Won't you Shake a Poor Sinner's Hand?

The journey to their eastern ally, albeit a short one, did take them a considerable amount of time- not by any fault of her brother’s of course. It was a constant fixture in the back of her mind that their slow pace was entirely her own fault. Had Malico been traveling by himself, he could have covered the ground by the afternoon they had departed. But then again, this was her path to take, and her brother was just helping her along it. Over the distance covered, Mariah had to make a conscious effort to not continuously apologize to him. She wanted to. But again, he knew what he was signing on for when he agreed to accompany her. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

When the thicket began to clear, and the land opened up into forest and the sound of rushing water, she recognized the boundary laid before her- marking Valta’s territory. Hesitating at the threshold, she shot a glance at her sibling- offering a subtle half-grin as she sought his reassurance. Lowering herself to settle on her haunches, she tilted her head back to call the alpha- or at least, the authorit