As Kip and I walked alongside the Ob'haad, I could smell the apprehension and fear wafting from the guards around us. Four limb males bristled a the sight of us, and small shrieks rose from their females and young. We stayed close the the wall, following a pathway to a smaller building backed up against the barrier. Smells of spice plants and heated foodstuffs wafted from within the small dwelling. "This'd be my house, the cottage gainst the wall. My men will wait outside while we're inside talkin. The villagers are fearin your kind, always have since this town was made, not too far from what I understand to be yer territory." Said Ob'haad as he pushed open the small entryway. I could hear the tapping of clay against stone, and the smell of the foods intensified. He called in "Irah, I'm home. And I've... Er... Well I have a wood haunt with us." As soon as he finished the sounds ceased abruptly and a stout female that smelled of grains and sweet things stood in the entryway.
Her green eyes widened at the sight of me and she stared for a few seconds before approaching me slowly. I noticed she wore a front covering of some sort over the usual wrappings the four limbs cloak themselves in, the covering had small pouches fine tools and utensils stuck precariously out of. Her mane of hair was curly, wild, and the color of the setting sun. "Can it speak?" She asked. "It can." I replied. Her mandible hung open, but only for a moment before she looked back to Ob'haad. "Have ya ever even been able to hold a conversation w'em before Oby?" She asked, wonder in her tone. I noted I could not sense any trace of fear from the female. This Irah must be a leader of them. No doubt a queen of one way or another. She needed proper introductions.
I got at arm's length from this Irah, as I approached I heard the men around me shift and could feel their sticks mounted towards me once more. Even Ob'haad had a hand upon the hilt of a weapon at his side. "Irah, queen of the cottage by the wall, I am humbled before you and your hive." I hummed as I dropped to all limbs and rested my delicate feelers upon one of her hands. I could hear the giggling laughter come from both Kip and lady Irah. "You boys could learn a thing er two of manners from this giant termite!" She exclaimed. At this the guards seemed to ease and from my side I thought I saw Ob'haad flash what I came to recognize from kip as a smile. Irah knelt and drew me up by a forelimb. "You don't seem half bad wood haunt. Come inside so that my husband may be speakin with ya." She glanced beside me to Kip. "And I'm beggin yer pardon ya sweet young thing. Who might you be eh?" "I'm Kip! And this is Opal. He saved me from bandits on the trail." She exclaimed, smiling at Irah.
"Well come in now. We'll go to the washroom and get you and yer clothes washed a bit, you smell uv the forest you do. Mr. Opal here and Oby will probably like some time ta discuss matters one on one fer a bit anyway." With that Irah turned and went inside the dwelling followed by Ob'haad. Kip gave me a nervous glance but I made my way inside, reluctant to insult lady Irah. as the entry shut behind the four of us, Irah and Kip chatted as the disappeared behind a wall into another room. As soon as they were our of sight Ob'haad steeled his demeanor. His eyes hardened into the look of wolfish cunning as he studied me. I rose unto my hind-limbs once more to meet him on eye level, and for a few moment we locked hard stares, his steel grey eyes clashing with expressionless opalescent orbs.
He finally spoke, quietly, but edged as sharply as any blade "If ya hadn't been walking peaceably alongside that child I would've feathered you with arrows long fore you made it to the gate. Yer kind never stretch far from yer woods around that great hill o yours. Yet here you are. Even stranger bein you are alone, where yer kind usually run in great tides. Does this be havin anything ta do with the great thundering and the glows o wildfire we had seen coming from the direction o your hill a tenday or so ago?" He demanded. There was no aggression, but his posture promised retribution of this went poorly. "I do not know what happened. But I am alone. My hive is all.... dead. There is only me now." My own voice came sharply, edging it with my own promise of pain should he make wrong moves. "This may be bad fer all o us if you're speakin the truth. But how can I be trustin you wood haunt? And why did ya bother protecting that child? This kind o thing just isn't how things go."
"I did not want to be alone anymore." I hummed softly. At this his demeanor softened ever so slightly. "I will be needin more proof to say whether er not you speak the truth, haunt. But you savin that child. It's bought you at least the right to be heard out." And with that I explained the events of the past few days to Ob'haad. My painful birth, the dead peoples I was born into, and stumbling upon the rogue pack and Kip. Ob'haad listened, and seemed satisfied at the end. "Well we can go out a-" He was interrupted by shouting and footsteps outside. A thundering bang and another sounded from the outside. I opened the entry way and stepped out to investigate, Followed by Ob'haad. And we both stepped into chaos.
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