PM to join Fancy A Walk? [Ife]

[Graham Whipmane]

17th of Fall, 515 AV

It was well past midday by the time Graham had finished his work around the pavilion, patching tents, clearing pathways and mixing feed and hay for the horses. The sun was high above him, the sky was clear and blue, and only a cool, gentle breeze ruffled the grass of the plains. A perfect day for a long, leisurely hunt.

Collecting his gear and strapping his bow and arrows to his back, he bade Fader to sit and guard his tent, before double checking Cato's feed and the large trough of water that had been set out for his two furry companions. After he was sure that everything was in order, he gave Fader a scratch behind the ear and combed his fingers through Cato's mane as he passed, heading off in the direction of the Amethyst Clan's tents.

It had been almost an entire season since he and Royce had the chance to hunt together as they so often had as boy's, and Graham was eager catch up with his old friend. It seemed that the more time that passed, the more the two began to grow apart, with their various duties and obligations pushing between them. Though it hurt Graham to slowly lose contact with such a close friend, he knew it was unavoidable. Both of them had to grow up and start focusing on making a living and providing for their future families.

Graham suppressed a groan of annoyance at that particular train of thought. It was as if he had turn away from his peers and friends for but a moment, looked back and suddenly found that they were all marrying each other and having babies. And here I am, with nothing but hunting and tending to my pavilion and animals. I don't even know any eligible women, they've all already settled down.

When Graham finally returned his attention to the tents around him he found that he was already in the midst of the Amethyst Clan's camping area. Turning to his right he began to weave his way towards the Windstride Pavilion, careful to keep an eye out for Royce coming or going as he went. Graham peered over the heads of those around him, looking for anyone he knew. A flash of red braids caught his eye and he turned in that direction, calling out "Oi, Ife! Seen your brother?".

[Ife]

"He's got such pretty eyes." Ife cooed, dipping her head down to once again peer into the wide-eyed little face that stared up at her. Her chest swelled yet again with maternal adoration. She glanced up to her father, who in turn sat watching the redhead with a bemused expression on his bearded face. "Well, he does." she reiterated indignantly, not at all pleased that her father did not seem to be as entranced with the Falcon fledging as she was.

Braken Windstride snorted and wafted his hand towards his daughter. "You women all go gaga over babies. It's just that all other women choose to do so over a baby of our own species."

"No Drykas baby has even been this cute." Ife huffed, picking up the pair of makeshift giant tweezers her father had fashioned out of two slacks of wood. She pinched a piece of rabbit meat between the other end, and hovered the meaty offering two or three inches above the falcon chick. Food the Falcon stared up at it with wide, black eyes. After a tick or so of consideration, he snapped his head upwards and engulfed the entire piece of meat in a single swallow. "You won't be so happy teasing him when he's fully grown, anyway." She sniffed, full of a mother's pride and promise in her beloved chick's future. He would be the biggest, strongest, fastest falcon there ever was -- she was sure of it.

"Yeah?" Braken replied, pausing from fletching an arrowhead to sign with his hands the phrase doubt it, "if he's going to get so big and impressive, he'll need more food. Ask your mother where the rest of the flint is, will you? These old legs of mine..." The middle-aged Drykas' face broke into a grin: his legs were as old and damaged as his wit was dull.

After rolling her eyes and shooting her father a playfully moody expression, Ife moved out of the pavilion in search of Mea Windstride. But her mother, she realised, had left but ten chimes ago with Royce and his heavily pregnant wife. The three of them were shopping for blankets, skins, and other things that were bought to prepare for a newborn baby.

She began to return to her father with this bad news, but instead Ife stopped in her tracks. A familiar voice, belonging to an equally familiar person, broke through into her attention. Graham Whipmane: one of Royce's oldest and closest childhood friends. His presence had seemed almost as permanent and ever lasting in Ife's childhood as her brother's had. Him and Royce had once been inseparable.

"Fatherly duties." She called out in reply as she ambled over to the male. "There's a big decision to be made over whether to get a deer skin or a sheep skin blanket." Ife inhaled sharply and winced: a sarcastic gesture to emphasise the mundane nature of her brother's married life. She now stood opposite Graham, and the Inarta was not surprised to notice that the height difference that had existed between them when she had a young girl had barely changed. Her shortness was counterbalanced by his height and breadth. But it was not just the male's height that she noticed: were his eyes always so blue?

With a slight cough and jolt, Ife blinked and continued to say, "exciting times in the Windstride family, as I'm sure you can tell. Did he make plans with you? His head's been all over the place recently. When he's not talking about breast milk, he's about burping techniques." The curl of her lip hinted at Ife's own dislike for such maternal issues.

[Graham Whipmane]

"Ah, of course. I'd forgotten all about his wife." Graham admitted with a guilty chuckle. He couldn't quite remember the last time he had seen Ife, it had certainly be a longer time ago than he had seen Royce, but he was sure she hadn't looked then the way she did now. The skinny, gangly little girl was nowhere to be found, and instead he was face-to-face - Well, not quite face-to-face, her height hasn't changed a bit. - with a strikingly beautiful young woman.

Graham had always been quite fond of Ife's fiery nature, though Royce had naturally found her to be an annoyance whenever the two of them had gone on their adventures. The last thing he had wanted was his littlest sibling trying to tag along or steal his friend, which Graham admittedly had found hilarious to watch. But Ife was evidently not so little any more, and though she was still slim and compact, she had grown into an attractive woman, so much so that Graham found himself having to forcefully pull his gaze back up to her face.

"No, no plans." He grunted, snapping back to attention. "Are there really different burping techniques?" He couldn't help but ask, becoming side-tracked for another moment before continuing. "No, I just had some free time on my hands, so I thought I'd come see if he wanted to go hunting. I completely forgot that he and his wife were expecting soon." He grunted, trailing off. He supposed he could go on his own, but he was in the mood for company, and even more so now that he had run into Ife. Does she hunt? I can't remember... We could do something else if she doesn't though, like... walk?

After a moment of hesitation Graham decided to just go for it. "Did you want to come instead? We could go for a walk, or a hunt, or... something." He laughed awkwardly, clearly out of his depth, but pushed on anyway. "It's such a nice day for Fall, it'd be a shame to waste it."

[Ife]

Was Graham married? Did he have children?

Ife could not remember the answers to these questions, but still they flittered around her mind. Royce had married three years ago now, but certainly some of his friends had been matrimonially paired up long before that. She faintly recalled her brother referring to one of his friends as something akin to the eternal bachelor, but Ife was not confident in fully claiming that this was Graham.

Still, she hopelessly found herself searching for some telltale sign of marriage or children somewhere on Graham's person. A cheva mark, a poorly made bracelet that had been a gift from a son or daughter, perhaps? But her frantic search concluded nothing, and instead just left Ife to wonder why she had been so interested in the male's relationship status.

His question made her laugh; an airy giggle that was accompanied by a warm smile. "Oh, I think so, but I try to avoid those conversations. He's a man obsessed at the moment." Her green eyes rolled with mild irritation, but the smile on her lips did not move. Royce was the epitome of first-born sons: serious, dedicated, fiercely protective and loyal. The boyish humour he had once shared with Graham had been severely demoted when he had realised the importance of his role in the family. "They're expecting very soon, I think on the thirtieth? No, not then..." She scratched her head, trying to physically pull her sister-in-law's due date straight from her memory. But nothing came and eventually Ife shrugged and gave up. "You'll know when it happens, either way. Royce will be bouncing around bragging to all his mates, I'm sure."

And then their conversation took a very unexpected turn: Graham invited her to join him in place of her brother. For a tick, she merely stood there, the words swiped out of her mouth in surprise. But then her stomach fluttered with excitement and Ife found herself blushing. She glanced up to his face from under her lashes and gave a nod. "I'd love to. We need more rabbit meat, so hunting would be good."

Her skin prickled, and Ife glanced behind herself to see Braken standing at the entrance to the pavilion, having decided to search for his daughter when she had not returned to him. His face was twisted into a bemused smirk. "There you are, Ife. I thought you'd got lost. Good to see you, Graham." He called out to the pair, raising his hand in greeting.

Ife groaned inwardly to herself and glanced back to Graham. No doubt he would regard her as childish, now that he had seen her father come out in search for her like she was some lost little girl. Trying to sound casual and not at all concerned with his opinion, Ife grumbled, "let me get my bow and then we can leave."

She stomped towards her father, returning his smirk with an unsmiling glare. "Ife Windstride, are you going hunting with a boy?" He murmured to her, eyes glinting with humour.

"He's a man now." She chided immediately, but winced when Braken snorted with laughter at her snippy defence. "Have you finished with the arrows?"

Indeed Braken had. Still smirking, he offered his daughter six arrows and her quiver. She quickly collected her short-bow and hurried back outside to collect Tizi before joining Graham once again. Her skin was still flushed from her father's teases and the hurried preparation of their impromptu hunt by the time she stepped back to his side. Breathlessly, she proffered: "Shall we go?"

[Graham Whipmane]

"Huh, I suppose I haven't been the most attentive of friends lately then, I had no idea it was so soon!" He laughed, scratching his neck with just a hint of guilt. "He'll make an excellent father though, I just hope his wife is prepared to be the strict parent!" His own elder sister had given birth to her third child a few seasons earlier, and while Graham loved his nephews and nieces dearly, he knew very little when it came to caring for babies. "Johanna would be happy to help him out with any advice he might need, I should tell her to drop by sometime."

Graham practically bounced on his toes with glee when Ife accepted his invitation, and was only more pleased to hear that she was happy to hunt with him after all. He smiled widely at Braken as he exited the pavilion, and waved a cheery hand at him in return. "A pleasure, as always!" He crowed. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing your daughter for a few bells."

"I'm not pulling you away from your duties, am I?" He asked Ife as she turned back to face him. He couldn't help a small chuckle as she turned and marched back into the pavilion, but he was careful to look away from her body as she went, especially with her father mere meters away. He scratched at Cato's nose to distract himself while he waited, only turning when he heard Ife return and ask if he was ready to leave.

He mounted up and turned Cato towards the edge of the tent city. He didn't have any particular hunting grounds in mind, so he instead settled on a quiet ride, while keeping an eye out for any rabbits or deer that they may happen upon. He turned to watch Ife and her strider for a moment, unsure of what to say next. He realized that it had been so long since the last time they had spoken, most of what he knew of her probably wasn't even relevant now.

"So, we haven't spoken for a while, how are you?" He finally asked, aiming for a casual air. "Any men vying for your attentions?" He already knew that Ife wasn't married, or else she would be living in her husband's pavilion, but that didn't mean she wasn't already spoken for, in which case Graham was probably stepping out of line. He tried to phrase the question teasingly, not wanting to give away how badly he wanted to know. Luckily enough the bouncing trot of the strider below him distracted him from staring at her intently until she answered. ”The last time I saw Royce he mentioned something about an interest in birds too?” He prompted, curious for more information.

[Ife]

"Men?" The world butted out of her mouth as if Ife had not understood his question, as if the very prospect of men had never even crossed her mind before. But of course, it had. What was causing her delayed reaction was not her lack of linguistic capability, but rather the deadening disappointment that fell like a lead to the bottom of Ife's gut. Graham's question had been casual and teasing, like he didn't really care at all about her answer.

And why exactly do I even care about that?

"No, there are no men vying for my attention." She said eventually, trying her best to conceal her bitter disappointment. It was her duty as a member of the Drykas culture to marry and to have children. But more crucially, in the past year Ife had started notice the closeness that existed between man and wife. She envied that bond: a friend who was also a lover. She witnessed the affection between her parents, her siblings and their partners and, more recently, in her friends and their husbands and wives. Ife had dutifully celebrated their weddings and babies, always hopeful that her turn, her man, would arrive soon. There'd been many flirtations in her life, but nothing more meaningful.

When she spoke next, the redhead did so in a small, soft voice. "To be honest, I think most of the men I've known for a long time still see me as that damaged Baby Bird, something too delicate for love or passion." She glanced to Graham, seeking out his reaction to this brazenly honest statement. Baby Bird had been the nickname given to Ife by her siblings when she was very young. Unfortunately for her, the name stuck and had leaked outside the family pavilion. Most people she knew or met as a child had referred to her as Baby Bird at least once in her lifetime.

Ife also presumed that Royce had told Graham of her history and origins: How Braken had left to hunt one morning sixteen years ago, and had returned with a mute little Inartan girl. She had barely said a word for that first year, after which she finally opened herself up to her new lifestyle and embraced it whole-heartedly. The story was no great secret, and for quite some time the Windstride family had proudly allowed Ife's story to filter through Endrykas: it was a story of survival and love, after all.

In an attempt to lighten the mood and turn her self-pity into a jest, Ife shrugged and added: "Or maybe it's just that nobody likes redheaded women." She chuckled wryly before sliding another glance towards Graham. "And you? Is there a woman in your life?" Despite her earlier disappointment, she found herself growing hopeful that her brother's friend would admit that his romantic life was as inactive as her own. Ife told herself, unconvincingly, that this hope was for them to share solidarity in their singleness rather than any other reason.

She fell silent, looking between Tizi's ears as they rode along, Endrykas to the left and disappearing behind them. The sun, she noticed, hung high in the sky above, slightly to their right. When they made their return, they would have to keep the sun on their left in order to reach the city safely.

It both surprised and touched Ife that her eldest brother mentioned her passion for birds to his friend. What with his marriage and the upcoming birth, it was all too easy for the redhead to feel somewhat forgotten about Royce. Smiling, she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I'm training as a falconer. I suppose it's in my blood, really. I enjoy it, I really do." She considered to share him the details fo Food, her beloved falcon fledging. But no: if there was one lasting impression Ife wanted to leave today, it was not Crazy Bird Lady.

"How do you spend your time?" She asked, suddenly quite aware of how little she knew of her brother's friend, and how much she wanted to actually learn. "And what do you do for fun?"

[Graham Whipmane]

Graham's relief was quickly overcome with confusion over the sudden change in Ife's mood. Wait, did I say something rude? He wondered to himself, quickly thinking back over everything he had said in an attempt to pick out anything that Ife could have taken as an insult. He surveyed the plains before them as they rode, listening carefully as she spoke, hoping for further insight to what she was thinking. To Graham's surprise that was exactly what came next, and he paid careful attention to the quiet murmur of the woman beside him.

For a moment Graham was unsure of how to respond. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her or brush her off as he had evidently done once already, but he wasn't the best when it came to articulating his honest thoughts or feelings. When he did respond, he spoke slowly, careful to ensure that everything came out the exact way he meant it. "Maybe they just want to protect you. Maybe if they start to think of you any other way than as a little Baby Bird, they'll have to accept that you'll be leaving them behind soon enough to start your own life in full." He finished, turning to meet Ife's gaze.

"In any case, no one who knows you would dare think of you as delicate or damaged, and any who do obviously aren't worth the ink on their backs." He added, his voice becoming sure and confident once more. "You're one of the strongest people I know Ife, and you have been ever since the very first moment you entered this city." Graham said, smiling fondly

Her next words caused Graham to let loose a scoff of disbelief. "Ha! Sorry, but did you not notice the eye's you were drawing before?" he asked, hooking a thumb over to his left, in the direction of the tents in the distance. "Anyway, I doubt anyone would be dim enough to find you unappealing in any manner. Perhaps they find such a fiery beauty intimidating." He admitted, shooting her a playful wink.

Grahams mood soured slightly at her question. It was completely acceptable for a young woman such as Ife to be without a partner yet, but Graham was nearing his thirtieth year. If he went much longer without settling down he would be considered an ill omen and curse on his pavilion. "No, no one yet." He said, shrugging stiffly and eager to change the subject.

He hummed thoughtfully as he listened to Ife speak of her training. "That's good I think, to have something to connect you to your heritage like that. Have you ever considered visiting Windreach?" He asked. It had always something that he had been both curious and worried about. While he thought it might be beneficial for her to learn more about where her birth parents had come from, it also worried him to think that she might not return if she was to go.

"I hunt mostly, and care for Cato and my hunting dog, Fader." He said, petting Cato's neck as he mentioned her. "And I've been learning Webbing from my father for the past few seasons. I aim to join The Watch by the new year." He finished with a proud grin.

[Ife]

She had expected his response to be a dismissive explanation, to defend the protectiveness of others. But Ife was surprised when Graham gave her a careful, detailed explanation. And even more importantly in her eyes, he defended her maturity. Those sharp green eyes never left his face, and the redhead even slowed Tizi in order to fully concentrate on the male Drykas as he spoke. A soft, genuine smile formed on her lips and, upon his heartfelt conclusion, she signed the words thank you, friend.

She would have voiced her appreciation, but her throat suddenly felt tacky and pinched. Swallowing, she slid her gaze away and down to the passing earth.

There was that flutter again, right in the bottom of her gut.

"The eyes?" She repeated dumbly, quite confused as to where the male's next comment would lead. Was he implying that she had caught the attention of people back in the Tent City? Well, perhaps so, but she was the Drykas equivalent to a cuckoo raised in a sparrow's nest: by bloodline, Ife technically did not belong amongst the Horse Lords. Of course people were going to look at her, to drink in her foreignness and pass their judgement.

But then Graham spoke again, and once more Ife found herself simply unable to respond in any verbal or well-to-do manner. If those words had come from anyone else, she would have cringed and felt the need to politely decline the compliment. But this was her brother's oldest friend, the boy she had watched grow into a handsome young man. She had always been intimidated by his maturity and the age gap between them, quite convinced that, for all her girlish crushes and dreams, Graham Whipmane would never see her as anything more than Royce's annoying Baby Bird of a sister.

Then again, perhaps he was just being polite, for the sake of not upsetting her? Perhaps gifting Ife with such kind, flirtatious words were simply his way of also protecting the Baby Bird's delicate nature? Doubt trickled into Ife's mind, and as much as she wanted to shake it off, she found herself wondering why exactly he had said those words.

This is exactly why you're not yet married, she scolded herself, you think too much!

With all the confidence she could muster, Ife twisted atop Tizi to once again look into Graham's face. A tiny inhalation to prepare, and then she brazenly declared: "You'll find someone, Graham. Perhaps you already have." With that, she twisted back away to face forwards once more. Heart in her throat, Ife allowed herself a tiny, proud smile: eleven-year-old me would be so proud!

"Wind Reach is far away," she answered in response to his question. Of course she had considered visiting the mountain home of her biological family, but the journey would be dangerous, and very, very, long. "Maybe if I had someone to visit with. Otherwise, it would be a very lonely place very far away from home." How boring and tame she must sound, especially to the man who had left Drykas to temporarily live in the city of Blue men.

Speaking of which....

"Do you think you'll leave Endrykas again?" Her query was timid, scared of the possibility that he might say yes and delve into a complicated story about his plans to leave and never return. The thought was difficult one for her, and Ife shifted in her seat as she prepared for his response.

The grasses began to eventually thin away, giving way to a large body of water that glimmered with the midday sun. A river gushed away from it, which Ife knew would eventually lead to the coastline south of the lake. Stiff from their ride, she slid off Tizi and stretched out her arms and back. After pacing to and fro several times to loosen her leg muscles, the Inarta shrugged on her short bow and quiver. "You said you wanted to the Watch, yes?" Her lips curved into a devilishly mischievous smile: Ife had clearly been scheming. "Very noble of you, but I hear there's one requirement to joining that few people know about: being able to shoot better than an Inarta." Her left eyebrow quirked upwards in accompaniment with this playful invitation, "Fancy taking on the challenge?"

[Graham Whipmane]

Graham couldn't help a chuckle at Ife's obliviosness to the attention she drew, male attention in particular. "Trust me, Ife, for a moment I thought I'd have to duel someone for your attentions."

Graham was pleasantly suprised by Ife's words, and he took them as an encouragment, an excuse to be a bit more forward in future. "I think you're right..." He murmured, eye's slipping over Ife's profile thoughtfully. For a moment he allowed himself to imagine Ife in his pavilion, a few years in the future perhaps, wrangling their children, or running the pavilion beside him. She's so young and beautiful, there's no reason for her to settle for the dregs at the bottom of the barrel, despite what I may want. He scolded himself, turning his gaze sharply back to the grasses ahead of them.

Graham hummed in agreement. "If you ever do go, I'd be more than happy to tag along with you." He said simply. Honestly, I'd probably follow her anywhere she asked me to. He thought to himself. "One day soon, hopefully. I've had my eye on Kenash for a while, and Riverfall was stunning." He said, a small smile slipping onto his face as he pictured the beautiful waterfalls and cliffs of the big, blue city. "I suppose I should travel while I can, soon enough I'll be locked down with the pavilion." He sighed, shrugging. He wasn't particularly excited about becoming Ankal after his father, though he had assured Graham many times that the position would feel far less restrictive once he had his own family to gather around himself and protect.

"I could never refuse, though I dare say I have a better vantage point!" He teased playfully, dismounting. "Good luck spotting any game from down there." He chuckled, knocking her shoulder with his own as he drew an arrow, fitting it to his bow in preparation to draw. The lake was bursting with life, plenty of small game for the taking, so long as they very quiet and quick.

Spotting a game trail worn through the grass to his right, Graham crept forward, stopping only when a rabbit warren came into view. An abundance of tracks lead to and from the opening, a fair few of them nice and fresh. Smiling he straightened, surveying the lakes bank before them for any further signs of the rabbit's activity, keeping half an eye on Ife as he went.

[Ife]

Though he did not out rightly reject the idea of travelling again, Ife was filled with hope when Graham offered his companionship should she ever choose to visit Wind Reach. Instantly Ife's imagination, despite being commanded by her common sense to do otherwise, was filled with images of them both in the mountains, surrounded by other Inartas and their giant eagles. And yet something the male said afterwards pulled Ife's enthusiasm back in line: soon enough I'll be looked down with the pavilion.

Was this how he saw marriage and family? Purely as a cultural duty, and not a source of happiness and pride? Despite her best intentions, the young woman soon began doubting and questioning herself once again.

What if he spends the rest of his life wishing to be anywhere else other than Endrykas? Somewhere ike Riverfall?

Or Kenash?

Or even further away?

What if he prefers the company of the women in those places rather than a fellow Drykas, or even an Inarta?

She shook her head minutely, trying to jolt her worries out of her mind before they drove her crazy. There was no point in concerning herself about situations that would most likely never even happen. Most likely Graham was enjoying a simple flirtation with a younger woman. She very much doubted that he was secretly delving into every word that fell out of her lips like she was doing.

"Oh, you'll be needing that vantage point." She retorted playfully, throwing the older Drykas yet another smirk, "you won't be so cocky after you've lost." Her hand reached outwards, prodding Graham lightly in the chest before Ife twirled away, a flurry of red hair and pale limbs. She stalked off into the grasses, walking in the same roundabout direction as he did. Ife's hunting technique and ability in short-bow realistically left a lot to be desired, but she certainly did not want to let the male think he could win so easily.

Pushing through the grass, Ife continued to walk slowly and carefully. Despite her attempts, she was clumsy and loud: unbeknownst to her, she had warned the entire rabbit warren of their approach. The older rabbits had already fled inside the burrow, but the year's kittens were not yet so wise or alert. Three continued to drink at the edges of the lake, whilst two others nibbled forlornly at the grass.

Ife notched an arrow in her bow. She straightened her spine and pulled back her arrow until her thumb brushed gently against her cheekbone. The arrowhead was aligned with the fattest of the rabbits by the lake before Ife let it fly. The arrow juddered into the silt, missing the plump rabbit by two or so feet. All three kits exploded away from the lake, disappearing into the grasses.

Her cheeks flushed with irritation and Ife glanced to Graham, praying to all the Gods she could think of that he had not seen her poor performance. "The light bouncing off the lake blinded me..." She explained lamely, dejected at her lack of impressive ability.