517.

The intoxication of the merge was still fresh and Nayru was dizzy with the change. While she tried to savor the feelings, for she knew one day or another she would wake up and Ichika no Ho-en would truly be home without a second thought, the woman was also preoccupied with making sure the others were settled. They all had new ranks to get acquainted with, new homes to settle, new lands to explore and the pack lands seemed abuzz with energy. The small lady made her way from one end of the land to the other, checking in here and there and it seemed already there was hardly any time for herself. The woman did not mind, but she couldn't help but allow a thought of Gideon to drift through her conscious now and then, quickly chased away until she could ruminate over it later. In the evenings everyone seemed to be stiller, quieter, and then and only then would the patch work woman sneak thoughts for herself.

And now she was strolling along the borders of Ichika no Ho-en admiring the heavy stones and flowers that were appearing as a visual marker. The woman was also quite pleased to find many other scents of Ichikans along the border—whether they were just exploring or officially scouting the borders Nayru did not know or care. The Ryu was glad to know her members were getting well acquainted with the lands. Ruby eyes turned skywards to find the sun nearing it's close, but hanging in for perhaps an hour or more with full sunlight. Soon she would begin to make her way back towards home, which was now where ever Gideon laid himself to rest. Saul and the ebony man were working to fix up a building so they could all live together, and the idea pleased the girl. It would in a way be like their childhood, the three of them living under one roof and so she had no qualms about agreeing.

Yet the day was no yet complete and Nayru turned away from the borders and moved in towards the mountains. While she wasn't quite sure how she would spend the rest of the day the lady knew it had to be productive, if her efforts were not going to Ichika at the moment she would not make them. It did not take long until the opportunity to be productive presented its self and Nayru hardly knew what she was doing as the pheasant rushed from its hiding place. Reflexively Nayru unsheathed her dagger and nearly in the same second plunged the sharp blade into the creature's breast. It had all happened so fast Nayru hardly knew how she had done it, but certainly luck had been on her side and her cat like speed had only aided the kill. The woman then knelt down and pulled the dagger from the bird, pleased with a giddiness she only got while hunting. "Forgive me and thank you." She murmured to the dead thing as she traced a line on her palm with sticky crimson liquid.

572.

Still leaning over the bird the voice of a fellow Ichikan found her, and Nayru raised her head to meet the gaze of the man standing before her. The face was a familiar one, slowly even those whom had trickled in through Phoenix Valley the Jiryu was becoming accustomed to, but although the face was familiar it was not overly so. It was not like the face of Gideon or Saul who she could recall every tiny detail having grown up with them since her own arrival in Dahlia de Mai. Yet crimson eyes took in the man, Jaden, and began to memorize the details. Nayru felt regretful she did not already know him better, having brought him along from Dahlia herself. Yet he had joined the ranks of the pack at such a hectic time: right before the move. There hadn't been much time then, back in Dahlia. They would have time enough in Ichika.

If it was the voice of a fellow Ichikan that alerted Nayru to Jaden's presence, his presence it's self was that of a fellow warrior. The man's posture and stealthy ways had not gone unnoted by the woman, who now was in the habit of appraising the strengths and weaknesses in all those she met. It was her job to guide them into the correct ranks, help them choose the correct path so that they could live out their lives happily in Ichika. The piebald lady was not unpleased to find that Jaden possess certain skills that she found in herself. This too went into her mental catalogue.

If the slender and short lady was surprised to see the man before her it did not show on her face. Merely she regarded him with a calm and warm face, her sparkling happy eyes matching the color of the liquid that she casually wiped clean from the dagger still in her hands. "Jaden. Good evening." Easily she sheathed the dagger, and already it's presence was forgotten as she turned her mind to other matters. In one fluid movement she clasped her palms together in something akin to a prayer motion and bowed to Jaden. "Namaste." Nayru's soft voice was firm but subtle, even now she spoke so low one had to make an active point to listen. The act was so solemn on would think the girl performing a sacred ritual, but then she grinned at the man, a soft twitter of a laugh escaping her.

"What do you think? That's how Razekiel and I think we should greet each other as a pack. It's respectful." They had spawned many ideas together, about how members would treat other members: the ideal society, or as close as they could come to it. Nayru hoped the others saw it the same way sooner or later. Almost she seemed pensive or hesitant, but then the soft smile again. "It's good to be acknowledged, yeah?" The woman dipped her head just ever so to Jaden, a mirror of the submissive nod he had given her upon his arrival.

And then she smiled again, turning to the dead bird and snatching it up. "Would you do me the honor of joining me for a meal?" Just slightly she tilted her small head to the left, giving no indication that the man had to comply, but hoping he would accept the invitation just so she could take the opportunity to know him better.

388

The tiny woman watched as the warrior mimicked her, clasping his hands in front of his body and bowing down. The half smile on her lips grew into a wider grin then and she nodded, happy that the culture Razekiel and her were trying to infuse into Ichika no Ho-en seemed to be catching on. "It means, 'I bow to your form'" Really it meant so much more. The simple gesture was symbolic of recognizing the divine spirit within all of them, but Nayru didn't quite know how to put such a complex thought into words and hoped that sooner or later the others would come to learn that for themselves. Learning did not happen by listening to another's speech, it happened best when others experienced life. Nayru was content with the explanation she gave.

Jaden agreed to joining her for a meal and she did not take long to find a spot where she wished to dine. Gesturing for the man to sit beside her, Nayru once more pulled out her dagger from its sheath. Easily she cut the dead bird into two, unmindful of the blood that was let loose. Handing over half the bird, Nayru's ears pricked at the man's words. Yes, Jaden had been under her leadership a long time and they had never had a proper meeting. So busy she had been, trying to relocate all of Dahlia de Mai and keep the members happy and healthy during the move. Meeting the new members from Phoenix Valley. And aside from that, just trying to live life. Everything had seemed so hectic the last two months, but now Nayru only knew peace. Ichika seemed to have that effect, as if time stood still within the packlands and whatever went on outside did not matter.

"So nice to truly meet you Jaden Ohanzee. I apologize for my scarcity. There was much for me to do during the merge." There were others she really needed to touch base with, and would soon. They had all the time in the world now. "And so here we are now." She bent down and took a small bite from the flesh of the fowl and chewed slowly. Swallowing she titled her tiny head at the man, the gentle smile never leaving her lips. "How are you settling in Ichika?"

438

Unlike Jaden Nayru, ever the observant and calculating creature, took note of the man's rough handling of the bird—it mirrored her own viciousness in a way. Yet Nayru knew it was not a disregard for life, it was simply not allowing the importance of such life to stand in their way. Once upon a time Nayru had stood over the remains of a spider squashed beneath unknowing childish feet—that day was worlds away from the hardened warrior Nayru knew herself to be now. And yet still she was mostly soft, a quiet and tiny creature who never imposed herself upon any of the others. That two sides of her could exist at the same time still seemed to amaze the Ryu, and that she found that they also might exist in Jaden was comforting. Nayru knew it to be true that all beings had good in them, but if that were so, then all beings must also have darkness in them. Even Razekiel who seemed the most peaceful of them all.

"There are many places for dens. And homes." Nayru agreed as she once more bit into the soft flesh of the bird. "Most are taking up residence in Wolfville or Trenton." The many empty homes there served their purposes perfectly. "Perhaps you would like to scout out a home there." Her soft voice made it seem even her statements were mere suggestions. " I myself am moving in Trenton. In a large building with many others. " Saul and Gideon were fixing it, and until then she simply slept where Gideon slept. There was no reason to separate herself from him.

After that Nayru let an easy silence fall between them as she focused on consuming her meal. Quickly what remained of the bird disappeared and soon enough there was nothing left of her half. That one moment a living, breathing creature could exist and the next not still frightened her, but it also excited her. When she spoke again she seemed refreshed with the life she had just taken so that her own might be extended. "Have you met many other of the Ichikans? I know you did not have much of a change to meet the Dahlians, and now we are a whole new group. It must have been rather hard to make the move so soon." Nayru did not want to ignore that it had been hard for many of her members. " I'm glad you came with us Jaden." And she was, because even if he was new family, he was family and she hadn't wanted to see anyone left behind.

NO! I'm sorry THIS took so long. BLAH. 582.

Jaden spoke and he, at least, seemed unfazed by the move. Perhaps it was that he, unlike many of the others, had not had the time to become invested in Dahlia de Mai. Yet there had been none more invested in Dahlia de Mai as Nayru, who thought of herself only as a vessel meant for the betterment of the pack and its members. It was simply because she truly thought it best for her members to make the move. Slowly the once Dahlians too were beginning to see that, and for this she was grateful. High up in the mountains not only were they protected, they could find peace. They could shed their past sins and start fresh, together with the Valley members.

The Valley members it seemed had a harder time to adjust to the move. Nayru did not blame them or resent them for this, but merely sympathized and wished there was more she could do to ease the stress of their move. Their leader had left them, and while Nayru would follow Razekiel to the ends of the earth, and in many ways already had, she knew the Valley members had not reason to feel a similar trust with the overly joyous man. To them he was little more than a stranger, but that too, in time would hopefully be resolved. They were a large group, but they were a family, and one by one all would come to realize this truth.

"Yes, your brothers and sisters are quite busy. We all are." And the energy would die down eventually and they would all find the time to greet one another properly. Nayru had patience enough until that day came. "I myself wish for more time to acquaint myself with those I know not quite as well. In time I suppose." And with that traced an idle finger in the dirt, her hands now bored without her dinner to hold onto. When Jaden spoke again Nayru lifted her eyes to meet the man's compliments. That he called her a fine leader was both pleasing but strange. Still she thought of herself beneath them all, a servant for the pack. And yet, she was one half of their leadership, and this she had to acknowledge from time to time.

Before she could speak words of humility and thankfulness, the warrior spoke again and his question intrigued her. He felt he was not contributing? And then a conversation she had once held with Conor returned to her. The man had seen fit to make her his sub-leader, and yet the young girl had felt that nothing she did was quite good enough. Eventually she had had to learn that contributions came in many different forms and sometimes her own were unrecognizable to herself. Jaden too was perhaps blind in this area. "Jaden, a leader if nothing without members worth leading." And always she would put them before she put herself. " There is not one soul in Ichika who does not belong here. We are all are here for one reason or another, and we are all falling into our own role whether we realize it or not." And then a slight pause, before her shy smile appeared and she turned the table on the man. "What makes a great pack? That perhaps it the question we need to answer to answer your own." Ruby eyes lit up, as the lady clearly waited for the man's sage words on greatness.

319.

Nayru nodded in agreement. Always she had thought that, it was the members who made any group what it was. The leaders meant nothing if they had no one to lead, and a truly great leader lived for their members. They would die for their members. Nayru gave herself whole heartedly to the Ichikans, and it was as natural to devote herself to them as it had been to devote herself to the Dahlians. Nayru was glad that so many of the members seemed as willing to give themselves over to Ichika as she was herself. This made her proud to be at the head of the pack, guiding the group skilled individuals that together made up Ichika no Ho-en.

"Yes it is the members." Jaden continued with his train of thought, and again she felt what he said was very true. Working together and communicating were the foundation for greatness. That there still seemed a chasm between the Valley members and the Dahlians troubled her. No one was out right hostile, or even unfriendly, but some seemed hesitant to work with or befriend the others. They all now had a common goal, goals even. To live and let live. To learn and better themselves. To help good ultimately prevail over evil. To simply exist and be happy as best as they could. None of their goals were too far out of reach, but they could certainly be attained quicker if they worked with one another.

"Well then, you have your answer, don't you?" It all seemed very simple then, Nayru realized. And it was something that she too had to keep in mind and execute in the future. "To better serve Ichika we must promote brotherhood among our members." Nayru smiled at the warrior across from her, as if he had already agreed to the idea. "What will you do to bring together the Ichikans, Jaden?" What indeed?

wrap up soon? +339

Kindly the ruby eyes of the lady shone upon Jaden as he mulled over his options. Nayru did not mind the silence that lapsed between them as the man sought for an answer to the question Nayru had posed. Perhaps it would have been easier for the lady to say "Jaden do this, Jaden do that." Allowing Jaden to come up with the answer himself meant however that he truly understood both the needs of Ichika and how he could personally contribute to those needs. Although the gaze he turned upon Nayru was doubtful, the woman smiled confidently, eager to hear his answer.

Hunting. It was meant to be a group activity and so often was it that they did so alone, or in pairs. Dahlia de Mai had had a large store of food, but much of that had been consumed during their trek and the initial settlement of Ichika. Ichika no Ho-en had animals enough, but it would have been a shame to have to deplete that resources if they ever were to fall on hard times. Jaden had the right idea and Nayru nodded approvingly. It was a way for them all to work for a common goal and she was pleased he had come up with such a solution.

"It is enough." The simple words said more than their surface meaning. Nayru didn't know Jaden as well as some of the others, but she was glad he was there. The able bodied man was strong, good spirited and intelligent, it was her hope that others would strive to serve Ichika as well as Jaden seemed to wish to. "Hunting is a fine way to bring everyone together, and it serves a very important purpose. I would be pleased to see such group gatherings in the future." Nayru wanted Ichika to be a tight knit group, and this was just another step in that direction. If the others had the same desire, one day they would truly be the family Nayru and Razekiel constantly spoke of.