Bramblepoint behind her tired eyes

the sky is overcast, thick grey clouds concealing the mid-morning sun that strives, defiantly, to break through its veiled prison. occasionally, it succeeds, bathing the rich forest full of adlers, cottonwoods, apple and cherry trees ( not that praimfaya necessarily knows what any of those are ) in golden sunlight before it's chased away by shadows too eager to devour. praimfaya isn't overly bothered by the overcast day — it's cool and with her winter coat growing in, coarse and heavier than her 'normal' coat she notices — it leaves the morning feeling pleasant.

loathe though she is to venture too far from roangeda's borders, she feels plenty confident leaving it in the capable hands of those she's gathered — the actual adults, she reminds herself — and sets about to explore more of greatbear, mostly in curiosity of what resources it has to offer but not entirely unwilling to converse if she happened to come across another.

she treads carefully through the underbrush, mindful of the sharp thorn though it quickly proves more difficult than praimfaya had first assumed. a sharp thorn catches her — a small, shallow splice to her shoulder. she lets out a sharp hiss of pain, ears fluttering back as she pauses to examine it before drawing her tongue across it once before pushing onwards.

He barely caught sight of the whelp but there she was, cleaning away the remnants of something he didn't know. Child. The word is rumbled deeply as he gazed upon her a few safe lengths away. It was not meant to be insulting as most might have used a word. He simply did not have a name for her, settled to call her what she was. A quick glance told him there was no parent looming nearby but perhaps he was wrong. The woods were thick after all. What has happened? There is almost a parental concern in his words. He had sired enough children to hone such a tone.

Yet he also knew that he had taught his own children not to talk to strangers alone. Had hers done the same? Would she bolt at the sight of him? There is a look of concern upon his face either way though, waiting for some sort of reaction.

child, a masculine voice calls out to her. it draws praimfaya's steps to a stop and her frostbound silver gaze scans the woodlands until they land upon the shadowed man that spoke to her. the resists the urge to grind her teeth at his choice of word. she is painfully aware that she is a child to those that look upon her, but she hasn't felt like a child in so long. long gone is her desire to romp and play. whatever carefree demeanor she once harbored was stolen from her the moment her mother pushed her out of the way of that boulder and sacrificed herself. but...this man doesn't know this.

my name is praimfaya, she supplies with an imperious lift of her chin. wanheda. the girl had been killed with her mother and in her place wanheda had been born in full. and i'm fine. she brushes away his concern flippantly, her gaze searching his concerned facial expression with caution. the way he seems parental in his concern is a bit perturbing to praimfaya whom is both reminded of her own father. its just a small scratch.

and then because she thinks of roangeda ( its rare these days that she doesn't ) and notes that he has no pack scent that clings to him praimfaya sees the chance for opportunity. you are a lone wolf? the words leave her lips as more of a statement and less of a question, hedging to see if he is potential recruit material or not.

apologies for the small phone post!

”And I’m fine.”

Very well. He rumbled with a dismissive wave of his tail. If that was all perhaps he should get going. No need to linger and beckon forth the threat of an angry parent or guardian. If she truly was fine (and she looked it, no gushing wounds or dying breaths) he was not needed here, was he?

But he couldn’t even pull away from his spot before she spoke once more. If her words had meant to be a question, they sounded more like a statement. Regardless he replied. I am. What of it? His tone was not snappish like the words might suggest, his voice instead held curiosity. Why did the girl care how he affiliated? Perhaps she had never met such rogues before. He was left to wonder and draw his own conclusions until she answered.

would praimfaya have known him better she would've thanked him for his concern, but as it was, she is wary of strangers though not as half as prickly as her mother before her had been. wanheda didn't have the luxury to be so cutting towards wolves she doesn't know. to be commander was to know the difference between when she was to be warrior and when she was to be the ambassador. one day, she would be the voice of her people and she had to know the difference. the stranger doesn't appear threatening and hasn't done anything to warrant bite of her tongue.

and does not bite with his own words as he responds to her inquiry with one of his own. a fair one, at that. are you in search of a pack? to winter with or, perhaps find a more permanent place among them? she inquires and offers a beat later, my home, roangeda, is in search of wolves and though we've only met you appear healthy of both mind and body. praimfaya says with a quick, assessing sweep of her gaze.

She was a bold one to offer him a home with her own. Roangeda she had called it. A brow arched in thought as he lingered in silence for a few brief seconds. And what about this Roangeda? How do you know I will fit in among them even if only for a winter? Is that not more important than my health? His tone never once reached an accusatory phase. Aleks could only be intrigued by her offer. Why him? What did she truly know of him?

Despite his desire to part ways with Praimfaya, he stayed to listen to her. If he did not go with her to wherever Roangeda was then perhaps he would at least leave this interaction with more knowledge.

i don't, praimfaya replies to his question, adding a few seconds later. at least not yet. she adds with a small smile. he knew her name but she knew not even his own; but she was to ever see roangeda come to fruition she had to take chances. she speaks of roangeda, that she thinks upon first impression, upon initial assessment that he might be a fit to judge if there is any potential — slim or otherwise — of interest. if she cannot see a even a sliver of it then she would see no need to continue to speak of it ...but still he does not turn away, does not flee.

praimfaya takes that as a good sign.

the low sting from small wound the thorn inflicted has begun to ebb in the wake of her conversation as she adjusts her focus to the stranger and her seized opportunity. roangeda was not yet established, still yet a fledgling and hedging this was all apart of the job as far as she's concerned. times are harsh with the wilds in upheaval, the earthquakes have spooked their herds and though she hates the tremors that have killed her mother, that put roangeda's survival in jeopardy she cannot deny that this and the coming winter lend her a unique opportunity. and winter soon upon us. while it is true that she has yet to experience winter, praimfaya takes the words of those she chooses to consult for counsel on such matters to heart.

roangeda is a pack of strength, of tight-knit kru — she pauses here briefly to quickly offer the common translation, — of family where we can build our own traditions. roangeda would not be for all, this praimfaya knows but even a failed recruitment means that she can say that she has at least tried, and beyond that hadn't blodreina and linkoln both told her that failure should be seen as a stepping stone to improvement?

He listens as she speaks of upheaval and it is that that sparked some concern in him. Winter he had been through for years, had conquered in the Frozen Territories but what is the upheaval she speaks of? What is going on in the wilds? He had not been back long enough to experience the awakening of the earth. He didn't know of the tragedies occurring all around him, the tragedies that effected the girl right before him.

As she elaborates he offers a small tug of his lips that can only be describe as the beginnings of a smile. I can admire that. He admits honestly. It's a admirable thing to do. He can't bring himself to admit it but he's never felt like family anywhere. Not since he'd been thrust from the Frozen Territories. Still he rolls the idea around in his mind. What traditions do you wish to build? Not the kru, not her parents or guardians. He wished to know her own thoughts.

it strikes praimfaya as bizarre that he is not aware of the earthquakes that have effected areas of the wilds but she suspects that he is new here and wonders if he is lucky because he has yet to be affected by the tremors of the earth or if she pities him because of. the earth has trembled with great fury and has claimed lives in its rage. praimfaya speaks solemnly, sure that blodreina's was not the only life that the earth has claimed. and now in the eerie silence that follows many of the herds have fled, spooked. according to those she trusts, this is earlier than normal. i fear that means something worse is coming. and now more than ever she seeks to become both rock and seek strength of roangeda.

there was nothing like tragedy to pull wolves together.

he inquires after the traditions she would see and she thinks it is too much to dump into one monologue, so she will paraphrase it as best she can. where previously our people have known four leaders there is to be only two. wanheda and their shouna. or klikalida and worlida if wanheda is too young or not trained enough to take up the mantle, in her case it was a bit of both. traditionally, to be wanheda, to be the commander was a birthright but i will change that. any child born within roangeda has a chance to be trained to be wanheda if they desire it. but praimfaya would not make it easy. just as she has worked and has to work, so too will they.

i would see a gathering: pramheda at least once throughout the year to invite friends and allies to celebrate and honor the spirits of the commanders and alliances. a coalition of her own, she supposes. ...these are just some of the ideas i have. ambitious — maybe too ambitious; but she's a visionary and just because it seems impossible does not mean she intends to let anything or anyone stand in her way of seeing it become reality.

lemme know if i should change anything with his assumptions pls

And Roangeda, this kru, have found a safe place for the trembles? There is worry lacing his words but why wouldn't their be? If he was to have a future here shouldn't he reside somewhere safe through the worst of things? Little did he know the worst was yet to come...

He settled down onto his rear as she began to speak, intent on putting all of his energy into listening to her words. It's a lot to process. Especially for someone who had not been born into such a life. Please correct me if I get anything wrong — He began with before digging into her words some more. So Wanheda is your...alpha of sorts? Shouna is their right hand? She had made the title sound possessive, as if they belonged to Wanheda. You speak as though you are a Wanheda or meant to be one...are you? It was merely an observation. The way she offered him to join, how she spoke of Roangeda, all of her plans for changes. It held the atmosphere of an alpha proud of their works or so that was how he saw it.

I've been asking so many questions but haven't even introduced myself, I apologize. He rumbled warmly with an apologetic dip of his muzzle. He was a bit of a beast but he was no monster. She had been nothing but kind to his pestering and she deserved at least a name. I'm Aleks.

his assumptions are perfectly fine ♥

sha, praimfaya breathes in trig and then offers the common translation a small breath afterwords. yes. we have lain claim to the fen just south of here. she tells him motioning in broken antler fen's direction with a gesture of her muzzle. correct. wanheda translates to commander of death from my native tongue to common and the commander is the alpha, it is the easiest way to translate it to common even if she doesn't like the way 'alpha' sounds rolling off her tongue. shouna translates to advisor. they are the ...beta. baised as she was, she much preferred trig to the typical greek-based rank system.

yes. praimfaya responds again, a small imperious lift of her chin given. i will be wanheda when i am old enough and when my klikalida, dacio, feels i am ready. for now i am roangeda's worlida. she both confirms and explains. to her, of course, it all makes sense but she understands how, to an outsider, it could be confusing. admittedly, she is a bit spoilt by henwen and ingram's easy acceptance of things; even though she does not see this man's questions — aleks, he introduces himself as — as a bad thing.

having confirmed and explained things as he's asked them, praimfaya falls silent once more allowing for more questions if he has any.

Commander of death.

Now that was a heavy title. It wasn't that that he dwelt on though. There was still so much he was curious about. So do you have a Shouna then or does that only come when the title is official? And this...Klikalida that decides when you are ready seems risky. I take it that there must be plenty of trust between a Worlida and the Klikalida. It seemed his questions were coming to a slowing point as he wrapped his brain around all of it. Plenty of titles and plenty of steps.

Yet where did he fit in during all of this? What odd title would he be given to wear and what would be expected of him? Perhaps those were the questions he should have been asking instead of attempting to lay out how the leadership worked among them. What is expected of your Kru? He finally questioned after a few beats of silence.

my klikalida will ascend to shouna when i become wanheda. she explains, subtly implying that until that time the rank will remain dormant, but she understands where there might be confusion. klikalida and worlida are only temporary leadership ranks. they are not meant to stay in affect for long periods of time. ideally, once i become wanheda i will begin looking for and training a child chosen by the spirits of the commander to groom for the possibility of becoming wanheda which can only happen with my death. and while she is ( very ) young and still very much vibrant with life her mother's tragedy has made her cruelly aware that anything could happen. she must be prepared. there must always be a commander.

i trust my klikalida, she tells him resolutely ...though she can see aleks' point. as nice as a sediment as it sounds — as she has spoken the idea aloud that anyone can be commander she knows that it was just that: an fantastical idea but it wasn't entirely up to her. any child can be trained to be the commander but the spirits of the commanders pst have to chose them for them to ascend. hadn't, originally, blodreina told her that sadgeda had to happen? where the single born children faced off in a fight to the death with the victor as commander? as the chosen of the spirits of the commanders past? he cannot keep me from becoming the commander. praimfaya explains quietly ...and she didn't think he would. out of honor of their traditions and certainly not when he had the chance to groom her into the heda she had every potential to be, the heda he desired to see in command.

aleks' next question was much easier for praimfaya to tackle: it involved less explanation of how their culture worked, how it was structured from the top down: and as she is still learning herself she can only hope that what she does know and that her ideas are enough ( for now, anyway ). what any leader does, really. contribution. i expect my kru to hone their skills to be the best at what they're good at. roangeda is for the strong but strength isn't only just brute force. a mind could be just as lethal a weapon, praimfaya thinks, a slightly coy smile tugging at the corners of her lips before it flits away like a mischievous will-o-wisp. loyalty. she adds. loyalty to their commander, loyalty to their kru. to be kru is to be family and family is the most important.

She humored his endless questions, giving answer after answer. It was clear to him that all of this had been thought out very well. Likely the result of years of tradition or teaching continuously being passed down. He felt her parents should be proud to have such a knowledgeable child. Not to mention she had been nothing but kind to him, a stranger more than anything else. He felt pride, to know that the future might lay in capable paws still — despite whatever ravaged the earth here.

One last thing... He informed with a soft cant his head before it rolled back to a neutral position. I could be loyal to you. You've been nothing but patient, kind, and informative. Yet I cannot announce loyalty to this Klikalida which I have never even laid eyes upon, know little of. His gaze is soft despite his usual rough voice. He wondered if she could see where this was going. What do you propose, Worlida?

he presents something new, something that praimfaya has not considered ...that while he could be loyal to her, he cannot be loyal to her klikalida. his reasons for it are fair, praimfaya considers, analyzing it and trying to think up a solution for it. would it present issue? she doesn't think that it will because, in reality, klikalida was only meant to guide and teach her. her rise to wanheda when she came of age was inevitable. that is fair, she gives voice to her inner monologue, assuring him that she has both heard and acknowledges his words. i won't ask you to be loyal to him. praimfaya draws. but you don't have to be. i need a setnes ...a guard. every heda has one. it would explain singular loyalty to me. but she realizes that she knows little of him — maybe he is no warrior at all.

The offer hung in the air for a beat and for a moment he wondered if he really should go for it. His worries had been soothed though, had they not? She had present a case to define his loyalty to just her, not this man in her stead. Then let me be your Setnes. The words were rumbled more like an inquiry than a demand. He would not force her to give him the title or position but he is capable. He knew that he could be a guard for it was all he had ever been. The role appeals to him — fits him — and now he seeks to claim it.

this seemed like a good place to wrap this up; i hope you don't mind that i concluded & archived it. ^-^

aleks appears to accept her offer though his response is met with question: allowing her the final choice. it was risky, admittedly, but so was trying to rise roangeda. there hasn't been anything she's done yet that hasn't been risky. he seems reliable enough and he would have ample time to prove himself worthy of setnes, in time. then you shall have it, roankru. she speaks it with finality, glad that this day — and conversation — has proven productive. come, i will take you to roangeda. you can meet the others and get settled. she commands with a 'follow' gesture of her muzzle, willingly answering any further questions he may have on their journey to the fen.