Home Sweet Home

The girl spiraled into a panic, unable to fathom the idea of avoiding the Sultan. Any other pack member would rejoice this, as it was a testament to her through conditioning. But to Azoula, it was a nuisance- bevies Dalaeni would purposely put herself in harms way, because she’d been trained to do so. “Shhh, calm yourself.” She purred, stopping suddenly and turning her body into Laney, to press their sides together. “Avoiding him is not defying him.”  She said, correcting Laney, and trying to soothe her with the comfort of her closeness. “When he comes to the Sidi dens, you keep your head low. Don’t draw attention to yourself- let him pick someone else.” Don’t stand out, and don’t offer yourself to him. It would be a hard concept for Laney to swallow, but it would help keep her safe.

And once she’d calmed Laney down, Azoula would motion for her to continue their journey. Pulling herself away, and prowling along the rocky shoreline until they reach the end. Out in the distance, Azoula saw the formation of a massive, dome-shaped island- a volcano that had sunken into itself, creating a treacherous mountain range that reached up into the heavens. Towards the crown of the dome, there was a forest. But beyond that, she couldn’t see much without visiting it themselves. “We will go there next, Daelaeni.” She says, turning to look back at the girl. “But not today- the tides are too strong at this time of the day.” She’d seen it at the beach, right? How the waves crashed aggressively against the shore, indicating the high tide and treacherous undercurrents.

After gazing upon the island, Azoula felt content with her journey through The Polar Sound. She’d seen all the major landmarks, found all the clearings in the forest, navigated the beach and found the closest access point to the island. And so, she’d find a comfortable spot on the beach, reclining down onto her belly and motioning for Laney to do the same. Azoula would talk with Laney for the rest of the afternoon, simply enjoying the company of her… friend.  

"Speech"