Paarthurnax steeled herself and pressed on, still holding onto the hope that her former mate would not seek her out. She didn't want to be found, not yet anyway, for she wasn't prepared to explain her reasons for disappearing without warning. Ultimately he would find her: Shadow was a skilled tracker, and her location was so predictable, but it took days to travel between the Creek and the Bypass. It gave her time to think, and continue to contemplate how to tell him that their brief relationship was truly over.
Until the day came when she came face-to-face with her spurned lover, Paar sought to integrate herself once more as a member of Swiftcurrent Creek. She was not sure who remained that she'd known during her previous time in the pack - Galileo, but Paarthurnax had not had the opportunity to get to know him. So she abandoned her little hollow late that cloudy afternoon and head off in search of company to settle her troubled mind.
The Shaman Apprentice had been out and about attempting to scavenge what medicinal and non-medicinal herbs and plants that he could before winter killed everything. As it was, the pickings were already slim, and he had already accepted the idea that he would have to make do with substitutes until spring came. It would have been easier, Nefarious knew, if Suluk would have let him take the stores he had already had in Akkuma, but his father had accepted no word of taking from Akkuma. Nefarious hadn't considered it theft if because if was his own caches that he was raiding, but even so, Nefarious knew better than to argue with the Warlord. Nefarious had never won an argument against Suluk, and had long since accepted the truth that he likely never would, no matter how old Nefarious was. Suluk was a commanding creature and one did not simply disobey without facing the consequences for the action; and more likely than not there was a life lesson wrapped in having to start his cache of poisons and medicines from scratch. Two years later and Suluk was still schooling Nefarious in life. Nefarious just did not wish to anger Sos or Atka for not being able to do complete rituals, especially if he was missing key ingredients. He did not know if the Great Bear Gods made exceptions.
It was on his search for things to add to his pitifully bare cache outside his den, that he came across the scent of a pack mate. One that, admittedly, he had yet to meet, which wasn't all that surprising considering his newness to the Creek. He paused, deliberating for a second if he wished to allow himself to be distracted by the opportunity to meet another pack mate, or if he wished to keep searching. The latter option seemed horrendously anti-social, and the Shaman didn't want to be seen as a hermit, though wild assumptions and rumors were likely to surface if his Shamanism was taken wrongly, which most of the time it was. For now, Nefarious kept it private, much as he did his chosen faith, unsure how it would be perceived by these wolves.
A quick glimpse was given as towards the cloudy afternoon sky as Nefarious deliberated before he decided that a break wouldn't hurt. After all, he'd been on the search all morning, thus far. Diverting his course he began to follow the scent trail finding it's owner a few minutes later. A moment of hesitation was given as pumpkin orange gaze found the woman, her sides swollen with the children she carried in her womb. A moment of doubt clouded Nefarious as he wondered if he would be attacked by some over protective mate for even just starting a conversation with her, but decided that conversations were harmless and he had every right to talk to a fellow pack mate. A soft chuff left the Kesuk's lips to announce his presence to her, though he stayed back, allowing her the option of either acknowledging him or ignoring him.
The appearance of another in her line of sight caused Paarthurnax to stop in her tracks, and she lifted her tall red ears to focus on him entirely when he woofed softly to announce his presence. Quickly she scanned his two-toned form - burgundy, fading elegantly to the pale, warm hues of his undersides - before looking upon his gentle features with uncertainty. His gaze was vivid against his dark mask, a vibrant shade of tangerine, though Paar's own fiery copper eyes were promptly averted as she realised that this male's status in Swiftcurrent was unknown to her. If he was of higher rank, the last thing she needed was to provoke him like she seemed to have done with Dovev.
But he did not advance closer. Instead he stood his ground, neutral and non-threatening. The sleek Frostfur stayed put, though the friendly sway of her feathery tail offered her newest companion the opportunity to approach if he wished to. Paarthurnax let her shoulders slacken and released the breath she'd held, allowing herself the cling to the hope that this wolf was one that Shadow hadn't gone out of his way to piss off.
Nefarious might not have ever had one on one experience with a pregnant woman before, nor, admittedly, had he ever dealt with a zealously overprotective mate — as to which he was hoping was not about to happen because the Shaman was in no mood to have to defend himself when he wasn't doing anything wrong — but he knew enough to firstly (and likely most importantly) give plenty of personal space. Pregnancy 101, though extremely awkward for both involved parties, had been essential in his training, if only because being a Healer sort of went hand in hand with Shamanism. Just as much as knowing how to kill with poisons also played it's role. Easily, Nefarious could save a life as he could take it though he did not actively go around boasting of it. The Voodoo had always been his favorite aspect of it but his Master had seen to teaching him all of it, the side of Shamanism associated with Atka and the side associated with Sos; and since Nefarious found a balance within the Great Bears he had learned both sides. Mostly, his decision to give the pregnant woman before him space was a common courtesy. Nefarious was nothing if not charismatic, and while he wouldn't consider himself a gentleman he tried to remember his manners. Suluk hadn't been stingy on Nefarious' lessons, much as Nefarious tended to moan and complain about them in his childhood.
The woman did not move, either, except for the sway of her tail that gave him the sign that the situation wasn't hostile and that, likely, he wasn't about to be mauled by anyone. Which was good because rituals were coming up that he didn't particularly want to miss. Taking the invitation for what it was the Kesuk ghosted closer to her, offering a soft smile, lowering his own stance in tender submission. He was ranked as Sigma upon his joining of the Creek which put him at the lower (if not lowest) point of the ranking spectrum. Which was okay. He was new meat after all and he would have to earn the right to hold a higher rank in the hierarchy — just like everyone else. It was strange going from War Prince to a nobody but that was the risk Nefarious had taken when he had left Akkuma. “Hello,” Nefarious broke the silence that hung around them, taking the initiative to speak to her, as he studied her with soft curiosity. She was pretty with her fire kissed fur that faded, much like his own though opposed to tan her fur faded to a snowy white. She was delicately built, he noticed, which made her pregnancy almost even more pronounced. Though Nefarious did not want to be rude and stare at her rounded sides, but it tended to draw the eye nevertheless. Outwardly, he didn't dare ask of it, because it wasn't really any of his business, so instead he settled for looking at her face, avoiding her eyes if only because he wasn't challenging her or anything.
“I'm Nefarious Kesuk,” In hindsight the word itself didn't give good leeway as a nickname given the synonyms of the nickname itself, but he had been a wicked little child, and in the some semblance the worship of Sos could be seen as malicious given that he was the Dark Father. He hardly ever introduced himself as "Anik" anymore, though forgetting his first name would be like forgetting Suluk — impossible.
"I suspect I have about five weeks to go," she announced, turning her head to look upon the features of her two-toned companion once again. He avoided her gaze, much the same way as she made an effort not to meet his, and so decided to remain entirely neutral. Rank was not something she had to flaunt around and, presently, she was in no position to be demanding submission from anybody. She was a burden and an outsider to several wolves of Swiftcurrent, no doubt, and had a lot of work to do to earn their trust.
He provided for her his unusual name, and the crimson healer pricked a lobe curiously. Paar dipped her muzzle politely. "I am Paarthurnax," she said, not offering her surname - they were pack-mates, and she did not wish to build such formal relationships with her fellow Creekers.
Nefarious watched as she dipped her muzzle at his introduction, well mannered. She looked like she might be the kind of lady that was prim and proper — then again first impressions weren't everything. Her name was foreign sounding, but exotic, pleasing to the ear to hear as it unfurled from her lips. Whether he could pronounce it correctly or not was a whole other story. “Your name sounds quite exotic,” and there was no mistaking that it fit her with what Nefarious might have considered perfection. He suspected that like him she did not hail from these Wilds, though of course, he could not prove or disprove that theory. Nefarious wished to sate his curiosity, but for the sake of remaining charismatic kept his questions to himself, mostly because the bulk of them came across as prying to him and while he was interested in things like that, in learning about his pack mates the Shaman wasn't willing to push.
She pricked her velvet lobes, anticipating further curiosity regarding her unusual background. Paarthurnax was a sleek, elegant and obvious foreign beauty; it was perhaps her difference in appearance that drew Shadow's attention to her in the first place. Painfully the sleek mother-to-be recalled how bashful she'd felt when her former partner commented on how pretty she was, but she cast the memory aside. She had left Shadow for so many reasons, yet still Paar often found him at the forefront of her mind.
Nefarious was fascinated by the religions of others, or lore, or faith or whatever word it was that they liked to call their beliefs. He liked to collect them, as he collected bones for talismans. He wanted to be a cultured individual even if his belief remained rooted by steel in Atka and Sos. There was nothing that said just because the Shaman didn't share the belief that he couldn't be interested in it as far as “stories” went. He had no intentions of converting himself, though the idea had crossed his mind that perhaps he could gather some more followers of Atka and Sos during his time here. He was a Shaman, but there was nothing that said he couldn't also become a Priest, especially considering that he was, presumably, all alone in his faith here.
Nefarious had been silent for a small while, absorbing her words. “Dragons,” Nefarious repeated with a small smile. There was nothing that said dragons couldn't exist in his own mind. “It would be rad to see one,” He admitted softly, hoping that his interest didn't offend her. Ideally, her mother's naming process sounded way cooler than his family's own, despite that Suluk had been spot on when naming Nefarious himself. “Sounds much more interesting than my family's own naming process,” Nefarious admitted to her with a soft little snort. Not that he didn't like his name (either of them) because he did, but he had to admit it would have been awesome to claim he was named after a dragon. Instead all he had was a name that pegged him for what he was: a proclaimed prophet of sorts.
Which in comparison seemed mighty boring.
"Indeed. I wish they were real," she said softly, and her features softened. Her father sprung to mind, and Paar wondered if he'd heeded her advice to return home to her dam and tend to the latest additions to their growing family. Having failed to share with him her pregnancy, he had little to remain for - Paarthurnax had made it perfectly clear that she was not going to be budging from the Teekon Wilds. Casting her concerns aside, the crimson sandflower focused on her bright-eyed companion who mentioned his own family's apparently un-exciting naming process, and sparked her curiosity to learn more about him. "Is that so?" Paar asked, opening up the opportunity for him to explain.
Gaze of pumpkin orange lingered upon her face, as softly as a gaze could linger, watching as her expression seemed to illuminate, Nefarious assumed, from his ability to believe in creatures of mythology. He believed in many things that others might consider mythology, though he would probably sacrifice anyone who called Sos and Atka mythological to Sos himself. How could something be mythical when he'd seen them with his own two eyes? Then again, Nefarious wasn't the kind of creature to spurn and slap a label of imaginary onto something simply because he hadn't ever seen it before. Perhaps that was because Atka and Sos had opened his mind to many impossibilities and gave him the courage he had needed as a child to accept them, and embrace voodoo and the weight of holding the knowledge to both save a life and end it. There were times, not often and fleeting when they did hit, that Nefarious wondered what kind of wolf...what kind of man he would be if Suluk hadn't found him and taken him in. He remembered nothing of his biological parents, nor of himself to the point of being hungry. Not even a name lingered.
“How do you know they're not real? They could be. Maybe somewhere else in the world. Or maybe they're just really small nowadays.” Faith was a delicate subject, and a touchy subject for some, but he figured if it was something she wanted to believe in then...why not? Reality was different to everyone. The Shaman had learned that reality was just a perception, an interpretation that could be manipulated, and as long as he or in this case she thought something was real then no one else could tell her with certainty that it wasn't. Nefarious could see Sos and Atka, hear them even, but to the others that couldn't ...they wouldn't believe obviously. It was sort of the same principle. It didn't always work like that, granted, but most of the time things were just psychological.
Figuring that he was already getting to deep, and likely prying in things he shouldn't the Shaman let it go, eager to move onto the next subject which happened to be about her mother's naming abilities, which Nefarious thought were quite exceptional. Parrthurnax left an opening for him to elaborate, Nefarious assumed, upon Suluk's own method of naming his children (adopted or otherwise). His older brother, Arux was named after a brother of Suluk's that had been sacrificed to Sos, which was easy enough, and a sister named after Suluk's guardian after his parents had left: Janelle Akna. No one had ever claimed that Suluk was overly creative, though it appeared that he had put the most thought into Nefarious' own name, which might have instigated some sort of favoritism despite that Nefarious had not been of the Kesuk's own blood. “My older brother is named after a deceased brother of our father, and my sister is named after my father's foster mother, and my given name is quite a literal interpretation of my particular skill sets, but my nickname stems pretty obviously from my behavior as a child.” Nefarious said with a small laugh. He didn't mean to be so elusive and enigmatic with the vagueness in which he presented her a response with but his name was something he had came to covet, intending to share only with close family. Mostly of Suluk's design to “keep him safe” from other followers of Atka and Sos. Or something like that.
Throughout her relationship with Shadow, she'd opted to steer clear of bearing his traditions and beliefs. She expressed interest in those he followed, of course, for she was curious and wanted to respect his choices. Paar did not take his surname as he probably desired her to, deciding at once upon their official mate-ship that she would continue to call herself a Frostfur.
Nefarious' surprise in response to her comment regarding the dragons brought none to her, and she regarded the younger wolf with quiet contemplation. She knew that religion was a touchy subject for many, having faced awkwardness often among her former pack-mates in Samarkand, but she knew how to approach the situation gracefully. "Apologies," the crimson sandflower offered with a gentle smile, "I opt to believe in only what I can see. I meant no offense. But you are right - those are possibilities to consider."
Content to keep from delving deeper into rocky waters, the mother-to-be moved once more onto the topic of Nefarious' family's own ways of naming their pups. He said that his siblings had been named for notable relatives, something Paar herself had never quite understood - surely new life deserved a new name, not one borrowed from another? "Your given name? What might that be?"
To say that Nefarious did not expect Paarthurnax's following question wouldn't be the complete truth. It did not come as a complete surprise, though deep down, Nefarious had been hoping his vagueness did not spark the curiosity, despite that he suspected it would have. It usually did. Nefarious should have been good at side stepping it, and typically, he was. Usual routine was simple enough: admit that the right to know his true name, given to him by the Gods through Suluk, was something that he was to covet like a stolen secret. Though it sometimes weird-ed out those who had asked, the subject was typically dropped. His gaze examined Paar, brow furrowing slightly as he attempted to figure out why he suddenly had the urge to just tell her. Perhaps it was because she didn't believe, and likely wouldn't believe and so he felt that giving her his true name would have no real bearing. She wasn't going to take advantage of his gift, and anyway, Nefarious wasn't the small, helpless and frightened child he'd been when Suluk had found him and took him in, and introduced him to ...everything. Nefarious was a man grown and could take care of himself, with words, poison or (and this was typically a last resort to the Shaman) physical confrontation. He wasn't afraid anymore, and it seemed silly, now that he thought about it, to continue to hide his name.
He had done it for so long that it had become nothing more than habit. That “Nefarious” had became a character in and of itself: a mask that he wore in the face of strangers.
“It is Anik,” The Inuit name rolled off of his tongue as if it had been his native language, though instead it was a secondary one. “It means Seer, or Prophet. I suppose I should explain that it lies heavily in my beliefs and faith, but I won't bore you with the details,” Nefarious respected her right to not believe in anything in particular so considered that avoiding details was the best route to go. The Shaman was left with an odd feeling then, like he was left standing naked in a crowd of people. He felt exposed to Paar, though all he had done was give her his true name. In hindsight: it was small, literally nothing and yet he couldn't help the way it had left him feeling. Slightly chagrined with a dash of trepidation, doubting his decision simply because he felt that he could trust her without any rational proof to back up the gut feeling.
Nefarious couldn't deny that the exotic woman before him left him feeling ...charmed. Like a cobra put in a trance by music.
"Anik," she repeated with a warm smile, "it is a good, strong name." The crimson beauty eyed her young companion curiously, her feathered tail lashing thoughtfully about her haunches. "So, Nefarious is something of a nick-name? Was it tradition in your home for all children to inherit a new name as they grew and developed personalities?" It was not uncommon for pups to live out their first few weeks or months of life without a title. A name was important: it was something that a wolf would live with for their entire life, so she understood that some parents wished to make time to find the right ones.
Paarthurnax repeated his name, recapturing his previously wandering attention, causing the Kesuk's ears to cup forth, orange gaze focused upon her. It was strange hearing someone else, someone that wasn't closely related to him speak his given name. Nefarious wasn't sure how it made him feel, hearing her repeat his given name, rarity that it was. In fact, she was the first that wasn't a Kesuk to know it. A small part of Nefarious feared Atka and Sos might come and devour him for telling it but neither came. The air was still and frigid, and everything was as it had been. When Paarthurnax went on to compliment the name, Nefarious was at a loss on what to say as a response. He wasn't sure if he should thank her or not, though the act of thanking seemed silly if because Nefarious hadn't picked his own name. It was the one that had been chosen for him. Even Nefarious had been chosen based upon his own actions and behavior as a child.
“Thank you,” The shaman murmured, not knowing what else to say, and knowing that he didn't want to leave her feeling slighted when she'd complimented his given name. “That is correct,” Nefarious responded at her question regarding 'Nefarious' being a nick-name of sorts. It was more than that from Suluk's reasoning, a masquerade mask of sorts, intended to hide the dreams of the Great Bears that everyone considered to be “visions”, but he didn't feel like getting into all of that. Nefarious didn't want to have to explain that his father was a possessive individual and that his possessiveness did not fail to grasp it's hooks into his children. “Not really, no. I think there were a few that did, I think a cousin of mine did, but for the most part no.”
"Shadow" had not been her former mate's true name. Later into their companionship, the ashen brute had confessed that his real calling was something else entirely, but Paar never did speak it in his presence. She felt that she should have, given their bond, but he'd chosen to bear his informal name for... some reason.
Despite finding comfort and the potential of a new friendship in Nefarious presence, Paarthurnax felt great guilt for allowing her abandoned lover to dominate her thoughts. She blinked, seeking the look upon her comrade's handsome features, and let a thin smile tug at her lips once again. "I have a selection of names in mind for my own pups," Paar said gently, sorting them in her mind: Odahviing, Durnehviir, Relonikiv, Akatosh, Krusiikrel... there were many to choose from. "I am not sure which I prefer, though. My mother always said that I would know when I looked upon them for the first time." She had her firm favourites though, and of course held dear the ones that Shadow himself had hinted at. Moving on from the topic of her children, for she did not wish to bore Nefarious with her hopes and dreams, she asked: "do you intend to pursue any trades as a member of Swiftcurrent?"
Paar spoke again of her unborn children, stating that she had several names in mind for her children. “Will you follow your mother's tradition of being named after dragons?” Despite that it, truly, wasn't any of Nefarious' business he was curious, and didn't mind. He left the invitation open for her to elaborate and tell him if she wished too; or not if she did not wish to become that personal. After all, Nefarious understood that they were still strangers. Never mind that she knew something that hardly anyone else did about him. He still felt naked knowing that she knew his true name, and worse yet contemplated telling her that she could call him by it because he had liked how 'Anik' sounded spilling forth from her lips. He had gone by “Nefarious” for so long, though, that to decide to shed it in favor of 'Anik' felt like taking off armor in the middle of a war. Nefarious wondered if her mate would be there for the naming processes but decided, on a haunch, not to ask.
Paar's following question was a switch of topics, this time moving to any trades that he was looking to earn in the Creek. The concept of trades was awfully similar to Akkuma's universal co-ranks though unlike his home Swiftcurrent Creek did not have specific co-ranks tailored uniquely to the pack itself. So, Nefarious was left to try to pick three that were relevant to his training. “Primarily my focus will be on healer. I was a medic in my previous home, which is basically the same thing,” Just a different word for it, in reality. He did not confess that he was more than just a medic, but it was a relevant term without going into the messy details of faith, religion, and voodoo magic which he knew that she did not believe in. “I have to do some recon and find out what's universal, and what's indigenous to this specific area. Once I learn what's poisonous and what isn't it should be no problem earning it.” For the most part, it was learning the indigenous plants, and their uses.
“After I earn that I'll probably turn my sights to warden as a secondary.” He admitted simply because there was nothing to being a warden. Suluk had forced his children to make the rounds in Akkuma all the time and he knew how to handle different situations that could potentially arise. That left his tertiary trade, which was still a large unknown.
“What of you?” The shaman returned the question with soft interest. “Do you have any trades, or any that you're working towards?”
"For some of them, yes," she admitted, "their father wished for some to be named from his own heritage, but..." Paarthurnax averted her gaze downward, feeling her heart swell with the too familiar ache of remembering that her perfect little family was not meant to be. Her children would not have their father permanently to guide them, and for that she felt immense guilt. "Forgive me. Their father is no longer in the picture." She rolled a shoulder, surprised at herself for so openly telling this fragile information to a wolf who was practically a stranger. But there was finality in Paarthurnax' words, a tone that suggested she was done talking about the matter, and she was keen to move on in their conversation again.
Nefarious admitted his desire to pursue the healer skill, and at once her eyes were lifted. She sought the male's tangerine gaze, "I was trained in the ways of healing as a youngster, and held the title as I progressed into the adult ranks. I'd be interested in sharing what I know of the useful plants in the area with you, if you'd be so kind as to teach me a thing or two about what knowledge you gained from your homeland?"
In a way, this knowledge assuaged any guilt that Nefarious had felt at having appreciated her beauty, and brought with it a relief that he wasn't about to be torn apart by some possessive and over protective mate. It had to be hat for her, Nefarious considered, being an only parent but he felt with an assertion that he should not have had being as new as he was that the Creek would take care of her and that she would never truly be alone.
Regardless, Paar's tone suggested that she did not wish to speak of it further and Nefarious was willing enough to let it drop. He was curious, of course, but never curious enough to pry into affairs that did not directly concern him. As it was, he was mildly surprised that she had opened up for him and told him as much as she had — though in hindsight it did not bare a direct difference from his own admittance that Nefarious was not his true name. The desert woman's gaze held his and the offer she extended towards him was one that he could no refuse even if Nefarious had wanted too (which he didn't). He could teach her some thugs about his knowledge learned in Seahawk Valley and in exchange she would teach him about plants indigenous to these Wilds. Nefarious could not find a downside to this exchange and so spoke, "You make an offer I cannot refuse," with a soft smile to accent his words. "When would be the best time to start for you?" After all, he had nothing to do but she likely did and so the shaman was more than willing to allow her to set the place and time where their first lesson would commence.