The Room to The Left

Turning up and around a column of steps would have normally been hard for Set to navigate with his snake body, but the staircase was created wide specifically so his own father wouldn't have to change into his legs to climb them. The pair followed Anna, Shuule looking at the steps themselves, amazed at the application of what to her were multiple stone pedestals stacked on top of each other. No homes from her village had second levels, but she could understand perhaps a ladder connecting the two. Her mother had explained the buildings from her journey to The City, but she hadn't been inside any of the double story structures.

Unlike modern human world homes, the rooms were all fairly uniform without a clear indication what each would be intended for. Anna pointed to a room to the left, with an old wooden door that was more worn than the others.

"You two can stay here, this is just a spare room if we are ever blessed to have multiple ages of cubs in the house at once."

Inside the room was nearly bare, but Anna continued, "I'll bring up some furs, I'm sorry it isn't much, but it's.... privacy."

With that, the girl turned to Shuule, grabbing both of her hands and their brown eyes meeting. "Edgar is unwavering about this rule about the ferals. He's given you until tomorrow to have his mark on you, I don't know why you haven't consummated the spousalship yet, but now you must. He'll send the army to kill Set if not."

"She's weak," complained Set.

"Well, then be gentle with her," snapped Anna, still unsure why the two of them were in this predicament anyway.

"We can just LEAVE!" Shuule was about to throw a fit, if she was any younger, or brattier, she would have stamped her foot. Why wasn't anyone listening to her? She knew why Set had waited to mate with her, but she also didn't appreciate being given an ultimatum, or the fact that nobody was listening to her.

Anna and Set both looked at her, with the girl then raising an eyebrow at the snake. "Nobody's told you why you can't?" she asked. Shuule shook her head vigorously.

"Set and I were arguing about coming to live in The City this winter, he wanted to, I didn't. I assumed it had to do with that."

A hint of pity fell on Anna's face, but only because she, too didn't like being told what to do. As a woman who was used to even more comforts than many in the city, she couldn't imagine fighting to stay living out in the woods, especially through winter. She was sure once Shuule was settled, especially if Anna kept her close, she would forget that life.

"You need to know what Ukko did for you," Anna continued. "He's put his life on the line with the King. In exchange for an energy crystal to save you, he promised to bring back three more within the year, or face certain death in battle."

Shuule's face fell. She had already promised the eagle to be her second spouse, but she didn't realize he had already put so much on the line. Except she didn't understand - "What's an energy crystal?!"

Anna shook her head. "You really did come from a small clan didn't you. No matter, what's done is done. The crystal's come from inside a gigantic monster," her hands now up above her head, in an attempt to show how large they were, "and the clear ones give you life energy. We don't have many left in the entire city, but you were given one, and now you owe it to the city to live here. I promise you, you'll like it here, and," Anna looked over to Set again, then back at Shuule, "Ah, it doesn't matter right now, but I know you were meant to be here."

Iro had grown impatient, walking up the steps with a heaping pile of furs to lay down in the center of the barren room.

"Leave them alone and come downstairs," he purred, possessively curling an arm around Anna's shoulder, nipping at her ear, causing Anna to roll her eyes and slap him away.

"Stop, I'm hungry. Go get me something to eat."

Iro growled. "I'm not leaving you alone in the house with the snake, but I'll cook up something with what Ryan made last night. And I'll make something for her" he pointed to Shuule, "but not him."

"I don't want you cooking for me anyway," Set drolled, "I'll go out later tonight and swallow someone whole; stay inside so it won't be you."

The leopards hair immediately stood straight up as he hissed, ready to leap into his beast form and smack down his younger brother, but Anna pushed him in the chest with a finger.

"Downstairs! Now!" As she followed him down, she looked up at Set with a glinty coldness. "You can't go out until you finish what you should have a long time ago anyway."