Bearclaw Valley ei ei, what this nicht is long

maybe @Ashlar or @Arielle (or both) ?  song credit

aasman pe hai khuda, aur zameen pe hum. 
aasman pe hai khuda, aur zameen pe hum. . .

he sang half-under his breath, tracking the scent of a hare, presumably on its way back to a burrow. if he could find the whole lot of them. . . but it was all hypothetical, at this point.

despite his soft voice, it carried over the wind, gentle on the breeze, so peaceful at odds with the subject matter, and the minor key of it:

aaj kal voh is taraf, dekhta hai kam—
aasman pe hai khuda, aur zameen pe hum. . .

it was just a continuation of surya's grim mood as of late—'late' being, oh, the last several moon cycles. he wondered if he'd ever be happy again. perhaps not here, where the wolves talked of blood and vengeful bear-gods.

but it was better this way. better to release his temper here, than foist it onto better angels.

!!!

Ashlar hadn't heard another song in moons, certainly not since coming to Ursus. At first he thought he was hearing things, but his heart leapt as slowly the words drifted closer and clarified. The melody was wonderfully strange, a haunting low that resonated within his chest and set his fur to prickling. Without even thinking, Ashlar immediately dropped his hunt and began to drift in a slow, silent walk towards the music.

Though summoned by the song, he took a moment to look at the stranger. He had few judgements to draw outside of 'new' and 'voice', the latter with a glow of kinship and approval. And slowly a wide smile grew as hope, for the first time in weeks, burgeoned. Maybe we can be friends.

I.... the song. It's.... I like it. Ashlar said, coming into view. He held back, but there was a withheld enthusiasm in him that was hard to fully dim. Where'd you l...learn it?

a slight, rangy young man appeared, about the same age as surya himself. the unfamiliar wolf seemed to lack the sharp, feral edges of the others he'd met here, and he gave him a wary emerald stare, nostrils flaring ever-so-slightly.

no, not an intruder. not this far into the valley—and besides, he was wreathed in ursus scent.

thanks, he replied, one corner of his mouth turning up at the nervous praise. it is a song of my family—i learned it when i was a boy.

this seemed odd. no one else in the valley appeared interested in songs. but if it lifted his spirits, at least somewhat, he would welcome it. and at least he felt at ease for the first time in days. i'm surya, he went on, then lifted his chin and brows in brief, obvious inquiry. aur tum?

It took Ashlar a moment to realize that he was waiting on a name. Oh! Oh, a.. Ashlar. Sorry. His smile flickered a little nervously. So far the other members of Ursus had seemed to have little patience for him; only Avicus and Aventus had shown real interest in putting up with his shortcomings.

The words. What are they? The song had sounded sad in a way, the minor key lending it a ghostly pallor. Ashlar did not often sing sad songs and was curious why this one did.

the name given, 'ashlar,' sounded like something from back home, if only slightly. a wave of nostalgic homesickness rippled over him, and he swallowed, holding the smile just barely.

the words, surya repeated, grateful for the distraction. he pursed his lips, thinking. ah, i think it would be. . . god is in the sky, and we are on the earth. about how god rules our lives, good and bad.

he questioned the lord's intentions. if this was true, given his own circumstances, he thought hariji may well be a sadist.

he cocked his head, more curious in ashlar than in the mechanics of divine intervention. you seem different from the others here, he remarked, though, granted, he'd had a relatively small sample size to observe. how long have you lived with ursus?

Something seemed to overcome the other wolf's expression momentarily and Ashlar frowned slightly, concerned he'd said something to cause it. Was the song personal? He did not need to share it in that case! The earthen wolf was opening his maw to say as much when Surya put that to rest by explaining.

Is it a song for the bear god? he asked, glancing to the side as if checking to see if some massive shadow might hear his hushed question. I've sang some, but... Avicus s...said not to. She'd said such songs were a danger, would draw the god's devouring attention and appetite. He felt it was a warning worth sharing. I'm, uhm, I...I'm not sure. It had been a while. What seasons? Since f..fall. He averted his eyes downward, and a slow heat of embarrassment caught any further words tight in his throat. Was it so obvious that he was not the same? Even this stranger could see it, how he could not fit or even understand the valley's kith. He was so far from what he needed to be.

his brow furrowed, though in puzzlement, not anger. no, he responded quickly, but his question fell away as ashlar continued. avicus? he thought. the boy really was nervous. stutter as he sometimes might over words, he at least had the confidence to try.

ashlar, meanwhile, held no accent, and seemed to be comfortable with the words. but the execution. . .

tell me about the bear god, surya prompted. merrick once mentioned. . . it? him? her? he wasn't altogether sure. do you. . .worship?

maybe he could give it a try. he had never felt so strong a connection to his own family religion, after all. and if worship of the bear god helped him fit in better here, all the better.