Reo'ma stretched, her long thin, monochrome legs reaching out into the darkness ahead of her. It was time for a stroll, she mused. The voices had been particularly challenging today, and some of the whisperings that came to her in the night had only just begun to subdue. She was becoming increasingly aware of the opinions of some of the others in the pack. Some found her strange, twitchy, and were even afraid. They had nothing to be afraid of, nor did Reo particularly mind what they thought of her – she had an important role to play in the pack, and when the leader of the spirit house had found her all those months back on her pilgrimage, she had known that this place was her home- her calling. Sunlight had begun to peek through the caves in which she lurked, but she did not keep to them for the most part. Though the pack was split into houses, Reo'ma found that they had a great system that allowed them to be social and to work together, you were never truly alone here.
Danza scurried through the large clearing, his legs kicking this way and that in an almost frenzied dance. Being part of the pack had quashed most of his rebellious streak, but he had found that his passion and his love for his craft had doubled. Being in the air house had helped to nurture him, and he had found out so much about his personality here – not only that, but he was a father now, and a father to grown up children! The agreement with the litter's mother, though a little terrifying at first, had worked well. The Tangambili and the Saba'Nyumba now shared blood and life. It was an alliance that worked well, particularly as it was easy to visit the pack from the clearing. His relationship with Ena had blossomed too, and he found himself wanting a little more from her each time they danced together. Though they had different styles, they were able to present and put on a rather mesmerizing show. Becoming a mother at the same time as he became a father meant that they had shared many anecdotes about their struggles and joys as a first time parent, and it was interesting to see which, if any of the pups would follow in their footsteps.
As the grey female walked slowly into the blinding light of day- she blinked, dark eyes trying for a moment to avoid looking anywhere but at her tightly squeezed eyelids. Nearby there was a male, orange and white, almost skipping and dancing through this side of the clearing. Smiling, she thought perhaps today was a good day for socializing. If she could ignore the buzz of noise inside her head, then perhaps she would make a friend. She had seen this male around before, but was yet to talk to him. Then again, she had yet to talk to a few of the members of the pack, some of them tended to shy away. “Hello!” He somewhat raspy voice, rusted from lack of use overnight called out to the male.
Danza nearly fell flat on his face. He was almost running towards the cliffs that held the dens of most of the Air house members when a peculiar voice made him jump out of his skin. Twisting his head around to find the source, he was surprised when it belonged to a grey, patchy and rather spindly female. He had heard of her before. She was one of the wild dogs who had come from the pilgrimage to join the spirit house, she was... strange, he thought. There had been whispers that she was a seer, but rather she heard things... There were other whispers that suggested she was mad, and then there were those in between. Danza did not tend to follow ill-considered gossip, and generally made his own mind up about others, though he had to admit there was something strange about the female. Instead of approaching him, she stood silently near the caves after shouting her greeting. He decided to do the friendly thing and walk by the female with a smile.
“Danza, isn't it?” The female twitched gently as he got a little closer. “Yes I have heard your name many a time.” She said simply, without making any indication as to whether she was referring to real, tangible words, or the ones that swam around her skull and rang in her ears. “Member of the air house, dancing, is it?” Her words seemed oddly put together, like they were found individually and stitched together at odd sections, though this was mostly just a symptom of her early-morning grogginess.
“Y-yes, it is.” He nodded enthusiastically, trying to hide a little of his unease behind bolder and larger actions. “Dancing is not all we do in the Air house.” It was a misconception that had arisen recently, probably from the constant rehearsals seen and heard from Ena and Danza themselves. “But yes, we are in the business of entertainment.” He said almost fiercely, though a smile traced the lines of his face. “I'm afraid I don't know your name?...” Danza trailed off.
“Reo'ma.” Shaking her pelt awkwardly as if to free it from unseen bugs, she clambered closer to the male. “Though you can just call me Reo, if you like.” A wide smile appeared on her face. “I am not much of a dancer, nor an entertainer, so I suppose it is a good thing I am not in the Air house, right?” Her attempt at awkward conversation seemed to flow a little better now she'd sunk into it a little more, though her mannerisms still seemed forced and organic all at once.
“Yes, perhaps.” He knew which house she was in, and didn't particularly want to bring it up for fear of being on the receiving end of a lecture on spirits and strange noises. Though he felt a little rude, he was itching to get up on the mountain ledges and practise their dance. It was really coming along and when it was finished it would be impressive, he hoped. “Well it was nice to see you, but I have got to get going.” Giving her a weak smile he trotted carefully up the slops of the rocks.
Reo'ma sighed gently. There went another one. Perhaps it was another day on her own, then. Though to herself company was some of the best. She understood herself.
WC: 1092
