The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
Karem guide my arrow true, the huntress thought just before she let the projectile loose. The arrow whizzed audibly through the air, and the bowstring slapped against the leather that protected wrists from punishment. Before Alexa's exhale ended the arrowhead lodged deep into the body of the nearby doe. The tawny animal let out a panicked shriek before it tried in vain to escape its most certain fate. Hooves skittered upon the lightly powdered earth but they did not bring the creature far. The huntress, clad in a medley of won furs and worn leather, found her fallen prey collapsed within the brush close by. A large black wolf slunk to her flank while she exchanged her bow for a large hunting knife. An empty game bag dropped upon the ground at her feet.
"If there's such a thing as an Immortal of Deer," Alexa mused aloud, knife hovering over the warm carcass. "I'm screwed." The steel plunged suddenly into the beast's abdomen. The canine at Alexa's side dashed her tongue across her maw. Ensuring she, her wolf, a monkey, and two other people had enough food to survive the Cold Cycle was nothing short of exhausting. There hadn't been a single day she could afford putting off a hunt. Not even the bitter cold, blinding snow, and blistering wind could bring the survivalist to heel. She had been more reliable than the sun to rise early each trial to prove herself the true breadwinner of the cave. Not all of her journeys into the dense forest had been fruitful, but she'd slain enough to keep everyone alive through Cylus.
Yet with the arrival of Ashan the Burhan girl found herself charged with three abandoned Krome Wolf pups to care for. Their growing bodies demanded nearly as much as her old companions had, and thus it would seem Alexa was doomed to do little else than stalk the forest to feed their hungry mouths. A modest food storage was growing with every quarry she dropped dead. As of late, it was the deer demographic that was most often reaped when they failed to notice her presence. The rare slew of successes made the Burhan girl consider Karem might've been looking out for her favored after all.
"Wait," Tala, the wolf familiar, voiced through their bond abruptly. The huntress furrowed her brow and paused her butchery to eye her faithful canine. The omega's ears and tails stood tall, her icy blue stare wide as it flickered about the quiet trees surrounding them. "Breathe in," the black wolf instructed tensely. Alexa pressed her lips together but elected to heed the animal's advice rather than vocalize an inquiry. She inhaled deeply until her lungs were filled. Understanding came thereafter. The ability to share her familiar's heightened senses was practically invaluable. "That's neither deer or rabbit," the Burhan girl communicated this time to her familiar without spoken word. Tala elicited a low, rumbling growl that resonated from her throat. She bared her teeth and focused her stare in one particular direction. "Someone else is here," the wolf revealed darkly. That sentence alone sent a brief flood of endorphins through Alexa's veins.
The huntress swallowed hard. The bloodied knife was slipped into the game bag beside her, and instead her bloodied fingers pried her hand-axe free from where it was tucked beneath her belt. A short exhale breathed a stream of white vapor into the chilly air. Her golden eyes tightened. "I know you're there," Alexa spoke aloud for a stranger in her vicinity to hear. She waited a moment before she rose from her crouch, and spun to square herself toward the direction Tala set her sights upon. Her fingers tightened about the handle of her weapon hanging at her side. "Show yourself!"
The Naer dared to say that this was her second trial of searching.
She had been searching for her long forgotten...husband? companion? The lines had been iffy then and carried into now. But that was not the point of this small expedition. What she ventured to do was seek his aid, if he would give it. She had not known him to be a forgiving person, but desparate times. She had been discovered while feeding, and would need to seek refuge somewhere unseen. Somewhere isolated. What better place than that of Sky's cave? She had gone a season in it before; doing so again would not be all that difficult. But she had to find him first.
Yndira's past love was an elusive one. The trees were as much a part of him as the darkness was her true form. He melted into the forest around him with an ease she could have not at helped but be in awe of in those arcs past. Now, however, it was an annoyance she'd rather avoid. She trudged through the underbrush of the forest floor, face glistening with sweat that soaked the color of her shirt. Her legs burned with the breaks she'd walk. The dark-haired woman was not accustomed to such prolonged activity; her lifestyle had not use for it.
A hiss left her as she paused to catch her breath, jaw clenched. For once, she would hope that he would find her. Before, it would have been a reckless thought to have. She had done more reckless things before. She continued on, the burn of her legs turning into a numbness that left her stumbling. Was this what all those poor farmers felt like? Those people who could not be afforded the luxury she enjoyed? She scoffed. No time to feel sympathy for fodder. Yndira's focused returned to her task for a time.
The numbness and stumbling gave way to near collapse. She had known something like this would happen. Her limbs still protested from the previous trial of searching, despite how early on she had turned in then. Men were insufferable creatures; there when you didn't need them, gone when you did. She chuckled, chest heaving as she lowered herself at the base of a tree trunk. Her eyes fluttered shut. Just a short rest before she continued.
A voice broke the sleep she was slipping into. Her eyes flew open, words not completely distinguishable. She blinked, the lethargy partly gone. The next words were an instruction. Show yourself. It was not the raspy, broken voice of the savage she remembered, but it was a voice no less. A woman, too. Maybe Sky had found a replacement for her in her absence. A wry smile twisted her lips. There could be no replacing her.
She labored to stand, nails digging into the bark of the tree for leverage. It took a bit, an embarrassing bit, but she was at last on her feet. The Naer looked towards the voice, brows raising. She stared down a brunette, perhaps around her own age. It was hard to be certain with the distance between them.
"I mean no harm," she greeted, attempting to look as harmless as she could. Her exhaustion aided this approach, breath heavy and legs unsteady.
At first there was silence. The moments between action and the anticipation that filled them were almost more than the Burhan girl could bear. It wasn't uncommon for bandits to lurk within these woods. With warmer weather on the way, it was almost expected that more would flee to the safety of the forests outside Krome to prey upon the unsuspecting traveler. A particular band she'd helped Sky murder had been quite the unsavory bunch. With the cannibal gone it she had hoped it might be easier to keep her hands clean of strangers' blood. Be that as it may, Alexa was little more than a survivor now. Whatever emerged would need to be dealt with accordingly.
Subtle sounds of struggle reached the waiting huntress' ears, feet shuffling for purchase upon the ground. The hand-axe was raised a bit apprehensively. Then the being finally emerged above the brush: another woman. She was noticeably shorter than Karem's favored. Dark, mid-length hair framed a soft-featured face. Despite her slightly disheveled appearance, Alexa couldn't help but decide the stranger was one that was far from home. She certainly didn't seem like someone that belonged outside the comforts of a city, and judging by the looks of her, she wasn't accustomed to traveling the unforgiving terrain of the forest on foot. The axe in the Burhan girl's hand inexplicably lowered at the unassuming sound of the other woman's voice.
The large black wolf at her side was far less assured of the stranger's benevolence. Tala edged slightly ahead of her companion, hackles raised and teeth bared. Alexa's golden gaze glanced curiously down toward the animal before finding the other girl's like-colored eyes. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not from around here," Alexa said with a raised brow. As far as she could recall, the stranger was heading directly away from the nearest road to Krome. It was only then that she noticed the oddly long set of claws the woman toted. The occasional growls still rumbling in Tala's chest were starting to make sense.
"The snow storms still blow through here and wolves far larger than mine hunt these woods," Alexa pointed out. "Maybe I can help you find what you're looking for or a better place to rest? I've come to know the area well." While the offer was perhaps a kind one there was no look of trust in her eyes when they rested upon the stranger. At the very least she hoped exhaustion would deter the apparently tired woman from posing a formidable threat...for now. "I'm Alexa."
The ache in her side had worsened through her walk and the act of standing once more. It plagued her like a whining pet, begging for attention. But she would not give it. At least, not much. She winced, one hand moving to cradle her side. Just bringing herself to stand had been enough to awaken pain.
A breathy laugh was all Yndira could muster in response at first, followed by the slight shake of her head. Movement at the other woman's side brought her attention to the black wolf. As it edged forward, so did she backwards. In her current state, she doubted that she could take on the animal and the woman if she needed to. At that, it would also seem the woman was used to this terrain. She would easily overtake her if she sought to run. Best not make herself seem like a threat.
"Not from here; looking for someone." The woman's accent was both familiar and not, like something she'd heard on her travels. It sounded like she was giving her a warning, though part of her words she could not understand. Wolves. Her gaze darted down once more to the wolf at the woman's side. Great; more of them. Rest. She needed it. Her limbs screamed for it. Holding her arms up alone was taxing. She let them slip to her side, warily eyeing the wolf as she stepped forward this time.
She tucked hair behind her ears, sucked in a breath and took jilted steps forward. It was sufficient to say her gait resembled that of a toddler just learning how to walk. Yndira might feel humiliation if she weren't tired and aching. "Yes, please." Her smile was grateful, pained by further exertion. Then the woman gave her name. It was inconsequential to the Naer. She would likely forget it once she left Alexa's company.
"Yndira."
a note
So, there's a thread where Yndira was injured about 10 trials prior to this, but it hasn't been reviewed yet, and I'm working on another where she gets herself fixed up. So, I'm just gonna spitball for now and have it be that her wounds are still healing
Looking for someone...out here? Alexa's mind reeled with more confusion. It didn't take a very intelligent mind to comprehend the ridiculousness of it all. If the stranger was heading away from Krome to a neighboring Fort, one would assume a road cleared for the very purpose of speedy traveling the best route. South laid the wall that separated Burhan from Krome. West laid Fort Gawyne, a place Alexa had never thought to visit given its reputation for misery. Even then going off the beaten path seemed foolish if not practically suicidal if undertaken by one not fit for the journey.
Bandits, on the other hand, were known to camp within the safety of the wild. It was worth considering that the lonely traveler was searching for a member of such an unsavory bunch. At the moment it was one of the few explanations that made sense in Alexa's head. Her wary gaze watched the exhausted stranger dare to teeter forward. Tala bared her fangs.
Clearly in need of a helping hand, the peculiar woman conceded to accept Alexa's offer. The huntress pressed her lips into a line. The stranger, apparently dubbed Yndira, played up a performance that was nearly unprecedented given the circumstances. She was alone, exhausted, and likely lost if her plan was to wander aimlessly through the wilderness. There was no better adjective to describe her condition right then other than vulnerable.
Yet she did not battle Alexa's prying with combative or circling dialogue. She asked nothing of who the huntress was. There was no line of questioning to investigate why the Burhan woman was so far from Fort Krome herself, or why she cared enough to aid a weary traveler at all. The smile was reassuring. The tucking of hair behind the ears, the uncertainty of steps, and the way she somehow managed to appear even smaller than she really was sent a message of harmlessness. The wolf clearly wasn't buying the projection...and yet Alexa couldn't bear the thought of unwittingly condemning the traveler to a cruel end if naivety was truly her only crime.
"Alright, Yndira," the huntress said with a nod. She turned back to crouch beside the deer she'd slain. A drag she'd crafted was procured from the game bag she slung onto her shoulder thereafter. Then, in a quick moment she looped the deer into the drag and took the other end in both hands. "Follow me." Alexa began to haul the disemboweled animal along the ground behind her as she led the way toward the cave. The black wolf refused to take her alpha's flank this time. Instead, with hackles raised, she'd wait for Yndira to move forward so she could follow behind with vigilant eyes. "I don't like this," the wolf familiar complained. With her back turned to both Yndira and Tala, Alexa frowned at the sentiment.
Before long she'd led the trio on the short jaunt back to the cave in which Alexa had taken refuge. It was a modest one that would surely be drowned in a few trials after the weather warmed up. The Burhan girl set to work stringing the deer up into a nearby tree to hang, but not before remembering the cave's other occupants. "You will stay away from the stranger," Alexa commanded the three pups that quickly emerged from the safety of the cave, no doubt coaxed from hiding by the scent of their caretaker. They blinked their beady eyes at Yndira but relented to the Burhan girl's instruction rather than rush the novelty. Only when their obedience was clear did Alexa gesture toward the mouth of the cave with eyes on her new guest. "Make yourself comfortable."
If Yndira did elect to enter, she'd likely find the shelter a bit too...familiar. The same skulls, pelts, and other miscellaneous hunter's trophies still lingered upon the walls with few new additions. Decaying bits of mint leaves laid crushed within a stone mortar beneath resting pestle. In one corner sat a lazy pile of fragmented rock as though the area had once been dedicated to crafting tools there. One that knew the setting might've noticed only a few anomalies like the fire that now burned low in the back, and the extra bed rolls that filled what little floor space remained.
