Lake Rodney A journey (a decision)

Germanicus had left him alone, gone to venture out where Crowfeather could not smell him or see him. The dark wolf had not been able to chase the worry from his mind. The fear that scratched at his belly was enough to turn him cowardly back to the woods where they had slept and curl up there. 

Beside the water without the silver male felt a daunting thing. Crowfeather's feet were only touching the lake when the waves would lap out to him and swash around his ankles. 

Crowfeather was to practice swimming every day that they were there. He knew that he needed to practice hunting- the thought of returning to their temporary den with a few rabbits or maybe a goose. He had seen more than a few plopping around the lake shore with their strange feet slapping against the rocks. 

Just a little longer, he convinced himself and waded out until he felt the edge of the world beneath his paws.

satsu saw the lake from the hillside as she journeyed beyond the caldera. in a few hours she knew she would have to turn around and resume her hike for home, back to where the vermin shared a bed with her friend. back to where pharaoh waited with tales of the saints and the tiger-lord who ruled them.

for now she sought the solace of the water's edge; it was here that she found the warm, familiar scent of the blackwolf, which surprised her. the last she had seen of him was within the strathwood.

as she sought to search the tree line nearby, she hesitated over a patch of crushed grass which could have been a sleeping spot; it smelled faintly of deer and was quite wide, giving the impression that an ungulate had slept here rather than a wolf.

with a sigh the girl looked away from the grass, to the water. it was there she saw the pointed figure of the boy wading through the shallows, much to her surprise. the water slicked his coat and made him look even smaller and younger than before.

hello again! she called out; then, thinking suddenly that he might be hunting for a meal, she clicked her mouth shut. her ears fell back a moment as a signal of apology.

There was a voice. Crowfeather’s ears swung back on his narrow head to the shore where a woman had called out in greeting. Having lost all focus on his swimming, the dark wolf gulped down several mouths of water and choked it back up in surprise.

Paddling pathetically, the dark wolf turned around. His legs churned until he found the footing of the shore. Crowfeather’s heartbeat in his chest painfully. He choked again and spit up into the water with an unappetizing hyuck sound.

When he had slowly moved back to where the water did not overwhelm him, Crowfeather looked to see the creamy slate coat of the girl from the morass. She had helped him leave gifts behind for his loved ones.

It’s you, the dark wolf said, tail wavering and splashing water.

no sooner had she called out, the boy's head bobbed beneath the surface.

satsu hurried to the edge of the lake, her toes gripping at the wetness there, feeling the mud squish between her toes. her attention was focused upon his struggle. more and more she felt guilty for distracting him, but she did not throw herself in to the water to give him aid - the thought did not strike her until he had already toed at the land.

thoroughly drenched, the boy coughed a few words. satsu's head ducked as she wove closer to him, sharing a wag of her own tail when she saw the whip of his own.

i'm sorry, i did not mean to startle you. without thinking about how it may come across, satsu attempted to warm his cheeks with a few laps of her tongue, as a sister might.

The girl apologized for startling him. Crowfeather offered a sheepish glance toward her. There was a swelling of shame in his belly for having wretched into the lake right in front of a friendly face.

It’s alright! I was only- only surprised to see you, the dark seer offered. He had wondered for a day or more after leaving their offerings to the muck if she would have succeeded in her escape from the Saints. This curiosity burned in him again.

With a glance around them, searching for any watchers, Crowfeather leaned his narrow snout toward her and whispered, did you escape yet? The pale honey of his eyes glanced to her face with concern.

escape--? she did not immediately recognize what he was referring to, but then when understanding dawned, so too did a smile.
oh! i did; i suppose, in a way i did...

withdrawing from his space a bit, satsu settled to her haunches.
east of the headless mountain, where things are dry and the sun reigns. that is my new home. i call it akashingo— she could have gone on for some time, telling him about the strange red towers, the stone eaves which were so high that no-one would ever climb them.

my friend went to speak with the saints. we left them with their lord's blessing, and... i have yet to hear how that meeting went. it was her turn to be sheepish. uncertain over how that might have transpired, given that it was satsu who was supposed to make that meeting - oh well.

A shaky sigh of relief was met with her words.

If she had managed to make her way from the Saints clutches and into a home of her own, that was good news. Crowfeather had not understood the circumstances that had put her in their midst to begin with.

The place she referenced was east beyond the mountains in a warm red holding. Crowfeather listened with interest. He thought of Germanicus immediately, wondering if the handsome guardian knew that there was dry stone ahead of them and not the icy cold that he had referenced.

Did your friend not return yet? Crowfeather asked, ears falling with worry. Are you making a new pack with them? In the uh- in the Akashingo?

there was a complexity to the boy's scent that satsu had ignored while she had tried to dry and warm him, but now she noticed it, as the sun baked in to his dark coat. the boy no longer traveled alone. it was curious to her but not something she would ask about, as it wasn't her business.

his question was met with a sigh. he has returned. i sensed him before i left of my own accord. i wanted to get a lay of the land, see if we had neighbors.

that's what satsu told herself.

our hope is that akashingo will be a han for us to thrive on. ah, a pack, yes. and so far satsu could argue they had done that, succeeded in drawing others to their home, but, she did not consider coyote to be anything more than vermin. they did not count as far as satsu was concerned.

protected to the north by the saints, if need be. but... i am glad for the distance from them. their people are loyal to their lord, but his desire for blood makes me very... nervous. which explained why she had been so eager to leave them behind.

Crowfeather listened to the woman speak of her plans. He did not stir from her face. The dark ears upon his cap were pricked with interest, unwavering, focused.

Though she spoke multiple words the seer had never heard, he did all that he could to fill in context. Han was her word for home, surely. The term she had used for the land itself, the Akashingo, was something that he thought could be a name. It sounded just a near to the moniker that had been offered to him in those strange lands.

When she spoke of the Saints, saying that their new claim would be protected by them, Crowfeather’s tail swept close to his belly.

Oh, he began quietly, like an alliance then? Is that what you wish? Is your friend close to the Saints? Question upon question, the dark figure did not think that he might be too overbearing.

the boy seemed dismayed by what she said. it was hard to miss the sweep of that rudder-tail of his, the way it tucked. his apprehension was one that satsu felt within herself and she had tried to explain it, though now it did not really matter. she could hide how truly frightened she was - and she certainly did not want him to worry further.

it is, yes. an alliance which would afford them freedom. we are both... close, i think. my friend was with them longer. he has the ear of their lord. i... am not sure about myself. though kynareth had been kind enough to her during her stay, in the end they had failed to agree on important things; she thought she had overstepped by speaking against him, and now worried to herself about it.

a thoughtful sigh. their lord seeks war in the next valley, with a people called ursus, whom i have never met. i think he will be preoccupied for a while with that quest. but it brought in to question this proposed alliance. how fickle was the tiger lord? would he one day turn against the mesa too? satsu could not know.

To Crowfeather it felt more as though she had not escaped the Saints but had merely become a branch of their service. He was certain this was only due to the fact that he did not have all the details before him. The woman had only shared with him the necessary information, what would answer his questions. 

Feeling suddenly guilty for having bombarded her with so many, Crowfeather thought perhaps it would do well to tell her what had happened to him since they had last spoken. 

Well, I am sure it will be a- a fine home to you. He hoped, anyway. 

My uh- the dark figure halted. What was Germanicus to him? What was he that was suitable to share with someone else? Feeling heat rise along his neck and into his cheeks, Crowfeather narrowed his eyes in a thoughtful way. The man I am traveling with, he and I are to head east. I could see if he would like to stop so we could see you, he offered bashfully.

if the boy had doubts, he did not voice them. it was a kindness to satsu that she appreciated deeply. knowing what she knew of kynareth, this new home of their's would be a test of not only her fortitude, but the fickle nature of the tiger lord. were they still housed beneath the protection of the saints, or did their outpost stand alone? time would tell.

in speaking of his friend, the boy became bashful.

i would like that, satsu accepted of the offer, smiling finally. i could show you what makes the place so wonderful; it is a beautiful place, with high views and... harlots; she thought suddenly of jawahir, and faltered a moment.

her cheeks warm. i am sure your friend would find some entertainment there as well, if they are so inclined. perhaps you could tell me of your adventures when you visit?

Crowfeather took great joy in knowing that the woman would show him her chosen claim, the land where she sought to make a home for herself. It felt an intimate thing to share with another being. The dark figure could not place why that was so. It left him feeling touched, if not moderately perplexed. 

I'd like to see it, he told her with earnest. 

At the mention of Germanicus finding entertainment within her group, Crowfeather stiffened slightly and drew his eyes to her face. There was a strange stirring he felt that he had never known before. He thought it must have been the idea of Germanicus seeking entertainment of any sort and excused the bubbling in his belly. 

If I cannot convince him, I will find a way to see it somehow.

Crowfeather flicked his large ears forward, cupped toward the woman with piqued interest. 

May- may I know your name?

he reminded her so much of what had been lost. rather than take comfort in that familiar ache, satsu swallowed it down. she thought of all the places she could show him, and wondered too if pharaoh would take kindly to visitors.

i'd like to see it, the boy had said.
before he asked for her name, which, satsu had forgotten entirely about; it had not occurred to her that they did not truly know one-another, so close was he to the charming boys she had grown up with.

they had shared something intimate and almost sanctified the last time they had seen one-another - and yet, names were new to them.
i am ushiyo satsu, she introduced of herself. it felt odd having to say this, as if he should know already. it did feel as though she had known this boy for far longer than what was true. she smiles to him though and adds, everyone in this place calls me satsu.

The woman offered him her full name. It sounded so vastly different from the names Crowfeather had known, even different from the words spoken by Germanicus.

Nevertheless, the name suited her features, the shape of her face and the softness of her actions. The dark seer nodded respectfully and whispered back to her, Satsu.

My parents named me From the Crow’s Wing, the dark figure offered her in return, raising his honey warm stare to meet her features. It is easier to call me Crowfeather. Then he smiled at Satsu.

Other than Germanicus, the dark wolf believed this to be his first friendship in the new world.

he spoke his own name, which was strange to her, but fitting too somehow.
you know, in my father's language... that would be karasu no tsubasa. the phrase rolled off of her tongue with care. satsu paused after to think, trying out sounds in her head for the shortened version of his name.

karasu-no-hane. she smiles and watches his face.
crow's feather.

Karasu-no, Crowfeather whispered back, rather pleased with the sound of it. 

There was wonder on his face, in the pale yellow of his eyes, and the tentative waver of his tail. The sound of her words, of her father's language, was confusing but it carried a sweet sound to it that Crowfeather had found alluring. 

If you were born in the Starsea, I believe you would be named for your eyes. Eyes of the Rushing River, he spoke after a moment of thoughtful contemplation. When Crowfeather looked to her, he smiled gently. Rivergaze. 

Their meetings had been strange, but the dark wolf liked her company and wished to see her desired choice of homeland. 

Satsu, where will you make Akashingo? Can you give me directions?

the starsea? a curious word again. this one brings to her mind the sight of the hillside on a warm spring night, with all the stars exposed. the smile she holds is not so bright now, remembering the home that is no more, but she says nothing to dissuade him from speaking further.

the name he gives her in return is sweet; she blushes, averts those eyes he has found so endearing, suddenly bashful. rivergaze. they could play this game for hours — exchanging names like this, transposing between language barriers — if not for his next question.

ah, i could build you a dochujin for the way, she says softly, jesting.

if you are to journey within the valley, you will not see it. due-north of it is a forest, which looks to be at least two days travel away. at least that was her estimation. satsu had not yet explored the blackwood. if you follow your current path east as far as the mountains, you are close. beyond the mountains is too far.

it felt like she was giving a riddle. satsu draws a breath, thoughtful, feeling foolish also.
if you like, we can... plan to meet somewhere. or if you think you are close, call for me. i can send a runner to meet you and lead you back? imagining crowfeather meeting jawahir made her suddenly quiet.

Crowfeather listened intently as Satsu offered instruction for how to find Akashingo. The dark wolf nodded his head a few times, repeating the words in his mind over and over so that they would not escape him.

As though carving a path, his eyes traced the shape of the eastern mountains with a curious eye. He believed that if he were to travel there with Germanicus, they would not have a difficult time finding where the new pack was settled.

When she had finished with an offer to howl when he was close, Crowfeather nodded enthusiastically.

Yes, of course, if we are close and smell wolves I will howl for you, he agreed with a rushing smile, and you can send someone.

The dark wolf did not share with Satsu that he hoped he did not find himself in the company of the members of the Saints. Crowfeather thought of the white wolf and her intimidating partner.

Would you like to find lunch while you are here? he inquired. They could hunt before he bid her farewell. It would be a swift repayment for her kindness.

so it was settled, then. satsu would have something positive to look forward to in the coming days.
her tail shifted in a small wag, a rare moment of contentedness.

as for his invitation, satsu felt herself blush thinly once more; she was no hunter, that was the work of peasantry, and as such she felt inadequate to accept. how foolish she would look alongside this sweet boy! rather than face such a prospect, she shook her head and seamlessly looked skyward.

i should return to my home, the clouds overhead were only beginning to cluster, but they were white giants, not something to be nervous of. before the sun gets to its peak.
but she gave him another look, smiling. when you visit, we will lay out a feast for you and your companion!

it would be nice to have more wolves around, even for a short while.

Satsu shook her head and Crowfeather felt his stomach lurch softly. He could not help but to feel a bit crestfallen.

When the woman said that she would prepare a feast for Crowfeather and Germanicus, the dark wolf blushed hotly and smiled. He believed that the soldier he traveled beside deserved far more than a feast, but it would be a good start.

Thank you, Satsu. Travel safely, the dark wolf offered to his new friend with a bow of his head.

Only when the woman had faded from view did he return to the water to practice his swimming.