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."
