Open Gather Around

[Amunet]

Amunet was unaware of the scowl or an offended expression from the woman that was in the berry bushes. It simply never occurred to the girl that not everyone responds to perky very well. The young lady was equally unaware of Lian’s presence at the moment. The short red head was soon lost in the tall grasses and uneven landscape.

When the watchman’s wife approached, the light hug was exchanged with a soft friendliness as Amunet looked down at her abdomen and smiled. The girl did not say anything about the pregnancy as she was sure Pearl probably had it well in hand and why this one was not on her list. The playful banter between the wives and the husband was good to see. No posturing or politics. That was how it should be.

There was quiet laughter as the young boys were busy repositioning the pumpkin. The father planted the hefty pumpkin on the wagon. Amunet turned to Belkaia as she fussed over the sight hound. “She is a Silkena. Camile, I’m afraid is a bit on the vain side and you can see where I will need to brush her again. She is or well will be a good hunting dog. I hope.” The dog lavished in the attention, thumping her tail against the ground. The dog and the cat both made a wide birth as the Watchman suddenly ran up to the small family group, grabbed his spear and took off running with great urgency with the other watch.

The young lady softly gasped as the other ladies gripped children. It was rightfully so. Amunet took a deep breath to school herself to some measure of calm as her heart thumped in her chest rapidly. This rippled through the whole of the group. The young woman tried to see Auntie while going on tippy toe, but she was a bit on the short side. The feel of the air was that it seemed everyone had stopped as a collective. They moved like a herd, awaiting word of safety. The little woman made sure her young animals were close to her. The girl did care about her animals a lot. They were not children, no. They had become important to her in companionship.

One of the watchmen approached Pearl to request to see to another watchman that had become injured. “I will help them to the grove.” Amunet offered to help the children and the pregnant Belkaia towards their goal of plums. Other watchmen were giving the word that it was safe to move on.

Her eyes turned to Belkaia, “I can put the boys on Shetanae as we walk forward. “ It didn’t take long for the mare to come to her side before putting Garrison in front and then Kyanite behind him. “Kyanite, make sure your brother stays centered. “ Garrison seemed to know to grasp the handles which were good. The big mare’s instinct to nurture became apparent as she stepped carefully and kept near Amunet. The young midwife kept her eye to make sure Belkaia didn’t lose her balance which was very easy to do in her condition. Those people they passed that had not gotten the word, Amunet would nod to indicating that it was safe to move on.

Once they reached the grove, Belkaia and the boys settled on picking the wild plums. Amunet went to see if Pearl needed help, but seemed all was well in hand. The injured mare also seemed to be well in hand, also. The pile of wolf corpses was a prominent feature. The young lady moved into the walnut grove as the men were talking and chatting about the combat. Others were chatting and talking about the continued pockets of predators like this. Amunet went to finger the fur. Despite its ragged appearance, the fur was in good condition. “These will make fine skins. The color is rather striking.” The girl was pretty sure that the men had dibs on the skins. That was probably as it should be, considering their role in protecting the group.

[Akasja]

Akasja watched as a slight, pale-skinned girl glided through the crowd and towards the wounded mare. She seemed much younger than Pearl, but her wordless approach struck Akasja as confident. The girl immediately began examining the horse, touching the mare's somewhat shaky body with the familiarity of someone used to this type of work. Akasja found herself gravitating towards this fire-haired girl, her black eyes locked onto the girl's movements so that she could see the way she touched this animal and perhaps learn new techniques.

The Strider nickered and shifted uncomfortably as the girl swept her hand over its rear leg. From where Akasja stood, she could see that part of the horse's lower leg appeared swollen. A small laceration or a muscle strain might have been the cause. There was no immediate sign of bleeding, but Akasja could not see the other side of the horse's leg, and so could not rule out a flesh wound. Akasja slowly moved closer to the mare, casting a glance toward the the wounded man to check his expression. He seemed comfortable with this, and did not protest, but calmly watched those who had gathered around him and his mare. Returning her gaze to the mare's face, Akasja clucked softly and extended her hand to allow the horse to inhale her scent.
"I am here to help," Akasja spoke in Tawna, and then, with a bit of hesitation, Help; she used her body to sign directly to the mare in the Drykas' physical language. This was one word that Akasja had made sure to learn, and almost couldn't help but learn, working at the River Flower. Although Akasja did not know if signing to this horse would make the mare feel more secure, she figured it couldn't hurt.

Akasja positioned herself at the front of the mare and peered underneath her to see the inner leg. Yes, there was blood -now mostly dried. A long, thin cut. Akasja looked to the kneeling girl, then over again to Pearl for some reassurance.
"Not bad," Akasja spoke in her broken Common. "There is blood. Small. I have medicine." She knew she had an ointment with her that would fight infection, and began looking around in her pack for it. Although the herb she had used in the ointment was fairly potent, it wasn't anything that would make a horse sick, especially not in a small dose or when mixed with nut oil as it was.

Akasja loosened her waterskin, which did not carry much, and set it down beside the kneeling girl as an offering. With her other hand Akasja presented the bottle of anti-bacterial ointment. "Medicine," she repeated to the younger girl in Common, followed by her signing the word help once more, this time without hesitating. And then, a question in Common as she gestured towards the waterskin, "You want to clean horse?"
Even while offering her own assistance, if the red-haired girl wanted to do work here, Akasja was not going to take that opportunity away from her.

[Dravite]

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His actions were timely, measured, and subtle. Dravite approached the girl he had met only a few chimes ago as she led her Strider into the area with his children on the mare's back. Belkaia froze, flinched at the look on his face and as Kyanite and Garrison were set safely down on the ground he scooped up the youngest boy and signalled for Kyanite to stay close. Belkaia followed hesitantly, unable to comprehend what had upset her husband, who was usually quite vocal when something was amiss. Closer to the grove he turned and set Garrison down and as Belkaia reached out to take the boy, Dravite caught the woman's wrist firmly, drawing her close with a jolt, "don't you ever put my sons on a strange horse again," he scolded quietly, the auburn haired woman cowering under his glare; a lamb pinned by the lion's paw.
"My love I didn't even think," Belkaia whispered; eyes cast at her feet.
"Kyan!" The horse lord hissed, summoning his son who had wandered a few feet further than he should.
A mop of yellow hair bounced back towards them through the long grass, "sorry," the boy said shyly, knitting his fingers together nervously.
Belkaia took her husband's hand and lifted it to look at his elbow, "you're bleeding!"
Dravite twisted his arm to look at the light wound, little more than a scuff mark, "it's nothing," he told her, wiping the blood away with his free hand.
"Will you come and search for some plums with us?"
Dravite growled and pulled his wife in to hug her, pressing a kiss to her temple, "keep an eye on those boys, if I get the chance I will come and join you."

Belkaia leaned in and kissed the light smattering of wheat coloured hair on his jaw before departing without another word, taking a hand of each of the boys to guide them through the tall grass towards the wild fruit trees.

On his return, it seemed a few people had gathered to help with the injured horse. When Dravite spotted Lian amongst the crowd he smiled, raised a hand, and pointed him towards the wolves, "how about you help me with some of these?" He grinned before signing, cut, clean, skin, bones. There were a few wolves left, some of the watchmen had helped themselves and the injured man had claimed one to skin and tan, perhaps to offer to the young redhead for tending to his horse. Dravite left Pearl to help the two girls, one he couldn't help but notice had shared the same strange, colourless eyes as Mayra.

The watchman took two of the wolves by their hind legs and dragged them up over the rise to sit where he had a good view of the gatherers scattered amongst the trees. He had taken a fine silver wolf for himself and a jet black wolf, who looked to have been the alpha, for Lian should the man choose to join him. Before getting too comfortable though, Dravite bowed his head to slip away from them all for a time to search the web; something that was starting to get easier and easier to do. The interwoven strands were threaded through the trees and out beyond the grove to where the grass grew thick and wild; a predators paradise.

Dravite spent longer than usual circling the land that stretch out around them, racing ahead of the watchmen who were returning to their posts, to scout out a clear path. After what could have been a near miss with the wolves, the horse lord didn't want to take any chances, especially with his children and both wives working in the area. When he was satisfied that the sea was relatively calm for now, he circled back to his form to re-join the physical world.
"It's not too cold for snakes you know," one of the younger watchmen said as he came to stand off to Dravite's right.
"I know, they need to be vigilant," Dravite agreed, "especially around those trees."
"Shall I go help that wife of yours?"
Dravite smiled and nodded his thanks, "thank you, I won't be too far away."
"No hurry," the young man waved before running off to catch up with Belkaia and the boys.

"If you want the last one," Dravite pointed to the remaining wolf with his hunting blade; he had already managed to forget Amunet's name but noticed her eyeing up the wolf, "take it."

With that the man set about cutting down the belly of his chosen she-wolf. He didn't like to keep his knife too sharp so that he could use it to apply the right amount of pressure without breaking the sheath of muscle just below the skin that kept the innards contained. Carefully, he drew the knife up the inside of each leg after opening the belly and he started working the pelt away from the body of the wolf with short, sharp cuts.
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[Pearl]

Pearl smiled as Akasja approached and answered her questions as best as she could. “Wolves,” she used the common word for the animals for Akasja and signed the word for them as well, so Akasja could associate the two, if she didn’t know them already. A sweep of her hand indicated the men of The Watch as she continued, “They took care of the threat to us. Now we are helping the injured,” she explained.
“Weren’t too many of them,” the injured Watchman added, causing Pearl to chuckle.

When Ruari approached, she offered another smile to the woman, being sure to allow her plenty of room to assess the injuries of the animal. She had yet to actually meet this young woman, but she had heard others tell stories of a quiet young woman that treated the animals of Endrykas and she wondered if this was indeed her. Pearl stepped closer to Ruari and set her medical kit next to her upon her request for help. If anything from it could be used to help the animal, she was certainly willing to make it available.

In true Akasja form, the woman was already offering to help and it warmed Pearl’s heart to see her so actively working with everyone that she came into contact with. There were many Drykas that did not take well to treatment from foreigners, but with Pearl’s assurances, a good many of those that had been previously resistant had come to accept Akasja and her efforts. She hoped this young woman treating the horse would indeed be one of those. She tried her best to interject a few of Akasja’s qualities, in hopes of ensuring just that. “This is Akasja. She works with me at The River Flower and is a skilled herbalist, especially with her ointments and tinctures.”

Pearl knelt down and opened her medical bag, taking out a clean cloth and laying it on the ground. She then removed several items she thought might be helpful to them as they treated the horse, bandages, instruments, suture materials and needles, as well as several packets of herbs that were clearly marked. She arranged them so that they were easily accessible and available for use. Pearl moved the cloth that held the instruments she had already used to treat the Watchman to a section of her back to keep them separate from the other clean items. When it was just she using her medical kit, she had no worries of picking up something that had previously been used, as she was familiar with everything her kit contained, but others were not so she felt it best to separate the used items further so they would not be mistakenly picked up and utilized. She was always careful to keep her tools cleaned and ready for use when needed.

Once that task was completed, Pearl looked around the area, the immediate injuries having been tended to, or in the process of being tended to. She took a moment to assess faces and places, ultimately seeking out her family members. She caught sight of Lian first and offered a smile to him along with a lift of her hand signing, greetings, pleasant, to him. Looking further, she found Dravite’s wheat coloured hair next, the sight causing her to smile once again, though it quickly faded.

Pearl stood up, lifting a hand to shade her eyes from the sun’s glare and watched the exchange between her husband and wife. Something was quite amiss, she thought, as she saw Belkaia stumble slightly forward while Dravite held her by the wrist, not the hand. She studied his face, as his was the only one she could see, Belkaia had her head dipped forward. When they parted, Pearl was torn as to which spouse to go to first. At least they had hugged and kissed before they parted each others company, so perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she first thought it might be.

“If you’ll please excuse me for a moment,” she spoke in Pavi to Ruari. “I’ll return shortly, but please do use anything of mine that you need, I’ll return soon to help you finish and clean up and to gather my things.” Addressing Akasja next, she switched to common, “I’ll be back soon,” signing, soon, promise, worried, family, to explain to them both her reasons for stepping away. With that, she stepped away from the women and the horse and, with her mind now made up, she headed straight for Dravite. Her movements while she walked mirrored those of her husband’s from before, subtle, calculated, and decisive.

Bluest eyes as stormy as the skies when Zulrav opened up the clouds and poured on them were trained upon her husband as he dragged the two wolves by their hind legs upon the rise. When he bowed his head, she realized he was slipping into the web. She was always thankful of his skills in webbing, and more often than not, she intended to ask him to teach her those skills. But they were a busy family, with a growing pavilion and as such, they had not had the time available.

The watchman that hurried off to join Belkaia and the boys did not go unnoticed as she was close enough to hear the exchange between him and her husband. Snakes they spoke of, and her concern heightened at the mere mention of the foul creatures noticeable only by the loft of her brow. Still she did not look away from her husband, as she stepped closer to him. She stopped, standing with her feet not far from the wolf he was currently skinning.

Pearl did not put her concerns or questions to voice. She knew she wouldn’t have to. Her husband was able to read her quite well. After a moment, she signed, concern, worry, safety, love.



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[Ruari Darkwind]

Ruari's response to the woman with the strange black eyes was standoffish, favourable only as she felt helping the horse was more important than her discomfort with the obviously foreign woman. She couldn't help but think, though, how the woman could possibly see if her eyes were so strange. She imagined that it was difficult, or that it was far too easy.

The other woman, another Drykas, that spoke in favour of the strange woman, Akasja, was the only reassuring light in the situation Ruari found herself in, as she inherently didn't trust foreigners and she didn't wish to turn the stranger away in a situation where she could be of use.

"I will trust your judgement," she told the doctor, voice mellow and even, if hollow with resignation. She didn't understand the messages Akasja was giving her, aside from the offering and the sign of help, which she supposed was enough to go by anyway. Removing a hand from the mare, she waved Akasja closer; Ruari herself wasn't exactly learned in the fine art of sutures, but she could clean a wound. As usual, when finding herself confronted with an inability to make this known to a foreign person, she looked to a way of getting the message out there. In this case, she searched out the sutures and needles laid out by the generous Drykas and offered them to Akasja. Hopefully, the message wouldn't be lost in translation.

Silently, she returned to the mare. The great beast, shifting with discomfort and slowly beginning to cease her trembling, made her unease known; Ruari thought she must know she was wounded and she must still be able to smell the wolves and the blood. Comforting, Ruari ran her hand along the uninjured expanse of the mare's flank, murmuring a soothing word and being acknowledged when the mare flicked an ear back to listen.

Her other hand dropped, seeking out one of Akasja's. As Ruari had been stepped on before by her own strider, she hadn't the desire to repeat the experience, and would like to have Akasja lay her hand on the horse both to soothe her and to remind her of where they were. Talking to the mare also would have helped, but Ruari liked to keep contact with the horse physically.

"I am going to clean her wound," she told Akasja, although she expected her to not understand. Both hands free, they went to work with the waterskin and a length of cloth left to her. She wet it and leaned into the horse again, manoeuvring to find the source of the blood and beginning to, gently if not firmly, clean it. If Akasja wished to help, Ruari would be willing to allow her, and would watch her as well, whether out of curiosity or to be sure of no sabotage she wouldn't say.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian was happy when Ruari joined him. Although he hadn't known her for long, he enjoyed the time he had spent in her company so far. Enough so that he found himself wanting to spend more time with her.

"There are always more rabbits." he replied with a genuine smile.

"We should plan to go out again sometime soon, then."

As Lian worked, he watched Ruari work as well. He noticed that unlike him, she did not seem to be interested in eating the delicious berries as they picked them. Perhaps she did not like them? He also noticed that Ruari seemed to avoid taking berries from the crown or the skirt of the bush. After watching long enough to be certain that this was intentional rather than by chance, he turned to her.

"May I ask why you only take berries from the middle of the bush?" he asked politely.

His hands made the signs for "curiosity," and "genuine interest."

"Are the berries in the middle better in some way?"

Once they had finished with the bush they had been working on, Lian followed Ruari's lead in moving on to the next bush. After they had been working on that one for a while, one of the Watch members came by asking if there was an animal healer among the group. Ruari mentioned that she was, and invited Lian to come with her. Lian did, despite knowing nothing of healing, animals or people. Still, perhaps there was something he could do to help. He might even learn something.

A foreign woman approached Ruari, and Lian frowned. Was she a captive? A trader who thought they would be welcome among them? Lian could understand nothing of what the woman said. He thought a few of the words she spoke might be common, because they had the sound of that unpleasant language. But his own grasp on Common was shaky enough that he did not recognize the words, or know what they might mean.

Dravite caught his attention, and asked him if he wanted to help with the wolves. So that was what had injured the horse Ruari was working with. Lian hesitated for a tick. Could the foreigner be trusted around an injured horse? But Ruari seemed to know what she was doing, and Pearl arrived to help as well. Pearl even seemed to know the foreign woman, which made Lian feel slightly better about her presence among them. If Pearl knew of her existence, then it was likely that Dravite did as well. As a member of the Watch, his friend would permit no threat to dwell among their people. So if this foreigner was among them unchallenged, she must not be a threat.

Lian realized he would only get in the way if he stayed and tried to offer his completely unskilled assistance. He would be far more help with the wolf carcasses. So he let Ruari know that he was leaving, and would hopefully see her later. Then he made his way over to Dravite.

"I'd be happy to help." he told his friend with a grin.

This, he actually knew something about..
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[Akasja]

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Uncomfortably, Akasja forced herself to ignore the fact that she knew she was being judged. These horse people who watched her suspiciously of course did not know her personally, so Akasja knew that their minds would probably be racing with thoughts about her. Akasja was used to this type of reaction in a couple ways. Her pure black eyes were often a curiosity to outsiders. This did not surprise her. In fact, a small part of her hoped her eyes were frightening enough that others would fear her rather than think they could hurt her.

But the protectiveness that the Drykas presented was familiar, too. In her own clans, it was very hard to accept outsiders who might want to take advantage of the generous Chaktawe. One outsider, though, was not usually seen as a threat. But if they came in numbers and with many demands, the Chaktawe would not take the abuse. Akasja had grown up being very protective of her own culture -she still was- and didn't exactly feel bad that the Drykas here were cautious. Still, as Akasja noticed the suspicious expression of the red-head beside her, and saw the frown of the Drykas man who walked onto the scene, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. It would take time, she reassured herself. For all of them, it would take time.

Regardless of her discomfort, Akasja told herself that she had to carry on and help this horse. She pushed her feelings aside and focused on the work at hand. To her surprise, the young Drykas waved Akasja to her, and Akasja slowly moved closer. She clucked softly to the horse before laying her hand upon the animal's body, sliding it along the mare's back as she moved closer to the wound. Akasja watched as the Drykas situated the needles and sutures, then seemed to gesture to them in offering. Akasja took a deep breath. Her sewing skills were not perfect, but she knew enough to close a small wound.

After Pearl walked away from the scene, Akasja knew she had to really take control of the situation. Pearl would be of help, and had been incredibly kind to her, but she was absent for the moment. As the young Drykas woman spoke, Akasja understood that she wanted to clean the horse's wound. Akasja watched her briefly, saw that the horse was responding well, and then reached into her own pack to grab a soothing balm. This would help with swelling and immediate pain so that Akasja could actually go ahead and sew up the small laceration.

Returning her hand to the horse's flank, Akasja squatted down next to the young Drykas woman, balm in hand. Once the cleaning was complete, Akasja produced a flat, stone instrument and scooped a small amount of her prepared balm onto it, then gently spread it across the horse's wound. As she did this, Akasja carefully listened to the horse, watched its body language, and concluded that all was well. Sitting back a moment, Akasja let the balm melt with the horse's body heat. The herbs would reduce any swelling and also slightly numb the area. Next, Akasja produced a separate container, the oil of a potent anti-bacterial herb. Akasja peered at the wound, watched how the balm soaked in to the Strider's flesh, and felt satisfied with the progress. Then she sprinkled a few drops of the strong oil onto the wound. That would be enough. Maybe more would have to be applied later. Giving the horse another soothing rub, Akasja set her medicine down and began to thread the needle.

It wasn't long before Akasja had prepared her tools. She knew the young Drykas was watching her steadily. If she had anything to say, Akasja figured she would do so. In the meantime, the Drykas' presence was keeping the horse calm. Taking a breath, the Chaktawe moved her hand back to the horse's leg, focusing on the area of the wound that she would need to close up, and then slid the small, curved needle through the flesh. The horse did not react much, and Akasja carried on without pause, knowing that hesitation could ruin the entire procedure. Thankfully the deepest part of the wound was short, and Akasja's work did not take long. She didn't pull the suture too tightly, yet made sure it was secure enough to last, gently joining the edges of the horse's skin. Finally, she tied the thread and knotted it, cutting the excess with the scissors that Pearl had left them.

Akasja would prefer that Pearl take a look at her work, but for now she felt confident with what she had done. The horse did not seem to be in much discomfort at all. Akasja replaced Pearl's tools and stood up, looking down into the face of the red-haired Drykas. Akasja had nothing to hide, and she was vulnerable, but in this moment she was confident in herself. She felt no malice, no fear. The young Drykas woman had worked with her, despite any misgivings or worries, and that was something Akasja appreciated.
"It is done," Akasja said in Common. Then she signed thank you.

For a moment, Akasja looked away to the Watch who had busied themselves with skinning multiple wolf carcasses. Hunting was something that Akasja truly enjoyed. Self-defense, on the other hand, was not enjoyable per se, but something Akasja was familiar with. Her face softened as she noticed the satisfaction of the men who skinned the wolves. They had done very well.
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[Amunet]

The big mare walked slowly and carefully making it an easy transition. Shetanae stood stock still till the little ones were taken off of her back. Amunet watched Blackwater’s reaction as her confused expression crossed those little features of her face. Her palm up and pushed out the mare backed up very slowly and moved more towards the little woman. The cub and the Silkena made their way in a meander sort of round about to their mistress. Pearl was tending the injured man. Another Drykas woman or two was tending to the injured Strider.

Still Amunet looked at Dravite as he was terse and went quiet. Not the good kind of quiet either. Her head turned towards his wife and children then back to Dravite. This occurred again as the tells and signs of distress and worry became apparent to the confused girl. Her expression slowly went from realization to a slow simmer. Those sky blue eyes filled with a spark as her face set in a deceptively stoic expression. Did the man actually think she put his children in danger? What possible worry or threat was there? Did he expect her to leave his wife and children to their own devices? Not only no, but hell no would she leave a pregnant woman and young children to tarry in the tall grass by themselves. She can run, they can’t.

The storm continued to build in those blue eyes as they seemed to turn electric blue with the passing moments. The man started to skin the wolves and then just in an offhand manner offered her the last one. It would be nice to have, but offered by the one who insulted her and her mare was not going to happen. She walked up in a mild way and looked the man dead in his eyes. The daring bold expression that fired at him in those moments as she said, “ Don’t you ever insult my strider ever again.” The girl said in a low voice . She would tilted her chin up to the height of him. “You can yell at me, you can cuss and curse me, but don’t you dare say a bad word against my strider. She is better than you, me and anyone here. “ The girl said in a low clear voice. The little woman noted Lian in the mix, but was in no mood to say any pleasantries.

She looked to say something else then gritted her teeth and went to turn away. The light that would hit her hair would seem to leap into flames that matched the blue fire that seemed to dance in those electric blue eyes. She tapped her side for the Silkena who came to her hip the cat followed suit. How could anyone possibly think that Shetanae would harm a child? She was the most protective Strider she knew. She was all she knew of striders. The same passion Amunet shows in her work, she shows in how she cares for the people of Drykas. Other than her grandfather, Dravite managed to make her madder than anyone ever had made her. Shetanae sensed her anger. The Strider’s ears laid back now and then as her nostrils flared a little though there was no danger. Amunet again gave a simple sign of ‘steady, peace’ to the big mare. The mare let out a snort that sounded more of an exasperated sigh.

Why was she surprised about this? Hear tell Dravite was head of his Pavilion, Ankal. Maybe it was an Ankal thing to be such major pains in the rear end. Would she ever be at one with the judgement of an Ankal? It wasn’t just a judgment on her horse, but on her! She works with children and birthed babies. Why would she ever put anyone in danger or harm’s way? The sheer weight of how angry this made her had tears forming. Like a coiled spring she tried to edge away from the trigger. That was what Ankals were good for. Those eyes looked for a distraction. It would probably be best if she walked away. The little woman started her way back to the city.
[c]End Amunet[/c]

[Dravite]

Dravite continued to work on the wolf pelt, peeling it away from the carcass carefully and running his hunting knife over any of the bits that had caught and torn up a piece of flesh with it. He sat lightly rubbing salt into the pelt, the first step in the curing process that would help tan the skin. By winter he hoped he would be able to afford his own tanning kit and start doing a better job of things or perhaps even take a couple of lessons from a local professional.

To his wife Pearl he offered a dismissive wave as if to tell her not to worry, that all was well. When Lian joined them to make a start on the dark alpha wolf, he smiled, a smile that was short lived, however, as Amunet soon confronted him on behalf of her offended Strider. The man didn’t know whether to laugh or anger; this wisp of a woman with too-red hair and lightly coloured eyes standing up to him seemed a tale torn from one of his grandfather’s stories of a raven facing off against a lion.

He felt the muscles in his back tighten slowly, the sensation slowly winding all the way down to the very tips of his fingers, and white knuckled, he tightened his hold on the pelt and hunting knife. How dare she speak to me that way, the thought did cross his mind, though for the most part he remained mildly amused; the way she turned from him quickly and moved away spoke volumes, he intimidated her and Amunet’s body language seemed to make no secret of the fact.
“Somewhere a pavilion is looking for their over-sized child and wondering what trouble she is getting into this time,” he larked and rose to fetch the second wolf Amunet had refused, one he planned to take back to the market place and pay to get professionally tanned, but not before he went to fetch Belkaia and the boys.

It frustrated him that his wife had let the boys near a strange horse, but he was even more irritated by the fact that Amunet considered his wife to be at some kind of disadvantage due to her pregnancy; Drykas women were strong, designed to bore healthy offspring with little issue. When he looked at Belkaia he didn’t see an invalid, he saw a warrior, a huntress, a survivor; his queen. The sun bronzed horse lord bowed to peck Pearl’s cheek and the tip of her nose, “I’m going to go fetch Kaia and our sons to take them to market; I’ll see you later at home,” he smiled warmly and offered Lian a respectful nod before departing, dragging one wolf behind him, the other tossed up onto his shoulder to carry all the way down to the grove before he turned back for the city of tents with his family.

LedgerProfessionally tanned wolf pelt -1 GM
NoteI am leaving the RP as I’m conscious of the length and the person that will later have to grade this later (and know some of you need the points a lot more than I do)! Thanks for the fun RP everyone, write on!

[Pearl]

Dravite’s wave settled her somewhat and even nodded to her husband; another of which was offered to Lian when he joined them. She was about to turn and walk away, but then a brow rose in question, her head tilted slightly to one side and she regarded Amunet as the girl began to speak to her husband in such a tone. The longer the girl mouthed off, the more Pearl’s eyes narrowed; regarding her as nothing more than an insolent nuisance of a child.

She trusted in her husband and his judgment if he had indeed insulted anyone’s strider, she knew it would have been with good cause; however, she highly doubted the insult itself had ever occurred. It was more likely a case of Dravite being protective of his family than anything else. When the drama of it all walked away, she gave a small shake of her head and let out a slow breath.

“Of course, love,” her words answered his as he explained he would see Belkaia and the boys home. “I shouldn’t be much longer here, but I plan to stop by The River Flower for a chime or two before I make it back home.” She lifted onto toes brushed a kiss along his jawline before whispering quiet words for him alone.

Upon returning to Akasja and Ruari, she offered a smile to both as she stood a few steps back. A small smile formed as she looked to the stitches in the animals wound. She certainly didn’t want to rush them, but everything seemed to be in order, so she knelt down beside the tools she had laid out for them to use and began placing the used one in a second white cloth she removed from her bag. “Please, if there is anything you need to keep here, feel free to do so,” she spoke to both women. “I was simply cleaning up the clutter.”

Pearl stayed to be of further assistance to Ruari and Akasja until she and her tools were no longer needed. Once the horse was well taken care of, she rose and with her kit in her hand, she clicked and called Knox over to her, placed the kit in the yvas bags and then mounted up. “I’ll be at The River Flower if I am needed,” she explained and then took her leave.


Note to ReadersThank you for the RP. Pearl is out of scene now and will be at The River Flower if she is needed for anything. Happy writing to those of you continue!


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