Flashback Father's Footsteps: The Journey Begins.

[Maliken]

Day 22 of Winter, AV 509 Location: Talderan Mines

How old was Maliken Ironfist Pitrius now? Thirty, soon to be thirty-one, and Maliken's father was excited. The ship had finally made it to the destination, the shores of Taldera, and dammit was it cold. Maliken reached around herself and pulled her many thick furs closer to her body. The clothing practically engulfed her small physique, it was made for a larger creature, one of the human sailors that went overboard and into the iced waters only two days earlier. It was hers now, thanks to the bartering of her father, Makan. Shouldn't couldn't exactly say she'd miss the human who died, but Maliken was mildly disturbed about wearing a dead man's furs. Not enough to brave the cold with less, but a bit unnerved nonetheless. Anyway, they were on shore now, five foot tall Maliken, thirty years old and still a child by Isur standards. "Did Izurdin have to make the ore here, of all places?" Maliken questioned softly, more to talk to herself than anything. She knelt down and plucked a root from the ground and lifted it to her face, examining it with interest. Being from Sultros, it was uncommon to see Talderan roots, or much vegetation for that matter. She would hold onto this, maybe study it later. She was such a curious thing when it came to plant life. "No, child. Thank Semele for this find. Come, your father and the crew are have prepared the carts. We have a ways to travel by foot if we're to find the mines again. We should hurry as well, our brothers should be running low on rations." Maliken felt a strong hand rest on her shoulder and give a reassuring squeeze. It was her uncle, father to Malanos and Istril, her cousins. They had remained in Sultros, most likely working on their crafts. Istril and her reimancy. "Of course, I meant Semele. Do you know the name of this?" Maliken lifted the root to her uncle and gave it a slow twirl. He shook his head 'no', then lead the way to the rest of the group. Maliken nodded, following behind as she stuffed the root into her pocket.

[Maliken]

Maliken and her uncle walked back to the caravan of carts, wagons, horses, Isur, and the hired humans. Makan grabbed her under the arms and lifted her on one of the carts. She may be a young Isur woman, strong and fit, but he still treated her as a child in many ways. "Alright, move. I want to reach this place as soon as possible." Maliken watched in silence as her father walked off to lead the expedition. Before long, the cart rocked back and forth, the start of motion, nearly bucking Maliken right off the back. Behind the cart, he uncle walked. Now he had an ax in hand, one he personally crafted, one that Izurdin had blessed. It was like her uncle magically shifted into a warrior, and a paranoid one at that. The party had only just begun to move into the wilderness from the shore and already he was eyeing the density of the chilled forests with suspicion. Maliken felt that it was probably a bit unnecessary to stalk around like a violent madman, ready to lunge at anything, but she supposed she was happier to have him than not. "Mother didn't want me to come with father." Her uncle nodded, only half listening to Maliken. "She wanted me to stay and work more on crafting, or sculpting, I'm not sure which. Father wants me to be more like him, since I have no brothers." Again, her uncle nodded in half-assed attention towards her. She sighed. "Mother hasn't been able to conceive in decades, father worries he'll never have a son." "Malanos is a good son. He'll do well for the Ironfists." Maliken sat there in silence for a moment. Her uncle wasn't even paying attention. She already knew he favored his son. Shyke, even her own father loved Malanos. She was named similar to her cousin, who was named after their grandfather Malanos. It was as if to compensate for Maliken being a woman. "Yes, Malanos is strong. He will be good for the Ironfists, the Pitrius, and all Isur, I'm sure of it." Maliken dug into her pocket and retrieved the root she dug up earlier and stared. "Must be great to be a man, since he wants me to be one so badly." "Maliken, your father is desperate, but he loved you as you are, and wouldn't change that." She looked up to find her uncle staring at her, not gazing into the wilderness. He was listening, it seemed, and he did care. That was a relief. She smiled and pulled a hood over her head.