01-03-2011, 10:08 PM
[html]
As the guests began to arrive Nayru was seated next to the fire, her eyes turned up the January sky that was smeared with winter stars. Every so often a crackle and sizzle came from the roasting meat, causing Nayru's right ear to flick back. It was the same motion her ears made when they first detected the foot falls of Saluce and by the sound alone she knew he traveled on four paws. As he approached she turned, staying seated. If she were to stand in her optime for she would tower over the male, which she preferred not to do. That he had responded wasn't surprising, but neither was it expected. Rarely did she think of Saluce as the social type, and her call had not been urgent, yet he was here and she was glad of it. "Of course I am okay, I only wanted to share a deer I've caught.” Nayru bowed her head to him in greeting and then jutted her nose towards the fire indicated the roasting meat. The explanation wasn't much, but it was enough and it was true. Whether the male would be annoyed, having come perhaps only thinking help was needed, she wasn't sure. There were jagers enough in the pack now, and two head hunters, one of which was her, and meat to share wouldn't be scarce. Winter months meant less prey, so that more wolves had been assigned to stock up their meat supplies was not strange, and for Nayru to have been recognized as a skillful enough hunter to help direct the others was pleasing. That she ranked higher than most others in the pack hadn't really occurred to her, simply she looked at her rank as a job, and her job was merely to serve all of Dahlia de Mai. To those still in ranks lower than her she dipped her head as if they were next in line after Conor, no matter how low they ranked. Simply it was beyond Nayru, who viewed herself separate from the other Dahlians in a way she couldn't explain. Gideon followed, and for once entered the gardens through the doors. Never before had she so openly directed anyone towards her house. She had told a few people she lived in the gardens on the eastern borders, but she never told them how to find the door in the garden, and she never let anyone into the green house if they did enter the gardens. The greenhouse was truly her's and her's alone, the gardens belonged to the Dahlians who were cunning enough to know how to enter. Yet now anyone who answered her call knew the secret, and she assumed for Gideon too the door's location had been unknown. Yet he was familiar with the gardens, and the even the greenhouse, and she simply wondered if he regretted their garden being exposed to all of Dahlia de Mai. Yet he did not seem regretful or angry or anything but pleased to see her and Nayru returned the smile that Gideon offered her, her crimson gaze holding his turquoise one for a moment longer than necessary. "Hey.” He too was on four legs as opposed to her two and Nayru looked from one canine to the other, glad that at least two guests had answered her call. If any others appeared, and it was possible as those traveling on two legs from the western ends of the pack, where most of the wolves resided, their travel would take a long time. Yet both Conor and Bris would be likely with Eclipse, and the others were not so close to her. If they came she would be gladder still to have more Dahlians about her, but if they didn't she wouldn't be disappointed. Her two toned face turned from Saluce to Gideon and back again, a half smiled on her lips. Nayru could tell that something more was required, that to call a gathering was too out of character for the girl to have done completely unprovoked, and though she didn't want them to feel obligated to her in any manner she decided to tell them. "I realized today is the anniversary of my birth. I thought perhaps you guys would like to share a meal with me?" |