[I] "You have to go in sometime."[/i]

Aishla looked up from her work to see Koric standing over her. His face and shoulders shown with newly painted red and black symbols. That was wrong; they should have been white.

[I]"We are not headed to fight. Unless you have changed your mind?"[/i] she didn't acknowledge his first comment, instead returning to wrapping hide around the hot wax keep holding the spearhead to the staff. Her husband only grinned down at her.

[I]"No, but there had been a change, Norti and your father confront the outsiders today."[/i]

Aishla didn't respond, looking down at the newly made spear in her hands. All the more important they leave soon then. The change in shadows warned that Koric had shifted to beside her.

[I]"You worry about him fighting?"[/i] that caught her off guard, and she jerked away, suddenly angry. How could men be so blind? Her father was old but to imply the war leader was no longer battle-worthy was offensive to the extreme.

[I]"No! I-"[/i] she stopped. She found it difficult to explain her worries to Koric in the recent weeks. More than anything else, he was her friend, even before they married. But now that they where she could not express herself. Unjustly or not she blamed her sister for that as well. If Shytora had not been such a child there would be no rift between them, and Aishla would be able to speak with her husband. But there was a rift, and the goddess of family would never grant her a child if did not make peace with the family she already had. She stood, bowed her head and raised an open palm to Koric in supplication. 

[I]"I apologize husband, the stronger winds of this pace make me uncertain. I will go make final preparations."[/i] He touched his forehead in acknowledgment and began to inspect the contents of the pack she had left open on the ground.

The sanctuary was at the far end of the tribes camp. In the place, they had found an uncovered building with three walls. This layers of hide and fabric closed it to the rest of the camp, in an effort to contain the smell. It wasn't terrible these days, they where not yet at war so there where fewer here for treatment. Not that there only being the very sick and elderly made the place any more appealing to Aishla. Death was one thing, the slow slipping away that happened here was something else. She scanned the room quickly until her eyes landed on one of the women holding a water basin.

[I]"Shytora,"[/i] she raised her palm in greeting but did not lower her head [i]"I leave to discover learn of the neighboring outsiders, I would asks for the gods blessing."[/i] Her sister knew perfectly well why she was here. But there was ceremony, and a possibility she would want to be difficult.