We Will Live

[velvettaguel]

If I See a Light || Panne and Lethe

[warriorofgallia]

The simple words of gratitude made Lethe feel, well, glad. Glad that someone she considers to be a sister was able to trust her like this. It also didn’t help Lethe to show one of her rare, genuine smiles. She could get used to calling Panne her now new friend.

"Now that we got all that out of the way, where are you from?" She asked. "It’s a no brainer you’re not from Tellius at all." She’s only known beasts, birds and dragons but never rabbits, of course this would spark her curiosity.

[velvettaguel]

"Ah..." Panne paused, regaining her composure as Lethe asked her question. Of course, the taguel was so taken by surprise at the sight of another like her, she hardly remembered to figure out where Lethe was from either.

"The Halidom of Ylisse is the place I call home." she answered, trying to remember where Tellius was. Had the shepherds been there on their journeys? She thought not.

"Then you are from this place called Tellius? I... have never heard of the land. Where is it? Likely closer to Chon'sin than Ylisse or Plegia, I'm guessing?"

[noyougoextinct]

In Love with a...Boy? ll Panne & Yarne

[noyougoextinct]

Yarne stared blankly.

"A…large family?…I.." he looked down "..I never….thought of that..I’m sorry…You didn’t have the opportunity..I just never thought….I’ll have siblings..I..uh well..he…he will I guess…it won’t be so scary..for him."

Yarne was quiet for a little while before looking at Panne again.

”..Yeah….we…we will..We’ll figure it out…You’ll have a big family..a-and I will too!…Somehow…W-well maybe not..too big..but big enough to make a difference..just..you know, enough that I can keep all of them safe all the time.”

[velvettaguel]

Panne nodded, deciding to let Yarne's pauses and stutters go unmentioned. She assumed that this news would be different for him to hear. She instead chuckled at his ideas of his own family.

"Right. With your children and my children there will be plenty of us. And imagine what it will be like once they have children. We've found a good place to stay and be accepted, Yarne... I've never been more confident for the future of our race."

[ahexofastrongmage]

Henry & Panne

[ahexofastrongmage]

"Ah! Come on then! Come come!" He held Panne’s hand and hurried away, leading her back to his tent.

-

It was not a far trip and soon Henry had led them back to his tent. “Here ok-In In!” He looked around quickly, letting Panne’s hand go and scampering into his tent. He settled in on the floor of his tent, his puppies jumped from his bed, climbing all over him “I’m getting them ready still for their big reveal, so don’t let them chew on you if you didnt provoke them..They ruined Auntie Tharja’s cape and that’s just not going to make a good first impression.”

[velvettaguel]

Panne ran alongside Henry, stopping and looking into the tent as he hurried in. After a moment, she followed.

Kneeling down inside of the tent, Panne watched the pups as they crawled  across the sorcerer excitedly. It was a nice change to see animals like them after such a long time of the humans eating any animal they found.

"How cute. They do seem to like you a lot... And how long have you had them? They don't look like they're far from being able to go off on their own."

[candiedthief-deactivated2014072]

When Things Go Sour || Panne & Gaius

[candiedthief-deactivated2014072]

A shadow, long and looming had appeared behind the bandit for a couple seconds, making his eyes widen in alarm. However, his heart stopped beating so rapidly when the shadow shifted into a smaller, more familiar form. Gaius turned around, pivoting on his heels as he chewed roughly on the end of the lollipop stick.

"You gotta warn me when you’re there, Whiskers," he said without his usual smirk. He kept his arms crossed in a tight manner, despite the fact that one of them had wanted to be let go. "My tent? Feh. A damned bear got to it to snatch my goods while I was in the nearby village. And guess what? It got what it wanted."

With a stressed sigh, Gaius uncrossed his arms and ran a gloved hand through his orange locks. “Some watchmen we’ve got in this damned army. Just goes to show that, if you want something done, you gotta do it your damned self.”

[velvettaguel]

Odd. It was unusual that Panne saw Gaius with a frown on his face. The concerned curiosity did not last long, though, and his explanation helped he to feel no pity for him.

"The only time I will warn you of anything is when I feel you are in danger on the battlefield, man-spawn. Don't expect anything else from me."

Panne set a hand on her hip, observing the mess that was once Gaius' tent. "The prince's knight gave warning about hiding food in tents... You should have known that the scent would draw animals near... Why don't you just go and buy more?" She sighed, stepping to his side to get a better look at the mess. "...I will help you fix your tent and put it back together."

[velvettaguel]

Time of Peace || Panne & Sumia

Having walked for days, the Shepherds found themselves in a small town that existed only two hours from their last battlefield. Upon arrival it was not difficult to tell that the homes had been abandoned in the last few months. If anything, the citizens had heard word of the approaching war and fled while they could. Though most valuables had been taken with, there were certain tools had been left behind. Many gardens had been left untended as well.

Panne stood at the side of one of the larger gardens left behind. The constant rain seemed to keep things alive while the humans were away. One part of the garden caught her attention above all others, though. A carrot patch. She approached with caution, uncertain of the army's preferences when it came to taking from the village. Craving what she had not had in months, though, Panne kneeled down and plucked one of the carrots from the ground.

"Hm..." Wiping the vegetable off with her hand, she lifted it to her mouth and took a bite. Panne never minded a little dirt. She nodded to herself, reaching for the next in the patch before heading footsteps approach behind her. She stood quickly to her feet once more and turned to meet the other.

Sumia. She wondered if she had known she was there. "You startled me... Were you following?"

[candiedthief-deactivated2014072]

When Things Go Sour || Open

Gaius was not in a good mood. Nope, not in a good mood at all. A scowl painted his face, clenched teeth visible from a nearby distance. He was mumbling things to himself, profane words and phrases not meant to be heard by young children for the sake of their innocent minds.

The thief seemed to be chewing on the stick of a lollipop, as the candy on it had already dissolved in his mouth. The moment the cherry-flavored solid had faded away, Gaius’ expression became more agitated. His last good piece of candy. At this point, the normally jolly and humorous man simply didn’t want to deal with anything anymore. 

"Damn and double damn…" he muttered to himself, as he rubbed his aching arm, tone low and bitter. Perhaps if the past had been more kind to him, then he wouldn’t be in such a bad mood. And what he was staring at right now didn’t make him feel any better at all. There he stood, in front of his tent. Or rather, what was left of it. It was in tatters, fabric becoming strips and bunches of torn cloth. Oh, great. Just great. Just when he thought that his day couldn’t get any damned worse.

His tent was wrecked. His arm was injured. And worst of all…his sweets had gone sour. 

[velvettaguel]

The day was coming to it's end, and as she often did, Panne returned to camp as the sun began to set from a day of training in the nearby woods. The difference in this day was that on her way back she spotted Gaius appearing somewhat out of sorts.

The taguel, in her full beast form, hopped over behind the thief before transitioning back into her more human form.

"You." Panne addressed him almost the instant she had taken her more appropriate shape. She was not one to show much care for the other Shepherds, but his off mood certainly caught her by surprise. Had she ever seen him acting such a way?

"What has become of your tent? Were you attacked while the rest of the man-spawn were not looking?"

[ahexofastrongmage]

Henry & Panne

[ahexofastrongmage]

"Oo it would be great if you could! I could always use a few more friends to look out for the kids..Libra and Tharja are both already in on the secret~..Oh! Would you like to meet them too maybe?"

[velvettaguel]

"I see. So you have others in on your little secret as well..." She closed her eyes, considering how trustworthy the two may be. She supposed it was no concern of hers.

"Hm. Very well. It couldn't hurt to get acquainted now."

[noyougoextinct]

In Love with a...Boy? ll Panne & Yarne

[noyougoextinct]

Yarne flinched as she put her hand on him, calming down to realize it was merely petting. It was relaxing but he was still far too on edge

"You’re..not mad?…I thought…b-but its not just falling in love with a human..I-I’ve doomed our race unless I figure something out!.."

[velvettaguel]

Pulling her hand back to her side, Panne shook her head. She had expected the poor boy to react this way.

"You have doomed nothing, Yarne. Your life is proof of that. There are two of us now, but the day you are born here... There will be three. And why would I stop there? I dream of starting a large family if I have the opportunity. I have yet to figure everything out, just like you. But you will. We both will."

[velvettaguel]

Make Him Smile || Panne & Brady

[pronetoviolins]

Brady fidgeted, struggling to keep himself from slouching, or scowling, or doing anything else his mother would have disapproved of. “Uh, yeah, me n’ Yarne are together…I mean, it’s not serious. Or, well, it is serious, we’re just, uh…”

Brady swallowed a curse and ran a hand through his hair, wincing. A voice in his head which sounded an awful lot like his mother told him to shut up and just listen to what Panne had to say.

"Go ahead, ask away, I’ll do whatever I can." He paused, the wheels in his head turning, then added a polite, "Ma’am," and lowered his head.

[velvettaguel]

"I do not care how serious it is between the two of you. That is your business, not mine." she said, sounding a bit disinterested. Panne looked at Brady with serious eyes, much like what was expected of her by many at this point.

This changed only slightly as a small smile came to her face.

"...Just keep him happy. I am aware that you may not be the strongest man in this army, but I couldn't care less about that. Just do your best to make him feel safe... And never fail to remind him that his happiness comes before his responsibility as the last of our kind... Because he no longer is. And he never will be again."

[velvettaguel]

Time to Pretend || Open

It was common for the Shepherds to take breaks between battles. Any opportunity to rest and enjoy the little things of life in the calm that came after each win was jumped at. The army had found their way to live as happily as they could even in difficult times.

Not everyone was capable of viewing things with such open minds, though. Quite a few of the shepherds had buried most pleasant thoughts behind a wall of negative memories. Panne was one of those people.

While others left camp to visit nearby villages, the Taguel often found herself on her own. She would remain in her tent, train on her own, or sometimes even take walks through the surrounding woods. Today though, she followed a different step. Panne found herself in town at the same time as many of the others, despite having wandered off on her own once more. 

Off on her own, things were much different than her days before joining Chrom and the others. Rather than being feared and hunted, she was left alone. It was as though the people viewed her as nothing different from themselves. Or perhaps as something worth ignoring above all else. She preferred to pretend that it had always been this way. 

Panne spent the majority of the day doing a little shopping of her own. She never cared for the times that the tactician would take it into her own hands to buy Panne's armor and other provisions for her. She was just finishing purchasing a bag of assorted vegetables when she turned to another standing behind her. Were they waiting for her?

"You. What do you want?"

[velvettaguel]

If I See a Light || Panne and Lethe

[warriorofgallia]

She knew it. From the moment Panne was relieved to have seen someone much like herself, she knew humans had something to do with it.

"And to think I was starting to forgive them for what they’ve done…" Lethe looked just as angry as Panne was. No, she couldn’t forgive them. "Yet at the same time it’s not surprising to me… You and I are from different continents and yet we’re still treated like we’re less no matter where we go."

The last few words that came from Panne felt warm to Lethe, as if it soothed the anger she felt from hearing the taguel’s story. She only wished she knew Panne sooner.

"Don’t worry, you don’t have to be alone again."

It felt strange to be this nice to someone she’s just met yet at the same time she didn’t mind it. They had so much in common after all.

[velvettaguel]

Panne felt her anger diminish as Lethe spoke to her. There was a strange calmness in her voice. She spoke with care. She spoke as though one of her own stood before her.

In all her years, never had Panne felt so... alike another. They may have appeared very different to others, but the two of them had suffered much of the same hate. They watched those they love be harmed by the hands of man.

You don't have to be alone again.

Those words meant more to Panne then she could have ever anticipated. And for once in her life, she felt as though she could believe them.

"...Thank you."

[velvettaguel]

pronetoviolins:

"Huh?" With only a small degree of hesitation, Brady lumbered over to where Panne was standing.

Stand up straight. Speak clearly. Do not mess this up.

"Whaddya wa—er, I mean, what is it?"

"I've been informed that you and my son have become a sort of... couple as you would call it."

Amazing how quick Brady was to correct his speech around Panne now that he was her son's mate. She had about chuckled. She couldn't help but feel a little bad for making the child so nervous, though, and decided to lighten up and try to sound just a little friendlier.

"He certainly does care a lot about you... I'm grateful that you've given him this sort of comfort with another. I would only like to ask one thing of you."

[ahexofastrongmage]

Henry & Panne

[ahexofastrongmage]

Henry’s voice fell into a harsh whisper “I’m raising them of course. So duh I’ve worried…I am worried…but they’ll be ready to meet everyone soon! And then it’ll be totally safe for them.”

[velvettaguel]

"Soon, you say?"

Well that was reassuring enough. Panne had no doubt that they would be accepted by the Shepherds. In fact, it was much more likely that the human women would smother the young pups with affection. Typical human woman behavior.

"Very well. If you need assistance with keeping them safe until then, I will do my best to watch out from afar."

[noyougoextinct]

In Love with a...Boy? ll Panne & Yarne

[noyougoextinct]

"W-well…um…it’s..uh…" Yarne cast his eyes downward, taking a few long breaths to try to calm down  "..Its Brady..we’re um..together now..I..hope that’s alright"

[velvettaguel]

Of course. Yarne's hesitation to speak of his relationship made much more sense after that revelation. Panne, however, remained calm. Moving over closer to her son, she placed her hand gently on the side of his head, stroking his hair a few times.

"Don't sound so ashamed of yourself, Yarne. I'm only your mother. I hold no say in who it is you love... To be truthful, the moment we met I could not believe that I had ever had a son... To think that I would fall in love with a human... I couldn't believe it. If you love Brady, then I wish you nothing but happiness with him. We have no control over those emotions."

[velvettaguel]

Nya ha!

[noyougoextinct]

In Love with a...Boy? ll Panne & Yarne

[noyougoextinct]

"I-It shouldn’t take that long.." He sat beside her, looking only down at his feet "Its um..Its just about..I’m in a relationship now." he gave a small smile which only barely masked the over whelming worry. Not that it was really all that much different from usual for him.

[velvettaguel]

"A... relationship...?"

Panne looked upon her son in surprise. Could he have found a mate so soon? She knew him not to be a social boy, and wondered which young woman among the shepherds might have taken Yarne's heart. The thought of young taguel-

No. She knew too well not to dream of such things, no matter the warmth and pleasure that grandchildren would bring her. The tone of her son's voice gave no more reason to become excited for a larger family. 

She did, however, feel a bit of happiness for Yarne. She knew this was a great leap for someone as cautious as him. This person must have been very important to him.

"Well? Go on."

[ahexofastrongmage]

Henry & Panne

[ahexofastrongmage]

"Ah!" He leaned back out of the hug and put a finger to his lips "Shhh…not so loud…Heehee..maybe though.” He flopped against her, hugging her again

[velvettaguel]

"I do not believe maybe is the correct answer to that question, Henry... With what purpose have you brought the animals onto camp ground? I'm certain you'll be able to keep them out of sight... But have you not worried of the possibility of them being found?"

"...It isn't safe for them here. Seeing them harmed would hurt me nearly as much as I'm sure it would hurt you..."