PM to join A Surprise Addition (Naiya)

[Colt]

77th of summer, 515 a.v
sundown

It was later than Shahar had realized. The sun was halfway below the horizon by the time he made his way back to camp, having been entirely absent for nearly the whole day. He had left just after breakfast with the intention to be rid of the painful memories that lived in Hope’s things, in her tent and bedroll and winter cloak, but to be rid of them, it turned out, had not been a simple matter of leaving them somewhere. Magic was never that simple, for it was surely magic that had drawn him away all day.

That magic walked beside him now, moon-white with eyes like sapphires. Snow was the name he had given the woman at the Pride, because Drykas needed names for things, although it had been hardly an afterthought; to Shahar, the pup had her own, deeper name, the one the two of them shared between them through something altogether more than words. But the name he had for her was not one that spoken word or signed gesture could ever hope to capture, nor her name for him. So Snow it was, for those that were not them, those who he was getting the impression might not even be able to understand the very concept of her name. Snow didn’t seem to mind it.

She was perhaps a bit more than two feet at the shoulder, a healthy size for a precision hunting dog. That was what the majority of the passersby had thought, and had paid no mind save for the occasional notice of her pristine white fur. In that, Shahar counted himself lucky; had any of them taken a closer glance, they would have noticed that not only was she not possibly more than two months old and twice as large as she should be, but that she was not a dog at all. To those who had seen them, she was undeniably more similar to a wolf than anything else.

At Shahar’s other side walked Tuka, a bit frazzled from a day of Endrykas and no hunting. The cat knew the direction they were taking, and she was quite glad when their camp came into sight; the day had been weary on both of them, and she trotted ahead of them the moment she saw tents. She was done with Endrykas.

Shahar paused in the circle of their home, and Snow paused next to him. Where? she asked, looking at this new place hopefully. It wasn’t nearly as large as the Pride, and all the big animals she scented lingered on the far side of the camp, away from the warm glow of the fire in the center. She also scented him, seeped through every bit and piece of this camp, and it assuaged any fear that she might have had.

Snow turned to look at him. Home?

Shahar nodded. Home.

The two of them entered the camp quietly, and Shahar couldn’t help a bit of his own nervousness; Khida would probably be completely unsurprised at another addition to their group, having long been used to his adoption habit, but what was he going to tell Naiya? What would she think of Snow, not to mention the fact that he hadn’t been home since breakfast? He should have gotten her a gift. No, he couldn’t have; he had been avoiding people for the majority of the day.

In his worrying, Shahar completely missed the unusually large size of the zibri herd.

“Naiya?” he called out. Hope love uncertain. “Where are you?”

[Naiya]

"Here, Shahar." Naiya called in response to Shahar's greeting, stepping out from the tent where she had tucked her gift from the chest. It seemed silly, this gift from the god of fate, she had wrapped up her entire life in her cloak, and gotten a new cloak in return. It was pretty, a beautiful blue that matched her eyes and complimented her skin, long sleeves, with a hood and heavily draped cloak. Still, it seemed underwhelming in the end. Perhaps it was simply because of Seirei's thundering excitement with the gift of the colt and the bonding with her strider.

It didn't matter, she reminded herself, it was something she should have done long ago. And now she didn't need to buy a new cloak for the winter. Seirei was outside, in the shade of the tent with her new horses, the three of them meeting each other, becoming familiar. She gave the woman a smile reassurance in her hands as she went greet her husband.

She didn't want him to be upset by her companion, and she would have to explain her presence, and perhaps, too, why her stay might be an extended one. Shahar would notice her soon enough, she just hoped that the woman wouldn't be upset if Shahar took some convincing.

Greetings, love she signed to him, as she approached, Welcome home, she continued, reaching up to trace the shape of his cheek with her fingertips. He was utterly distracting, the comfort his presence brought her, the look in his eyes when they met hers. She would likely have not noticed the dog at all if it hadn't been a large, white bundle of puppy-like excitement.

"You brought company?" She commented more than asked mild surprise, amusement taking shape in her hands. Her eyes lingered on Shahar for another long moment before she crouched to greet the dog. Greetings she offered the creature, extending a hand for her to sniff. When she caught sight of the dog's face, though, she stumbled back in shock, she recognized those eyes, distinctly familiar, distinctly Hope.

It wasn't possible, Hope was gone, but reborn? There was no way, it made no sense. She didn't have to right words her hands fluttered as they searched, inquiry and surprise the only message to be gleaned from her movements. Wonder, awe soon found themselves in her posture, as she began to wrap her mind around the possibility. Explanation, inquiry? She signed to him, awaiting his words.

"I have news too," She told him, after hearing what he had to say and accepting the dog into her new collection of family, "I went to see the silver chest also, I met a captive woman on the way, and she was in some trouble. I brought her here, Shahar, she feared for her life after the chest presented her with her gift, her master has been cruel to her." She paused to gauge his reaction, to see what he thought of her words.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

Seirei smiled back at Naiya, thankful for her reassurance. She owed the other woman a lot for offering to let her stay here. What if Lian got mad at Naiya for helping her? Would he come after her? Try to punish her for daring to help Seirei? What would happen if he did?

When Naiya went into the tent, Seirei turned her attention to her new strider, and her foal. She held her hand out flat, with the palm up for her new strider to smell, introducing herself to the mare in the way she remembered someone telling her was polite last winter. The mare sniffed her hand delicately, and the movement of the air tickled the palm of her hand. Then she butted Seirei's hand, in a way that made it obvious that she wanted something. She thought that the mare might be demanding her attention. And if that were the case, she was happy to give it.
Seirei stroked the mare's muzzle gently, marveling at how soft it was. From there, she moved to the mare's neck. Her mane felt coarse beneath her questing fingers.

"You're beautiful." she whispered in awe, amazed that this beautiful mare had bonded to her.

"But I bet you already knew that."

The mare snorted in a way that almost sounded as if she was saying "Of course I am." This made Seirei laugh softly It felt strange to laugh. But it felt good, too.

"I wonder...do you have a name? Or am I supposed to name you?" Seirei mused out loud.

Coming up with a name for the colt had been easy. Thunder had practically named himself. After the way he had appeared in the chest, and the thunder that had followed his arrival, Thunder was the only name that seemed to fit him. The mare's name, on the other hand, would require some thought. Unless, of course she had a name already, and had a way of communicating it to her. Seirei knew how important bonding to a strider was to a Drykas, but she knew very little of the bond itself.

As Seirei tried to get to know her new strider, she discovered a white moon shaped marking under the mare's fringe. Her colt had a sun shaped marking under his. What did the markings mean? Were they just a coincidence? Something similar to a star, or a blaze marking? Or were her striders special in some way? Maybe Naiya would know. Seirei decided it would be a good idea to ask her what she thought about the markings. Later, though. That would have to wait until things settled down.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian studied the golden arrow the gods had given him carefully. An arrow for an arrow was one way of looking at it, and Lian assumed that some people would see it that way. But of Lian's gift to the gods, the arrow had been the least part of it. Sort of. There was nothing "small" about the protective feelings for his siblings that that arrow had represented. Still, that had been a part of himself. In Lian's eyes, Lukar and Lira were more important than he was.

That had always been the case. Not in the eyes of their parents, and not in the eyes of others. Not even in the eyes of his siblings. They probably would have felt horrible knowing that Lian felt that way. And yet, Lian did feel that way. He felt it deeply, with every fiber of his being. If he had had to choose to save them, or to save himself while they had been alive, there would have been no choice to be made. Had there been some way for him to die of the plague instead of them, he would have done so without a second thought, or a tick's hesitation. Even now, if his death could somehow bring them back to life...well. It was probably just as well that it couldn't. Between them, and him, the choice would always be them.

So to Lian, the memories of his brother and sister, and the "treasures" that had represented those memories were far more important that his own protective arrow. Another way to look at it the gift was to say that his need to protect his siblings...his family...had remained because of the three, he was still alive. They were not. And his need to protect his family still existed. His siblings were beyond the need for his protection now. But his children were not. And he would keep them safe from anyone or anything that wished them harm...or he would die trying. It was that simple.

To a lesser extent, Seirei was included in that protection as well. He did not love her. Certainly not in the way he loved his family. But she was the mother of his twins. She was also his way of getting more children. In a few short months now, he would start trying to get her with child again. And as the mother of his children, both present and future, Lian would protect her, too.

Speaking of Seirei...where was she? It was getting late. Seirei was usually back from whatever it was she did during the day by this time. Lian frowned. Had she finally tried to escape? Lian closed his eyes, and allowed his body to fall away as he entered the Web. He began to search for the spark of life that was Seirei's presence, and he found her after a few ticks of searching. When Lian saw that she was still in Endrykas, he didn't bother to pinpoint her exact location. Instead, Lian returned to his body, content that he had found his answer.

Seirei was still in Endrykas. She had not tried to escape the city. Given the larger crowds than usual as people went to see the strange silver chest, or gathered in groups to talk about it, Seirei had probably just been held up in her errands. She would be home soon enough. Lian frowned. Had Seirei gone to give the gods a gift herself? Lian didn't like the thought of that. The gods had given the chest to his people. And Seirei was not a Drykas.

Lian decided that he would question the captive about it once she got home. Then he dismissed the thought for contemplating his gift once more. What did the message mean? With this, I take your life? An arrow brought death to the animals it pierced. Could it be that simple? A description of the nature of the arrow itself? Or did it have a darker meaning? And the other...Like father, like son? What did that mean? Would Lukar be as protective of Lira, and any younger siblings he bred on Seirei, just as he was protective of his own siblings? Or was there a darker meaning to that, as well? Would he ever know what the true meaning of the messages were? And why did the gods have to be so cryptic, anyway?.
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[Colt]

Naiya stepped out of their tent, calling his name to let her know that he was there.

Relief, he replied. Happy to see you.

They closed the distance between and greeted one another; she reached to trace the lines of his face––something that sent a happy shiver down his spine––while he reached to run tender hands through her hair, doing his best not to disrupt the braids that often lay there.

“Hello, Naiya,” he murmured, one of the first things he had actually vocalized all day.

Emboldened by the affectionate display and well convinced that Naiya was no stranger, Snow yipped and did her best to join them, tail wagging happily. She wanted to meet new packmate hope love! She tried to slide straight through Naiya’s legs, then aborted the idea and danced around in front of her happily, even trying to jump up until a brief, reactive don’t jump from Shahar stopped her.

Snow glanced behind. Why no jump?

Shahar chose his answer as truthfully as possible. Can hurt. Again, it struck him as bizarre that such a concept was something he could even convey to her.

Alright! Snow settled for standing and wagging, and then jumping back and forth in elation when Naiya crouched to meet her. The two met, and then, as Shahar had, Naiya caught sight of the pup’s eyes.

She stumbled in surprise and shock, eventually looking up at Shahar with wondering signs on her hands.

“The silver chest,” Shahar said. “I took…” Uncertainty. “I took Hope’s things. I gave them to the chest.” He lay a gentle, loving hand on Snow’s head.

But he, it seemed, was not the only one that had news to bring. Naiya, too, had visited the chest––Shahar couldn’t help a flicker of curious inquiry––but she had not gone alone. A captive, she said, one that was in trouble and had come to fear for her life. A cruel master? That sent a bit of uneasiness through Shahar’s gut.

Naiya had brought her, it seemed, which was, in itself, not something Shahar had any strong reactions towards; his first concern was whether or not that master knew where she was, or how long it would take for him to find out. What was the measure of his cruelty? Was it truly vast enough to make his captive fear for her life, a fact that had the potential to make Shahar inexplicably angry?

No. Now was not the time for anger. He needed to learn what the nature of this captive was, and to hear from her what the nature of her master could lead her towards. And above all, he needed to protect his family.

Caution, hope. “I must know more.” Show me, learn? “Where is she?”

[Naiya]

"Hope's things?" Naiya asked, reassurance instant in response to his uncertainty. It was a mixed blessing, she thought, that they no longer had the empty remains of hope's camp. Mixed, because it might have served them well with their new companion. Companions.

She grinned down at the dog, offering a slightly more reserved hand to the creature who was so striking. Caution, happy her body spoke to the creature, but still she was unsure what to make of her eyes. She would talk to Shahar about her, see what his thoughts were.

Bored, dissatisfied she responded to his inquiry, her cloak was pretty, but had no purpose, he would be no more impressed than she was by it. Clothing the shape of the word riddled with meaning beyond. Disappointment, embarrassment, disheartened. It seemed quite silly, the fuss she had made over the gift to be given it's mirror. Sure the quality was nice... but it was no colt, no strider, and certainly not a born again companion.

The first hints of anger shadowed Shahar as she explained her own addition to the camp, and her first response was fear followed closely by apology, although both vanished quickly enough as he began to sign in earnest.

Here, follow she told him, her voice reaching ahead to warn the woman of their approach, "Seirei, my husband is home." She informed her, appearing around the corner with a shadow of caution more for the new horses than for any other reason.

"He would like to meet you." Positive, reassurance, good things she offered the signs to the woman, unsure of her feelings towards men after she had spoken of a master who was so cruel.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

At the mention of Naiya's husband being home, it was hard not to flinch. Men were...powerful. Dangerous. Lian had proved that to Seirei time and time again. And with the recent reminder of just how much pain a man could cause, Seirei couldn't help but feel fear flood through her.

But...not all men were cruel. Terrin had saved her after she had been attacked. He'd made sure that a healer saw to the worst of her injuries...and that she had gotten to help in the first place rather than dying out in the Sea of Grass. Even before that, he had proven to be a gentle man. A fellow craftsman, and a good friend. Other men had shown themselves to be brusk and indifferent to her, but disinclined to hurt her.

So Seirei's fear was less than it could have been. While still very much a part of her, it was somewhat overshadowed by the deep wary caution that was etched deeply into her stance and posture. Seirei held herself still, and quiet. Tension held her rigid as she braced herself for what was to come. But there was a hint of hope there as well. Hope that this man would not be one of the cruel ones. Perhaps this man could even be a friend like Terrin was? It seemed difficult to believe, but the hope was there.

This was Naiya's husband, after all. Naiya had defended her, scolding the people who tormented her for "failing" to fulfill her duty to them as a captive. She seemed to feel that captives were people too, and good for more than breeding. Surely, if that were the case, then she wouldn't marry a man who felt the way Lian, and the men who had raped her a few days ago did? Maybe he would believe that she hadn't stolen the striders that the chest had given her?

When Naiya said that her husband wanted to meet her, Seirei merely nodded, her throat gone dry with anxiety and uncertainty. But the woman's signs were basic ones that she understood...or at least she thought she did. Reassurance. Seirei reminded herself that someone who wasn't cruel to captives wouldn't marry someone who was. Probably. Hopefully, at least. Seirei relaxed slightly, and nodded again, trying not to look so much like a frightened rabbit caught in the shadow of a hawk.

"Okay." Seirei said softly, her tone anxious yet hopeful.

[Lian Windrunner]

It was taking too long. Where was Seirei? Even with the larger crowds of people out and about due to the appearance of the silver chest, the captive should have been back by now. Had she gone to the silver chest herself? If so, Lian would have to think of a suitable punishment for the girl. The chest had been given to his people by the gods. Not to hers. She had no right to seek a gift from it. What if the taint of an outsider touching the gift to his people angered the gods, and they took the chest away? Should that happen, the ultimate blame would land on him because Seirei was his captive.

There was another possibility as well. Seirei had still been in Endrykas when he'd searched the Web for her, but he had not pinpointed her exact location. What if she had been trying to escape? She could have been making her way to the edge of the city when he'd last "seen" her. If that were true, she was almost certainly lost out in the Sea of Grass by now.

Lian frowned. If Seirei was stupid enough to take her chances out in the Sea of Grass, time was of the essence. He would have to find her quickly, and drag her back home. Perhaps as punishment for trying to escape, he would change his mind about waiting a full year to breed the girl again. Yes, that would be a fitting punishment. If she hated the thought of carrying his child so much that she was willing to court sure death out in the Sea of Grass, then he would make certain that she spent most of the remainder of her life pregnant with his children. He would start breeding her tonight, and not stop until he was certain she was with child. And from then on, he would only give her the minimum two seasons to recover between breedings.

But breeding the girl would have to wait until he actually found her. Lian sent his mind into the Web. Once there, he extended his senses, and searched for the familiar spark of life within the Web that was Seirei. It didn't take long for him to find her. And she was still in Endrykas, much to Lian's surprise. Near the outer reaches of the city, perhaps, but still within it.

The surprise of learning that Seirei was still within the city's boundaries was enough to startle Lian out of the Web. If she had tried to escape, then why was she still in the city? Had someone caught her for him? If so, they would likely be trying to contact him via the Web soon. That was one possibility. But there was another, as well. What if she had spent the day buying supplies in the hopes that they would get her to the nearest city? If that were the case, she could just now be ready to make her escape. And that meant that Lian had little time to act.

Lian dropped out of the Web abruptly, and was forced to wait several ticks as he readjusted to being in the physical world once more. The transition back to his body was always rougher if he did it too quickly. As soon as he could, Lian was up and moving. He whistled for Talise, who was quick to respond. Within ticks, Lian was mounted, and making his way through the city towards Seirei at a decent pace.

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[Colt]

A brief nod was all Naiya received when she inquired about exactly what it was that had been exchanged for the miraculous pup, cut off by pain and confusion. He couldn’t talk about Hope’s possessions yet, not until he had sorted through it himself.

She led him deeper into the camp, and Snow followed curiously. Around the tents they went, and soon Shahar could see the subject of Naiya’s worry; a woman stood near a mare and foal, close to both as only a bonded rider could be. Undoubtedly Drykas in her movements towards the horses, even though Naiya said that her skin held no windmarks.

A once-captive who was now a free woman.

She had two children with her, which seemed to weigh heavily on her body; she was young, certainly, and the stress of bearing and caring for the two was written clearly into the lines of her muscles. There was a weariness, too, one that Shahar had also come to be very familiar with in the past: it was the same weariness that he had seen on Hope.

Shahar didn’t realize that he had asked Snow to come closer until the pup had already obeyed.

Naiya informed the woman of their arrival, tempering the approach with reassuring signs and careful comfort. Even so, the woman flinched visibly and fell under a veil of tension; she was afraid of him, without any doubt. Instinctively Shahar carved peace, good will, no intent to harm in wide signs. She was as nervous as a newborn colt, and he didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was. He stopped when he was within five strides of her, leaving both of them well out of each other’s reach. He would go no further without invitation, and he made that clear in the non-invasive fold of his shoulders. He would remain right here.

Greeting, he said. I am “Shahar Dawnwhisper, husband of Naiya.” Our home, welcome, guest, provide for. After a moment, he added protect. “You were once captive, Naiya tells me?” Truth? “Yet you stand with mare and colt, Strider, yours. Chosen, and Drykas, and free." He indicated to the camp behind them. “You are welcome here, sister. The Dawnwhispers open our hearth to you, however long you wish it.” His posture took on a hard, determined edge. “And you will not be harmed, so long as you are our guest,” by anyone.

He sent a brief, subtle intent to protect towards Naiya, indicating their new guest as the subject of the silent promise. Then, back to the tense mother, he continued with an altogether more specific invitation.

“Leth ascends,” he said, posture dissolving back into one of warmth, non-violent, receptive. “Perhaps you would wish to rest here for the night? There is food we have, and blankets and shelter.” You are welcome to them. “Share dinner with us, so you do not have to walk anywhere in the dark...” Your name is…?

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

Seirei was deeply grateful when the man left plenty of space between them. It told her that he had no immediate plans of attacking her. And despite telling herself that no such thing would happen since this was Naiya's husband, the fear had lingered in the back of Seirei's mind. The man's signs signaled "peace," something Seirei couldn't quite translate, and what she thought meant either "harmless," or "no harm." His posture seemed to reinforce his signs, though she was worse at reading such things that she was at translating pavi signs, so she couldn't be certain. Still, she relaxed the slightest bit. The fear of immediate attack eased, though the wary caution and fear of future pain from the man remained.

The man looked vaguely familiar. She had seen him before, and not merely in passing. She had...memory returned. She had given him a lesson in carving once. He had seemed genuinely interested, and his lesson had gone well for a first lesson. At least, she thought it had.

He introduced himself as Shahar Dawnwhisper. His signs offered greeting...and welcome to his home? At least Seirei thought they did. Her anxiety made it difficult to concentrate on translating what was being "said." She thought she saw the sign for "protect," but she wasn't certain. And she wasn't sure what it meant. Was it a warning that he would protect his home from her if necessary? Or far less likely...was he saying he'd protect her? And then the questions began.

Shahar asked if she was a captive. It was more asking for confirmation of what Naiya had told him than a real question. Seirei nodded.

"Thunder appeared in the silver chest." she said softly.

"And his mother came for us both."

Shahar continued, welcoming her. He told her that no one would harm her while she was his guest. Seirei desperately wanted to believe him. And she did believe that he wouldn't hurt her...but what about Lian? When he found out about this, he was going to be furious. He would never believe that she hadn't stolen the striders. He would...Seirei wasn't sure what he would do, but she was terrified that he would try to kill her for this. And she wasn't at all sure that he would stop with just her. If Lian was as enraged as Seirei feared he would be, she feared that he might well lash out at any who tried to protect her with equal fury.

Shahar continued once more, offering to let her stay for dinner, and for the night so she wouldn't have to go anywhere in the dark. Seirei accepted grateful, thanking Shahar sincerely. But she felt as though she had to warn them about Lian.

"Lian's going to come after me." she said softly.

"He's going to think I stole these striders, and he's going to be furious. He's not going to be happy with anyone who tries to help me..."

Seirei was afraid that her warning might make Shahar and Naiya change their minds about helping her. But she never would have been able to forgive herself if Lian hurt either of them, and she hadn't warned them.