Sunspire Mountains pockets full of stones

she pauses, wavering slightly, on a wider ledge that seems to be part of a path. somehow, her muscles have stopped their complaints and she feels, contrary to ten minutes ago, good. she huffs, peering up at the wall that stretches before her and finding it too steep to be climbed. she doesn't bother glancing behind her, knowing getting down isn't appealing in the least. charging up the rock is fine, but inching back down, staring all the while at the ground below, is something better put off until truly necessary. 

the girl scrambled further onto the ledge, finding after a moment the path she thought seemed to cut through the rock. she considers a moment before heading left, peering warily at the vale stretched out below. the feeling in her chest - a little like guilt, she thinks - is enough to tell her that she has overextended her range, but just like the descent, her parents are something to be dealt with later. 

@Priamfaya! :)

thank you for starting! ♥

praimfaya and @Blodreina, her acting setnes, veer from the path that cuts through the sunspire mountains to step upon a craggy outcropping of rock to peer at the vale that stretches before them. a yawning emerald territory dotted with freshwater lakes rests nestled betwixt the two jagged peaks like protective monster teeth. northstar vale, it calls to praimfaya for some reason, but today she does not follow the treacherous path from the sentinel peak she stands upon to venture into the vale. though she's set out from diaspora with the intention of furthering her diplomatic training she doubts, the longer the pair make the trek, that she will stumble upon anyone up here.

nevertheless, she enjoys the chance to stretch her legs. unlike her mother she does not appear to be a homebody. komba raun, she calls to blodreina as she turns from the stunning view of the vale and picks her way back to the path from the outcropping. the pair follow the path for a little more ways, praimfaya's steps slowing and ears cupping forth atop her skull. her steps halt all together and she casts a look over her shoulder at the wanlida. she regards blodreina, not as her daughter, but as her future commander. something wordless passes between the two and praimfaya moves forward to investigate while blodreina hangs back but remains in sight.

hei. praimfaya calls out in greeting to the ivory girl, unable to place why there is something about her that strikes the wanheda as familiar.

she notices the girl swiftly - she is not hard to miss, and Isi supposes neither is she. what does catch her interest is the way the girl's mother - or so she assumes - hangs back after the glimpse the girl gives her. it's an odd exchange that she can not imagine occurring between herself and Aure, and this, coupled with the tinge of familiarity, has her focus rivetted on the girl. 

she blinks as the girl greets her, slipping into her father's tongue with a bit of glee. "hei," she echoes, "who are you? I am Isilme." it's a change from her normal one-sided interrogation of strangers. though her wariness doesn't vanish, it is eased considerably.

the other girl creates another swell of familiarity beneath praimfaya's breast and the insistent nagging that she should know her, especially as she replies in trigedasleng. the name, as it is presented to the wanheda sparks recognition despite that it has been a while since they had last seen one another. isilme, praimfaya repeats softly. i am praimfaya. she offers, hoping that her own name sparks the same recognition with baited breath as her bonesilver gaze takes in the slightly older girl's appearance, unable to help but think that she seems prettier than praimfaya remembers her being.

the young commander-in-training wants to ask her how she's been, where she's settled — there is an unfamiliar pack scent upon her pelage — but bites lightly upon her tongue for now, thinking that such a question might be awkward if she doesn't remember praimfaya in return.

her name has the vague sense of recognition become suddenly clear, and Isi's face softens. she echoes the name softly, as praimfaya has hers. "I know you. you are from diaspora?" it's somewhat rhetoric, for she's certain of it before she even finishes the sentence. she remembers vaguely intruding on the pair, and her ears sweep back a brief moment in shame mixed with happiness. her tumultuous childhood, thus far, has left her with very few connections, let alone friends. but among all the changing faces, praimfaya's stood out.

"how are you? and the pack?" she asks, suddenly remembering not just what little she can of the bonesilver, but of Diaspora, too. it is impossible to quell the discontent that rises, the what-if's of how her life would be shaped had they not had to leave the mountain pack.

the observation and question that parts from isilme's lips comes across as rhetorical to praimfaya but she confirms with sha. anyway. i didn't think i'd ever see you again. praimfaya admits in common, peering through her lashes for a moment as her eyelids lower with her words. when the general had told her and blodreina that the pale mother had stolen her children away from diaspora without any word after she'd challenged him praimfaya had chalked up their disappearance to mean she'd never see isilme or dragomir again.

i'm good, praimfaya replies truthfully. diaspora is good too. there's been another birth of cubs. in terms of going-ons in diaspora this is the most interesting to praimfaya, whom though often forgets she's still just a child herself, is more interested in what's happening with the other cubs when she isn't focused on her training ( which is, admittedly, most of the time ). i've begun my commander training. she tells her companion for this is the news she's most excited about.

how are you? praimfaya asks then, deigning not to let the conversation linger on her for too long. have you settled? praimfaya asks next, hoping for her and dragomir's sake that they had a place to call home.

she's glad at the news - she didn't really think her families disappearance would have any great effect on the pack, but is glad all the same that Diaspora seems to be thriving. she wants to see her birthplace again, and yet, does not know if she would be welcome back. the thought of that is unpleasant, but she does not dwell on it. "I'm training, too - to be a warrior." she tells her, and her interest is piqued by praimfaya again. "what does that mean — commander training?" she slips fully into common now, and has to admit it's easier than trigedasleng. 

she isn't quite sure how to respond truthfully to the first question the girl poses, and so settles on the second. "in a way. my brother, Dragomir, was attacked. a pack in the flatlands took us in, though it'll be a while until he can walk again." she slides her tongue over her skewered fang, features touched with guilt. "my brother can barely move, and my parents hate each other, but at least we're staying in one place." she hated leaving Diaspora, and Rusalka, and the uncertainty and wrongness of it all. and even though her family seemed to barely be keeping their heads above water, they were stuck in place. she'd rather have a whole brother and parents who could stand each other, but she was learning to grasp at the tiny, faint silver linings.

maybe we can meet up again someday soon and spar? praimfaya suggests with interest, both at the prospect of maintaining contact with isilme and being able to pit what she's learned against another who is also undergoing warrior training. admittedly, praimfaya's been putting heavy focus on her ambassador skills as of late. then comes the question of what commander training is and praimfaya considers how to explain it, a bit surprised that while the girl speaks trigedasleng ( or some of it anyway ) that she doesn't know what a heda is. a heda... praimfaya begins with a contemplative flick of her left ear. only a fos goufa, a single child, can be a heda. i am a fos goufa and my setnes, she gestures with her chin to blodreina who lingers observantly in the background. is teaching me the ways of our people, how to embrace my future as wanheda. the commander of death.

the conversation takes a morbid turn as isilme goes on to answer praimfaya's question, stating that dragomir was attacked and that he can't walk. a frown weighs the wanheda's lips down as she processes the news that isilme offers her, thinking neither her nor dragomir deserve to live in such unfortunate conditions. maybe when he is better i can visit, praimfaya offers. i'm sorry, praimfaya breathes. i'm sorry you have to go through that. she can't imagine what it would be like, to be in a foreign place, to have an immobile brother and parents that hated each other. she couldn't imagine what it'd be like for blodreina and ingram to look at each other with contempt.

if it ever becomes too much, if you ever want to get away for a bit you can come visit me. perhaps it is not praimfaya's place to offer such sanctuary but she offers it anyway ...even if isilme bore the consequences of her mother's actions and diaspora would not welcome her for even a visit then praimfaya could travel to a neutral territory. kru must stick together. the wanheda offers the pale girl a small smile, hoping to reinforce a comrade that they'd been denied by her abrupt departure from diaspora.

the prospect of a spar is appealing, and Isi brightens. "yeah - I'd like that!" she agrees quickly, keen not only for the opportunity to advance her training but to remain in contact with the girl. the children of Kaisteloki are still young, barely out of the den, and besides her brother and mentor there are few in the pack that she interacts with. 

she fascinated with praimfaya's synapsis. the idea of a set path, a whole culture that belonged to you, was part of you, was appealing, especially to one with such an uncertain view of the future. she understood, too, the weight the girl must carry, destined leader from birth. "is it lonely, sometimes?" she asks, for however much the thought appealed, she could not imagine life without Drago. but still, she was starkly curious, and learning more than she'd thought when she'd first set out to climb the mountain. "could you tell me of your people one day?" her father and herself have never had the opportunity to talk of what had come before her birth, of Drageda, and so she did not consider that they might be her people too. 

Isi offers a small smile at the girl's suggestion, thinking that Drago would certainly be glad for it, too. "he'd like that," she answers gladly. she would, too. her next words, apologies, had the smile drop from her features, and she blinked. drago, her parents, it had started feeling all too much like her normal. in the same way that praimfaya can not image her parents hating one another, isi finds it impossible to imagine parents that do not argue, shout, and occasionally disappear. it is jarring to consider her situation from the outside looking in. for a moment, words fail her. 

but her offer has the smile return to her face, and something like relief unfurl. "thank you, praimfaya." kru. she likes the word, the thought that she belongs to something besides her family, besides Kaisteloki. "I will." not just because she wants to see the girl again, but because she knows something, somehow, will snap and unleashing her fury on bracken and dead things is not a healthy option.

editing this slightly into a conclusion for wrap up + archival.

another soft smile lights up praimfaya's face as isilme agrees to the suggestion of a spar, glad that the other girl took so well to the offer to brush up on their skills together. blodreina was an excellent teacher but her experience far outweighed praimfaya's own and the young commander-to-be thinks that it would be beneficial to get practice sparring with those of her own skill level; even if she lost she could take her mistakes and use the to help her improve.

is it lonely, sometimes? isilme asks and praimfaya contemplates the question. she didn't feel alone, not really. she had ingram and blodreina and diaskru and yet she muses, sometimes, and then after a beat echoes linkoln's words shared with her numerous times over. but to be commander is to be alone. spoken with a simple shrug of her shoulders. it was the way it was and for better or for worse praimfaya was ready to accept it. you speak our language ...you are my people too. praimfaya corrects her companion with another smile, this one perhaps more timid than any of the others. ...of course. she gives a solid answer though.

where can i find you ...to visit? praimfaya asks abruptly and then after some more thought adds, and where and when should we meet to spar? the pair iron out the little details as best they can before they part ways.