Taro's hooves pounded against the ground, his body heaving as Katerina clung to his mane. The horse turned hard as one of the Wolfskin swiped at him and her grip tightened. Gods, what an idiot she'd been, allowing herself to wander into their territory on accident…
He let out a shrill whinny when the second beast hit one of his legs, sending him stumbling. She tried to hold on, but she tasted dirt and pebbles cut into her cheek. She heard the sound of her supplies tumble from her saddlebags and she could only hope that her violin hadn't been broken.
It took just a moment for Katerina to feel her arms tied behind her back and she glared at the offending duo. "Look, if you let me go, I'll—"
"Do you really think we'll do that?!" Katerina flinched a little under the man's harsh growl and he pressed his face into hers. She coughed and tried to flinch away from his rancid breath as he continued growling, though he pulled back a moment later.
"You humans always come traipsing onto our land, looking to kill us for our fur! You're luck they current chief is willing to give you a chance!" He wrenched her to her feet and she bit her lip, refusing to cry out despite the sharp pull. She wasn't about to show weakness in front of them. The defiant look never left her face, but she looked over at Taro.
The horse had taken a nasty spill but he shook his head and pulled himself up. His sides heaved, but he pinned his ears back, ready to fight. "Peace, boy." Katerina spoke in her grandfather's native tongue and he looked over at her before giving a very loud huff. Nohrian blacks were fierce and could defend themselves, but with his wings taken, the primary wind-based magic defense was gone. The Wolfskin would make mincemeat of him if he tried to attack. He shifted uncomfortably as the first Wolfskin took his reins and started leading them back.
The arduous march took some three hours and Katerina's head bobbed a little by time they got there. She gave herself a small shake, though, when she felt all eyes on her and she straightened up, holding her head high. Exhausted or not, she wasn't about to appear weak to them. She felt nothing but pure malice and hatred directed at her, but she didn't quail. She was Berand's granddaughter and she'd be damned if she let them wound her pride.
The one holding her shoved her into a nearby tent and she fell to her knees, catching sight of an elderly woman sitting on a pillow and staring into a fire. Knowing this was the chief, Katerina bowed her head and closed her eyes. With her hands bound, it left her entirely at the woman's mercy. Hopefully, the submissive gesture would win her at least a few more—
The sound of music floated in from outside.
The powerful notes coursed and surged through her entire being in a way she hadn't known possible before. She'd dabbled with music magic before, but it didn't embody the raw power and pulse of the earth like this. It was rough but beautiful in its own unique way and she wished she could learn it. One of her hands moved in time with the rhythm until she heard the old woman shift and rise.
Katerina stopped her hand and fell entirely still, immobile and blind as the woman stalked around her, sizing her up like a piece of prey. Knowing how the Wolfskin were, she would likely be on the menu that night. They didn't give up prey easily, so—
"Why are you on our lands?" Finally, the question came and Katerina took in a deep breath before speaking.
"Chief, accept my humble apologies for infringing on your tribal lands. I know humans are to stay off of Wolfskin lands under penalty of death. The fact of the matter is that I grew up in western Nohr and left home only a year ago. I'm just a traveling musician that accidentally wandered where she shouldn't have. I'm not familiar with the area. I understand the law of the Wolfskin have decreed, so if you carry out the punishment, then so be it. The folly was mine and I will accept the consequences."
When it came down to it, Katerina didn't want to die. She was only thirteen and had barely just become an adult. But if there was one thing her grandfather had drilled into her head, it was to take responsibility for her actions. Whether the folly be intentional or not, it was best to own up to it since it showed sincerity and a willingness many lacked. This was that logic to the extreme, but she wasn't about to back down from her principles.
Several moments passed in silence before the chief put a finger under her chin and raised her head. "Look at me." Not missing a beat, Katerina looked up, straight into the woman's amber eyes. The sheer intensity made her swallow, but she didn't waver.
"You are a strange child of man. You smell as every bit human as your brethren, yet the scent of pine and cold, rocky winds cloy to you. You show no fear of death even with it right above your head. You speak truth and do not try to escape consequences when faced with them." Well, she had tried to escape at first, of course, but given her life and her mount's had been on the line, hopefully that was understandable.
"You listen to the music of life even when death stares you in the eyes. If you can show me what you learned of my tribe in music, then I shall let you live for now." The chief's rancid breath made Katerina want to pull away and curl up, but she didn't, not wanting to anger her further. Gods, how had she been so stupid? But she wasn't going to back down from an opportunity with her life on the line.
"I accept your proposal, Chief. If you unbind my hands, I will. If have an instrument to play on the necklace beneath my shirt. If you wish to see the validity of my words, feel free to do so now." The chief's free hand tugged the rough leather strap from beneath her shirt, revealing the tiny ocarina on it. After a moment, her bindings came loose and she raised her hands to the instrument, not daring any other motions.
After taking a breath, Katerina started to play. She had only heard a few precious moments of the Wolfskin's music so she could only pray that what she played was acceptable. She brought forth the spirit of the forest she had grown up in, summoning the wild winds of riding an untamed pegasus through the bitter cold skies. She played the harsh winter tempests that she'd barely survived and the humid trappings of summer, interwoven with the gentle warmth of spring and cool wreath of autumn.
How long she played, she didn't know, though she gave up when she coughed, mouth caked and dry from the length of time. She returned her gaze to the chief's amber eyes, holding the intense stare. After a long moment, the elder smiled and returned to her pillow, gesturing for Katerina to relax. She gladly did so, folding one leg over the other as she sat upright.
"Even though you are a child of man, you seem to have the heart of a Garoux. You understand the harsh wilderness and intricacies of nature in a way that I've only seen in one other man before." The woman chuckled, her wild eyes glinting with amusement and let herself relax further, though she coughed again. The elder rose and retrieved some water and the teen smiled before downing it instantly.
"Now, child, what's your name?"
"Katerina Alink." That got another chuckle out of the woman and Katerina couldn't help but smile. "I suppose you've heard of my grandfather then?"
"Child, there isn't a soul in Nohr—human or otherwise—that hasn't. He was quite the traveler back in his youth." Katerina just blinked and stared as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept.
"That crotchety old homebody?" She loved and adored her grandfather to pieces, but they teased each other to no end affectionately. But the idea of her home-loving grandfather traipsing across the Nohrian countryside… It just didn't mesh with what she knew of him. Then again, he always spoke in cryptic riddles of 'silence' and the invisible soldiers that plagued them.
The woman just let out a mix between a bark and a laugh, her eyes glinting. "He gave my father quite the run around back in the day. We gave him safe passage through our lands because of it, but he never returned." She dug in a hidden pocket in her cloak, pulling out a small stick with carvings on it, dangling from a leather cord. She dropped in in Katerina's hand who just looked at it. "That's the Garoux equivalent of a royal seal. You're the first human to ever get one. If that man is your grandfather—which I don't doubt in the slightest—then you're more than worthy of it."
Katerina continued looking at the seal, turning it over in her hand a few times before putting it in her pocket. "Thank you. I won't break your trust. What should I call you, by the way?"
The chief just grinned from ear to ear. "You can call me Granny. Everybody else does."
The first of many many oneshots focusing around Xander's mother, Katerina.
That aside, I figured this of all the oneshots I have planned would be a good introduction to show her character even so young. She's extremely strong willed, stubborn, prideful, but, most of all, clever and adaptable which makes me love her and a joy to write. Hopefully people will enjoy reading about her just as much as I love writing her!
Also, yes, her horse is a black pegasus that (somehow) had its wings removed. I have no idea how that happened or why other than magic.