⚘ devotion

timeless.

things seemed to fall at a standstill, bracing for the inevitable. or the fallen, saira would wonder all the same. in the absence of movement, all was still, catering to the carnage of a worn battle. though it was not blood that trickled across their fields but rivers of gold, voices of those forgotten—of those lost—reaching out with plated hands. 

lost. hopeful. masked and silenced. saira and her sister were wayward women. tangled hearts and souls. but time and spirit had not favored them in this instance—in this life.

the flightless bird woke alone. sand replaced the silk of her spirit, pulling her undertow. a bird, wings aloft, sang to her a lowly melody as she wrangled with the limbs of a newborn fawn. exhaustion pressed against youthful muscles, sinking between the threads and feasting off her weakness.

she was alone. and she was scared.

---

a soft entrance for akashingo, welcome to any members or others in the area!

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Each day was a repeat of the last. The mazoi patrolled, ate, and slept. On a few occasions, he sought out a fellow mazoi to spar or chat, specifically Mesen-ka, his assigned "tutor".

Today was no different. He had set out early, spanning his path along the far border of the oasis.

It wasn't quite unusual to see someone new traveling their land. He'd seen a few himself already, and heard of others. But like the soldier he was, he was wary all the same.

“Halt!” He commands, voice firm and unwavering. “Speak your name and your purpose on these lands, stranger.”

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grappling with the reality that she was alone was easy. she'd woken beside none, what remained of her temporary home was in shambles, and nothing but she remained. it was the sand, the sun, the sensation of something real and beating beneath the earth that saira remained sensitized to. standing perhaps took her too long, but when she'd managed—brows pulled inward—the token she'd received was less than ideal.

another approached, strapped to the breast with a confidence that exuded territorial instincts. then and there, she knew her beliefs to stray from his own. the land was not so easily claimed by mortals walking amidst its surface. the beating heart within its hearth could, and very well would, attest to that.

his command was met with silence, the restrictions of her voice commending her with nothing to save her case. did she truly look so harmful? even she was smart enough to know he was more than capable of disarming her, should he wish it.

so she watched as a bird would something interesting and shiny, her head tilting to the side as she regarded him. the gentle waves chimed in symphony at her back.

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No words came from the petite wolf. He was met only with silence, a stare, and a head tilt. Odd, but who was he to judge?

“You walk the lands claimed by Akashingo, ruled by our pharoah and her husband, the semer-wati. Can you speak?” He assumed maybe she could not, in which case would make this interaction far more difficult. But I guess he'd figure out a way to make it work.

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words struggled to find their footing and saira could feel her pride draining from her like molten honey. pharoah. semer-wati. foreign terms, but they seemed familiar, still. details of a past story told to her and her sister, maybe.

a hazel stare leveled on the stranger, her tongue rolling around a dry mouth. "little." the word was rough as it fell from her, scraping across her throat like the grains of sand she stood upon.

her paw outstretched in a soft gesture of reciprocation, expectancy raising her brows.

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She spoke a singular word. In equal parts, it relieved him and concerned him.

“Don't speak if it strains you. I'll provide yes or no questions when I can, if that helps. Er— but first, I'm Tahrosek. And you?”

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kindness. she hadn't expected it when he'd first approached, but the presence of it softened her features. he asked of her name, and as a token, she could reward him with this.

a pause. a beat. a restlessness that settled like a wool blanket over her heart. her name had always been given freely, but in time with her sister's. kamaria and saira. forever intertwined. this was the first moment it was uttered alone.

she didn't dare to repeat his own name. "saira." she murmured, the word a broken croak. she slowly sat, curiosity pacing away behind her gaze as she awaited his next question.

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Saira.

It was a pretty, he could admit. But he didn't voice his thoughts, intending to keep this strictly business. He merely nodded to acknowledge her answer.

“Are you a lone traveler, or do you have a place to call your own?” He scolded himself immediately upon asking, realizing quickly he'd asked two things at once. But it was already out. Hopefully she could accommodate to both.

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he'd asked her two questions. the second was easy—she had no home. but the first, the first drove a stake through her heart. she hesitated to reply. hesitated to do anything, really.

but a nod, however small, shifted her head to the first, and then a shake to the next. she made a gruff sound in reply, a chuff pushing past cream lips. the intention was there, she'd asked her own question whether she had the right to or not. you?

he'd mentioned something. akashingo. a land of...what, or who, she didn't know. how many more of them were like him? how many more wandered the sand?

what exactly did he seem to seek from the interrogation?

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There was instant relief when she managed to answer both questions without him having to repeat. But then, she wanted him to reciprocate.

“I live here, among the people of Akashingo. I am a soldier, or as they call it, mazoi.” He fell silent then, carefully appraising her.

“If you need to rest, I'm sure our pharoah wouldn't mind having a fellahin tend to you and provide a meal and a place to rest. Come with me, yeah?” He turned his body slightly, as if to lead her away, but glanced back, waiting to see if she would accept the offer.

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saira studied him, his utterings wrapping like a worn salve around her broken spirit. a stranger she'd been, and he'd offered her solace still. whether or not he had the right to was a silent thought as she pressed onward just a few steps shy of his own.

so many terms seemingly stuck out to her, but the woman focused only on one detail. “many?” the desert, from what she could gather, was far more vast than the first few steps she'd taken. did they find themselves amidst it all?

her hazel gaze fell back to him, settling on the sharp space between his shoulder blades as he moved. her silence implored him to say more, to answer every unspoken question, but he was as unused to her mannerisms as she was to his. should true silence prove to control their trip, saira would simply live among the whispers as she usually did.

the yearning for her sister, for something familiar, never quelled.

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"Many?"

He wondered if she was referring to the number of his people, only figuring to assume. “There are many of us, yes. If that's what you're asking.” But maybe she wanted more information. “It is a new and growing kingdom. But of kind rulers who want the best for us all.” Or so he could only hope. He'd only been here a short while.

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saira need only nod to confirm her understanding, but even still, there were so many questions to be had. this wolf either knew much or none at all, and saira couldn't seem to make her curiosity any smaller than it'd been when she'd first crested the sand. perhaps if he knew not of the land, she could find her wonder satiated by him, himself.

“more?” her soft request was given with a gesture of her paw toward him. whether or not he understood her, or anything she'd alluded to at all, was up to him entirely.

where did he hail from? was he as kind as he seemed? hazel eyes patiently danced across the side of his face as she swept her steps into gear, slowing once she was at his side.

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"More?"

He arched a questioning brow, unsure of what "more" meant. But when she gestured in his direction, he wondered then if she wanted to know more about him.

Ah, well—shit. He wasn't good at this part. The small talk. The history. He'd give it a try, though.

“I've only been here a short while before becoming a soldier of these people. I come from a different land, while still similar in the way these people live. I was a soldier there too.” A captain, more specifically. But that was only a minor detail. “I have a friend here, Sobekhet. You might meet him, if you decide to stay.” Other than that, there wasn't much else to him. Not that he could think of just yet.

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saira released a low chuff. soldiers had always been a dangerous breed, this much she knew. they were either too loyal to tell friend from foe, or they were too haughty to care. she'd met her fair share, found herself enraptured with a few if she ever dared, but that was before. she didn't trust them so easily now.

instead of prodding anymore, saira simply listened to the few words he had to say. the friend, he'd mentioned. it'd been far too long since she'd gained a friend, not many made it within her and her sister's circle. her mouth seemed to part in preparation to spill her own story, but the girl faltered, the light in her voice dying as if she'd remembered how little she could share with it.

perhaps she could be taught, pulled to her feet again like she was as a fledgling. a careless and futile means of hope, but one that lingered all the same.

saira swallowed thickly. “safe?” safe enough to stay? but what could she possibly do for them without her song? what use would they have for a woman with no sound, no voice, to accompany her? saira's lips downturned into a frown.

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He faltered in his step, pausing as he turned to face her. For her, he held a hint of sympathy. His expression rarely admitted his true feelings. But for her, his usually hardened gaze softened. “Yes. You will be safe here. And even if you do not feel safe with the others yet, I can promise you are safe with me.”

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saira looked to him, her brows furrowing in preparation for the rest of his words. safe with him. if only it were that easy. for as much of himself, of his group, he shared, saira did not know him. she'd placed her life within his paws, and with it he'd done nothing, but to place her trust? she would find a new life if she must, traverse the spirits in an attempt to find it again, but if her trust is found to be broken...

she hesitated.

he was kind. strong. loyal. but he was also, “stranger.” it was not an insult, not some carefully calculated jab, but an observation. a fact.

she could grow to trust him, surely, find laughs where she was sure he held smiles, but that didn't exist now. she wouldn't trust in a future that wasn't present. saira would offer him nothing but the faintest of smiles before she turned her head forward, patient and wanting of the home he spoke of.

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He nodded, understanding her hesitation.

He was a stranger to her, just as she was to him. But if she stayed, in time, she wouldn't be.

“Soon, perhaps not.”

Understanding her newfound silence, he then held it too, continuing on to lead her further into the oasis.

---

We can fade out here and I can pop out a new one with leadership tagged. ^^

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another promise. despite knowing well enough it can be easily broken, she let the words mingle with the threads of her heart all the same, the edges of her lips twitching. yes, perhaps not. perhaps she was as much a fool as she claimed herself not to be.

only time would seem to tell. should she stay. should she be welcomed.

---

sounds perfect! thank you <3

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