flight of the valkyries - odezsa, any

[Lagertha]

I AM IRON AND I FORGE MYSELF

The boy - stallion, but clearly only a few years old - is fresh. Impertinent. Jokes at her expense, and yet Lagertha still gets the recruit, which is all that really matters in the end. So let him smirk. Her own face slides from a thin look of distaste at his japes to one of pleasure and self-satisfaction. She manages to refrain from tsking in dismay at his bumbling efforts, but more than that would just be too level-headed. Especially when facing someone from the Tundra. She could lunge and sprout spikes and impale him within the span of a couple of heartbeats, but that just seems… overkill.

“Of course,” she says, and gestures with a tilt of her head towards the south of Beqanna. The gray mare promptly pivots in a tight circle and turns her back on the men. But not without a parting shot to Vaughan. “Looks like she already knows the difference between boys and men. You madee that distinction so apparent.” Lagertha glances to her newest recruit and with an unspoken prompt, eases into a brisk trot. Away they go.

It’s a bit of a hike down to the Jungle, but it’s a chance to see how physically fit Odezsa it, and her endurance levels. Lagertha doesn’t keep a punishing pace by any means, but she does keep moving, and is ready to blame it on her eagerness to return home. Small talk isn’t her forte, and her travels are usually made in silence, but she does give Odezsa the opportunity to tell her story, by simply asking, “You’re new to Beqanna.” It’s a statement, not a question. She doesn’t have a single familiar smell on her. “ What brings you here?”

Eventually they come to the edge of Jungle, where the trees and brush are noticeably shorter and less dense, compared to the trees further in. It still pains her see the damage - but they are healing, rebuilding. Soon it would be as if their home had never caught fire. Lagertha grimaces, but explains. “We were attacked in the last war, and they tried to burn down the Jungle. Clearly it didn’t work, but plants can only grow so fast.” The Khaleesi crosses over, and finds the path she’s looking for, expecting Odezsa to follow. Without a guide, she might get hopelessly lost the first time.

Lagertha

Warrior Queen of the Amazons

[Odezsa]

Odezsa

Odezsa felt only a slight twang of guilt as she nodded her goodbye to the two stallions, only because she was afraid she had hurt Archam's feelings. She could not yet grasp that not everyone was as in touch with their emotions as she was. Vaughan though she could not help but crack a grin. Lagertha was so effortless in her insults towards him, it was admirable to the young mare. She could hardly stand up for herself, so tactfully placed verbal jabs did not come naturally to her. 

A silvery coat chased eagerly after the gray one before her, and Odezsa's gait was quite awkward, never keeping one pace. Her excitement about having a home was taking it's toll, and her thoughts were jumbled. Sisters, hadn't the Queen called them? She had never had a sister, no siblings at all in fact. And she could've hardly called her sorry excuse of a mother and absent father a family. So the thought of being tied to someone, regardless of if blood swore the oath, made her beyond giddy.

The awkward shuffle of her hooves grew lesser as the trek went on. Not because she was tiring too dramatically, but she was able to get her mind under control and focus more on her footfall, and the light panting of her breath. So distracted counting her steps, she almost missed her leader's question. 

Not uncommon for someone easily overwhelmed, Odezsa took a moment to really think. What had brought her here? She wished she could say she came with someone, or to meet someone, or simply because fate or whatever you believe in guided her to Beqanna. But the whisper that escaped her muzzle was, "I had nothing anywhere else worth staying for." She opted to leave out the part where she had absolutely nothing to stay for. As far as backstories went, Odezsa always drew the line early. The past was the past, and to mold a new future while clinging to it would be a waste. 

Odezsa did her best to keep her eyes from wondering too much to the shorter, less bountiful foliage. She would never dare ask what happened, but she did not have to. Fire, of course. But an attack, in a war? What had she gotten herself in for? 

She shook her head in disdain. "Why would someone want to bring harm to this lovely place?" She mused more aloud than to Lagertha. As the gray seemed to gain her bearings and head in the right direction, Odezsa leaned in towards the growing plants and instructed them, "You'll be so lovely, keep growing little guys." In her mind, she was nearly silent. In reality, the poor thing did not understand the word 'whisper'. 

She marched onwards, her head raising just a hair being escorted home by someone who ran the place. A small nicker escaped her lips and a smile broke out upon her face. For the first time in a while, Odezsa could say she was home.  

all my friends are heathens, take it slow