Flashback I'm No Damsel! (Nalik)

[Mihiya Darkmane]

When he answered her question, he did so harshly and she fell silent, understanding that this was not something he wished to discuss. Pressing her luck would have been unwise in this situation as it seemed that Nalik had no desire to talk about the pox. Had it infected one of his Pavilion members or his family? The idea was too horrible to consider and she preferred to believe that he merely had no desire to talk about it. She felt hurt when he rode ahead of her, knowing that she had somehow angered him and he didn't want to talk.

As the rode, she gazed at her surroundings. The Sea of Grass seemed like it always had, daunting and huge, with dangers in the grass around them. The stupidity of her action was haunting her, she knew that Nalik probably considered her an idiot and that concept was demeaning. She wasn't truly an idiot, she felt that when she was in the Sea of Grass she didn't have to worry about the exoticness of her features that always caused a double take.

When they stopped, she was glad, for it gave them an opportunity to rest. Komali seemed happy too. She met his eyes boldly, though she knew he was being softer with her now and so she too relaxed.

"You know these lands well," she replied, trusting in his judgement as she slid off her mare and patted the dun hide. She was not sure if she was supposed to take the resting as a chance to stretch her legs, but she was going to. "What are you looking for?" He had looked past her again, and while he could have been ensuring there were no dangers, she had a suspicion that whatever he had been glancing back for before was what he was searching for now. She prayed that there had not been a second man sent after her and that he was now missing. She couldn't have handled the shame or the guilt.

[Nalik Fallingleaf]

Nalik nodded at her assumption that he knew the lands well. It was true, he had spent many years of his life roaming the vast expanse of green, but each visit threw new surprises at him so could one truly claim to know the lands well? No you could not afford to allow yourself to become cocky in this place.

Nalik turned to see Mihiya dismounting, clearly needed to stretch her legs. Still he felt he needed to issue a gentle caution, and turned looking down at the girl.

It was the first time he had been able to look at her properly since meeting her, having had to concentrate about getting to relative safety.
She was shorter than him with hair thicker than his. He admired the braid that she had put it in, simple yet intricate at the same time. However the one thing that kept drawing his attention was the color of her skin. He had never seen a Drykas with skin as dark as hers, a fact that began to puzzle him.

She said she was adopted.

Sudden realization of things he had been told came back to him now that he had relaxed a little.

Of course, the women i spoke to was not her true mother. I wonder if these differences mean that she may have a parent of different race to Drykas. She definitely has Drykas blood in her. The way she rides. Her stubborn and impulsiveness. But at the same time holds features and qualities that are not like my kind.

Bold eyes met his curious gaze and draw him out of his thought process. He coughed uncomfortably and looked away realizing that he had been staring at her for longer than the social norm dictated. He had completely forgotten what he was going to say and he tried to go back in his mind, searching for what he was going to say.

Ah there it was.

"If you are going to dismount please, keep Komali close. We may have need to make a speedy exit."
He glanced behind him again, eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

Come on Gruff where are you!

'What are you looking for?'

His head snapped round to face the voice, anger and worry at Gruffs disappearance causing anger to build again within the Drykas. He pushed it down. He had been the one that ordered Gruff to scout ahead, not her. She may have been the catalyst but it was his decision.

The consequences were on him not her.

He sighed a long drawn out sigh, the breath leaving his open lips and mixing with the increasingly chilly air.

"My hound Gruff. We have not been in each others company for long, and as a result neither of us are entirely comfortable with each other, and I have not spent as much time training him as i would have liked. But i didn't want it to end like this".

Again he turned to look behind them, uttering a small prayer to Caiyha to let Gruff travel through her domain unscathed.

[Mihiya Darkmane]

She rested a hand on the muzzle that nuzzled her when she dismounted and stroked the mare. Komali would not go far, as Nalik clearly hoped she wouldn't. The mare had been through much with the girl, she would not leave.

"You can ask me," she said, as she felt his curious eyes on her again. She knew the glances, she was darker colored than Drykas. Her hair was black, her eyes were different, her features held a different cast, "You can ask me about my parents." She was Drykas born and raised, but she was something else. Her voice was soft as she looked to him again. The concern that tinged his voice when he told her to keep Komali near was no longer an annoyance. He wanted to bring her home safely, she would not hinder his mission.

Her eyes softened, her heart melted when he spoke of his hound, of Gruff. The dog would surely find them, for she could not handle the guilt if the man lost his pet because of her. She wanted to comfort him, but she had a feeling this motion would be unwelcome so she looked at her feet.

"He will find us," she said, her voice hopeful. The dog could smell them no doubt, would be able to hear better than a man. And Nalik said that he had trained him a bit, but their relationship was strained. Still, it seemed likely that the dog would not wish to be out in the Sea of Grass for long. She shuddered, remembering the stories. Oh how she wished she had remembered them before she had mounted her mare and made for the Sea of Grass, then there would be no concern for the hound. He would still be with Nalik.

"I am sorry," she said, her eyes downcast, "For causing concern. I did not make a wise decision. I should know better by now."

[Nalik Fallingleaf]

Mihiya had of course guessed why his gaze lingered on her. Judging by her reaction she had been asked countless times before, and it didn't seem to phase her much. Nalik was not asking out of anything other than curiosity, as external blood into the Drykas line was encouraged. It was clear this girl had embraced the Drykas' way of life, and a Strider had chosen her as a bond mate.

In his eyes her difference was just something of curiosity not distaste.

There was sadness in her voice as she spoke of Gruff, as if finally she was beginning to see the bigger picture of her actions. That decisions she made effected not just herself but others too. It was a valuable lesson for the young girl to learn.

And then it all seemed to dawn on her in a terrible embrace of realization and a soft voice spoke 'I am sorry. For causing concern. I did not make a wise decision. I should know better by now'

Nalik looked at the girl, who's gaze was lowered at the floor. She was not just saying this in a bid to prevent further anger. Nalik believed every word she said, all anger lost from him now, replaced with worry and concern for his hound. He also felt something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Responsibility.

He felt responsible for not only looking after the girl, but for being the one to give her this valuable lesson. Of course, Nalik had given lessons before, but only in physical skills. This was different. This was more, personal. He wasn't sure he was comfortable in the role he found himself in and it was making him fidget, his right hand scratching at his head.

In an attempt to break the somber atmosphere that had formed between them he asked some questions of his own. After all, he was here to help her and they had time to kill so learning more about her couldn't hurt.

"There is definitely Drykas in you. For that i am sure. But what other race gives you the special qualities you stand before me with? I am sorry to hear you are adopted, well i think i am? Sorry i am presuming that you are adopted because of sad, well unhappy. unhappy, I..."

That had come out wrong and his words trailed of until it was just a mumble and with an uttered curse he looked away from the girl, first at the darkening sky, and then again behind him.

[Mihiya Darkmane]

His questions, his statements, the stumbling way he went around speaking to her made her smile and she looked up at him again. He seemed to be slightly curious but not condemning. The Drykas were an accepting race, in general, it was her attitude that had problems accepting who she was. She knew nothing of her father, and very little of her mother save for what Briseni told her.

"Briseni is a kind woman, she loves me and considers me her daughter, but I am not her daughter. I am not human, I am..." she trailed off and shut her second eyelids, looking at him through the transulcent screens, "My father was Chaktawe, or so I'm told. A desert dweller which is why I have these. He gave me my coloration, and my dark hair. I have much of him in me, but little of my mother." Her eyelids flared open again.

"Briseni is overprotective because she loved my mother. My mother was a wandering spirit and Briseni was her best friend as well as her cousin. I have the same desires to travel, but mine are enhanced. I wish to someday meet my father...if he still lives. Traveling to Eloab is difficult though, and Endrykas needs people here." She frowned. Her responsibilities warred with her wants all the time. It was not a battle she would ever figure out.

"I remind Briseni of my mother, she tells me. I am like her in many ways, aside from looks. I am too daring, as you know. I am too passionate about things I want to know about, too curious about things I haven't a clue about. She is always telling me what I am too much of, and what I am not enough of. I do not have enough patience to learn skills, I do not know enough to have a job. If I do not learn a skill I will have to marry." She blushed at the word marry. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry--well, it was partially that she didn't want to marry--it was more that she didn't want to settle down. Ekytol was like a dream land, a fantasy land, someplace where she could learn about her father and perhaps even about her mother.

"Do you understand? Why I want to go? Surely, surely there are things that you wish to understand about yourself. I did not know my parents, I wish to...someday."

[Nalik Fallingleaf]

Nalik turned to face Mihiya as she began too answer his questions. She seemed to find amazement in his awkwardness, something which made Nalik crack a slight smile.

Her adopted mother was the woman he had bumped into. This he was expecting. What he wasn't expecting was for her to a second pair of translucent eye lids, and his jaw dropped a little as she gazed at him from underneath them.

His reaction was not born of disgust, but of wonder and inquisitiveness. He had never seen anything like that before, had never heard of the Chaktawe people before, and was keen to know more about them.

So that's where her skin tone and hair color come from. The eyelids are certainly different, i wonder what purpose they serve? It's sad that she did not know her parents, maybe this is why she feels the need to roam and be reckless?

She spoke again explaining the relationship Briseni shared with her mother, and confirmed Naliks assumptions that she wished to explore due to not knowing her parents. He watched as her brow furrowed when she mentioned her desires conflicting against the needs of the Drykas race.

She cares.

It was as if every time she spoke Nalik saw a different side to her than before, going from a petulant child to an adolescent that had a grasp on the realities of the world around her.

She was a difficult one to understand, her moods seemed to change like the weather. Nalik saw similarities with himself at her age, but did not linger on this long, his mind preventing him from remembering painful childhood memories.

As she spoke of Briseni, he couldn't help but think she was only seeing the bad in Mihiya. Indeed most of the things that Mihiya said Briseni labeled as bad, Nalik thought were good. Passion. Curiosity. Of course alone these could spell trouble, but nurtured in the right way and these traits would help her flourish

With the right tuition.

He noticed her blush at the word marriage, and indeed he himself looked away from her at that point, the words making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

Her final question forced him to look back at her and respond, a slight pleading tone to her voice as she asked if he understood how she felt.

He did.

"I understand. I am lucky enough to know my parents, but if i didn't nothing would stop me from finding out about them. I also feel you're need to roam and escape. It is true The Sea of Grass offers escapism, but it does have its price. Danger. And that is something we must never forget no matter how reckless our impulses make us. I hope someday that you meet you're father and that he give's you the answers you seek. But do not think that you are not like the Drykas. You're father may not have been of Drykas blood but that only strengthens you as a person. You ride better than I do and the fact you have been chosen by a Strider proves you're worth as a Drykas".

"As for Briseni try and understand how she is feeling. Not only does she have the responsibility of raising a child, but she is raising a child of someone she loved. So not only does she try and do the best for you but she must feel extra responsible because she is trying to do right by a woman who will never be able to give her feedback. She does not know if her decisions are the ones you're mother would have made and i bet that fact plays heavily on her mind."

He paused then, hoping he had not over stepped the mark with his words and looked past her, into the stream staring into its constantly changing surface. He was lost in its liquid variations until he finally asked:

"What are the second eyelids for? I have never come across anything like that before."

[Mihiya Darkmane]

His compliments, his words lightened her heart, as did his advice on dealing with Briseni. The man was wiser than her, but then so were most people. Still, the young girl could not help but feel that she had put Nalik in terrible danger. She wished to apologize, but she would rather continue on the path they were on, the one where he only lightly chastised her and praised her in between his advice. She looked at him again. She had not encounter Nalik, nor any of the Fallingleaf Pavilion before. Perhaps Briseni would know them...

"I understand, about Briseni," she said, slowly, thinking about what she was saying, "It is hard, for me, sometimes to wonder if my mother would have raised me differently. Briseni said she had been planning a voyage to Syliras after I was born. I wonder if she would have taken me with her, or if she would have still left me to be raised by Briseni. She is an enigma, almost as much as the father I never knew. Perhaps he will know more about her, but she only lived in Ekytol for three years, so perhaps not." She paused for a moment.

"I will try to consider her thoughts before I run off next time. Perhaps sometime you could take me hunting with you? I want to learn how but Briseni's husband is growing old and his joints are too stiff and Briseni," she snorted, a very unladylike sound, "Briseni does not know which end of the arrow to notch." Her aunt was a notoriously bad hunter, afraid of weapons and too sensitive to kill an animal. She was, however, an excellent cook.

"Briseni knows very little of the Chaktawe race, but my mother kept a journal. She read it to me once. My mother noted that the second eyelids are used for keeping dust out of their eyes. They can still see through them, not as well as when they are open, but that way they won't get dust in their eyes when they are riding in the desert." For a moment she sat in silence and then, almost as an after thought she added, "They're not very useful here, but sometimes if I want to go underwater I close them to keep dirt out of my from the water but still be able to see."

"When I was very young, I used to like scaring people by closing my second eyelids. I think it disconcerted them. Then, a boy a year older than me called me a freak." A frown crossed her face at the memory. "I do not close them very often anymore."

[Nalik Fallingleaf]

The girls seemed to absorb his words, and it appeared that she was really taking on board what Nalik was saying to her. Although he couldn't be sure. And anyway who gave him the right to give advice? Sure he was older than this girl, but was he wiser? Well, it wasn't bad advice anyway. At least that was his opinion.

He waited patiently as the girl processed what he had said and then replied, her voice soft and without the edge it has once had. She spoke first of Briseni and her mother. She clearly missed the point that she felt she should have shared with her mother, and almost seemed to resent Briseni slightly for this.

He also got the sense of desperation. She did not seem sure that anyone would know anything about her mother. Nalik felt sorrow welling within him. He couldn't imagine not knowing his mother, not having the comfort that a mother could give.

Not that he spoke to his much anymore.

He shrugged the negative thoughts, the physical shirt helping to through the mental thought process away. She paused but Nalik wasn't really sure what he could say to ease her pain, so he just waited for her to carry on.

She suprised him when she asked if she could go hunting with him. He thought about it for a moment, cocking his head to the side slightly as he did.Maybe it would be good if i took her with me.Maybe if we spent some time together going over the dangers and how to minimize them it would make Briseni worry less. No Drykas needs more worry in this time

He looked at her, full in the eyes. She seemed genuinely worried and eager to rectify this mistake, and Nalik had always been one to take someone for face value, So he agreed.

"Indeed, I think it would be good for you to better you're hunting skills. Maybe then you're adoptive mother would be less worried knowing that you could look after yourself".

He left it at that for now, maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. But he did hope they would, despite her earlier attitude he did enjoy spending time with her. He found her interesting. So he was genuinely intrigued when she started talking about her Chaktawe father. He had never heard of them before, and was interested to know more. The eyelids were especially interesting. It was amazing how their eyes were perfectly suited to their environment, and he was intrigued to know more.

But unfortunately she didn't seem to know more, and paused until she added what she had tried to do with them, it sounded like it could work and Nalik was almost a little bit envious about her ability. He was certainly shocked when she said that people had called her a freak for them. Ok so maybe she shouldn't have tried to scare people with them, but she certainly wasn't a freak.

He felt anger inside him and compelled to support the girl and reassure her that her differences were not something negative, but in fact something to be proud of.

"Do not let anyone tell you that you are a freak. You're eyelids are a gift from you're father and you should not be afraid to show them off. Anyone that thinks otherwise is just envious that they do not have anything that relates them so closely to their family. Whenever you are feeling that you have been abandoned you should sue them and know that you're father has given you a part of himself, something to always remember him by. And who know, one day they may aid in finding him.,

He paused, waiting for the girls reaction, hoping that he had no overstepped the mark.

[Mihiya Darkmane]

When he agreed to take her hunting, she internally squealed, not out loud of course knowing that he probably wouldn't approve of her making extremely loud noises in the Sea of Grass. She smiled up at him at his agreement, her elation probably shown in her eyes. Mihiya had never been the best at guarding her emotions.

"Thank you so much!" she replied to his agreement, her smile still crossing her face. Of course, to hunt they would have to venture back into the Sea of Grass, but if Nalik took her with him, she would probably be safer than if she was alone or with someone less experienced. Nalik was a pretty decent guy and he seemed to be interested in learning about the Chaktawe race. Perhaps...no, she quashed that thought before it even became fully formed, knowing better than to even consider asking Nalik to uproot and follow her to Eyktol.

She listened closely to his next words, careful to catch everything that he said, feeling her spirits lift as he assured her that she wasn't a freak. Briseni had assured her of the same, one of the times that the woman had been extremely comforting to her young ward, but she had found it hard to believe her. Mihiya often neglected to believe things unless it ws someone not related to her that told her it, when it came to things about herself. Her Ankal often told her she was "the prettiest daughter I have" even though she knew very well that Oni was his favorite. It was how a family worked.

"You are kind," she murmured "I want to learn more about the Chaktawe race myself. Perhaps there are people in Endrykas who have encountered them before." She paused, dwelling on how badly she wanted to get to know the Chaktawe race.

"My father gave me much of my physical appearance. It makes me unique. I wasn't sure if that was such a good thing before, but now, I think it makes me...special. Special in a good way. Thank you, Nalik. For everything."

[Nalik Fallingleaf]

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He smiled as his words seemed to reassure her. He was pleased that he could help this girl, and truly he had begun to warm to her. It was strange how quickly opinions changed, and Nalik internally scolded himself for judging her before he had properly known who she was.

Syna was truly sinking in the sky now, and it was not long now until Leth's light replaced hers. He shivered and rubbed his hands together. It was getting cold. Very soon they were going to have to leave the sea for the warm of Endrykas.

He just wished that he would be able to return with everyone he left with.

He looked at Mihiya, a slight sadness in his expression and voice as he told her that they would have to leave. "It is getting late and i want to be out of here before darkness truly sets in. I am sure that Gruff will find his way back to Endrykas, he knows my smell and hopefully he will pick it up. I am loathed to leave, but we must return".

As he finished he turned back, squinting into the darkening grass behind him. And listened, for there was something. No that was just his imagination. Wait! There is a noise, rustling. And. And something else. Something he couldn't quite make out. Hope was erased by fear of the unknown and he turned to Mihiya barking a quick command of "Mount up!"

He took his bow off his back, drawing and notching an arrow in a fluid movement, and raised it ready to fire at whatever was coming. Without looking back he spoke to Mihiya, trying to hide the tension from his voice.

"Be ready to run, it would be foolish to be hopeful that this is my dog returning to me when there are so many other dangerous things that it could be. If i do not follow keeping going straight. When you get to a clearing you will see a track leading back to the tent city. Follow that. Do not wait for me."

[color=white]And with that he said no more, he just waited for what was going to come, praying to Caiyha that one of her more fearsome creatures was coming at them.

And then it the creature revealed itself in a cacophony of yelping and howling.

It was Gruff, at least he thought it was, but they hound was different. ~No ti wasn't the fact the hound was different it was what was on him that was different. He was, he was under attack!

Nalik wasted no time, guilt causing him to forget his own advice and rush headlong into danger. He leapt off Rivain, landing heavily on the floor directly in the path of the dog.

Snarlwings. He had encountered them a couple of times, but both occasions only in the distance. He knew a little about them from his father though. They usually hunted in packs and were mostly nocturnal. He had been told that the further away from Endrykas, the more likely you were to encounter them. He couldn't make out their features now, as they were clinging on to Gruff fangs dug deep in, but he knew they looked like weasels with wings.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the unnerving fact that Gruff was not stopping, and was heading straight towards him. In fact they were going to....

And with that thought the world was hurled past him, the dog slamming into his crouched form and Drykas dog and Snarlwing were propelled into a heap on the floor.