Rather than speak she pulled Dusty Rose into a long kiss, meaning to make a show of it for the two warriors of Muat-Riya. They meant to bring tension here; the threat of violence.

She didn't think much of that.

So she wouldn't release her husband until the pair was well out of sight. She let her touches wander, too, unashamed; almost hoping for the warriors' discomfort. Maybe it would serve to hasten their exit.

her display had the added effect of a brow flung upright, an appraising look given to an ardent flicker of his own. well played. now the defiant noblewoman had his own attention.

he turned and with the other warrior of muat-riya, made for the palace.