Ic: The small woman had just returned from her ventures in the human city. She had found many items that she believed would aid her in crafting a new blow pipe and a fresh supplies of darts. While the darts were easy to make and easily replaceable the pipes were not so easy if she wanted them to last. She knew in a fix she could craft reed pipes but she prefered a weapon that could take a little bit of a beating. That required skill and work, both which she was willing to put into.
She had returned to the Groto with her dinner thrown over one shoulder, a small bag of supplies and items of interest from the city, mostly metal knives, razors and fish hooks and the sorts. She had also carried balanced on her lap the cloak that was generally wrapped around her frame, today instead it was bundled around something tenderly, as though to keep it warm. She has carefully placed the bundle carefully between the roots of her tree as she began to start a fire.
Zana sat down before the fire, putting the body of the feral feline on the spit for dinner. She had been watching the carcass as she slowly turned it. She had never eaten cat before but it seemed that if it was something she could kill it was something she could eat. She was satisfied that the meal was coming along nicely so inturn she returned to the wolf pelt cloak and pulled the fur into her lap. The muffled sounds of protests met her ears as one of her captives tumbled out.
She caught the escapee quickly and raise the overly fluffy kitten before her face, pulling back her muzzle just in time as it took a swipe at her maw. She growled at the creature and muttered. "I should eat you too you little runt.." not even realizing the irony of her words. The tiny woman didn't know what she was going to do with the other two kittens but the fierce little runt was hers now. In time she'd decide what to do with the others.. but right now dinner was almost ready.
OOC: Sorry for the wait, Valkyrie tends to be my slowest character since she has like nothing interesting to do all the time. +5
Valkyrie had been sad as of late. She had found her father, dead in his own piss and blood. She'd not told anyone of the death besides Ezekiel. She'd been crying for days and days, even though she had not really known much about her father, nor was he that great of a father, she had always striven to impress him, and she did love him, because she was his daughter. She still was getting over it, and her natural happy aura had been smothered with sorrow. She was sad, and she had a right to be, because she had seen her dead father, in his own shit and piss, lifeless. Even if she didn't know him, it didn't keep her from loving him, and caring about his death. She shouldn't have cared, because then she wouldn't have had to try so hard to please him, but she did, and she always would. Now it seemed like she had nothing to life for now that she had seen her father dead in a pit, drowned and choked on his own vomit and piss. It was disgusting, and she had felt so sorry for him that she had taken him out of the conditions and buried him close to his old den. After that, she had abandoned her own den and taken her father's den, and even though she missed the view of the water she got at her den, she felt more comfortable being able to watch over his grave.
When she finally did get out, she had been wandering around like she did not have a soul, or a purpose, and with only a few days that passed since his death, she did not have much of a purpose in mind anymore. She sighed sadly as she walked to the Grotto. Her nose caught the scent of something cooking, and her curiosity claimed her, her finally giving in to her old ways, if only a little bit. She moved along and soon found a familiar face that she had not noticed was back in Inferni. Her giant ears pressed forward. Zana?When ya' git back in 'Ferni? she asked the woman, moving up to her and noticing that she held a kitten in her hand, and there was one already being cooked. That was probably why there was such a strange smell in the air. Valkyrie frowned, rather than smiled like she normally would have. Ya' aren't gonna eat 'ose arr ya'? she asked, looking at the bag that was moving, desperately trying to escape. It looked like Valkyrie was gonna have to save those kittens from an early death. Don' do 'hat, Zana, Dhey arr only little kittens. she told the woman, concern littered in her voice. Maybe Valkyrie could fish for Zana instead of her eating the kittens who were still alive...
I'll take dem off yerr hands if ya' don' know what ta do with 'em. Just....Dun eat dem. Dehy have tehir whole lifes infronts of dem. she justified the lives of the kittens, and she would take them and care for them as long as she did not eat them. She wouldn't mind having three more heads to feed, as long as they were nice to her and not aggressive. Eventually they more than likely would not be, as soon as they realized that their fate was not the same as the one that Zana had already put on a stake and was about to eat.
Zana had been poking at the runt of the litter, the tiny kitten gnawing on her claws and hissing as The small luperci examined the creature. She had secretly decided to keep the tiny thing, though she wasn't certain just what she would do with it. Perhaps she could teach it how to hunt and prowl like a proper pack member, even if she knew he could never be one. She had been so busy playing with the fierce kitten that she hadn't noticed that she had a visitor.
She raised her grey lilac orbs as a voice she hadn't heard in a long time came through the mists of the springs. She couldn't help the wag of her tail as she realized that it was Valkyrie, Ryan's daughter. "Almost a moon ago.." she answered with a soft yip, her eyes bright as she finally recognized a face in the lands other than their leader. "I've word of your mother and mate..." she smiled as she turned to pat the spot beside her.
She was startled though as the woman mentioned her dinner. Zana was rather embarrassed as her ears pinned back slightly. "I didn't realize she was a mother when I was hunting... until it was too late." She gave the other woman an apologetic look as she rolled the small kitten to the crook of her arm as she tried to explain herself. It wasn't an easy affair, as she had already screwed up in not testing the air for the scent of milk nor waiting a moment before she had made the kill upon the creature. In thus she had taken over the duties of the small animal she had killed out of guilt, but it appeared that Val was offering her a way out of her responsibilities already.
Zana shook her head slightly as she rubbed a finger across the brow of the manx kitten she had adopted. "This monster I think I will keep.. but it has other siblings.. if you would like to look in on them.." She gave the woman a hopeful look, knowing that she couldn't care for all four, and even if the other would just take one or two it would help her greatly.
No one said that this would be easy This is never easy.
The woman had told her that it had been almost a moon cycle that the woman had been back here. That had been some time since she had returned and Valkyrie was embarrassed that she had not noticed Zana's scent around the lands before. Valkyrie scratched her head and then giggled softly, trying to shrug off that she had not noticed her cousin's return. Zana then invited her to sit, and Valkyrie came next to the woman and did so, all while the girl had told her that she had word of her mother and her mother's mate. DaVi. She did not know too much about DaVi, whether because she did not have much interaction with him, or she didn't care to remember since the male was not her father. Oh, do ya'? What dhey say? Momma misses meh? she asked the other woman, looking at her with her gamboge eyes and still talking with that fake accent that she had picked up along the way of her travels.
The smaller canine would then explain to her that she was not planning on eating them, but that she had not realized that the elder feline was a mother. It was sad, but Valkyrie accepted that excuse. She nodded her head lightly and she looked at the bag as the woman continued to speak, and she told Valk that she would keep one of the kittens. There were three other ones, and Valkyrie looked at each of them. She could not possibly take all three of them because she had birds, and she did not want to cause any trouble with her birds and the felines, so she would only take two of them. I can take one 'o dem, but duh third one will hav'ta git uh home wit ya' or if we could find someone else ta take 'em... she spoke to the other woman and she opened the bag and grabbed a little white one and she started to pet it, the little thing mewling up at her, and looking it's wide blue eyes at it's roasting mother. Poor thing. The two other came out of the bag, and they mewed at the two women. I think ah wants dis one. Out of da other two Ah don't know yet. spoke the woman.
Zana had noticed Valkyrie's scent in the lands, but it had taken her a while to actually gather why she knew the scent. So much like her mother's scent and yet a scent all her own Zana had been slightly confused for a while until she came to understand that it was Ryan's daughters scent she'd tracked over the lands repeatedly. She didn't take offense that Val hadn't realized she had been in the lands, a slight smile on her lips as she added. "It doesn't matter.. I'm rather easy to overlook.. if you catch my drift." She gave Val a wink as she poked at the wood in the fire, watching sparks fly for a moment before she turned back to look at her clan mate and about the closest thing she had to family in the lands.
When the conversation turned towards Ryan and DaVi she smiled slightly and sighed. "They are still like two turtledoves cooing away happily in their little fairy tale. How they came to find a happy ending after everything they started here i will never know." She looked over Valkyrie for a moment, silent as she tried to figure out how to tell the slightly older woman that she was a sister now. "They had a litter a while back. Though the pups would be hardly pups now..you have a brother and sister.." She poked at the fire again as she added. "Ryan misses you.. and Inferni.. I think once they settle things in Eire.. she'll find a way to get DaVi to come home.." She smiled weakly. She would love to see her brother and nephew and niece again... Ryan was like a mother to her as well, but she didn't know how things would go when they returned. She only hoped Ezekiel would only ask of them the same he had asked of her.
Zana was not against eating felines, or even canines if they were stupid enough to get caught, but she wouldn't express that to Valkyrie. She didn't know how the other woman might view that, an while a cat was a simple meal in the city, it wasn't what she expected to catch any day in Inferni. She watched as Valkyie began to look at the little kittens before choosing one for her own. Zana knew that anyone taking three would be in trouble and though two was a stretch for her small home she also knew the added warmth of two other bodies in her tiny den would be helpful in the winter. She poked her dark brown and black manx kitten on the nose as she decided. "I can keep the last.. and if someone else decides they would like her then atleast she will be use to living in the clan atleast.." She looked at the two faces down in the bag clambering to come out as she smiled. "I bet within a week I will regret it.. they will be in everything.. but company would be nice too.." she said wistfully, knowing that she could have chosen a den in the mansion or the guest house..but she hadn't.
No one said that this would be easy This is never easy.
Valkyrie was glad that her smaller cousin did not get offended that she had not realized she was back in Inferni. She admitted herself that it was hard to not overlook her. You might be short, Zana, but ya know, you got some pretty intense markings there, and that bow on your tail prolly draws some attention dontcha' think? spoke the ochre and coal woman, a bright smile on her face. Valkyrie had respect for her smaller cousin, and was quite fond of the woman, for the practically were raised together once upon a time ago. Zana was as close as Valkyrie could get to an actual sister, even if she really had half siblings on Hybrid's side. To Valkyrie, they almost felt more like her children because she was taking care of them alone, since Talitha and her children had been long gone by now. Valky put her gamboge eyes on the woman as she went on to speak about DaVinci, and Ryan again.
Valkyrie almost felt jealous of her mother, finding a happy ending while Valkyrie was so alone. Valk eventually pushed the jealousy away when she had heard that she had more siblings on her mothers' side of the family. Even they were not truly Valkyrie's full blooded siblings, but Valkyrie felt as if she should and would care for them if things came to that point. I miss Momma too. She should come and visit at least. Or come home to Inferni, because that would be favorable as well. she spoke and looked at Zana, a slight frown forming on her face before she looked back down at the kittens, and she had touched the tuxedo kitten, and then the almost completely white one, with an orange spot on it's head. Her other hand went to that one, and the kittens warmed up to Valkyrie. Valk had cooed lightly to the kittens, speaking the same low speech that she would use when talking to her owls. They mewled at her, and Valkyrie giggled lightly and put her nose down to the level of the kitty and touched noses with it. The kitten sneezed and fell back on it's rump and then puffed up and started to hiss at Valkyrie, all in good nature though. It was playing.
Valkyrie listened to Zana's words though and she chuckled to the woman. "They will be a handful, but at least they won't be lonely. I got two owls myself, ya know? I gotta tell them that the kittens are friends and not food, as well as to tell the kittens that owls are dangerous. Gonna be some work. It'd be better if the owls understood why I'm keeping kittens. Hopefully they will, ya know? she asked, and cocked her head to Zana as she grabbed a kitten by the scruff and then she put the being on her lap and started to pet it's soft downy fur.
