"Speech"

This morning Eltrys was carefully picking his way through the area of the enchanting Lazuli Falls, getting to know the land, its habits, its needs, the ditches, and the hedges of each corner. He wanted to know his new home as if he had taken his first breath here.

As he was observing he found a curious scene. The leader of the pack was on her own, busily scraping the ground. He watched for a few moments and noted a heaviness in the air around her. What was this ritual she was practicing? He had to know. He had known that Ethne had gone through a terrible last few months, and had lost two raids before he had joined their ranks, was this something related?

"Pardon the interruption, Haydée Kedieo," He interjected in his typical low baritone. He was still assuming the full name was the proper moniker, "What ritual is this... if you mind me asking?"

While Ethne has joyfully welcomed new wolves into their fold, there is still a somber task that they have to perform. It is a bright spring morning when Haydée walks out to where her father’s grave is, in a beautiful section of the land, surrounded by flowers and shaded by old trees, and begins to stake out an area next to Gavoroche for where they will lay Baecette to rest. This is a heavy task and one that the small Leader has taken upon herself because she owes it to her sister and to sweet nephew that will never see another sunrise, to make sure certain that his final resting place is comfortable and ready.

With a grief-ridden heart, the small woman begins to paw at the earth, scraping her claws across the soft soil as she then cups them to pull the earth toward and she slowly begins to dig. Haydée’s features are tinged with melancholy and the weight of this final task that only she can offer her nephew, is apparent by the way her small shoulders sag inward. Slowly, the dirt begins to pile up and she moves it off to the side where it will be out of the way as the minutes slowly turn into hours. Mind turns inward, reflecting on this terrible loss and what it means for the entire pack while she loses herself in the calmness that comes from the simple repetitive chore.

The russet woman is so lost in her task and her own internal monologue that she completely misses the approach of Eltrys and, as his low baritones fill the air, she violently starts. Emerald eyes snap up to catch the man’s artic blue gaze as she blinks herself out of the half-stupor she had been in and offers the earthen-hued male a small, sheepish smile. Pausing in her task, the small woman sits back, resting on her haunches for a moment as she gently says, “Please. Call me Hay.” A warm, though sorrowful smile, fleetingly pulls at her lips before she blows out a small sigh.

Lifting a paw to point to the small gravestone next to the marked off area, her green gaze roves over to the other grave beside where she digging and says, “This… is Ethne’s graveyard. That is… where my father lays.” Voice is halting as she admits the heavy truth that this beautiful yet memory-laden area holds. Gaze tracks back over to the man, sorrow swirls in her green eyes as she explains, “When we came back from our last raid, we found out that one of my nephews had unexpectedly passed away. He had been sick for some time and…”

Words trail off as a shoulder lifts in a half-hearted shrug and she suddenly wonders if Baecette was only able to pass because his parents hadn’t been here. Maybe the boy had simply been clinging to life for as long as he had, for their sake. Looking down to take in her dirty paws and the stake off area, she quietly says, “I am digging his gave so that the scavengers will not reach him… and so that his body may be put to rest.” Because, even though it is small, it is the last gift Haydée can give to Baecette.



"Haydée Kedieo"

"Speech"

The larger brown male hadn't realized how engrossed in her task she was and hoped he hadn't overstepped his bounds when he startled her. Eltrys dipped his ears and bowed his head in deference to Haydee while he stepped back to give her a touch more space. His own heart thrummed in his chest for a moment from startling her. The great elder trees around them must have shaded him during his approach.

She responded by requesting he say her nickname. He mirrored her motions and sat on the floral grass,
"Thank you, Hay." He nodded, testing her name out loud slowly, blinking cordially. he noted to himself the quick hint of her sorrowful smile, and what she said next helped him understand.

She goes on to introduce him to Ethne's beautiful graveyard and the place where her own father rests. He let out a sounding hmm heavy with sympathy. She too had lost a beloved parent. He could feel her halting words and blinked to keep himself from choking on his own delayed grief intermingled with hers.

A gentle breeze picked up and played through the tips of the grasses and flowers as she mentioned the reason she was digging a new grave, her nephew.

Eltrys slowly took a breath in and let it out, he gave the playful wind some of the overcoming feelings that were both his and what he was feeling from Haydee.
So they bury their dead, they too prefer to keep the scavengers from feasting upon their beloveds.

"It is noble. I am familiar with a different ritual, where we carry our beloved departed deeper into our temple crypts." He wondered, briefly, if his mother was laid next to his sister and father, or would her betrayal cause her to be left for the sharks... Could he place a memorial here for her or is this place only for Haydee's family?

"May I assist your endeavor?" He asked simply, after swallowing back a comment about his mother. He would be eager to lighten the burden of such a heavy task. He wouldn't be surprised if she denied him.

Getting to know a pack member? 1/3

As Haydée explains about Ethne’s little graveyard, the young woman has a sudden, profound wish that they will never have to dig another grave here. Yet, even as the thought flutters though her mind, like an escaped butterfly, the small woman knows that it is a fool’s hope and, with everything that has happened between her and the Raiders Hollow, she fears that another grave might happen all too soon. Emerald eyes move to Eltrys as she finishes, a gentle, sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watches the hooded emotions flit across the man’s face and he pulls in a measured breath.

Sorrow swirls in her green gaze as she silently understands, seeing in Eltrys, her own pain over lost family members, mirrored. His words about it being a noble endeavor has her offering a half-shrug and small, weak smile, the words appreciated but not truly accepted. To Haydée, it is a task that must be done and something that she wishes to do herself because she had failed her nephew in his final earthly moments. And, to make matters worse, she had taken his parents away from his side to go settle a score against the Raiders while Baecette had slipped away, his last moments spent alone from what she understands.

Shame tugs at her features as she quickly diverts her eyes down to her dirty paws, taking a moment to regain her composer when Eltrys’s kind question surprises her. Wide green eyes shoot up to catch his cool blue gaze and Haydée looks at him with quiet appreciation. A warm, genuine, small smile gently pulls her lips up as she offers a small shake of her head in the negative as she softly says, “Thank you, Eltrys but this is something that I need to do myself. I… wasn’t here when he passed and it is kind of my way of saying goodbye.”

Taking a breath, Haydée gently adds, “But I won’t turn down some company while I work. Besides, I know so little about you and where you come from. Will you stay and talk with me?” It is a small invitation but one that the young woman means with all of her heart because, sometimes, having a friend to talk to in the dark moments of life is exactly what we need.



"Haydée Kedieo"

"Speech"

Eltrys nodded his head, he knew she would turn down his assistance but he wanted to offer it none the less. Just like her mother she carries the world on her shoulders. He saw as she looked away a flicker of shame, she must believe that she was somehow part of the reason her young nephew passed.

It was his turn to be surprised suddenly! She asked for him to stay and keep her company while she worked. Mentioning that she didn't know much about him.

"Hm!" He tucked his chin down, suddenly struck with a dumbness he hadn't encountered before.
"I can... certainly do my best."  Bramble had asked where he was from, and he had given her a vague answer, he wanted to give Haydee a bit more. He didn't know how to answer these questions well though. Growing up he was always known to everyone.
"I'm so used to listening to others and providing counsel, I seem to be lost to my own story." He admitted as he settled close by to watch her work.

"I'm from the mainland, away from Boreas and Auster. We had cliffs that overlooked the sea. I didn't see much of my homeland honestly. I grew up with a lot of expectations and rules and was mainly hidden from the rest of the world in the temple caves." He laid his head down and continued to watch her, she worked diligently as he continued to talk about things he'd never shared before.
"I spent most of my time studying, praying, performing some ceremonies and providing an ear to listen to believers. I was being trained to take over as the head priest from my Uncle when I came of age." He didn't want to reveal to her the true nature of his position as he had revealed it to her mother Bellamy. It seemed pompous and over zealous, he didn't really believe it himself anymore anyway so there was no reason to bring it up.
He knew the question would come about how he ended up here instead of high priest there. "I left when my uncle sent an assassin after me. My mother told me that he had a son he wanted to take my place. She helped me escape just in time." He gave a heavy sigh and turned his gaze to Haydees father's grave, as if telling him would be a bit more comforting, perhaps because he had spent many evenings speaking to the grave of his own father.
"She took the assassin's assault, and sacrificed her life for mine. He told me I would be to blame as my brother was the Lord of the land. We were meant to lead together in some ways." He missed his brothers easy laugh, and boyish ways. Always knew how to help Eltrys "loosen up" and "live a little."

"Could I perhaps place a memorial somewhere here for my family? Or is this meant only for the leadership of Ethne?" He asked after lifting his head and finding a good moment. His family had a separate mausoleum from the rest of the congregation, so his query came without any judgement.

The surprise that flickers across his features when Haydée ask for his company has the young woman biting her lip to keep in a giggle while her lips curve into a smile. Paws return to work as she allows the man time to gather his thoughts, her smile growing as her emerald gaze moves down to where she continues to scoop out an area that will soon become her nephew’s final resting place. Eltrys’ voice is like drinking warm tea on a cold day and it fills her with warmth from the inside out as he settles closer to her and she hums a soft sound of amusement at his first words.

As she continues to work, the man slowly unfolds his story, laying close by while painting a picture in Haydée’s mind that helps to wash away the sorrow-filled images of her nephew’s lifeless body. Small paws work the dirt and her slow progress begins to yield a hole as he speaks of studying and praying and the young woman hums in amazement. Features lift in awe, reacting to his story even while she continues to work, listening intently as he speaks of his uncle trying to have him assassinated.

Lines pull taught on her face as her eyes darken and she digs more aggressively as Eltrys speaks of the betrayal, his mother’s sacrifice, and the lies that the horrible uncle had fed him. Then, he asks if he can place a memorial for his family in the growing graveyard and Haydée falters for a moment, paws slipping against the slick soil as her face softens and she moves her gentle green gaze to him. Asking such a question means that he wishes to stick around and, with everything that has happened lately, the small Leader had thought wolves would wish to leave, not stay.

A sad, yet knowing smile spreads across her lips as Haydée softly says, “Of course, Eltrys. If you wish to have a ceremony, with or without the pack, you are welcome to do so. This place is meant for all who wish to be laid rest in Ethne land. I just… hope that I never have to dig another grave again.” Tone turns solemn and wistful as she finishes and the russet woman offers him a fleeting smile before turning her attention back to the task at paw.

With a warmth in her voice that had been absent since finding out about her nephew, the small woman says, “Thank you, Eltrys. For your time, your story, and your willingness to help. Now, is there anything that I, or the pack, can do to help you feel more comfortable here in Ethne? Maybe some things you might wish to keep for ceremonies or books to read?” Talking helps take her mind off the sad task she is performing and making sure that the newest members of Ethne are settling into pack life should be one of her top priorities; unfortunately the Leader has had a few things on her mind lately.


"Haydée Kedieo"

She was an attentive listener, hmming at all the right spots. Her diligence in her task was remarkable, and her resolve to do what she thought was right, admirable. He found himself wanting to protect her, to stand over her against whoever sought to harm her. Yes, she was capable, strong enough to hold her own... but what if she felt she didn't have to? Could he be so bold as to wonder such things? So far as he's noticed she doesn't have a partner besides her mother, and she's quite young...

He wonders if he should have waited to tell the story of his mother's sacrifice for another time, but it was out already. He noted how she was more aggressive at pulling at the soil during that part of his retelling. She felt the world as deeply as he did.

When he asks his question he saw her falter in her work. Was she startled that he would ask it? Was it audacious? Taboo? No, she was simply surprised! He gently twitches his tail in a subdued joy at the allowance of placing his own memorial for his family here. He would carve an effigy of his mother then. Perhaps he could one day learn to carve stone.

"You are generous, thankyou."

He perks his ears at her comment of never having to dig another grave again.
"Then I will gladly carry the burden when another grave is needed. Death is as much a part of our lives as birth. For some the joy of birth is too much to bear and so it can be for death. It is good to have this place so that we may visit our beloved departed." His sincerity was warm, it was no shame if she could not bear to bury another of her loved ones, she had so much happened to her already before she even had a chance to grow up.

She then turned to thank him then offered what would help make him comfortable. At first, he wouldn't hear of it, beginning to shake his head but it occurred to him that her helpful offers were serving more than just her leadership duties.

"You are so kind, Haydee." She reminded him of a chickadee in some ways, her name, the black cap of her fur, and her petite stature. So sweet.
"Your mother had told me about a few of the gods she follows, and I wondered where I might find literature of them so that I may be more familiar with them? Perhaps the deities I was taught are similar?" He asked, lifting his head and crossing his paws regally.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION