Lyraciilee

Gone again. He should have never gone alone. Why did he always go alone? Why were men so stupid? Why did they think they could do everything themselves? K'luha's worry had been ceaseless since she had received the news. Every step away from where K'ile had been took enormous effort. She tried so hard to hide her worry from K'tahja, but it consumed her completely. It was eating her from her core and hollowing her out, leaving only a husk in its wake. It was not unusual. K'luha had always worried incessantly about her daughter in years past. It had always eaten at her, but she had always recovered. Even when she had lost her child and everyone had lost any hope that she would live, she had recovered. Recovered and had another child, but now that it was gone. A single pair of stormy eyes caught her thinning figure. Her mismatched eyes failed to return their gaze. When K'yohko looked at her, at the girl whom he had saved thrice from her own ambition, he was sad. His ears twitched downwards faintly whenever he looked at her form. When had she become so thin? So long ago, she had been curvaceous with a full round face. The small belly she had once had caved inwards and hinted at her ribs, and whenever his stormy eyes passed over it his ears twitched downwards again. As the heat of the day died away and no word was given, the nighttime camp was set up. Hollow smiles turned K'luha's lips every time she looked to Tahj, but K'yohko could almost hear her cracking with every movement. The Nunh pushed the thick pole into the sand, his eyes turning away from her form. It was sad to watch. Too sad. It saddened him as much as it saddened him to see K'takka's form so thin when she was wet. But sadness accomplished nothing, and K'yohko set his mind to the tasks at hand. The moon was a ghostly galleon over the thick black of the night sky. K'luha should not have been up. She should not yet have tried to walk on her own, or climb for that matter, but she had done both. The thick handholds over the small cliff were easy enough to pull herself over, and her small form silently clambered to the top of the rocky face. She sat with a small sigh upon the top of the plateau, her eyes transfixed upon the moon. Her lips parted softly, as if words could come forth but there was nothing but silence for a moment. And instead a soft song slipped from her lips. "Fate has been cruel and order unkind How can I have sent you away? The blame was my own; the punishment, yours The harmony's silent today. But into the stillness I'll bring you a song And I will your company keep Till your tired eyes and my lullabies Have carried you softly to see...."

The trip had not been difficult for K'iara. Very little changed for her, other than that the ground was so hard now and the prey seemed to be looming everywhere. She was more concerned that the damned goat things were going to trample them during the night. Not to mention setting up the tents was more difficult than it had ever been. She was sweating just digging in a few tents and unloading. Her ears flicked behind her at the call from K'takka, and she turned sharply from the tent she was loading and jogged over. The first hunt. Her heard beat hard in her chest in anticipation. She nodded hard and turned on her heels again, her tail swaying eagerly behind her as she jogged off to call the women to hunt. She called off her first friend to check up on K'ile, and waved down a few more huntresses to gather the rest as she stopped by K'luha's tent. Unlike K'iara, K'luha had not taken the trip well. Her spirits seemed always lifted about K'tahja and even sometimes Xha'li, but the moment she was left to her own thoughts during the night she seemed empty. It was somewhat frightening to K'iara. When K'ile had gone missing the first time, K'luha had ceased speaking and drained of color. Although her hip was mostly healed and she was capable of walking with a limp, she did not seem to want to go anywhere. She was slow to walk, and was promptly thrown onto a Chocobo to make up for her slow speed. K'iara to seen to that much. K'iara had seen the tail end of an argument between K'luha and K'yohko during K'ile's missing period as well. She sense a great tension between them now, but she had done her best to ignore whatever they had been talking about. Even with K'ile's return K'luha had not seemed to fair well for awhile. K'iara tentatively approached K'luha's small tent. She was sure K'tahja was out helping set up the other tents, which made K'iara more nervous to enter. She pushed the fabric of the tent aside and called out softly. "K'luha?" The tent was fearfully still, and K'iara had to take a moment to locate K'luha's sullen figure in the corner. The air seemed somehow stale in the tent. K'iara carefully inched inward and tapped the woman's shoulder. It was a bit cold to the touch. "Oh... what? Ah, K'iara... hello..." K'luha's face twitched into an unsettling smile, the lines across her face deepening. Thick bags had formed beneath her eyes, and the distinct outline of her cheekbone could be seen across her face. She was gaunt, something she had never been before. K'iara had to wonder if this change was really for the better. She supposed if it didn't work out, they could always move again. "K'takka wanted me to ask... if you still wanted to support K'ile if he challenges K'yohko...?" K'iara hesitated, taking a small step back towards the entrance to the tent. Why was it so cold in this tent anyways? K'iara shivered slightly. K'luha was seriously giving her the creeps right now. "I... i..." K'luha's voice faltered a bit, her brow turning downwards. A familiar deep ragged voice echoed in her ears. Words she had heard not so long ago. It made her hesitant. It felt like so long ago that he had said he loved her. It felt like some cruel joke now. Her ears fell flat to her head, her entire body sagging with the effort of the decision. "Um... just um... go tell K'takka when you figure that out, mkay? K'ile said tons of women would support him anyway, so don't feel pressured!" K'iara quickly ducked out of the tent, catching the faintest glimpse of K'luha turning her head sharply to look at the retreating huntress. One of her eyes burned with a strong hatred, and the only seemed to drown in sadness. K'iara shut her mouth and sharply turned to hustle off in the other direction. Maybe she shouldn't have said that last part. Well, it was K'ile's problem now! K'iara ducked around K'yohko as she went to join the collection of the huntresses. The Nunh raised an ear at K'iara's swiftly moving form, and glancing back to K'luha's tent. He could feel it strongly now. Magic. The unnatural movement of aether from K'luha's tent. There was nothing he could do for her now. His eyes turned dark, and he forced his head away from the tent. She was dying. He felt it in the way the aether pulled across her form. She was dying, and he could only hope that K'tahja would save her. His stride shifted across the sands, pausing in front of the elder's tent. He looked to K'takka, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Grandmother, may I join the first hunt?" The question was soft like a breeze, gently riding the wind to her ears alone. He was Nunh like K'ile had once said. Running off on his own was foolish, but the honor of the first hunt was something he desired for himself. He would have very much liked to partake in it, but never without K'takka's permission.

Yohko was faintly irked at the lack of intended response. K'ile was supposed to back off, not get closer. The nunh's eyes followed K'ile's form as he leaned over lightly, pressing their cheeks uncomfortably together. Really, the feeling wasn't that foreign to K'yohko but it was a little strange coming from K'ile. Not to mention his hot breath was faintly irritating K'yohko's head until he wanted to scratch at it. Ah, really. It was itchy now. K'yohko's ears twitched lightly as K'ile tried to whisper into them. The content of the whispers earned a genuine snort from K'yohko. And also a screech from K'luha. "WHAT?!" K'luha had notoriously obnoxiously good hearing. All she needed to hear was the first part of the whisper to get angry. She was going to punch K'ile the second he got close enough to her do to so. He wasn't worth breaking her hip again, again. K'yohko on the other hand, took the comment in stride. He flicked his ear, glancing past K'ile when he heard a familiar screech. "Some people might be jealous of that offer." K'yohko sighed softly. He twitched his gaze back to K'ile and abruptly threw his massive weight to the right, rolling them both over until K'yohko had K'ile pinned to the ground instead. This sort of thing stopped being embarrassing a very long time ago after all. K'yohko had more experience with it than K'ile had after all. But it was still a cute attempt to fluster the Nunh. While flipping them both over, it was an excellent moment to exact a bit of revenge while their heads were underwater and no one could see it. Yohko pressed his figure and his head forward, letting his lips meet the other's for a brief moment before biting down lightly on the other's bottom lip and then pulling away to the surface all together. K'yohko sat up on K'ile's lap, this time straddling the other before pushing back his longer hair from his face. "If that's what you were so upset about all this time, my tent is always open." K'yohko retorted quietly, but flatly before he stood up from K'ile entirely and shook out his hair. K'luha looked entirely pissed and somewhat upset over the entire venture, but looked to Tahj instead and opened her arms as if she wanted her niece to hug her.

Yohko snorted lightly, letting his other brow raise at K'ile's rather strange behavior. It had been a very long time since he'd been shy in such a way. Although, he supposed he never really stopped being shy. Simply, now he preferred to be alone or with his grandmother. Few others had anything worthwhile to say, and he found K'ile's usual hatred of him tiresome. K'nahli's too, for that matter. Everyone's constant judgment and hatred grew tiresome, and there was refuge to be found alone or with K'takka at least. Violet eyes glanced back up towards K'ile, glimmering quietly in the afternoon sun. He held a quiet expression that matched his eyes, although the expression was somehow different than his usual one. Yohko pushed his head forward, pushing his forehead to press against K'ile's until their faces were uncomfortably close. Incredibly uncomfortably closer particularly in the lip region. "Hey." Yohko murmured in a light whisper, his ears flicking a bit. He was banking on the fact that this was an uncomfortable position for both of them to get K'ile to move.

The difference in their size was almost amusing. K'yohko wasn't a miq'ote to judge the on the size of a person but, K'ile could barely stretch himself the length of K'yohko's body. The nunh watched with a vague interest. Just what was K'ile trying to do anyway? He couldn't understand it. K'yohko remained still, allowing the other to pin him down completely, but did not struggle or try to breath. His eyes shimmered in a surprisingly pretty way, the color of the water making them shine more brightly than they ever had before. It was sort of strange. His lungs ached for breath, and although it was a mere movement away, he didn't move for it immediately. There was a odd serenity about feeling the water's across all of his skin. In a way, it almost felt like a warm embrace. His eyes closed for a moment, taking in the moment even as his lungs burned. Yohko lingered beneath the water, longer than he ought to. And for a moment, his face slipped an earnest smile. Without warning, K'yohko sat up abruptly and pushed his face above the water to gasp for breath. His eyes opened again and he shook his head off a little bit, raising an ear and a tail at K'ile.

K'luha flailed, her attention stolen from K'yohko to K'zhumi as she was drenched with water. She sputtered and laughed loudly, looking to K'zhumi coyly. She swung her tail up from the water to splash K'zhumi again, still grinning widely. Even K'nahli's yelling couldn't bring K'luha down. She only stuck her tongue out at K'nahli and laughed again. K'luha looked to her giggle niece and quickly splashed her over as well. "Oooh, don't let down your guard Tahj or I'll get you too!" she grinned widely, splasing some more weak waves in Tahj's direction. K'yohko looked coolly to Xha'li, although his usual serious expression tinged on something less tense. Have fun? Was that what they were supposed to be doing? Yohko didn't have too much time to think on it as Xha'li jumped towards him and drenched K'yohko in another wave. The Nunh sputtered and pushed his hair back from his face again, a small smile tugging on his lips. It never seemed to be more than the faintest of smiles, but it was there. K'yohko had made strides of progress in his tolerance of Xha'li's presence. He had long since stopped wanting to kill the man, and even admitted to himself he had been erroneous in his judgment at first. He had let his grief for his daughter's exile cloud his mind, but he accepted now that it was wrong to judge Xha'li for a thing he was uninvolved with. Yohko thought to perhaps splash the outsider with another wave, but something else caught his attention. K'yohko turned at the sound of running feet, curious to what was running towards him so quickly. The flaming red hair caught his attention first as K'ile launched himself with a cry at the nunh. Yohko was hit with a loud 'oof' although K'ile would find himself tackling K'yohko's front side rather than his back. At first K'yohko was unsure what hit his face, but it left a stinging sensation and dazed him as his body was throw below the water. He blinked a few times as he was submerged, feeling pinned down by a weight atop his own body. The vaguely recognized the out of focus face and red hair, but allowed the other to hold him down for the moment. He was still trying to figure out if K'ile's head had collided with his own or not. K'iara frowned to K'ile, happy she'd knocked him into the water rather than herself. To avoid any further splashing, the huntress yelped and quickly scrambled back over behind K'nahli and the cards. She peered over the carts, surprised to catch the tail end of K'ile's successful tackling of the nunh. Like K'iara, K'luha was a bit surprised to see K'ile tackle K'yohko. She however, was simply happy he'd come to the water. She chuckled lightly and splashed towards Tahj and K'zhumi again.

K'luha looked with a proud smirk to Tahj, her tail swishing happily behind her. Yes! Success! It'd been awhile since she was able to mess around with the tribe like that. Although K'luha did notice a very angry K'zhumi stalking towards them. She laughed a bit nervously and tugged at her hair before looking back towards K'ile while he yelled at her. She grinned cheerfully again, putting another hand in the water to splash at him again. "You better dodge if you don't like getting wet then! Or come and stop me!" It had been a long time since K'luha had been able to yell playfully at anyone in the tribe. She had been so high strung over K'ailia's raising and being, but she wasn't as concerned about Tahj. Tahj was already a good girl. She wasn't constantly afraid for her. Maybe, just maybe a little bit, K'luha was making a little bit of progress towards something positive. K'iara, like K'ile, also hated being wet. Perhaps it was their genes that were so closely shared or something. The huntress shrieked as if she'd been shot when K'ile dodged Xha'li's water bomb and it hit her squarely instead. Drowned, she felt utterly drowned. "Don't get me wet because you're dodging K'ile!" K'iara hissed back towards her uncle, pushing her wet hair from her eyes before lunging forward to push K'ile towards the incoming water. If she could use him as a shield, she was going to. Although, she had to duck behind him to effectively use him as a shield. It was a little frightening how thin his Grandmother was. K'yohko hadn't seen her without long billowing cloth in a very long time. She seemed thinner now, but he supposed the old age and lack of food would do that. He hoped in their new home, she could return to a better weight. His ears twitched rapidly, both unsure as to how to take being soaked and unsure how to act on his Grandmother's words. Revenge on K'luha? He straightened up the best he could and looked over. She looked... very happy. And so did Tahj and Xha'li. It was a long time since there was such joy. To see it, his lips twitched into the faintest smile. Feeling rather a rather impulsive desire to act on K'takka's words, K'yohko cast her one last gaze. "I'll be right back." He muttered before slipping through the wagons and dashing forward. Pushing all his might forward, he took a running jump into the oasis aiming to land where the water was deeper. This would be the largest splash he could make, and his running cannon ball was a surprising success. A large wave splashed out around him, dousing K'luha from her back and seeking to overwhelm Xha'li and Tahj too. All the tribe members anywhere near the oasis could be hit. Albeit, the water wasn't quite deep enough and K'yohko felt his legs ache from hitting the ground in the water with more force then he'd intended. He stood completely from the water and shook out his hair, pushing it from his eyes and glancing around. K'luha had yelped at suddenly being doused again, only to look back a bit shocked at the Nunh. The behavior wasn't something he usually did. K'yohko held a blank face and glanced back to her. "What?" Yohko looked to his previous mate blankly. Luha coughed a bit and looked away again, a soft blush on her face. "Nothing!"

K'luha giggled as she was splashed by Xha'li and Tahj. It finally soaked her front completely and left her feeling cool and refreshing. She wiggled her tail behind her, getting a devious look and looking to Tahj. "Splash fight!" K'luha announced so loudly the entire U tribe and K tribes probably heard it. She was loud like that. Luha splashed Xha'li first, sending a huge wave his direction before her eyes turned towards the less social members of the tribe. K'ile and K'iara weren't so far she couldn't hit them. And neither where the elders and K'yohko. Even K'mih and K'nahli would not be spared! Luha grinned back at both Tahj and Xha'li, pointing her finger generally in the direction of the rest of the tribe in hopes they'd get the idea. She wouldn't try to dodge any splashing, as nothing felt better than being hit in the face with water at the moment. Her first target was K'ile and K'iara. Using perhaps a tiny bit of magic she'd learned when she was out and about, along with her strong arms, she sent a large water ball in their direction. There was no hesitation before she launched one at K'yohko, K'nahli, or K'rahto either. K'iara's ears twitched with irritation, but she straightened herself out to her full height and left her arms crossed over her chest. Seriously, did no one remember how to laugh anymore? Sharply on questioning that, the sound of laughter floated through her ears. She glanced to the oasis where K'luha, Tahj, and Xha'li seemed to be having fun, and she smiled faintly. Guess it wasn't everyone these days. Just a few sticks in the mud. Her ears twitched again as the sound of K'ile moving caught her attention. She snorted briefly as her tail swung a bit agitatedly behind her. She didn't really think twice of K'luha screaming about a water fight. "One of our tribe members needs to be dedicated to finding food to feed our current brood. Nothing good would come of any of this having kits right now K'ile. When the times comes, I will bear children for the tribe as is my duty, but to be honesty I-ECKKHHHHHH!" K'iara was cut off from her serious conversation mid topic as the water ball thrown by K'luha hit her squarely in her shoulder and exploded into drenching water in all directions. K'iara couldn't see through her wet hair if K'ile'd been hit, but she was sincerely hoping he was. "Wet. I don't like wet." She mumbled, standing awkwardly still and shaking a bit. As K'yohko stood in silent vigil with K'takka, his body seemed to tense further and further. It looked perhaps like he wanted to curl into himself, but was refraining hardly harshly. His ears twitched at the mention of a splash fight, but he didn't move to address it. He assumed it was only K'luha having fun with the others in the oasis. But then he heard K'iara screech and turned his head to look. A mistake he probably shouldn't have made as K'luha's second ball of water hit him squarely in the face and drenched him entirely. Yohko was far too stunned to have a reaction, and simply looked back to K'takka. "Grandmother are you alright?" he mumbled worriedly, his hair also flopping over his eyes he couldn't see. It had been too long since it was last cut. Perhaps someone could cut it for him today.

K'iara looked to the sands, her ears twitching as she listened closely to the small pink haired girl's voice. It was grating to the huntress. Dripping with sweetness and innocence she should not have retained past this age. The girl was too shy, too frail, too sweet, too flashy with her silly cute clothing and silly pink hair. All K'iara wanted to do when she looked at K'mih was to break her in two so she could feel pain and see how foolish she was. How could the king of brooding bring forth the daughter of sweetness? And now the hell was K'mih's hair even pink when K'yohko's was purple? K'iara would never understand it. Deciding she'd had enough to the pink haired mongrel, K'iara pushed off the cart and stalked over behind K'ile to butt into their conversation. She swung an open hand to K'ile's back in an effort to pat his back hard, shooting K'mih a toothy grin. "Of course K'ile's challenging Yohko. No one's challenged him in years and he's getting too comfortable. K'ile's right, without a challenger there's no point to being a Nunh. We haven't had a woman pregnant in five years either. It's about time someone else knocked some kids up. Say K'mih, you're of age. Think you'd like to have some of K'ile's kitten?" K'iara snorted, still giving a toothy grin to K'mih. Albeit with K'iara's raspy voice, she might have sounded and looked more intimidating than she really intended. All she wanted was to fluster the girl and watch her run off like a windup toy. K'luha chuckled cheerfully as her niece ( she was quickly accustomed to calling her daughter however ) joined her in the pools. She ducked and moved, trying to avoid the water but laughed as it wet her anyway. Dripping with water, K'luha's miscolored eyes turned to Xha'li when he spoke up. Although she had been with K'ile when they picked him up she vaguely remembered him. The entire trip had been a haze, and the last proper thing she could really remember was all the way back in Ul'dah. She smiled coyly to the boy and leaned back. Even being so sick and losing too much weight, K'luha retained her shapely curvaceous figure. "Hey, a girl's got to move about a little bit. Besides, K'zhumi gave me the okay and Tahj helped me over. You ought to cool it." K'luha giggled mischievously, sharply splashing a large wave of water at Xha'li's head to accentuate her 'cool it' pun.

K'luha grumped quietly as her niece helped her over to the water. She was grateful to reach it's warm edge, and more grateful still to shed her ragged clothing, retaining undergarments and such so as not to be too unsightly in front of strangers, and enter the warm water. K'luha settled down into it's cool freshness easily, and glanced to Tahj when she had properly considered the question. "Well I'd think some sort of goat creature that we'd seen there. Maybe a billy or something I think it was called?" K'luha reached up to run her wet hands through her hair and sigh. "Ah, cool water. How I've missed being clean." K'iara could only roll her eyes at her Uncle. He was far too stubborn. Both he and K'yohko were too stubborn for their collective goods. The huntress was sure between the two of them, they'd argue to death in a pit of sand drakes before either would actually budge to fight them. K'iara flicked her tail backwards, her eyes shifting towards the small pink-haired mini huntress as she came. Unlike most people in the camp, K'iara couldn't particularly say she liked K'mih. The girl was pretty much useless for hunting, and really did nothing but look cute and expose her midsection. But K'iara supposed the boys needed something cute to look at or something. K'iara glanced down at herself, feeling somewhat self-conscious in the presence of the child. She looked dirty and gruff. With all her lack of curves and chest, and with all her muscles, K'iara was sure she could have just as easily passed for a Tia. And a damn better Tia than the rest of the lot. "Hey, you know it's rude it interrupt people's conversations." K'iara muttered under her breath in a voice so gravelly it was unlikely anyone would understand it. Her normal voice was so raspy people had trouble understanding her when she spoke in the first place, not to mention the strain of speaking on her voice made her always speaking softly. But K'iara settled for looking a bit disgruntled and leaning back on one of the wagons. K'yohko followed his grandmother's darkened finger with rapt attention. Jealousy? For some reason, K'yohko had not entirely pegged K'ile as a jealous sort. But he suppose it made sense when she put it in that manner. His eyes fell slowly back to the sands at his feet as her hand withdrew, his ears twitching softly with the sound of K'takka's voice. "It has been a long time since being a Nunh has mattered..." K'yohko flicked his tail softly behind him, his eyes trembling as they looked at the sands. He could almost see his shameful form tainting the sands beneath him with a dark black poison. "I do not care about being Nunh. The better of us should win. It will be best for the tribe that way. I trust you Grandmother... I only feel a bit... lost right now. I worry that I am... not doing what is best for the tribe. I fear I cannot see so clearly as I used to..."

K'iara rolled her eyes to K'ile again. It was pretty arrogant to think anyone would support him after abandoning the tribe like he had. The Elders had taken away his privileges to dance with the fire as well. K'iara couldn't see why he thought so highly of it. People teased K'rahto just as often about being a Nunh ( or maybe it was just K'iara teasing him ) and no one was about to support him. "Taunting, and seriously considering having your kits are two very different things K'ile." K'iara dutifully reminded him. Watching her uncle pace around was both annoying, and making her dizzy. K'iara stood again, shifting to stand in front of K'ile as best she could was a small frown. "And you up and abandoned Tahj, K'luha, K'haali, and the entire tribe! For weeks! How is that not a bad idea? And then you brought an outsider back to the tribe? Also, a bad idea." K'iara snorted at him again, shaking her head flicking her tail in slight agitation. "And you wanted to challenge K'yohko right on the spot. And you wanted us to have a feast right before we were about to move and when we were all starving to death. And, you're standing here bitching about the tribe that was kind enough to let us stay for the night when they are also standing right around here and can probably hear you. The list goes on K'ile. You're an idiot Uncle." K'iara chuckled lightly and stepped away to let him pace some more. K'yohko lifted his gaze briefly to meet K'takka. Although he wanted to reject the idea of gracefulness, he found himself unable to disagree with his grandmother. His eyes followed her ragged form for a moment before trailing to K'luha with Tahj, and finally back to K'takka. "How could I show her bitterness? She has found such distaste in me for so long, it does not come as a surprise." K'yohko glanced to the sand at K'takka's feet, his face struggling to twisted but unable to pick a particular emotion to display. "Both kits she bore from me have died now. I cannot blame her for wanting to try another male. After my outbursts, I could not blame anyone from wishing me away." K'yohko paused, gripping lightly at his wounded arm and looked back to K'takka. Although his face remained hardened and straight, his eyes seemed to be searching for something. "I have tried with everything I am to do the right thing, but K'ile has always hated me. I have tried to be his brother, but he does not want me. How many here would be happier to have seen K'thalen come back from Cartneu in my stead? K'piru would still be here. Her daughters might still be here as well. If I could have given myself to save him, I would have done it a thousand times over by now Grandmother. To save him, and to save mother, I would give my everything to do... But it cannot be done, and I do not know how to fill the gap they have left." K'yohko brought his eyes back to the floor, gripping more harshly at his wound. The first words he'd spoken for days, and all he could do was pity himself. He was as pitiful as K'ile was in his own mind, and if K'ile beat him then he hoped K'ile beat him into the embrace of Azyema.

K'luha waited anxiously, watching her own hip and K'zhumi's hand for a moment. She was getting to those damn springs one way or another, regardless of what K'zhumi said. However, it would be much easier with K'zhumi's approval to get there. K'luha's eyes lit up cheerfully at the somewhat positive reply, and she grinned back to Tahj when her niece spoke up. "Of course we're going to play in the water! You're not the only one here missing water baths." K'luha chuckled faintly and shifted herself forward at the edge of the wagon. "If only I could get do-" Luha blinked as she was lifted lightly from behind and set gently on the ground. K'yohko stood behind her, and looked somberly to Tahj. Although he said nothing, his eyes pleaded for Tahj to watch her aunt before the Nunh paced away. His arm had healed greatly, but the skin was still wrapped tightly up with bandages. K'luha glanced back to K'yohko's back with a small frowned before looking back to Tahj. "Here, help me get over to the springs." Luha resumed a more cheerful tone with her niece. "Or K'zhumi might kill me." She chuckled faintly beneath her breath, her ears having perked up for the first time in days. K'yohko stalked back over to his grandmother K'takka, and remained in silence. His ears had been pressed about half-way down since they'd left camp and the immediate danger of an Amalj'aa strike had been gone. K'yohko had also all but refused to leave the elder's side, apparently paranoid for their safety. Since his outbursts and his thanking of his daughter, he had yet to speak a word to anyone besides K'takka. His grandmother and most of the older tribe members might have remembered K'yohko being quite the mother's boy for a very long time, and in some ways his refusal to leave the elders mirrored some of his younger behaviors. K'iara stretched her arms out and yawned as K'ile paced about in front of her. Thick bags remained under her eyes, as the weariness from traveling with so many was catching up. While they often moved, it was never so many days at a time. It was beginning to wear on the flaming huntress. She didn't see how K'ile could be so much like K'yohko when he hated the other so much either. She flicked an ear down, tilting her head and rolled her eyes lightly at his ranting. "K'ile, you've given our young bad ideas before and we don't shun you." K'iara snorted roughly, pushing herself to stand properly for a moment before squatting down to stretch out her sore muscles. "If you're so anxious about fighting K'yohko, take a spar with me. But please, whatever you do stop pacing." The huntress stood again and shifted to stand in front of K'ile. "Or I'm going to throw you in the damn springs. You smell anyway. You could use a water bath since they've got so much to spare." K'iara sneered at her uncle. Unlike K'ile, she was a tall miq'ote and easily stood at his height. "Why don't you go spend some time with your backer? If you don't spend time with her, who knows if she's still going to back you when we get to Drybone." K'iara remarked more lazily, shifting to bend backwards with her hands on the floor in a bridge position. Her back cracked loudly, and K'iara flicked her tail with delight. It felt good to stretch out all her muscles again.

Since leaving the home most of the K tribe had known all of its life, it had been a mere four days. Many of the miq'ote were unsettled about finally making the journey, but it had been a necessary move. Despite the tribe being excellent movers across the desert, the rather large number of extremely injured tribe members, and two tired healers, called for a short rest before the rest of the trek could be made. The U-Tribe's oasis was only a few days from the K-tribe's last location, and by the time the tribe had arrived they were all very much ready for a short rest. A place to spend the night, not to mention the oasis springs the U-tribe used to bathe was quickly becoming a topic of interest for the tribe. K'luha had woken up somewhere along the second day of travel, and only within the last few hours had been properly awake and able to sit up without too much pain. When they'd arrived to the U-Tribe and negotiated the night's stay, the first thing K'luha had noted were the springs. The second thing she'd done was insist for someone to take her there to bathe. "Can't I walk yet K'zhumi?" K'luha huffed irritably to the healing, leaning over the edge of the cart she was yet again being hauled about it. She occasionally cast angry glances towards her brother K'hai, but had refused to sit near him or speak to him. "Can't Tahj help me over to the oasis? Please?" K'luha shot her best more charming toothy grin to the healer, hoping for a positive answer.

K'iara chuckled lightly, although her chuckling sounded more like a raspy choking than a chuckle. She moved to nudge her uncle with a hard shoulder before pulling her axe from her hip. The news of postponement had lightened her steps and demeanor visibly, and her ears stood atop her head both with alertness and enjoyment. "Taking yourself a little bit too seriously?" K'iara snorted again, her daring blue eyes scanning over the horizon. "But that's a good man, wiping off all those scents and whatever tracks you left behind. " She shifted again with her unmanned hand in an effort to pat his back hard. "Go get 'em kitten. Just don't let the Amal'jaa bite your shoulder off or it won't be a very fun fight to watch! No one's seriously challenged K'yohko in a long time. Better make it a spectacular fight, or I'll be disappointed in you." K'iara turned sharply on her heel and started heading off to wave down a few huntresses. K'yohko felt dazed and distant from the conversation finally. Even K'zhumi's screech only faintly reached him. He found himself grateful for K'mih's brief support, and he had to strain himself to sit up properly so she might scrub his wounds clean. The Nunh grunted softly at K'mih's effort and whimpering before looking more softly to her. "K'mih..." he muttered slowly beneath his breath. "Thank you. You've done well."

"K'hai!" Yohko snapped fiercely, narrowing his gaze at the other. "What do you accomplish by slandering your family's name? Like it or not, he is family. We will submit our complaints to the elders, and they will pass judgment, and then we must find forgiveness!" Yohko's ears bent forward irritably, his tail flicking with equal agitation. "K'ailia is gone. K'ile is still here. He chose his family over the exiles. Does that not speak for something of his values? You are blinded by your own hatred of him to see what merit he has! If this family is going to survive, we must abandoned our hatred. Or its poison will consume us all." K'yohko scowled seriously towards the ground. He could see the edge of his daughter's form, pressing a cloth far too lightly to his burned side. But her touch was so tender it did not hurt. In truth, he found some relief to her presence. She was such a soft and delicate flower, so unlike most of the tribe members. If only a few more people could strive to be so soft in their ways. "K'hai, I am advising you now to give up your hatred of K'ile Tia. I advise this to you strongly. The elders have changed, indeed, but things are different now. The majority of our family was wiped out during the Calamity. When we returned from Carteneu, there was no joy. Only more suffering here and bodies to bury. I do not think the Elders would so easily spurn any family when we have so little left. So again I tell you, abandon your hatred. K'ile is here, and K'ailia has long since chosen of her own will to leave. I love my daughter, but I respect her choice to leave us. I would not taint that image of her choice with the idea that she fled from K'ile like a babe because he made a threat." Yohko kept his gaze to the floor, although his body was paling quickly. He had lost quite a bit of blood now and it was starting to effect him more seriously. The nunh grunted slightly, his body leaning towards K'mih as he found it difficult to sit properly anymore. His head felt as if was swimming in a large body of water, and the idea and sensation confused him. Perhaps the vexation of unruly Tias was starting to get to him.

K'iara lowered her ears at the young K'lyhri, exasperated with her excuses. Good grief. If she couldn't handle a little bit of criticism, she was younger than she looked. The elder huntress ran a hand through her short ruffled hair and looked to K'ile. She couldn't tell who was the larger child in this situation anymore. K'lyrhi with her sudden outburst or K'ile claiming wildly that he was going to break K'yohko. But there was one thing that brought a smile to her lips. Her ears perked up a bit, and she shook her head a little as well. "That's only what I've been asking you to do for the last hours Uncle. Celebrate our move with some tradition! But you're not supposed to break him you dork, you're just supposed to beat him." K'iara rolled her eyes at her Uncle before looking back to K'lyhri. "And as for you, how old do you think you are? Only kids beat other people up, especially family, for saying things they don't like. That's not how we deal with that kind of thing here. Don't blame K'ile for that nonsense. If you didn't like what he had to say, you should have ignored it and done the job you were tasked with." K'iara scolded with a stern frown. She was quite used to being tasked as an elder responsible sister. This kind of scolding came quite naturally to her, and with her usually intense expression and deeper raspy voice, she usually came off fitting to the part. "Quit sulking and do something useful instead of standing around and jumping family. You can go help pack the meat and then we'll take you to the elders." K'iara jabbed her finger back in the direction of the foot preparation area and raised a brow to K'lyrhi, implying she ought to move herself there and quickly. K'iara eyed K'lyhri for a moment before turning to jog and catch up with her Uncle. When she got close enough, she pushed out her arm to punch his back lightly and frown at him. "Really, K'ile. Aren't you a little old to be running around talking about breaking people? Especially your Nephew? But more seriously, thank you for holding off on your challenge. We're in a tough spot here, and I think we'll all enjoy your challenge match more if we're settled into the new place. Do I just need to throw some girls on top of you to get you to make some sense now?" K'iara snickered lightly and turned her head forward. She shifted to rest a hand on the handle of her axe, her tail swaying pleasantly behind her. "If that's the case, I guess you really do want to be the Nunh." The red head huntress snickered lightly again and glanced outward to the horizon. "Hey, before you go relieve the others of their duty, can you collect the blood in the sand around the camp? We don't need any bad omens showing up, or to leave any signs we were here. Your cart made huge tracks across the sand too, so if you could run out that way and erase some of it, we'd be in better shape." K'iara looked hopefully to her Uncle, although she wouldn't have been surprised to hear him reject the request.

K'yohko gave a faint smile to K'zhumi. "So it would seem. How is that leg?" He questioned softly, his ears twitching back lightly at the commotion outside. A heavy sigh overtook him. Such anger, he knew it well and yet... He lightly pressed his burned hand to his leg and glanced to K'mih. It was strange to have K'mih aid him in this way but, not unwelcome. But the thoughts of kindness left him as he turned his gaze more firmly to K'hai. "No." He barked strongly in K'hai's direction. "You are not the hand that deals judgment here. I am not the hand that deals judgment here. You will stay here and rest. The others are capable enough to deal with this themselves. We rest, we heal, and then we join the others. That is our duty." K'yohko frowned sternly at the other, his ears flicking lightly.

K'iara huffed heavily, axe hanging heavily in her hand. The perimeter was secured for the time being, and huntresses were patrolling. There was not a hand to be spared now, between the packing and the panic. But they needed more hands, and the only unused hand she could think of lay with her brother K'rahto. Someone needed to go out there and erase the cart tracks, and he was just the Tia for the job. Or at least the flame haired huntress had come to think. The woman's lithe form was drenched in sweat from the heat of the sun, and the sand slid gently without kicking up when she came to a stop just a little ways from the healer's tent. Her mouth opened to call for K'ile, but her words failed to come when the purple haired girl jumped him. Her ears raised sharply in anger, and she shoved her axe into its hanging spot on her hip before lunging forward. It was a swift movement, in which her hand grabbed the back of K'lyhri's shirt and with a heave dragged the over off of K'ile and onto the floor. She threw her arm forward in an effort to toss K'lyhri back to the ground and growled at her. "What the hell!? What the hell is going on here!?" K'iara hissed, her raspy voice breaking several times in her angry outburst. The huntress sharply pressed a hand to her throat before she gazed back both astonished and a bit angry towards K'ile. "K'ile what are you even doing here? We need everyone on alert. Quit messing around!" K'iara urged him in a much softer and more usual raspy voice. "Can you go help pack the sundrakes K'yohko brought back? Or go relieve another Huntress patrol so they can do it?" K'iara looked pleadingly towards her Uncle before turning back to look at the purple haired girl. "And I'll take you back to the Elders. This was not what we needed when we're trying to pack up camp." K'iara grumbled more sternly.

K'yohko's ears twitched gently when K'zhumi turned to look at him. She was not well. And he should think not after such large healing ventures. Had he been wrong in his choice? Even K'hai had told him not to jump in so recklessly. Probably though, he had probably been wrong. But even in his wrongness, it did not matter. It was done, and no amount of regret or feelings would change it. Instead, K'yohko moved at Zhumi's whim and sat himself down, his head tilted downward as a sign of humility. His eyes did not dare look towards the outsider, for fear that anger would overtake his senses again. He lifted his ears faintly and shifted his head ever so slightly to watch K'mih's flittering form slip into the tent. So she had come to help? A dutiful child. His head shifted away again, towards K'hai now. He looked towards his brother distantly, and with a far clearer head could see the rage that consumed K'hai. But he could not truly understand why it consumed the other so. Surely, he hated K'ile for influencing K'ailia to leave. But K'ile did not have the power to force her hand in the end. And in the end, it had been her own decision. When he was not boiling over with rage, it was easier to see how mixed the lines between fault could be. How he had judged an outsider too quickly perhaps, and in doing so could have potentially gotten his brother killed. Yohko's lips pressed together in a thin line, his turning towards the dark sands again. How much anger had eaten away at their family now? How much had it eaten away at him? Perhaps the poison he saw too easily in his family, came from another source than originally he had thought. The nunh's ears flicked quickly, listening vaguely to the sounds of a loud and angry conversation outside. But surely this anger would not- Yohko frowned further, the look pressing thickly against his face. The sound of those shifting sands was a bad omen. His eyes shifted wearily from the sands towards K'zhumi. "I apologize, K'zhumi. I was reckless." K'yohko bowed his head lightly again. There was nothing to be done for those outside. Not yet at least.

K'yohko cast his gaze shortly back towards K'lyrhi. His initial reaction to her was unfair, he knew it was so. He could not help the way he felt on it, but instead tried to push it aside and turned his head forward and towards the healer's tent. His eyes strained ahead, blinding all other sights between him and his destination. He could not waver or change his mind, nor did his personal feeling on the subject matter any longer. All that mattered was getting patched up enough to join the others, secure the camp, and then move when possible. With great effort, K'yohko pushed himself into the healer's tent and grunted. His eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, but he could barely make out the form of K'zhumi at least. His eyes trailed to the floor next, picking out K'hai's form and then slowly the details of his body. He was no longer bleeding everywhere, and that was good. He seemed to be doing much better. Spotting K'hai however, he also spotted the outsider. This earned an instantaneous scowl towards the other, but K'yohko said nothing on the matter. Finally his gaze was drawn to the sleeping figures in the corner of the tent, the figures of K'luha and Tahj. It was good to see them together again. Tahj, even awhile asleep, seemed much happier with her aunt than she had ever seen around himself. His eyes finally moved back to K'zhumi and he gave her an apologetic bow. "I apologize K'zhumi. Do you have any strength left to see to my arm?" K'yohko lifted his head to see her answer, hoping he wouldn't have to completely drain her if she was already drained.

K’yohko’s breath felt heavy and ragged, a faint wheeze to his lungs as the simple act lifted and raised his chest with so much effort. His eyes flicked across, watching K’nahli’s quickly fleeting form with eyes that so rapidly dulled from their earlier flame. His stomach hung heavily in his chest, and something seemed to catch in his throat as he breathed so heavily. The words were not what he had meant to say, but they had been said. If there was nothing that did not prick K’yohko liked thorns, it was only that K’nahli and K’lyhri would help defend the family. The Nunh’s dulling eyes flicked to his estranged daughter, and his lips pressed tightly to one another. There was a faint whitishness to them that had not be there before, and the same draining of color seemed to pull at this skin and his eyes. “Yes…” The word was soft and hushed, absent of the rage that had so consumed him before. With K’nahli’s departure to defend the tribe, there was a certain air of relaxation to him now. Certainly, he was not relaxed, but his rage seemed to have been quelled now. “I can get myself there. Please…” His lips paused, his breathing hanging raggedly in the air between them. “Join the other huntresses. Protect the family. I will join you all when I have been seen.” K’yohko turned away from his daughter, his ears having returned to their natural, if not sagging, state. His tail hung behind him, dragging in the dust as his feet too dragged through the sand to guide him in a vague direction of K’zhumi’s tent.

K’yohko’s fierce eyes glanced up, peering at the concerned voice that called out to him. His expression was pained and fierce. His ears stood at an odd angle, one pressing to his head in pain and the other flicked backwards with aggression. As K’nhali stood, lacking anything useful besides worthless words of conscious, K’yohko turned his head to watch K’mih’s fleeting figure. He thought darkly, he should not have trusted her with alerting the huntresses. Not that she would be unable to do it, but because she was too slow. Again, K’yohko’s burning gaze turned to his eldest daughter. Help him to K’zhumi? Idiot child. He did not need to see K’zhumi yet. Until the camp was secured there was no time for such trivialities. Had K’ile and the outsider not lead the damned Amal’jaa to their camp, he wouldn’t be injured in the first place. But maybe that was what K’ile wanted. K’yohko would not have doubted it, and bitterly thought it was indeed what he had intended. Yohko’s expression shifted as K’nahli pushed forward without consent, trying to aid him in holding himself up and dragging him off to the healer’s tent. Idiot child! If he had any way to move his shoulder, his fury compelled him to bat her away. But indeed his shoulder refused to let him do much more than snarl as the movement agitated its pain, and his daughter’s skin and armor pushed into the burns on his arm and side. Just as K’yohko turned his head to snap at K’nahli, it turned instead to… K’lyrhi. The Nunh found his mouth tasting bitter and a difficulty in swallowing whenever she appeared. It was similar to staring at a ghost. Although the elders were happy to have those deemed dead returning to them, K’yohko found it abhorrent. It was as if dead bodies had rose from the sands and shambled back to the camp. Of all the bodies returning, the only one he wished to return was still buried somewhere in the Sagolii. As K’lyhri too, pushed herself to his side to help, K’yohko snarled viciously. He bared his teeth at both K’lyhri and K’nahli before stepping forward, throwing all of his heavy weight forward to break free of the girls. “Don’t touch me!” K’yohko snarled, his words dripping with anger and twisted in pain. He turned and glared back at the girls, violent eyes seemingly lit on fire. “Idiot children! If you do not help the huntresses secure our camp, there will not BE a healer to tend our wounds because we will all DIE to the Amal’jaa.” His breath was ragged, wheezing with intense effort. His body sagged again towards his open wounds. His other burned arm reached over and grasped at his shoulder, holding it to his body as if it might fall off. “Get your weapons and find the others.” It was not a statement, nor was it snarled like he had been just a moment before. It was a cold and furious demand that threatened something darkly in its tone.

K'luha smiled at her young niece. Had she been missed? It was a good feeling to be missed. At least someone missed her, someone cherished her. It was an important feeling to K'luha, and the injured woman felt warm and comforted from it. With small but equal bites, K'luha finished the bit of food she had been given. It was both tasteless and full of flavor. But mostly, it filled her with the sensation of home. Even the sand on which she was laying seemed to embrace her thin form with welcome homecoming. And tomorrow when she awoke, perhaps she would be well enough to meet with more family. K'luha carefully laid herself down next to Tahj and curled her torso forward. Her tail weakly shifted in the sand and wrapped over her leg beneath the blanket. "I missed you too Tahj. I'm happy to be home..." Luha whispered quietly, settling down as Zhumi's medication took over her foggy mind. It was soothing like the sands, and rocked her slow healing spirit to a deep sleep again. A sleep so deep that the chaos that ensued within the tent did not disturb her. She did not stir at K'hai's entrance, nor Xha'li and K'zhumi's frantic rush to save him. Yohko instinctively looked to his arm as K'deiki mentioned it. It throbbed achingly as blood leaked from the torn and blistered skin. Every pull and movement that moved his shoulder and arm seemed to rip the delicate seams of his skin, unraveling the bloody wound further and further. The nunh's violently purple eyes flicked upwards with the sound of K'jhanhi's rumbling voice. They would move, of course. He knew it; it was why he had come to tell them first. The elders needed time to prepare to move; the more time, the easier it would be for them. He knew to sound the alarm, it wasn't a question of whether or not to sound it. Still, K'yohko bowed his head in a humble urgency. As his eyes were cast down, they fell upon one of his younger daughters. K'mih; Why was she in the tent? The question flashed vaguely through his mind. And his eyes followed her strong but thin form as she stepped forward, announcing her intent in a more forceful voice than he had ever heard from her. K'yohko's face hardened, creasing and twisting lightly as he considered her request. Only a faint beat of silent passed in the elder's tent before K'yohko answered. "Do it." He commanded shortly. His feet twisted the sand below him, and he pushed his weight from his heels and turned his body to exit. The injured nunh ducked through the thick flaps to the tent's entrance and exited quickly. Although he tried to conceal his injury, his entire body sagged with the weighty extent of them. Blistering burned skin covered a hefty portion of his skin, and the blood loss made his head feel light and uncomfortable. K'yohko's teeth grit down, gnashing together as if he sheer force of will might halt the worsening of his condition. In a last ditch effort, K'yohko pulled the blood soaked shirt from his wound and attempted to tear it into a more manageable bandage. His attempt at a bandage was poor and crude, but if nothing else the cloth was tied to his arm over a portion of his injury.

Even in the twilight, the heat of the Sagolii was scorching. It beat down upon the broad and ravaged shoulders of the Nunh’s back. His bulky form sagged slightly with the weight of his injuries, leaving a strange trail of footprints in the sand as the male miq’ote attempted to move quickly. K’yohko was at the head of a small train of following miqo’tes and a courel; K’hai injured but on chocobo, and K’lyhri awkwardly following behind in relative silence. Yohko moved with purpose, although his shoulder and arm hung limply and painfully. To prevent blood from giving a trail, K’yohko had pulled his shirt off and pressed it to the wounds, letting his shirt absorb the blood and become a stained crimson color. As they rounded the last dune, Yohko glanced back at his daughter. His lips pressed into a pale and thin frown, his eyes narrowing at her form. His expression failed to enlighten any of his thoughts on her sudden appearance, and his head turned just as quickly as it had come. “Take K’hai to K’zhumi’s tent.” Yohko called back towards his wayward daughter. He motioned with his good arm towards K’zhumi’s tent. To him at least, it seemed to be clearly separated from the other tents, but to K’lyhri it might look precisely the same. “I must inform the Elders.” Yohko grumbled, his voice gritty and deep with pain. With a loud whistle, he called the courel down and directed her towards the storage tent. Someone would tend to the drakes there, he was sure. And they would collect the useful things he had obtained from the Amal’jaa. But for now, he had little time to loose. In a swift and powerful movement, Yohko was off. He did not run, nor jog, nor walk, but almost glided across the sands to the Elder’s tent. He ignored the strange looks, and those of concern as he stepped forward, pushing the flap to the tent inwards and stepping inside. “Amal’jaa.” Yohko announced strongly, his eyes narrowing as he attempted to let them adjust to the lack of light inside. He was surprised to see K’mih inside the tent, but paid her little attention. “Scouts and Battledrakes. Off the horizon. Three Amal’jaa. Three Drakes. Dead now. And two more lost members of the family returned. K’hai and… K’lyhri.” Her name rolled strangely off his tongue and left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth. The blood from his wounds had completely stained his shirt, and a thick drop of blood hit the sands beneath him lightly.

K'iara brightened faintly, her ears perking up at K'ile's acknowledgement. It wasn't what she had hoped but, it was something. It mostly proved to her that he had listened, and that of itself seemed like a blessing from Azyema. "It does." K'iara croaked back towards K'ile, a hand coming up to grasp her throat faintly. It hurt terribly to talk, but K'ile was facing the opposite direction and she didn't feel like running around in front of him to nod. K'iara turned herself, facing towards the Zhumi's tent. She needed some herbs for her throat and K'ile no doubt seemed busy now with his insane preparations. But at least, she was satisfied knowing there would be food for awhile. Luha examined the robe and blanket distantly. They looked warm, and she was starting to feel rather cold. When Tahj placed the blanket down, Luha lazily reached out and grasped at it, pulling it over her body and settling under its warmth. That was better. She could put the robe on later, but the blanket was good for now. The smell of food from home perked her sense immediately and she also grasped out at the small bit of food from Tahj to nibble on. "Thank you Tahj... " Luha smiled warmly at her niece, moving to nibble on the food with a much clearer head.