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“Aloy good to see you.” Kotallo nods and watches as she doesn’t turn around, her focus clearly on something else. She’s dismounting from a charger and he wonders why she didn’t return on the sunwing she’d taken when she’d left almost a year ago. There’s an extra pack dropped to the ground and he leans over to pick it up, confused as to why she still isn’t saying anything.
There’s a child in her arms where the packs would normally rest.
“Venya.” Aloy huffs a little, Kotallo’s eyes glued to the child, their face hidden in her shoulder and arms around her neck.
“Venya wake up little one.” Aloy bumps her cheek against the top of the child’s head. He can hear a muffled response and Aloy smiles and shakes her head a little, still rubbing her chin against the child's head.
It happens so fast Kotallo would almost have missed it; but the child, a girl, turns in Aloy’s arms, and smiles as him.
Her eyes are alert, like all children he’s seen and she sneaks glances at him almost as transfixed as he is. Her hair is dark, a slight wave, but it’s pulled back, two small decorative braids secured by two different beads on one side. Her clothing is more Nora that he’d expect; soft browns dominate the cloth, but there’s beadwork he recognises from the desert clan, a possible gift from Jetakka, or whoever the father is. He takes this time to bring things in, no one else is at the base. He knows Aloy must have planned this.
He’s unpacking one of the bags, if only to avoid staring openly at Venya. He can see something that looks like Oseram metal work, a gift from Petra most likely, and there’s a whole section of the pack he’s holding devoted to Carja clothes, clearly things Aloy had worn, and things he assumes are for Venya. He knows he can’t avoid looking forever but she hasn’t made a sound and when he looks up he finds both her and Aloy staring at him. Venya just keeps staring but Aloy looks away, Kotallo tilts his head, waiting for her to say something as he sighs, trying to get her attention. Venya smiles at him instead and he can’t help but smile back as a reflex.
Venya is quiet; she cries, like all children do but everyone is willing to calm her. Aloy doesn’t stray far from the base, claiming it’s safer. No one asks about where else she was that was safer than the base but everyone knows she has her reasons. Some of her reasoning is evident; when Talanah rushes through with Milu, she falters, surprised to see Venya, and cooing about the ‘savior's child’, Talanah tries to pull her away but the damage is already done. Anytime they venture farther than the base, everyone swarms both Aloy and Venya making comments about her, trying to gain her and Aloy’s favor with gifts of some kind. Kotallo would laugh if it didn’t annoy Aloy so much; if it didn’t slow them down to accept everything and thank everyone for the gifts and thoughts.
Kotallo notices how everyone cares for Venya in different ways, based on their tribes, but even still, some things are universal, there is always playful teasing’s about who her favorite is. Kotallo wins often, only because once Venya manages to learn to tug, she’d almost ripped Erend’s facial hair off him. Alva and Beta have learned from Erend’s mistake so they give Venya’s arms a wide berth,concerned for their hair and focus’ but happily feed and play with her all the same. Venya manages to charm everyone she meets; it's far too easy for her and anytime Aloy brings her out there’s at least three extra pockets full of presents for her. She’s always smiling at everyone but rarely does more than that when they’re away from the base. He swears he’s seen her face and the unspoken question of her father hangs in the air.
No one explains, no one asks and Venya grows, loved by them all.
She's almost two years old, when Kotallo sees her laugh and the memory covers his eyes like fresh snow; he banishes it the second it comes into his eyes. He can’t shake the phantom mask that falls on Venya. Her head tipped back, mouth wide and teeth shimmering, her eyes are closed and for a second Kotallo expects them to be steel gray, a memory he can’t fully recall.
Venya opens her eyes, brown, not gray and Kotallo must have shown his disappointment on his face because she moves over to him and presses her hands over the beading on his armor, clearly sensing his discomfort. She climbs off him and returns after a moment, holding the woven scorcher toy Zo had made for her.
“Thank you. I’m alright, you just reminded me of someone I knew once.” He doesn’t know why he’s explaining this to her but Venya just watches him, deciding he’s not lying, if she can even understand him the way he thinks she can. Kotallo has to look away once she leaves, trying to banish the thought that he used to bite his lip in worry just as she does, a bad habit he needed to stop now that Venya was learning from everyone. She’s picked up Erend’s excited wave; a fact that makes everyone laugh as Beta had a small hammer crafted for her; along with everyone else's weapons for her to practice and play with.
“Who?” He watches Beta walk into his field of vision.
“Another Sky Clan warrior.”
“Who?” Beta repeats and nods towards the door which has slid closed. Kotallo knows he’ll need to give a name.
“Suirro.” Beta clearly doesn’t recognise the name but she still hesitates and then sits next to him.
“Tell me about her?”
“I barely remember her.” She nods and stands, about to leave him, but the door opens and Erend is there, Venya toddling alongside him.
“There he is, see, he’s alright, must have given him quite a scare.” He teases, but Kotallo can see how Erend is looking him over, eyes focusing on the way he’s holding the scorcher toy and how Beta is sitting next to him.
“Telling another war tale?” Erend tries to ease the tension and Kotallo finds himself nodding.
“Would you like to listen, I can make it more, safe for her…” He nods to Venya, who’s once again climbed up onto his lap. He doesn’t think about taking her to the mountains, about seeing just how well she can climb. He’s content to let her use him instead of a real cliff face, trying to justify the way his stomach drops as something everyone would feel.
“Suirro was a great warrior. She completed the March of the Ten on her own; she was able to take down machines that would have taken at least a squad of four the same time to take down. She was a strong squad leader. She led her squad to more victories than any other Sky Clan squad had seen. She took care of them, and their children, raising them as her own when their parents fell in battle. Her skill with her spear was art to watch. Not many Tenakth would call it that; but she grew up around Tekotteh, my previous commander, he would often say that of her. They were close; enough that he would send her on raids for the other clans only when he knew it fully safe. Before everyone was united; before all of this; they were at war, and she was one of the best warriors Sky Clan had. It was, and still is ill advised for soldiers; for the Marshals to interact with regular civilians. It creates a power struggle, it distracts everyone from their roles and in times of war someone distracted is someone dead.
Suirro was never far from Tekotteh; her squad knew what we all do, he picks favourites, picks those that he gives advantages to. She availed of better sleeping quarters than the rest of her squad, better meals, and better company. It wasn’t soon after that he began courting her. It would have been almost death to reject him.
Tekotteh could not sway her, but he could keep the others away, punishment is punishment. He could wait until she relented.” Kotallo swallows and adjusts Venya so she’s half asleep on him and half on the seating area, he pulls a blanket over her and she grabs at his arm, so he pulls her back onto his lap fully. He sighs a little and chews his lip.
“Hoykka was another soldier; skilled with a blast sling as much as she was with her spear. Suirro would only train with him. Stated he was the best to practice with; his quick firing of the bombs gave her a variety of targets; his quick thinking was worthy enough to match her skills with a weapon, she’d tease him often. He was one of the few that Tekotteh couldn’t keep from her, besides her squad and the trainee’s she would take care of. It was obvious to everyone Hoykka and her were courting. It wasn’t allowed to be; soldiers do not mingle in ways that are; conductive to not furthering the clan.” Kotallo almost grimaces but Erend’s smirk and Beta’s disgusted face let him know he’s not alone in this annoyance.
“They continued. Despite Suirro’s squad’s warning and the sudden uptake of skirmishes that Tekotteh was sending her out on, leaving her no time to craft armor, to train; to upgrade weapons and hunt machines to craft ammo. Hoykka and Suirro barely saw each other, the squad covering for them. Both of them sneaking around and stealing moments whenever they could get them. Which meant a lot more training; a good distraction, a good way to stay safe and know the other would be safe, especially when they were both sent on different missions; or with the squad to assure no alone time. It was enough for them; they had nothing else. Tekotteh was still trying to court her, and she was still rejecting him. Until Tekotteh requested her for a mission with him. Until they spend months out in the wilds hunting a machine that her squad said never existed in the first place. Just the two of them; until she relents. Until they return unsuccessful in taking the machine down, but the way Tekotteh grins, and Suirro’s stomach swells means he’s victorious all the same. No one would lay claim to something that’s the commanders.” Kotallo hisses a little at that, and Beta frowns, waiting for an explanation. Kotallo tracks Venya, her eyes unaware of the gravity of what he’s implying.
“The squad knew the truth, they all kept it from Tekotteh; high treason, easily a reason for him to wipe the whole squad, even the children, all of them could have easily been killed and everyone would know not to question it. Hoykka knew, the squad kept him informed, despite him being on a mission when they’d returned. As the commander's mate, the one he’d laid his claim into, Suirro was kept from her squad, only allowed to see the best of everything; only allowed to be protected by Tekotteh’s guard. Still he managed to see her a few times, stolen moments, the way he held her, her squad said, it was as if the child was his own. When the child came into the world, it was obvious it was his. Tekotteh sent him on a mission within the hour. He never returned. Suirro raised her child with the squad; despite the loss of Hoykka she kept him safe from Tekotteh; as time went on he looked more like his mother, and avoided Tekotteh’s rage; the squad protected them both until it was almost time for his march. Suirro was sent on a mission; she fell to her death on the way back to SkyClan. The squad knew she was killed, Tekotteh had grieved her the minute she’d had her child; knowing she would never be his. She was given a proper burial, as was Hoykka. Their son and squad grieved them, laid them to rest so they could go among the ten. The squad raised him as well they could, despite Tekotteh’s influence, and eventual mentoring of the child, the squad still held affection for him, the last part of two of their greatest warriors.”
“Is this one of those stories where you talk about how Venya is going to be a great warrior because of the way the snow falls or something like that?” Erend tries to break the tension.
“No, she looks happy, like Suirro was always said to be. Plus her climbing skills are a much better judge of how skilled she’ll be. She might have an unfair advantage.”
“Being trained by any of us could be seen as a slight advantage, let alone all of us.” Erend laughs and Kotallo nods, the cavernous rip in his chest the ending of his tale had opened, closing over slightly. Kotallo chuckles a little watching as Erend and Beta are already pulling up schematics for another weapon, some type of small blast sling he thinks, looking at the rendering.
“Shame she loves scorchers so much; they’re a bitch to kill.” Kotallo grimaces in agreement and then laughs, remembering shoving his hand through the heart of one. Venya is clearly awake and Kotallo can’t help but poke at the woven toy making machine sounds for it as Venya waves it around.
She laughs and the memory covers his eyes like snow once more;
Her head tipped back, mouth wide and teeth shimmering, her eyes are closed and for a second Kotallo expects them to be steel gray, a colour he can’t see besides in his dreams.
Mother
Magenta paint over her eyes, a crackling fire, she pulls him close and Kotallo almost squirms away from her affection; her arm keeping him trapped.
Venya opens her eyes, brown, not gray and Kotallo swallows and smiles back at her.
“Was that a good story Venya?” She just blinks at him, reaching for the scorcher toy again and hiding her face in his neck, she only does this with Aloy. His training takes over and his breathing stays even as Venya goes boneless with sleep. Everyone moves quietly not to wake her and Kotallo reads the teasing message Erend and Beta send him. There’s also the threat of images being sent to Aloy, more teasing lines about Kotallo still being her favorite.
He keeps his eyes half lidded, knowing Aloy will slip into the room in a moment, she does, and he debates saying he’s awake; he decides to fake sleep, she’s always been good at telling when he is.
“Kotal-oh, you’re both exhausted huh? This is what I get for letting you two bond I guess. Better late than never.” Her voice cracks a little and Kotallo almost wishes he was awake to comfort her.
“Come here Venya, let's let your father sleep more, he can watch you tonight.” He wants to grab Venya back, to hold her to his chest and pull Aloy next to him, instead he lets her take their daughter back to their shared room and leaving him to the cliff of his memory. Knowing there will be nightmares of his father being forced to march to death, his mother’s arms reaching for him, and now his daughter, alone in the snow crying for him and her mother, all their fates intermingled he no longer knows who he is.
He wakes up to Venya still on his chest, the blanket over both of them, Aloy curled into his side. The scorcher toy in Aloy’s arms his winter cloak over her and Venya. Neither of them stir and Kotallo lets himself slip back over the edge into sleep, noting instead of nightmares it’s Venya, older, holding Blood Crest, a scorcher downed next to her, laughing like his mother but smiling just like Aloy.