If You Can Meet With Triumph And Disaster... [Vanator]

[Raiha]

Closed. Vanator only, please.

Time Stamp: 14th Day of Summer, 510 AV

When Kavala had gone through the open door of the mews in search of the Akontak falconer, she found her sitting between Laeraix and Asim on the floor while Uzima looked onwards from a perch, though she looked at Kavala on entry. Her long legs were crossed underneath her, and her thumbs were touching each other, the rest of her fingertips just touching their match on the opposite hand, forming a circle. Her eyes were half-closed, her back straight but not tense. Her face was blank, looking, for once, like she was at peace. She had worked this out with Kanikra - a bit of quiet time to meditate in order to attain a better focus... to become more in sync with their selves and enable them to accomplish more. Not just in battle... but in terms of magic. It was something Akontak were good at... very good at. And, as the pair of them knew, they were not reaching their potential. They had a long way to go to get there, and this, perhaps, was one tiny step towards it.

Meditating. Finding inner peace. Relaxing. Spring cleaning in the mind, too, she supposed. When one's thoughts were scrambled, everywhere, your reactions took longer because you were in essence digging through your head to try to find something. This, she had a feeling, was why Kanikra was so quick on the draw. She was organized. Raiha was not. Raiha had pushed everything out of her mind, and just relaxed with the Kelvics, trying to organize the filing cabinet that was her mind. This would take doing - lots of practice, lots of sessions... but it might help. It had to help. She had been at it for a bell when Kavala came looking for her, and decided that that was a good enough start.

Raiha had been planning a trip into town anyway, so it was no hassle to go do so. She took note of Kavala's words, and assured her friend that she would get to it, already getting up and pulling on her boots. With Uzima flying overhead, Raiha went to go and retrieve the two Striders. That was tricky in itself - these horses weren't any of the herd Raiha was used to, and possibly to make matters worse, they were quite intelligent. And, like their riders, they were very, very agitated. But she got her hands on them, and managed to get a hold of the reins, talking quietly all the while. She was just taking them to their riders. No point in being miserable and nippy and spiteful - she wasn't having none of it, and neither was Kanikra. Knowing her other half the way she did, while one of the Drykas-raised Konti might not have raised a blade to these Striders, Kanikra had no such qualms with it, and, quite frankly, wouldn't worry overmuch about the consequences. The Akalak certainly wouldn't care, and what would the Grasslanders do? Storm the city or Sanctuary? Unlikely. But Raiha, herself, meant the creatures no harm.

The tall Akontak, while dwarfed by many of the men of her father's people, still cut a decent height to outsiders, and she looked overhead at Uzima as the goshawk flew the skies. A scrip of moistened meat was in between the fingers of one gauntlet-covered hand, and she led the stallion and the mare with the other. The hawk cried out in warning, and began her descent as Raiha held up an arm for for Uzima to land on. With a bank of the wings and a grip of the talons, Uzima was on Raiha's arm, and helped herself to the meat peeking out for her. "Good," she told her, smiling as the bird nipped her leather-covered fingers affectionately before fluffing herself out, ruffling her feathers, and smoothing them again. But Raiha knew who she was looking for now, and, more importantly, where he was. Uzima was a good scout. Not as good as Laeraix, considering the advantages of a Kelvic bond, but still... Raiha had been working with her goshawk since she was a hatchling, and they understood each other.

Her long legs ate up the ground of the road quickly as she walked. As she hit the beach, she could see a figure in the distance. "That's him, isn't it?" she spoke to her hawk. Human, Uzima told her. She raised her voice enough so that he would be able to hear her, never stopping in her walk as her voice rang out, the only slightly accented Common words ringing across the empty expanse of beach. "Vanator of the Denusk Pavilion, Sapphire Clan?" She imagined she was a funny sight - a blue-skinned woman clad in a simple white cotton top that exposed her arms, most of her shoulders, and some of her midriff. Her long legs were covered by a flowing, almost raggedy-looking patchwork tiered skirt, crimson, with a splash of gold-coloured ribbons, as if to match her eyes. Contrasting with the whimsical attire were the leather gauntlets that covered her exposed arms to her elbows, and the broad belt that encircled curved hips, and a grey and white bird was perched on her arm, looking straight at him. Her white hair was wound up, and what looked like a threatening wooden stick was pierced through it, holding it in place. A few stray wisps that had slipped free, twisting with the wind to soften the harshness the hairstyle gave her youthful features. She was leading the horses they had left behind at Sanctuary, giving no doubt from where she had come or how she had known his name.

[Vanator]

Vanator had seen the ocean only once before. He and Tamar had talked about the great water sea many times, vowing one day to travel together to the shore to see the wondrous sight. They could not imagine a body of water that stretched as far as their Sea of Grass. His wife had been killed before they had a change to make the trip. But, less than a year after her death, Vanator made the venture alone, swearing to himself to make the journey for both he and Tamar. The Drykas had marveled at the ocean, even as he did now. Even more so, for he had never seen towering cliffs and mighty falls like he now beheld as he stood on the beach below Riverfall. Vanator stood on the packed sand, arms crossed, leaning on one leg as he faced the mighty Suvan Sea. A brisk breeze stirred his blond mane, cooling the sweaty skin beneath the lifted hair, and causing the thin bronze and silver banded braids on either side of his face to sway. He had hoped the roar of the crashing waves would drown out the words he could not silence in his head. Harsh words that had passed between him and his sisters, and with Kashik as well. Vanator felt wholly unsettled. The reunion at Sanctuary had been a disaster. Kavala had always had a power over him. Not by any authority, but by the nature of his confidence in her. She did not have a traditional Drykas perspective, and he had often found her loving advice more sensible. Van had given Kashik power too, his love for her young but deep, and by virtue of her position as his first wife. Both women had used that power, the power he had given them, against him today. Kavala was right in that it revealed a character flaw in the man. Akela's words rang true too. He tried too hard to please those around him, particularly the women in his life. It threatened his ability to be an effective leader and compromised his relationships with them all. The horseman suddenly wished he had found the time to devote more attention to the gods. He felt alone and weary. That was when, above the crashing waves, he heard his named called. Vanator turned to see a startling woman, Kashik's and his own Striders trailing after her. She was very tall and blue like an Akalak, but the Drykas knew there was no such thing as a female among their kind. Her hair was stark pale as well, in contrast to the Akalak's dark locks. He nodded enough for the stranger to see his acknowledgment, walking in her direction to close the distance between them. He could not help but stare as he studied Raiha. She appeared no more than a teenager, even at her impressive stature, which towered over Van's. Bright gold eyes seemed to glow in contrast to her deep azure skin, which stretched tautly over her lean muscled form. A strong wind tugged at the white wavy hair that framed her youthful face. The landscape, breath-taking in its own right to the unfamiliar Drykas, only made the mysterious woman appear more otherworldly. As Raiha approached, Van mused that the stranger was another of the curious denizens of Sanctuary. Vanator lifted his voice over the sea's, his Common lilting with a Pavi accent. "I am Vanator. You must be someone of considerably good temperament to have Cyphrus Striders follow you so willingly."

[Raiha]

"The first thing I learned about horses is that every single one of them can be bribed," Up close, her voice was quiet - he could hear her without straining over the sea, but she didn't seem inclined to shout, but she was aware he could hear her. The bird on her arm tilted her head and stared at the Drykas intently, her silver and grey feathers flat and tight over her streamlined form. A smile quirked at one corner of the strange-looking female's lips. "But what works for each horse is another thing altogether. It turns out your Striders like molasses treats... and they were like as not wondering why you left them," she held the reins out to the Drykas. That was why she had come, after all - to deliver him his and his wife's horses and a message from his sister. Also laden on the horses were any and all bags that they had brought with them to Sanctuary - each was present and accounted for on the horses' backs.

Up close, she studied him as surely as he was taking her in. She was not at all perturbed by the curiosity - she was used to it. Those that didn't know always wondered just what she was, and her explanations were on hand. Humans were interesting, and there were ever so many of them. The first person that Kanikra had tried to kill was a human. "Kavala asked me to bring you your horses, since the pair of you forgot to take them with you... so that you wouldn't have to return unless you wanted to." Regardless of whether or not that was what had happened, Raiha was simply going to be tactful about it. She had no idea what had transpired between the siblings, nor any experience with them herself. She was an only child, after all, in that sense of the familial relationships. She somehow didn't think sharing a body with her twin soul quite counted in this fashion. Where Kavala and Akela and Vanator would move in and out of each other's lives in varying degrees of closeness or lack thereof, Kanikra would always be there. It was a sobering thought.

I'll be with you until the day we die, Kanikra chuckled. Does that bother you?

No. I'm used to that by now. That was the truth. She had accepted it a long time ago. Kanikra was never going to go away, and neither of them would ever be apart for long. Still, it was kind of incredulous. Her lifespan was surely almost three times of a human's - by then, a half-dozen generations, maybe more, would have been born, grown, and died. The same, too, held for Kavala and her brother. Her gold eyes looked towards the water that was home, water where she was go one night, maybe tomorrow, and just go for a long swim... But that was for another time.

Her eyes returned to Vanator as the wind pulled at her hair and at her skirts, tossing the ruffling the cloth. The crimson of her skirt clashed with her skin as surely as it did the white of her shirt and her hair. There was a distance in her eyes that was somewhat mitigated by the small smile on her face. There was nothing beyond politeness to it - none of the hostility, rage, or hidden intent that he had been beset with on all sides. It might have been a welcome change from the turmoil that had stormed against him as surely as the waves pounded the shores of the water Still, the tall Akontak inclined her head politely to him. He had said his name - it would only be fair that she said hers. "My name is Raiha." The bird on her arm let out a hissing sound, ruffling her feathers and smoothing them again. Raiha brought a hand up to the goshawk, removing a gauntlet with the hand of the arm that the bird was perched upon before tucking it under her arm to stroke the bird's head. "I have a message for you." Her gaze became solemn, and when she spoke again, her voice was lower still. "You are too concerned with what was and with what will be. Remember: yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

[Vanator]

Vanator's melancholy mood only allowed him to offer a small smile to the blue woman. It was an honest, friendly but weary smile. He laughed lightly at her comment about the horses, and with a nod from her rider, Backlash trotted over to him, Hiloha following after. The buckskin mare butted her head against Vanator's shoulder, and his smile grew as he reached up to rub her face and nuzzle her. He muttered to her in Pavi. <"I would never leave you dear."> Van turned back to Raiha. The tall strange woman, of all things, exuded something that eased his spirit. Her smile was warm and unassuming, honest. The curiosity she stirred in him helped to distract him, much like the sea and the high cliffs had begun to do. "Thank you, I would have come for them, I just needed..." He paused, his smile dimming and turning a bit sheepish. "I had to check on my wife." Of course the woman would know there was more to it than that, if only by the fact that he was alone, and that Kavala had sent her to find him. Maybe she knew everything that had happened. After her introduction, Van, not sure of the appropriate greeting for whatever she was, simply nodded. "I am very pleased to meet you, Raiha." The Drykas' head swiveled to the raptor on Raiha's arm as it hissed. It was a beautiful bird, and apparently quite content in the company of the blue woman. Van's attention was drawn back to Raiha as she delivered her cryptic message. Though the voice and accent were of a stranger, the words were unmistakable as Kavala's. His Kavala, the one he knew and loved. It was the kind of advice his younger sister would impart to him. She had the wisdom of her mother. The horseman nodded in acknowledgment of the message, feeling some small relief that his sister sent the message. Maybe all was not lost between them. "Thanks again, Raiha." He paused. "Do you have a moment." Vanator did not want to seem too forward, but he did not want the Anatonk to leave yet. She was kind, and he could use a good conversation. Just as the words Raiha had repeated, whats done is done, he cannot know what tomorrow will bring, but he could embrace the moment. At the moment he was in the company of a very intriguing person. "Do you live at Sanctuary also?" He inquired.

[Raiha]

Raiha noticed the flickering of surprise in Vanator’s features that came when she offered what advice she could, and wasn’t sure if what followed after that had been relief. While her mother was Konti, Raiha was not, and wondered if the Drykas thought that the message had been from one or both of his sisters. She didn’t know what had conspired across the facility that afternoon from the mews, or beyond Sanctuary’s walls. She could guess – mayhap both of the Drykas went off to do different things... But that didn’t explain why the man seemed so… lost. Either way, she could do some harm now, or more later. Because she didn’t know what had gone on, the emotions might have been good or bad. Don’t tell him, Kanikra suggested. You never did explain where the message came from… just that it was a message. Let him find out on his own that it wasn’t from her. Just make sure we’re around to watch the shenanigans if he comes back and Akela chases the pair of them off with her katana.

No, Raiha was firm on that. That’s not right. Just because we don’t know what went on, we cannot go about giving him false hopes to see ‘what comes of it’, despite what you may want to do. That’s not right.

So what? It couldn’t hurt to play around with them, her other half argued. You’ll like as not never see them again, anyway, unless he comes back to a blistering reception. Besides, it adds a bit of spice to their lives. They don’t have the time to be dull and staid and still. You’d be doing them a favour.

Their lives are not ours to meddle with. They never were. Neither of us are gods to do so, Kanikra. Despite her sister’s grumbling, and with the decision made, she spoke up. “I should explain to you,” Raiha told him quietly, her face solemn, and honesty in her voice, “that that message I just gave you was not from Kavala or Akela. I’ll not give you false hopes that it was and mislead you. That was my advice – because despite the sea of life that teems around you, you have the look of one that is alone,” she smiled faintly at that, as if it was a feeling that she, too, was used to. “Your lives are short – you cannot waste the time regretting, fearing; worrying about what has happened and what will come to be. Beyond a wholesome discipline… be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or the Striders or the stars. You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you… no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”

The wind tore at her hair and clothing as a gust came off of the sea as a large wave crashed into the shore. She turned her head to face the wind, her hand caressing the goshawk’s feathers, dropping when the bird arched her wings, raising them and unfolding them slightly in readiness, only to ruffle and settle them once more. The tall Akontak’s golden gaze was drawn back to him. “But to answer your question, yes, I do. I live at Sanctuary and I work there. I’m a falconer… and I help with the other animals.” Well, that explained the bird, at any rate.

[Vanator]

Vanator could not disguise his disappointment at learning the encouraging message was not from Kavala after all. Believing it had come from his sister, he had thought perhaps he had not alienated her as much as he had thought. His heart sank as Raiha confessed the sentiment was hers, not his sister's. But as he looked up at Raiha, he absorbed her softly spoken words. The tall, azure-skinned woman spoke with simple, honest perception and wisdom. She sensed the loneliness he felt, somehow perceived his angst over things that had transpired. The Akontak was on the mark. Vanator's heart was rife with regret, regret over decisions he had made, over how he handled situations, even over things he could not control. It had boiled up during his conversation with Kavala and peaked when he exploded at Kashik, driving him to find solitude there at the shore. Oddly enough, Vanator found nothing strange or disconcerting about Raiha's rather personal observations and consoling advice. To the contrary, the Drykas was comforted by the stranger's perspective and demeanor. He pondered her esoteric words, trying to grasp the truth Raiha was attempting to impart. She spoke of a larger world of which he was an integral part. Vanator had lost sight of the fact that he was part of a greater whole, a concept familiar to the Drykas, who feel bonded to their land and the animals that sustain them. But Raiha's words reached even beyond the connection of man and beast and land. She hinted that, though situations may seem dark, there was a larger plan playing out, one beyond his ability to know or understand. Vanator rarely contemplated the universe or the gods anymore. He had become egocentric. Not egotistic, just overly attentive to the things that affected him, or how he affected others. He dwelt on the wrongs he felt he had committed against others, or what or who could cover the guilt and pain of Tamar's loss. Raiha's poignant view revealed that he must have greater purpose than soothing his own soul. Vanator did not really know what that purpose might be, other than one day serving as Ankal. His gaze fell back to the stirring goshawk before settling on the startling golden eyes of the Akontak. "Thank you, Raiha. You are very...insightful. I believe I have lost sight of myself." Van spoke honestly. He paused to check on the Striders, rummaging contentedly through the tough grass that protruded from the sand in large tufts. The Drykas then turned his attention back to Raiha, who seemed patient and relaxed, in spite of the large raptor gripping her forearm. "I don't believe anyone has really explained things to me like that before. How did you come by such wisdom? Can I assume your mother was a Konti?" Van guessed she had Konti and Akalak parents, though he had never seen a true mix of both races in one person. She appeared even more strange than the Akalak, but was beautiful in an alien way.

[Raiha]

She was quiet as he digested her words, her fingers working themselves in along the feathers of the goshawk on her wrist. She offered no further explanations, knowing to do so was not her place – although she had overstepped that already, if she was honest with herself – this was something Vanator needed to think on by himself, to take from it what he would. Her gaze went beyond him, as if she was seeing through him, seeing something far away in the distance, and the Akontak contemplated her own words. They held water for her, and for the sister who lurked out of sight of everyone else. You have a right to be here… no less than the trees and the stars…

I do, Kanikra agreed. Do you feel like giving up your right so I can exercise mine? But before Raiha could reply to her darker half, she continued. Permanently. I can keep this going longer than you can, you know. The world doesn’t need any bleeding hearts like you. You’ve only got this far because I’ve let you. Do you really think you keep me here?

I don’t want you to hurt people, Raiha insisted. That’s all you do, and you don’t even get anything out of it…

So? Look around you at the big, muscular men who have been learning to fight since they learned to walk. I’m not stupid, Raiha, whatever you may think of me. There was something in her twin that told Raiha something had changed; the tone, the edge, something… the young Akontak couldn’t quite put her finger on it. But when the Drykas began speaking again, her attention was drawn back to him like a month to a flame.

“We all do from time to time,” she agreed. “We get so caught up in the dramas and minute details of daily life that we fail to see the forest for the trees… or, well, the field for the grass. We all do it. It’s a difficult precipice to walk, finding the balance between worrying about the future and forgetting to enjoy each moment we have… and being so caught up in ourselves that we lose sight of the world in action around us.” The goshawk adjusted and flexed her taloned feet, turning around on Raiha’s arm so that she was facing Vanator. The bird flared her wings, suddenly, and took off into the sky, winging overhead before heading straight for the sea. The girl’s eyes followed the hunter’s ascent, watching it dip and sway in the wind before raising a hand to her mouth, letting out a call in Kontinese, urging the bird to hunt. It was a wild sound, but with the musical undertone of the Konti language.

With the bird no longer on her arm, Raiha let her limbs fall back down to her sides. She didn’t move to smooth the long, ruffled tiered skirt, she didn’t blush or fidget or flirt. There was youth in her features, but the white women of Mura hardly aged, either, which might have given him some clue as to her parentage. Between the white hair and the blue skin, and her living in the city… well, it seemed almost obvious, even if went against all common sense to see a true hybrid of Konti and Akalak. She inclined her head in affirmation and perhaps modesty. “You are right in that my mother is Konti, and my father is an Akalak,” she offered the last bit in explanation. “As for how I know…” she paused, then, her eyes searching for the goshawk, which was in the process of a dive towards some reeds. “I grew up in Mura with my mother. I spent a lot of time on the outside looking in.” Her face was solemn, her eyes serious. “The Konti are a very…” she searched through her knowledge of the Common language, unable to express the word she wanted, struggling for a moment before deciding on the closest alternative that she understood, “Perceptive… people. I learned to listen and to learn, to watch and to hold my tongue and let others speak instead. Even those others thought might be dull and ignorant… they too have their stories. Not just to what they say… but to what they don’t say.”

There was a slightly muffled cry from overhead as the goshawk, catching Raiha’s attention again, and she lifted not one hand, but both, catching the goshawk and a bundle of fur with it as it landed. Raiha grasped the freshly-killed rabbit by the ears, and worked the goshawk’s talons free of her quarry, encouraging the bird to step onto her wrist again. The goshawk’s beak and feet were bloody, and she smiled at the bird, tucking her in close as if to protect her from the wind. Uzima ruffled her feathers, and reached to rub her bloody beak on the Akontak’s glove before beginning to preen. “But being on the outside is not always a way of life. It is inevitable that paths cross, interwoven with fate and destiny and change. But I think it is important to remember not to let either foes or well-intentioned friends hurt you... Let all men count with you, but none too much.”

[Vanator]

Raiha seemed to exude serenity, subduing Vanator's distress. She was unhurried, simple yet profound. His gaze drifted from the exotic Akontak to the raptor on her arm, unaware of the woman's internal dialogue, or the fact that an Akontak would have a dark side. He shifted in the sand, his hands crossing as his eyes turned to glance out over the surf. It too, with its ceaseless, rhythmic roar, served to sooth one's nerves. Raiha began to speak again, the curious accent drawing his gaze him back to her. What Raiha said was perceptive, the Drykas able to see his own misconceptions in her wisdom. His past ruled his present. Vanator had been seeking immediate solace, whether from vengeance against the Zith, or isolation in the grasslands, or comfort in the arms of a lover. His behavior had been impetuous and short-sighted. It was time to look to the future. If he was honest with himself, he probably took Kashik to wife sooner than was prudent, but he did not regret doing so, it was a move forward, and he did truly love her. He tried to please himself and everyone else at the same time. Impossible. All it brought was discontent, for everyone. Kavala had questioned his leadership ability and his manhood. Maybe she was right to. Kashik questioned him, and that angered him, but it made him think too. The Drykas man had reached a breaking point it seemed, he was tired of questioning himself and all that he did. Watching the goshawk lift into the sky, envying its freedom, Van continued to listen to the Akontak's pleasant voice. Yes, it made sense, her parentage. There were many things he has seen in Riverfall that he had never seem before. Raiha may have been the most curious. Her life could not have been more different from his, even from the little she shared with him. The bird soon returned with its kill, Raiha receiving it as nonchalant as if she were washing a dish. How free was that raptor, really? Though it had the ability to fly off and never return, it willingly placed itself at Raiha's disposal, handing over its hard earned work. Freedom could come in measures it seemed. "Let all men count with you, but none too much.' His father would say something like that. He rolled the Akontak's advice around, trying to grasp all of its meaning. Van had crossed paths with many people, and he seemed to carry a scar or regret with each, and he knew he had wounded others. Many were still fresh, still affecting his perception of the world and himself. His eyes seemed to focus on something distant beyond Raiha. "I have let some people get close to me. I have caused them pain, and that brought me sorrow. I regret some of my decisions, but I have never regretted getting close to them. I think I am a richer person, that each of them have left something worthwhile with me." Van's head lifted slightly, Gold-speckled brown eyes shifted up to the tall Akontak's own golden gaze. "Do you consider yourself my sister's friend?"

[Raiha]

Raiha listened to what Vanator had to say, trying to listen not only to what what he said, but to what he didn’t say. What he said held a lot of truth to it as well. He was a richer person for having met these people, for allowing them to become close, not keeping them at arm’s length as she was prone to do. And why did she do it? Fear, she supposed: fear of what could happen when they got close, or if Kanikra decided they were too close. And for those who didn’t know of the dual nature of the Akalak… and her own, it presented another danger. Did Vanator know that about the Akalak, she wondered, only to decide that it made no difference, not yet, any road. Kanikra was always there, pressing, pressuring, keeping Raiha hovering on the edge. But Kanikra knew her thoughts, knew the questions she sought to ask this Grasslander, to find out more information for both of them. And Raiha’s gentler, more relaxed aura and bearing might be of more benefit to the pair of them than Kanikra’s double-edged, latent malevolence. This was one who lived his life in daily dangers in the Sea of Grass, and Raiha doubted that one apparently unarmed blue female would frighten him into submission.

While she wondered about how things would have changed had she not kept everyone at a distance in Mura, isolating herself and observing and watching while they sought to do the same to her, Raiha wasn’t entirely certain she minded the way things had gone. She knew her sister, and knew her well, even if she didn’t always understand the way she thought and what leaps of logic her sister took. Kanikra despised… hated, even, the perceived weakness that she felt came from the peaceful Konti. She lashed out when Raiha got too close, wanting to try to preserve her already “weaker” sister from what she saw as the taint that permeated them and would prevent her from being prepared for life off of Konti Isle. Being on her own so much, she had learned a great deal, too. She had learned how to function without others around her. Some people were clingy. They needed others to entertain themselves or be happy, where Raiha had learned how to be happy on her own. She didn’t miss others because they weren’t there. If they were… that was both good and bad, depending on who it was. Surely it had crippled her in terms of interaction with others, but she was learning that from watching Kavala, from talking with her, from helping her. The Konti, Raiha felt, was wiser than she knew. And while Raiha may not have realized it… she, herself, was too.

Could the others have enriched her lives had she let them? Would she have had something to contribute to them and theirs, beyond being the strange, blue daughter of a jeweler? She didn’t think so. She didn’t find herself to be anything truly strange or interesting – she was just her. She wasn’t sure that they would have understood the way she looked at things or even truly listened to what she was saying without trying to read so much into it. The Akalak treated her differently, and at the same time… not just as her. Maybe that was her own fault in trying to cover her own differences, rather than embracing and growing into it, truly deserving of the elevated position she was supposed to grow into. But this human understood parts of it, because he was neither Konti nor Akalak… but was in the unique position of greatness was being expected of him before he may have been well and truly ready for it. “No,” she inclined her head. “You are, you are right. But understand that as a leader of your people… you will be called upon to make decisions that will impact everyone around you... Every one of them will want to influence you, in some way. ‘Let all men count with you… but none too much.’” She repeated herself slowly, each word having its own weight,its own importance. “You must keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, regardless of how true or false their beliefs may be. And when they do… do not let them shake your confidence in yourself and what you stand up for and believe in. Trust yourself and your instincts… but make allowance for their doubting too. Leaders do that. Success follows experience.” She smiled down at him. “It will follow you.”

Then he asked her a question that in some ways surprised her. Whatever she had been expecting, that hadn’t been it. But she recovered quickly, and smiled a little bit, contemplating the question and her own response to it. She did consider Kavala the closest she had to a friend, but at the same time… Kavala, while being older than her, wasn’t done yet. Just as a young chick went through its last adolescent moult to gain its adult plumage, the Konti was going through her own evolution, her own changes. Kavala was becoming an adult. “We will be.” She looked in the distance before bringing her gaze, back in the direction of where they had both come. “When she finishes her metamorphosis… and comes out of her cocoon as whoever she will be… We will be friends.” But there was a complete and utter sincerity in the words that left it hard to doubt. She smiled at the bird that lifted her head to look at her, only to go back to preening. The relationship that Raiha had with her animals, and her Kelvics, went beyond friendship. It was something else entirely that Raiha wouldn’t have known how to describe, even if she had wanted to elaborate on it For the Drykas… if she was to explain that how friendship worked for those with the longevity she, the Konti, and Akalak had… he might find it very alien. The Drykas were surrounded with friends and family all of their lives. They were dependent on it. Raiha’s experience, for better or for worse, was the exact opposite.

[Vanator]

Raiha expounded, realizing the Drykas had not yet grasped the truths she was laying before him. Like the illumination of the dark Sea as the first rays of Syna's light shot over the horizon, the meaning of the mysterious woman's words dawned upon Vanator. He took a few steps towards a large volcanic rock protruding from the sand and leaned against it, looking out towards the open sea. The ocean breeze had picked up, tugging at his hair, pulling on the pale locks of the pensive Akontak, ruffling the raptors feathers. The rustle of the wind in his ears caused him to raise his voice. "I see now what you mean Raiha. It is wise to consider the worth of everyone, the value of their contribution. But it is not wise to allow anyone's opinion to cause you to compromise your confidence in your own decisions." Van glanced over at the young woman, as if to see an affirmation in her golden eyes, then turned his gaze back to the rolling blue-green waves. Vanator had allowed his confidence to be compromised. His resolved wavered, even before his sister. Raiha was right, his father would never question his position if he knew he was right. He turned again to Raiha, a small grin on his face. She was a wise counselor, any Ankal would be the better for the advice she could impart. Vanator crossed his arms over his chest, taking a deep breath and exhaling. He did not speak for a long moment, only shifting to look at the Striders lazily grazing on tufts of dry grass. Oddly, he did not feel the awkwardness of the silence, as he might of with most people. She had said Kavala was going through a metamorphosis, he assumed that meant some kind of change, life-changing change. The Drykas hesitated to ask Raiha what she meant. Kavala's life was held closely to her, as he had learned when he breached that line he had not seen. He was not sure if he should pry, to find things that Kavala should be telling him, in her own time. He decided to forgo the question. Simply nodding instead. "She needs friends, I believe. Though I can't say for sure. I don't really know her anymore." An ache gripped his heart at that statement, but it was true. Then the words of the quiet Akontak came to him again. You are too concerned with what was and with what will be. Remember: yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. Usually one to keep dialogue with himself internal and secret, Vanator found he was speaking out loud, as if Raiha was a sounding board from which he could better hear his own thoughts. "Maybe I am too fixated on what was, as if because Kavala is not like she use to be, she is gone from me. She said I have changed too, though maybe it is harder to see within ourselves. Maybe, for now, we have to learn to be the brother and sister we have become, instead of straining for something that is no longer." Though Raiha seemed content to stand on the shore and converse with him, Vanator did not want to wear on her with his problems. He pushed himself from the rock, turning to the Akontak. "Thanks again for bringing our horses back." As if summoned, Backlash appeared, nuzzling Vanator's shoulder. His hand lifted to lovingly caress her mane and strong cheek. " But I don't want to keep you, though I enjoy your company." It was true, he was comfortable with Raiha. There was no awkwardness of strangers. There was no sexual tension, no suspicion between races, just a peace.