Twinflame: The days began differently in this part of Thanalan. In the Sagoli, the heat would've preceded the sun. Perhaps it did here as well, but it was a subtler warmth, still humid from the storms that had been hangining over them when he'd first arrived. Once K'ile Tia had stirred, the strangeness of the light alongside the relative coolness woke him quickly. He was eager to rise and move, and his spear was in his hands early on.
There were no edible plants in their immeidate vicinity. Not that he could see or would know how to eat. Finding small game was easy in the rocks, though. The moles he found couldn't go to ground as easily, and the uneven earth let him sneak up on them wihtout too much worry.
K'ile returned with a dead mole hanging from his spear, holding it away from him. He noticed K'luha walking around near the boulders they'd slept in the previous night, and waved the weighty corpse over his head in greeting. It swung back and forth with the crack and keen of bone and flesh.
"Good morning," he said, when he was close enough to speak easily.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha had woken up shortly after K'ile, mostly because the warmth against her back was missing. She found herself walking about amongst the rocks just to warm up her body again and get her muscles to unlock. They seemed to have stiffened in the night's lack of particularly good sleep.Â
On the wings she could smell.. fire. Amal'jaa. She scowled a bit, only to hear K'ile call to her. She looked over and grunted. "Morning..."
*
Twinflame: Holding the mole in K'luha's direction, he said with a smile, "You ever eaten one of these before? I'm hoping they taste a bit less faty than the aldgoat. Wolf was all wiry. We need some good, dense meat around here if we're going to settle in long-term!"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha offered a nod and a grunt in retort. She was still tired and angry. She was getting tired of K'ile constantly acting like he liked her, and then hated her. Still, she was angrier still at K'ailia for abandoning her family, or rather about to abadon them. Even more so, she was angry with the damned Amal'jaa.Â
"Yeah. Make a fire if you can. I'll cook it."
*
Twinflame: "Alright!" K'ile slammed the mole against the ground, set his foot against its body and hauled hsi spear from its flesh with a satisfying rip. He then stuck the head of his spear in the dirt and spun it, which affectively gleaned it of most of the globby fleshy bits, though not as much the fur and blood.
Starting a fire was easier. He found a few dead shrubs on the rocks and tore them free, shaking them out. Dead was important, because anything living would throw off too much fire and alert any Amal'jaa scouts of their presence. Really, any fire at all risked that, but they weren't so close that it was worth worrying about yet. And more importantly, they were upwind.
Taking a liumb from a nearby tree and giving it a single, firm shake, it lit on fire on either end. It burned fast, seeking his hand within moments, and he threw it into the pile of upturned shrubs he'd placed against a large slab of stone.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha grabbed the dead mole and pulled out her own small hunting knife to clean it of its fur and skin. When it was properly cleaned for cooking, she walked over to K'ile and carefully constructed a small sweker to hold it over the fire with. It took some time, time that K'luha was not interested in talking during. She silently waited until it was cooked before pulling it back and breaking off a piece to nibble on.Â
"It's good." she muttered before handing it to K'ile. "Take your half."
*
Twinflame: Cleaning the head of his spear while he waited for K'luha to cook, he didn't find the silence disagreeable. When she held the mole out to him, he put his spear securely on his back and took his half of the meat in a great chunk, smiling at it as if he were going to kill it again.
Around this time, however, he decided they shouldn't be spending too much time eating. Day was rising, and the Amal'jaa would be as awake as they were by now. So even as he ate, he looked out over their intended path. The fire and the cooked meat blotted out his sense of smell the same way water would muffle his hearing. But he could see the rocky ridges and cliffs that would mark the Amal'jaa camp.
"We should approach it a bit more south than we are now," he said. "Further out of the way of the Drybone route."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha tore into her meat and ate it much faster than K'ile did as the other looked around. By the time he had spoken about what route they should take, K'luha had already stood and started snuffing out the cooking fire.Â
"Then let's go." she retorted rather blandly before starting to walk.
*
Twinflame: Looking over at K'luha with a chunk of meat on his lips, he watched her movements and then, nodding and swallowing his bite, said, "Still got that headache?"
*
K'luha Haaz: "Yes." The answer was instant and flat as the younger woman jumped down a small clearning of boulders and landed on flatter ground again. She would just as much rather stay silent until they got there.
*
Twinflame: Reacting to the response as if he'd been punched in the throat, K'ile shook his head and went quiet. The fire out and having brought nothing with them, quitting the 'camp' was as simple as walking away. And that's what K'ile did, cooked mole in hand, to walk with K'luha. He was barely twenty steps away when he got rid of what was left of the mole. Carrying meat around when stalking intelligent reptiles would've been a bit more effective than walking around with a torch held above his head to mark his position.
At his insistance, they went a bit farther south than they had to. He assumed the Amal'jaa would have more eyes looking north towards Drybone or west towards the road to Ul'dah, than South towards the Sagolii where (barring a Miqo'te tribe or two) was essentially just more Amal'jaa.
The foot and the heat of the day left him energized. He felt more at home in the desert, far from nearby towns, than he ever would've in an inn room or tavern. Two days of rest left him wanting to run, but he doubted K'luha would appreciate that pace and didn't even try.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha walked in front, silence and dead pan. Her eyes scanned the horizons for any sign of Amal'jaa. Her nose worked overtime to pick out their scent on the wind. Even her ears were twitching and flickering, listening and strainng for even the smallest noise. But for the longest time, there was nothing.Â
Not until sunsent did K'luha stop in her tracks and duck behind some brush, her ears hearing the sound of the Amal'jaa far before she could see them. She motioned for K'ile to hide as well, but did not look to see if he did.
*
Twinflame: The Tia sensed the Amal'jaa, but didn't hide immediately. He was trying to pick out numbers and position, but the things stand so much that he couldn't tell if there were two or two hundred. He could smell smoke clinging to heir bodies, intense enough that it might have been the hellfire of their primal, but he rather hoped not. Meat and blood mingled in there too.
Wearing a grim expression, K'ile turned and walked to where K'luha had concealed herself. He dropped down next to her and pulled his bandanna tighter about his head, hiding most of his very bright red hair from view. He took his spear and lay it in the dirt next to him.
He watched K'luha carefully. K'ile wasn't so beastly that he could smell her emotions, but he watched her muscles and her poise, kep his eyes on her hands. He didn't tryst her not to try and claim a few Amal'jaa lives if the oppourtunity presented itself, so if she so much as appeared to think about it, he'd have to stop her.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha tensed as a small group of four passed them by. The dark thick reptilian skin, the thick smell of hellish smoke... yes. These were them. But she couldn't tell one from the other. As far as she was concerned, they could all die in a fire with their stupid primal and she would be happy.Â
She wanted revenge for her son. The son she never got to raise. For the life that had been taken after it was so painstakingly brought in the world. Her hand moved to take an arrow from her quiver. She could take on four of them. She could land arrows in their stupid heads before they even realized what had happened.
*
Twinflame: Turning to look at his the passing Amal'jaa, he counted four of the massive bodies. Each one being large enough and difficult enough to kill that they might as well be worth two men like himself. Their weapongs stood out in his eyes, and the scent of meat spoke to him like a threat. There was no chance of taking them on, but they wouldn't have to, as long as they stayed quiet.
K'luha, though, had put her hand to her quiver. The tensness in her limbs and the way her eyes moved told him it wasn't out of fear or in the spirit of preparedness. When he was sure there was no risk of being seen by the Amal'jaa, he moved, quietly but quickly, and thrust his spear in front of K'luha. The gesutre was not subtle. He lay the shaft of the spear against her body, a firm and maybe even painful force, and leveled a glare at her.
His set jaw and stern gaze he set upon her, and his own body was as poised to act as he own. Only his was facing her, not the Amal'jaa.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha winced as the spear was thrust in front of her, and somewhat painfully into her as K'ile blocked her from her targets. She looked to him, a sour look as he stared back sternly. She slowly released her grip on her arrow and dropped her hand back to her bow instead, eyes glancing back as the Amal'jaa continued to walk away.
*
Twinflame: K'ile continued to wait as the Amal'jaa moved away, and he kept the spear against her. His eyes stayed on her. When they were distant, he took the briefest of glances toward the sky, seeing it beginning to get dark. They weren't quite at the Amal'jaa encampment yet. Those four would be scouts, or more likely a hunting party.
Sparing K'luha a hiss, he stepped out of their hiding place, low, and began onward. Distance would be more useful than hiding, and if they stayed low, the rocky ground would favor them.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha hesitantly followed K'ile. She wanted to pursue the party of four... but perhaps she could cast her revenge further into the camp. She slipped behind him across the brush with all the grace and stealth that she had learned over the years of hunting and traveling.Â
She wondered if they were to scout it at night. That would probably be best as the hunters would be sleeping and it would be easier to move about. If they followed the way the Amal'jaa had come from, they might find their camp more easily.
*
Twinflame: The Amal'jaa encampment stank so badly of the beasts that K'ile imagined a hazy cloud of stench moving over the ground at their feet. THat would be merciful, though. More likely whatever he was smelling was right at the level of his nose, invisible, and it was unpleasant to move towards.
A long few minutes after they left behind the four Amal'jaa that they'd passed, K'ile stopped and waited for K'luha to be beside him. "Another Malm, about." He reported at a whisper, almost quieter than the wind in the rocks. "We smell and hear better than they do, so if we can take a peak and be gone before sunrise, I'd like to."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha nodded faintly in reply. So they were to do it during the veil of night. A good choice. She motioned for K'ile to lead on and kept her hands tightly on her bow should she need it. Although, to be spotted now might mean death...
*
Twinflame: Before leaving, K'ile leaned towards K'luha. He hissed, "I'm not interested in being tempered or eaten. So if you plan on killing anything, start with me and save me the trouble." Then he turned and ran on. His spear was still in his hands, and his fist was tight upon it. His fingers wrung it like it was something he could hurt.
*
K'luha Haaz: "Tch. Maybe I will." she hissed back as he ran off, only to follow him at a quick pace. She lagged only slightly behind him but kept her own hands on her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver, just in case.
*
Twinflame: A malm passes quickly when you're running to a place that you don't want to be. The stink wasn't as bad as Drybone, but at least there he didn't ahve to worry about K'luha starting a fight that could get him killed. Unless she was starting it with him directly, anyway.
He took them close to the cliffs. Near as he could tell, the encampment was built into a thin valley. Most likely so they could control the most conveient eastward ground passage through these rocks. What he was after was mostly numbers and scope, and the business of the Amal'jaa. Their scope seemed mostly restricted; he hadn't caught the scent of any parties until they were within close malms of the place, and they were few.
A hunting party of four large Amal'jaa implied to K'ile a need for a lot of meat, since they'd likely send out more than one party on any given day. The alternatives was that they were scouts, and the Amal'jaa here were of more dubious enterprise than that of a simple settlement. If he saw too many weapons, if he could see regiments and organization, then he would have cause to worry.
For this, he wanted to find a way to get above the camp. Stopping at a point near enoug to the camp that they could see the light of their fires and K'ile could smell the food they ate, he turned to K'luha and gestured up the cliff face. He assumed she could climb. he'd seen ehr do it enough times.
So he didn't wait for her. The shadows were deep this early in the night, but they'd turns shallow as the moon rose towards its zenith. His plan was to climb up now, stay high and out of sight through the night, and then come back down when the moon began to fall again.
*
K'luha Haaz: The passing of the malm was long and tortuous. K'luha had dealt with such smells since she was attacked, and they brought back fresh and painful memories. She could have sworn she had been here before such a long time ago, but the encampment back then was much, much smaller.Â
As they came upon the clifface, K'luha put away her bow and arrow. She watched K'ile move first and got herself a steady grip before following. She was dexterous and strong enough to climb without trouble, save for the occasional rock face crumbling on her when she grabbed it. Luckily, nothing made much noise as she was about to climb to the top without much problem.Â
Luha edged towards the edge of the overhang to peer down at the valley and quickly nodded the numerous tents and fires that covered the area. She could see what seemed like families and children practicing with spears and lances and magic. She saw cooking food and idols and things that looked like a permeant fixtures. So they stayed put, that much was good.
*
Twinflame: K'ile exhaled in relief. This was good. He'd been worried he'd Amal'jaa adorned in that dark metal they forged with hellfire. The hint of sulfur in the air had made him imagine some kind of volcanic holy ground hidden in the cracks of the land, and the Amal'jaa preparing to march on Drybone and oust the Ul'dahns from their land.
But simple living? This was fine. The Amal'jaa were far from friendly even on the best of circumstances, but there was no motivation here for expension outside of their territories, and they were well enough south that K'ile imagined that there might enver be problems, as long as proper respect was shown. They would just have to impress on the huntresses, on people like K'luha, why spilling Amal'jaa blood was as deadly to the tribe as spilling their own.
He relaxed on the cliff face and set his lance aside. There was still the lingering threat. The Amal'jaa were still armed, territorial, vicious, pious to their primal god. But this they could handle.
K'ile turned his face towards K'luha and smiled.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha could not smile. She could not look at the Amal'jaa encampment and their children without thinking they should all burn in their own goddamn fire. She could not help but to relish in the thought that she might burn them all to ashes so they might pay for their sins. So that her son might truly rest in peace. She wanted so badly to set fire to an arrow and rain down her wrath upon them...
But when she continued looking at them and saw families with children, the thought of revenge soured in her. How could she ever think to harm someone that way? Although she hated them, to wish that sort of pain on another living thing was... inexcusable.Â
K'luha looked to K'ile, a torrent of emotions before looking back to the encampment. They ought to make some sort of notes about their tribe or something before they returned...
*
Twinflame: Of course she wasn't happy. Whatever K'luha saw in that encampment, it wasn't what he saw. He knew what she thought, or at least part of it, he suspected. They had to be at least a hint of it in himself as well. It had its place and purpose. Tonight was neither, though.
He crossed his arms in front of him to take weight off his chest, and settled in to watch the camp for hours. He didn't need to move to see more or take a fluid count of anything. This was all that he himself needed, and so he would watch it until sunrise was near.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha took a seat a little further ways off from K'ile. She didn't really want to see him now. She gazed down at a tribe in full cheer and thriving. Even after the calamity, the Amal'jaa tribes began thriving and rebuilding. It all seemed so easy for them to rebuild. After all, where else could they go? There were no cities to lure them away. There was nothing but their tribe.Â
When had her way of life become outdated to the cities? When had her foundation become... obsolete? Was there truly no purpose for her tribe and life any further? Was there any reason she had given up on her dreams and goals as a child? Life had seemed so much more vivid back then. Back when her first child was about to be born. Back when she could hold him and envision such a bright future for him and the tribe.Â
K'luha hung her head, struggling with the confusion and grief and sorrow. She wanted the best for K'ailia, but was leaving the tribe really best for her? She had always devoted herself to her family, but was there something else she was meant for? If K'ailia was meant to be outside the tribe, what was her own purpose? She had always thought herself necessary for the tribe's survival, but she had been gone for two almost three weeks and no one ever noticed. They had lived on without her completely obliviously. Who in the tribe still gave meaning to her life? For what reason did she continue to be torn further in two directions?Â
Questions with no answers haunted the mother until the sun was up and hitting her back. But withdrawn in her own internal struggling, she barely noticed it.
*
Twinflame: K'ile reached out and shook K'luha's leg as the sun began to rise. The moon was still in the sky, far down in the west. Now was the best time they would have to leave. Early morning shadows were almost as deep and dark as those of early evening.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha jumped a bit at the sudden touch. Her eyes glanced to K'ile and quickly turned back in focus. Hopefully he had ordained more from watching than she had... perhaps K'ile was right. Maybe she was selfish for thinking of her own problems like that. Still, it did no good to linger on it now. K'luha stood and carefully moved to climb back down the cliff face and head off back to where they had come.
*
Twinflame: They went together away from the encampment. K'ile could smell the passage of last night's Amal'jaa hunters, but not any for the morning. So it seemed they had managed to sneak off during the between time. As they moved away, and K'ile thought it safe, he said to her, "That was good. I thought it would be a lot worse."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha grunted faintly in reply, her feet carrying her but her heart wasn't in it anymore. It didn't feel like she was going home. More like to a funeral. "How bad was it...?" she questioned, trying to sound even half-interested.
*
Twinflame: "We'll talk about it later," K'ile said, taking on a more relaxed tone and turning his walk into a stroll. He sidled up next to K'luha and nudged her with his elbow, "You know I got to thinking last night. Figured if it kept you awake, might be a good way to make sure I didn't doze off. Thinking."
*
K'luha Haaz: "Eh?" she quirked her brow at K'ile and frowned. "Do you think it's a joke K'ile? That I'm thinking this much because I want to or something?" she shook her head again, feeling ill. All of this stress and thinking was really taking its toll on her.
*
Twinflame: He frowned, but his eyes smiled. "Did I say it like it was a joke? You keep asking me what I think about things, so I figured you might ask me what I was thinking about."
*
K'luha Haaz: "I... no I'm sorry..." K'luha darkened her expression at the ground. If she kept it up, she was going to turn into her grandmother, wrinkles and all. "What were you thinking?" she questioned, hoping to sound a little more cheerful.
*
Twinflame: "There you go," he said, and he pulled at one ear, "For awhile I just thought about stupid stuff. The past and the tribe. After awhile I started wondering when and how K'haali is going to die. What do you think about that?"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha paled a little bit and stopped in her tracks for a moment. "I... really... would not... like to think... about that..." she stammered out before continuing to catch up with him.
*
Twinflame: He looked back at her, and chuckled. Not at how what he said had upset her, but how she'd demonstrated it. He went on, "Well it's not like I wanted to think about it. But I guess I kind of take it as a given." He began to count off on his fingers, "K'thalen, K'airos, K'aijeen, K'hodla, K'airi, K'piru." If K'luha was paying attention, she might notice he was counting off the names of people who had died or left recently. He held up one final finger, "If things keep up, K'haali is next. See?"
*
K'luha Haaz: "K'haali? Why K'haali?" K'luha tilted her head lightly. Why would K'aali leave? "I would think K'ailia would leave before K'haali died K'ile..." she frowned sternly at him and continued walking.
*
Twinflame: "Because K'haali's blood," he said. Then, with a shrug, "You're all family, but K'haali is blood."
*
K'luha Haaz: "Because... I..." K'luha frowned. He was right. All of that side of the family was... dead or missing. Or dead to the remaining family. K'ile and K'haali... they were pretty much it. "Don't you think you'd go and die before K'haali old man?" she snorted.
*
Twinflame: He watched her, growing a bit more somber as he walked. K'ile managed to lose a measure of his cheer long enough to say, "It didn't work that way with Thalen's other kids, did it?"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha paused in her walking. Why...? Why did he have to..? She trembled and fell to her knees, covering her her face with her hands. "Why do you have to say that? Our family is already dying... I don't want to think about it... don't make me think about it K'ile..."
*
Twinflame: Stopping alongside her, K'ile watched her. He found himself feeling... pitiless. No, that was just the surface. He could feel something pulling his muscles tight in his arm, putting a scowl on his face. He didn't like it. His right hand clenched into a fist as though it wanted to answer her pleading. And yet, he laughed.
He bit off the sound of his laughter almost as soon as he started, but he couldn't keep it out of his words, "Alright, that's fine. If you're just going to have a breakdown, that's fine. But don't tell me to open up to you and tell you what's wrong if you're just going to beg me to shut up as soon as I open my mouth."
*
K'luha Haaz: A laugh. He laughed at her. Although he silenced himself a moment after it. She felt like something cold had driven its way through her chest. It made her angry that he assumed she was going to have a breakdown. She clenched her fists and stood without another word and began walking.
*
Twinflame: He watched her walk away from him. With a look of disbelieving amusement on his face, he just watched. He didn't feel amused. In his arms and shoulders he could feel the same kind of frustration and anger that he experienced when he thought about so many others.
"You know who you're like?" He called after her, smiling, but hearing the anger beginning to seep into his words. "You're just like K'piru! She walked away so she wouldn't have to deal either! But she lost three children. You've only lost one! Why are you the only one with the right to...?" He bit down on his teeth, hard, until it hurt. He bit down on his words to crush them in his throat.
*
K'luha Haaz: "To what, K'ile?" she turned and looked at him with a deadpan face. "Go on. Tell me."
*
Twinflame: "To ask stupid questions like that," he replied with a snap. He could feel the frustration oozing up from his shoulders into his face. "To be sad, to be angry, to feel alone, to say you've given up everything. You have K'ailia, and she's alive, and she loves you. Even if she leaves the tribe she'll be one Aetheryte away!"
*
K'luha Haaz: "She'll be dead to the tribe K'ile. To talk to her would be disobeying the tribe's laws, something I fully plan on doing mind you, but I will never be with her like family again. I will always go to her when she needs me, but the longer and further away from the tribes she gets, the less I will understand of her. The less she will be the daughter I raised until at last we have nothing in common and I am just a relic of ages gone past." K'luha replied shortly. She had well thought through what would happen. "So what then? I am selfish and shortsighted because K'piru lost three children and a mate and I whine and cry because I only lost one child?" She scoffed and turned away. "Is that it then? Do you enjoy comparing me to K'piru? Do you enjoy that I suffer and fail to find a way to fix it? Do you think that I enjoy wallowing in misery and self-pity? I do not. I am torn between my child and my family K'ile. I do not know whether to follow K'ailia despite the costs, or to once again give up my daughter for the sake of the tribe."
*
Twinflame: He listened, calmly. His jaw hurt from how hard he clenched his teeth to stay quiet. His arms ached with the tenseness of the muscles. He could feel his spine bending against the weight of his body.
When she was done, he exhaled a hot breath that stung his nostrils. And he walked onwards away from the encampment. He didn't move towards K'luha. His path was at an angle to her, bypassing her completely. "It doesn't matter what you do," he said. "But I what you to remember that I listened to you. Everything you had to cry about, I listened to. And cared. But when I tried to speak to you, you begged me to be quiet, because you didn't want to listen."
*
K'luha Haaz: "When did I say that!?" she shot back at him, storming after him. "About K'haali? No, I don't want you to talk about how K'haali is going to die! What does that even mean K'ile!?" She ground her teeth and moved sharply to grab his tail so he couldn't walk away. "You listen, you say you care, but every other moment you keep giving me these angry vibes like you hate me. So which is it K'ile? Do you hate me or not? Make up your damn mind because I sure as hell can't!"
*
Twinflame: With a growl and a hiss, he spun fast and swung an arm to knock K'luha's hand away from his tail. He shouted from his aching jaw, "Why would I ever want to care about anyone! Ever again! If everyone I care about dies or leaves!?"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha kept her hand on his tail regardless of his lashing and took the brunt of the blow. It only made her clench down on his tail harder and hiss back at him. "Because everyone dies and leaves us! Would you just live in isolation then forever so you don't have to deal with the pain? Your'e worse that K'piru! She left because she couldn't handle it! You can't even handle thinking about it! You would sooner reject everyone so you didn't have to get hurt!? Pathetic!"
*
Twinflame: Giving up on freeing his tail, K'ile gestured broadly with both hands and leaned his face close to K'luha's. "At least I keep it to myself and keep doing what I need to for the tribe! I don't shut down or hurt people or go pouring all my woes on someone that I'm not even going to listen to if they try to reciprocate!"
*
K'luha Haaz: "I have kept it to myself for years! And I...I didn't realize what it was you were doing! I'm sorry!" K'luha yelled back at him, releasing his tail and pulling away. "I didn't understand it... I'm sorry." she added more softly, looking to the ground.
*
Twinflame: K'ile moved his hands as though to shout again, but couldn't come up with any words. He struggled for a moment, he's freed tail whipping around behind him. Finally, he just growled out, "Well maybe you shouldn't have kept to yourself so long in the first place if you were just going to... Whatever you're doing."
Crossing his arms over his chest, he breathed deeply the hot aura of anger that he was emanating. He lingered still only half-way away of the emotion, though, and ended up muttering, "I don't even know what to do with you now."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha frowned at the ground, ears flattened to her head. What was she doing? Driving herself mad with grief, among other things. Why couldn't she just pull herself together like she always did? Wasn't that what she had prided herself on for so long?Â
"I'm sorry K'ile... I didn't mean to hurt you..." she muttered as well, avoiding eye contact for the time being.
*
Twinflame: "You didn't hurt me!" K'ile snapped back, a little too quickly and forcefully maybe. He wasn't one to get emotionally wounded easily, was what he should've said. To recover, he swung his tail around and said, "My tail's just fine. You didn't hurt it at all. And I'm not upset, either."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha nodded vaguely in his direction and started walking again. "We have a long way to go still..." she murmured wearily.
*
Twinflame: Breathing in deeply and exhaling slow, K'ile said, "Right. We go on and on," and turned to walk with K'luha back towards drybone.
*
K'luha Haaz: "Yeah..." K'luha answered back dryly. "We do..." And with that she spent the rest of their journey in quiet. The sun rose high and set and still they were walking. Despite her exhaustion, she wasn't about to be the first to say they needed to make camp. She would walk for another damned day all the way back to the gobble if she had to.
*
Twinflame: K'ile didn't want to stop. The tiredness and exertion took away the thought, and he wasn't sure if was ready to pass another night not speaking to K'luha. Worse than that would be whatever they might end up talking about. If he wanted to avoid thinking, the best way was to continue walking.
*
K'luha Haaz: The silence was the indicator to keep walking. And when the sun came up on another day and K'luha was starting to see doubles and her feet felt like they were falling off, she kept walking anyway. She had completely lost her sense of direction to the exhaustion and was just blankly walking in the vague direction of Drybone. Which she sincerely hoped was the right direction.
*
Twinflame: Eventually even K'ile had to admit this was a bad idea. The sun had gone down and come back up and they hadn't eaten or slept, and they were out in the wild where at any time a wolf or an Amal'jaa could happen upon them. Weakness was nothing to scoff at, and besides that, he was tired. Tiredness was a big thing on his mind at that point.
Having no real idea how far they were from Drybone or how late in the day it was, K'ile squinted about until he saw a convenient stone ditch. Mumbling something taking a break, he reached over to take K'luha's hand and pull her towards it.
*
K'luha Haaz: "Eh...?" K'luha mumbled as K'ile grabbed her hand and walked in the opposite direction. She hadn't heard him speak in the first place. Still, she followed him over to the stone ditch anyway and let him lead here... well wherever.
*
Twinflame: Thoughtlessly and without discussion, K'ile collapsed in the shadowed ditch and pulled K'luha down with him. There wasn't much pride or awkwardness left in him at this point, so he unabashedly lay down up against K'luha.
*
K'luha Haaz: Equally exhausted, K'luha collapsed right beside him and let K'ile lay against her. She was far too tired to care where they were, she was just grateful for the shade and the slight coolness beneath the rock. Her eyes closed almost instantly and she fell asleep failing to notice she was still holding K'ile's hand.
There were no edible plants in their immeidate vicinity. Not that he could see or would know how to eat. Finding small game was easy in the rocks, though. The moles he found couldn't go to ground as easily, and the uneven earth let him sneak up on them wihtout too much worry.
K'ile returned with a dead mole hanging from his spear, holding it away from him. He noticed K'luha walking around near the boulders they'd slept in the previous night, and waved the weighty corpse over his head in greeting. It swung back and forth with the crack and keen of bone and flesh.
"Good morning," he said, when he was close enough to speak easily.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha had woken up shortly after K'ile, mostly because the warmth against her back was missing. She found herself walking about amongst the rocks just to warm up her body again and get her muscles to unlock. They seemed to have stiffened in the night's lack of particularly good sleep.Â
On the wings she could smell.. fire. Amal'jaa. She scowled a bit, only to hear K'ile call to her. She looked over and grunted. "Morning..."
*
Twinflame: Holding the mole in K'luha's direction, he said with a smile, "You ever eaten one of these before? I'm hoping they taste a bit less faty than the aldgoat. Wolf was all wiry. We need some good, dense meat around here if we're going to settle in long-term!"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha offered a nod and a grunt in retort. She was still tired and angry. She was getting tired of K'ile constantly acting like he liked her, and then hated her. Still, she was angrier still at K'ailia for abandoning her family, or rather about to abadon them. Even more so, she was angry with the damned Amal'jaa.Â
"Yeah. Make a fire if you can. I'll cook it."
*
Twinflame: "Alright!" K'ile slammed the mole against the ground, set his foot against its body and hauled hsi spear from its flesh with a satisfying rip. He then stuck the head of his spear in the dirt and spun it, which affectively gleaned it of most of the globby fleshy bits, though not as much the fur and blood.
Starting a fire was easier. He found a few dead shrubs on the rocks and tore them free, shaking them out. Dead was important, because anything living would throw off too much fire and alert any Amal'jaa scouts of their presence. Really, any fire at all risked that, but they weren't so close that it was worth worrying about yet. And more importantly, they were upwind.
Taking a liumb from a nearby tree and giving it a single, firm shake, it lit on fire on either end. It burned fast, seeking his hand within moments, and he threw it into the pile of upturned shrubs he'd placed against a large slab of stone.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha grabbed the dead mole and pulled out her own small hunting knife to clean it of its fur and skin. When it was properly cleaned for cooking, she walked over to K'ile and carefully constructed a small sweker to hold it over the fire with. It took some time, time that K'luha was not interested in talking during. She silently waited until it was cooked before pulling it back and breaking off a piece to nibble on.Â
"It's good." she muttered before handing it to K'ile. "Take your half."
*
Twinflame: Cleaning the head of his spear while he waited for K'luha to cook, he didn't find the silence disagreeable. When she held the mole out to him, he put his spear securely on his back and took his half of the meat in a great chunk, smiling at it as if he were going to kill it again.
Around this time, however, he decided they shouldn't be spending too much time eating. Day was rising, and the Amal'jaa would be as awake as they were by now. So even as he ate, he looked out over their intended path. The fire and the cooked meat blotted out his sense of smell the same way water would muffle his hearing. But he could see the rocky ridges and cliffs that would mark the Amal'jaa camp.
"We should approach it a bit more south than we are now," he said. "Further out of the way of the Drybone route."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha tore into her meat and ate it much faster than K'ile did as the other looked around. By the time he had spoken about what route they should take, K'luha had already stood and started snuffing out the cooking fire.Â
"Then let's go." she retorted rather blandly before starting to walk.
*
Twinflame: Looking over at K'luha with a chunk of meat on his lips, he watched her movements and then, nodding and swallowing his bite, said, "Still got that headache?"
*
K'luha Haaz: "Yes." The answer was instant and flat as the younger woman jumped down a small clearning of boulders and landed on flatter ground again. She would just as much rather stay silent until they got there.
*
Twinflame: Reacting to the response as if he'd been punched in the throat, K'ile shook his head and went quiet. The fire out and having brought nothing with them, quitting the 'camp' was as simple as walking away. And that's what K'ile did, cooked mole in hand, to walk with K'luha. He was barely twenty steps away when he got rid of what was left of the mole. Carrying meat around when stalking intelligent reptiles would've been a bit more effective than walking around with a torch held above his head to mark his position.
At his insistance, they went a bit farther south than they had to. He assumed the Amal'jaa would have more eyes looking north towards Drybone or west towards the road to Ul'dah, than South towards the Sagolii where (barring a Miqo'te tribe or two) was essentially just more Amal'jaa.
The foot and the heat of the day left him energized. He felt more at home in the desert, far from nearby towns, than he ever would've in an inn room or tavern. Two days of rest left him wanting to run, but he doubted K'luha would appreciate that pace and didn't even try.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha walked in front, silence and dead pan. Her eyes scanned the horizons for any sign of Amal'jaa. Her nose worked overtime to pick out their scent on the wind. Even her ears were twitching and flickering, listening and strainng for even the smallest noise. But for the longest time, there was nothing.Â
Not until sunsent did K'luha stop in her tracks and duck behind some brush, her ears hearing the sound of the Amal'jaa far before she could see them. She motioned for K'ile to hide as well, but did not look to see if he did.
*
Twinflame: The Tia sensed the Amal'jaa, but didn't hide immediately. He was trying to pick out numbers and position, but the things stand so much that he couldn't tell if there were two or two hundred. He could smell smoke clinging to heir bodies, intense enough that it might have been the hellfire of their primal, but he rather hoped not. Meat and blood mingled in there too.
Wearing a grim expression, K'ile turned and walked to where K'luha had concealed herself. He dropped down next to her and pulled his bandanna tighter about his head, hiding most of his very bright red hair from view. He took his spear and lay it in the dirt next to him.
He watched K'luha carefully. K'ile wasn't so beastly that he could smell her emotions, but he watched her muscles and her poise, kep his eyes on her hands. He didn't tryst her not to try and claim a few Amal'jaa lives if the oppourtunity presented itself, so if she so much as appeared to think about it, he'd have to stop her.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha tensed as a small group of four passed them by. The dark thick reptilian skin, the thick smell of hellish smoke... yes. These were them. But she couldn't tell one from the other. As far as she was concerned, they could all die in a fire with their stupid primal and she would be happy.Â
She wanted revenge for her son. The son she never got to raise. For the life that had been taken after it was so painstakingly brought in the world. Her hand moved to take an arrow from her quiver. She could take on four of them. She could land arrows in their stupid heads before they even realized what had happened.
*
Twinflame: Turning to look at his the passing Amal'jaa, he counted four of the massive bodies. Each one being large enough and difficult enough to kill that they might as well be worth two men like himself. Their weapongs stood out in his eyes, and the scent of meat spoke to him like a threat. There was no chance of taking them on, but they wouldn't have to, as long as they stayed quiet.
K'luha, though, had put her hand to her quiver. The tensness in her limbs and the way her eyes moved told him it wasn't out of fear or in the spirit of preparedness. When he was sure there was no risk of being seen by the Amal'jaa, he moved, quietly but quickly, and thrust his spear in front of K'luha. The gesutre was not subtle. He lay the shaft of the spear against her body, a firm and maybe even painful force, and leveled a glare at her.
His set jaw and stern gaze he set upon her, and his own body was as poised to act as he own. Only his was facing her, not the Amal'jaa.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha winced as the spear was thrust in front of her, and somewhat painfully into her as K'ile blocked her from her targets. She looked to him, a sour look as he stared back sternly. She slowly released her grip on her arrow and dropped her hand back to her bow instead, eyes glancing back as the Amal'jaa continued to walk away.
*
Twinflame: K'ile continued to wait as the Amal'jaa moved away, and he kept the spear against her. His eyes stayed on her. When they were distant, he took the briefest of glances toward the sky, seeing it beginning to get dark. They weren't quite at the Amal'jaa encampment yet. Those four would be scouts, or more likely a hunting party.
Sparing K'luha a hiss, he stepped out of their hiding place, low, and began onward. Distance would be more useful than hiding, and if they stayed low, the rocky ground would favor them.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha hesitantly followed K'ile. She wanted to pursue the party of four... but perhaps she could cast her revenge further into the camp. She slipped behind him across the brush with all the grace and stealth that she had learned over the years of hunting and traveling.Â
She wondered if they were to scout it at night. That would probably be best as the hunters would be sleeping and it would be easier to move about. If they followed the way the Amal'jaa had come from, they might find their camp more easily.
*
Twinflame: The Amal'jaa encampment stank so badly of the beasts that K'ile imagined a hazy cloud of stench moving over the ground at their feet. THat would be merciful, though. More likely whatever he was smelling was right at the level of his nose, invisible, and it was unpleasant to move towards.
A long few minutes after they left behind the four Amal'jaa that they'd passed, K'ile stopped and waited for K'luha to be beside him. "Another Malm, about." He reported at a whisper, almost quieter than the wind in the rocks. "We smell and hear better than they do, so if we can take a peak and be gone before sunrise, I'd like to."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha nodded faintly in reply. So they were to do it during the veil of night. A good choice. She motioned for K'ile to lead on and kept her hands tightly on her bow should she need it. Although, to be spotted now might mean death...
*
Twinflame: Before leaving, K'ile leaned towards K'luha. He hissed, "I'm not interested in being tempered or eaten. So if you plan on killing anything, start with me and save me the trouble." Then he turned and ran on. His spear was still in his hands, and his fist was tight upon it. His fingers wrung it like it was something he could hurt.
*
K'luha Haaz: "Tch. Maybe I will." she hissed back as he ran off, only to follow him at a quick pace. She lagged only slightly behind him but kept her own hands on her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver, just in case.
*
Twinflame: A malm passes quickly when you're running to a place that you don't want to be. The stink wasn't as bad as Drybone, but at least there he didn't ahve to worry about K'luha starting a fight that could get him killed. Unless she was starting it with him directly, anyway.
He took them close to the cliffs. Near as he could tell, the encampment was built into a thin valley. Most likely so they could control the most conveient eastward ground passage through these rocks. What he was after was mostly numbers and scope, and the business of the Amal'jaa. Their scope seemed mostly restricted; he hadn't caught the scent of any parties until they were within close malms of the place, and they were few.
A hunting party of four large Amal'jaa implied to K'ile a need for a lot of meat, since they'd likely send out more than one party on any given day. The alternatives was that they were scouts, and the Amal'jaa here were of more dubious enterprise than that of a simple settlement. If he saw too many weapons, if he could see regiments and organization, then he would have cause to worry.
For this, he wanted to find a way to get above the camp. Stopping at a point near enoug to the camp that they could see the light of their fires and K'ile could smell the food they ate, he turned to K'luha and gestured up the cliff face. He assumed she could climb. he'd seen ehr do it enough times.
So he didn't wait for her. The shadows were deep this early in the night, but they'd turns shallow as the moon rose towards its zenith. His plan was to climb up now, stay high and out of sight through the night, and then come back down when the moon began to fall again.
*
K'luha Haaz: The passing of the malm was long and tortuous. K'luha had dealt with such smells since she was attacked, and they brought back fresh and painful memories. She could have sworn she had been here before such a long time ago, but the encampment back then was much, much smaller.Â
As they came upon the clifface, K'luha put away her bow and arrow. She watched K'ile move first and got herself a steady grip before following. She was dexterous and strong enough to climb without trouble, save for the occasional rock face crumbling on her when she grabbed it. Luckily, nothing made much noise as she was about to climb to the top without much problem.Â
Luha edged towards the edge of the overhang to peer down at the valley and quickly nodded the numerous tents and fires that covered the area. She could see what seemed like families and children practicing with spears and lances and magic. She saw cooking food and idols and things that looked like a permeant fixtures. So they stayed put, that much was good.
*
Twinflame: K'ile exhaled in relief. This was good. He'd been worried he'd Amal'jaa adorned in that dark metal they forged with hellfire. The hint of sulfur in the air had made him imagine some kind of volcanic holy ground hidden in the cracks of the land, and the Amal'jaa preparing to march on Drybone and oust the Ul'dahns from their land.
But simple living? This was fine. The Amal'jaa were far from friendly even on the best of circumstances, but there was no motivation here for expension outside of their territories, and they were well enough south that K'ile imagined that there might enver be problems, as long as proper respect was shown. They would just have to impress on the huntresses, on people like K'luha, why spilling Amal'jaa blood was as deadly to the tribe as spilling their own.
He relaxed on the cliff face and set his lance aside. There was still the lingering threat. The Amal'jaa were still armed, territorial, vicious, pious to their primal god. But this they could handle.
K'ile turned his face towards K'luha and smiled.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha could not smile. She could not look at the Amal'jaa encampment and their children without thinking they should all burn in their own goddamn fire. She could not help but to relish in the thought that she might burn them all to ashes so they might pay for their sins. So that her son might truly rest in peace. She wanted so badly to set fire to an arrow and rain down her wrath upon them...
But when she continued looking at them and saw families with children, the thought of revenge soured in her. How could she ever think to harm someone that way? Although she hated them, to wish that sort of pain on another living thing was... inexcusable.Â
K'luha looked to K'ile, a torrent of emotions before looking back to the encampment. They ought to make some sort of notes about their tribe or something before they returned...
*
Twinflame: Of course she wasn't happy. Whatever K'luha saw in that encampment, it wasn't what he saw. He knew what she thought, or at least part of it, he suspected. They had to be at least a hint of it in himself as well. It had its place and purpose. Tonight was neither, though.
He crossed his arms in front of him to take weight off his chest, and settled in to watch the camp for hours. He didn't need to move to see more or take a fluid count of anything. This was all that he himself needed, and so he would watch it until sunrise was near.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha took a seat a little further ways off from K'ile. She didn't really want to see him now. She gazed down at a tribe in full cheer and thriving. Even after the calamity, the Amal'jaa tribes began thriving and rebuilding. It all seemed so easy for them to rebuild. After all, where else could they go? There were no cities to lure them away. There was nothing but their tribe.Â
When had her way of life become outdated to the cities? When had her foundation become... obsolete? Was there truly no purpose for her tribe and life any further? Was there any reason she had given up on her dreams and goals as a child? Life had seemed so much more vivid back then. Back when her first child was about to be born. Back when she could hold him and envision such a bright future for him and the tribe.Â
K'luha hung her head, struggling with the confusion and grief and sorrow. She wanted the best for K'ailia, but was leaving the tribe really best for her? She had always devoted herself to her family, but was there something else she was meant for? If K'ailia was meant to be outside the tribe, what was her own purpose? She had always thought herself necessary for the tribe's survival, but she had been gone for two almost three weeks and no one ever noticed. They had lived on without her completely obliviously. Who in the tribe still gave meaning to her life? For what reason did she continue to be torn further in two directions?Â
Questions with no answers haunted the mother until the sun was up and hitting her back. But withdrawn in her own internal struggling, she barely noticed it.
*
Twinflame: K'ile reached out and shook K'luha's leg as the sun began to rise. The moon was still in the sky, far down in the west. Now was the best time they would have to leave. Early morning shadows were almost as deep and dark as those of early evening.
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha jumped a bit at the sudden touch. Her eyes glanced to K'ile and quickly turned back in focus. Hopefully he had ordained more from watching than she had... perhaps K'ile was right. Maybe she was selfish for thinking of her own problems like that. Still, it did no good to linger on it now. K'luha stood and carefully moved to climb back down the cliff face and head off back to where they had come.
*
Twinflame: They went together away from the encampment. K'ile could smell the passage of last night's Amal'jaa hunters, but not any for the morning. So it seemed they had managed to sneak off during the between time. As they moved away, and K'ile thought it safe, he said to her, "That was good. I thought it would be a lot worse."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha grunted faintly in reply, her feet carrying her but her heart wasn't in it anymore. It didn't feel like she was going home. More like to a funeral. "How bad was it...?" she questioned, trying to sound even half-interested.
*
Twinflame: "We'll talk about it later," K'ile said, taking on a more relaxed tone and turning his walk into a stroll. He sidled up next to K'luha and nudged her with his elbow, "You know I got to thinking last night. Figured if it kept you awake, might be a good way to make sure I didn't doze off. Thinking."
*
K'luha Haaz: "Eh?" she quirked her brow at K'ile and frowned. "Do you think it's a joke K'ile? That I'm thinking this much because I want to or something?" she shook her head again, feeling ill. All of this stress and thinking was really taking its toll on her.
*
Twinflame: He frowned, but his eyes smiled. "Did I say it like it was a joke? You keep asking me what I think about things, so I figured you might ask me what I was thinking about."
*
K'luha Haaz: "I... no I'm sorry..." K'luha darkened her expression at the ground. If she kept it up, she was going to turn into her grandmother, wrinkles and all. "What were you thinking?" she questioned, hoping to sound a little more cheerful.
*
Twinflame: "There you go," he said, and he pulled at one ear, "For awhile I just thought about stupid stuff. The past and the tribe. After awhile I started wondering when and how K'haali is going to die. What do you think about that?"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha paled a little bit and stopped in her tracks for a moment. "I... really... would not... like to think... about that..." she stammered out before continuing to catch up with him.
*
Twinflame: He looked back at her, and chuckled. Not at how what he said had upset her, but how she'd demonstrated it. He went on, "Well it's not like I wanted to think about it. But I guess I kind of take it as a given." He began to count off on his fingers, "K'thalen, K'airos, K'aijeen, K'hodla, K'airi, K'piru." If K'luha was paying attention, she might notice he was counting off the names of people who had died or left recently. He held up one final finger, "If things keep up, K'haali is next. See?"
*
K'luha Haaz: "K'haali? Why K'haali?" K'luha tilted her head lightly. Why would K'aali leave? "I would think K'ailia would leave before K'haali died K'ile..." she frowned sternly at him and continued walking.
*
Twinflame: "Because K'haali's blood," he said. Then, with a shrug, "You're all family, but K'haali is blood."
*
K'luha Haaz: "Because... I..." K'luha frowned. He was right. All of that side of the family was... dead or missing. Or dead to the remaining family. K'ile and K'haali... they were pretty much it. "Don't you think you'd go and die before K'haali old man?" she snorted.
*
Twinflame: He watched her, growing a bit more somber as he walked. K'ile managed to lose a measure of his cheer long enough to say, "It didn't work that way with Thalen's other kids, did it?"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha paused in her walking. Why...? Why did he have to..? She trembled and fell to her knees, covering her her face with her hands. "Why do you have to say that? Our family is already dying... I don't want to think about it... don't make me think about it K'ile..."
*
Twinflame: Stopping alongside her, K'ile watched her. He found himself feeling... pitiless. No, that was just the surface. He could feel something pulling his muscles tight in his arm, putting a scowl on his face. He didn't like it. His right hand clenched into a fist as though it wanted to answer her pleading. And yet, he laughed.
He bit off the sound of his laughter almost as soon as he started, but he couldn't keep it out of his words, "Alright, that's fine. If you're just going to have a breakdown, that's fine. But don't tell me to open up to you and tell you what's wrong if you're just going to beg me to shut up as soon as I open my mouth."
*
K'luha Haaz: A laugh. He laughed at her. Although he silenced himself a moment after it. She felt like something cold had driven its way through her chest. It made her angry that he assumed she was going to have a breakdown. She clenched her fists and stood without another word and began walking.
*
Twinflame: He watched her walk away from him. With a look of disbelieving amusement on his face, he just watched. He didn't feel amused. In his arms and shoulders he could feel the same kind of frustration and anger that he experienced when he thought about so many others.
"You know who you're like?" He called after her, smiling, but hearing the anger beginning to seep into his words. "You're just like K'piru! She walked away so she wouldn't have to deal either! But she lost three children. You've only lost one! Why are you the only one with the right to...?" He bit down on his teeth, hard, until it hurt. He bit down on his words to crush them in his throat.
*
K'luha Haaz: "To what, K'ile?" she turned and looked at him with a deadpan face. "Go on. Tell me."
*
Twinflame: "To ask stupid questions like that," he replied with a snap. He could feel the frustration oozing up from his shoulders into his face. "To be sad, to be angry, to feel alone, to say you've given up everything. You have K'ailia, and she's alive, and she loves you. Even if she leaves the tribe she'll be one Aetheryte away!"
*
K'luha Haaz: "She'll be dead to the tribe K'ile. To talk to her would be disobeying the tribe's laws, something I fully plan on doing mind you, but I will never be with her like family again. I will always go to her when she needs me, but the longer and further away from the tribes she gets, the less I will understand of her. The less she will be the daughter I raised until at last we have nothing in common and I am just a relic of ages gone past." K'luha replied shortly. She had well thought through what would happen. "So what then? I am selfish and shortsighted because K'piru lost three children and a mate and I whine and cry because I only lost one child?" She scoffed and turned away. "Is that it then? Do you enjoy comparing me to K'piru? Do you enjoy that I suffer and fail to find a way to fix it? Do you think that I enjoy wallowing in misery and self-pity? I do not. I am torn between my child and my family K'ile. I do not know whether to follow K'ailia despite the costs, or to once again give up my daughter for the sake of the tribe."
*
Twinflame: He listened, calmly. His jaw hurt from how hard he clenched his teeth to stay quiet. His arms ached with the tenseness of the muscles. He could feel his spine bending against the weight of his body.
When she was done, he exhaled a hot breath that stung his nostrils. And he walked onwards away from the encampment. He didn't move towards K'luha. His path was at an angle to her, bypassing her completely. "It doesn't matter what you do," he said. "But I what you to remember that I listened to you. Everything you had to cry about, I listened to. And cared. But when I tried to speak to you, you begged me to be quiet, because you didn't want to listen."
*
K'luha Haaz: "When did I say that!?" she shot back at him, storming after him. "About K'haali? No, I don't want you to talk about how K'haali is going to die! What does that even mean K'ile!?" She ground her teeth and moved sharply to grab his tail so he couldn't walk away. "You listen, you say you care, but every other moment you keep giving me these angry vibes like you hate me. So which is it K'ile? Do you hate me or not? Make up your damn mind because I sure as hell can't!"
*
Twinflame: With a growl and a hiss, he spun fast and swung an arm to knock K'luha's hand away from his tail. He shouted from his aching jaw, "Why would I ever want to care about anyone! Ever again! If everyone I care about dies or leaves!?"
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha kept her hand on his tail regardless of his lashing and took the brunt of the blow. It only made her clench down on his tail harder and hiss back at him. "Because everyone dies and leaves us! Would you just live in isolation then forever so you don't have to deal with the pain? Your'e worse that K'piru! She left because she couldn't handle it! You can't even handle thinking about it! You would sooner reject everyone so you didn't have to get hurt!? Pathetic!"
*
Twinflame: Giving up on freeing his tail, K'ile gestured broadly with both hands and leaned his face close to K'luha's. "At least I keep it to myself and keep doing what I need to for the tribe! I don't shut down or hurt people or go pouring all my woes on someone that I'm not even going to listen to if they try to reciprocate!"
*
K'luha Haaz: "I have kept it to myself for years! And I...I didn't realize what it was you were doing! I'm sorry!" K'luha yelled back at him, releasing his tail and pulling away. "I didn't understand it... I'm sorry." she added more softly, looking to the ground.
*
Twinflame: K'ile moved his hands as though to shout again, but couldn't come up with any words. He struggled for a moment, he's freed tail whipping around behind him. Finally, he just growled out, "Well maybe you shouldn't have kept to yourself so long in the first place if you were just going to... Whatever you're doing."
Crossing his arms over his chest, he breathed deeply the hot aura of anger that he was emanating. He lingered still only half-way away of the emotion, though, and ended up muttering, "I don't even know what to do with you now."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha frowned at the ground, ears flattened to her head. What was she doing? Driving herself mad with grief, among other things. Why couldn't she just pull herself together like she always did? Wasn't that what she had prided herself on for so long?Â
"I'm sorry K'ile... I didn't mean to hurt you..." she muttered as well, avoiding eye contact for the time being.
*
Twinflame: "You didn't hurt me!" K'ile snapped back, a little too quickly and forcefully maybe. He wasn't one to get emotionally wounded easily, was what he should've said. To recover, he swung his tail around and said, "My tail's just fine. You didn't hurt it at all. And I'm not upset, either."
*
K'luha Haaz: K'luha nodded vaguely in his direction and started walking again. "We have a long way to go still..." she murmured wearily.
*
Twinflame: Breathing in deeply and exhaling slow, K'ile said, "Right. We go on and on," and turned to walk with K'luha back towards drybone.
*
K'luha Haaz: "Yeah..." K'luha answered back dryly. "We do..." And with that she spent the rest of their journey in quiet. The sun rose high and set and still they were walking. Despite her exhaustion, she wasn't about to be the first to say they needed to make camp. She would walk for another damned day all the way back to the gobble if she had to.
*
Twinflame: K'ile didn't want to stop. The tiredness and exertion took away the thought, and he wasn't sure if was ready to pass another night not speaking to K'luha. Worse than that would be whatever they might end up talking about. If he wanted to avoid thinking, the best way was to continue walking.
*
K'luha Haaz: The silence was the indicator to keep walking. And when the sun came up on another day and K'luha was starting to see doubles and her feet felt like they were falling off, she kept walking anyway. She had completely lost her sense of direction to the exhaustion and was just blankly walking in the vague direction of Drybone. Which she sincerely hoped was the right direction.
*
Twinflame: Eventually even K'ile had to admit this was a bad idea. The sun had gone down and come back up and they hadn't eaten or slept, and they were out in the wild where at any time a wolf or an Amal'jaa could happen upon them. Weakness was nothing to scoff at, and besides that, he was tired. Tiredness was a big thing on his mind at that point.
Having no real idea how far they were from Drybone or how late in the day it was, K'ile squinted about until he saw a convenient stone ditch. Mumbling something taking a break, he reached over to take K'luha's hand and pull her towards it.
*
K'luha Haaz: "Eh...?" K'luha mumbled as K'ile grabbed her hand and walked in the opposite direction. She hadn't heard him speak in the first place. Still, she followed him over to the stone ditch anyway and let him lead here... well wherever.
*
Twinflame: Thoughtlessly and without discussion, K'ile collapsed in the shadowed ditch and pulled K'luha down with him. There wasn't much pride or awkwardness left in him at this point, so he unabashedly lay down up against K'luha.
*
K'luha Haaz: Equally exhausted, K'luha collapsed right beside him and let K'ile lay against her. She was far too tired to care where they were, she was just grateful for the shade and the slight coolness beneath the rock. Her eyes closed almost instantly and she fell asleep failing to notice she was still holding K'ile's hand.
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