mild rude language.
He had thought the Freljordians would come to their camp in the night; they were used to such weather, and were more likely to be able to withstand and navigate it. It was practically expected they'd come to investigate the newcomers to the frozen tundra; it was only natural. However, he hadn't expected the sight before him; a girl no more than twenty, ten years his junior, astride a boar that could feed his entire camp for a week.
"Shouldn't that thing be food?" he grumbled, Urnoxian falling from his lips as he slightly nudged his brother. The joke had to have gotten somewhere; the anxiety that had been showing on Draven's face dissolved as the man snorted, covering his face to hide the trademark grin that would one day get him killed.
His hands gripped the handle of his axe, a wary expression crossing his face as he watched the girl on the boar. The rest of the Freljordians circling the camp were loud, moving- they were stalking. She was not. It implied she didn't have to- or she was too naive to do so.
After a period that felt like hours, she raised her hand; those circling the camp retreated to her side, settling into a messy formation that would at least protect them from an attack from wild animals. Her eyes were as fixated upon him as his were on hers, and the air felt still for the first time since he arrived-
And she started laughing.
His shoulders relaxed, and he shook his head. This must be Sejuani- younger than he thought, but clearly old enough to be a leader It gave him an idea of how quickly she had amassed her following. His axe fell to the ground beside him, and he nodded towards her.
"Sejuani?"
A woman wrapped in fur and hands bound in leather, astride a creature looking more bear than boar, called back, "Sejuani is her name, but you call her Chief." She sounded almost smug, though more amused than anything; they couldn't see anything of her face thanks to the helm that covered her appearance.
"You speak Va-Nox?" Draven's voice gave away the same confusion Darius felt- it was strange to meet a Freljordian native who spoke something from outside. For this woman to speak it was staggering at the very least.
"I trade my work to you people. Of course I speak it."
"Or are you a coward and a runaway?"
Liliana had spoken out of turn, but her point was valid. Darius could feel his grip tighten as the woman reached to her helm and pulled it from her head; hair dark as a starless night covered the woman's head, braids going under the armor she wore. Eyes as blue as the ice around them stared at Liliana as though she had implied that she was a leper.
"I am no more a coward than you are a whore."
There was a burst of laughter from Sejuani before she turned her head to her translator and said something that neither Darius nor Draven could understand. Whatever was said in return brought a burst of laughter from the entire party of Winter's Claw before the same woman bound in furs called out again.
"The Chief wants to know if you have eaten, or if you would like to come to our camp for feasting? We have more food than we can eat, and you survived the blizzard… which means you at least know how to survive."
Draven's eyes lit up, and Darius sighed as the younger replied without any form of hesitation, "Yes, ma'am!"
One day, he would hit his brother. His stomach decided today was not that day. He groaned and waved a confirmation, to which the majority of the camp breathed a sigh of relief. The translator- who had declined the pleasure of her name- bowed her head in acknowledgement, and a few moments later the Chieftan was turning around.
"Do not fall behind. Another storm is mounting."
The translator turned her mount, following her chief without another word and pulling her helm back on; Darius looked at his brother for the briefest of moments before scrambling to follow; they didn't know when said storm would arrive, and neither they nor their men seemed to like the idea of being caught in another whiteout.
Va-Noxian is the newer version of Noxian language, a constantly adapting language that's commonly spoken yet has no real, tangible written language.
Urnoxian is an older, written form that is only used by natives or those who have been taught to read and write.
