Isa has been healing nicely. Her willingness to do as the healers’ order and not push herself too much has helped to speed up her recovery. Andromeda makes her way to the healing den where the blue woman is staying, ready to finally take on her tour of the col. The winter day is chilly and the lavender girl has a woolen cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulders and an extra one for Isa packed in the familiar leather satchel.

Since the woman is well on her well to full recovery, and with the blessing of the healer, it has been deemed a good time to get Isa out and moving and that is exactly what Andy is going to do. The pup’s pawsteps are light as she stops at to the threshold, tail wagging happily as she pokes her head inside. Soft voice calls out, “Isa? Ready for a little tour?” Happiness pours off the girl as she waits for the older woman to answer her.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Time passed and Isa healed quickly. Her left foreleg was still lightly splinted and would be wrapped for weeks still just to be safe. She'd been given permission to get back in motion though and the cerulean fae was incredibly happy about that. She didn't like sitting still. It was in her nature to work hard and to contribute as she could. Isa was ready to do what she could for this pack that had cared for her while she was incapacitated.

Approaching pawsteps brought the fae's blue glass eyes to the doorway. Andromeda entered a moment later and Isa instantly smiled at the girl. "Hello, sweet one," she greeted the child, beckoning her to come close with one paw. She had a surprise for the pup.

As Andy came up beside Isa, the blue woman reached beneath the top fur on her bed and removed the gift. "A thank you for being such a sweet, thoughtful girl." Isa handed the lavender pup a large, thick cushion. "I made it with one of the furs that you brought me. A lady can never have too many pillows to rest upon."

A tour was on the agenda for today and Isa was eager to learn this land that she would be stuck in for a time. The woman still didn't acknowledge the title of 'slave' that followed her. She wasn't one, no matter what Sirius called her. "We can leave the cushion here for now and you can pick it up on the way back. What do you say?"

"Isa"

Andromeda has been waiting for the day when she could show Isa around the col and the girl has spent a long time plotting out the perfect route to show her everything. As she enters the den where Isa is staying, the girl is greeted with a smile and the pup’s tail wags happily behind her while her own smile grows in magnitude. A soft giggle escapes as the blue wolf uses the nickname that she has gifted the girl and her happiness swells exponentially. When Isa ushers her forward, the lavender girl moves to do as bid and is quick to join the woman at her side.

The smile that Andy wears is bright and, when the blue woman says that she has a gift for her, the pup can’t help the curious tilt that her head does. Isa then produces a large, thick cushion and wonder suddenly pulls at every line of her face. Swiftly, the lavender girl sits and takes ahold of the cushion so she can carefully run her purple paws lightly over the plush fur turned cushion. Isa speaks, pulling another smile from the pup but Andy cannot take her eyes off the gift as she realizes, this the first time someone she is not related to, has given her something.

Pulling the gift to her chest, the girl shifts her pale blue gaze to met Isa’s aqua eyes and a thankful, fond smile is beamed at the woman. Hugging her pillow, Andy softly says, “Thank you so much Isa. This… means the world to me.” Her words are heartfelt and thankful, the simple gift helps to further cement Isa into her young life. A nod is given to the suggestion of leaving her new cushion behind but the pup hesitates a moment longer, giving the gift a small squeeze before relinquishing it back to the woman.

Once it is safely stowed away, Andy ushers the blue woman out into the bright winter sunlight. Pausing a moment to blink against the sudden harshness, the girl then casts her gaze about to get her bearings. Lifting a paw, she points out the tall obelisk next to the roaring bonfire near the center of the communal area and says, “That is where we will start. The Obelisk has the pack rules etched into the surface and all new wolves are taken there so they can read and understand them. Let’s go! You set the pace.”

With that, the girl settles into a comfortable walking speed for the still healing woman. As they approach, a thought suddenly occurs to the girl and she gently asks, “Can you read, Isa?” Pale gaze darts to the woman hoping she hasn’t offended her by asking. Andromeda isn’t trying to judge her, merely attempting to find out if she should read the laws out loud or allow Isa time to quietly read them. Either way, the girl is content.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Seeing the sheer emotion on the girl's face at being given a gift brought a pang of pain and love to Isa's heart. To think that something as trivial as a cushion could bring such awe and joy to the child was just... sad. As Andromeda squeezed the cushion and thanked the blue fae, Isa found that her throat had clenched with emotion and so she simply nodded and smiled. It wouldn't do to possibly cry in front of the girl.

Once the cushion was tucked away and they were ready to go, Isa followed Andy out into the bright, snowy daylight. She blinked against the sudden onslaught of light as well, but her blue glass eyes soon adjusted. Isa followed the girl towards a giant stone pillar settled beside a massive firepit. Dark ears perked as the girl explained that the obelisk held the pack rules and, as they stopped before the piece of stone, Isa could see the markings etched into it.

Hesitantly, Andromeda asked if Isa could read. The woman blinked and turned to the child, a soft chuckle on her lips. "Yes, sweet one. I can read." one pale paw motioned to the words on the obelisk. "The marks from my culture are a bit different so it takes me a little longer to read yours, but I understand them." The woman's head gave a little tilt as she returned the query. "Have you learned to read yet, Andy?" It was the first time that she'd spoken the girl's nickname that she'd been asked to call her.

"Isa"

As they approach the obelisk, the lavender pup gently asks of her friend can read the words. Andy looks at Isa, curiosity pulling at the lines of her face and coloring her gaze. The blue woman offers a soft chuckle and the purple girl’s expression turns sheepish as she ducks her head. Pale gaze turns back to the etchings into the obelisk’s face as her friend explains that the words in front of them are different from the ones she knows and the pup’s head tilts. For a moment, she tries to imagine what the blue woman’s language might look like.

Then, the question is turned back to her and the pup’s snaps back around as she catches Isa’s aqua gaze. A small shrug is given and the girl softly says, “Kind of? I mean, I know the words that are on the obelisk because I have had them recited to me since I can remember.” Turning her gaze back to the stone that has their pack laws etched into it, Andy scans the face before pointing to word permission in the second line from the top. “Like, I know that word is permission and I know what the word means but I don’t know why the letters are arranged the way they are. If I saw the word somewhere else, I could identify it but beyond these words…”

Her paw drops as her shoulders once again shrug, her ears slicking back a moment as she admits that she does not know how to read. Quickly, she tries to shift the focus away from her shortcoming by adding, “But, I haven’t really had time to learn how to read yet. We have had a lot going on and it feels like dad wanted us to focus on fighting first.” Being the daughter of the Warlord, it seemed important for Andy to learn how to fight and she had put her own interests in learning other things to the side for the moment.

A thought has the girl offering a shy grin as she admits, “I do want to learn how to read so that I can learn how write too. I am going to be making star chats and need to be label stuff. See, I have my very own telescope.” A hint of pride creeps into her voice at the mention of the gift her late mother had left for her. But Isa will see it soon enough, once the little tour gets going.


"Andromeda Fatalis"