#heartofastormbird

[unyieldingfashav]

Makarra cornering Fashav after he's survived the Kulrut and become a marshal: If you ever do anything to betray my father or this tribe I will stab straight through the heart.

Fashav, a little high off adrenaline and blood loss, laughing at the prospect: Can you even reach that high to stab?

Makarra, a tiny ball of rage and energy: I will bring you down to my level if I have to.

[unyieldingfashav]

“Aloy, can I speak with you? It’s important.”

There was a look of concern in Zo’s eyes that stopped her in her tracks and had her immediately glancing around the atrium to take count of who all was present. Erend and Varl were sitting at the strike board, chatting quietly as they played. Alva could be seen in the doorway of the archives, sifting through data just like she had been from the moment she’d set foot in the base. Kotallo passed through the room, going from the bunk area he shared with Erend back to the activity room he’d turned into his command center. She was sure Beta was still safely tucked away downstairs, sure she would’ve heard sooner if something had happened with the other clone. That left Makarra who was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Makarra?” she asked, following as Zo nodded for them to step into one of the halls away from the others.

“She’s patching herself in one of the labs. I tried to offer my assistance but she was adamant that she do it herself. She looked pretty rough and it’s not the first time she’s come back bleeding and limping all over the place. I’m – I’m worried she’s taking this vendetta against Regalla and her rebels to a dangerous extreme.”

Aloy remembered the raw look of fury in the young Tenakth’s eyes the day of the Embassy, remembered the pain in her scream when Fashav had fallen on the battlefield, remembered the venom in her words back at the Grove when she declared she’d hunt down every rebel if she had to to get to Regalla. It was no stretch of the imagination that the chief’s daughter had blinded herself with her need for revenge. And she knew how dangerous that could be.

“I’ll go and talk to her. See if there’s anything I can say to get through to her.” Aloy paused, memories of her own rage after the proving, after losing Rost and Vala and so many other braves to Helis and his Shadow Carja. She knew what it felt to want retribution but she’d had her missions to rein her in, her hunt for the truth about Elisabet to ground her. She wasn’t sure their mission was enough to distract the girl though. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to make her care about anything more than the rage she’d settled herself in. But Aloy would have to try.

[unyieldingfashav]

Aloy, trying to be the voice of reason: Makarra you can’t keep taking on these rebel camps by yourself. It’s too dangerous.

Makarra, stubborn and driven by rage: you’re not my dad you can’t tell me what to do

Aloy, tired and not ready to deal with another stubborn Tenakth: fine but at least take Erend with you

Erend, happy to finally have something to do besides read old world glyphs: hammer time?

Makarra, grumbling about Oseram being slow: fiiiiiine 😒

[unyieldingfashav]

HEART OF A STORMBIRD || A HORIZON: FORBIDDEN WEST STORY

“Who are you? What makes you think that you could survive in the Kulrut for a single second, let alone actually win it?”

Maybe it was the tone she took or maybe it was the blunt nature of her questions, but something softened in his eyes and for reasons she didn’t understand, he smiled at her. “I am Fashav,” was the simple answer he started with. “Unyielding Fashav, as the men in my service have been known to call me. I am the nephew to the Sun King Jiran and a general in his army. As for surviving this arena of yours, I’ve heard the talk of the Kulrut on the journey here from Cinnabar Sands. Killing machines is something I’ve known how to do since my father gave me my first bow. Your arena does not scare me.”

“Then you’re a fool,” Makarra replied shaking her head. “I’ve never known a warrior not to fear the possibility of a tremortusk bearing down on them or a clawstrider threatening to rip their bowels out. It is all but certain that entering that arena for the Kulrut will be the last thing you ever do.”

His smile unnerved her now, the fact that it remained even when she’d spelled out what was most likely to happen to him. Yes, Tenakth warriors marched bravely into the arena to face the machines gathered for the fights, but he was not Tenakth.

READ ON AO3

[unyieldingfashav]

Fashav, sitting in a Tenakth cell, meeting Makarra for the first time: so you’re the tribes princess?

Makarra, personally offended even though she doesn’t totally understand the concept of princess: no, I’m the daughter of the chief

Fashav, waving a hand in a slightly condescending Carja way that he learned growing up in a high born family: eh same thing

[unyieldingfashav]

Makarra, 14 years old, five foot nothing, no ink from fighting battles, just face paint like her dad, going down to try and intimidate Fashav in his cell before the Kulrut: you’re going to die in the arena, outlander.

Fashav, a full grown adult who’s been serving in the Carja army for the last decade and managed to kill multiple Tenakth before being taken prisoner: what kind of Tenakth nonsense is this?? who the fuck let a tiny child down here?!?

[unyieldingfashav]

makarra, meeting fashav for the first time when he’s brought to the grove as a prisoner: ew dad do we have to keep him

makarra five years later when they go to the embassy and regalla rolls up with her troops: if anything happens to fashav, I will kill everyone in this room and then myself

[unyieldingfashav]

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve? (For Makarra!) ( @horizonwritersblog )

Oh boy!

There’s different answers for this at different points in her life because obviously we all change and grow and all that jazz. At the start of the story when she’s still young and learning, she definitely will get defensive but it comes from a place of not wanting to admit defeat and not wanting to agree about her flaws and shortcomings. Except when the criticism is coming from Dekka but that’s because Dekka is like a surrogate grandma to her and she always listens to her advice even if she doesn’t want to.

As she gets older, she gets more willing to listen to constructive criticism from her peers as well as her elders. She’s kind of got her ego in check and has accepted that someone criticizing her isn’t necessarily always this grand insult that it can feel like when you’re a kid. But if someone’s being overly critical or critical for no reason, she’ll switch back to defensive and that’s when things can get heated and dangerous.