Blood Is Thicker Than These Waters

She had been slowly making work on skinning, declawing, and removing the teeth from the polar bear she had killed with the help of that handsome, multicolored brute over the last couple of days while her and Nirvana took a break from the constant traveling. This dark beach was as good a place as any to set up camp it seemed and there had been a cave for them to stay in so she had made the call to stay here for at least a few days. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do with the materials she collected from the bear just yet, but it seemed like such a waste to just let it go to the scavengers. It wasn't a conventional meal, but she had even collected some of its meat to turn into some meals over the next few days. One nice thing about these freezing temperatures was that when she did kill or hunt something the meat stayed fresh longer so she knew they would have something to eat for several days if no other prey animals turned up.

She rolled up the pelt with the claws and pieces of meat she had gathered and picked up the whole bundle to carry it back to their cave. On her way she spotted the pale form of her adopted daughter standing out in stark contrast against the dark sand and let her know where she would head next once her spoils were stored away. She never restricted where or when Nirvana could go anywhere just as long as she could keep tabs on the girl. She hadn't been coddled as a child and she hadn't raised her niece any differently. Manea dropped the thick roll of polar bear fur toward the back of their cave before going back out onto the beach and trotting out to where Nirvana was laying, smirking a little when she saw the meal that her resourceful daughter had found.

"Enjoying your dinner?" she questioned with a chuckle as she came to stand over the pale pup, dipping her head to nuzzle the girl's cheek affectionately. It wasn't lost on her how difficult all of this traveling was on someone so young, especially since they had been searching for a new home for a quarter of her life at this point. She felt confident that they were nearly there though - she just had to find the perfect home for them. She wasn't sure how she felt about finding a pack for them just yet, but she felt that it would probably be necessary at some point. She had no doubt that the most prosperous lands were probably claimed and owned at this point so she may not have a choice in order to find a place she was pleased with.

She lifted her head when she heard the cry of her raven from above her, her aqua eyes landing on his dark form shortly before he came to land on her back. Her sister had always been the one to court and tame the birds, but after her passing a few of them had lingered and followed them as they traveled. She knew they were mostly interested in Nirvana, but Temno had proven himself to be a useful companion so she had selected him as her own. "Madam, there's a group of coyotes eating at your polar bear corpse." Manea chuckled softly and grinned, replying, "Well, we can't let them get away with that, can we?" There wasn't much more that she wanted to collect from the carcass, but it was the principle of the thing. She also never wanted to pass up a chance to strengthen her daughter's skills.

Turning her gaze to Nirvana, she added, "Shall we go chase them off?"

"Manea" | "Temno"