Chapter Five, 'midwinters, journeys, and the nature of nix'

It was late, and the party was slowing down. Midwinter's was always a good festival in the company of the Howling Axe clan. She'd heard from Some of the merchants that other clans celebrated the holiday with an exchange of gifts and decoration of houses, but Aurou had managed to keep the traditional manifestation of the holiday alive with the last hunt of the winter and a great bonfire with feasting and a dance. She loved the dance, and this year it was a new moon so she'd actually be able to remember most of it. She'd heard some pretty weird stories about the years where it had been a full moon. She denied most of them, but there weren't exactly a whole lot of spirits taking the forms of wolves in the area so the whole clan knew who was responsible for drinking all the punch three years ago.

It also happened to be her birthday.
She'd waited up so that she could tell her father without all the crowds and revelers to distract him. It was a very personal matter, and it was only fair to tell him. She'd wait till spring, winter was a terrible time to travel abroad.

"Father, I..Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"What is it child?"
"I'm going to leave this spring."
Aurou sat upright.
"But child, Why? Are the warriors teasing you again?"
"No, they stopped doing that after I bit Aolif's ear. I've been reading the signs, and communing with the spirits; both seem to believe that if this is not my last midwinter's here there will be dire consequences."
Her father sighed, then rose and began walking towards the hut. He motioned for her to follow.
"I had hoped you would chose to do so on your own, without the prompting of omens. It would be better that you undertake this journey by your own will than with reluctance."
"Why would I ever wish to leave here father? I have everything I could ever dream of."
"You have everything you have yet to dream of. But I suppose now that you are older these things will begin to be known to you. I know you've met our local nix, surely you've wondered why others do not return from him."
"He kills them of course, drowns them. It's what nix do, everyone knows that."
"What do you see when you look at him, and that statement alone says much of the nix."
"A man, one of the firebloods. He's tall and muscular, with dark hair and a kind voice."
"The nature of the nix is to appear attractive to it's prey. When I look at the same nix I see a young woman with pale fur and a long well kept tail. They lure their prey by manipulating its lust and convincing them to enter its pool. Then, as you said, they drown them. A child, or one of pure heart, will not even know the nix is there until it kills them; that is why I have not dissuaded you from knowing of such things altogether.
But the fact that you see it as you do confirms to me that while you shall always be welcome amongst our clan; you have desires that will never be met amongst the Ga-Vok."
"Is this one of those things I'll understand when I'm older?"
"No child, it's one of those things you shall understand when you are ready. You are old enough now, it's just a matter of when. I'll explain what I know between now and when you leave, but this isn't the appropriate place for that topic."
"Oh."
"Now I'm far more concerned with your being prepared to leave. I've been conducting some research over the past year or two so that when you decided to leave I might be able to at least send you off with some idea of where you are heading. I've managed to determine that most of the remaining Nielda on the planet are in mountain valleys and fortresses. When you find towns wealthy from silver, ascend the mountains and you will find them."
"Thank you father."