#kaleeshweek25

Qymaen and his first wife lay low in the high grass of the steppe, Illia's rifle pointed steadily at what stood a few meters in front of them. "Which heart should I aim for?" She whispered to her husband. "The second?" Qymaen nodded. Illia raised her rifle just enough to get a clear view at the mumuu's chest. She whistled, and as soon as the beast looked up, she pulled the trigger. The beast growled in pain and started charging towards them. And with a second shot, it fell. Two clean shots to both of its hearts, now that was a achievement. Illia and Qymaen ran to the dying animal and knelt beside it, Illia carefully stroked its head. "Thank you. I promise, you died for a good purpose. Your meat will feed my family, your bones will shield my body, your blood will paint our sigil." The animal's eyes stared up at her blankly, the life that was once so vibrant in them now gone.

"Good job." Qymaen nodded at her and started cutting the Mumuu's pelt with a shoni bone knife. Illia helped him by pulling the skin back and folding it after it was cut. They worked in silence for a while while the sun set over the Ausez steppes. They gathered some sticks and made a small fire, cooking some of the meat the harvested. Illia scooted closer to Qymaen, puller her knees against her chest. "That was exhausting, but at least we have good food." She took a sip from their shared water bottle before handing it to him.

"Yeah, we just have to get all of this home somehow, but the kids will be happy." He smiled at her and took a bite of the meat. "I'm proud of you." He kissed her temple.

When the Mumuu blood finished boiling and finally turned into a thick gooey consistency, Illia started drawing their clan sigil onto her newly carved mask. "I can't imagine what it'll be like, fighting next to you as a warrior..." she mumbled while applying the last few strokes of paint.

Qymaen looked at her in silence for a while. "I will never leave you to your own. I promise. I'll always be right beside you." He whispered, almost in a trance. His eyes met hers. "You're a good fighter, and you can shoot too. I believe you'll do great fighting beside me." He swallowed that weird lump in his throat, that appeared every time he thought about Illia fighting in this war as a warrior. He knew she was a strong woman, and a good fighter. But Ronderu was stronger, a better fighter, and he knew all too well what happened to her.

"I think I'm done with this..." Illia said, turning the mask in her hands and inspecting it. "We should probably go home now, it's getting dark."