Spirits of the Earth

TW: Eventual mentions of child death.

Key: ++Cortlan Dialect++
**Taluvan Dialect**

The autumn sun hung high in the midday sky over a small parliament of masked and feather cloaked, stone-faced warriors. The wind blew cold this time of year though none of the twelve figures seem moved by it. They stood silent and still, expressions imperceptible beneath their carved owl-like masks, waiting ever patiently at their Western border for their "guests" to arrive.

It had taken months of careful, painstaking communication to reach this point and everyone was rather tense in anticipation, none more so than the most elaborately masked figure in the center. Chief Atsida the Great Horned Owl could feel his heart beating a heavy drum within his breast as his council of four elders and some of his strongest warriors stood with him. There was so much at stake here and so much that could go wrong. But, he truly believed now more than ever that if the Taluvan way of life was to continue then there would need to be more than a forced, tense peace between Talu and its cowardly neighbor, Cortla. It was time for change and with the newly elected leader of Cortla in charge, it might just be possible at last.

Behind him, a taller man placed a heavy hand upon the center of his back in wordless comfort and warning. Squinting into the distance he caught the approach of others in the distance. At his wordless nod, his people rolled out a large bison blanket stitched together of many hides and more than large enough to seat many of those gathered. Atsida and his council stood on the edge of the far side awaiting the group sent to speak with them. A soft breath escapes his lips as the hand pressed warmly into his back as if lending strength before falling away. The Taluvans came seeking peace but if it came to it they would not die without a fight. Every Night Flier stood strong and tall in anticipation but they would not move without orders. So long as Atsida remained ever calm and confident, so too would his people.

   The council had warned, of course, against acting with so much haste so soon. Their eastern border had always been a place of considerable tension, long before Aike Jadon had ever been born. That there was a sudden request from the Taluvan chief to meet, so quickly after the Proving, was suspicious at best. At the council meeting, around candles burned down so low they barely provided light enough to illuminate the faces of the nine gathered there, there had been talk of patience. Patience, patience. It was the wiser choice, of course. Cortla had not survived as well as it had without Grandmother's first lesson.

   However, that didn't make it the correct choice. After all, Cortla and Talu had been skirting each other for so long that no one living remembered otherwise.

   "++Perhaps," Aike had said, voice rough from lack of sleep and hours of speaking, "Talu has been patient quite long enough.++"

   In the end, it wasn't the council's decision. Newly Governor, it was Aike's duty and responsibility to make decisions on their own. They had completed the trials, had proven themself capable, and if that was no longer good enough to decide Cortla's leadership, well... That was an entirely separate problem, Aike supposed. But not a problem they had to contend with. They had heard the council's advice, and the council in turn trusted their choice.

   "++The thread is steady,++" the Webwalkers had said in their cryptic way. All the blessing Aike would ever have needed.

   If they were to be completely honest, the chance to step out of the city was a welcome one. They had been inside the cliffs for several months now, ever since they had put their name in to be considered for the position of Governor. For a trapdoor, a few months had felt like an eternity, with longer months still ahead of them. They certainly did not complain about the opportunity to stretch their legs and feel the sun on their skin from morning to night again.

   With the whole of their former squadron beside them, it was as if they had never been inside Skythread City at all. It was easy to fall back into the habits that had kept them alive so well for the last fourteen years. Stepping lightly, following the hidden trails, catching their food from traps sprung on unsuspecting beasts. Moving in the calm of twilight and preserving their energy at midnight and midday. Each one of their guard was fully armored from neck to toe, their hair pulled back into tight buns. Only Aike still wore their hair loose. They had insisted against paint, as well. A very small but pointed gesture that Cortla was not there to start a fight.

   It was high noon by the time they arrived at the designated meeting place. They had seen the Taluvans from a distance, of course, standing stock still as if they were made of the mountains themselves. There was at least a dozen, as far as Aike could see, but there was Talu's own small pointed gesture:

   Aike could see them.

   "++It seems," they commented quietly as they and their eight companions grew ever closer to the figures waiting on the horizon, "I will not be feeding Grandmother today.++"

   "++It's only noon,++" Sikke quipped from their left side, and Aike had to smile in amusement.

   "++It's only noon.++" They echoed in agreement, before the whole group fell silent for the remaining distance between them and Talu. Upon reaching the hide blanket, they fanned out, four trapdoor soldiers on either side of Aike, who took a step forward and clasped their hands behind their back. They stared across the blanket at those gathered on Talu's side: masked, silent, still. Aike had dealt with the owl warriors before, of course, but this fact did not make the moment any less tense. They were just men, after all, underneath the masks, not demons.

   Men sometimes were worse.

   "Greetings." They spoke loud and steady, careful to be heard well enough over the wind, and also to prove they were not shaking in their boots. "I am Aike Jadon, Governor of Cortla. I am here to speak with Chief Atsida the Great Horned Owl. I and my companions have food and water to share, and certainly will not complain about a chance to rest our legs."

All twelve stood in watchful silence, as the Cortlans approached and made neither movement nor sound at being greeted. At the center of the Taluvans, Atsida finally moved, bobbing his head in greeting and motioning with an open palmed hand for Aike and their company to sit. As he too settled to sit cross-legged, two elders at each elbow six of the Night Fliers settled on their knees behind them, alternating in the directions they faced so some faced the gathered Adelans and other faced away back towards to Talu to watch for any outward threats or ambush. It was the seventh of the Night Fliers who remained standing and directly at the the Great Horned Owl's back. While his companions all had hair loose and waving in the dancing winds, his was as short as a Serenian's, although it made him no less fierce in appearance. This one's stance was grounded and strong with piercing eyes that seemed to also have a bit of mirth in them as he eyed the Cortlans before him. Beneath the mask that hid all but these eyes, there was certainly a devilish grin to match.

The Chieftain turned his head to the side then nodding to one of the elders at the same time revealing his own extremely shorn head of dark hair, so different than the majority of Taluvans with him. It was then that the elder with the intricate carving on the forehead of his mask spoke.

"Before we begin, Chief Great Horned Owl asks if you would honor us by participating in the cleansing and blessing of this space around us against the restless spirits that would claim our faces as their own and steal untruths from our peaceful tongues."

   Aike stepped forward, crossed one foot over the other, and sank down into a sitting position in one fluid movement, hands settled on their knees in a relaxed posture. Once the other Taluvans were seated, the rest of the trapdoors followed suit, sitting just behind and to either side of Aike in the middle.

   "++Cheerful bunch,++" Rakal quietly commented to their left, and Aike only inclined their head in her direction. She didn't speak again.

   Aike looked between the gathered Taluvans, fixing on the man still standing for a long moment before finally dropping their gaze down to Atsida himself. They didn't look to the other speaking, simply holding their gaze to him and trusting their guard to mind the rest.

   "We would be glad to assist. Lies and deceit have no place in Cortla - we would not want to have any here."

Atsida gazed back at the reply only turning to face the Strigi elder as he translated before looking to Aike again with a quiet, respectful nod. He offered a steadying arm as Eyota rose to his feet, slowly chanting and circling the whole party as his feet shuffled to dig a small trench into the earth around them four times over. A hum seemed to fill the air around them then as if charged with electricity that tingled across skin and made tiny hairs stand on end. The lone standing Night Flier let his head fall back and breathed deeply as the chanting elder fell silent before moving his head ear to shoulder first left then right and rolling his shoulders as of to shake the tension away. A soft collective sigh seemed to go through all the Taluvans then as the charge softened and their net of safety passed over them.

It was then that Atsida at last spoke with deep orange eyes focused solely on Aike, his voice deep and strong but also gentle and soft. It was the voice of a warrior but a weathered one who had learned the value of quiet, thoughtful patience. His words though were not in the same Ketran dialect that Aike had chosen to greet him with but instead Atsida's native Taluvan one. The now reseated Strigi translated effortlessly.

"Chief Great Horned Owl thanks you for meeting with him, Governor Jadon. He says that it is good to see you in good health and good humor and he hopes that this meeting will be the first of many on such peaceful terms. He also congratulated you again on your recent successful overtaking of leadership for Cortla."

   Aike kept their eyes on Atsida, though they could feel their trapdoor guard tense behind them. It was always risky, letting magic be done. For all the Cortlans really knew, it was a way to trap them in place, where crossing the barrier would steal their very heartbeats away. It could have been something to pacify them while the warriors stood and cut them all down.

   It could have been many things. But the way the air was, the way the Taluvans sat rigid -- well, mostly sat except for the one behind Atsida, that one gave them pause -- the way the ground itself felt beneath all of them gathered...

   There was tension, but none of the jittery kind that preluded an ambush. It was the kind of tension you saw when two predators used the same river to drink from: wary, on guard... but ultimately not on the hunt. Aike breathed deeply, fought the urge to shiver against the charge in the air, and waited for the ceremony to finish. Took another breath when the charge faded and all nine of them were still alive.

   "Overtake is a strong word. A Governor simply guides, and there is no force on the Earth that will guide a man towards something he doesn't want." Aike tilted their head and offered a short smile, as if to shrug the matter off entirely and assure there had been no insult taken. "Thank you for reaching out to me. I, too, hope for continued efforts towards peace between our territories."

   Aike turned slightly in their sitting position to open their satchel, pulling out four larger wrapped bundles and a fifth, much smaller one. The smaller they opened immediately, and from another pocket they produced a small stone pipe, the contents of the former packed expertly into the latter with the tip of their thumb.

   "++Rakal, if you would be so kind.++" They said, holding the pipe out to their left. Rakal, without taking her eyes from the Taluvans, focused the heat of the day down to a pinpoint and lit the pipe with a simple gesture of her hand. Aike took a long breath from it before passing the pipe to their left to share with their guards. Aike wrapped the smaller bundle back up and tucked it away, and turned their attention on the four larger ones.

   "As I said, I have food to share, if you and yours are feeling adventurous." Aike smiled again, and unrapped the bundles one by one to reveal several different and distinctly Cortlan dishes. The skewered locusts looked particularly appetizing after their long march from the city, seared and sticky with peppery sauce. The other choices were a bit more accessible: fried dough stuffed with goat cheese and pepper jelly, shards of brightly colored candies, and some jerkied meat.

   To prove they were safe, Aike selected one of each for themself, while the trapdoors behind them took out their own rations in between taking in smoke.

It was the Elder Wingmaster that inhaled sharply and tensed, her head snapping to the right to look at Atsida and Eyota both as Aike lit and shared their pipe around. Atsida moved his hand ever so slightly in a staying motion and shook his head almost imperceptibly. He reached then for his own side pouch to pluck out some tobacco and holding the dried leaves out for the wind to grab and dance away with. "**We always offer to our ancestors first to remind them they are as unforgotten to us as we are to them,**" he explained allowing Eyota to translate for him while he worked to light his pipe, carefully slipping the specifically curved end under his mask to take a couple puffs before leaning across the blanket some and offering it with two hands to Aike. Behind him the tall warrior shifted his stance and raised his chin, watching like a bird of prey to ensure his Chief was kept safe.

"**Do they bring us bugs too because they think we are truly birds that cannot hunt? I would have expected mice if they truly wanted to drive the insult home!**" One Night Flier whispered behind the others.

"**They bring us what they themselves value and eat out of respect for our Chief. You would do wise not to embarrass him further speaking behind his back,**" the tall one replied offering a withering look to the younger, female Night Flier who straightened and pointedly returned to watching the horizon. He then tapped the chief on the shoulder motioning with his chin at the skewers wordlessly.

Atsida in turn sighed softly, letting the Elder continue to translate for him alone. "**Thank you for your generosity. My people are not used to seeing such fare and are curious what the red is. We hope you will also accept drink. We have brought skins of tea good for after long journeys and longer talks,**" he said, the last bit coming out softer as if with a bit of knowing amusement that was not translated with the same emotion all inflection by the Elder.

   "++Someone struck a nerve.++" Rakal commented idly even as she took in a long breath of smoke and passed the stone pipe along. "++What was it you said about not being able to guide a man where he doesn't want to go?++"

   "++We will see.++" Was all Aike gave her in reply. They watched, carefully, as Atsida took out his own pouch, listening to the explanation and mouth quirking to the side in amusement. They leaned forward as well, taking Atsida's offered pipe and breathing in before passing it back to him.

   Aike held their breath for a moment, before letting the smoke billow out in a small cloud. It gave them another moment to feel out beneath them, along the tense and plucked threads woven together tightly between the seated Taluvans. More tenseness. But again, a lack of anticipation. Mostly. Aike squinted a bit as trying to feel deeper into the standing man came back confusingly... Aike did not have the words for it.

   Instead, they chose to focus on the task at hand.

   "For us, we burn our offerings. Admittedly, a very convenient practice." One or two trapdoors behind them laughed quietly as the small pipe continued back around to where Aike could refill it again. "But our offerings are rarely just tobacco."

   They pointed at the food, going slowly to allow for easier translation as they gestured one after the other.

   "The red is made from peppers. It's a slow heat, it very much likes to sneak up on you than arrive all at once, but the flavor has with it a kind of smokiness. I thought, perhaps, you might enjoy that a bit better than ones that burn immediately. If not, please try the candy or jerky. Those are not nearly as spicy.

   "As for tea... I would be very glad for a cup, thank you."

After accepting the pipe back, Atsida reached forward to take a skewer. He passed the pipe along to his right allowing it to be sent around to the others while he carefully pulled a grasshopper off it and lifted his mask just so with his hand hiding his face to take a bite. Only then did he lower said mask again and  offer the skewer above him for the warrior to take. This one was far less delicate but equally protective of keep his face covered and hidden. He ate the other three quickly, smacking his lips as the aforementioned heat began to build and burn his mouth until he was trying to hide the need that fan his mouth. Below him Atsida shook with silently laughter knowing well what the issue was as he too felt the warmth less intensely and worked on filling a few wooden cups with sun-warmed tea.

"**Eat and drink your fill. I hope to recognise us as all among friends here. After you can perhaps tell me of your opinion of our shared border.**"

   Aike was having the hardest time resisting their grin. They knew the dance all too well of someone who was not accustomed to peppers eating an abundance of them. It was too hard to resist a chuckle, and they could only hope it wasn't taken as mocking. They polished off their own skewer quite quickly, utterly unaffected by the heat as they took their cup of tea with a little nod upwards to the standing warrior.

   "If it is too much, have some of the bread. There are more peppers, but the cheese will help."

   Aike took the opportunity to sip at their tea, enjoying it for a moment as they considered Atsida's words. It was, after all, the reason for this little picnic in the first place, and couldn't be avoided forever. The other gathered Taluvans certainly seemed on edge in more ways than one, and Aike was reminded of how much their own council had cautioned them against venturing out to the border at all.

   Old hatreds. Not that Aike wasn't guilty of it, too. For the past fourteen years they had travelled across Cortla, along every road and path and all the spaces in between. They had been personally involved in border skirmishes before. Under the previous Governor, it hadn't escalated into all-out war, but neither were there any attempts to ease the tensions back to fully prevent one, either. There had been plenty of times in their youth that Aike had been sure they'd be painting their face and marching to the east. Luckily, their excitement for such a thing quickly burned away with each subsequent brush with the Taluvans' own border patrols.

   And now they had a chance to do something about it. It hadn't been on their top list of priorities from the beginning, certainly. But the arrival of Atsida's letter after they took office was... almost perfect. The hatreds were old, very, very old. And it was high time a broom was taken to that corner and all the dust and empty cobwebs swept away.

   Aike took a few bites of their stuffed bread, before setting that down and idly smoking.

   "I hope you will allow me to tell a story. Out in the wilds, water is precious. Far away from the mountains where the snow can melt, you must take every chance you can get before noon." They gestured vaguely upwards to where the sun was shining down directly above them. "Our cousins, those of Grandmother, they learned a long time ago that early each morning, water will collect on their webs, before the morning mists are burned away in the daylight. Now, these webs might also be damaged from prey, from other, larger animals, or something else.  After a fashion... the web is beyond use.

   "So our cousins, they learned to eat their webs. To take down what no longer serves them, drink the water, and start anew. Every month, when the moon goes dark, we do the same. We look to the spaces in our homes and ourselves, and we clear away what no longer serves us. We drink deep, and we start anew. I think... and I suspect you do as well, that how we view the borders is in need of sweeping."

"**Oh no,**" Atsida breathed in quiet amusement as the standing warrior stubbornly took another skewer instead and munched away while doing nothing to abate the heat. The Chieftain knew just how much he would be paying for that himself once nightfall came and Enoka was free to make his displeasures known. He did nothing to stop him though instead assisting in distributing food and drink among both parties as well as partaking minimally himself. Food for him still tasted as ash to his mouth for many months now and he had lost considerable weight because of it. He wished to offer no insult to Aike and Cortla but food was merely a chore these days and Atsida did not wish to waste offerings he himself could not enjoy.

Instead he listened intently, nodding his head before the full translation was even finished in understanding. He too as a young man remembered the days of walking the circle ahead of the rest to beat back invaders or those that drew too close or threatened their hunting parties for food. He and Enoka as boys had made the daylight owl cries as loudly and enthusiastically as the rest. But age and responsibility had taught Atsida there was more to life and sustaining a nation than the hunt and the play and the scuffle. One wrong move and everything could be lost.

And he had lost...

He had lost one of his greatest treasures and joys in life. It was this very loss that had allowed him to write the letter, each painstaking stroke of ink to paper made by his own unpracticed hand. Even among his people and the Parliament of Elders his choice had caused division. Taluvans were fiercely protective of their culture and did not embrace change easily if it threatened tradition. Atsida himself had always strived to find the balance between the two. To survive meant to go forward into the future but tradition was not to be forsaken in its entirety. So with the newly appointed Governor in place and the recent loss, Atsida had remained firm in seeking this newfound opportunity. He remembered what it was to be young and full of hope. He hoped the young man sitting across from him was filled with the same aspirations and dreams. The fact that Aike had come was a good omen, he hoped.

"**I think it is time we refocused our efforts as in the days before our father's fathers to who the true enemy here is and that the problem our territories face goes beyond either Cortla or Talu. We have spent more time triggering traps and notching arrows than we have perhaps guarding our borders beyond each other. It is my opinion that Cortla, while a formidable territory made of fierce and innovative warriors,**" he continued with a respectful tilt of his head to those seated across from him, "**is not at all who Talu should be working against or focusing on anymore than perhaps Cortla should be concerned of Talu. Both our territories have enough land and resources to support our people and to live peacefully. I think that it is time we did so before these childish skirmishes between our lands becomes far more serious or worse, our growing problem blindsides us both while we are too busy quibbling over invisible lines in the grass.**"

   In a flash, something cold ran underground, along those knotted threads and down into nothingness. Aike's breath hitched for the sheer depth of it, as if they had run headlong into the deepest winter snows while wearing absolutely nothing. Just as quickly, however, the feeling passed, leaving them staring somewhat as they recovered from the sharp emotion.

   "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," they intoned softly, taking a deep breath of smoke and sighing it out again. "I agree, in that Cortla is not interested in taking land. Our cliffs keep us safe. There would be very little of Talu that would interest us. Of that... I don't believe you've ever had a reason to fear. Abandoning our ways doesn't come lightly, as I'm sure you understand."

   They inclined their head, though they kept their eyes on Atsida's masked face as if that would somehow show his expression if they just looked hard enough.

   "We enjoy our place in the world. We enjoy our cliffs. The roads carry plenty of trade. ...What would Talu ask of us?"

There was a stiffness in Atsida’s shoulders as a tension deeper than peace talks between territories sunk deep within his bones and squeezed at his insides. This was for more than just him and his family, this was for all the families of Talu. There had to be change if there was to be survival and while the first step had been arduous it was nothing in comparison to the second. He had no shadow of doubt that the people of Cortla would not only take offense to his request but also likely refuse. But, he had to try. There would be no peace if he did not try.

“**We have long faced a problem that stems from your borders. Caravans of slavers and raiders pour in through your mountain passages unchecked and down into our plains wreaking irrevocable damage not only to the earth but our people. What they do not steal, they murder. What they cannot keep when caught, they slaughter. This cannot continue. The passages must be sealed.**”

   Oh, that was definitely something. The force of it made Aike blink, as if flinching would somehow cause the sensation to wash over them, but the threads just continued to rattle and so Aike simply had to steady themself against it, breathing deep before finishing their tea and setting the empty cup down.

   Atsida's words, however, made them freeze completely. Even their trapdoors, who had by that point settled into a more relaxed state, grew as still and silent as if they were standing watch over a passing traveller in the wilds. The tension on Cortla's side of the blanket returned full force, and this time Aike knew there was no getting around it.

   Aike took another breath, and sat up a little more, their hands back on their knees to show Atsida had their full attention. They pressed their full lips into a line for a moment, searching for the right words.

   "I wish for you to understand, I feel for your concerns. Truly. Even if I could guarantee that these raiders would no longer be able to haunt you through those roads, which is not the case, the amount of damage we would need to do to the mountains to completely seal them is... dangerous. I am sorry, Chief Atsida Great Horned Owl. But I cannot risk harm to Cortla's people like that."

   "Dangerous" was certainly the understatement of the century. Cortla had managed their canyon cities so well only because they had learned where the cliffs could handle the digging, how deep, how much - the mountain passes, narrow though they were, were untouched purely because of how little could be affected without the earth revolting against it. To create enough rubble to block off the passes would certainly cause even more to collapse. Not even to mention the crucial reason for those passes to exist in the first place: In case Cortla's soldiers failed to keep the cities, there were ways for Grandmother's children to hide away in the mountains. With those escapes cut off...

   Aike shook their head again, and sighed.

   "I understand this is important to you. As Governor, I am responsible for all of my people, and I cannot choose yours over them. But I believe there is a solution we can find that will work best for both of us."

Enoka shifted his stance pressing his knees flush against Atsida's shoulders as his own straightened and broadened like a bird puffing up in front of a threaten. The sudden increased tension did not escape any of the Taluvans as it sent unseen ripples through them all. Only Atsida seemed rather unaffected and still. He understood this tension and did not find it a threaten as it was that of a wary defense and not a decisive attack.

"**There are means to close those passages without harming your mountain further but there are no ways to continue to protect my people if they are left open. I think you will have a far larger problem on your hands if your entire eastern border is left open because we are no longer here to maintain it. Whether you like it or not Cortla and Talu are not mutually exclusive. We stood together to be Adelan. Our ways of life may be different but my people should matter to you as we hold a very specific purpose in your way of life as you do in ours. We are at Cortlan mercy currently for our survival but you say we do not matter as much? We rely on you to manage those passes. The threats are not coming from my lands but yours. How can I protect my people, if you refuse to help us? How many more of us need to disappear before it becomes a concern for you?**"

   "That is not what I said." Aike's eyes narrowed some, one finger raised in warning. They glanced to the side to the translator, mouth thinning some once more, before returning to stare at Atsida again. "I said, I am the Governor. My duty is to Cortla. I cannot choose your people over mine. I said nothing about Talu's people not mattering. I said nothing about refusing to help you."

   Aike took a deep breath to steady themself and release some of the anger that had boiled up. It wasn't just them, either - they could hear Rakal muttering under her breath, could feel the heat of the collective insult on each trapdoor behind them.

   "I want to find a solution that will not put my people in harm's way. What you are asking of me, it will most assuredly do so. But I do not wish for Talu to be left open to interlopers, either. You are correct, we need one another, as Adelans and as people and as creatures sharing a world. But your solution will threaten Cortla's survival. There must be a balance."

"**So he can act all insulted but offers nothing to actually help us," bemoaned the previously warned Night Flier. "Worthless, cowardly, Cortlan Spider. Should just go crawl back into your fragile little webs to wait to die and be eaten. Why should we have expected anything from these craven fools? Always last to act and waiting for the winds to turn in their favor instead of actually caring!**" in her fury she made to grab something at her waist but no sooner did her fingers graze it before Enoka of all people tackled her to the ground. Within seconds he had her on her feet and was dragging her back away from the group even as Atsida seemed to deflate slightly and rubbed at the forehead of his mask in weary agitation.

"**I will not repeat the insult sent your way as we are not here to quarrel but to find balance. Oolha is young and does not yet understood how lengthy talks of peace and compromise can be. Please understand that while inappropriate and not shared by myself, her views and words come from a place of concern and fear. We have lost many this past year and more still continue to disappear with each passing moon.**"

He paused then to look to those at his left and right with a steely tone in his voice that brooked no argument. "**I will not permit further unwarranted outbursts such as this from my people." His eyes returned to meet Aike's then as he placed an open hand over his heart, "I deeply apologize to you Governor Aike Jadon. That being said Oolha does bring to a light a truthful point. What would you propose instead?"

   The moment Oolha moved, the trapdoors were on their feet in a single fluid motion. It proved to be unnecessary, and even those readiest to fight were left standing rather awkwardly as the tall warrior hauled the angry Taluvan woman off like a naughty bobcat kitten. Aike watched for a long moment, and only when the pair were suitably far away did they raise their hand and gesture for their guard to sit down again.

   In the same single motion, they all returned to their positions, though it was clear there would be no further relaxation on their part. Even Aike had to admit they had a good point in that regard. As much as they would have liked to continue to share peacefully, there was clearly less of an intent from others towards that end. Aike gave their guard a moment to pack away their food and tobacco, and waited for their silence to resume speaking.

   "I have spoken the truth. I feel for your concerns. I do not wish ill upon your people." They let that sentence hang in the air for a long moment, taking the time to look all the gathered Taluvans in their hidden, masked faces. "Raiders from the south are a blight upon us all. We already have many outposts along our southern passageways. And, as you no doubt are very aware, Chief Great Horned Owl, we have many outposts along our eastern borders as well."

   Aike considered for a very long moment, tapping a finger against their knee and mentally mapping out the trapdoor patrols and outposts. They would have truly preferred to keep smoking, it always helped them ponder difficult decisions, but the time for idleness had long since passed.

   "Pulling our southern guard up and into the passes will only open our cities to the same threats you wish to escape. We would be vulnerable, and covering the mountain passes will be for nothing if Cortla were to be wiped out." Aike looked up and into Atsida's mask then. "However... if it came to be that our eastern guard had far less to look out for, Cortla could reasonably reposition them to the mountain passes. We could set up better barricades and keep both of our lands safe."

   Aike gestured around them, at the long stretch of land that served as the border between their two territories, with bright red threads hanging from posts and swaying lightly in the winds.

   "I want to help you. Will you trust me to do so, and pull back from our border?"

Atsida sighed heavily. His weariness went beyond his embarrassment and frustration over how poorly things were turning. It was the cumulation of countless sleepless nights, of endless hoarse arguments and discussions, of hundreds of silent, lonely hours of reflection. All of his heartache had led him to this confrontation and he was not about to squander it by letting his emotions get the better of him.

"**What you ask of us is equally impossible. The monitoring of our western border is all that protects us from the evil in your mountains. You ask for trust without giving any to us. Move your men and women if you must but it should make no difference whether my people are still there or not. I still have my own people to look out for. What sense of security and safety do I leave them with if I return with your word of change and take away their only shroud of safety, as thing as it may be?**"

   Aike breathed their own sigh of frustration.

   "Please look at this from my perspective. Our people have fought at this border for longer than I've been alive. I've spent years patrolling here, I know how my people feel about getting too close."

   Aike sighed again.

   "I am willing to take steps to protect Talu. I will be able to put more soldiers in the mountains and fight back the raiders. But I cannot completely abandon our border with Talu if you insist on keeping your full forces here. That will not make my people feel any more safe."

   They turned their head from side to side, grunting softly as the movement allowed them to crack their neck and relieve some of the built up tension there.

   "...Half. Promise to reduce your forces by half, and I will be able to pull half of my outposts into the mountains. When they are settled there, when the passages are made that much safer, we can discuss reducing the patrols even more."

"**I am older than you, young one. I remember when our little border skirmishes were more than little or without casualties. I and the eldest among us here bear the scars of these encounters as well as some of your own I'm sure. I have seen the leadership of Cortla change hands many times not just since my boyhood but also in my time as Chieftain alone. You will have to forgive us our wariness given that this is not the first time we have come to Cortla, seeking compromise. Skirmishes are one thing but our shared southern threat has already wrought irreparable damage for myself and my people.**"

He paused then with another soft sigh. Beside him the Elders leaned in to whisper among themselves. The Master Night Flier shook his head repeatedly, his words clipped and short while the Master Talon pled for reason, all the while Atsida sat as still as the mountains to the south, enduring the winds and words swirling all about him.

It was during the quibbling that Enoka suddenly returned, alone and as silently swift as a shadow. He resumed his stance behind Atsida but his eyes were focused on Aike's. "Oolha will not be returning," he intoned in perfect Ketran, his voice as light and playful as that of a confident man. "Sorry to startle you Little Spiders. Do not be afraid though as we will not allow even one of our own to harm you so long as you come here seeking peace. At least so long as you don't say please first," he chuckled even as the Master Wingmaster reached out to strike his thigh and admonish him. Enoka simply winked at Aike while reaching to place a hand on Atsida's broad shoulder, lending him his own calm strength.

The Taluvan chief held up a hand begging silence from his people who were still all squabbling for different reasons. "**It is the time of year when my people pass our shared border on our way to the south where we winter within the shadow of the mountain. I cannot pull my people now when there are so many vulnerable to protect from more than just Cortlan posturing. Once they have passed by I can reduce the patrols that regularly run that path but not before. Would that be acceptable to you?**"

"What of the mountain?" Enoka interrupted, ignoring how the Parliament glared and some of the Night Fliers shifted in amusement to hide snickers. "Our people shelter against it in the winter but I abs others have seen Cortlans there too peeking out at us. We cannot be expected to remove our patrols there as well surely."

   Aike was beginning to get annoyed. They kept their face neutral, of course, rather than expressing how much they were running out of patience for this meeting. The sudden return of the tall warrior did only a small amount to alleviate that tension, and Aike was fairly disappointed because at any other venture the joking (and mutually understood language) would have been a welcome relief.

   As it was, they could only sit there in silence while the Taluvans chattered and sniped among themselves, and did their best to remember Grandmother's greatest lesson: Patience, patience, patience. Aike straightened their back and schooled their breathing, taking in slow inhales through their nose and exhaling through pursed lips. Beneath all the squabbling, they could hear several of their trapdoors doing the same, and knew tempers were starting to run very thin.

   Once more, they held up a single finger, mouth in a tight line as they regarded the Taluvans gathered there.

   "I did not say that. Chief Great Horned Owl, for all your years of wisdom, surely you can see the benefit of extending me the courtesy of actually listening to my words. I did not say I had more experience than anyone else gathered here. I simply bring you knowledge of how the Cortlan people will feel if I were to leave our borders completely unmanned."

   It really would be so much easier if they could just see the Taluvans' damn faces. It was hard to tell what was going on in their heads, whether Aike's words were truly being lost in translation or they were all simply ignoring what Aike was trying to say. Which wouldn't have been so bad if they all hadn't collectively decided to put words in Aike's mouth, and it took a fair bit of personal reasoning to not assume the Taluvans were just mocking them now. Especially since it seemed there were more people versed in the Ketran dialect than they'd previously believed.

   "I also did not say that you had to remove every last one of your patrols that could possibly come into contact with Cortla," they said, a bit more sharply now. "I said I wanted a promise. I want Talu's word that if I pull half of my soldiers into the mountains to cover the passes there, Talu will honor the agreement to not patrol our eastern border with the same fervor that we have both witnessed in the past. I am asking you for the courtesy of easing my people's fears once we have eased yours."

   Aike stared right into Atsida's mask.

   "Can I trust your word?"

Yet another beleaguered sigh escaped Atsida’s lips to the exhausted point where he found himself leaning more of his weight back against Enoka’s legs and thereby earn himself another comforting shoulder squeeze. “**I fear we are having some form of miscommunication or error in translation Governor Aike Jadon. I must ask for your cool-headed patience in this regard as I am not seeking to offend or insult. I never wished to accuse you of such things only commiserate in shared understanding. I too have fought the same battles you have only standing on the other side. It is as fresh in my memory as yours. It is as real a concern for the people of Talu as it is for those of Cortla I’m sure. I am not diminishing by any means your concerns or experiences, only wishing to express my understanding. If I have caused you offense though please accept my apology it was done so unknowingly.**”

Atsida place his hand to his heart bending low in a show of vulnerable contrition before straightening again. “**I believe,” he continued shooting a warning glare up at the standing man, “that Enoka Stormcleaver here’s concern is less that you are asking us to remove everything and more how your people will feel with our people still so close as we are every winter.l and less patrols elsewhere. We are not looking to create fear for your people as it only breeds unrest that will come back to bite us. If you feel this will not be a problem then...yes, you can trust our word. If you can wait for the seasons to change, then we will temporarily reduce our numbers along the border until our territories can come up with a more permanent solution that suits us both.**”

   Slowly, ever so slowly, Aike began to relax again. At the very least, it didn't seem as if it were Atsida himself looking to wind them up tighter than a bridge's knot. The throbbing anger from behind them faded just as slowly, but it was fading nonetheless. Aike was certain several of their guard were rolling their shoulders just to get the tension out.

   "Winter is not a concern. After all, we'll be increasing our patrols in the mountains, the better to deal with potential raiders and slaver caravans. It is purely this border here that I am concerned with." Aike gestured backwards to their home, and the broad emptiness of the badlands in between distant mesas. "That is a lot of open ground. A lot of emptiness to leave unguarded. ...So long as I can trust Talu to not march to our doorstep come summer... I believe we can make this work. For now."

   Aike looked at those gathered around Atsida, and considered for a long moment.

   "And in between... we can continue to meet. Find out what concerns we still have, and work together for the betterment of both of our people."

He nodded in thought with each spoken and translated word. "**Aye because come summer this arrangement may not hold. My concern with reducing our numbers is less to do with a Cortlan invasion and more to do with that is a lot of land on both our territories left on light guard. With a full party on both sides or even on one then should something beyond either of our controls occurs then we have others at our back to help. Until then though, we shall reduce our numbers as promised and arrive to make the necessary changes to protect Talu and Cortla both...for our children,**" he added with a hesitant softness that rang out in more than just words but also in the weary slump of strong shoulders and downcast sadness of his eyes.

With a shake of his head, Atsida cleared his personal thoughts away and addressed Aike with refocused attention. "**Talu has asked much of you but when we came to you seeking compromise, was there anything Cortla would ask of us? We do not seek to only take abs give nothing in return in terms of demands.**"

   Aha, now there it was. The same feeling that had shocked their system before now came back, though it was more of a slow rolling tremor than the sharp shake it had been before. Aike looked at how Atsida sad, felt him through the web, saw how closely cut his hair was. Aike hadn't dared assume anything before, but now with this...

   For our children.

   Oolha's outburst.

   How quickly the Taluvans were to tense and squawk like angry crows.

   Aike had been telling the truth. They did feel for Talu's plight: the unification had brought with it so much relief and safety, but nothing was ever truly safe. And as hard as Cortla worked to keep the southern passes free and clear, there were those who worked just as hard to make them less so.

   They were all only human, after all.

   Aike hummed quietly in thought.

   "Honestly, what I have asked for is the gesture I needed to know our agreement would be in good faith. Simply knowing that we will not be attacked for being within sight of the border will be enough. For as long as our arrangement holds, at any rate." They tilted their head some, less on edge now that it seemed there was some headway to be made and this all hadn't been just a colossal waste of time. "Perhaps, when we meet again, we can see if there is anything more either of our people need. I have much to catch my advisors up on, as it already stands."

"Cortla truly wants for nothing?" The Master Wingmaster piped up before Atsida could respond. "We come to you but there is nothing you would ask selfishly of your own? You only ask us to reduce our numbers out of good faith and so you can meet the needs of our own request. It is an insult to our Chief to make us come to you like beggars."

"Let him, voice his own insult," Enoka interrupted only to fall silent at Atsida's staying hand. There was some quiet discourse that followed as words were translated and the Wingmaster attempted to argue further with Atsida who continuously shook his head having none of it.

   Aike was utterly baffled. They shook their head with both eyebrows raised in disbelief at the Master Wingmaster's outburst.

   "I am beginning to believe," they said very slowly and very quietly, "that there is very little Cortla could say or do that would not immediately be seen as some kind of insult. Talu is already asking very much of us. It will be hard work building new outposts in the mountains, setting up supply lines, reworking entire patrols, trusting that we will not be immediately betrayed..."

   Aike narrowed their eyes, though this time it was entirely in the Wingmaster's own direction rather than through Atsida.

   "I will not be ruining such a fragile friendship so quickly by getting greedy. If your conscience demands you pay more, cousin, then by all means, offer more. However, I expect nothing further from Chief Great Horned Owl."

Enoka snorted and even winked beneath his mask at Aike and the Cortlans, highly amused at the uppity Elder being told to essentially sit down and be silent. It was also Enoka with great amusement who translated for Atsida as the Elder Wingmaster fumbled for words.

"Chief Great Horned Owl wishes to know what resources and supplies you might require to ease your burden. He can make no promises that Talu can make good on everything but he is willing to offer whatever help he may. Because some of us are actually good men. Self not included of course," Enoka teased with another wink and an unseen smirk beneath his mask, earning him yet another seat from the Chief who well knew that tone having heard it many times since their boyhood.

   Aike could really not make heads or tails of the standing warrior - Enoka, was it? He was the only one still on his feet, the only one who might have proven a lingering threat, if he hadn't been acting as if this whole thing weren't genuinely just a picnic. His hair was just as short as Atsida's, but he carried none of the tone of dire need that the rest of the talk had been. Nor any of the other Taluvans' outright hostility.

   Still, he made for a better translator than the Wingmaster, and so Aike was all too happy to carry on as if the man didn't exist and go through Enoka instead. Aike snorted quietly in amusement.

   "If Chief Great Horned Owl insists," Aike lifted their empty teacup, "I certainly would not say no to more of that tea. He was right, it does help after a long journey."

    After a moment, they gestured back down to the half-eaten bundles still set between them.
"There's still one skewer left for you, if you can handle it."

Atsida did not need to understand the words to recognize Aike's gesture. He more than eagerly refilled their cup as well as any of the other Cortlans that desired more. "**I have one last request to make,**" he spoke softly, allowing Enoka to translate even as the other man mock squinted and accepted the last skewer with more teasing over how he wished there were ten more not just the one. "**Would you honor me Governor Aike Jadon by sharing my pipe again so that our new friendship may part ways on a happier note?**"

   Aike took a long sip of tea, their trapdoors also leaning in for refills of their own, knowing full well it would be a long walk back to the city, and they would not see their homes until well into the early morning.

   "++I also wish we had ten more skewers.++" Rakal said over her own cup. "++He looked about to thrash just after one.++"

   "++If there is to be more talks, we should bring the very hot ones.++" Sikke agreed.

   Aike chuckled lowly at that, before turning their attention back onto Atsida. A bit more at ease, they inclined their head forward in quiet acceptance.

   "I will, of course, smoke to a new friendship."

Enoka ate despite the scrunched up faces at the heat mostly hidden behind his mask. He still plied Atsida with the last two grasshoppers who nibbled at one albeit very slowly. The Chief wished to offer up no further insult but he'd had little stomach for food and even now despite having eaten so little, he was not hungry for more. He did offer up leaves to the wind before lighting his pipe for a few puffs and passing it reverently on to Aike.

"**Do you have provisions enough for your journey back or have we eaten them all on you? You will of course be taking one of the skins of tea with you. My wife would be quite cross if I allowed weary travelers to leave without it,**" Atsida offered graciously even as Enoka raised his brows and quipped much to every Taluvan's deep amusement, "**she would?**"

   Aike leaned forward and took the pipe just as carefully, taking a few puffs and relaxing even further for it. They passed the pipe back soon after, and wrapped up what remained of the bundles again.

   "We have our provisions, rest assured. These were just something a bit more special than our usual patrol fare. It suited a special time." Aike smiled some and pushed the tied up bundles towards Atsida. "Consider it a trade with your wife for the tea. At least save her some of the candies."

"**Yes because that will go over so well,**" snarked Enoka as he accepted the parcels from Atsida.

"**Behave yourself, Enoka. You have run your mouth far too much in front of our new friends who are jumpy enough as it is when it comes to perceived insult.**"

"**It is not exactly as if Hummingbird has not made her displeasure clear on this Atsida.**"

The Chief scowled slightly shaking his head at Enoka before bobbing his head in thanks twice to Aike. He rose to his feet then with some effort, Enoka catching his elbow very quickly before letting go so as to not show weakness as the Night Fliers assisted the other Elders to their feet and packed their own things.

"**I look forward to meeting with you again in the future, my friend. If you find you require something you need only ask. I'm afraid though we too have a long walk home as well and should be on our way. It has been an honor to meet with you Governor Aike Jadon. I look forward too to seeing all that comes to pass beneath your wings.**"

   In the same, graceful motion that seemed like no effort at all, the Cortlans rose to their feet, their gear stowed away once more and each with their hands clasped behind their backs. Aike inclined their head again, deeply towards Atsida, and then with another smaller nod to the rest.

   "Until we next speak, Chief Atsida the Great Horned Owl. I hope your walk home is an easier one."

   Aike turned away then, stepping away from the blanket and back towards the Cortlan territory, taking the main road back while they were still visible to the Taluvans. Their guard followed suit, turning in two at a time with a few steps between them, marching in silence until they were well out of earshot.

   "++That could have gone worse.++" Sikke observed.

   "++It's something to take back with us.++" Aike replied. In truth, it was more than they could have hoped for. For how the council had acted, it seemed the more likely scenario was for Aike to return with a few more scars to them.

   "++One year of not having to chase each other around the border? I'll certainly take it.++" Rakal quipped. "++Councilmember Oda will be less than pleased, though.++"

   "++Councilmember Oda needs to mind the Funnel where he's needed.++" Sikke growled.

   "++Enough, enough. We're not dead and we're not at war. That should be plenty to celebrate on its own.++" Aike chided gently. They stretched their arms high above their head as they walked, grunting softly as their shoulders popped nicely. The further they got, the less tense they felt, and it was easy to fall into the same idle chatter that had taken the Cortlans from the city to the border, their pace steady even as they stepped off the road and out into the hidden paths through the wild.

The Taluvans also took their leave with some Night Fliers running ahead while others flanked their sides and the final few took up the rear. It did. It take long before they did what Taluvans were known for and disappeared into the long grasses in nearly a blink of an eye. Enoka walked beside Atsida for several paces as the Elders complained and argued mainstream themselves behind the pair.

"**You did not eat,**" Enoka stated, his tone reproachful as he gazed down at the weary chief.

"**And your mouth is still aflame I'm sure...he is young, the Cortlan Governor. His predecessor would have demanded more of us. It was a mistake to bring Oolha. I should have taken her grief into account. That was my own fault—**"

"**You grieve too Little Owl. She is responsible for her own actions.**" Enoka cursed then as he touched something in his belt pouch. "**I must go back. I forgot something. I will be quick,**" he declared then not even waiting for an answer as he took off across the plains and into Cortlan territory after the peace party, following their tracks with ease even as they diverged off the path into the wilds.

As Enoka drew closer though he called out to them, not because he did not relish a skirmish but because he knew it would disappoint Atsida and that was the last thing he wishes to do. "Governor!" He called out, his voice laced with amusement. "I know how much you've missed me already so I've come to grant you one more look!"

   Aike felt the ground before they heard Enoka's voice. The thread below plucked in rapidfire warning, the footsteps that heralded an arrival. They froze in place and turned sharply, the quick motion setting their guard on edge as each one drew their knives.

   Only to immediately relax to spot just the one owl running after them. Aike tilted their head and only just caught his words. They snorted in amusement, and sheathed their own knives, a signal to the rest of their guard to do much the same.

   "How very kind of you to think of my emotional well-being, Enoka Stormcleaver." Aike smirked as they turned around and walked back to meet him partway, their hands back behind their back. "What may I help you with?"

Enoka chuckles as he slowed his approach to finally stop before the willowy figure of the Cortlan leader, his own broader frame towering over them. "The others will not say as they are too focused on retaining honor, and Atsida on not causing insult, but I fear neither of these things so you are in luck. I wish to show you the weapon that Oolha Firewing was so intent upon clubbing you with, if I may. She wanted you to have it."

   Each one of the Cortlans blinked altogether owlishly at Enoka, utterly surprised by his words and the almost comically casual way he spoke them. Aike was, temporarily, at a loss for words. A weapon? Clubbing?

   "Uh... Very well, then." Aike eyed him expectantly, though they maintained a fair distance just in case. Again, they got no hint of hostility from this man, but again, they didn't really get much of a hint of anything. "If that is her wish."

Still chuckling he reached with no amount of haste into the pouch at his side and produced if all things a medium-sized dried grass doll. This he under-hand tossed to Aike as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck side to side. "The slavers came through again several moons ago. They murdered her mother and stole her little sister. We searched for them and the other children for days. In the end all we recovered were mutilated and abandoned bodies along the mountain caverns."

Any humor that had graced Enoka's features and tone was now gone as he spoke with a detached seriousness. There was no accusation in his words but there was a heavy charge to the air around him like the smell of rain before a heavy storm.

"That doll was all Firewing found of her sister and she is one of the lucky ones. I was among those that carried the bodies of our owlets home. I am not among those that outright blame you for this though, Governor. Nor is Atsida. But you should know of their loss, of their pain. Your people should know. Because if things continue we will run out of owlets and when we do, your own will be next and you will not want to witness the screams of childless mothers when it does.

"This is why he begs for the closure of those passages. He's not trying to take advantage of Cortla, or your recent Proving. Atsida is a good man. Better than you may ever know." Enoka nodded lightly, picking his words carefully. "I hope Cortla is able to remember that when they decide Talu's fare going forward, and do not hold Taluvan grief against us."

   Aike started a bit at the toss, bringing their hands around to quickly catch the doll. They almost wished they hadn't - they heard Enoka speak as if through water in a tunnel, distant and faded beneath the thundering roar of their pulse in their ears. Quick. Frantic. Desperate.

   Pleading.

   Aike sucked in a sharp breath, and like that they re-emerged, breaking through and back to the pleasant afternoon air and the buzzing of insects. Slowly, as if still unsure of their own limbs, Aike tucked the grass doll tenderly away in their satchel.

   "Please," Aike said softly, "believe me when I say I understand how dire this is for you. I truly, truly do. I will not guide my people into leaving yours to their fate. ...But thank you, for telling me. Hopefully, this will soften some hearts."

He nodded back wordlessly eyeing them for a moment. "I do not think you would. But as you say, perhaps the rest will listen." Enoka snorted then and shook his head more enthusiastically. "I hope you have gotten your fill of me Little Spider. I must hurry home before I am missed. My family does not like it when I wander too far. I will surely get an earful if I cannot manage to distract them first. Too bad you are all out of hoppers. Could dare them to eat them and wash up while they're distracted," he teased far more light-heartedly.

   The emotional whiplash was enough to stun Aike into more silence, blinking up at him for a moment before they finally brought up a hand to wave farewell.

   "Until next time, then, Enoka Stormcleaver. I will remember to bring more locusts for you to share with your family." They hummed softly. "Just in case you need another distraction, then, too."

Enoka laughed heartily at that as he too backed away waving. "Distractions are always welcome!" He winked then before adding with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"++I will see you again soon Little Spider!++"

"++What a strange man.++" Sikke stated the second Enoka was out of earshot. Still shocked, Aike could only nod their agreement.


Several months passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. Aike supposed keeping busy was what did it. Between the standard affairs of settling into their office, and the building of the promised outposts in the mountains, there were plenty of nights fuelled solely by tea and tobacco.

After returning from the border, Aike had had their work cut out for them, with several council meetings and coordination between the Trapdoor squadrons taking place daily. It was exhausting work, convincing others that Talu was not planning anything nefarious, and more work still to justify pulling soldiers from the east.

Still, as they promised, it was done. There was only the one outpost constructed before winter settled into the mountains, but there were plans for more at the first sign of spring. When the newly formed patrols had come across clear signs of outsider movement in the passes, well...

That evidence made it far, far easier for Aike to guarantee those other outposts. They supposed reality had set in - it was one thing to hear the sad stories from Talu. It was quite another to see the marks of slaver camps within half a day's march from home.

The mountain passes being more heavily guarded was also what allowed Aike to travel along them just as the shortest days of winter approached. They had kept in contact with Chief Great Horned Owl, of course, but there was something of an added gesture to walk the paths themself. A kind of proof to the changed safety of the mountain, that the Governor could make the journey into Talu with only their guard and not risk being attacked and sold off.

Again, Aike did not regret the excuse to head out of the city. They breathed deep the cold winter air, sighing it out in a soft puff of vapor. They wore their armor, as always, though the cooler weather necessitated the addition of thick, woolen ponchos and knitted gloves, especially as they climbed upwards to where snow had managed to fall and stick. It made the journey slow, but nothing Aike or their guard hadn't dealt with before, and they managed to arrive at where the pass emptied into Talu just before midday. The group stopped at the final post marking the end of the Cortlan road, waiting patiently to be invited.

Well, Aike mused as they saw several of their trapdoors stand with open mouths attempting to catch the few snowflakes that drifted in the air, mostly patient.

True to their word, the Taluvans Walking the Circle passed along the shared Cortlan border as cold winds turned icy on their way to the shadow of the mountain. And once they passed through, the patrols lessened and skirmishes ceased. There was still posturing of course, you couldn't expect an immediate truce without some squabbling among young, bored, high-strung warriors.

Atsida had kept busy as well. Between Walking the Circle with his people, arguing and debating endlessly with the Elder Night Flier, grieving, caring for his family, handling the increased concerns of his people, and suffering the coming bitter-cold of winter. He hated the winter. Holing up at the foot of the mountain for months on end as the snow walled them meant being settled in one place with nowhere to go and only the aching cold to settle into your bones. The children loved it of course, hours spent frolicking in the white powder that fell from the sky while wives told tales around tipi fires.

They had all settled in a few weeks ago when word came that the Cortlans would be returning. Atsida made the decision then to go against the Elder Night Flier's advisement and to let the Governor in to see the Taluvan people and how they lived. The Chief had argued though that it was only fair. They would be far less protected out in the open and if a storm came early as they were wont to do then things would become very dangerous very quickly.

It was for this reason that he had had an extra tipi made just for the Cortlans to use during their stay and assigned several hand-picked Night Fliers and Talons for their trustworthiness to further serve as protection for the Cortlans should any Taluvans get ideas of harming them. There were many, Atsida's wife included, that disagreed with the Chief's decisions for peace and protection. There were many, many heated arguments that had happened even within his own home. In fact the last week alone he had been forced to sleep outside while his wife's tempered cooled. While he had always adored Enicea's ferocity and fortitude, this was certainly one of those times when her stubbornness was not working in his favor. She would not let him sleep inside until he changed his mind about letting the Cortlans come, but Atsida was firm in his decision. This was the right thing to do. In time the others would see. He was sure of it.

He'd even assigned Enoka not only to Cortlan guard duty but also ahead to retrieve their guests. The man had readily welcomed the opportunity to leave the settlement as even over the scant weeks they had all been there, he was already incredibly restless. Any opportunity to stretch his legs was a welcome one.

Enoka for his part was sat crouched on a higher section of the cliff face watching the Cortlans behaving like children. "Took you long enough!" He called down teasingly to them from his perch "Any longer and we would be icicles!" At his words three other heads popped out from behind him peering down more hesitantly to see who he was talking to, each nudging the next to look closer like tiny owlets.

   The Cortlans' heads swivelled up in a sharp gesture at the call, their bodies rigid for the single moment it took them to catch movement among the snowy cliffs. Distantly, Aike remembered how they had considered it a gesture of good will that they had been able to see the Taluvans before their arrival. Now, they were sure that had been the exact intention.

   It took Aike a few more moments to place the specific mask they were looking at - many of the Taluvan coverings bore similar markings to one another in ways Aike was not familiar with, but the addition of the voice and the kind of cheerfulness Aike would not have normally expected, they were able to place who this specific owl was, at least.

   "A pity you are not named Icecleaver, then!" They called back up, head tilted to watch Enoka and the three other Taluvans with him. Rakal stepped forward to stand beside Aike, and held a bundle up over her head, her face split by a wide mischievous grin.

   "++We brought you skewers!++" she all but cackled.

"What's this squeaking I hear? Sounds more like a mouse than a spider to my ears. Perhaps we have found dinner instead of friends!" Enoka hopped down, landing in front of them both with a soft crunch of snow even as his companions chose to pick and climb their way down with far more care. He eyed them with a curious tilt of his head.

"++You shrank! What, your hoppers not fiery enough to keep you warm? Or is there a spell in there to try and make me tiny like you? Hmm hm?++" he laughed and teased as he poked at Rakal and her pack.

"I hope you're hungry. The wives have been smoking meat for days and let none of us have any in anticipation of your arrival. I'm starving!"

As he spoke the other three finally arrived each bobbing their upper torsos in greeting when noticed while also bunching up on themselves as they nudged each other forward quietly daring someone to go first.

"The two in front are twins, Cloud Dancer and Rainweaver, and the little one behind them is Sparrow Hopper. There are four more who will rotate with us during your stay in Talu. Chief Great Horned Owl assigned the eight of us to you as your guard to help make you feel safe and at ease. Most of them speak at least a few words of the Ketran dialect if not more." Enoka lowered his voice so only Aike could hear. "Atsida made sure none of your guard would create another Firewing scene or worse for you."

   "++I would ask you if there was some spell they were feeding you, or if maybe you're part tree!++" Rakal shot back, grinning wide and giving her unoccupied hand two quick twists. She handed over the bundle only to pull out a second and pile that on top of the first in Enoka's hands. "One is a little more fiery than the other. I'll let you figure that one out."

   Aike patted their belly at the mention of food.

   "I admit it was tempting to get into your gift on the way here. We are all certainly quite hungry, aren't we?"

   The Trapdoors chuckled amongst themselves, before all of their attention was drawn to the other Taluvans. It was, perhaps, a little more intimidating than necessary, having eight sets of eyes suddenly on you, but none of the gathered Cortlans lingered on or gave a hint of aggression. Instead, Aike clasped their hands behind their back and inclined their head towards each of the three Taluvans.

   "Cloud Dancer, Rainweaver, Sparrow Hopper. Thank you for coming to meet us. I apologize for making you wait in the snow. I hope that we all will become good friends in the time we are here." Aike straightened again, head turned to Enoka to better hear his words. At the mention of Firewing, they pressed their mouth into a thin line and hummed. When they finally responded, it was in a similar low, quiet tone. "...After what you told me, I can't find it in me to hold a grudge. But I will have to thank Chief Great Horned Owl when I see him."

   A bit more loudly to include Taluvans and Cortlans both, "I am genuinely very hungry, if there really is such a feast waiting for us."

Enoka's eyes flashed beneath his mask as if a storm raged within them. His voice remained low and private, lacking the playful jesting of only a moment prior. "There are those who are not pleased with your coming. We will do our best to ensure this peace lasts because Atsida believes it to be the right thing and because he believes in you."

He cracked his neck then and rolled his shoulders, the storm passing as the light returned in his eyes. "If there isn't we can always throw this little mouse on the fire. She might only be a mouthful though," he teased bumping Rakal with his hip before nodding for the rest to follow him. "Did you bring more of your candies with you? Atsida shared them with the children and if they didn't flock to him already they certainly do now. You'll for sure win over our youth right out from under us if you have."

   Amongst the playful chatter, Aike must have seemed made of stone. Of course, it couldn't really be surprising to find out that Atsida's people were about as happy as Aike's had been about the whole arrangement. The squabbling at their first meeting had been sign enough of that. Still, perhaps some naive part of them had hoped that their efforts in building the outposts might have done something.

   Then again, they thought to themself while looking around at the Taluvan side of the mountains, when was the last time a Cortlan had set foot here? That was something, indeed.

   Still, their mood was somewhat somber as they followed Enoka, hands still clasped behind their back. At his question, they raised their chin, as if startled from their own thoughts.

   "Ah... I do have some. I would be happy to share what I have." They paused, and looked over at Enoka, mouth twitching to the side in quiet amusement. "Unless you yourself needed them as a distraction for your family for being so late."

He tilted his head in response in silent reflection. "Ah! They are used to it by now. A Night Flier's duty rarely keeps them with the settlement for long," he commented pointing at the intricate carvings over the cheeks of his mask. "Atsida was concerned though I had done something though. You should have seen the relief on his face to receive your message with the outpost updates." Enoka snorted and muttered beneath his breath, "he worries too much."

   "Clearly he was worried you had run off to finish the attempted clubbing." They said with a wry twist to their mouth, their own wrist twisting just a little bit behind their back. They observed his mask for a moment longer, taking in the markings and looking to the other Taluvans to see similar ones there.

   "Sounds like our job," Sikke said quietly, in his own heavily accented Ketran. "Going out and away from everyone."

   "Well, we used to, anyway," Rakal added, elbowing Aike some in their side and shooting them a grin. "++Until someone got big for their breeches.++"

   "Spoken like someone who hasn't taken every opportunity to enjoy the comforts of civilization. ++...And all the pretty girls there.++" They replied back almost conversationally, mouth twitching again to fight back a wide grin as that earned them a bout of scattered laughter, Rakal included.

   "We don't have the whole city follow us." Sikke continued, his head tilted some. "It is... good to enjoy when we can."

Enoka snorted along with the rest even going so far as to pointedly look behind Aike at their rear. "++Not that big...for a spider. At least if we gobble up the mouse, we know that all of Cortla is saved from her own voracious appetites.++"

He scuttled out of the way to avoid anything more than indignant squawks even as his own companions shook their heads not understanding what he was saying but very used to his odd nature. It was shy Rainweaver that spoke up, his voice cracking with youth as he chided Enoka. "You better not be saying anything to get us in trouble, Stormcleaver! Chief Great Horned Owl will be very upset with you and you'll be punished!"

"Yes," Enoka replied with a huge wink, leaning in conspiratorially to the Cortlans, "because Atsida is definitely the disciplinary force within his wife's tipi. "You worry too much Rainweaver."

The young man huffed but turned curiously to Sikke. There was a shifting to his stance of hesitancy but also an eagerness of anticipation. His accent was equally thick but different and halting as if measuring each word for its weight and accuracy. "What do you mean....the part about the whole city following?"

   Aike's eyes widened even as the Trapdoors erupted in laughter when Enoka looked at their ass, and they made to swat in Enoka's direction, though they certainly weren't aiming to connect. Rakal was practically beside herself, clutching at her belly as she cackled.

   "I think I like this woman already!" She snickered, giving a little 'oof' as Aike elbowed her in the side.

   "Behave," was all they said. Not that they truly believed she'd cause a diplomatic incident by getting flirty with the Talu Chief's wife, but...

   They elbowed her again, just in case.

   A few steps behind, Sikke glanced at the Taluvan man and dipped his head a little lower.

   "Your city moves. The tents. We don't have those. Most Cortla people don't leave where they were born."

"++But would you like her husbands I wonder?++" Enoka teased back, as they drew closer, the settlement coming into view ahead. He had enough time to hear Rainweaver's declaration that stagnant city life sounded boring before Enoka found himself astride with Aike and leaning down to whisper in his ear.

"Welcome to Whispering Canyon, Little Spider, outpost of the Night Fliers and Talu's winter nesting grounds."

Ahead of them snow graced the ground and smoke the skies as many little fires served to keep each large tipi warm. Tall, open fencing decorated with knotted, feathered cords served to mark the confines of the massive settlement as well as ward off restless spirits. Children laughed and played, running about and chasing about large, winged, ferret-like creatures that yipped and barked back at them in a game of endless tag.

"When we arrive," Enoka spoke loud enough for the Cortlans to hear, "we will be greeted and inspected by one of our Strigi. They will ensure that we are who and what we say we are and have not picked up a restless spirit along the way. As we," he pointed to himself and the other three Taluvans, "wear our masks and have not had them knocked off our faces this trip we are safe. You all however will require cleansing for your safety and ours."

"Don't worry!" Cloud Dancer chimed in cheerfully. "It's completely painful!"

"**Painless,**" her twin corrected.

"That's what I said! Painful!"

   "++Eh, I'll pass.++" Rakal waved her hand in a dismissive sort of way, walking along with the other Trapdoors and idly chatting to each of them in between looking around at the landscape. They grew a bit quieter as they approached the settlement, the Cortlan's eyes focused and their previously admittedly bawdy banter turning back into silence. It was one thing to joke near the border, it was quite enough to insult a people in their own home.

   Aike looked about, smiling a bit to see the children running around with... whatever those strange creatures were. Quite a few times Aike was sure the creatures were going to bowl over one of the owlets, but that didn't seem to bother them any. There certainly weren't any cliffs they were in danger of tumbling over, at any rate.

   They quickly turned their attention back to Enoka, back straight and expression serious. They had been about to reply when Cloud Dancer chimed in, earning quite a few startled stares from the visiting Cortlans, Aike included. Even after they had collectively realized it had been an error in word choice, there was a small bit of nervous laughter from the rear.

   "...I... suppose it is much the same as when we had met at the border?" Aike asked, if only to break the quiet.

"Painless," Enoka agreed with a soft amused snort and a nod of his shorn head. They will put hands on you but cause no harm."

He paused then, eyeing Aike from the corner of his eye in deep contemplation. "Would it ease your worry if I went first? There's no harm in saying I lost my mask." He snorted softly before continuing, "at least so long as my family doesn't hear of it. They worry too much for no reason."

   Aike shook their head immediately.

   "I would not have you lie to cover for my fears. It would be utterly shameful of me to show such cowardice I'd have you speak less than the truth for me." They paused for a moment, and continued, in a much softer tone. "But thank you, for thinking of my comfort. I will trust you when you say it will be painless."

"It does not have to be a lie." Enoka shrugged. He had no feelings either way regarding the matter. Whether he lied or his mask was taken off, if he was interrogated and examined or allowed to go on through, it made no difference to him. He was known well enough among his people and certainly the Night Fliers for his more eccentric mannerisms. His family on the other hand would worry. Enoka's wife in particular would tug on his ear plenty, not that that had ever succeeded in grounding him.

The other three Taluvans moved ahead to the marked entrance, greeting the Talons and Strigi there enthusiastically before being let in. Enoka waited though to introduce the Cortlans, keeping close with a hawk-like gaze as each one was touched and prayed over before being deemed safe and permitted further.

"Seems Little Mouse will NOT be served tonight," he teased gently. "Come, Atsida has probably become a frozen owl statue by now from all the waiting." Enoka leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Aike as they were lead into a large warm tipi, "he hates the cold."

Inside about fifteen to twenty unmasked Taluvans were gathered about a single fire, laughing and smoking as they sat bundled up against the cold. The moment they saw the Cortlans enter though they all scurried to cover their faces until their masks were in place. A few were not nearly as quick as they hoped though allowing an observant newcomer to catch that the carvings on the masks matched the tattoos on the Taluvans's faces.

The gathered throng watched with hushed bated breath as Chief Atsida the Great Horned Owl whose back had been facing the entrance applied his own mask and rose to his feet to turn and greet their guests. He bobbed in greeting, motioning with his open hand for the Cortlans to come in and sit even as several of the Taluvans scooted to make room or politely vacated altogether. By the time everyone was settled, all that remained were the eight Cortlans, their four Taluvan guards, the Elder Night Flier, an unknown Taluvan individual who would serve as interpreter, and the Chief himself.

"Greetings Chief—er Governor Aike Jadon. Chief Atsida the Great Horned Owl bids you welcome and hopes that your journey to us was safe and uneventful. My name is Enanea Feathers Float Mildly. It is my honor to serve as your translator during your time here," they spoke calmly in a soft voice that suited their name. Their hair hung down loosely to their waist like many of the men gathered but was shaved on the sides like most of the women inside the settlement. Their mask also shared the same horizontal line across the cheeks and the bridge of the mask's beak-like nose. But, unlike all the other masks in the tipi, Feathers Float Mildly's mask had a single carving on the chin instead of on the cheeks like the Talons and Night Fliers.

   Out of politeness, Aike turned their head and raised a hand to their brow while the assembled Taluvans gathered their masks and pulled them on. It wasn't something that they commanded of the other Cortlans, but several followed their lead anyway, while others simply looked down at the ground until they were invited further in.

   Aike settled into a sitting position with the same fluid grace they had during the first meeting at the border, their accompanying guard fanning behind them same as before. Aike noted that the gathered Taluvans did not include the man Aike had snapped at, and remembered Enoka's words about Atsida taking careful steps to assure that the visiting Cortlans would be accompanied by less hostile individuals. It made for a more pleasant experience, they supposed, but still underlined how tenuous this relationship truly was. They'd have to walk carefully indeed to see that this thread didn't snap beneath their feet.

   "Thank you for your hospitality and the warm welcome," they began, tilting their head to the side and forward in a gentle acknowledgment, "our journey was a quiet but cold one, and we are glad to be near a fire again."

   They smiled, and then remembered what Enoka had mentioned about the candies. They reached into their satchel and removed a small bag of pepper candy, leaning forward to place it towards Atsida.

   "I was told that these have been quite popular. Please, have some more."

Atsida laughed suddenly in surprise at the translation. The sound was warm and genuine as he collected the proffered bag and nodded in thanks pressing it to his chest over his heart before carefully setting it by his knee.

"Chief Great Horned Owl thanks you for the gift and states that eldest Owlet of Great Horned Owl has become quite the little monster for them. She's taken to quite the antics to achieve them, even enlisting the other children to assist where her little legs cannot carry her," Feathers Float Mildly translated with their own small giggle.

"Would you all like to eat or rest before continuing with talks? Chief Great Horned Owl says he wished to ensure you made it here safely but doesn't wish to rush you off your feet."

   Plenty of Cortlans had grown up hearing the same rumors, underscored by other accounts from other territories, that Talu murdered any who they caught in their lands. That they took no prisoners. That to be captured there was certain death. That they only wore masks to hide themselves from a world that would see them for the monsters they were.

   But to see them, to hear such a laugh come from their leader... to hear such a charming little story about something as innocent as sweets... Aike distantly wondered what manner of untwisting had been done to tell those rumors for so long.

   "Oh, dear. Now we will have to negotiate a trade line just for her." They said with a wide smile, giving only the smallest of twists to their wrist. It wasn't a terrible idea.

   "I admit that while our journey was an easy one, we have not yet eaten and would sorely appreciate a moment to correct that." They inclined their head again, and was almost sure they could hear several Trapdoors' stomachs growling over the crackle of the fire. Sikke always had the loudest stomach.

Enoka snorted as Atsida chuckled more with a shake of his head. "++Please no more,++" he begged, good-naturedly. "++We caught her climbing the top of the tipi trying to drop in.++"

He motioned then Cloud Dancer who hopped eagerly to their feet to get others to bring food in. Large trays of tree bark were set before the fire for both sides to share. Smoked meat, dried berries, and nuts piled up in a colorful array were shown off with pride. Cloud Dancer also returned with a heavy pot of stew and bowls to share it while Feathers Float Mildly explained what each item was and urged the Cortlans to take pieces for themselves first as honored guests.

"Chief Great Horned Owl asks if you have children yourself, Governor Jadon."

   "++Oh, then I simply must reward such boldness and courage.++" Aike said, tone mild but grin wide and mischievous. They chuckled softly to themself, echoed by their guard at least until the food was brought in and they were all of them summarily distracted from their teasing. While Aike managed to retain some sense of decorum - they would be expected to show table manners in Ketra, after all - the other Cortlans were less concerned with civility and dug right into their trays.

   Aike focused on the stew, the warmth of it inviting after spending time in the cold of the mountains, and the fullness of their belly did wonders to clear their head of the last cobwebs of fatigue. At the question, however, they paused and gave a slight tilt to their head.

   "I myself do not. Before I was appointed Governor, I spent much of my time out in the wilds with my squadron." They gestured back to the assembled Trapdoors who were breaking out their waterskins and pipes, reaching out to share the tobacco with the nearest Taluvans to them. "No place for an infant, and I do not see myself having the spare moment in the near future."

The Taluvans all glanced about themselves at the joke, elbowing Atsida lightly as the joke was translated and he dipped his head in embarrassment. "**You have no idea what you're offering,**" he replied lightly as food was passed and shared. His own bowl of soup sat uneaten on his knee as they feasted and exchanged casual pleasantries.

Aike's reply though was met with a knowing nod. "**You are young still and even old warriors settle eventually. You'll find the time soon enough if it is your wish. Talu will not take all of your attention forever.**"

Enoka stood as tobacco was passed around and shared, pointedly taking a strip of dried meat and dropping it into Atsida's lap before moving to stand behind him again just as he had done in the open plains. He gave the Chief's shoulder a firm squeeze but said nothing as the talk turned to the real reason for the Cortlans's arrival.

"Chief Great Horned Owl asks how the mountain pass preparations are going and when we can see the closure of those that threaten Talu the most. We had another slaver party pass through only two weeks ago. Several of our people were injured in the process."

   Aike took a few puffs from their stone pipe as they watched Enoka move behind Atsida much as he had stood before at the border. There was a noted shift from pleasantries to business at hand - Aike could feel it even without reaching to touch the web. They breathed out a soft plume of smoke and set their pipe down, hands resting on either knee as they looked to Atsida's masked face.

   "Preparations are going well. We did not get much time before winter set in, but there is already a new outpost and many more planned for first melt." They tilted their head to the side, brows knit some. "Our people have walked the passes to find where there has been the most evidence of use. It will be some time before they are fully protected, but we hope to see improvements just from that. It would be a bold party indeed who would use what they think are open roads."

   Aike considered him for a long moment, before pushing on.

   "Cortla has done as you have asked. I will be able to move even more squadrons to the mountains, when Talu fulfills its promise."

Atsida tensed at Aike's words. "**Talu has kept her promise. We pulled half our patrols a month ago now as soon as the last of us reached Whispering Canyon. We honored our word. Have your reports said otherwise?**"

"**Pfft!**" The Elder Night Flier scoffed, motioning to keep from his words being translated. "**Of course the cowards couldn't be bothered to even check their intel. Provided of course they even cared at all. They just want us to be gone so they can take advantage of their absence! You're a fool Atsida!**"

Enoka rolled his shoulders, the tension evident in every line of his body as he listened but did nothing without Atsida's command. The Chief himself kept calm and firm though his voice was like stone, brooking no argument. "**If you do not like my choices as your leader you are free to challenge my right to it at any point. Until then though you will not speak such lies in front of a man who cannot understand you enough to defend himself.**"

Atsida motioned with his hand as he continued to Aike. "**You will apologize for what you said and if it continues I will have you removed. Am I understood?**" A thick, heavy tension hung in the air as the two men glared each other down. At last the Elder relented though and with the translator's assistance formally and stiffly apologized to the Cortlans for doubting their dedication to the peace between their territories.

   Aike's head cocked to the side, expression suddenly stony as they looked between Atsida, then the Elder Night Flier, and finally to Feathers Fall Mildly and back again. Though the Trapdoors had quieted down as the talks began, they were just as still and silent as they watched, shoulders tensed and ready.

   They didn't relax much even after the man's apology.

   "...Perhaps," Aike said with all the mildness they could muster, though it was clear this was a great feat indeed, "there was a misunderstanding. Yes, there are less men, but according to our reports, they are as hostile as ever. My need from Talu is that my people are assured of peace, not just less of a number to do the fighting."

   Aike took another steadying breath, and lifted both hands palms forward in a placating kind of gesture.

   "I will not question your dedication to keeping your word. Simply that my patrols take threats seriously, and in the interest of peace, it may be best to not antagonize them."

The Taluvan Chief blinked at Aike's reply but it was Enoka behind him that openly turned his head to glare through his mask at the Elder Night Flier. Both men knew exactly who was to blame for this newfound information and if Enoka had anything to say about it, Atsida was going to hand it to the Elder. But, knowing Atsida's traditionally milder nature it would likely be more of a slap on the wrist than a bloody brawl.

Enoka cracked his neck side to side again, shifting his stance. He hated these things. Talk, talk, talk. That's all it ever was. Where was action? Fight or don't fight. But, what is the use of squabbling about it? Aike and Atsida would get far more done if the two of them simply took to a fistfight in the grasses and came to terms once the blood dried.

But, no. Of course Atsida, tender, sweet, gentle-hearted Atsida would prefer to take the longer road to peace. He would fight every tradition that demanded death in order to protect their very traditional Taluvan lifestyle. It made absolutely no sense to Enoka. But, then he'd never been one to take much interest in the clamoring of the masses. He kept a much clearer head if he simply heeded his own whims. It was only out of respect for Atsida that he took conscious effort to not cross too many lines, too often.

Atsida looked weary. More and more he pressed into Enoka's legs as if he could absorb his strength through such firm point of contact. The tension in his shoulders was visible too despite the heavy layers Atsida wore to fight the cold. While the Tipi was warm, the Chief always seemed to grumble about aching joints when home among his family. Enoka smirked beneath his mask at the thought even as Atsida tried his best to smooth over things with the Cortlans.

"**I will look into this matter further. It was not our intention to imply that you were untruthful. And if this is truly the case, the matter will be resolved promptly. This is unacceptable and not at all my design for Talu. I thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.**"

Atsida placed a hand over his chest again in a placating gesture of his own. "**What other reports has Cortla received regarding Talu, if I may ask?**"

Aike continued to look between those gathered, and slowly tilted their head forward.

"I do not think you were being untruthful. Perhaps just that our ideas of what was expected were different."

They set their hands on their knees again, shoulders relaxed but back straight. The bit of camaraderie that had been shared had, unfortunately, made them forget about just how little people had wanted this peace. Their own people had even pushed against these meetings, against the new outposts, against showing Talu anything but the bottoms of their pits.

And so, it seemed, Atsida was facing much the same kinds of struggles. Aike felt a twinge of sympathy, but also how dangerous this was: if Atsida was the only one who wanted for this, then that left Cortla very exposed for all their attempts to show their good will.

What else could those Taluvans manage before Atsida knew about it? How many dead patrols before Aike could bring it to a meeting? Through a letter?

Aike pursed their lips and shook their head. "Besides the movement away from the border, not much. We promised to fortify the passes, and so we have focused on doing so. I did not think it much of a show of friendship to spy on you."

Atsida nodded his head as he listened. He understood Aike's concerns as they were his own. It was not that his ideas of what was to happen differed from theirs. And they were being quite polite in phrasing it that way. The resistance of his own people though troubled him deeply. It was far from the first time of course that there had been disagreements even among the Parliament. But, for the Elder Night Flier to either knowingly leave more hostile warriors out at the border, or to blatantly disregard Atsida's wishes, were neither of them good things.

It felt like he was facing a war on all fronts. With the precarious dance he was performing with the Cortlans, balance was certainly needed. But when the tightrope you were standing on was being bounced around behind you by your own people, even more care was needed. It appeared it would be many more restless and sleepless nights ahead of the Taluvan Chief before his dream could be realized.

"**I was not accusing you of spying, Governor Aike Jadon. I only wished to know if there were other instances I should be aware of given I appeared to have missed this. Two pairs of eyes are better than one lone pair after all and I welcome the help.**"

A small wail broke out suddenly from outside, causing Atsida to pause and glance towards the tipi entrance before returning to Aike. The sound tapered off for a moment before increasing intensity and fervor before quieting again. Behind the Chief, Enoka's shoulders shook ever so slightly in amusement.

"**That being said how long do you feel it will take your people to properly secure the passes enough to begin work on closing those that threaten Talu? I am sure you are eager to return your people to their eastern posts after all.**"

   This whole speaking through a translator thing was more difficult than Aike thought. They could feel themself getting frustrated with how ineffectual their words were. Distantly, they remembered a meeting with their council, and how one councilmember knotted and wrinkled with age had warned them of such a thing.

   In a land where it is practice to hide your face, words will be hidden, too.

   Aike took a deep breath, and let the moment hang between them as they felt the ground below the blankets, felt the heat where it passed under the fire, felt the sturdiness and long age of a rock that had once been a living thing, and finally... felt the thread that connected to the Chieftain himself.

   As before, there was no malice in the man, just that deep sadness, that even deeper exhaustion, the tiniest strands of fear that branched outwards and away from himself. There was the stronger connection to Enoka behind him, an old thread but unfrayed. Trust. The same trust towards Feathers Fall Mildly. ...A plucked, vibrating thread towards the Elder Night Flier. Something was wearing at that one.

   Aike pulled back, blinking back into awareness of themself, and looked to Atsida's masked face once more. They could rely on the translator much more so than their first meeting at the border, but words had so many meanings. Ketran was flowery, seeped in the niceties of the court, where a simple change in inflection could drastically alter the meaning. Aike had to choose their words far more carefully.

   "Apologies, another misunderstanding. We did not monitor Talu, because we were afraid of how Talu would feel about us doing so. I will, of course, bring any concerns I have to you as soon as possible."

   It was hard work, going from their linguistic training to far more blunt phrases. It made the words feel heavy in their mouth, unwieldy, and they so wished they could just slip into Cortlan again and be free of all the different trappings the foreign words dragged with them. The little wail, thankfully, gave them a moment to collect themself and steady once more. It faded for a moment, only to return twice as loud before quieting down again. Aike turned their head in the direction of the sound, unable to help a small chuckle.

   "++Such big feelings.++" They said, before turning back to face Atsida again, brows knit in concentration. "...Chief Great Horned Owl, Cortla's gift to you is that those eastern posts will not be returned to. What outposts we make in the mountains, there our numbers will stay, so the passes will no longer be a threat to Talu."

Enoka snorted softly beneath his mask, understanding the Cortlan tongue and a joke that it seemed only he knew out of everyone in the tipi. Atsida for his part did his best to listen to Aike's words but the more they talked, the more frustrated he could tell everyone was becoming. To make matters worse the wailing began a third time and this time refused to abate. Someone was very much done with today, not that Atsida could blame them.

The Chief held up a staying hand to Aike, asking for a ceasing of their words even as he shook his head before looking up at Enoka. Atsida murmured something then that caused the standing man's eyes widen. The Chief nodded his head, assuring his firm decision before Enoka shrugged and exited.

Atsida refused to acknowledge the Elder Night Flier's attempts to gain his attention even as Cloud Dancer and Rainweaver elbowed each other in deep amusement. The man lifted his mask some to take a sip of his now cold stew, only replacing it on the ground as the wailing drew closer along with a decidedly furious female voice.

Enoka returned then, a blanket-wrapped wailing bundle in his arms that he quickly thrust into Atsida's lap before returning to his place behind him while a far smaller, masked figure stormed in after him despite a heavy limp, while trying to grabble back for the child.

She hissed angrily then, turning her ire to the Chief instead as she shouted and stomped her foot furiously. For his part, Atsida's voice remained calm and low, cradling and rocking the small bundle close to his chest while refusing to return the slowly quieting babe. The pair continued to exchange words before the woman finally let out a frustrated growl of aggravation and stomped back out, not of course before managing to smack both Atsida in the back of the head and Enoka in the back on her way out.

Atsida let out a deep sigh, finally looking down at the bundle and lifting the blanket enough for him but not the Cortlans to see the squirming child inside. He cooed softly, his eyes seeming to grin back as the little one inside let out a telltale audible yawn before curling in close and quieting. Only then did Atsida look back up to meet Aike's eyes.

"**Please forgive the interruption and disturbance. My family and I have recently welcomed a new owlet into our family and she has run my beautiful, spirited wife ragged. I hope you do not think poorly of her for her outburst as we have not gotten much sleep in the past few months and stress and exhaustion have weighed heavy on her. And this naughty one,**" he continued, obvious fondness seeping into his voice that was translated in Feathers Fall Mildly's as well, "**is very particular about who her naptime holder is. We may resume now though. I do not foresee further interruptions. Again, my deepest apologies for the trouble.**"

   Aike quieted long before Atsida gestured for them to do so, being completely distracted by all the wailing. Whoever's tiny little lungs those were, they were doing some serious work. A twinge back and to their left told them that Rakal was less than enthused by infant screams.

   Whatever was being discussed between the Taluvans, Aike didn't have to wait long to find out. Enoka returned shortly with a shrieking bundle, and it didn't take Aike long to realize this little tiny pile of blankets was the source of all the noise. They watched patiently as the child was handed over to Atsida, though they were again distracted by even more yelling as the smaller Taluvan woman stormed in.

   "++I think we have finally met your sweetheart, Rakal.++" came the low quiet bass of Sitkal, earning more than a few soft bits of laughter from the other Trapdoors.

   "++What? Did you say something? I can barely hear myself think.++" She replied with a twist of her wrist, though looking at her somewhat stunned expression showed that the volume was indeed getting to her quite a bit.

   The domestic dilemma finally finished with two sound smacks, and there was another small bit of laughter, though this time out of shock. Even Aike was unsure of how to handle it.

   "++Spicy.++" Was all Rakal said once the tipi was quiet again, the tiny bundle more than happy to settle down now that she was inside and in the Chief's arms.

   "...I have none of my own, so I can only imagine how taxing that is on you both." They said, very carefully and very diplomatically. Which was true, they really had no idea how being woken by a crying child would affect them, and so their wrist stayed perfectly still. "No need for apologies. As I said, it is Cortla's intention to maintain the mountain outposts rather than the eastern ones, in order to provide protection within those passes."

He rocked the child in his arms, buying himself time to think. Atsida could already hear the Elders's reservations, and he'd be lying if he didn't agree with some of them. The Taluvans Walked the Circle every year, passing by Cortla's eastern border every autumn. He worried about the majority of his people passing by being seen by the Cortlan civilians as posturing for war, when in fact it was simply their way of life. His other fear was that without the Cortlan outposts filled, the protect that they supplied was lost. A fact, Atsida needed to be careful with wording.

"**These outposts do not guarantee full protection though as well as leaving our shared border very exposed. How far could people get into your lands before you'd be able to take notice? How many of them could invade from my lands to overwhelm Cortla? Or how many can flood from your lands without you knowing to overwhelm Talu? While I am more than willing to trust Cortla at her word, but I am deeply concerned over our two territories being taken advantage of because we become compliant.**"

   Aike could feel the deep amusement behind them from the gathered Trapdoors. It was a feeling they themself shared, even if it was laced with a small amount of frustration. Still, Aike gave a reassuring sort of smile, shaking their head.

   "The eastern outposts, Chief Great Horned Owl, were never meant to give full protection." They stated, before pausing and considering just how much Talu needed to know. They chewed at the inside of their cheek, and then pushed forward. Better to be honest, as much as possible. "Cortla has much more than just soldiers guarding the borders, and it would be a very unwise group indeed to move through our lands away from the roads. We mark them for a reason."

   They tilted their head and considered those gathered in the tipi.

   "As I have stated before now, in our first meeting, we cannot fully close those mountain passes. They are the Cortlan people's only escape, should something find its way into our cities. Permanently closing them is too dangerous, and is not negotiable. We have plans for keeping them under watch and making them far safer for Talu, but I will not doom my people to do so."

"**So all it would take is someone keeping to the path to pour into either of our territories. I mean no insult but that hardly comes off as reassuring. If anything it feels as if you're trading one vulnerability for another.**"

Atsida sighed, pursing his own lips in deep-seated frustration as well. He took the moment to calm himself and cradle his precious bundle closer. Deep below the current of frustration was grief and sorrow. He couldn't afford to lose his daughters. His people didn't deserve to lose their sons and daughters like this because he wasn't capable enough to protect them. But, even coming to Cortla begging for peace and help didn't seem to be enough. It was not that he wasn't grateful for what they were doing. On the contrary it was a relief, but it still wasn't enough in his mind. Perhaps it was due to the youthfulness of their Governor who had neither family nor children of their own, but it felt as if Cortla was naive to the true horrors of the world that plagued Talu.

Without looking up, he continued in the same soft tones as before. "**You have travelled a long way to be here only to be forced into immediate negotiations. It seems we are making no headway with this and it would serve us all some time to rest and think on the matters at hand. Is this amenable to you Governor Aike Jadon**?"

   Aike's mouth was in a thin line, the only outward sign as to how much these opening 'negotiations' were getting under their skin. While Aike understood that Atsida was not trying to trick them - they could feel the ache in the threads attached to him as deeply as they had at the border - it seemed as if the man was completely unwilling to see any path but the one he desired.

   Which made Aike's job of telling him 'no' all the more difficult, if you asked them.

   "I think that is a good suggestion, Chief Great Horned Owl," they said with an incline of their head, "thank you again for the warm fire and the very satisfying meal. Your kindness will not be forgotten."

Atsida inclined his head in turn, waving those gathered to disassemble as he himself stood, cradling his baby close as he too exited into the cold. Enoka stepped forward offering a friendly hand up to Aike. "++Come along little spiders. We have a nice cosy dark tipi just for you,++" he chuckled teasingly.

"++Promise to keep the Spicy one away from an invasion and a good thumping although I don't see her attempting to go anywhere near. Hummingbird doesn't leave her nest very often these days. You were blessed with a rare sighting on virtue of her hunting down her 'captive' offspring.++" His shoulders shook with amusement even as Feathers Fall Mildly looked on in horror for fear of wicked backlash.

   Tired, frustrated, and not in the mood to be in this tent with so many agitated threads, Aike took Enoka's hand as soon as it was offered and allowed themself to be lifted up to their feet. They cracked their neck loudly as they were led out into the cold, sighing in a puff of white air.

   "++Thank you for the hospitality,++" they said, perhaps a bit more hollowly than they had intended. In truth, it wasn't just this Hummingbird they were worried about, but rather what she represented. Lack of sleep or not, there was a deep resentment beneath their feet, and every step made them think it would be best to just cut the thread and retreat. Still, they carried on, following Enoka to the tipi and letting their Trapdoors inside first. Aike, for their part, remained outside to smoke more, filling and lighting their pipe before offering it to Enoka.

   "++Hopefully, tomorrow will go better.++"

While some of the other Taluvans respectfully entered the tipi after the Cortlans to show them the inner workings and assist in any way needed, others took up their stations about the area to keep watch more on what was going on outside than inside. It was more for the Cortlans protection than their own.

Enoka however plopped himself right down beside the Cortlan Governor without even a care for decorum. He accepted the pipe readily, taking a long drag of it before handing it back. "++Today did not go unwell either. Tiny tyrants aside.++"

He peaked to the side hoping to catch some amount of amusement before continuing regardless. "++He wants what you want; peace for our people, safety for Talu. The old ones will bicker and snipe among themselves, but Atsida listens. He hears you. Owls need time, so scuttle slower so that he may catch up to your line of thinking. Gives you time to hear his as well, no?++"

"++Are you telling the Cortlan to be patient?++" Aike asked, their mouth turned up in amusement. They couldn't help but chuckle at the irony, taking a few more puffs off their pipe. "++I will slow down, then, and consider my words more carefully. In honesty, I wish I knew Taluvan. It would make this so much simpler.++"

"++Yes,++" he replied with a firmness that was in stark contrast to his earlier ribbing. "++Taluvans are slow to decide but firmly grounded once all paths have been considered. Talu has already taken the biggest step. You must also bend to meet us if you wish to form a bridge. Knowing my language would change very little. Both sides must envision how the other side will look if they are to meet in the middle. He is looking. Are you?++"

Whatever amusement there was, was sucked straight out of the air as if it had never existed. Aike stared at Enoka for a long moment, before thumbing their pipe to extinguish it.

"++Of course I am. And I would thank you and the rest of Talu to realize just how far I have been bending. Good night, Enoka.++" They tucked their pipe into their bag once more, stepping into the tipi to join the other Trapdoors inside.

For their part, all of them thought it very wise to not comment on their Governor's stormy expression, instead silently determining the watch order amongst themselves.

"++Good night, Little Spider,++" he called back, unperturbed by the sudden swing in mood and hasty exit. If anything Enoka was amused. He'd given the Cortlan a tap to the behind to remind them to change perspective and just like their spiritual kin, he'd sent them scuttling into their den legs all akimbo and fangs dripping warning venom. He didn't feel he was at any risk of a bite proverbial or otherwise but he knew his truth had stung Aike. Not that it really bothered him. Enoka always spoke his mind without much regard for others. If it needed saying then he would say it. Today had not gone poorly. There was more at play than just Atsida and his word. The Parliament was fighting him even as he tried to treaty and negotiate with Cortla. But he was considering Cortla's side. He worried for their safety as much as his own people's.

Enoka wasn't convinced that Cortla truly understood that yet, that Aike understood it. The Governor had yet to ask the right questions and had stormed off before Enoka could even share the answers. He shrugged to himself. Not his problem. The move could play all they wanted, squabble and dancing their boring wordplays. His job was to keep watch and watch he would until they figured it out or he grew bored of it all.

Night came swiftly and with it winter frost. The Taluvan guards shifted in and out of rotation to protect the Cortlans' tipi and seeing that they were kept warm and comfortable. Outside Enoka took main watch, foregoing trading out with others to ensure nothing went awry. That being said it did not escape him on the relatively quiet and eventless night how a tiny pair of feet pattered across the lightly frozen ground on their way to the back of the tipi. He watched from the corner of his eye as the small figure looked both ways before hunkering down to peek beneath one of the back panels moments before squeezing in through the gap. A lack of sudden exclamation had him smirking lightly and shaking his head. There was no harm in mischief. Both parties would sort themselves out soon enough. He could only hope though that it would be before a certain Hummingbird noticed that her eldest had flown the nest again in search of a late night adventure.

   Sleep didn't come easily for Aike. Or at all. They were prone to fits of sleeplessness more often than not as a rule, of course, but tonight they knew their mood was having an effect. They scowled up at the tipi's ceiling, working the day over and over again in their heads. What more did Atsida want? The removal of the eastern patrols had come with its fair share of grumbling from Cortla's Councilmembers. The creation of the new mountain forts had gained more approval once it was shown to be a regular travel point for invaders, but to close them entirely?

   It was impossible. Even if the very idea didn't set Aike on edge, proposing such a thing would be disasterous. There was only so far their name could carry them, after all, and to add something that felt like a death sentence to their people? Impossible.

   The most frustrating part of it all was that for all the pretty words between them, it was repeatedly made clear that Talu didn't even consider their efforts worthwhile. 'You must also bend,' indeed. 'Talu has taken the biggest step,' indeed. Aike could feel their entire frame heating up, the agitation building until the tipi felt almost cloying with its coziness. All they wanted was to get up and march about in the cold as was their custom on bad nights, but that, too, was impossible. For all Aike knew, it'd be pointed at as them trying to attack the Taluvans.

   In a land where it is practice to hide your face, words will be hidden, too.

   Aike let out a sigh, rubbed their face, and listened to the stirring of the other Trapdoors in the tipi. Listened to their breathing, to the soft shuffle of fabric as Sitkal rolled over onto his left side as he always did. Listened to the footsteps on the frost outside as their watch changed places, to the chill of the air and the ground.

   ...A map. Aike needed a map.

   They sat up suddenly, and it was a mark of how often this sort of thing occurred that none of the Trapdoors gathered stirred in the slightest. Even those on watch knew what it sounded like when sleeplessness and agitation took hold of Aike, knew the sounds of late-night scratching on parchment and other bits of work. What they didn't know the sound of, however, was that of the impact of one tiny body against another, and the surprised squawk it brought about.

   For a moment, Aike was stunned by what happened. They had only just sat up when it felt like they'd gotten hit with a full patrol pack, and they grabbed onto the offending weight on instinct to pull it off of themself. However, the "pack" didn't seem to like that much, and it squirmed and growled to where for another moment, Aike suspected a wild animal had gotten in. By the time Rakal pulled fire into her hand to light the tipi, Aike was standing and holding out a small toddler at arm's length, looking caught somewhere between incredulous and surprised.

   "++Who the hell is that?++" Rakal asked, and she nudged Sitkal hard with her foot. He groaned and grumbled as he sat up, blinking into the semi-dark at the Governor and the small child.

   "++Who had a baby?++" He asked, tiredly, only to earn another hard nudge from Rakal's foot. The physical impact shook the last of the sleepiness cobwebs from him, it seemed, and then all of the Trapdoors were on their feet.

   Aike's lips were pressed into a thin line again. As if the day could not get any worse, now there was a small Taluvan child in their tent. They could hear the accusations of theft and kidnapping and attempted murder now.

   "Where did you come from?" Aike asked, again wishing they had even a scrap of knowledge of the Taluvan dialect.

Outside, Enoka grinned beneath his mask at the sudden squawk and commotion. It seemed the little invader had managed to ambush with some apparent success. Others of the Taluvan guard rushed in, weapons at the ready to defend the Cortlans.

"What's wrong?" Rainweaver called out as she stepped further into the room. The moment she laid eyes on the feisty child trying to bite and claw at Aike though, she had to suddenly aboutface a soft snort of laughter escaping her even as she exited to call for Enoka.

"**Owlet of Chief Great Horned Owl is loose again! Come fetch her before she becomes Chief of Cortla!**"

As the Taluvans chuckled or rolled their eyes in disgust at such misbehavior while returning to their posts, Lawona, for that was the little one's name, continued to fight with all her toddler might, beating her tiny fists against the arms that attempted to contain her.

"I chowenge you for Chief! Fwight me if you dale!"

   Aike's eyebrows shot very far up, still holding the toddler at a distance to avoid getting clobbered directly in the face at all. Challenge? For Chief? The Trapdoors closest to Aike, particularly Rakal and Sitkal, exchanged looks of bemusement. Sitkal made to step forward as if to take the toddler from Aike, but was stopped when they shook their head and adjusted their hold on the child and made quick work of swaddling her in their poncho to prevent any more wild punches.

   "++Challenge must be done in the Funnel, little one,++" they chided softly, clicking their tongue against their teeth. They moved to the front of the tipi, and ducked low with a nod of thanks to Sikke as he held the flap open for them. They stepped out into the night, shortly followed by Rakal who continued to hold fire up so they could see.

   "I seem to have acquired a guest?" Aike said, looking around for literally anyone Taluvan to collect the toddler in question. Somehow the child had wormed one arm free and promptly clocked them in the jaw. For Aike's part, they just moved their head out of the way of future strikes, and quickly rewrapped her again.

More quiet chuckles sounded from the Taluvan guards that they tried to muffle behind coughs or feather cloaks. Several sent darting glances to Enoka where he sat, still guarding at the front of the tent but none made any move to collect the wayward child. The antics while amusing were nothing new to them. While ill-timed given the tenuous relationship with their new guests, it was culturally acceptable to challenge an elder for leadership regardless of age, gender, or able-bodiedness. There were lessons to be learned in being bested as well as in respecting the honor of the fight by not interfering.

"++She will not stop until you force her to submit. Owlet of Chief Great Horned Owl has challenged you Little Spider,++" Enoka teased lightly. "++And from the looks of things she is besting you. Will you let her?++"

"++Yes, I heard her declaration,++" they said with no small amount of exasperation, "++but we don't fight for Governorship outside of the Funnel, and certainly not a baby.++"

Their hold on said baby was quickly becoming difficult, and so rather than risk accidentally dropping the Taluvan Chief's child - an event they did not think any amount of peace talks could possibly fix - they quickly unspun her from their poncho and deposited her on the ground, hoping that the quick dizzying movements would distract her from attempting to fight them more.

They were absolutely wrong, of course. Almost as soon as she was on her tiny feet she was running at them again, and Aike looked pained towards Enoka before realizing not only would he not be helping, but neither would any of the other Taluvans gathered there. The tension in their shoulders was tight enough to snap a tree in half - if this was a trick, it was all over. Their Trapdoors would give their best, of course, but there would be little they could do, isolated in the middle of the camp as they were.

Aike's lips pressed into a thin, pale line. They took a breath, and in one swift motion, pressed their palm to the scrappy tot's forehead and gave her a light push to knock her onto her rear. They held up one finger at her in the dark as if to warn off further attempts to fight.

"That's enough."

The others looked away with the display over and Lawona bested, instead returning to their posts and settling down. Enoka though was swiftly on his feet but instead of striking out at Aike, he scooped up Lawona who was already looking ready for a second challenge of the night.

He pressed her firmly to his chest, resting his masked forehead against hers as he firmly barked an order to her that caused her to immediately still and cease tugging at his braids. "++Know when you have been bested,++" he repeated for the benefit of the Cortlans. "++Owlet of Chief Great Horned Owl will not bother you more tonight. I trust you are...uninjured?++" There was a slight uptick in his tone at the last word as if poorly hiding his amusement that a tiny toddler could manage to harm a trained ruling warrior.

   For their part, Aike was more than grateful when the child was grabbed up by Enoka, having not wanted to have to knock her on her butt for a second time this late at night in this kind of cold. They tilted their head, watching the pair for a moment, how their masks met at the forehead and how, somehow, Enoka was able to still such a fiery little spirit so quickly.

   "++I'm unhurt, truly.++" They placed both hands on their hips as if to show they weren't hiding any wrist-twists. "++I am rather impressed, though, that this little Owlet managed to not only slip away from their mother, but also past so many guards. That is some very real talent.++"

   They eyed Enoka for a moment before deciding that they'd really had enough excitement for one evening, and they weren't ready to start up anything further by accusing this man of letting all this happen. After all, they weren't being executed for harming the Taluvan Chief's own child, and they were certainly not interested in experiencing that kind of tension again by arguing with one of said Chief's more trusted people.

   "++Perhaps one day Owlet of Chief Great Horned Owl can truly unseat me. But today is not that day.++"

The smile met his eyes even beneath the ashwood mask as Enoka grinned with pride. "++Our Owlets are taught young how to flee the nest in case of danger. This one is just exceedingly good at it, although her fathers are likely to blame for that. And you have seen our Little Hummingbird. She is run ragged by a newborn. Naughty Owlets that try to stage wars are not Atsida's intention, though. Your safety is still of utmost importance to him. And we will abide by that.++"

He laughed then even as Lawona was tucked more firmly into his cloak for warmth, her head resting on his shoulder even as she fought valiantly against nodding off. "++Can you imagine though? An entire territory beholden to a toddler's overdue nap?++"

   "++I truly am not worried about being attacked by small children,++" they said, head tilted as they regarded the small body huddled up with Enoka, "++though perhaps I should be. I would not call it an act of war, though... perhaps just a very misplaced attempt at an old tradition. Honestly, I worry more about your Hummingbird coming and accusing me of beating her child.++"

   They grimaced a bit, remembering all too well just how furious the woman had been at delivering the newborn to Atsida during their attempted peace talks. While they were sure they could hold their own against one solitary person, they also were not looking to be at the end of her wrath any time soon.

   Far more amusing was the thought of a child ruling a territory with all the temperament that went along with being so young and needing so much care and guidance. They shook their head, mouth curving upwards in an amused smile despite their own tiredness.

   "++I wish I could say I can't imagine it, but if I am to be very honest, there are certain times I feel like many of my elders are simply three toddlers stacked on top of one another. Wisdom, it seems, is not always guaranteed with age.++"

"++She fears you,++" Enoka replied with an unapologetic shrug. The mental image Aike created for him though had him laughing quietly as he stepped to stand comfortably closer, so as to not be quite so disruptively loud.

"++Three spiders in a poncho sounds about right. Not far off from four owls in a pile of feathers. The Parliament is as obnoxiously stubborn I'm sure. I have little patience for their opinions or their verdicts. Likely another reason I am sent to spend more time away than home.

"++Am I keeping you from your sleep though, Little Spider? You seemed so quick to leave before not that I do not welcome the warm company on such a cold night.++"

   The knowledge that such wrath had come from a place of fear should have been unsurprising to Aike, but they found themself more than a little muted at the knowledge. It made only perfect sense of course - Cortla and Talu had a long history of hostility, what mother wouldn't be worried to bring her child into a tent with an enemy party? Especially one made up entirely of trained soldiers? For a moment, Aike was almost ashamed of their own misgivings. If they were to ever have a child of their own, wouldn't they feel just as protective?

   It certainly gave them a lot to think about, so much so that they almost missed what Enoka was saying about owls in feathers. They brought themself back to the present just in time to understand the joke, and gave a commiserating sort of half smile.

   "++Patience is a very high value for us. It's a good test of my worthiness as Governor, to handle even the most obnoxious of my people. ...It does get frustrating at times, though.++" They stared at his mask for a moment, peering through the dark and the paint beneath the eyeholes to see the glint of his eyes. "++I admit, perhaps, I lost my temper earlier. Pride is also a high value, but there is a point where wounded pride undoes hard work. It's not unusual for me to sleep lightly, or not at all, some nights. A hard lesson out on patrol, and there's very little rest to be had when sitting in the Governor's chair.++"

   They considered him for a moment more, all height and feathers and a small bundle of child pressed close against his chest. It was, on a level that Aike could not find the words for, rather endearing.

   "++I'm sure Hummingbird will be glad to have her child back, though.++"

He shrugged again, not offended by the earlier display of pride. Humans had such tendencies to flit between emotions faster than he cared to keep up if he was honest. Some days playing with those emotions and seeing what could provoke each one was amusing but that was not the case now. Enoka understood how important these negotiations were to Atsida, how much of that man's happiness rode on peace with Cortla, on the Governor of Cortla not hating them and feeling safe and welcomed.

The Night Flier paused at the reminder of Lawona's mother. His head lifted and tilted as if listening for something others could not hear. Or perhaps it was the lack of something. No babe wailed into the night.

"++A task I do not relish now that the fun is done.++" He smirked in and shook his head good-naturedly. "++You are not the only one who sleeps quite so lightly. Go back to your bed, Aike Jadon Governor of Cortla. I cannot promise your safety if I am gone and you are out here,++" he paused to headtilt playfully. "++Unless of course you desire a walk?++

   Aike couldn't help but be amused, their mouth turning upwards again as they pulled their poncho closer around themself. A moment to crack their neck and tense their shoulders before relaxing again with a sigh, and they looked up into his mask with a much warmer smile.

   "++I had better go back inside. I have something rather important that I will need to have ready to show your Chief tomorrow.++" They eyed the Owlet in his arms. "++Thank you for your assistance with the little one. I'll see you in the morning.++"

"++Run along then,++" he uttered with obvious amusement. "++We would not want to keep Atsida waiting. Should you change your mind though.~++" Enoka left the words hanging even as he waited for Aike to return inside. Only once the visiting leader was safely inside, and not without an appreciative look at their ample rear, did Enoka carry his precious cargo home.

Lawona was laid back to rest behind her mother before Enoka leaned forward to press a kiss to Atsida's sleeping temple. The man shifted slightly, blinking tired eyes up at the masked face before him before tensing almost into action. Only Enoka's staying hand allowed him to resettle back into their piled furs.

"**I thought you wanted to keep the full night watch,**" he queried softly, careful not to wake his wife even as he reached to pull Enoka down close over him.

"**Lawona decided to go on an adventure. I am just returning her home and then I will return.**"

He placed another kiss this time on Atsida's lips, hungry but practiced before pulling away and replacing his mask. "**Go back to sleep Little Owl. Tomorrow will be a busy day.**"

Enoka was no sooner by the tipi entrance before Atsida's soft snores filled the air again. He paused to observe his family sleeping soundly before exiting and returning to his post where he spent the rest of the night without event from the other Taluvans.

   Aike's return to the borrowed tipi was not nearly so quiet as Enoka's own, the entire place thrumming with silent laughter. So much so, even, that at first Aike was unsure of what happened, before finally realizing that Rakal was shaking in her spot, hand over her mouth and looking directly at them.

   "++...All of you, hush. Rakal, I'll need a stable light, I want to look over our maps.++"

   "++You sure it's a map you want to be looking over?++" She teased through her fingers, and even sweet-tempered Sikke had to stifle a chuckle. Aike, however, was far less amused.

   "++Enough, the both of you.++"

   "++I'm just saying, this camp seems to have its fair share of interesting people that would make for good staring~.++" Still laughing, Rakal moved to fetch a candle from her own pack, setting it onto a wide tin plate and partially melting the bottom to keep it from topping right over. As soon as that end cooled again, she lit the wick, handing the plate over to Aike and settling back down onto her own bedroll as the other Trapdoors returned to their interrupted positions. Sitkal was already lightly snoring.

   "++We are here for a reason, remember that.++" was all Aike had to say on the matter, though they could not possibly pretend they weren't blushing. At least it was still mostly dark, the flickering shadows preventing them from being truly exposed, and the moment they unrolled one large scroll, Rakal lost interest and stretched out onto her back to rest.

   Tomorrow would, indeed, be a busy day. But Aike was determined to make it a successful one.

With the dawn came more clarity. Atsida now awake was able to gain a better account of what happened the night before and to say he was horrified over his daughter's antics was an understatement. The man was practically beside himself, pacing a ditch into the meeting tent floor as he waited for the Cortlans to arrive. Of all the children in the territory to choose chaos it just had to be his. Enoka's amusement over the whole affair was doing little to assuage his concerns either. For once Enoka was the one kept still as he sat comfortably watching as Lawona paces behind her father copying every mannerism for her own with the utmost care all unbeknownst to her father who was working himself into a state of anxiety over how the Cortlans would feel now that they had had time to stew over the previous night's incident.

   Aike did not get sleep that night. It was a necessary evil, of course, and they did their best to lay back and rest for a time in between the hours, but it felt too much like their brain was full of a thousand sparks of thought, all racing back and forth at the same time and entirely too loud for any kind of proper sleep.

   Still, it was nothing some very, very strong tea and tobacco wouldn't cure, and the other Trapdoors couldn't have agreed more. Last night's bit of excitement had made getting back to sleep (with the very singular exception of Sitkal) difficult, everyone waiting to be divebombed by a small child at any moment. Or worse.

   Still, they'd all survived on far less before, and at least in this instance, they weren't in any real immediate danger. Wary, as always, but not literally fighting for their lives. They each spent some time stretching out aching muscles, trading positions and working one another's backs, until each Cortlan was as ready for the day as they would ever be. And so they all found themselves being led as a group to the meeting tent, averting their eyes at first in case the gathered Taluvans were unmasked, and slowly settling back into the exact same sitting positions they had been the day prior.

   Aike glanced over at where Enoka sat for a quick moment, before turning their gaze to Atsida directly, inclining their head some in a show of mutual respect.

   "Good morning, Chief Great Horned Owl. I have been considering your words from yesterday through the night, and I am quite anxious to show you something I believe may assist us both in understanding one another better."

Atsida ceased his pacing as the Cortlans entered but held up a hand to ask of a pause before they began. For a brief moment his head swiveled back and forth as if looking for something before locating Lawona behind him and pulling her to stand in front of him. He knelt behind her even as she squirmed all over the place clearly not wanting to be kept still and in place even as Feathers Fall Mildly translated.

"Chief Atsida Great Horned Owl states that before we begin Owlet of Chief Great Horned Owl has something to say."

Lawona was nudged forward but resisted mightily. Behind them Enoka dipped his head in amusement even as the elders grumbled. Atsida for his part spoke softly to his daughter, not once becoming irritated or angry as he urged her forward. At last she relented and with all the attitude a two-year old could muster huffed put an apology.

"Sowwy."

"**And?**" Atsida pressed gently with a light squeeze to her shoulder.

Her head whipped up and back to look up at him and a tiny foot stomped in the dirt but no reaction came from her father and so seeing she was not going to get her way, she obeyed. "I will not chowenge the Coralins while they visit for immm-porlent....talks." So saying her piece, Lawona nodded her head once with conviction, standing tall with her arms crossed. "But, I beat you next time!"

A ripple of amusement flowed through the tipi even as Atsida dipped his head some in defeat. "**Go outside and play Lawona.**"

"Stay!" She demanded loudly stomping her foot again and raising her chin.

"**If you stay you must be quiet,**" he told her, pressing a finger to his masked lips and then pointing at his ear, "**and listen. Today is not a day for embodying the mischief wind.**"

Lawona nudged at her father until he resumed his sitting in yesterday's spot before crawling to sit tall in his lap, her own arms crossed and her gaze fierce as she viewed the Cortlans. Behind her Atsida shook his head slightly and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close while Enoka's whole body shook with amusement.

"**I also apologize,**" he stares with Feathers Fall Mildly continuing to translate throughout. "**I am grateful you have continued in earnest despite the antics of my Owlet. I can only hope you see them more as the games of a child and less as the attitudes of her father reflected within her childlike innocence. If you can forgive us, I am more than willing to see what you are anxious to show.**"

   Aike blinked at the pause, but the moment Lawona was gathered in front, they had a very good understanding of why. They sat, patiently, listening to Feathers Fall Mildly's translation as they watched the interaction between father and daughter. It was less stern than when Enoka had stilled her the night before, a gentle kind of redirection. Aike couldn't help but think back to their own childhood, in the way their mother would gather them up when their feelings were too, too much, and the soft whisper of the name only she and Aike knew.

   Mercy.

   They shifted a bit in their seat, dropping their shoulders some to ease the tension there, relaxing themself before this small child to show there was no hostility between them on Aike's own part. She was a spirited little one though, and Aike couldn't fight back an amused smile of their own as she stamped her foot so much like how Hummingbird had done the other day. Aike's smile only grew as she refused to leave the tipi, watching as the pair slowly settled down into a sitting position where Lawona could stare through her little mask just as easily as Atsida himself.

   Aike shook their head, holding up a hand as if to push back the apology.

   "I would be the worst kind of liar if I didn't forgive the same impulses I showed when I was a child." They smiled more and gestured at the very top of their braid, where several red beads were woven in. "A strong heart is nothing to be ashamed of, and I am very certain she would make for a mighty opponent in the Proving for Cortlan Governorship. Perhaps even a mighty leader, one day.

   "Do not worry yourself too much, I am not at all offended."

   That out of the way, Aike twisted to retrieve a thick leather tube, pulling out a large scroll and moving so they could more easily share the unrolled parchment between themself and Atsida. They looked up at him, brows knit in earnest.

   "We do not share this knowledge with those outside of Cortla. We do not write this down. This is our very, greatest secret. I hope you understand that I am sharing this in an attempt to show the same trust you have shown to us." Aike paused for a breath, and was grateful to hear nothing from the Trapdoors behind them. No shifting, no discomfort, just full trust that they knew what they were doing. They had always been able to rely on their squadron's support, and it had made so many things much easier. If the Council had been here... well. "These are all the passageways out of the canyons and the ways into Skythread city. They are hidden, because if we were ever to be sieged, it would be only too easy for an enemy to trap the roads and slaughter our young and old. The canyon has always kept us safe, but nothing will ever last forever, and so we prepare for a dark future we hope never comes."

   They traced the map, finger hovering over the charcoal lines to prevent it from being smudged.

   "But as you see here, they connect in several places to provide hiding spots, and whittle down to singular roads out of the mountains. We have lost one before, during the previous Governorship, after heavy rains loosened the rocks and made it impossible to dig out. The patrol that was there when it collapsed were all killed." They tapped their finger beside the one large 'x', gesturing at the connecting pathways. "Which leaves only these two roads for the entire population of Skythread City. Thousands of families, Chief Great Horned Owl, would not survive their closing."

   Aike took another breath, again trying to express their full earnestness. "I know that... your people are afraid of us," they glanced, again, towards Enoka, "and I know that you, too, fear for the survival of your families. The main roads into the territory, the roads that lead to the eastern border between us, those can be closed. Those can be fortified, and those can be defended. But we can do nothing if we are trapped."

The Taluvans sat silent and still in reflective silence as they all watched the map unfold before them and listened to the translation of what was being shared with them. Even Enoka straightened some from his relaxed position to peer around the others to catch a glance. He settled back though with disinterest, staring instead at the ceiling and how the smoke danced on its way out the smoke hatch.

Deep emotions welled in Atsida though as he saw and listened but his mind drifted a million memories away. He knew of some of these paths in the mountain, as well as how easy it was to become lost in them if you did not know the way. There were rules among the Taluvans about treading within the mountain's shadow. Go at your own risk but do not trust you will return, for the deeper you go, the more lost you become.

He looked at the pass right at Talu's front door and his heart dropped further. Help had been so close and yet unguarded that pass of safety for Cortla had become a network of safety for a den of monsters in human skin instead. His heart ached. This all could have been prevented. Tigerskin colored eyes squeezed close in grief.

But, it was the sound of Lawona leaning forward to try and touch the map that drew him back to himself. Her brows scrunched tightly under the mask as she looked with the utmost seriousness. "Talu!" she cried pointing correcting at their border. Atsida nodded, catching her hands before she could smudge the charcoal and used a heavy hand to pet her one of her short side braids soothingly.

"**And these passes are now fully secured against outside threat?**"

   Even though Aike wasn't feeling along the threads, the sharp twang of one being plucked reached them, anyway. By some miracle they kept from physically flinching, instead taking in a soft breath and letting it out again as they blinked. They pulled the parchment back with a small smile to Lawona, rolling it up tightly and promptly placing the whole of it into the fire to burn away. The secret was shared, and now gone except for those who would remember it.

   "Now that Cortla may relax their eastern border, these passes can be secured." Aike confirmed with a nod, carefully prodding at the parchment to make sure all of it burned away. "As I explained yesterday, the winter time has slowed our efforts, but soon there will be several forts in the mountains to watch over them, which will make it easier for our patrols to defend."

Atsida nodded solemnly, latching onto his daughter as she tried to reach into the fire to grab at an escaping scrap of parchment. "**And how soon do you foresee them being ready? Once winter snow has melted there will not be much time before the slavers return. If Cortla is not ready, we may both suffer.**"

He sighed again and shook his head. "**I still would see with further trust between our territories, a return to patrols permitted along our shared border. I do not like us being so open and vulnerable. With you placing your sentinels in the mountain and us withdrawing at your request that is a great deal of the plains and the badlands left unattended three-quarters of the year. Unless you have a suggestion for this as well?**"

   "Progress is slowed, but it is not stopped. Even if the forts themselves are not finished by spring, our patrols will still be in the passes. They will keep them safe until we are done."

   As a piece of ash floated between them, Aike lifted a hand to cradle it out of the air and crush it between their fingers so as to not catch anything else on fire. They considered the grey smear left on their fingertips atop older smudges of charcoal from all their planning from the night prior. It gave them a moment to consider, mouth pursed and moved to the side in thought. Finally, they took a breath and looked up into Atsida's mask again.

   "I do have a suggestion. We can add protections to border, but I need you and your people to understand that they will be very dangerous. If we are to place them, they will not be easily removed, and we will not be able to do anything about it if someone wanders into the Cortlan badlands and gets hurt." Their mouth flattened to a line, and they looked away from Atsida to the other Taluvans gathered, staring sternly. "If we are to do this, please be mindful of where Cortla begins and Talu ends. That is where the danger will be."

   They looked to Atsida again, and spoke far more softly. "If that would make you feel more at ease, it can easily be done."

"**Our point of trade to the north will be unaffected?**

"**They leave us trusting them a whole lot more than they trust us,**" piped up one of the elders with a decided sneer that did not escape his voice. "**We are to rely on Cortla for the mountain's protection. We are to abandon our western posts. We are to expect a dangerous presence to our west from Cortla. What peace is this? What trust is this? It is just more arrows between us except ours are without points.**"

Atsida sighed but shook his head, raising a hand for silence despite all of it being translated for the Cortlans. "**I believe the concern here is that Talu hopes for more than secured bordered between us. Perhaps not all at once but hope for greater trade and maybe one day in the far future...an understanding and balance. We do not open our borders lightly. I would see prosperity in this unprecedented opportunity however. If Cortla will stand with us.**"

   Aike could not help a long sigh, turning their hands upwards to the sky as if to implore anyone to assist them. Again, they had to muster every last scrap of patience they had, eyes shut for a moment before turning their head to stare directly at the elder in question.

   "I have told you exactly the way in which you can kill us. I have revealed our secrets in order to make this peace with Talu. I am reaching out my hand, and I have heard very little from anyone but Chief Great Horned Owl, here, on how best to proceed in a way both our people can be satisfied with. If there is anyone here who has a better idea that doesn't involve damning my people in the process, then by all means, please speak it. Or, at the very least, quit pecking at my hand."

   Aike shook their head a bit, taking a moment to fish out their pipe and tobacco, brows knit as they packed the former and used the central fire to light it. They took a few puffs, considering the smoke for a long moment before finally addressing Atsida himself again.

   "I do not have the armies that Ketra has. Nor do you. What I do have is the knowledge granted to us by our forebears to make ourselves safe without stretching to a single warrior for a mile of land. My proposal isn't to threaten Talu. But if an army marches through Cortla first towards the east, towards Talu? They will have something to meet them and make them reconsider their decision. That is what I am offering by way of a suggestion. But the trade is that I will not be able to tell which direction the threat is coming from. Not that I am unwilling, but that I am unable to."

   Aike took another deep puff from their pipe and sighed the smoke out through their nostrils. Wisdom was not guaranteed with age, certainly, no matter what the people, it seemed. But again Aike attempted to remember that these people were scared. And wasn't that understandable? Wasn't that forgiveable?

   "Your northern borders are not shared with us, and so they'll be untouched. Life would be the same way as it has always been, except we both will be spending far less time making faces and throwing weapons at one another. Is that acceptable?"

Atsida did not know what was worse, the squirming two year old in his lap or the grown toddlers on either side of him making him wish such formalities were not necessary and that he could just speak plainly with the other chieftain. Things would be easier if there was not years of guarded misgivings and prejudices already in place. Atsida could trust them all he wanted, but it did not mean that the people at large across both territories would agree. His progressive ideals while tentatively received, it would only take one fight for him to be replaced by someone who disagreed. Each word had to be measured with triple care. Every step forward was one back and to the side.

And for what it was worth...he did agree with and understand the importance of Cortla keeping their own borders safe. It was just that he also understood the Parliament's concern that Talu was left unable to keep their own protective traditions.

"How permanent and how stationary would these new protective measures be?" Enoka asked suddenly from the back of the tipi. "And what happens when Talu wishes to pay Cortla a friendly visit? You have access to us via the passes. Talu is left with no exit of their own, correct?"

Aike glanced towards Enoka, and tilted their head to the side to acknowledge the questions. Those, at least, had been fair ones with fair answers and had very little to do with calling them a liar without calling them a liar.

"The main road would remain open, as it always has to friendly travellers heading west." Aike said plainly, their annoyance at the elder not bleeding out against the others gathered. "And I do not see a reason why you would not be able to use the same pass that connects us. It doesn't just go one way.

"The defenses I have in mind, while not impossible to remove at a later date, would take time to do so. They would also be very stationary. Hence, the lower amount of soldiers required to patrol it. If the ropes are minded, however, then there will be no harm done. Again, I am willing to hear alternate solutions, if you have them."

Enoka looked to Atsida who in turn also looked back at him. The pair sat in silence as if mentally conversing, their thoughts sharing a very similar wavelength as Atsida caught onto what the other man was getting at. His head slowly turned again to face Aike, eyes still clouded with processing thoughts before he spoke then, words extra measured and slow with care.

"**We do not know the way....I think though I would only have those within this space know the way, to further Cortla's trust and good faith in Talu. It would prevent an angry invasion of disgruntled of Taluvans, while providing a path to safety where our allies rest should the danger be high enough. In return we will not ask where your new defenses are for your own piece of mind. If that will please Cortla?**"

Aike sat patiently, waiting for Atsida to come to his decision. The waiting, this time, was easy - far easier than when they were getting squawked and pecked at by bad-tempered chickens pretending to be birds of prey. The mental image was enough to make them smile, before they remembered where they were and focused on the task at hand once more.

They watched Atsida's mask, and tilted their head as they considered his proposal. It would work - far better than telling the Council that the entirety of Talu knew one of the mountain roads into Skythread City. The laying of extra traps along the eastern border would also likely assuage some bloodlust. It felt dirty, but Aike knew it wasn't just out of malice - the traps would keep Talu safe as much as it would protect Cortla from the east. They just had to narrow the road and dig.

"That will please us greatly. Thank you, Chief Great Horned Owl. If you wish, on my return to Cortla we can show the way."

"**If not this return, then on another. I do not believe our spouses would be pleased to see us trapped out of Talu by the first snows that trap them in with our stircrazy owlets.**" Atsida nodded his head, considering their options further. "**We will both need to ensure our borders are marked before any new plans are implemented. Although perhaps we should leave a small corridor available for our young warriors. Whatever will my Taluvan Night Fliers do when they do not have sacks of feathers to angrily toss Cortla's way?**"

Aike blinked, and then ducked their head so they could laugh, shaking their head in amusement.

"Our young Trapdoors will certainly not know what to do with themselves, either, I agree. There are only so many lizards they can chase through the rocks before even that loses its appeal." They shook their head again, still smiling. "I will bring more maps to the east when we meet again there in the summer. We can discuss those safe corridors for... feather throwing, then."

Atsida joined in their laughter softly, his eyes crinkling with enjoyment as he nodded his head in agreement. "**I think we have negotiated much this morning. Would you honor me by walking with me? With the snows coming, I find it best to get what exercise in we can before we are snowed in. I would welcome the company.**"

In one single fluid motion, Aike was on their feet again, all too eager to get out of the tipi while they still had some sense of accomplishment. The last thing they needed was to wait for one of the others to make another assumption about their motives, and they could feel their ability to maintain patience wearing thin.

"I would very much enjoy a walk, yes." They considered for half a moment, before turning to look at their Trapdoors, who had all similarly stood to leave. "++I'll be fine. Go back to the tent and rest.++"

There were a few raised eyebrows, most notably from Rakal herself, but she shrugged and slowly the Trapdoors emptied out of the meeting tent and into the cool winter air once more, Sitkal stretching out his long limbs the moment he was under the open sky again.

Atsida was slower to his feet and inclined his head respectful acknowledgment. The other Taluvans were quick to their feet and ready to follow only to be equally waved off and dismissed. There was a ripple of murmurs and grumbles but eventually they all exited leaving only Aike, Atsida, Lawona, Enoka, and Feathers Fall Mildly. Enoka sent the interpreter away while giving Atsida a pointed looked that brooked no argument. His presence was staying regardless.

"Come," Enoka beckoned in Ketran. "There is a quiet place we like to walk where there will not be quite so many stares or stubborn Elders."

Atsida shook his head slightly but exited holding hands with his daughter moments before she tore off into the settlement on her stubby little legs. "**Were you able to rest again after your unfortunate alertness drill last night?**" he asked with Enoka translating.

Aike watched as the toddler took off as fast as her legs would carry her, utterly amused. They took a deep breath of cold mountain air and sighed it out again, enjoying being able to move after so much time sitting.

"I was busy with the map all of last night, to be honest. I often have difficulty sleeping, and so your daughter truly did not interrupt much." They gave an amused little smile. "She is quite the fighter."

"**Would tea help you sleep? You will find the longer you lead that problems will still be there tomorrow but lost sleep cannot be returned.**"

"If only he'd follow his own advice," Enoka quipped. He lead the quartet beyond the marked boundaries of the settlement and further towards the plains where dry and crisp grasses crunched underfoot.

Tiring from all her bolting about, Lawona soon bounded back to the adults at full tilt. She did not even stop as she full force collided with Atsida's knees and bounced off them. "You need to wait until you're bigger before doing that, Lawona," Enoka chided lightly while scooping her up onto his shoulders.

"**She is a little fighter indeed. I cannot thank you enough for understanding her antics are truly those of a young child with much still left to learn.**"

"Thank you for the offer, but I will only sleep less if I know I'm taking something for it." They gave a shrug, as if to say 'such is life', and watched as Lawona ran back only to full on collide with Atsida and bounce away. They couldn't help but laugh, their hand rising to their mouth as Lawona was scooped up.

"She's so small, I could not possibly be angry with her. Childhood is a time for innocence, we grow up so quickly as it is."

Aike sighed again, looking out over the grasses that would slowly turn more sparse the further west they went, transforming from rolling plains to the harsher wild grasses of Cortla. Even the smell was different, coated in the cold scent of frost as it was, nothing like the sharp warmth of sagebrush on a cool autumn night.

"It is lovely, here. I can see why you like this place."

"He likes it better further north. Atsida hates the cold. When the snows come he's like a great bear app hunkered up in his furs and grumpy at being woken," Enoka supplied causing a very soft hiss from Atsida. "It's too still out here if you ask me. The Buffalo have already moved on and we do nothing but wait for snow. It's the perfect location for a Parliament of stodgy old owls don't you think?"

Enoka chuckled even as Atsida pinched him warningly.

"**Perhaps next winter you could show us a place you enjoy in Cortla. I promise not to bring the tiniest soldier of Talu though.**"

Aike was laughing too much to quite notice that Atsida seemed to be reacting particularly swiftly for a man who did not speak the Ketran dialect. Their lack of decent sleep also seemed to play a factor, as they yawned quietly behind one hand before pulling their poncho closer to themself.

"It is peaceful. In Cortla, the cooler weather means more activity. All the summer days are spent as restful as possible to keep out of the heat, so when winter sets in, all the animals come out more and more.

"But if you would like, I can show you several places. Up in the mountains, we have wonderful hot springs, perfect for easing aches and the cold at the same time." They gave the two men a mischievous sort of smile. "Even a bear cannot be grumpy there. And your tiny warrior is more than welcome to enjoy the pepper candies we have at our street stalls."

Atsida ducked his head in embarrassment even as Lawona suddenly became excited. "Candy?!" She cried out while squirming fiercely on Enoka's shoulders in an attempt to get down and get at Aike. "Give!"

"**Lawona, ask nicely please or we will take you home and you can help Mama Enicea.**"

The child quieted with a mighty arm-crossed sulk at her father's firm but gentle words of warning. "**We would be grateful though for whatever hospitality Cortla wished to share with us.**"

Atsida paused to watch the young Cortlan, noticing how they yawned and looked so tired. "**There are some rocks ahead where we can warm ourselves. The wives use them for grinding herbs and plants. But even in the winter sun they become warm and comfortable to lay on. It is a nice treat against the chill.**"

He beckoned them then to large flat stones that had weathered storms and winds to become so smooth and indeed warmed by the sun. Atsida eagerly sprawled out, leaving plenty of room for the others to get comfortable as they desired. Lawona was returned to the ground where she took off running circles and chasing ground squirrels while Enoka watched.

   Aike couldn't help an amused smile at Lawona's little demands, shaking their head slightly as if in apology. After all, they'd already given their offering to the tiny Taluvan's sweet tooth, and had no more left. It was adorable, though, and they chuckled softly as she sulked after being reprimanded.

   "That sounds good," Aike said of the warm rocks, following Atsida to the stones and settling onto a section with another yawn and sigh. It felt nice to stretch their back out after a long night spent bent over maps in the semi-dark. The sun felt warm but not blistering against their face and they closed their eyes for just a moment to enjoy it. Just a moment, of course, and they blinked their eyes open so as to not completely fall asleep.

   They placed their hands behind their head and pulled, stretching out their muscles and grunting softly at the series of pops their spine made. They sat up again, crossing their legs and maneuvering their poncho to fully cover themself and keep warm. Out beyond where Lawona played, it was a sea of white and sky, with only a far-off dot signalling a bird of prey had found enough of an updraft to begin circling for breakfast.

   "You can see for miles, out here."

"And yet still lose an Owl," Enoka teased lightly, winking beneath his mask for a brief second before refocusing on the young owlet as she dipped in and out of sight. Small little hoots sounded in the distance, causing the Chieftain to chuckle softly before hooting back.

"**It is beautiful,**" Atsida spoke with deep affection for his homeland. "**I'm sure you can appreciate why we want to keep it this way too, to have a home for our children's children and their children yet to come. I would have many more peaceful days like today if I could.**"

   Aike watched as Lawona ducked low, the little hoots travelling in the still winter air easily. They couldn't help themself, their mouth spreading into a wide grin, and even more so as Atsida answered back. It was... remarkable, how very unlike the horror stories these people were.

   "No, I fully understand that. Our mountains are the same... we build only as we must and with the cliffs in mind." They looked over to the side to watch Atsida for a moment. "When you visit, I'll be happy to show you."

For his part, Atsida watched the Cortlan from the corner of his eye, a challenging thing to do as it was given the limitations of the mask without turning one's head. Their stretching revealed leanness but also muscle and flexibility. Theirs was a body of a warrior although different than those of Talu. Aike was far more like a supple tree branch than a hearty ash tree trunk. Atsida could respect that hidden strength.

Their talks over the past several months both in person and via letters had already showcased the younger man's prowess in both patience and diplomacy. The old owl chief did not relish the opportunity to test blows against each other. But, it was good to note it would be an honorable fight if it ever came to it.

"**I would be honored to see whatever you deemed fit to show. I understand we share in the rarity of opening our homes to outsiders, even among the united Adelan territories. I think perhaps though, despite your offer it might be best to wait until my little warrior as you've called her is a bit more grown,**" he motioned out to the fields as Lawona suddenly leaped and belly flopped into the light snow as she scrabbled to catch something. "**We would not have Cortla fall in a day under her precocious antics.**"

Aike listened patiently through the translation, looking out to the fields with every sound and movement from Lawona. Though trust had certainly been built, it was hard for Aike to be out in the open sky and not alert to anything out of place. Which, given this was Talu, everything was out of place to them.

They hummed in thought for a moment, truly considering the little one being loosed so in the heart of Skythread. Many foreign faces, many foreign customs, the winds and the walls and the ropes...

"I think that would be very wise," Aike said, finally. They paused again, before continuing with their words. "It is easy to forget, what you know when you were born in a place. Your little warrior has such a spirit, but I wonder if our customs would be so easily understood.

"Besides," they continued, with a much more teasing tone and a twist of their wrist, "I have only been Governor for so long. At the very least, let me finish my first term before sending the little one to overthrow me."

Atsida burst out in deep, laughter as Enoka finished translating for him.

"It is too late for you, she has already begun!" Enoka quipped back. Atsida had begun to reply as well although the other man failed to translate, his gaze instead hyper focused and searching the horizon. 

The little bobbing head of the Chief's owlet was nowhere to be seen. 

"**Lawona!**" Enoka barked, suddenly very serious and firm as he stood higher on the rock where they all sat perched, his body that of a tensed warrior and no longer the flirtatious easy-going jokester. Atsida in turn gazed outward as well, trilling an owl call that went unanswered while sliding off the rock to crouch and see if he could catch sight of the missing child from a lower angle. 

At the sudden shift in tone, Aike tensed. They, too, stood up, looking across the land surrounding the rocks and focused on any sign of movement. There was so little to see for so far, where could she have gone?

Slowly, carefully, they stepped their way off the rock and looked for where the grasses had been disturbed by Lawona's passing, rolling their foot against the dirt to get a better sense of the threads underneath. Aike continued on then, brows knit as they continued to look for movement among the grasses.

"++Little Owl!++" Aike called out, not expecting her to truly respond to the words, but also somewhat hoping the sound of Cortlan speech might prompt her to strike and end the worrisome moment.

No response greeted their desperate ears. The light snow and tall grass belied nothing either. There was no movement, not even a wind to rustle them or distract from an ill-intentioned intruder.

Atsida, seeing nothing moved to lay his ear upon the ground hoping to hear the sound of thundering footsteps, anything that might indicate his eldest child was somewhere even if it was sneaking up on them or someone stealing her away. 

Silence.

Enoka hopped down from his perch as well, moving on quick, silent feet towards where the little girl had been playing. Her footsteps had muddied snow and bent grass plenty in circles from her hopping about but there was no sign of her having run off or even necessarily of circling back.

Where had she gone?

"++Little Owl!++" Aike called out, louder this time. They moved quicker to join Enoka at the circle of flattened grass, and knelt down to sink their hands into the cold mud. The shock of cold made it difficult to feel for the threads lingering in the earth, fleeting as they were, but Aike kept still, waiting for the sensation deep in their skull that would let them see what echoes remained.

Enoka raised a brow slightly as he caught sight of Aike. He would gladly accept their help but he wasn't sure what to make of them kneeling in mud with their hands buried in it. For all he knew flowers were about to burst forth or a giant spiderweb. Cortlans could be such strange people.

He looked outward once more as if to spy a bobbing head or dark shadow to take after. Instead there was only Atsida now on the rock looking out and around to see if the child had indeed evaded three adults to double back. 

Still nothing aside from mud, flattened grass, and fresh snow that had slid off one of the rocks where she had been playing in front of. 

Enoka could only imagine the tongue lashing they all would receive from Enicea the moment she learned of her child's disappearing act. 

Grandmother's leg hairs, but it was cold.

Aike sucked in a breath and let it out again, ignoring the way the cold burned their skin the longer their hands were submerged. Still, it seemed the temperature would seemingly not allow for concentration, and Aike was about to withdraw their hands--

When they realized the feeling of cold was not entirely their own.

There. The thread was there, lost under the noise of other, smaller threads. There was cold, and surprise, vigilance and--

Intruders. The telltale thud of large footsteps on the ground above. Grazers? No. Predators? Perhaps. Burrowing was safe, burrowing was warm, burrowing would keep them hidden and secret--

But then there was the intruder. And the intruder was cold, was not blessed with furry hands that kept so warm.

Aike blinked, and looked back to the rocks. They didn't speak for fear of losing the thin thread they had found, instead following the gossamer line of feeling over to the rock. They circled it, once, twice, before dropping down again and beginning to dig through the snow that had fallen there. Their hands ached, but the thread was here, the intruder was here, Lawona was here. They were sure of it.

One moment the Cortlan Governor was kneeling in the mud and the next they were digging in the snow like an angry badger. The Taluvan at their side didn't even pause to question before letting out an indiscernible huff and dropping down to join in on the digging. 

For the barest, briefest moment Enoka caught sight of a flash of brown in the snow before more snow fell to bury the tunnel they were trying to form. He dug faster, cursing softly under his breath at the fool child managing to get get herself seemingly buried.

The more they dug though, the more the snow kept collapsing back down again from the snowdrift created by the rock. 

"When you see her shoes again latch on and pull. I'll try to keep the snow from falling more."

Aike nodded, still wordless even as they stopped clinging so hard to the thread. They kept digging, trying to toss away the snow as they went, eyes fixed on where they had last seen her--

There!

Aike's hands, frozen and hard to move as they were, snapped out to close around Lawona's ankles. They only took a moment to make sure they could keep their grip, before rocking back and pulling with every part of themself to free the poor upended owlet.

Enoka was quick to sweep the snow swept away as Aike pulled. Then with a sudden explosion of release out came Lawona as a small, soaking wet, and frozen mess. The little girl landed solidly against the Cortlan Governor, squirming mightily for her release. 

However, she was not the only one unhappy at being mishandled. Clutches tightly in each fist was a deeply displeased fox kit that screamed and squirmed for its mother. The vixen herself was also quick to follow out of the deb, hissing and barking up a storm even as Enoka laughed at the child's misfortune, completely unable or perhaps unwilling to help with the predicament the felled pair was in. 

Oh.

Oh, this was a predicament most unpleasant.

Aike's face was pulled into a grimace as they struggled to hold onto Lawona, scooting back with her so the vixen didn't get an opportunity to jump on the both of them and start biting.

"++Let go,++ let go," they commanded, while trying to physically remove Lawona's grip on one of the kits, which just made the chaos of it all even more daunting as they struggled to maintain their grip on her.

And all while Enoka sat and laughed, the feathery asshole!

"A little help!" they grunted loudly as they managed to free one kit and scooted back again to keep Lawona for making a grab.

Enoka laughed uselessly only a moment longer before getting to his feet in order to help. Instead of attempting to prey apart Lawona's fingers, he opted instead for smacking the child's arm just below the elbow causing her to involuntarily let go. As soon as the kit was released he then scooped up Aike and Lawona both to keep them out of harm's way of the rightfully overprotective mother who now had both her babies returned and was more angry than ever. The vixen growled and barked more, stamping her feet in front of the ruined entrance to her den as she dared the much larger predators to mess with her and her family again.

"**My mask!**" protested the little girl whose bare face scowled from Aike's arms up at the Night Flier carrying them both. 

"**Lawona, enough,**" Enoka replied quiet but firmly, brooking no further argument as the child even settled and immediately ceased squirming in their arms as well. 

This was hardly dignified. Aike could not remember the last time they had been scooped up like a child and just carried off away from danger. A commander, a leader like them? No, they were the one to do the carrying.

Still, they were also very much forced to focus on keeping Lawona in place, at least until the pair exchanged loud words in Taluvan and Lawona finally settled down. Aike was not sure what had been said, but they made a mental note to ask about it later. Just in case they found the need to pull the little owl out from another burrow or some other similar, nonsense adventure.

Like when Atsida and his people did finally come to visit Skythread proper. More and more Aike saw the wisdom in waiting, and so they let Enoka cart the pair away from the family of foxes, only squirming themself once they were all safely at a distance. Lawona, similarly, was set on her feet as soon as Aike had theirs beneath them, now more focused on getting feeling back in their hands.

It was difficult, managing the real world and the threads beneath. They never were quite here or there, in those moments.

"Did they bite her?" they asked, after a moment, remembering suddenly that she had been face down in a den and grabbing onto wild animals like they were a cuddly toy at the market.

Enoka deposited the pair with care even as Atsida rushed to scoop up his daughter and crush her close with worry. The Taluvan Chief spoke in soft and gentle tones of concern as he examined the little girl for injuries even as his hands shook and shoulders belied the tension he was holding back. No matter how the little one fussed and tantrumed, her father did not once raise his voice or appear to become angry. Only once he had determined that she was well beyond a few shallow bites that would need treating and a missing mask did he once more pull her into his arms to embrace, his masked forehead pressed against her bare one and his warm feathered cloak engulfing her out of view. 

Meanwhile with his charges returned, Enoka focused his attention on Aike. Holding his hands out to them he asked, "++May I?++"

Aike blinked a few times, the last of the fog lifting as they fully left the web, and stood firmly in the light of day once more. That in and of itself was a little jarring, where everything seemed entirely too real to be real. 

Eventually, though, to Enoka's question, they nodded, and held their hands out to him.

"++Thank you. She is okay?++"

Enoka nodded his head as he took their arms into his hands and examined them for injury with almost reverence with how gentle his touch was. 

"++Owlet of Chief Great Horned Owl is always such a stubborn and mischievous one. Her mother will be fussed but thanks to you she is in one piece.++

The man began to rub Aike's hands between his own to warm them from the chill of the icy slurry they had buried them into earlier.

"++Thank you.++"

With how sharp the world was, Enoka's touch was like a balm, slow and steady and tender. It numbed the razor-edges of everything, until it all settled back into place exactly as it was meant to be. Still, they didn't withdraw from his touch, rather allowing themself to be warmed and feeling their cheeks heat just so at the same time.

"++You don't need to thank me.++" they said, quietly, after a moment. They glanced to the side where Atsida held Lawona, the edges of fear and the wash of relief melting right into the ground where the Chief of Talu stood. That would last for days, surely.

"++Nothing quite like a bit of adventure to wake you up.++" Aike quipped, extending and curling their fingers to test them once Enoka had provided enough heat.

"++And yet I have already spoken it into existence,++" Enoka teased, his voice sounding quite pleased and amused beneath his mask. "++But if it's adventure you're looking for, perhaps I should take you along with me this afternoon.~++"

The man leaned in to whisper near their ear as he gave their hands a gentle squeeze. "++It would be welcome company.++"

Aike had to take a moment to let their mind catch up with the world around them. The residual fear of something befalling the child was still a tang in the air, though one that was quickly fading. As it did, Aike took note of how warm Enoka's hands felt around their own. Very, very warm.

"++I believe I have enough in me for one more adventure,++" they replied, looking through the eyes of Enoka's mask, "++once the little one is back home, of course.++"

Warm eyes crinkled in amusement back Enoka raised Aike's hands to his lips, blowing warm breath onto them, his lips just barely grazing their skin. Knowing mischief danced in his eyes as he gently drew back and addressed the Taluvan chief in their native tongue.

"He apologizes for the incident and thanks you again for your quick action and assistance. He is beyond grateful and in your debt for the care of his eldest, who will perhaps," Enoka's voice upticked in clear amusement, "take better care when hunting in snowdrifts."

Firmly resembling a particularly ripe pepper, Aike only just managed to get their thoughts in order to remember that this was, in fact, a diplomatic endeavor, and not a night at the city bonfire. They looked from Enoka to Atside, giving a smile and an incline of their head.

"Please, it's no trouble. Children are children, after all, and I've terrified my own mother far worse, in my time." They paused, considering that this was perhaps not the best time to talk about childhood mischief so soon after a genuinely frightening incident. "But that is a story for later, I think."

Atsida nodded some as he listened and Enoka translated before quietly beckoning them both home. From her place in his arms, Lawona popped her head up briefly to stare fiercely at the visiting governor before being tucked back into the safety of her father's cloak. 

Enoka for his part seemed completely unbothered and at ease now that they were headed back and even had a skip in his step as he would bound ahead of the trio, climb rocks easily, or hop off them to return much to Atsida's good-natured headshakes.

"++If you all walk any slower you're going to turn into snow!++" Enoka called from up ahead a bend out of sight but no less present. 

It was a relief for Atsida no matter how brief though as home came into view and they came face to face with the entrance-keepers. Lawona was placed down on the ground and examined thoroughly by the guards, hushed words spoken over her head, some fearful and some firm. A hollow gourd was shaken in her face. Gold and red powders were dusted over her head and brushed over her cheeks and forehead even as the child became more and more agitated by the attention and restriction. 

Suddenly the little one beat her chest and declared loudly for all to hear something in her native tongue that made the adults chuckle and the elder woman who was inspecting her to finally nod and send Lawona racing across the camp, pausing only long enough to throw a glare over her shoulder at Aike and stick out her tongue. 

Atsida was quickly let through after, although he turned back to ensure the other two made it through as well. Aike in turn was quietly greeted by the older woman who nervously bobbed her head to them in greeting.

"++She asks your permission to ensure you are as you say and not one of our spirits returned to us. She need only hold your hands and look into your eyes if you'll be so accommodating?++"

"++Walk any faster and you'll find the next fox hole,++" Aike called back, their poncho wrapped around their arms to keep their hands covered after the bout in the snow. They kept pace with Atsida and the little one, however, no matter Enoka's goading, comforting though it was. The tension was easing more and more, relief finally washing into the ground as they returned to the Taluvan camp.

Aike watched in curiousity as Lawona was looked after, their head tilted as they observed the ritual of gourd and powders. Their eyebrows rose steadily as they watched the child become more and more irritated, feeling what was coming underfoot before finally Lawona barked out her displeasure and ran off. Aike chuckled at the face she made to them. A very spirited little one, indeed.

The Governor watched as the same ritual was not done to the other adults, and they remembered the mask that had been left in the fox's den. In Cortla, there was the belief that the masks were there to hide true intentions, and Aike themself had believed such a thing when they were a young scout. This moment, however, did seem to call that particular belief in question.

Their thoughts were interrupted, of course, as they found themself face-to-mask with the old woman. They glanced to Enoka as he translated, and withdrew their hands from where they had bundled them into the poncho. The knuckles were still red with cold, but feeling and warmth had already returned, and they held their hands out with palms upward for the woman to take, taking their eyes from Enoka to settle on her mask instead.

Weathered hands clasped onto Aike's with a firm grip that belied their age. The elder woman lifted her chin to stare into Aike's eyes with her own pair of cloudy, milky, and unseeing ones. A soft smile crinkled the corner of her eyes beneath her mask as she rubbed her thumbs soothingly in the center of their palms and murmured something softly.

An accepting nod of her head and the warriors all seemed to ease in their apprehensive tension. No spirits would return this day. But, though the woman let go she held up a single finger to the Cortlan leader before reaching into her pockets and pulling out a worn pouch. This she placed in their palm, closing their fingers over it and patting their hand warmly with another nod of her head, before retreating wordlessly.

Enoka was at their elbow once more as he walked them back to their tipi. "++Feeling sufficiently cursed by the Taluvans now?++" He jested with a light tone and a bump against their shoulder.

Aike accepted the pouch, looking quizzically down at it. They rubbed over the leather with one thumb, but it was not immediately clear what the pouch contained. Enoka's joking hardly helped, and Aike gave him a look before bumping him right back.

"++What is this?++" they asked, raising up the pouch in question to him.

The man shrugged but plucked it out of their hands and opened the pouched. A soft snort escaped him as he peered into it before taking Aike's hand and pouring the contents into their palm. Tucking the pouch away in his waistband he captured their other hand and then used his thumb to rub the seeds and petals into their pam before pushing it into the other one. Quietly, almost reverently he worked them into their skin, massaging their hands and fingers thoroughly even as worth began to spread into his own fingertips from where he had worked.

"++Apparently your hands are cold,++" he laughed at them.

Aike could feel their skin heating, so much so that it seemed to spread up their arms and right to their ears. They flexed their fingers once Enoka released their hands again, humming a bit at the warmth that still remained.

"++Please do pass along my thanks, as well as my apologies.++" They looked to their borrowed tipi, where Sitkal sat on the ground by the entry pretending to not be terribly amused. Aike's eyes narrowed, and Sitkal wisely looked elsewhere.

"++When did you plan on your adventure?++" Aike asked once they were sure they were not being laughed at by the other Trapdoor. "++And should I wrap my hands before we go?++"

"++I can always warm them for you if needed,++" Enoka replied with a self-satisfied smirk. "++We may adventure whenever you wish, Governor,++" he all but purred, completely uncaring for the audience the pair had and perhaps even goaded on by it. "++If catching owlets and foxes alike has worn out your tiny spider bones then by all means rest and I may collect you later. I have no interest in lingering long here. Snow threatens tomorrow and then I will have no chance to flee.++"

"++You will not get very far, if you are preoccupied with my hands,++" Aike replied, looking right up into the Taluvan man's mask as they did. Behind them, Sitkal did his best to keep his expression completely neutral, instead plucking up a pebble to float back and forth between his palms. "++If we do not have much time before being made to stay indoors, then we may leave now.++"

Aike looked back finally to see Sitkal struggling with the shape of his own mouth, though he quickly snapped his attention to Aike at a word. The giant Trapdoor got to his feet with ease, and stepped closer to the pair.

"++Everyone is settled?++"

"++More or less. We know how to behave ourselves while you do footwork.++" Sitkal said evenly, completely ignoring his own choice of words and the look it earned him.

"++Very well then,++" they looked back to Enoka, "++give me a moment to ready, and we can move out.++"

Aike slipped into the tent, where a few hushed words in Cortlan were exchanged as Sitkal settled back down to keep watch. Soon enough, Aike reemerged, hands wrapped in strips of cloth while leaving their fingers free, and an extra poncho layered atop their prior one.

"++Lead the way.++"

"++We Taluvans believe in the journey not the distance mattering most. It seems you have much to learn yet, Little Spider,++" the man teased. His smirk deepened as he took Sitkal in. "++You don't always need to behave...just perhaps keep the tiny one away from Enicea. Or perhaps at least until I get back. I'd love to watch them snark it out.++"

He snickered while waiting for Aike but did openly sigh to see their hands wrapped. There was a spring once more in his step as he led them both to another entry point from where they came in. They had nearly made it too before an angry shout of his name had him trying to usher Aike out faster as if he had not heard.

From around the wrong corner popped up Enicea looking very much ready to fight the man who towered over her. Her limp was deeply pronounced but appeared to do nothing to slow her down as the uloifluf meant to support her was hopping and bouncing to keep up on its short, stout legs.

Her neck and chest were red with fury as she stomped closer, cursing a storm in Taluvan even as Enoka attempted to take a half step back and behind Aike as if the Cortlan leader's diplomatic immunity would save his own hide. Enicea paused long enough to silently glare before leaning to the side to glare even more pointedly at Enoka. Glancing at Aike she signed 'thank you,' to them even though her green eyes all but glowed with anger.

Aike's eyebrows rocketed upwards in amusement at Enoka's assessment of them. Rather than being insulted at 'having much to learn', Aike simply gave a well-meaning roll of their eyes and shook their head with a smile. Sitkal for his part, looked twice as amused.

"++Keep Rakal away from the Chief's wife. Noted. Would have never guessed.++" Sitkal said even as he waved them off.

Whatever relaxation Aike had achieved since their return to the encampment vanished in an instant. Aike may not have known the words, but they certainly felt the fury in them, and even as Enoka tried to rush them out they found themself standing stock still as Enicea approached. They gave a small squawk as Enoka made to get behind them, looking over their shoulder only to snap their head back forward when Enicea stopped before them.

In the end, all they could reasonably do was raise their hands up to the level of their chest, holding their palms out in the well-understood and universal sign of 'please don't hurt me.'

"Forgive me, Governor," the furious woman signed to Aike, her eyes never once leaving where she was glaring at Enoka behind them. "This bad, bad owl needs a talking to and then to make up for ENDANGERING MY CHILD since we have no funnel here."

From behind Aike, Enoka snorted as he placed his hands on Aike's shoulders and gave a reassuring squeeze before slowly moving out from behind them. "**Lawona is fine.~ She has our best midwife and keeper to look after her.**"

The woman spat and cursed some more in Taluvan at Enoka causing him only to laugh more. "**You will not sleep in my tipi tonight, Enoka!** Governor, good bye," Enicea communicated to them both before stomping off, muttering more angry foul words as she went. Others who had observed the outburst shook themselves as if caught doing something they shouldn't have or shook their heads in disappointment.

"++It seems I will be on nightwatch for you again tonight,++" Enoka quipped as he gently tugged their elbow in an attempt to pull them out of the camp with him.

The speed in which the woman signed was almost entirely too fast for Aike, and certainly so while Enoka was using them as a shield. Their attention was firmly divided, torn between trying to get the man out from his hiding and not taking their eyes away from the Chief's wife for longer than was absolutely necessary.

It wasn't that Aike was in fear for their life, so much as they very much understood it was in danger.

Still, the situation was not so chaotic that they didn't notice her choice of words.

Hands still up, Aike signed their own calm, looking to the side as Enoka finally moved from his hiding spot. They didn't even get a chance to sign a farewell before Enicea was off again, and the Governor could only take a breath and be grateful that Sitkal would hopefully be managing the peace while they were elsewhere.

"++You are in quite a lot of trouble,++" they said, even as he led them out beyond the markers of the camp, "++I will not be such a good shield when I am safe in my tent and you are not.++"

"++You would abandon me so readily? What friends we have in Cortlans indeed,++" he jested twisting his wrist for them to see as humor filled his voice. "++She loves her child and has suffered much,++" he continued his voice devoid of any of the previous humor and rather emotionless in comparison. "++It is considered only natural for her to be so angry over one of her remaining owlets to have been threatened. Atsida will soothe her aches. I have nothing to fear and you are not in trouble.++"

Aike hummed softly as they worked through their thoughts.

"++Oh, but I think I am in trouble.++" They said, their tone mild as if they were merely commenting on the color of the sky, "++Your Chief's hospitality has been great, but I am very aware of how few truly wish me to be here. Even your babies wish to slay me.++"

They looked to the side to ponder Enoka as they walked together.

"++I wonder what stories of the Funnel makes its way through the mountains, to where a Taluvan mother would know it so well. It makes me wonder what other stores make it to your lands. What stories don't.++"

"++I imagine they travel as far as the people who tell them do,++" Enoka replied. "++But then what stories of Talu have whispered back in the wind to Cortla? What horrific murderers and kidnappers we are, stealing children from their beds and murdering any adult who steps foot on our lands. Yet somehow you live, and unmurdered by little owlets at that. Owlets who fearlessly warred with a neighboring chieftain as they do their own because they do not know any better or that there is anything wrong with such play. What you see as an attack upon you for being Cortlan, Lawona sees as an attack because you are a warrior and a leader the same as her father. There is not a single child that walks the circle that has not challenged The Great Horned Owl at least once for his chieftain title. Can you truly blame her for being bold enough to be opportunistic?++"

The man laughed softly as he helped Aike to climb up the tall stones near the edge of their mountain. "++You lack perspective Aike Jadon Governor of Cortla. Come see with new eyes.++"

Below them was the encampment with its many fires and moving figures. Families interacted and worked while children ran about tumbling and laughing without a fear in the world. Beyond was open fields of tall grasses crushed by snow as far as the eye could see.

"++They are nothing without community. And the community has suffered in the shadow of this mountain. But are they so different than Cortlans?++"