nothing ever happens by itself

[Claudius Aston]

Sorry this got so long! I rarely write this much derp! WC: 735

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[/html]Claudius nodded cautiously when he saw Luna begin to ponder his words. He wanted to let her know that he understood -- very well, in fact -- of what she was going through. He had attended the meeting where Dawali had been publicly shamed and he had felt just as confused as she was. He had also spied on Wematin’s gathering and had been so horribly crushed when he realized that they were speaking in Cherokee, a language no one ever used in AniWaya. It had hurt to know that this ceremonial language, which had sounded so beautiful, could be so meaningless and full of vicious promises. When Wematin had spoken in English, he had expressed his displeasure at their lack of warriors -- or supplies. That would have been a direct order from Maska, but Claudius didn’t understand why it mattered. Were they preparing for war? Were they preparing to go to war?

She echoed his words back at him and reiterated that they needed more warriors. He didn’t mention that he was planning on being one of those warriors. She didn’t need to know: not yet. Luckily, she redirected the conversation by offering him some tea. He responded with an enthusiastic nod since he did not trust himself to speak. And then, just as quickly as she had offered it, she was gone.

Claudius sat on the ground, somewhat dazed, wondering why she had left in such a hurry. Had he said something wrong? He would have gladly helped to fetch the water, but since she didn’t offer, and he didn’t know where she’d gone, he decided to wait for her return.

It was a bit awkward sitting in someone’s empty home without the homeowner nearby. He felt very self-conscious and wondered if he was doing it right. Was there any right way to do that? He knew he was just being paranoid, but he felt weird just sitting and waiting.

She returned twenty minutes later with two somewhat-full bowls of water. Claudius knew he would have returned with much less: he was such a klutz that he would have spilled much more along the way. He moved to stand up and help her, but again, she was too quick and before he knew it, she had already moved from one end of the hut to the other and had placed the bowls by the fire to boil. She turned around with a horribly worried expression, and for a moment, Claudius was struck with fear. What had happened? Should he have helped? Had she encountered Wematin or Maska on the way?

When she spoke, he realized that none of his fears were correct: she had just been concerned for making him wait. He considered mentioning that he would have been glad to help, but he didn’t know if it would make her feel better or worse. He decided to keep quiet, since she looked like she was on the verge of saying something else. He was glad he did, since she had even more questions. Claudius was quiet as he pondered them, and then when he was certain, he replied slowly.

“They... w-were all vuh-vuh-err-err-y upset. Some were... qu-i-e-e-et l-like I w-w-was. I w-was just so sh-ho-ho-ho-o-ocked. Some were... v-v-v-ery disrespectful. One w-w-wolf, a buh-buh-rown one wuh-was a-a-a-trocio-o-ous,” he added. “I don’t know if y-y-y-ou know him, o-or... b-b-but... he wa-a-as v-v-ery upset. He ha-a-d a st-s-st-rong accent... and wh-i-ite eyes. I o-only mention this... bec-c-cause it was... very sh-shameful. The newcomers a-a-already thou-ought poorly of us and he-e-e-e ma-ade us l-look very ba-a-ad. I’ve... never met him before... and I’ve lived here f-f-for two... y-years... so...” He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Trying to conquer his stutter, he added: “there was... some trouble... w-w-w-ith the w-w-warrior me-ee-eeting. Some y-y-young wolf, a wh-wh-white one st-stumbled in and... ignored... We-we-wematin, o-one of th-the new A-A-A-AniWa-a-ayan newcomers... I d-d-don’t know h-h-ow... but, be... be care-f-f-ful around them. Th...ey... f-f-follow the old ways... and th-th-the new members wh-who we-e-e-ren’t born in... Ani...Waya d-d-don’t really under...stand.” He collected himself, preparing for one last word: “and I would love some tea.” By now, he thought it might be done, so he was really hoping to have some tea. His throat hurt from talking so much, so some soothing tea would really calm him -- and his shaking voice -- down. [html]

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