pray

A summon it was. That was all she needed to know to get moving. Ever since she arrived at this mountain, she had been ready to follow orders like this, from a being powerful enough to deter her from its mere presence. The irony, of only the strong being able to arrive here, and then meet someone most of them simply could not hold a candle to, it was fully lost on Lenneth. That was the kind of thing others might have cared about, but to her, semantics were irrelevant. Conversation could just as well be done with snarls, barks and howls, still conveying the same messages. Not that she detested the humanoid tongue; she just did not see much reason for the finer points of it.

Thus, the kind of prayer she indulged in, was much akin to her meditation: quiet, inward, not bothering with words but with meanings. She did understand the teachings of her master, and that was what counted. He had summoned her here, all of them, though she cared little about them. They did not have the authority he presented, enough to make her stay quiet when he entered. She did not need to look up, after all, she could just feel him enter, smell him, but she tried not to react unless spoken to.

Yet when he did, she did so immediately. Lenneth got up and opened her eyes, taking in the many lights, the cave, and the one who had called upon her. She closed the distance between them a bit with the calculated, steady steps of an animal that knew its place. Then she bowed.

“I am here, at your service, Milord.”

This was unexpected. Ever since she had arrived here, Lenneth had mostly experienced one thing: isolation. Within these mountains, few arrived and even fewer left alive. She had expected nothing less than an eventual fight for dominance among the fraccion, until only one was standing. Thus, the task given to her right then was an unexpected one. Yet, she did her best to hide her surprise, supported by him flaring his convictions like a warning. For she knew for sure that faltering in the face of such a challenge was the same as presenting her throat to his fangs, there was but one answer.

“Yes, my liege. If they prove weak and defanged themselves, though, am I to report, or to act on my own accord?”

That was the only question she asked, although there were many other things she would have liked to know. However, those were only things she wanted, not needed, hence she would not get an answer for any of those. In this place, the only thing that taught was experience, and what one did not know, they had to learn for themselves. Lenneth did not yet know whether or not she could do this, but she had her orders. This was simply a matter of following these orders, or die trying.

And one thing was clear. Len would not die to this.

Besides, she had listened intently, and she had heard his words, the promise of power, the trust he placed into her. She had little pride and was not a pet that waggled her tail when praised, but these prospects did draw a slight smile, ever so faint. It was one of confidence, but not overconfidence, and gratitude. She bowed to him either way. It was just proper.

So this was the plan. It made sense, as only the espada were true competitors to Nabil. No, not competitors, but their ambitions could disrupt his plans, foolish as such an attempt might be. So leaving the weak in positions they did not deserve could prove useful, for the moment, until the disciples of the mountain could take their place. Well, that was her take on this, at least. Not that it was up to her to decide such things anyway, at least not while her position in the pack was still this negligible.

“I shall not disappoint you.”

She said that, but shut up again quickly, for he had more to say. Len kept her head low for the time being, and did not flinch when his sword closed in on her. After all, given the power he possessed, he could have killed her at any given moment in the past, had he desired so. It simply did not occur to her, that he could actually threaten her with this. Still, she did not know what he was getting at, but followed his demands nonetheless. She did not need to understand, after all, for she had faith. One might even call it trust, albeit it was more a trust built on necessity than anything else. Taking off her clothes was a swift and painless ordeal, as she was wearing a one-parter anyway, and the cave was warm enough to not force any immediate reaction.

“The recognition of anyone is meaningless in the first place. I only serve you, my lord.”