Broaden your horizons

The compliments and the bolstering of faith that Manea gave to Ikigai brought a small smile to the girl's face. It wasn't like her mutations put her apart in the pack. Her parents and siblings and various other family members had them as well. Perhaps Iki's just made her feel a little less ladylike. She did really like her wiggly toed paws though. They were very useful and delicate looking. Especially in comparison to Manea's large paws. So, if a woman like Manea could be confident and proud of her differences, then Ikigai could as well.

The black and white child listened as Manea spoke of her family and she imagined what it must be like to come from somewhere outside of Ashen. Ikigai really had no experience of the outside world. She was too precious to be let out on her own, she'd been told. Leaving pack lands with a family member affected whatever meetings she might have with outsiders. Once they knew that she was a princess, strangers tended to get more tight lipped. This wasn't the case with Manea and Ikigai was eternally grateful to the dogs accompanying her.

A sound in the distance brought the girl's silver eyes shifting towards it and Manea's explanation a moment later made sense. Up above, a crow flew off to do the woman's bidding. "I do hope he's not hurt," she offered, remembering what the purple woman had said about traveling to find the best mate. He must be suitable for her if she'd decided upon him, and so it would be a pity if he damaged himself. The woman spoke of starting a family and possibly bringing her children to meet Iki, which brought another smile to the horned girls face. "I would like that," she agreed. It would be nice to see what kind of children Manea and her mate would produce. It would be nice to just meet someone outside of Ashen again.

As Iki mused over the chance meeting with this woman and over her own future, she began to voice her musings a bit. "I envy your choice in a mate," she began, her gaze drifting back out to the forest beyond where Manea's mate might very well be. "For me, it will be a political union. Bolstering Ashen's strength. It won't matter if I like him or not and I'm okay with that." She said it aloud as if to make herself believe it. "My family is important to me and if that is the way that I can repay and support them, then that's what I'll do." Ikigai was very confident in that portion of her beliefs. Family was everything. If she could help her pack by marrying off and making them proud, then she would marry whomever her parents chose for her.

Okiku Ikigai Ōritsu Abraxas