The Wolf's Song
Kiht Jakkya found herself alert and wary as she awaited the arrival of one whom she shared a confusing past with. Osric said Oschon’s Torch was a grand spot, and it was only upon remembering the context of the recommendation that she also recollected his meaning. It was a romantic place…
This added flustering thoughts to her already tense mind. But shortly after, she saw his approach. She could not help but remember all the great sword swings. How many times had this man tried to cut her into pieces?
But that wasn’t him. She faced his demon back then, so she would face him now. The huntress was ready for a figurative battle, yet all the man was doing was arriving casually at a location she chose. Life had clearly taken a toll on Kiht…
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Gharen Wolfsong approaches, steps unbound and not worried of any sort of dangers. "Miss Jakkya, got yer message. What's th' occasion?"
Kiht had her gaze turned out into the ocean. Though the light fog seems to make it hard for her to see anything. She squints a bit and leans forward slightly to see if it improves her sight, but she ultimately falls back into a normal stance and sighs. She turns to Gharen.
"Greetings, Gharen." She pauses. "I suppose two things... How do you fare?"
He shrugs slightly, "Better'n we last met I suppose. Don' need th' cane te get about any more. Though I can still feel th' weakness there. Like somethin's... Off.. likely my aether still. An' ye? Been stayin' safe?"
She studies him for a moment. "...It depends on what you mean by 'safe'. I am... Alive. I am also intact." She grows a slight smirk. "I am not sure if my life is ever safe though... It is good to see you stronger at least."
Gharen nods to her response with an ever so slight grin. "Well, alive tis infinitely better than th' alternative, no? An' thank ye, It's been slow goin' as far as recovery. Been hopin' te get some trainin' tha' may speed it up but..." He shrugs again. "My people nae wont for stubbornness."
"Speaking of your people..." She paces a bit more toward the road. No intent aside from an idle desire to move her legs. "You are Ala Mhigan, are you not? Were you born there?"
The Highlander watches her as she paces, "Aye, some five cycles before it's fall."
She blinks noticeably at that. "You are my age?" She bites back a smirk.
"T'would assume we're about th' same age. Though everyone seems te assume I'm older'n dirt I guess.†Gharen speaks as he moves to what looks like a comfortable spot and takes a seat in the grass.
Kiht smiles lightly as she sits as well. "I do not suppose you remember much about where you were born. Do you ever wish to go back?"
"I remember bits an' pieces, before th' occupation. Most o' it drowned out in th' background by th' night th' Garleans killed my parents. Dinnae care te go back till I found out th' truth o' who our family was. Now, I feel like it's an obligation, nae only te myself but fer Roen, an' others."
The huntress raises a brow. "I had heard rumors of a resistance, so I began to search. I talked to another Ala Mhigan friend, and she lead me to them. They are no mere rumor. Mayhaps what I saw were merely followers, but I also saw those who were not Ala Mhigan, yet they joined their cause." She pauses. "Have you heard of this?"
"Aye, got mixed up with them some time ago ye may recall, before our first encounter with Banurein? Mind ye, I've nae had anythin' te do with with them as o' late, been focus'n on recovery mostly. But I've heard rumblin' here an there, whispers among th' refugees."
"I have seen the few refugees who brave the Shroud. I have seen how the hearers of Gridania deny them aid; saying the Elementals do not want them there." She sighs at the thought. "So it may surprise you to hear that the Twelveswood and the Ala Mhigans share the same enemy. The Gridanians are fools not to accept it, but the Garleans that encroach from the East... Those are from Gyr Albania."
"Aye, dinnae surprise me th' Gridanian's are less than hospitable, many have long memories, an still remember th' Autumn war. Or heard an elder's tales o' it. Te this day it colors thier perception, resentment fer Ala mhigans leads te blindness o' th' more immediate an' dangerous threat. I would see th' empire forcibly removed from th' shroud if'n need be, as I've spent much time livin' under it's canopy."
Kiht looks a bit surprised by that, but quickly continues. "Good, then you understand. The Autumn War, it was big enough to be passed down word-of-mouth in my family for generations, but I remember more recently the bombs dropped on the forest by the Garleans before the Calamity, and I am reminded every time I see that Castrum in East Shroud... "
"Aye, I was nae there when th' Garlean's attacked, but aye, I can understand yer want te have them gone. I can almost guarantee th' resistance is lookin' te remove tha' obstacle, an has been fer awhile now. Th' gridanian's however, continue te be an issue."
She gives him a curt nod. "Fortunately, I am not Gridanian. I was born in that forest as a member of the Jakkya family, and we knew no nation’s authority.... We had to work with them or around them because of their power, but never really part of them. I can not tell you what they will do, but you and your people have some friends in the Twelveswood. And if this resistance takes the fight to the Garleans in the East, I would go as well."
"Well, I would thank ye an' be glad te have ye alongside as brethren. Th' resistance would certainly be lesser without yer skills.â€
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Kiht found herself relaxing. This man was nothing like the man she had fought. Before Gharen became ‘The Wolf’, she had only talked to him once. Those were tense times. Even if he was kind and respectful, he was Hells-bent on stopping Nero, the man who Roen loved. The love blinded Roen, and Kiht’s loyalty to Roen blinded her. Anyone who opposed Roen could not be trusted – that was Kiht’s mindset back then. Gharen had been in the right, but Kiht and his very sister wanted little to do with him.
That is part of the reason why Kiht took on ‘The Wolf’. Even if Roen was away, Kiht became her envoy in an effort to save the man they should have trusted.
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A smile escapes Kiht as her mind returns to the present, but she averts her gaze. "Gratitude..." She speaks more softly then clears her throat. "I need to learn about them, earn their trust and help them gain support. As the only group looking to take the fight to the Garleans in the East, they are the best option." She lets out an exhale. "That is why I sought to speak with you, and all the other Ala Mhigans I know."
"Well, I'm sure you've found them te be both stubborn, an' prideful, a common set o' traits amongst my people. Persist an' ye'll win them o'er, may nae always seem like it but.. A good portion o' us tend te be... A little rough around th' edges. Even I have trouble relatin' te many o' em' a good portion o' th' time."
She snorts softly then nods. "Very well, I will be persistent... With respect. They would find it hard to get rid of me." A snicker. "Hells, even Roen can not get rid of me."
He grins and shrugs "Well, If'n even my sister cannae shake ye," he says, insinuating the magnitude of his sibling’s stubbornness. "Ye'll have nae problems with th' rest."
"Grand." She smiles as she looks back to him. "What of you? I doubt I have to show you where to find the resistance, but what is your plan?"
"I have my camp upon th' edge o' th' shroud an' Thanalan. At th' beach I spoke with Melkire te introduce me te someone tha' may teach me th' fightin' arts o' Ala Mhigo, Specifically th' Fists' o' Rhaglr. I've met with her more'n a few times.. Gettin her te train me though has been a challenge howe'er. Bein' in Thanalan though puts me in proximity te Little Ala Mhigo, an' th' refugee camps, tis nae secret tha' there'd be resistance contacts abound there. When I feel I am healed enough, I'll make my efforts again with th' resistance. Tis somethin' I must do I think te see my people home where they belong, nae in th' caves an' squalor they are in now."
"To tell you true, I feared what happened may have-. I feared it may have erased too much of your old self. I did not know you much before all the shite happened, but your spirit still seems as strong as it was back when you fought in the Grindstone."
Gharen draws in a breath, "There are times when I look back, an' I don' feel like my old self.. I'm.. It's hard te explain, I still have nae memory o' what happened. I find myself doin' things differently, or reactin' te situations differently. It dinnae fee familiar, yet at th' same time, there are times I feel.. Well, whole."
"Mayhaps that is normal change. I have changed as well. I use to think I knew everything. I use to think I understood what mattered... But things did not oft turn out how I wanted. It has taught me lessons."
"Such is life, one lesson after another, some unfortunately harsher than others. Tis good though, I still recall our first meetin’. You seemed very, rigid in your beliefs, an' I can tell tha' in tha' short time ye've changed quite a bit."
Kiht gazes to her hand and flexes it. "I still have my beliefs, but some other things... I have decided to admit that I have not learned everything yet. Honor is more complicated than I thought, and people are not always what they seem at first."
"Well I don' question yer beliefs, but rather, jus point out tha' experience has earned ye flexibility o' mind an' self."
She glances back to him, and smiles lightly. "You are very kind. It must be in the blood. Somehow you and Roen are both fighters, but also both kind to me. I know what you mean, and you are right. I am not offended by such an insight."
"I am sure we get it from our mother's side o' th' family. O' course I'd do well nae te offend ye lest I wind up down range o' yer arrows.†He grins lightly in return at the jest.
A chuckle escapes her before she remembers having shot him in the thigh, and she nearly loses her humor. Her face goes straight. ".... Then your mother was wise. I have met many fighters who thought they had to always be of a mind to fight. Their words had to be weapons, and their mood had to be angry." She pauses. "But I have more respect for those who know when they must use weapons and when they do not have to."
"Well such severity shows a lack balance in their lives I suppose. A concept I'm sure ye an yers are all too familiar with. Whether it be a balance between nature an' man, or within one's self. Nae always easy to maintain as I've had te learn repeatedly I suppose but, tis a universal constant."
"Indeed... It is." She says with mild surprise. Her mind ponders that for a moment. "I suppose I am still learning it myself. Things like mercy and justice can be about balance as well..." She lets out an exhale. "It will be grand to have you as an ally, Gharen."
"An' you as well Miss Jakkya, t'would be foolish o' me te let my sister steal yer friendship all fer herself now wouldn't it?." He says and he pushes himself to his feet then turns to offer her a hand to help her to hers.
Kiht takes his hand, and he helps her to her feet with little needed effort. She smiles slightly and averts her gaze for a moment before looking back to him. Their hands stay together, and she shakes his. "Mayhaps it would be." She speaks as she grows a mild smirk.
Gharen shakes her hand in return. "I think so, though I must say Miss Jakkya, thank ye fer bein' such a good friend te Roen, and te myself especially when I most assuredly did nae deserve it."
The huntress sighs lightly as she lets go of his hand. But her smile does not fade. "It is hard to tell who deserved what. All that happened was born from shite I still do not fully understand. You are welcome though. We Keepers are sentimental, and It kept me going. I just had to remember who she was, and who you were... Even if I did not know you well at the time."
"Regardless ye have my thanks all th' same, and if'n yer ever in need. I'll help however I'm able."
Kiht decides to finally let the man go. "Gratitude, Moonlight guide your path."
The Highlander bows, "And to ye Miss Jakkya. I should nae take up more o' yer time."
She gives him a slow, casual wave as she paces off.
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Kiht’s steps were light, but she insisted her stride be disciplined and strong. He was likely watching her go, or so she assumed.
The visit to the beach had not yet let her know if Gharen would be recovering well from his ordeal. But this dusk there were no crossed loyalties, no lies, no conflicts of interest and nothing to prevent the Highlander and Keeper from being allies.
This is what Kiht had always wanted; comrades who she could fight alongside, and people who would hunt the monsters with her.
