PM to join Like Falling Leaves

[Dravite]

87 Summer, 515 AV
10th Bell, Morning

After a full day of heavy rain on the 86th, the ground was still a bit soggy and Dravite decided to let his wives sleep in while he sat just beyond the entrance to the tent, meditating with eyes closed. Endrykas was starting to pack up in order to make the trip to the fall grounds down near the coast. He often wondered why the city chose to camp near the sea during the colder seasons, when icy winds would blow in from the ocean off the coast and stir up the large herds that grazed around the city. For now though, he was attempting to clear his mind and slip into a trance that would enable him to traverse the web and search ahead to see what the road to the fall grounds looked like.

Once a part of the web, Dravite was free to move about faster than his limbs would ever be able to carry him and spotted the first of the Opal caravans getting a good head start. Circling back, he noticed some of the smaller, outer camps packing up and thought it best if he chose to leave during the day while the weather was fine instead of leaving it till too late like they had done in the spring. When he returned to camp, Dravite remained in the web, focusing his energy to the centre of his chest where he held to fingers that he would use to concentrate on the area he wanted his djed to pool. With well-practiced hands, the horse lord spun his djed into tightly woven strands he used to infuse and dress the pavilion's horse drawn wagon with. The Drykas magic would enable the horse to pull the wagon freely and pass over the soft earth underfoot with ease.

He crafted his signature knot when his work was done and set it at the head of the wagon before returning to his physical form to start packing up. Heavy things like cooking pots and pans went into the wagon first, followed by the stack of pelts and the furs he had collected over the season. When that was done, Dravite started taking down some of the smaller tents, carefully winding up the ropes to keep them free of knots. He lifted and carried the heavy wooden stakes across camp to line up in the cart. By the time he had taken down the two smaller tents belonging to him and Pearl, his muscles were aching and begging the man to take a rest.

Belkaia stepped out of the tent to find her husband sitting on the back of the wagon with his legs hanging over the edge, feet hovering a few inches from the ground. "Husband," she greeted him with a small smile.
"Wife," he smiled in return.

The woman moved across camp to join the man, threading her arms about his form in an embrace she didn't usually indulge in, "did you sleep well?"
"Yes I find the rain quite peaceful," Dravite admitted, "are you feeling all right?"
Belkaia nodded her head against the man's bare chest as if to nuzzle him, "I'm fine."
"Are you fit to ride?"
"Yes," she assured him before pecking a kiss to his jaw.
Dravite closed the woman's loose hair in his fist and growled playfully, "kiss me."
Belkaia smirked, defiant as ever and lifted her chin, "make me."

The horse lord got down from the wagon and kissed his defiant wife hard on the mouth. He felt Belkaia's fingers fold against his back, peeling a layer of skin away with her nails where she scratched the small of his back. Dravite hissed against the woman's mouth and picked her up to set her down on the tray of the wagon; she folded her legs around his hips and smiled, "you know I'm in charge," Belkaia teased.
"That you are," he grinned and pressed his nose to the soft skin on display in the V of the woman's dress, "is my boy healthy; is he strong?" He sunk down to whisper to the woman's belly as Belkaia arranged his hair away from his face.
"It's a girl," his wife smiled, "I just know it."
"Then what of my girl; does she have her mother's strength?"
"All of it, my stallion."

The two of them shared in a passionate kiss before Dravite helped Belkaia down from the wagon, "do you need any help today?"
"No my love, save your strength for the ride ahead," Dravite smiled, "wake those boys up and give them breakfast so that I can start taking down the main tent."
"As you wish, my love."

[Dravite]

Belkaia summoned the boys from the tent in a gentle tone of voice and Kyanite, who was usually an early riser, helped his little brother walk out into the open; the two of them holding hands. Dravite beamed from ear to ear; happy to see how close the two of them were already. "What do we do?" Belkaia smiled, "every morning before breakfast?"
"Wash hands, wash hands," Kyanite chimed while Garrison squeaked happily beside him.

While Belkaia was busy tending to the boys, Dravite snuck back into the tent, treading carefully in case Pearl was still sleeping. He spotted her curled up, tangled in a light summer blankets on the bed roll with one foot bare and the other lost under the covers. He lay down on the bed of furs gently and moved closer, pressing his body up against the shape of Pearl's back. She had thrown herself into her work lately and rarely ever took any time off, so Dravite had allowed her the luxury of sleeping in just this once.

He spent a few ticks combing her loose hair back from her face with his burly fingers before snaking his warm hand into the covers to set his bear-mitt against her bare belly. Her flesh was warm and soft to touch and when the rough pads of his fingers drew across Pearl's mid-section, her muscles tightened and flexed, sucking in the tiny stomach she had to make her waist even smaller. The woman made a half-conscious sound as if to stir only to settle again with one leg bent gleefully across the expanse of the furs beneath her, indulging in all the room she had now that the boys were gone.

Dravite kissed the skin over the woman's hip before finding a bare shoulder to attack with his lips, only to finally settle for her neck, closing the sensitive skin between his teeth playfully as he let a growl roll in that back of his throat. That seemed to get her attention. "Good morning, doctor," he spoke against the dip in her neck and pressed a kiss to her jaw, "you don't have to get up any time soon, but I thought I'd come in and offer fair warning; I'm taking down the tent today, whether or not you like it," he teased, still settled comfortably against his wife.

He went back to playing with the woman's hair; Dravite didn't know what she washed it with but found that he was rather fond of the smell, which was a lot nicer than the sweet smelling beeswax he twisted into his matted strands to strengthen and tame them every now and then. It was a dangerous business returning to the warmth of his bed after a hard morning's work, especially when one of his wives refused to get up; making it feel all the more inviting. Dravite lay alongside Pearl in silence for a spell only to realise his own limbs were growing heavy and the lids of his eyes threatened him with sleep. Well, maybe just two chimes, he relented.

[Pearl]

She was relaxing into her role as his wife, enjoying the benefits of having a full family around her once again, even if she did spend much of her time away with work. Garrison was growing and Kyanite and he were becoming inseparable; rarely was one seen without the other. Belkaia was a constant that kept the boys on their path of learning and the pavilion running smoothly. Dravite was everything her father had promised he would be in a husband. He was a good man, fair and firm with the boys, and a good provider.

Pearl heard Belkaia calling to the boys and knew that she should get up as well, but the bed roll was just too comfortable after the long hours she had been putting in. She did sit up and help the boys slip their shirts on over their heads before they headed out of the tent, hand in hand. Once they were outside, she stretched back out, a smile playing over her lips as she took the sweet pleasures of an empty bed for herself.

She had just drifted back off sleep when her husband entered. Her mind danced in that space between sleep and wakefulness as he combed his fingers through her hair, a small purring gurgled in her throat. As Dravite brought himself in closer to her, she wiggled just a touch, moving herself back in against him the curve of her hip settling in against his groin and pushing back against him when his hand found her stomach. Once she settled again, one leg bent across the expanse of the furs beneath her; indulging in all the room now she now had that the boys were gone outside.

His kisses and nips brought forth little intakes of breath that were released in delicate moans. She reached back and let her hand rest over his hip. “Mm, good morning, warrior,” she returned in greeting before tipping her head just a touch to his kisses at her jaw. “Is that so?” she asked, her nails raking over the material of his pants at his hip. “You don’t seem to be taking down the tent at all,” she whispered as she attempted to draw him nearer still.

Her hand left his hip then and reached back to hold to his forearm as he had his face and hands buried in her hair. The sweet scent of lavender and chamomile drifting from her hair as he played with it; likely aiding in his heavy lids and lulling him back into that blissful state of rest where a body healed and replenished its strength. She drew his hand from her hair and brought it around so she could press tender kisses over his wrist, moving slowly to palm before she nipped with her teeth over the softer flesh.

The teasing continued up his fingers to the tip of his forefinger before she closed her lips over it, nibbling and sucking the calloused pad. When her actions were rewarded with a heavy leg being draped over her own, pinning her to the bed, as his hand turned upon her to grip her jaw, she smiled. Her husband may have had sleep on his mind, but his wife certainly did not.



.
.
.

[Dravite]

Pearl had whispered something in the dappled light that flooded their tent just beyond the tips of their toes where the main chamber ended and the bed quarters began. The horse lord hadn't quite caught his wife's words but knew they were offered in jest, causing a smile to tug at the left side of his mouth as sleep curled her wicked finger at him, summoning his consciousness to ebb into pitch black. It was the graceful caress of Pearl's fingers dragged over the fabric covering his hip that led him back to the light. A warm tongue rolled over the pad of his finger inviting a familiar chemical reaction to stir in his loins, curl his toes, and take her jaw in hand.

He was used to a defiant Belkaia awakening such bouts of lust only to turn over on the furs and tell him to go back to sleep. Women were all puzzles and the horse lord was starting to fancy himself an apt problem solver; what a fool. Don't tease me past kisses shared between the two had warned; it is unwise to poke the bear and expect not to be bitten.

A heavy leg trapped Pearl's as the man turned his weight on her, lips closed against the skin of her jaw at the point of his thumb to suck and then graze his lower teeth against the flesh slowly, as if he awaited the strike of her hand, anticipation tight in his shoulders and the lock of his elbow. He was a wolf treading the borders of marked territory under the watchful eye of a foreign queen; tentative, testing, restrained. When no protest came at the hand of his intrusion, the man rose, pushing his weight up and away from the furs under the strength of his elbow only to let the weight of his hips sink against Pearl's separate by the summer blanket and clothes that came between them.

Grey orbs searched the blue pools set before him while he gently stroked stray strands of hair back from the woman's face as if really ‘seeing’ her for the first time. His eyes smiled where his mouth did not, lips hovering an inch from Pearl's before the heaviness of lust, much akin to sleep closed his eyes and their lips met in a kiss that was slow, raw, powerful. There could be no denying that he was attracted to her, wanted her, perhaps even loved her; though duty bound had suppressed any inklings of love after losing his first to pavilion politics some years ago.

With their kiss soon broken, the horse lord smiled and ducked to pepper kisses to his wife's neck, jaw, and the lobe of her ear before choosing to mar the skin at her collar, leaving a mark that drew blood to the area without breaking the skin. While one hand held his weight the other stripped the blanket back letting the warmth it had held escape with it only so that he might replace it with his own form.

[Pearl]

Pearl didn’t understand the way Dravite touched her; forceful, yet hesitant. It was as if he didn’t trust her, expecting her to lash out at the last moment for some unforeseen slight. She smiled as he rose over her and welcomed the weight of his hips against her own. Lust wasn’t a foreign concept to Pearl, and she was certainly feeling it now. As his fingers pushed those wayward strands of hair back from her face, she met his gaze; her own hand drawing the pads of her fingers slowly over jawline until her thumb came to rest just below his chin.

As their lips met in that kiss, Pearl let her hand drift back up to tangle with is braids at the back of his neck. She held nothing back as she gave over to the passion of that one simple, yet powerful kiss; trying her best to convey to him that she was his, was his wife in all ways; that she would not hold back from him, nor would she deny him. A gentle pressure of her hand at the back of his neck, that attempted to bring him closer, not push him away; a slight rising of her hips as she tensed her muscles, that pushed her own up against his more fully; the slow draw of her hand down his side before she let it rest just below waistband of his pants; all of these small gestures orchestrated to assure him that he was wanted, desired.

There’s was a binding made of arrangement, but that did not mean that it had to be cold. Through the past weeks they had come to understand one another better, to get to know each other and explore one another’s pasts. Each still had so much more to learn of the other. Though friendship and common goals they had found a way to work together, for the betterment of the pavilion. Now their bed would be warmed with a wanting, a lust that could lead them to something more; perhaps drive them to a deeper bond of love.

When he broke their kiss, pulling back, she feared she had done something that would drive him away from her instead of drawing him more near; that was until she saw the smile form upon his lips before he ducked his head down and teased her flesh with kisses; leaving a mark upon her at her collar. When he moved the blanket away with a quickness and replaced it’s warmth with his own, she smiled; her hand tightened in his hair for but a moment as she whispered against his ear, “Dravite, my husband.”

Those three simple words held within them more promises. They spoke of honour and pride that mirrored her hands upon his body as they explored in a loving touch. Pearl bent one leg at the knee, drawing the side of her foot up the length of the back of his leg before wrapping her leg around him at the back of his thighs; opening herself to him.


.
.
.

[Dravite]

Inviting, warm, his second wife had a way of doing things that the man was unaccustomed to; sure, Belkaia had her moments, but such tended to come at a price. A kiss cost him the skin on his back, the act of love was repaid with an open palm to his cheek, and flirtatious nothing's more often than not earned him a stray look. She was a character, his first wife, and after so long, he couldn't imagine her any other way. But wicked love teaches a man none; bad breeds bad, and Dravite, as gentle and kind natured as he came across, was a barbarian under the covers.

Forceful, rough, this was a man who had been groomed to take what he wanted when he wanted it by a woman who had been too young to know any better, and by the time she realised what she had created, it was already too late. With Pearl, however, things seemed different; the man was perplexed, torn. She hadn't denied nor confused him, she kissed him of her own will, caressed him in ways that quickened and caused his heart to stand still, and put to the test, proved she would not refuse him; what then was a savage to do?

"Mm," the man hummed in response to the woman's words, "mine," was all he had to say.

A mere moment and he was stark as the day he was born, shameless, proud. The horse lord cast aside his wears and took up his wife's invitation. For half a season he had slept alongside her barely dressed and then not at all as the heat of summer intensified; respecting the boundaries she had set as they worked together to bring down the wall of uncertainty, and build trust. She trusted him, the man would remind himself; if he returned that trust, their partnership would be one of mutual respect and understanding. Pearl hid nothing from him and Dravite would soon learn how valuable a trait this was in a lifelong companion.

His breath came hot and heavy against her neck, one arm buried at the woman's back, fist closed against the bear-skin fur. With his free hand he took the mirrored hand of Pearl's, and with fingers laced, pinned it above her head. The fire in his belly was a roar as anticipation turned to agony and blindly, hurriedly, his lips found hers to indulge in a breathy kiss as he slowly buried himself within her. He was restrained but powerful, heart thumping like a drum within his chest as it met hers and together their muscles seemed to sing.

An abrupt buck of the man's hips saw him sink deliciously deeper, finding the delightful little sounds Pearl made, muted by his kiss, intoxicating and raw; the horse lord wanted more. He dotted clumsy kisses across her cheek quickly to close his teeth against the sensitive little patch of skin just below the woman's ear and rolled his hips against hers again, dominant, now unrestrained, but reactive.

[Pearl]

Watching her husband undress caused a heated desire to surge at the juncture between her thighs. Pearl released a purring as she held her hand up to her husband, welcoming him back into the bed. That hand was soon taken by him; he laced his fingers together with her own and pinned her arm above her head while he settled himself back in between her thighs. She was only too happy to return his kiss as his mouth reclaimed hers; her free hand moving to his side and lowering still, gripping at his hip as he buried himself within her. It took a moment for Pearl to adjust to the intrusion of his body within her own; however welcomed it was. Her fingers tightened their hold on his as that throaty moan escaped.

Pearl bent one leg at the knee, her foot wedging itself against the back of his, encouraging him to take that which was his, as it was freely given, even desire. Their rhythm soon matched just as their pulses had as they increased with the desires each was feeling for the other. Their love making was barely restrained at the animalistic need to have one another while being laced with the desire to please, understand and explore one another fully. Pearl looked up to him, as she lay beneath him, his captive, submissive to his taking of her, yet giving of herself in every way. She held a silent plea within those eyes of bluest sky; take what is yours, but keep me close, for I am here for you in all ways.

As she lay beneath him now, each of them spent in their joining, the weight of him upon her a comfort, she kissed at his neck; the softness of her tongue taking a taste of the salty sheen of sweat that coated her husband. Muscles trembled in her arms as she reached up to wrap each around his shoulders, holding to him as if he anchored her to this world. “Dravite,” his name was but a whisper upon her lips.

Ticks turned to chimes, and she was uncertain as to how many had passed as they lay tangled in a mass of arms and legs. The rest of the world hadn’t returned to existence for Pearl yet. Her blood thrummed in her veins and sated desire still swirled within her, blocking out any thoughts of moving herself, let alone camp.

Slowly, she became aware of things that were not the weight of Dravite’s body upon her own, or the way his breath tickled her ear, or the beat of his heart against her own. She began to hear the birds chirping, and the stomping of one of the horses nearby, the bleat of one of the goats, and the squeals and giggles of their sons while they played. Pearl kissed at Dravite’s shoulder before laying her head back down upon the furs; a small groan given. “Shall I help you take the tent down, my love?” she murmured, her tone still laced with the desires they had so recently shared.

.
.
.

[Dravite]

The horse lord was still winding down from the high as Pearl spoke and feeling crept back into the tips of his fingers. The skin on his neck where her lips had caressed him burned; just another touch of ecstasy to remind him of their morning together. The man gave a grunt and went through the mental steps of getting up and dressing without his tired limbs following suit. As he lay against the woman a lazy smile graced his lips, his muscles relaxed and he found the strength to get up on hands and knees. A shudder went through his sides in silent protest to the missing warmth of his lover's body. Like a stallion after covering one of his mares, Dravite didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry and folded his right arm to bow and kiss Pearl hot on the mouth.

Kissing her caused his skin to horripilate and blood to surge again, dwelling in places it had moments ago fled. He lifted a knee to step it up and over the woman's leg before breaking their kiss to turn away from her and pull on his pants clumsily, a process he had to undo and follow through with a second time so that they pointed the right way. The muscles in his back rolled beneath the tattooed sheath of flesh as he worked and when he finally found his legs he wobbled backwards, catching himself with a hand thrown up to grab one of the tent supports. He stretched, let his arms flop at his sides and then turned to look down at Pearl, instantly cursing himself for getting up as he marvelled at her lithe form. It seemed he had done enough this morning to earn his breakfast.

"I don't expect you to do any of the heavy lifting, Raven, Roan, and myself will do all of that. Why don't you dress, and join the rest of us for something to eat? It would be a great help to me if you could take Kavu and round up the goats today; Meka is a bit too excitable to be trusted with the kids."

As Pearl seemed receptive to the idea, Dravite made a move to leave the tent only to stop at the entrance and look back at Pearl again. The little smile he wore for her said 'you're beautiful, I don't want to go,' but with too much to do and daylight burning fast, the man was on his way.

Belkaia sat watching the boys with a strange little smirk on her face. Dravite touched the woman's pleated mane and sat down across from her to help himself to the rabbit she had cooked up. "Kaia," he smiled, "stop that right now."
His wife glanced across at him and turned her lips in to try and suppressed her grin, "stop what?"
Dravite pinched her knee, "smiling like that, it's hair-raising."
Belkaia giggled, "Husband."
"Wife."
"Was that the first time?"
Dravite stopped chewing the piece on rabbit in his mouth and got up to tear a hind leg from the carcass. He kissed Belkaia on the lips and smiled, "never you mind."
"Do you need help today?" She called as he made a move to return to his work.
"Yes," he replied, "tidy up the boys' things into one of the chests so that I can move them all at once."
"Yes, my love."

Dravite was returning to the tent just as Pearl was making her way out, "she doesn't bite," he teased and tossed the stripped rabbit bone aside to stow away and start folding up the furs, pelts, and bedding so that it could all go on the wagon. Raven soon came along to offer a hand and even Roan, who was usually a late sleeper, had decided to join them all this morning.
“What do you need us to do?” Raven inquired.
“If you can start undoing some of the supports and Roan help round up the animals, we should be good to on in a bell or two,” Dravite informed them; he was getting better and better at delegating to a group, it seemed Aris’ leadership advice had come in handy.

[Pearl]

Pearl was buttoning the last button on her shirt as she stepped to the edge of the tent, then out into the camp. Whatever Belkaia had cooked smelled wonderfully inviting to her and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she started walking towards Belkaia and the boys. She was looking forward to a bite of the meat before she went to gather the goats, as her husband had suggested; however, his words caused her to turn her head away from him, Belkaia and the boys, catching Raven’s eyes for a tick before she lowered her head, unable to hide the pain that had filled them so quickly from the older man. Her course altered abruptly and instead of going after something to break her fast, she headed straight for Knox.

The horse seemed to sense her unease stomped his foot on the ground twice and nickered at her approach. She said nothing as she reached back with her hands and put one full braid in her hair, tying it with itself, then put the yvas on Knox. Once it was tightened sufficiently, she mounted up and nudged Knox with her left foot, taking him around back of the camp. “Kavu. Come,” she called curtly for the dog. When he got to their side, she looked down at him. “Time to find the goats, Kavu. Please don’t make me look bad. I have no idea what I’m doing or how to do this.”

Roan mounted up and came out to help Pearl gather in the goats. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face when he heard her talking to them and the commands she was giving Kavu. “Here. Let me help,” he said.
“I thought I told him to bring them to me. But all he’s doing it pointing them out to me. I can see them clearly enough.”
“That’s because you told him to find them. He found them,” Roan told her with a smile.
“Oh,” Pearl said, looking slightly embarrassed. She slid down from Knox’s back and walked ahead of him to call Kavu to her. She knelt down in front of the dog when he got to her and scratched behind his ears. “You’re doing a good job. It’s me that’s getting it all wrong. I’m sorry. Let’s have another go at this, shall we? I’ll go out and help you this time.” Pearl stood and gave Kavu another pet on the head. “Bring them to me,” she told him and gave him the sign for bring, then sent him off as she trotted along to the right of him on foot.
Roan went to the left of the gathering of goats and began to gently push them towards Pearl and Knox, while Kavu went out wide to the right and started helping. One of the kids was the first to make it to Pearl and she smiled and scooped up the small animal in her arms while it bleated and called the others in closer. She smiled warmly to Roan who waved to her from behind the rest of the goats. “Keep hold of that one and walk back to camp. The rest of them will follow, especially with Kavu here at their rear pushing them.”
“Thank you!” she called to him, waving a hand over her head. Pearl gave a couple of clicks of her tongue against the roof of her mouth for Knox to come along. The group of them began heading back towards camp, the kid in Pearl’s arms bleating loudly.

Once the motley crew was back at the camp, Pearl let the kid down so she could go be with her momma, and took up Knox’s feet one at a time and began cleaning them as best as she could with her fingers. Being with Knox usually had a calming effect on Pearl and this time was no different. She leaned against the horse as he leaned against her, her cheek nuzzling to the hard muscles beneath the soft, yet stiff, hair that covered his hide. Kavu came up to Pearl and nosed at her leg. Pearl reached a hand down and pet Kavu on his head, scratching his ears and rubbing them. “Thank you, Kavu. You did wonderful,” she praised the dog. Knox craned his neck around to the side and nuzzled a soft nose at Pearl’s shoulder.

Pearl heard a bleat not too far away that caused her to look up. “Alright, Kimba,” she said while giving another pat to Knox and Kavu. “I’m coming.” She picked up the bucket on her way over to Kimba and gave her a sweet petting on the head before setting the bucket beneath the goat and starting to milk her. Busy is what Pearl needed right now.


.
.
.

[Dravite]

"Is Pearl all right?"
Dravite looked up from his work, he was done putting the pelts away and was helping Raven undo one of the tent supports when his uncle had spoken up, "Why wouldn't she be?" Came Dravite's reply.
"It's just when I saw her leaving the tent a few chimes ago she looked upset."
Confusion drew a line at the centre of the man's brow, "I mean as far as I'm aware..."
Belkaia came in like whirlwind and pointed to the door, "out," she said to Raven and the man left without complaint, a dark brow raised in his nephew’s direction.

The horse lord continued on with his work, untying a rope that saw the centre of the tent cave in on itself just above their heads. Belkaia moved to make sure Raven had left before she returned and struck Dravite across the shoulder with the back of her hand. "Argh," he growled and rose to his feet quickly, anger, confusion, questioning, guilt, he signed swiftly with both hands now free.
Frustration, annoyance, anger, was returned to him by the masterful hands of his first wife, "what did you do to her?"
"Nothing!" He protested, love, affection, admiration.
She hit him again, this time on the chest, "I don't believe you!"
"Kaia, I lay with her, I came out to eat, and then I got to work!"
Belkaia folded her arms to cup her elbow in her left hand while she chewed one of her right fingernails thoughtfully; explain, confusion, upset.
Dravite growled, "I don't know!"

She lashed out again and this time he was ready and captured the woman’s right hand before she slapped him in the side with her left. Emotional, sad, frustrated, his first wife told in grassland sign.
Dravite drew her into his arms and kissed her cheek; when she struggled to try and get away from him, he held her close, "Kaia," he cooed softly.
The woman suddenly seemed more subdued, "she looked so upset, are you sure you didn't say anything?"
He looked as confused as his wife, "I don--"
"Did you hurt her?"
He scowled, "why would I?"
"She didn't even join me for breakfast!"
He swallowed the lump in his throat, "I went out, I had some rabbit, came back here to see her off."
"You said something to her."
"All I did was warn her and said that you wouldn’t bite, so that she needn't worry if you started interrogating her like you do everyone else."
"Exactly like that?" Belkaia folded her arms crossly, “I don’t interrogate people!”
"Well I don't know," he sighed, "she doesn't bite," he shrugged, “You question me all the time.”
Confusion, Belkaia waved, "talk to her, we can't travel like this."
"Like what?" Dravite argued; he was discouraged and tired.
Un-united, she signed.
The man fell quiet, "I'll talk to her."

When Pearled returned with Roan and the goats, the tent had already been taken down and Raven was helping Dravite roll it up tightly so that it would fit on the wagon with the rest of the pavilions things. The lifted the heavy load and pushed it up onto the wagon with Dravite jumping up to make sure it was secure and wouldn’t go anywhere. "Thank you for bringing in the herd," Belkaia smiled and Dravite looked up from his work to wave his appreciation to them.

Once he had finished loading the tent he took an empty glass jar from one of the chests and went off to join Pearl who was busy milking Kimba. He scratched Poppy behind the ears before leading her over so that he could kneel down beside his wife and work alongside her. The horse lord started milking the goat in silence, squeezing her udders gently until the jar started to fill up. "How did the herding go?" He asked finally, not very good at jumping straight to the point when he was unsure on all the facts, "Raven said you looked a little upset on your way out; did I... say or do something wrong?"