Qeya River moon flint

set whenever! <3

chieftain ordered that captive @Shadowpaw be brought to him where he stood: beside the lake once known as brightsilver. it was untitled to him; he saw little mind in naming parts of a landscape to which he was not bonded. the lanzadoii recorded their treks by landmark, voiceless at first until it gained its mention.

"ghost talker want you in two seasons. you will be saatsine?" a question. a choice. but not a choice of her own; a testing. where now did this girl stand? well-fed, kept by the women, bestowed with scraps of pelt; her existence had been favored in his opinion. time to return such gifts with submission.

Sorry for the delay @Sun Eater! Hope this thread is still relevant!

Like a stone in a river, Shadowpaw was worn down.

The girl’s pride, stubbornness, and spite had been her undoing. What little was given had been tossed aside until her body grew nearly skeletal. Over and over Shadowpaw tried to flee… but the unrelenting elements made her crawl back to Saatsine just as many times as she had been dragged home by the dark shepherd.

Starclan never spoke to Shadowpaw. She never dreamed. Sleep was only a momentary reprieve from the waking nightmare of life among these feral people. Little by little the name Shadowpaw faded into obscurity.

The grief of her mother’s murder became second to her body’s crumbling… and eventually she was forced to accept Star Eater’s care in order to survive. She ate. Drank. Healed. Yet she barely talked to anyone, reticent.

One day, she was roughly delivered before the shepherd. Her yellow eyes adverted towards the trampled, snow covered ground.

Ghost Talker. Wife.

Oh yes... this was part of the arrangement. Another atrocity.

The girl rubbed one thin arm with a paw. “I will be Saatsine,” she replied.

Some part of her felt relief. The long fight was over.

always!

river walker's intended was stubborn, to say the least. she ran and was brought back; she ran and then returned. her mind slowly succumbed to lanzadoii power, and this sun eater believed as she at last gave up the fight with a few words.

he knew better than to trust her, but respect must follow respect.

"good. then i make free. join hunters. join star eater. she have much to do."

freedom, after a fashion. at least until the ghost talker claimed her as wife. he wondered what sort of mother she would make to the spirit children of a man who walked in clouds.

the single eye watched the girl for a long moment. "what name? choose. or i give lanzadoii name." if she remained amenable, a privilege would be to leave the line of his sight. for now.

Shadowpaw’s head bobbed in acquiescence.

Free… Shadowpaw doubted the word. Would she ever know true freedom again?

It made the girl think back to Silvertongue’s cautionary tale of her time as Fellahin among the halls of Akashingo... and regret of her harsh judgement of her dam made saliva pool into her mouth.

Silvertongue… the only wolf who could have given Shadowpaw her warrior name.

Shadowheart. Shadowsight. Shadowblight. Now, she would never know what Starclan had intended her destiny to be.

“I will take whatever name you feel befits me,” the girl replied without raising her gaze.

sun eater appraised the young wolf directly. she was not beautiful, but beauty was a fleeting thing. there was more than loveliness. thus she had exhibited a spirit's fire, an adaptable strength, and great wisdom in ending here her struggle with him, with the lanzadoii.

captives were not meant to remain so forever, and fractious slaves were often killed or traded early on. she had cost him much energy, but her connection to the ghost talker kept her alive.

"ggax xel ts'akae." it would be far too weighty for her untrained words to say, and so he spoke again. "dark rabbit wife. she make her face many faces. many faces, until you not know what face is hers."

but the chieftain seemed to ponder a second time "no. i call you xel kon ts'akae. night fire woman, for flame you set and make again."

and he hoped the caribou spirits would know her now, and smile upon her binding to river walker when the time came.

Unfamiliar sounds rambled from Sun Eater’s mouth. At first, Shadowpaw thought it a cruel joke, for she did not trust the dark shepherd sincerity. By now, however, she knew the man to be candid. He was cruel, violent, and schemed… but he was not a prevaricator.

Ggax xel ts'akae was the first name he spoke.

Maybe it translates to trash dog, Shadowpaw thought bitterly. It was evident that, like Riverclan, the caribou herders believed in the power of names. Why else would they name themselves Sun Eat and Star Eater but to harness the power that came with such grandiose titles?

To her surprise, it translated to dark rabbit wife. Shadowpaw’s gaze lifted slightly as it dawned upon her that Sun Eater was giving her a meaningful name.

Starclan did not even whisper.

Xel kon ts'akae. Night fire woman. Perhaps the cunning of dark rabbit wife and her many faces was a prophecy Sun Eater did not want to fulfill. Night fire woman was a strong name. One that felt too powerful and beautiful for the weak and ugly Shadowpaw. But she loved it.

The dead yellow of her eyes glimmered as the star girl, formally known as Shadowpaw, was given a second life.

“Xel kon ts'akae,“ she repeated clumsily. Then she made a humming noise – the kind one makes after finishing a delicious meal.

“This name. It is unlike any other in Saatsine,” she pointed out. “Ridgeback. Ice Diver. They do not sound like Xel kon ts'akae.”

"you not like any in sun clan. hidden. faces of dark rabbit. i know nothing of you." sun eater lifted his chin, as if to gesture toward those not present. "i know them. and," he went on, "you will be wife to the ghost talker. powerful man," sun eater breathed, for clearly he held the younger wolf in esteeem.

"you need powerful name. caribou spirits will test mate of holy man. accept him, xel kon ts'akae. then you share his spirit strength."

first blood. river walker did not hunt. a hunter's portion of each kill was given to the ghost talker, to sustain him. and even had it not been offered, their butchering was rich and constant.

he had seen the glint in her eye; she saw how the name set her apart. let it bestow to her heart a sense of pride. "your, ah. your neyits'e. it is — you are — higher now. above."

a captive to respected. surely it would dazzle.

Faces of dark rabbit.

For some reason, this phrase provoked a sudden rush of imagery inside Night Fire’s mind.

It resonated with her. She clung to it. Held it close. Maybe in that moment, she even absorbed it into to her identity.

Sun Eater laid out his plans and Night Fire did not doubt his candor. Perhaps her gambit should be to use this betrothal to her advantage. She was set apart. Elevated.

Perhaps the dark rabbit only revealed faces those wanted to see.