Payments Due

[Taiylor Wallace]

Every single one of them turned and gazed at her. She couild see now that they seemed to range in age from one a bit older than her, to one that looked more ancient than any human she'd ever seen. Their eyes were all deep, dark shades of their own respective colors, unlike Lunars who sported all manner of eye colors. One stood, wearing only hide pants and a leather choker. His fur was deep, rich mahogany and banded with black tattoos, some were tribal images of animals, marking him as a great hunter. He stepped over to her, kneeling beside her to look over her wounds. She felt him peel off some sort of herbal mudpack, common amongst tribal peoples for sealing wounds from infection. And now she was aware of the feeling of stitches. He muttered something she couldn't understand, and a young female werewolf with cream-white fur approached with a pestle and mortar and a small pouch. She was dressed in white-dyed robes rather than simple hide clothing. A healer, no doubt. She drew some herbs from her pack, spoke something gently to the male, and began grinding the herbs into a paste. The male disappeared outside, only to return with a handful of clay-like earth, warming it in his hands. He came and added the earth to her mixture along with water from his canteen. Soon, it was a dark brown paste flecked with bits of green, and the female looked to Amelia with a gentle smile, carefully pulling her close as if hugging her, but she would soon realize that it was to hold her still while the male applied the paste. The fresh herbs stung at first, but then numbed the area of her back that it touched until the pain was gone altogether. They reapeated the process with her leg.
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The others sitting at the fire gazed on, some of them looking like they didn't mind Amelia's presence- or welcomed it- and the others looking not so thrilled at the presence of a non-Erygonian, much less, a human.
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When they finished caring for her, the male left them be, but the female smiled so kindly and gently to Amelia with such a maternal look about her, it was hard not to enjoy her presence. She didn't speak Amelia's language, though, but tried her hardest to convey her words in hand motions. "Kosomvo et lun Amhe Cimik valohe." She opened her arms in a welcoming gesture.

[Rose Swan]

Amelia looked a little scared as the one werewolf came and looked over her wounds. Then there was a peeling sensation, but no pain so it wasn't her skin. It was just an herbal thing that the tribal peoples used to heal wounds. Then came a healer with more of the stuff. She hugged her close as more was applied, and Amelia clenched her teeth at the sting before relaxing with the numbness.

She looked around at the others. Some looked calm, and some seemed annoyed. Amelia still looked a little scared, including when the kind healer spoke in Lunar to her. As far as she knew, the healer could just be saying "We're just going to fatten you up and eat you later." But if that was what she was saying, Rogal would be here by now. He may be worried now, but he wouldn't come if there wasn't serious trouble that she couldn't get out of. A seemingly kind healer wouldn't be too much of an issue.

As culturally awkward as she was right now, she found the best thing she could do was to repeat what they said, even if she may be wrong completely. "Kosombo et lun Amhe Cimik valohe." she said with a nervous and sheepish smile. She seriously had no idea what she doing, and Rogal or someone else was going to teach her Lunar when she got home.

[Taiylor Wallace]

The healer laughed beautifully and kissed Amelia's cheeks in the universal sign of greeting and then rose, beckoning for her to follow. As the women rose, all of the males did as well, like real gentlemen. The healer wrapped her own outer cloak around Amelia, still beckoning her on. Outside, snow was nearly two feet deep, and Amelia saw a huge hide tent erected just outside the cavern entrance, and she could see Savu's head poking out of it, being pet and hugged by a group of werewolf children. He was thoroughly enjoying it and the treats they brought him. One turned and saw Amelia and shouted to his friends, and they all turned to look at her with big, curious eyes. The healer shooed them gently back, opening the way for Amelia to see Savu. Savu picked himself him, his back foot held up and off the ground, in a cast. He came and snuffled at her, nudging and nuzzling, making sure she was okay.

[Rose Swan]

Amelia smiled as the healer laughed, glad she didn't insult them. At least the woman was giving her credit for effort. She took the cloak offered her and nodded in gratitude, pulling it close around her shoulders as the healer led her outside. As soon as she saw her dragolith had been found, Amelia breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Savu's snout tightly. "Thank you, Savu. You did excellently last night. You deserve all these treats." she said gently to him gently. She turned to the healer. "Thank you." she said to her with a bright smile, or even if the woman understood her. She hoped she did at least that.

[Taiylor Wallace]

Savu snuffled almost bashfully, and the healer took Amelia's hand, motioning her back toward the cavern, where a mountain of a werewolf, far larger than Aegis or Brammond, stood watching them. "Gava," she motioned to the huge beast. Then, she gave her best try at really communicating with Amelia, "Gava... speak human." She nudged Amelia on toward this intimidating giant. His fur was like steel in color, and it probably reflected his heart in hardness, by the looks of his expression and eyes. Those eyes were dark amber, cold as the ice around him, and he was dressed in nothing more than hide trousers and a belt across his shoulder carrying a claymore on his back. Everyone else was bundled up against the cold, but not him. And by the ice in his fur, it looked like he'd been outside a long time.
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The healer brought Amelia to him, and he looked down at them with little expression, though his eyes did soften a moment when the healer came to kiss him and then slipped back inside, leaving Amelia to speak with him. Apparently the kind woman was the hard brute's wife, as Amelia could see they wore matching silver amulets about their necks. Erygonians and Lunars used rings in marriage, but also amulets.
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"Welcome to the Amhe Tribe's valley." He spoke in absolutely perfect English, with the rough Erygonian accent which was akin to that of the Celtic people of the isles off west. But then he added, "That was what Caloa said to you." So he wasn't really welcoming her.

[Rose Swan]

Amelia looked nervous around the intimidating Erygonian man. His name sounded like Gava according to the woman. So she led her to him, and left them alone. And according to him, she had already screwed up in her repetition, causing her to blush red. "I'm sorry... When I return home, I'm making my husband teach me Lunar. I'm going to need it. I really didn't mean to insult you if I did... Thank you so much for your hospitality. Savu and I are grateful, and I'm sure my husband is as well." she said sheepishly. Strike one for her, and it probably wouldn't be the only one at the rate she was going.

[Taiylor Wallace]

"There is no insult. And we do not speak Lunar, we speak Erygonia. Now, if I am not mistaken, you are the Princess of Hannibal. But if I heard you correctly, then you have become a Queen. I am Gava Ghesta, Captain of the Ahme Warriors and spokesman for the shamans and our elders. With pleasantries and titles out of the way, this will sound very rude, but what in the Goddess' name were you doing in the middle of the tundra with nothing but a dragolith and a massive lack of protection or, if I'm correct in assuming, knowledge of battle? It is very foolish of a Queen to venture into Shamkir, even more foolish to come with no trained warriors or proper weapons." Shamkir was the native's name for the land which all else called the Wilderness.

[Rose Swan]

Amelia sighed. Was that strike two? Probably so. "Um... Well, for starters, there's a string of Garam's Plague in a village up here in Shamkir. A messenger of theirs was sent to us and offered us help in an upcoming war if we helped them. I elected to go and help. I know the blood burning spell. My husband has been teaching me to become a witch. It was too risky to let the world know of my absence, and I couldn't bring a real guard because it would seem too suspicious, and if I smuggled them in, even with a letter, I would be stopped at the Arctic border. I had a knife.... And my fire spells...and my husband is watching me through his moonsphere as far as I know... That's about as much as I've got." she said. She was still sheepish and nervous. Again, more effort. Not exactly a success.

[Taiylor Wallace]

Gava looked at her as if she were nothing but a fool for a moment, then shook his great head. "Well, then, we'd better get you there as soon as possible. Caloa will care for your dragolith until your return." He motioned for her to follow him, and he trudged off toward a small concentration of hide tents, surrounding which were hardy elk that the natives had learned to herd, and the people's herding partners, tamed wolves and drakes and a few dragoliths.
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Gava chose a heavily-muscled white drake, who ran to his call and kicked up snow until he slid to a halt and knelt for them. Gava looked to Amelia, "Get on. I'll get your supplies."

[Rose Swan]

Amelia followed him outside to the tents where they housed the drakes. A white one came running to Gava's call and slid in front of them. She smiled. She loved drakes.

Before she got on though, she wandered back over to Savu and told him to behave himself and focus on feeling better. She'd be back for him soon. Then she returned to the drake and climbed on to wait for her supplies.