Hold the Last Burning Ember

@Hieronymous

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Morning came early and though she knew she'd be best resting, Ira had always struggled with idle paws. The roan woman slipped from the warmth and comfort of her den, her paws wandering idly towards the Stone Watch as she took note of the still lingering clouds. Today the air felt warmer than the bitter bite of yesterday, the once too still air now filled with the charge of electricity. Though it was silent, she was almost certain she could hear the distant rumbles yet the clouds had grown no closer.

Had they angered the gods? Or were they perhaps angered on their behalf?

The plight of mortals mattered little to those greater, this she knew, yet an odd sense of foreboding air made her question their will anyhow. Idly she wondered what her husband might think, though perhaps it was now her who held her head in the clouds. No matter his opinion, she would surely hear it once he noticed she had slipped away. A concerned husband knew no rest...

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Over the past few days the weather had grown unstable. It was concerning to say the least. Ira had wandered off twice now for good reason with a heavy load to carry and now the skies looked as though they were ready to come crashing down on them any moment now. These lands were still strange to him and so he didn't trust the way they looked. Trust what they might bring in their wake as it could be anything if wolves falling from the skies weren't something out of the norm here.

Restless he was. With more wolves to feed he grew anxious over the well-being of their own group. Of their young - although at least they were able to socialize outside of the pack now even if it might be a little rushed and forced. When Ira rose from the den he did in fact notice but chose to give her space before following her trail. She was a woman who needed time to think most days, and smothering the High Queen had never worked in the past even when he tried to court her.

Patiently he waited for the right time and soon enough followed to find her with their roles somewhat reversed. “I don't need to read minds to know something ails you.”

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She would not move from her spot even as she heard familiar steps approach. An ear flicked to her husband's voice as she remained otherwise engrossed with the faded storm. “I have many reasons to be ailed.” Her reply came easy though the weight behind it sunk in her chest. She did not regret her decisions, only that she could not now promise the safety of her children. Fought or not, this result was the same so long as Kuhn lived.

For over a year they had lived here and while some still clung to questions she had chosen to place her trust with those grander. The afterlife, limbo, a new life; whatever it was, whatever rumors floated, it all felt the same. The only difference had been the peace that now lay shattered at her paws. Though she knew it was not truly the first sign of conflict in a god-given new life, it was the first to crack Vanderfell's walls. Coincidentally the walls of her world, or those that she could see, now lay buried in a storm that never came.

Poetic or sardonic, who's to say...

How long until those walls too cracked wide, pried open by the plight of mortals? Maybe this all was a test after all. “I understand you were not raised under them, but praytell. Have you any wonder for the tales of old I've shared? Have you any faith?” For only a moment she wondered if she would regret that question. She could make none believe, nor would she waste her breath trying, but what came to those who denied? What of the life after? Mentally she would swat the brewing thoughts away. They could accept their fate or defy it, but in the end, they could not deny it. “I only wonder what more the Gods may have in store.” A question that would remain forever unanswered.

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Yes she did. He would not argue with his wife on that topic that there was a lot to be concerned about and that perhaps she was feeling it now weigh upon her more than before her journey to the West. New lands, new faces, new laws, the world here was strange and so were the creatures they faced and beliefs that all conglomerated in one chaotic region - they also lost so many through the past year, one of which she was closer to than he. They also had children to care for now.

Ears twisted to the side as they caught her question. A moment of awkward silence rose between them as he thought of how to answer such a tender question. He knew Ira to be religious, at least more so than he had ever been. It was not something that made him see her any more or any less of a partner he wished to be with, however, he still had concerns that his own lack of faith would have her questioning his ability to provide and be a worthy husband in her eyes.

“I have heard of many religions in my travels before we met...” He began. Recalling all the different tales, beliefs and faces that accompanied them. “It's hard for me to say I believe in one more than the other. I would like to believe —” Pausing... something replayed in his thoughts. “But I have seen much. I prefer to believe our fate is in our own paws, a path carved by luck, ambition and strength.” Shifting his gaze over to Ira, uncertain of what he would see within her reaction.

“Life is cruel and I refuse to believe any God is cruel enough to ignore the tragedies of some and bless others.” To him, it was all luck - because how could a God be so cruel and show favouritism in their creation?

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He would only offer a roundabout way to say no. Ira expected as much and it did not bother her to hear that answer, she only wished he could see differently. When you are raised through one lens of the world however, the rest becomes clouded. The roan woman merely hummed to his words as she bowed her head to look down on the lands below. “I have only heard of so many, but I have found similarities in other cultures. I do not believe this is without reason.”

She did not believe she was wrong, but if she was, there were bound to be pieces of truth laced together. “You are not incorrect. Fate lies in our own paws. The Gods could care little for mortals and what they do, but that does not mean we go untested.” There were always trials for whatever reason the Gods felt to throw them their way. “Hard work is required if you want a pleasant afterlife...perhaps it is their way of ensuring it stays pleasant.” Those who could endure and overcome became legends while those who rained misfortunes on others or took with greed became a menace.  For all their many talents, not one God was perfect, nor were their subjects...

Endure and overcome...that was truly what life came down to, was it not? Perhaps that was why she wished to place emphasis on living over survival. To find the joys that lingered and slipped away in this life so that one might have more reason to work for a future driven by pleasures. The High Queen only shook her head, though it was to herself not her husband's words. “I think it is time those of Vanderfell claim their fate. Life is no longer so peaceful and there are none ready to fill the ranks. Not of the Hedrad nor the Skald.” They had already lost Orlaith, and soon Quicksilver too.

It was obvious she was the one with the most experience in regard to war and Hiero had done well enough checking on the needs of their packmates. Never had they a reason to need council beyond their own, but how long until that changed too? What if was too late to fill the ranks by the time they required aid? “We should begin training the pack. Everyone should be capable of defending their home at the very least. If any rise above the rest I'd like to keep an eye on them. That goes beyond paladin traits. Those who care of their packmates and tend to their needs should be watched as well.”

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“I can see the beauty in that.” He smiles. Hard work is rewarded with a pleasant afterlife. Though he couldn't come around to believing in such a power existed, he liked to see the joy and comfort it brought to those around him. How their fate pushed them onward beyond those who had long given up hope. That was what fate brought them after all, hope. The hope to be saved, and perhaps not here in this realm, but for their immortal souls to be saved from damnation or the everlasting darkness of nothingness. “If there is a life beyond this, I can only hope to see you there.” That was all that mattered. “You, and our kids. That is all I need in the world after this one should there be one.” With that, he didn't need anything else.

No beautiful pastures of pastel flowers. No beautiful winged beasts to welcome him to some pearly gilded gates of some heaven. No songs or lavish spreads of food to enjoy for all of eternity. After all, what was precious to him was already here.

As her gaze shifted away, he turned to her. Observing her as she sought the mountains below. The curve of her face, the power and grace she held. “None yet, but soon they will be filled. I have faith in that.” He teased lightly with his choice of words.

“I agree. Everyone should find their niche soon, to sharpen their skills and lift Vanderfell in their own way. Now may be the time to start... although I was hoping to take a moment and travel myself. See if I can bring new knowledge, and maybe if I'm lucky, new blood.”

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Though his words held optimism to ease her mind it was clear where his beliefs lay. How unfortunate it felt to not share such a vision, though she supposed pitching such a life meant little when one already weaved tales of fable and fortune himself. There was little left to say, only that “I too pray to be united in the life beyond.” Rarely did she find possessions to hold in this life with the knowledge that one day they would be left behind. Some may be buried with her, but never all. It was best to live unchained should you hold regret when passing...but how could one let go of those they loved so freely? A promise...that even in death they would not be torn apart.

She could not see his reaction, but she could tell from the tone of his voice how he felt about her next suggestion. Closing her eyes, she'd give a mild shake of her head. “We do not have time to fill. Work begins now, but until then I think it best that we act on the roles of the Skald until such seats can be filled.” It went without say that she would likely take the responsibilities of the Thane. Hiero was better with compassion and the individual needs anyhow.

Casting a glance from the corner of her eye she would not challenge his desires. “You may act on a Jarl's duties upon your return. Stray from the north. Even if our enemies do not know your face, with your condition it would be unwise to wander blindly where we can not see.” She could request that he stay and he likely would, but she had kept her husband chained to the mountain for some time now while she dealt with politics. They would be fine now with Shiroshika's capable paws to help in his absence.

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Certainly she was disappointed that her husband didn't share the same beliefs as she did - but he could meet her half way. Though he didn't see her vision, he could roll with it. He would not argue with them or question her beliefs, but instead just hope it would only bring them positivity in the end at the very least. That was all that mattered after all. He didn't want to change her anyway. Beliefs and all, she was the woman he fell for the day he saw her - and the jester king would have it no other way.

Ira had always been the type to go without taking the time to smell the roses. Or so the saying went. “Funny, I thought we were already doing that.” For anyone watching it would certainly be obvious the roles both husband and wife took in this relationship. Who was more free spirited, light - and who was he tether, grounded and level headed. In his own light way he not only agreed to her thoughts on filling the empty roles themselves, but also suggested they were already doing that; and that there was no need to fret over it.

“Ira, I have travelled far before - trust in my abilities to stray from danger —” Catching himself in a bit of an accidental lie, he gave a cheeky grin before continuing without leaving too much dead air between words. “Well, at least knowing how to get out of it relatively unscathed.” Moving to press his head against hers, still with that light smile across his face. Perhaps it was the excitement to stretch his legs for a bit that caught wind beneath his metaphorical wings that made him so giddy. “I'll be back before you know it.”

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Of course there was a level that the king and queen had already filled in place of the missing counsel Vanderfell had been built to support, but it was a task they had taken freely without a pressing need to fill. “We have, but they are not roles we should carry alone.” Ira did not view herself as old, but she knew better than to believe she would be young and well forever. “Funny. I recall before we met you wandered into the heavily claimed lands of our friends to the south. Another time you traveled to the heart of the beast's woods long before we knew of his doings.” An action he would easily repeat again with his dysfunctional nose. “I have faith in your ability, but I am not blind to it either. Be safe and return to me swiftly.”

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