It was a slightly overcast day and the dark Lykoi decide to go wandering again. This had been his fate as of late and he felt empty. Once it had not been so, there had been a fleeting moment when he had been surrounded by his family, had the love of a woman, and the respect of others. Now though, with his family following their own paths, and his lover seemingly disappeared, and the wavering respect of his leader, Helotes felt hallow. The only solace he found now was in working diligently with his mare, Yegua, learning her language. It was a slow and tedious process, and even under the guidance of Valkyrie it was difficult. Today he walked into the heart of Inferni, his equine company walking beside him, untethered and free. He would not ride her this day, there was no point, and the walk helped to build camaraderie between them.
As they strolled, they conversed, or at least, attempted to. Helotes had found that he was beginning to mimic her sounds, and in turn, there were times where her mutterings nearly sounded like words. But still, they were not able to speak to each other at all, just become familiar with the lilts of the very different tongues. Sometimes Helotes thought himself a fool, speaking with a horse, but he was sure that Yegua most likely felt the same, so it was a moot point. There was however, one word that she could speak, “Idiot” which she did more often than he would have liked. But he had found that there was an equine muttering he could respond with, one that would make Yegua toss her head in embarrassed annoyance. So they had an understanding then, and kept working at it.
After about an hour of walking, Helotes smelled a scent upon the wind and recognized it immediately to be Vesper. Ah, the new Optio was near. Helotes was still amazed how the scrawny, scrappy girl had risen so quickly through the ranks, but he recognized it as a strategic move on Ezekiel’s part. With the banishment of Sage, the leadership tier was lacking bodies, and Vesper was a loyal and cunning individual. Sure, there were others within the clan that had been there longer then she, but they were more dangerous choices, or already inhabited ranks that suited them better. Helotes was happy with the Hydra rank, though he could feel it building inside him that he wanted more. But the Triarii rank was already filled by the sultry Halo, and he could not bring himself to challenging her… not yet.
Finally, the lithe form of the Optio came into view, in her bipedal form much to his surprise. She stood atop a stump and she was sweating, obviously having exerted herself to some degree before arrival. Helotes turned to Yegua and muttered, Go. as best he could in her low-speech. He wasn’t sure if he had said it correctly, but she understood him and meandered off to graze. Helotes then walked casually over to his friend, Hey Vesper. What’s up? He asked.
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