Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Fiona struggled against his grip as he pulled from her and then hugged her hard against his body, his rough fingers playing with her bud. She let out a sharp cry as she came, struggling against him even more as her body did things she didn't know possible.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam held her steady through every tremor, one arm wrapped tightly across her chest and shoulder, the other hand coming to her thigh as the high began to subside. His steady grip loosened and he sat back on his knees, holding her and kissing over her shoulders and the back of her neck adoringly. The hand on her thigh caressed her skin gently, soothing as the high gave way to a haze.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know what you do to me." Fiona whispered as Sam held her through the worst of her tremors. "You make me forget myself. You're like the best kind of drug."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam's head laid against her shoulder with a deep sigh of contentment, slowly lowering them to the sheets without letting go of her. He was silent, something Fiona had seen before after a particularly intense romp. But he was always listening to her.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I love you, Samuel. I hope that you never forget that." She murmured as he lowered them both towards the sheets, a weariness settling in her bones. "Gods, you've worn me out."

 

[KieranSoares]

"An' I love you," he finally spoke in return before pulling the blanket up over them. After a short while, he buried his face in her long hair with a long sigh, closing his eyes as his entire body relaxed behind her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona smiled to herself as Sam held her so tightly and slowly relaxed into sleep. She joined him, warm and content in his arms.

The next morning, they were up early to help with the children's festivities. It seemed that every cub and kit in the village was there just as early, excited for the gifts and games that would be played in their honor. Expectant mothers lined up for a blessing from the head elders, Ericka among them. It was a cheerful morning and Fiona seemed to have a permanent smile on her face no matter what she was doing.

 

[KieranSoares]

Oleg had set Fiona the task of watching over the games of some of the older children. There was a particularly popular set of games for children interested in being warriors, and they got to play with some of the warriors as their guides. Simply called the 'warrior games,' the older children practiced for them in between Solstices and Equinoxes, and the biggest round of games was on the Summer Solstice. It also helped the warriors get to know the next generation of potential defenders.

Fiona's job was basically to make sure things didn't get too rough, and make sure that anyone who got scrapes or bruises was taken care of. They were rough games that involved tackling, especially in capture-the-flag and an old tribal game that involved long, straight sticks and a wooden ball and a single goal hoop up in the air that the ball had to go through.

Sam, meanwhile, wasn't too far away. He was looking after younger children as they competed in races and a little game not unlike boules or bocci-ball. He had a similar job to Fiona, making sure that the inevitable bruises and scrapes were cared for, and that things stayed fair while adults who knew the game well gave advice and taught the children to play if they didn't know how.

In the stick-ball game, the young teens pre-teens were fiercely competitive but they prided themselves on good sportsmanship, admitting to their own fouls or accidentally tripping others up. Some young adults like Per who were too old to be a part of the young teens' matches were waiting at the side for when their own match would be put on for entertainment and teaching the young ones. Per was a part of the young warrior teams where the fastest and youngest played by similar rules but much faster than the children. The adults' match was scheduled for the evening, a much harder, faster match where there were no rules against tripping and tackling. As they played the true version, it was called 'Soluna'oni' which was literally 'Eclipse-hoop' in English.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona did her best to keep the older children in line. It always seemed that one of her uncles was nearby in case something got horribly out of control. For the most part the kits were respectful of her and respectful of one another. There were a few cuts and bruises along the way but nothing truly terrible that would have required more than a salve and a bandage.

"Someone might have to teach me the rules of the games one day". Fiona teased her younger cousins. "Maybe by next winter I can join in as well."

"You'll be too old, Fi." Red said, giggling at the look that she gave him. "You would have to join in with the older kits."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You'd be too old for them, too, but you wouldn't be ready for the full game," Voluun teased gently as he came over between matches. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind, though. Then once you're ready, Juno and I will be chasing you across the field for hours so we can be sure you're fast enough."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I can beat Da any day of the week in a race." Red said, pushing out his chest to appear bigger than he was. "I'm the fastest runner."

"Youth gives you many advantages." Fiona said with a laugh, ruffling Red's thick red fur. "And a foolishness that will get you into trouble too."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He could outrun you if he had to, little cub. Never underestimate your father," Voluun assured him with a smile. "Especially if your mother was calling for him."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona chuckled as Red looked at his uncle with a quizzical look. She was about to say something when a sudden hush sounded near the entrance of town. Glancing over that way, she saw three figures dressed in dark leather, riding drakes that looked sturdy and slightly vicious. It was clear that the people in town had never seen them before.

The smallest figured stepped forward, drawing back their hood to show a black fox, her amber eyes looking around the crowd as if searching for something.

"Who is the leader here?" She asked in a thickly accented voice.

 

[KieranSoares]

The warriors at the gate barred the way. Strangers, even fellow werefolk, were always treated with caution after the Voya's long history of defending against invaders. Voluun was back in his leadership position in an instant, going to the group and standing before the small black vixen. "Our Head Elder is my father, Oleg," he answered as the other warriors looked on. "What is it you need from him?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"We mean no trouble." The woman said, holding up her hands in a gesture to show that she was not armed. "We have heard rumor that you have a dragon rider here. We have come to see them."

Her Amber eyes turned towards the crowd that she could see, almost searching for this person that she had been told to find. "We have also heard that Owen Blackstone has returned. We wish to have a word with him as well."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Before I can let you in, I need to know why you want to speak to them. Surely you'll understand that those who work with dragons are threatened in many places. I want to ensure their safety." Voluun knew of what had happened in Inverness, and he didn't want to risk a repeat. As Oleg approached, Voluun stepped aside.

"Welcome, kosava solstika'am," Oleg greeted them kindly. "I am Head Elder Oleg Wegirsson."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Xenia Uzkova." The black fox said, bowing her head in respect towards Oleg. "We have had business with Blackstone in the past. We are not here to harm anyone. We simply wish to talk to him about his duties. And to see the new dragon rider."

She turned towards her companions, waving them off their drakes. "My associates. My husband, Dmirti Uzkov and our traveling companion, Rory Carrigan."

As the men slipped off their drakes, it was clear why they let Xenia speak for them. They were large and imposing, Carrigan a human while Dmitri was a large brown wolf.

Fiona watched them from her spot until she felt hands pulling her back. Her Uncle Rhett made sure that she was standing behind him, a vicious look on his face. She had never seen him look so upset about something before.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Owen has just returned to us after some time in slavery," Owen said softly. "I don't know what dealings he has had with you, but he has come here to recover with our family. If you would like to speak with him, I'll have to ask you to leave any weapons with our warriors. As it is the time of the Solstice festival, we prefer that weapons stay out of the village except with our warriors." Oleg was aware of the tense air, but he tried to be as diplomatic as possible.

Rhett watched the group without hardly blinking. Owen was still in the longhouse, having been helping the elders with whatever they needed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's alright, Uncle Rhett." Fiona murmured softly, her hand resting against his arm as he refused to budge.

Xenia turned to look at her husband, murmuring something in Russian to him. Soon, the men were pulling their weapons free and placing them in the saddle bags that their drakes wore.

"We did not mean to upset your festivities." Xenia said as she turned back towards Oleg. "Please continue the festival. Our business can wait until it is over. We will show ourselves to the tavern."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You are welcome to take part if you wish," Oleg offered, pointing them toward the tavern. "If you come to the longhouse at sunset, I will make sure that Owen is there."

Oleg turned then, coming to Fiona and Rhett. "Relax, son," Oleg murmured. "We will try to keep this as peaceful as possible. And until I know their intentions, we will advise the dragons to stay away. Though I cannot predict whether or not Glaynviahr will listen, or if he will come to investigate for himself." Looking to Fiona, Oleg kissed her cheek. "And it would be best that you didn't reveal yourself as a dragon-caller until we are sure of their mission here. It's not often that anyone will come calling during Solstice for such things."

 

[heartofcourage]

"They said dragon rider, Uka." Fiona said as Oleg tried to soothe Rhett. "Do you think they saw me riding Invah? They'll be sorely disappointed to know that I'm nothing special."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You ought not to reveal yourself as having been a rider or a caller," Oleg nodded. "Two come from the Rus, a land in which the most powerful tribes and their greatest opposition constantly clash, and that includes clashing over our deep respect for such beasts, and our enemies' belief in old fairytales that say they should be exterminated. The last, however... The name Carrigan comes from the isles. I don't know what to think of him."

Looking to Rhett, Oleg patted his arm. "They don't know of her yet, son. I'm going to send Yul to speak to the dragons, and I'll talk to Owen. Just stay out of trouble, both of you."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona nodded as Oleg left them both and she glanced at her uncle. She could only imagine what was going on in his mind. He had lost his sister and now her only kit was being threatened. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, patting his arm again.

"Sam won't let me out of his sight. I promise I'll be alright." Fiona murmured softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam was already watching from a distance, gauging the situation and the disruption the strangers' arrival had caused. He was watching them make their way into the tavern, and once they were inside, he came to Fiona silently and hugged her close when Rhett let her go.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona hugged Sam back, knowing that they both needed the chance to calm their fears. "Let's get back to the festival. These little kits need to have a good time."