Flashback Without the Thunder of the Logical Man [Liarra]

[Kalimalka]

10th day of Winter Year 511 8th Bell There is a bit of a show going on in the Frostfawn hold. Takoda, the southern fur trapper, has come by on his usual route into Avanthal with a sled full of beautiful furs and leathers with which to trade. He has stopped by the Frostfawn hold, said hello to friends and shared a pipe and some stories, and now he is off to trade his hard-won bounty in the city. But when he left he left something behind: his sled, parked outside, his two Zypherian sled dogs (the brothers Vantal and Rika), and Kalimalka, his young Kelvic. Now, while two of his three charges are contently laying near the door waiting for their master to come back and generally behaving themselves, its the Kelvic thats making the ruckus. Kalimalka struts in a big loop in front of the giant hearth being chased, climbed upon, and pulled by a group of loud, laughing children. Not a sight you would generally see, for large dogs tend to frown upon such manhandling from these human pups. But the Kelvic appears rather immune to the ear pulling, shoulder ridding, and general children shenanigans. She is Kelvic, after all, and feels herself above such uncontrollable behaviour as nipping and growling. But maybe its just because she likes the attention. A tiny Vantha girl rides her back and clings to her shoulders by painful fistfuls of fur, rolling with the sway of the dogs shoulders and shrieking with laughter, two young boys and crawling beside her on their hands and knees, acting at being dogs, and at least three others are trying to pet her, feel her cold nose, and offering hands and faces to be licked mercilessly. Its all in good fun and Kali dishes out all of the play with a restrained, but still puppyish energy. The adults frown at the noise but watch this parade loop by with tiny glimmers of amusement in their eyes. Because that is really what it is, a parade. The Kelvic has grown considerably since she was here a few weeks ago. She's just tipped the scale at two hundred pounds and is quite proud of her rapidly evolving physique. Now nearly full grown she wishes everyone (including the watching dogs) to be impressed. To the point where both Vantal and Rika are eyeing the procession and wondering if someone should run up and give her a good nip to remind her exactly where she stands in their little family hierarchy. But eventually the click of her nails on the worn wooden floor, the inviting warmth of the crackling fire and the childish play wear on her. She eyes the warm yellow glow in front of the hearth and suddenly just wants to lie there unmolested. So she shifts. No warning, no indication, just a pale, naked girl where the massive dog used to be. And this has the desired effect. The girl on her shoulders slides off without all the fur to grip, the boys jump away with startled yelps at being so close to such a forbidden thing as a girl, and the rest just lose interest with such a boring thing as another human. Her little parade disperses and leaves her a clear path to that warm patch of floor. Which is promptly occupied less some sneaking dog comes to claim this prime real-estate. Kali shivers with pleasure at the warmth across her furless skin and holds her hands high above her head with a satisfied groan. And that groan almost becomes a purr when her back realigns with a rather alarming crack. It quickly becomes obvious that her new physique is not limited to her animal side either. Her pale legs are knotted with muscle, her arms taunt and defined, and the rolling landscape of her back is thrown in sharp relief in the firelight. The signs of adulthood are also remarkably well developed for her age; with wide hips and full breasts making her shadowy silhouette a much different shape than it was a month ago. Usually their would be some retribution for wandering around a house occupied by children and married men completely naked. But this is Avanthal, and Kelvic's are common enough not to be judged too harshly on their inhibition. There is only a minor bit of throat clearing before an old lady digs out a patchwork blanket to throw over the girls shoulders. Kali turns and smiles for her at the gesture, sure its just to keep her warm, and hunkers down in her blanket before turning back to stare into the flickering fire. Despite how much she enjoys the hold, she was hoping she could accompany Takoda into town this time. And it sours her whole visit to know she was refused to come with him. She is old enough, she is sure. And this whole "stay here and wait for me" thing is starting to feel more and more like babysitting. The Kelvic huffs mightily at the thought.

[Liarra Frostfawn]

The slam of a door sounds out across snow and open air as a girl storms out of her family's Avintar. Her dark black hair is tied up in its customary braid and it swings in time to the stomping sound her boots made in the snow. A true Vantha, she wears little protective gear out in the harsh climate. Even if she hadn't had the Mark of Morwen, the young woman would still not need heavy furs to protect her from the elements as it was Winter. The Goddess Morwen was gone, bringing Winter to the rest of Mizahar and so Avanthal and its Holds warmed.

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her pants, not for warmth but out of sheer exasperation. Her parents had once again tried to proposition the idea of a suitor and marriage. It was the third time since Liarra had turned sixteen that Spring. Liarra thought that her parents would understand the first two rejections meant she didn't want to be married at all.

It had to be Grandmere meddling again. Liarra had been six when her only sister had been married off at sixteen. When her sister left a sense of betrayal had built up inside her. Tolanna had been her closest friend, and their parents had sent her away without even asking Liarra how she had felt! Even Tolanna hadn't thought about her little sister, having been caught up in all the excitement. Liarra had always suspected that Grandmere had played a role in Tolanna being taken away, and her suspicions were proven correct when she learned the groom was from Whitevine Hold. The very Hold Grandmere had grown up in, and she had been close friends with the groom's grandparents.

Liarra's eyes were a violent purple as her anger and frustration boiled underneath her skin. Having spent barely two full seasons as an acknowledged adult, marriage was the last thing Liarra wanted. She was just settling into her job, her responsibilities and duties. Though she still lived with her family, Liarra was beginning to feel truly independent. Why would she want to ruin that by getting married? Even more if the man was from another Hold. Frostfawn Hold was just fine; it was where her friends were, where her job was, where her passions lay. Liarra had no interest in the other Holds.

Before she had stormed out on her family, Grandmere had brought up "Icemaiden" again. That had been the final straw. She wasn't even seventeen yet, and Grandmere was already fretting over Liarra becoming an Icemaiden. Liarra sighed deeply and stood still for a moment in the snow. Grandmere was annoying at times, but Liarra loved her and respected her even when they didn't see eye to eye. Still, why couldn't Grandmere accept her feelings? Her parents did, at least a little, as they hadn't forced her to marry. Yet.

With a huff, Liarra kicked a mound of snow with her boot. She was still frustrated and not in any hurry to go back home. There was bound to be something she could do to pass some time away before returning to the Avintar. As luck would have it, at that moment a gaggle of small children ran by.

"Liarra!" One of the little girls cried out when the pack noticed the other girl. "There's a Kelvic in the Hold!"

"We just saw her!"

"She's so big!"

"And fluffy, don't forget fluffy!"

The children's voices all ran together and before long Liarra couldn't make out much of what they were saying. She was however, able to grasp the direction they started pointing in; one of the larger Avintars. Liarra had an inkling on who the Kelvic might be. There was a fur trader by the name of Takoda, if Liarra remembered correctly, and he had a Zypherian Kelvic. The sixteen year old had never had the chance to meet the fur trader's Kelvic, but perhaps that would change today.

The young woman had always wanted to meet and spend time with a Kelvic, but had never gotten the chance. Granted, Kelvics were not uncommon in Avanthal, what with the Icewatch and all, but that didn't mean everyone got to strike up hours long conversations with them.

Perhaps today would be Liarra's lucky day, so with interest and curiosity turning her eyes a sparkling blue, she walked toward the Avintar. She knocked on the door without hesitation, knowing someone would be sure to let her in.

[Kalimalka]

There is a sudden knock at the door and Its Kalimalka who is first to her feet. The heavy and fragrant oak walls and the constant presence of snow makes it very difficult to both smell and hear what is happening outside. This has never bothered the Kelvic much, for she is not the jumpy paranoid type, but that can be really frustrating if you are waiting for someone. But this time she is sure its Takoda. Its very early for him to be back, but maybe the shops have run out of mizas, or the shopowner has taken the day off, or maybe, just maybe, he's come back with a gift and an apology for his faithful girl. Unlikely, but its the Kelvic's secret hope that colours her vision and causes her to bound over with the blanket fluttering around her shoulders and throw open the door with enthusiasm and a happy greeting on her lips. And its quite obvious she wasn't expecting Liarra when her eyes are initially trained quite a few inches above the Vanthas head. A draft breezes in with this new girl and what is not covered with the blanket immediately ripples into gooseflesh. When her icy blue eyes focus on what is actually there, instead of what she wanted to be there, she cant help the crestfallen look that crosses her face. Instead of Takodas grey hair and weathered face, she is faced with a young northern woman. Takoda isn't coming after all. But the Kelvics smile is still genuine, if a little sad, when she steps aside to let her in. ["Hello", she offers, hustling the girl in before the warm air can escape into the hall. She's seen this girl before, she knows it. The Vantha is extremely pretty, enough to turn the heads of every available young man in the common room, but fairly unremarkable except for her luxurious black hair; which Kali has always secretly longed to run her fingers through. And the Kelvic recognizes her as a Frostfawn by the scent of horse and other dogs underneath her own unique scent. "Are you cold?", she asks amiably, forgetting Morwens gift for the Vantha includes protection from the cold."You can come sit with me and warm up, ok?"

[Liarra Frostfawn]

Liarra is momentarily taken aback by the woman who greets her at the door. The woman appeared to be wearing only a blanket, and was looking directly over her. Used to having people look above her, Liarra held back the instinct to roll her eyes. Perhaps the woman had expected someone else, or it was just because she was taller than Liarra.

When she is finally able to meet the gaze of the taller woman, Liarra knows instantly that she is the Kelvic the children were so frantically talking about. Her eyes gave it away. Though Vantha eyes are a myriad of ever changing colors the Kelvic's stay the same icy blue when her face changes expression. Also, Liarra is accustomed to the coloring of Zypherian dogs eyes from years of being around them as her mother was a groom.

She lets the Kelvic usher her in, and smiles.

"Hello. I'm not cold, but I would love to sit by the fire with you." Liarra continued toward the hearth and sat down quickly, ignoring all the others in the avintar.

"I'm Liarra. What's your name?"