Darkened Skies

Sterling tried to settle in, finding a comfortable position on the travois as Paladin spoke. She looked up at him, supposing she was indeed not the wolf who'd brought a pack onto Celestial lands to fight, but if she were honest, she certainly hadn't opposed it at the time. And what about the fact that she'd thought about returning to Talis? Would that make him think differently? She hadn't done it yet... hadn't had the nerve to go back. She really hadn't decided whether it was for her anymore, but she'd definitely considered it. Should she tell him? No, maybe if she kept any desire to go back to Talis hidden, it would stay hidden and eventually disappear. Surely if she didn't acknowledge it, the desire would fizzle out. "I guess you're right," she said with a small nod. With every paw step that brought her closer to Celestial, she felt a little more sure that this experience would make it easier for her to forget her birth home.

She tilted her head curiously as he offered to tell a tale; it would help pass the time, and she hoped that it would distract her from her pain as well. "Sure," she agreed, wondering what he would tell her. To her, it was a strange yet welcome response to the question she'd posed to him. Why was he helping her? As the male jolted forward suddenly to force enough momentum to move the travois, Sterling gasped - it startled her, and jerked her sore body in a very unpleasant manner. The pain that seared through her almost made her angry, but she kept quiet, knowing he was doing everything he could to help her. She tried to focus on him instead, anything to keep her mind off her injuries. As Paladin began speaking, Sterling realized this would be a much different tale than any she'd heard before.

Sterling quickly found herself enthralled - though the names were mostly ones she hadn't heard,
except of course the Dragon's family name, she found it fascinating to learn about some of the history of Ardent. Her parents had never had stories to tell. It made her wonder where either of them had come from, with such quiet pasts that weren't really worth mentioning. Her mother and father had certainly been a wealth of knowledge when it came to survival, but they'd never mentioned much beyond simple personal experiences.

When Paladin finished his story, ending with a question for her, she furrowed her brow, her emerald eyes watching the ground pass by as she was dragged along. She skimmed over the words in her mind, and she thought that maybe she understood the message he was trying to send her. "I-I think I understand," she replied, gritting her teeth momentarily as she felt herself bump over a particularly large rock. Then she would try to put her understanding into words, although she wasn't quite sure if she was getting the point. "So, Erani helped others even if they were her enemies," her tone was contemplative as she tried to piece things together, "And eventually, she was able to establish peace between the warring packs. So... she didn't hold onto any grudges, and she was able to save many lives." That was her best understanding of it, although she certainly wasn't familiar with the concept. She'd grown up amongst wolves who were impulsive and driven by emotion, in fact, she was one of them. It was difficult for her to think outside of that reactive, moment by moment thinking. But she found the story and it's possible meaning intriguing nonetheless, and she thought that perhaps she could learn more from him. Of course, she'd always thought she could learn from him. The way he spoke was enough to keep her attention, and it was like he always had something more to tell, never running out of topics and knowledge.