A Standup Philosopher
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Nothing Is True Chapter 26
🕑 Added 2025-04-30 15:00:00 +0000 UTCNone of them had been terribly surprised when Klark had, upon getting out of bed the next day, insisted that they collect a larger detachment of soldiers and hunt the yong pauna down. Though she only admitted to wanting to do so to prevent it from hurting anyone else to stumble across it -something she did truly mean, of course, there was no dispute about that-, they all knew that a very large part of her wanted to avenge the guards that had died ensuring they could all escape. A perfectly acceptable goal, and under the circumstances, one that no one was interested in denying her. A yong pauna was certainly an issue that had to be dealt with, and while Leksa worked very hard not to allow emotions to dictate her decisions and leadership, maintaining a positive emotional equilibrium in Klark was rather important to her. Almost as important as making sure Klark continued to think positively of her. So an agreement was made and the horses were saddled for departure, each of them carrying some small spoils from their adventure at Klark’s insistence. Leksa couldn’t help but smile somewhat giddily to herself as she carefully strapped the saddlebag full of books onto her mount, looking forward to getting home and reading them more than she had looked forward to anything not Klark or Kostia related in quite some time.
What was surprising, and more than a bit worrying despite all surface logic, was how cheerful Klark seemed to be the next day. As though her emotional upheaval and suffering from the previous night -and it’s precipitating event- hadn’t ever happened. Everyone present, even Niylah, knew the facade for what it was. A fragile veneer of armor, a thin facade of control and stability that Klark was using to hide behind as she desperately tried to rebuild her emotional state. Something all of them are quite familiar with from their own life experiences, and while none of them were going to press her on it yet -it was all still too raw, and they were hardly in the best venue for it- they all knew that such a facade could become dangerous if it -or rather, the wounds it hid- was left unaddressed. Once this was handled, once they were safely and securely back in the palace, they’d gently reach out and see what could be done.
For now, they needed to collect soldiers to help them with their new mission, and that meant riding to the nearest outpost.
Or at least, it would have, if they hadn’t gotten halfway there and found three dozen well-equipped warriors cantering in their direction, Adria and Eska in the lead. Leksa felt her heart swell with relief. The two of them, at least, must have been able to escape the beast and make it to the outpost, summoning aid and leading it out in search.
“Heda! Maker, you’re alright! When we reached the outpost and learned that you had not made your way there, we feared that you had somehow run afoul of some other threat.” Eska called, reigning in her mount to a walk as the two groups continued to approach one another.
“Klark took us to shelter, we stayed there until daybreak.” Leksa dipped her head in acknowledgement, eyes skating across the warriors for other familiar faces. She knew many of them, to a relative state of knowing, but none of the other guards from the night before were amongst them. “I see that you were able to escape the beast.”
“We did, but the others…Ryker and Charlo are dead, Marto is missing.” Adria confirmed, shoulders drooping slightly as she responded to the unspoken question. “We hoped to search for him once we got you safely back to Polis, with your permission Heda.”
“You don’t have it, because I intend to join you in the search. With this many warriors, there is no chance the yong pauna can escape us, and I’m not inclined to let it keep roaming and attacking our people.” Leksa denied, after a fashion, shaking her head, though she kept Klark’s involvement in the decision to herself. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t have had the beast hunted down regardless, after all. “If it was willing to attack our party, caravans, foragers, and hunters are in great danger as well.”
“As you wish, Heda.” Eska yielded to her will promptly, recognizing all too well that arguing would be fruitless and instead turning her mind towards obedience and planning for success. “In that case, please join us. Adria and I intend to follow the trail we left for as long as we can recall the landmarks, then search for signs from there.”
Leksa nodded her approval, turning to briefly meet Klark's gaze. The blonde's eyes were hard, determined, but beneath that facade Leksa could see the pain still lurking. It was a look she recognized all too well from her own reflection after losing those she cared for. Strangers though her guards had been to Klark, she was desperate for whatever degree of closure she could grasp.
"Then let us proceed." Leksa announced, adjusting her posture in the saddle. "We will find this yong pauna and ensure it threatens no one else. Keep your eyes open for the bodies of the fallen, as well. I would return them to Polis if we are able, or bury what we can if not."
The enlarged party turned to follow the route that Adria and Eska had taken as they had both fled and baited away the hunting beast that they now hunted in turn. The warriors formed a protective formation around their Heda and her party, with scouts roving around them to provide early warning of anything that might prove a threat. Niylah, to Leksa’s relief, was sticking close to Klark and talking quietly with her, trying to keep her spirits raised if the Commander had to guess. Fairly successfully, to, it seemed, if she was to judge by the small smile and hint of brightness in the sky-girl’s eyes.
As they rode, Leksa kept her senses alert, attuned to the forest around them, unwilling to let the beast get as close as it had yesterday before it was noticed. Kostia, ever at her side, had an arrow to her bow string, steering Mist with her knees and nothing more, and Ontari’s lance was half-levelled already. The warriors now with them weren’t much different, their weapons ready as their own eyes scanned their foilage-laden surroundings for any sign of threat or trail. Nearly an hour into their hunt, one of the scouts finally returned with something conclusive.
"Heda, we have found something," he reported, voice hushed but carrying across the distance all the same. "Blood trails and disturbed earth, about half a mile ahead. I…believe that we may be close to where one of the other guards was finally caught."
Leksa nodded, signaling for the party to proceed with caution. She glanced at Klark, who had straightened in her saddle, jaw set with determination. The blonde's knuckles were white where they gripped the reins, betraying the tension beneath her composed exterior.
"Klark." Leksa said quietly, maneuvering her horse closer, pausing for a moment to consider her words carefully. She didn’t want to offend the other girl, nor shame her publicly, but she didn’t want to put Klark through the brutal sight that could well be before them. "You do not need to see this. Hunting the yong pauna is one thing, but seeing the results of it’s hunt is another.”
“Leksa, I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me. Really, I do. But I also need to see this, because I’m not going to spend the rest of my life hiding in the damn Palace. None of you would ever respect me if I did, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to help my people either.” she responded with a brittle smile, though there was a genuine warmth and gratitude in her eyes for Leksa’s attempt all the same, and the smile grew more genuine as she continued. “Besides, my father didn’t raise a coward who hides from the consequences of her actions, and I’m not inclined to change that fact now.”
Leksa felt a surge of admiration for the sky-girl. It was one thing to talk of strength and bravery, another to face the harsh realities that came with it, especially when they had to be brutally outside of her experience, as the gore left behind by a feeding pauna was guaranteed to be. She inclined her head in acceptance and approval, feeling that same mixture of pride and concern that always seemed to accompany her interactions with Klark.
"Very well. But stay close to me, and turn away the moment it becomes too much. You’re not used to this, and looking away is far from shameful for someone lacking in experience." she conceded, signaling to the others to proceed, hearing Klark’s soft, appreciative hum of acceptance.
They approached the site cautiously, warriors fanning out more broadly than they had thus far, and Leksa took a deep breath to steady herself, regretting it almost instantly. The stench was a familiar one, a hated one—metallic and sour, hanging in the humid forest air, iron and shit mingling with things that didn’t have names. When they reached the clearing, the evidence of struggle was unmistakable. Deep gouges marked the earth, trees bore gouge marks and break-points at alarming heights, and dark blood stained the undergrowth. A moment later, she heard Klark gag softly as what remained of their guard came into view. He was little more than a pile of shattered and splintered bones and viscera now, whatever meat that had been left on his body from the pauna gone in the face of hours at the mercy of the night scavengers. Maker, she could only hope he had died as quickly as Tomas had, in a single instant. Many beasts, mutated and otherwise, were known for not caring overmuch whether it’s prey was dead or not before they started to feed.
Leksa dismounted carefully, gesturing for the others to stay back as she approached what remained of the man, a tightness in her chest that never seemed to ease when she was confronted with the deaths of her people. She knelt beside the remains, searching for any identifying tokens or items that might have survived the attack. There was little left to identify him, save for a broken sword and the tattered remains of his uniform, neither of which would help her much, but perhaps one of the others could…?
"Ryker, must be." Adria said quietly from behind her, voice thick with grief, as she answered an unspoken question. "I recognize his sword. The hilt was engraved with his family's mark. His father and brother operate a smithy in Polis, always insisted that he be ‘advertising their handiwork’ when he was on duty. Doing his part for the family business."
Klark had dismounted as well, standing a few paces back. To her credit, she hadn't turned away, though her face had gone pale beneath her tan. She approached slowly, her steps measured and deliberate, as if forcing herself forward through sheer willpower, which she very likely was.
"I'm sorry, I-" she was able to murmur, but Adria whirled on her with a fierce look.
“Don’t apologize for something that wasn’t your fault!” the girl snapped, torn between anger, gratitude, and understanding as she unknowingly echoed the words of people far above her in rank. “We all did our duty, we’re proud to do it! When we chose to serve, we knew from the beginning that this sort of end could be the one that came for us!” she shook her head, looking back at Ryker’s remains for a moment, her voice dropping. “His family will mourn, but it will be with bittersweet pride. Pride well-deserved. What is important is to make sure that this particular beast has no chance to give others cause to feel the same.”
Klark's jaw clenched, but she nodded in acceptance of Adria's words, and Leksa could have praised the guard for saying it. For unknowingly, obliviously, but genuinely reinforcing everything that Klark had been told the night before. Perhaps soothing the wounds on Klark’s soul would not be as difficult as she had at first feared.
"We should gather what remains we can for his family," Leksa said quietly, rising to her feet. "And then continue our hunt. If this is the beast’s territory, it won’t stray too far."
"There are tracks leading north," another of the scouts reported, pointing to where the undergrowth had been trampled. "After it finished with Ryker, it seems to have kept moving, though whether it was pursuing someone or making for a den, I’m unsure.”
Leksa nodded, turning to Eska. "Have two warriors prepare what they can of Ryker for transport back to Polis. The rest of us will continue the hunt.” a thought occured to her, and she glanced over at the oblivious Klark before lowering her voice. “Have a cart prepared at the outpost. A rider will be sent when the beast is dead. We will return with it to Polis when it is slain, make it the centerpoint of a feast.”
“Understood.” she bobbed her head, looking over her shoulder at the ranking warrior of the unit she had called up, who nodded his head in turn and barked two names over his shoulder. Satisfied, Leksa turned back to her mount and swung up into the saddle, watching as Klark bowed her head and murmured something too soft to hear in the direction of Ryker’s body before returning to her own mare. A moment later, the barely-reduced group was taking a wide berth around the fallen warrior and following the trail of his killer once again.
The forest grew denser as they traveled further north, the canopy thickening overhead until only dappled sunlight made it through to the forest floor, and as a side-effect Leksa had ordered their formation to tighten, keeping Klark at the center of their protective circle. The creature’s tracks grew fresher, more distinct in the soft earth, and the tension in the group mounted with each passing minute.
"It's slowing down," Kostia observed quietly, her keen eyes scanning the underbrush. "See how the stride length decreases? And there—" she pointed to a disturbed patch of earth where there was a large divot in the ground, looking rather like an enormous fist-print. "it stopped to scent the air. Didn’t seem to like what it smelled. I’m willing to bet there is something else in these woods that it’s angry about."
Ontari nodded in agreement, her lance now fully raised. "We've got to be getting close to the deepest part of it’s territory, near it’s den. If it smelled something else in it’s territory, this deep especially, it will head straight for it…”
A loud, deep howl echoed through the trees, the howl of a wolf of impressive size given the volume and the depth of the sound, and a thunderous roar -one that the survivors of the pauna attack from the night before recognized all to easily- answered it. The party exchanged glances for a moment before Leksa shrugged and raised her voice.
“If there are two beasts fighting over this territory, we have a rare opportunity to kill both! We’ll move up and wait for them to exhaust one another, then attack!” she ordered, kneeing her mount into a faster gait and aiming her nose towards the source of both sounds, the hooves thundering behind her as the small army followed at her heels.
The sounds grew louder as they approached, the howls and roars punctuated by crashes and the splintering of wood. Leksa held up her hand, signaling the party to slow as they neared the site of the ongoing battle, a clearing of considerable size if she was going to judge by the break in the canopy. She dismounted silently, gesturing for the others to do the same. The horses, well-trained as they were, remained calm despite the terrifying sounds, though they shifted nervously on their feet. There was only just so much that training and careful breeding could do about instincts millions of years old, after all, and horses were very much a prey animal.
"You four, stay mounted and keep the rest on lead. If you have to retreat to keep them safe from the fighting, do it. We’ll signal you to return once the fighting is over." she whispered to a quartet of warriors, before addressing the rest. "Kostia, take the archers to the trees, everyone else will come with me. Spears in the front, swords behind. We observe first, then strike when the moment is right."
Klark slid from her saddle, her expression determined despite the tremor Leksa could see in her hands. The blonde drew her kukri, and Leksa winced. It wasn’t the best weapon for something like this, but her future wife was nowhere near skilled enough with a spear to wield one in this sort of fight just yet, and it wasn’t like she could tell her to stay back with the horses. Well, she could, she just rather doubted that the result would be particularly pleasant. And it wasn’t even as if she could force Klark to yield to logic -which Klark would, she was sure, yield to if the situation called for it- because the plan called for very little fighting to be done in the first place, so it wasn’t as if she would be in great danger.
Probably. If she was, it would because things had taken a terrible and unexpected turn, at which point the two nearest warriors would be throwing Klark over a horse and taking her right back to Polis, whether the sky-girl liked it or not. A deft flicker of fingers had the groups on the move, archers following Kostia as she melted into the trees with barely a rustle of leaves, Ontari planting herself without a word of instruction by Klark’s side, gaining a warm and -dare they think it- grateful smile from the gorgeous golden-haired girl. Watching her fellow Chosen blush faintly with a determined look as a result was endearing, though not enough to take her focus from the upcoming conflict.
As the group crept forward through the underbrush, the sounds of the battle grew increasingly violent. Leksa gestured for them to spread out, maintaining a careful formation as they approached the edge of the clearing. When they reached it, the sight before them was both awesome and terrifying.
The yong pauna was locked in combat with a wolf of impossible size, nearly as tall at the shoulder as the pauna, its fur a mottled gray and black, patchy in places where radiation had clearly affected its growth. Its jaws were massive, large and powerful enough that it could probably have killed a full-grown horse with a single bite to the neck, and its eyes gleamed with an intelligence that was unsettling. It also, Leksa saw with narrowed eyes, was stalwartly blocking the entrance to a large cave…and the pauna seemed to be working very hard to get passed it. It was a bitch, she realized, guarding a den. And guarding it fiercely, judging by the amount of blood coating it’s muzzle and the amount of damage it -she- seemed to have done to the pauna in doing so.
For a moment, Leksa hesitated with her determination to kill them both. The pauna was their original prey, the beast that had killed her guards and threatened their lives. Yet the wolf was clearly defending its territory—its family. She'd seen mutated wolves before, of course, but nothing of this size, and certainly nothing that had managed to actually bloody a pauna so thoroughly. Which meant that, as much as she didn’t want to kill such a creature, one that was only defending it’s home, she wouldn’t have much of a choice. Something this big, a genuine predator that specialized in the hunt, was too much of a threat to leave alive. A shame.
"We wait," she whispered, raising her hand to hold the warriors in place, settling herself into a comfortable waiting position. "Let them continue to weaken each other."
Klark crept closer to her side, eyes wide with a mixture of terror and fascination. "The wolf is protecting that cave, even I can see that much. Babies?
Leksa nodded in somber confirmation. “Most likely, yes. The pauna must have a much larger range than expected if she was able to find that den and give birth without it noticing. Either that, or the pauna chased the guards out of it’s territory and into hers, decided to deal with a potential rival and threat before leaving since it was already here. Hard to say, not that it really matters one way or another. Neither one of them will be leaving here alive.”
Klark tensed beside her. "Both of them? Even the wolf? It's just protecting its young, it hasn’t attacked any of our people..."
"A predator of that size is too dangerous to leave near our territories," Leksa explained quietly, keeping her eyes on the battle, even as her heart leapt at Klark’s last two words. "It could decimate entire villages' livestock, attack travelers. And if those pups grow to that size..." She shook her head. “It’s too much of a risk.”
"But we could relocate them," Klark suggested, her voice urgent but hushed. "Take the pups somewhere far from any settlements."
Leksa turned to look at her, surprised by the suggestion. It wasn't something that would have occurred to her—the practical solution was almost always elimination of the threat. But Klark's mind worked differently, a legacy of a very different upbringing. She couldn’t call it gentler, necessarily -not after everything that she had heard Klark say about her home- but less overtly dangerous, and that meant she had the ability to think in such a way. It occurred to Leksa that this was a very, very good thing. A balance would be achieved, with them leading their united people together.
Before she could respond, the battle in the clearing reached a new intensity. The wolf was struck by a heavy blow that sent it skidding backward, blood streaming from a deep gash in its shoulder. The wolf, despite its advantage in speed, was clearly tiring, its flanks heaving with exertion. It’s defensive posture had cost it, it’s unwillingness to be anywhere other than between the pauna and it’s den forcing it to take wounds that it could have otherwise avoided. Sensing weakness, the pauna bellowed in triumph and charged again, hands outstretched to grasp and tear.
Besides her, Klark made an abortive movement, as if she was going to dash out into the clearing and do something, and two pairs of Chosen hands were half a heartbeat from tossing aside their weapons to grab her when she jerked herself to a halt, jaw tight and hands clenched, as she watched the muscled, black-furred mass barrel towards the semi-prone canine.
But the wolf wasn't finished, despite it’s exhaustion and it’s injury. With a desperate lunge, it darted beneath the pauna's reach, clamping powerful jaws around one of the monster's legs and wrenching violently. The crack of breaking bone echoed through the clearing, followed by the pauna's shriek of pain and rage. The wolf released its grip and danced away, positioning itself once more before the cave entrance, hackles raised and teeth bared in defiance despite its wounds.
Klark's hand found Leksa's arm, her fingers digging in with surprising strength, and Leksa winced slightly as fingernails dug into her skin. "We have to help it," she whispered urgently. "The wolf, I mean. Look at how it fights—it's intelligent, Lexa. More than any normal animal. Look at it’s eyes. I don’t think it will be a danger to anyone if we help it, befriend it."
Leksa hesitated, studying the battle -or, perhaps more accurately, the wolf- speculatively. She had thought the same thing, not minutes ago, at least in regards to the wolf’s intelligence, hadn’t she? And if it had been here long enough to whelp without any word of attacks on livestock or traders, it might prove not to be a risk. Perhaps they could try and tame it? If they failed, they could always kill it afterwards. Maker, it was safer to just kill it now, but if it was intelligent…
“We’ll try, but Klark, the moment it proves to be anything resembling a threat, I will kill it. No matter how smart it is, no matter how friendly it might or might not be, I can’t let sympathy put my people at risk.” she finally decided, feeling her traitorous heart throb at the radiant smile the other girl gave her for her acquiescence, caveat-laden though it might be.
"I understand," Klark nodded, her eyes going back to the battle, cheeks flushed with success. "But look at how it's fighting—calculated, not just instinct. It's making choices, Lexa!"
The pauna, injured but still dangerous, was dragging its broken leg as it circled the wolf. The beast's eyes burned with rage, its movements becoming more erratic with pain and frustration. The wolf, meanwhile, maintained its position, conserving energy while keeping its attention fixed on its opponent, rather than trying to press it’s advantage and putting itself at risk to do so. Leksa had to admit, the evidence was starting to collect rather strongly at this point, and she grunted softly to herself.
"Archers, volleys." Leksa called softly, raising her hand to signal Kostia and her team. "Target the pauna only. On your mark, Kostia."
She watched as Kostia repositioned her archers in the trees, their arrows nocked and ready. Her lover’s timing and angle of attack was of vital importance, striking the pauna -hopefully somewhere vital- without hitting the wolf. Or, for that, matter, getting too close to it. A near-miss might prove to be just as detrimental to their…to Klark’s plans as a direct hit.
There was a long moment of tension-filled silence before a sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by the distinctive thrum of bowstrings as a dozen arrows arced toward the beast. Leksa watched with satisfaction as most found their mark, embedding deep in the beast's back and shoulders. The pauna roared in pain and confusion, shuffling around to face this new threat as it tried to bat away this new, stinging agony, momentarily forgetting the wolf entirely. A fatal error to make.
The wolf didn't waste the opportunity. With remarkable precision, it lunged forward, targeting it’s enemies already-damaged leg. Another sickening crack echoed through the clearing as powerful jaws closed around the limb once more, wrenching with such force that the injured giant toppled to the side, the leg now held on by little more than sinew.
"Now!" Leksa called, rising from her position and charging forward, sword drawn. The warriors surged after her, a wave of steel and determination converging on the wounded beast. Klark kept pace beside her, kukri clutched tight in her right hand, Ontari on her heels, and Leksa couldn’t help but smile at the image of the three of them. Leading the charge to protect their people, together.
The pauna, though crippled, exhausted, and surrounded, still posed one hell of a threat. It lashed out wildly, catching one warrior with a sweeping arm and sending him flying into a tree with a sickening thud. But the coordinated attack was overwhelming—spears thrust into its sides while swords slashed at vulnerable points. To Leksa’s mingled pride and terror, it was Klark that landed the finishing blow, planting her blade in it’s throat and yanking it sideways with a snarl, seemingly unaffected by the spray of blood that stained her clothes in the doing.
As the beast collapsed with a final, rattling breath, the warriors let out a victory cry that echoed through the trees, more than one voicing their praise for the blonde stranger’s efforts. Praise that Leksa definitely agreed with, and would happily add onto once they returned to the palace, but her attention had already shifted to the wolf. Blood matted its fur in several places, and its breathing was labored, but its eyes —those sharp, watchful, intelligent eyes— remained fixed on the humans who had both aided it and, potentially, saved it it’s life. More specifically, they seemed to be locked onto Klark, and Leksa had to wonder at that. Was it just because Klark had landed the finishing blow on it’s enemy? That would be enough for a human to remain focused on a specific individual, but was it enough for a strangely-intelligent wolf?
It took a cautious step forward, then stopped, gaze still locked on Klark as a low whine escaped its throat. The warriors tensed at the movement, spears leveling once more, but Leksa raised her hand to stay them despite her own nerves.
"Wait," she commanded, watching the interaction unfold with careful scrutiny. "It's not attacking, not aggressive."
Klark, for her part, seemed transfixed. She took a half-step forward, her kukri now lowered to her side, the blade still dripping with the pauna's blood.
Klark, seemingly unaware of the potential danger, or perhaps simply unafraid of it, took another step towards the horse-sized animal, lifting her un-armed hand towards it, palm outer-most.
"Hey there, gorgeous." she murmured, her voice gentle, soothing and soft. Nonthreatening, by any description. "You were so brave. Thanks for helping us kill that thing, you did so good.”
The wolf's ears twitched at the sound of the blonde’s voice, her head dipping and tipping slightly as she regarded the slowly approaching girl in a way that could only be described as thoughtful and contemplative. Both took another step forward, and then another, and Leksa felt her heart in her throat as Klark crossed the invisible line of separation that made it impossible for anyone to intercept the wolf -or for Klark to get out of range- if it were to attack. But doing anything now could very well precipitate the very attack Leksa was afraid of.
"Klark…" she breathed anxiously, barely a whisper, not wanting to disrupt the moment but unable to completely contain her worry. Beside her, a freshly-returned Kostia had her bow half-raised, uncertain whether to intervene, and Ontari's knuckles were white where they gripped her spear. The less said about the condition Niylah was in, the better, the civilian girl having basically disappeared into the background -which is to say, the safest part of the formation- the moment that the hunt had started in earnest. Noting how pale the thrallina was, Leksa made an almost-absent mental note to have a chat with her as well as with Klark. She had seen some things, anyone who lived in the post-War world did, but this was obviously a bit beyond her experience.
The wolf's nostrils flared as Klark drew closer, taking in her scent, and taking in the scent of the pauna now staining her clothes and skin. Did that make it more or less likely to attack her, Leksa wondered? Yet still, though they continued moving towards one another, neither made a single move of aggression towards the other. Closer and closer they got, until eventually that massive, bloodied head was within arm’s reach. The whole world seemed to hold it’s breath as Klark’s hand crossed those last few inches…and let it all go at once as it pressed against a furred brow without issue.
"Good girl," Klark murmured, her voice wavering slightly with a combination of abject relief and stunned awe. "You're such a good girl."
The wolf leaned into her touch, a rumbling sound emanating from deep in its chest—not a growl, but something that sounded almost like a purr. Klark's fingers sank deeper into the coarse fur, questing for the perfect spot to scratch with a combination of theoretical knowledge (born of pre-War films and books) and the instincts born of fifteen thousand years of genetic programming, and the gathered warriors could only watch in mingled awe and jealousy as the wolf's eyes half-closed in what could only be described as bliss.
A soft, high-pitched whine came from the cave, followed by a chorus of equally soft and high yips and yelps, and the wolf's ears perked up instantly. She pulled back from Klark's touch, turning her massive head toward the sound with an unmistakable look of concern. Klark followed the wolf's gaze, understanding dawning on her face.
"The pups," she whispered, looking back at Leksa with excitement dancing in her eyes. "Can I...?"
Leksa hesitated, torn between caution and the impossible brightness in Klark's expression. The wolf seemed to have accepted her, true, but pups were another matter entirely. Mothers of any species could be unpredictable when their young were involved, especially if they had not minutes ago been locked in the midst of a battle to the death in order to protect them.
"Be careful," she finally conceded, sheathing her sword but not moving from her position of readiness. "Approach slowly, and back away at the first sign of aggression. She might like you, but she is a mother first."
Klark grinned at that, muttering something about her own mother in response -it occurred to Leksa that, unless she was very wrong, this was the first time that Klark had even ever mentioned her mother- before cautiously taking a step towards the cave’s mouth.
The wolf watched her closely, but made no move to stop her, instead padding softly alongside, keeping pace as she approached the cave entrance. The massive canine seemed to understand Klark's intentions weren't harmful, or perhaps she trusted that she would be able to protect her babies from enemies that were far small and squishier than the one that she had just been fighting.
"Maker, this is insane. Kostia, Ontari," Leksa called softly, not wanting to startle either wolf or Klark with sudden movements or loud noises, slowly starting to creep forward herself in the hopes of closing the distance, or at least maintaining it. "Stay close, but not too close. The rest of you, stay where you are for the time being."
The cave mouth was wide but low, forcing Klark to duck her head slightly as she peered inside. The wolf slipped past her with surprising grace for such a large creature, dropping onto it’s belly and disappearing momentarily into the shadows before a series of excited yips and whines erupted from within. The family reacquainting itself, obviously, and Leksa resisted the urge to groan is despair as Klark slipped further in without so much as a word or a glance towards the people trying to keep her alive.
“Remind me to have a serious talk with Klark about showing due caution when it comes to things outside of her experience. I don’t care how enamored she is or how interesting whatever draws her attention is. She can’t keep doing this.” she growled to her lover and her sister, getting noises of fervent agreement from each, and even Niylah managed a soft whimper as she stared with unbroken intensity at the hole in the earth that had eaten her domina. Sighing and folding her arms, she thanked the Maker that Klark seemed to be as good at making friends with animals as she was humans.
That didn’t stop her from (mentally) swearing up an extremely vitriolic storm when a beaming blonde sky-girl emerged from the cave with a pair of wolf cubs in her arms, proudly announcing that their mother had given them to her for some reason. Well, if nothing else, she wouldn’t have to worry about Klark’s safety if the two pups grew up to be the same size as their mother. Though she would definitely have to worry about feeding the damn things. Well, it was what it was. If she had wanted a peaceful, nondisruptive life, she wouldn’t have entered the Conclaves and become Heda.
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