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Chapter Text

The telltale signs of autumn were evident all across the Raintrace. Its usual palette of verdant greens and colorful flora had somewhat dimmed, making way for more muted tones that touched its treetops as the humid weather began to simmer. 

Nevertheless, the brilliant teals of the waterways that snaked through its spine stood prominent amongst the thick pockets of jungle trees, marking a clear route from Thornmarsh all the way to the Memorial Grove. Precarious by foot, breathtaking by flight.

Thanks to the dependable sunwing under her, Aloy was granted the luxury of the scenic route for her latest trek across the lowlands of the Forbidden West. With only the sound of the ambient whirring and shifting gears of her mount for company, she quickly lost herself in the journey.

She was grateful for that. The anticipation of returning to the Grove - a place she would readily specify as her favorite of all the west - had been gnawing away at her since she'd first left the base a few weeks earlier.

Her mission to prepare the many tribes of the west for Nemesis had taken her to Plainsong first. The excitement of the promise of Zo's company well outweighed the aggravation Aloy felt at the very thought of having to deal with the Utaru Chorus again. But to her surprise, Zo had done more work on them than she had let on in her updates. 

By the time Aloy had touched ground on the north dish, there were already talks about when and where the Utaru would travel to rally their people together. Perhaps the return of the land-gods had spurred some vigor back into the ordinarily stagnant Chorus, but Aloy put her bet on Zo's unrelenting determination being the real driving factor.

Two days' flight southwest and a particularly unpleasant sandstorm later, Aloy found herself amongst the drifting dunes of Hidden Ember in search of Erend. Of course, even in the sand-filled wastes of what was once Las Vegas, he was easy enough to find. As if he would ever let her arrive with anything less than a boisterous, bellowing welcome. 

Efforts to muster the Oseram were showing early signs of promise - Erend was confident he could get those in the west under his wing in due time and was already planning his return to the Claim to spread the word about Nemesis. 

She had sand in her boots and smelled of scrappersap when she'd left the desert behind a few days later.

Cresting over the craggy hilltops at the cusp between the Stilllsands and the Raintrace around midday, Aloy could have taken her time getting to the Grove with some sunlight to spare. But she found herself gliding along the most direct route, saving a few extra hours enjoying her sunwing for another day.

She was too eager to delay her arrival any longer.

The unmistakable sight of the Memorial Grove came into view just as the sun had begun to fall from its peak in the sky, the sharp ridges of the arena's crown sticking above the lush tree line. A jump of excitement stirred in Aloy's chest, a grin spreading across her face as she drew in a deep breath and leaned into her sunwing. 

The machine's wings tucked inward, and it dove, the canopy below Aloy approaching impossibly fast. A familiar rush of adrenaline coursed through her, as powerful and refreshing as the air billowing all around her. Then, with calculated precision, Aloy rolled her shoulders backward to reign in the sunwing, a loud whoosh pricking at her ears as its wings expanded outwards again and plateaued just above the trees. 

Circling the settlement, keeping a keen eye out for a spot to perch, Aloy's smile grew at the sight of the Grove bustling with people below. Errant machines and their parts lay mangled across the arena - the days' battles finished and the subsequent cleanup underway. The Maw of the Arena was buzzing with Tenakth, the many merchants and challengers mulling around the tiered grounds after the pit had closed for the evening.

As Aloy found an outcrop above the arena's overlook, she noticed some of them taking notice of her arrival - familiar murmurs of "wings of the ten" making their way to her ears.

Aloy touched down on the makeshift metal roost with a heavy thunk and promptly swung off the sunwing, using the sturdy fiber mesh of its wing to slide off onto the solid foundation of the overlook safely. 

"By the Ten, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you arrive on that thing."

Aloy let out a modest laugh as Dekka approached her, a welcoming smile prominent against the red and teal of her decorative lowland paints. Aloy basked in the warmth she felt as the chaplain placed her hands firmly on her arms. 

"How are you doing, Dekka?" Aloy asked, her attention flitting between the older woman before her and the sounds of people stirring in the corridor beyond her.

"Oh, I'm well," Dekka sighed contently, gently squeezing Aloy's arms before releasing them. "Grateful for your safe arrival."

As a thank you began forming on her lips, Aloy's eyes caught the faint outlines of two familiar figures making their way down the corridor, all burly frames and broad strides: Hekarro and Kotallo. 

She watched them for a few moments and found herself at a loss for what she was going to say before. Dekka turned to follow Aloy's gaze.

"I won't keep you," she said hushedly. "It appears that the chief and high marshal are eager to welcome you back as well."

A faint rush of heat flushed across Aloy's cheeks at Dekka's kind words. She was preparing to try thanking her again before her mind stalled, confusion quickly turning her features.

"High marshal?"

"Ah," the chaplain stepped back, letting out an uneven chuckle. "I apologize. I was under the impression he had already shared that information with you himself."

"He did not," Aloy stated flatly, shaking her head.

While their communication had been short and sporadic over the past months, Aloy wondered why Kotallo had never mentioned this new title. It would've been easy enough to bring up when she'd sent word about her intent to visit. She shook away the mild frustration she felt and allowed the pride of the revelation to seep in instead - the beginnings of a content smile touching her lips as the chief and Kotallo entered the arena proper.

"I'll leave you to your business, Aloy," Dekka smiled. "May the Ten protect you."

Taking her leave, she turned on the spot and saluted the two arriving Tenakth men as she passed them, who promptly returned the gesture.

"Chief Hekarro," Aloy greeted him, lowering her head in a respectful nod, to which he returned. She paused, turning her attention to Kotallo. "High Marshal," she added with a slight bite in her tone.

To his credit, Kotallo did not flinch at her snark, but she'd spent enough time with him to recognize the flash of disquiet in his eyes as he exchanged a courteous nod with her. Hekarro looked over his marshal, amusement faint in his expression before he turned back to Aloy.

"Aloy. It's good to have you in the Grove again." Chief Hekarro's steady, baritone voice carried around her, the power of it amplified by the kind smile he was wearing. One of his huge, calloused hands clapped onto her shoulder, and she shifted slightly under the weight of it. "I hope your journey from the Stillsands wasn't too difficult."

"It's good to be back, chief," Aloy replied with a polite smile. His hand retreated, and she felt lighter. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be shaking sand out of my armor for at least another week, but otherwise, it went well."

"I'm glad to hear it. We've been looking forward to speaking with you," Herkarro went on, turning to include Kotallo in the sentiment. Aloy's eyes settled on her friend, and a familiar warmth she'd been missing since she last saw him spread pleasantly through her.

"I have updates on the other tribes and some plans of my own I'd like to run by you," Aloy explained, prompting an intrigued look from the chief. "I'm hoping to help rally the rest of the Tenakth in our fight against Nemesis."

"I look forward to hearing these plans then. We have made good progress here at the Grove," Hekarro informed her, pride lacing his tone. "I trust my high marshal was successful in sharing at least that news with you."

Aloy fought hard to stifle a laugh, caught off guard by Hekarro's dry chiding.

"He was," she replied warmly.

"Good," the chief hummed, sharing an amiable look with Kotallo that seemed to say, at ease, soldier.

"You have traveled often and far as of late, champion. Allow me to offer you the amenities of the Grove for tonight." Hekarro raised an arm, motioning to the hallway behind him that led toward the throne room. "We can discuss your plans in the morning."

"I was actually hoping to speak to you now," Aloy interjected, stepping towards the Tenakth man as he began to turn from her. "If possible, chief," she added, hoping to soften the bluntness of her request.

He stopped to shoot her another curious gaze over his muscular shoulder. 

"Of course," he hummed, nodding and turning his attention back to her. "Now, it is then."

A grateful smile touched Aloy's features.

"Marshal Kotallo - you are dismissed," Hekarro commanded curtly. Without a sound, Kotallo bowed and made his way away from them and down the spiraling path toward the Maw.

A strange sense of disappointment followed his departure. Aloy found her eyes following him as she began to keep pace with the chief. In truth, Kotallo wasn't exactly necessary for the conversation at hand - she had run it all by him already - but she had expected him there regardless. His dismissal struck her oddly.

"Speak plainly. What is it you would like to discuss?"

"Right," Aloy breathed, striding beside the chief. "It's simple enough, I guess. I want to visit the Tenakth capitals. I think speaking with the commanders directly would help us really secure their support."

Hekarro nodded in understanding beside her.

"I planned to start with Scalding Spear. I already have some practice dealing with Drakka." A low laugh rumbled from the man beside her. "After that, I would head to the Bulwark and Thornmarsh. And I know - I know - those won't be a simple sell, but if I can just show them what we learned about Nemesis, I -"

Hekarro raised up a hand and began to slow his pace. Aloy realized they had made it to the throne room. Her eyes scanned their familiar surroundings before returning to the chief, who gave her a knowing look.

"I trust in your ability to convince even the most stubborn of Tenakth, Aloy," he stated, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. "And I trust you know that my confidence in your abilities does not mean they will be easy victories."

"I know," Aloy breathed, already keenly aware of the intransigence she'd be putting herself up against. "That's why I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to approach them."

"Gladly," Hekarro nodded. "But your request brings me to a point I'd like to discuss with you. One that concerns both your mission as well as my own."

Silent, Aloy nodded, caution crawling across her features. She had no objections to helping the tribe but had her own world-shattering tasks to think of first. Still, she decided to hear out Hekarro - granting him the listening ear he had lent her more than a few times.

"The end of the rebellion marked a new era for the tribes - one that found us closer than ever to true unity." The hope in his tone was enrapturing, but it faltered as soon as it had risen. "But despite the new marshals, our victories against Regalla...the bonds between tribes remain tenuous. No matter how significant, our triumphs could not simply undo so many years of violence against one another and at the hands of the Carja."

The chief stepped slowly up the back stairs of the throne, crossing over the very spot where Aloy had retrieved AETHER all those months ago, and she watched tentatively as he paced. 

"We lost a great many warriors to the rebellion, and those that remain loyal to Regalla's cause have exploited that. They continue to raid our less defensible settlements and interfere with our trade and hunting routes. It is part of why the Tenakth remain at such a stalemate: united in appearances only." Hekarro sighed. "The tribes remain fractured, I'm afraid."

"Kotallo mentioned your efforts to flush out the last of the rebels," Aloy spoke up, her voice quiet. "He told me how hard it's been for your people."

When the rebellion was at its apex, Aloy cursed herself for not doing more before Regalla could strike - for not finding more camps or chasing down more leads. You have a bigger battle to fight for now, Kotallo had told her repeatedly. And he had been right, of course. But the regret still felt heavy as she watched how her inaction fell upon the chief's shoulders.

"It is a difficult balance - bringing those who seek to harm us to justice without allowing ourselves to become paranoid or cruel," Hekarro mused, his tone growing unusually vulnerable. "I do not wish for my people to live in fear of their own. They have suffered that fate for long enough."

Aloy looked up expectantly at the chief, an inkling of where he was going with things already stirring in her mind, though she kept that to herself. 

"You require insight into our tribe commanders and a means of gaining their favor," he reiterated as he continued to pace slowly before Aloy. "And I need aid in stopping the last of the Regalla's followers, once and for all."

"So, you want me to handle the rebels that still remain," Aloy stated plainly.

"Well, yourself and High Marshal Kotallo."

A weighty silence grew between them as Aloy's eyebrows furrowed, taking in the chief's request.

"What?"

"High Marshal Kotallo," Hekarro repeated matter-of-factly.

"I mean - " Aloy huffed, unprepared for the offer now on the table. She shook her head. "You need him here, chief."

"That is not untrue, but my marshals are often required to leave their posts to enforce my will."

She would be lying if she hadn't thought about asking Kotallo to join her - more times than she cared to admit. The idea was more than tempting. Having someone she trusted so wholly by her side to help her battle through the messy politics of the Tenakth made the mission seem far less daunting. 

But there was a part of her that had her convinced she would be putting him needlessly at risk - that he was better off in the safety of the Memorial Grove. The other part told her she was being an idiot for thinking so.

"I believe he would be of great aid to you, Aloy. Not unlike when we first met." 

Hekarro's deep, steady voice broke through her thoughts, and she found him looking down at her, sincerity in his gaze. 

"He is a talented fighter and the most fitting representation of my support." The chief paused and smiled, pride touching his features. "My most trusted advisor."

"I understand," Aloy nodded, though the firm knot forming in her stomach betrayed the surety in her words. 

"I will allow you to discuss it with him yourself if you so choose," the chief explained, and Aloy wondered if he could sense the unease growing within her. "Regardless, I believe helping with the rebels will very likely make my more...headstrong commanders agreeable to an audience."

It was hard to argue against his logic - though Aloy desperately wanted to. While seeing an end to the rebellion efforts was on her list of things to do, it was not at the top. That coveted spot was currently reserved for Stop Nemesis, right above Figure out a way to stop Nemesis. Still, while it would no doubt slow down her intended path, there was no way of denying the mutual benefits.

"My spear is yours then, chief," Aloy pledged, her gaze firm on the chief's. "As long as your support is mine."

"Always, my champion."

Chapter Text

Hekarro had done well by his word. Aloy spent the better part of the evening pacing the throne room with him - poking and prodding to figure out the best way to appease each Tenakth commander. She'd already encountered each of them at least once - for better or worse - so they weren't wholly foreign to her. But having the chief's perspective in mind would no doubt prove invaluable when she strolled into their capitals with talks of an interstellar killer machine and a plea for unification.

The moon - nearly full - was suspended high in the night sky, casting a dim, cool light over the settlement by the time Aloy was finally bidding Hekarro a good night. With her farewell, she was free to digest their lengthy talk...and free to find Kotallo, she reminded herself.

A brisk gust of wind rushed through the vast, arched hall as Aloy retraced her steps from earlier. The air was refreshing but still dense with moisture as it ruffled her wild, red hair. Running a hand through her locks as if it would do anything to tame them, Aloy meandered onto the torch-lit outlook of the arena.

Her feet carried her idly to the platform's edge, green eyes casting downward and trying to make out the finer details of the fighting pit below. Its battle-worn terrain was obscured by a thin fog that blanketed it, making its emptiness seem almost ominous.

Aloy lowered herself to sit on the balcony, letting out a soft sigh as she did, the exhaustion of the day finally creeping over her. She pressed a finger to her focus.

"Kotallo?"

"Yes, Aloy?" Though robotic over the focus channel, his voice was a welcomed sound. Aloy smiled to herself.

"Can you meet me at the overlook? I can fill you in on what the chief and I talked about."

"I will be there shortly."

Shortly, it turned out, felt like an eternity. 

In an attempt to distract herself from her muddled thoughts, Aloy began to count the torches that lined the arena palisades, their glow flickering eerily against the settling fog. She tried to think of the machines she'd felled within those walls, the cheers and the cries she'd heard screaming from its stands, their triumphs against Regalla upon its sands.

Her mind still wandered to Kotallo and the choice she had yet to make.

The practical part of her told her to bring him. He knew the Tenakth lands and its people better than she ever could. He was a more than capable fighter and a burgeoning diplomat to boot. He represented a flesh and blood blessing from the chief. On scroll, he was precisely the ally she needed for this task.

And yet she remained at odds with herself.

You aren't alone in this, Aloy. Let him help.

She could practically hear Varl's voice in her mind - that damn stubborn optimism - and she cursed it. Even in death, he had remained the lone voice of hope amongst the dark, cynical thoughts that consumed her so fiercely, so often. 

Sometimes she didn't know if she loathed it or treasured it. For all the good it did her, it was also a painful reminder.

Varl was gone, and it was her fault. The thought of losing another friend was one Aloy couldn't fathom, and she couldn't help but feel like she was tempting fate every time she let them back in. The desire to keep them at arm's length was overwhelming - her old reclusive tendencies eating away at the hopeful part of her that wanted nothing more than to keep them close.

"I was surprised to hear from you at this hour." 

Kotallo's rough, familiar voice cut through the silence around her. Turning on the spot, she watched as he approached slowly, lowering himself to the floor with a soft grunt. 

"Why?" Aloy questioned as she watched him settle beside her. 

"I thought you would be trying to rest by now. You are leaving at first light, no?"

The dim torchlight flickered around them and off Kotallo's face, the shadows they cast accentuating how his brow furrowed.

"Probably before, honestly," she chuckled gently, finding it hard to meet Kotallo's gaze. "I wanted to..." She trailed off and hurriedly tried to shake away the nerves biting at her resolve. "The chief kicked you out earlier, so I figured I'd fill you in."

A huff of air from his nostrils - something close to a laugh - escaped Kotallo.

"I was kind of surprised he ditched his new high marshal," she teased, leaning to nudge her shoulder gently to his.

"I apologize for not telling you," Kotallo said softly, sincerity written all over his features. "I did not think it important during our talks."

"Well, it is," she shook her head at him. "It's more than well earned."

"Thank you, Aloy." 

Kotallo's head tucked down slightly as he hid away one of those bashful half-smiles he gave when he was being too humble. 

He did it too often, she thought, but she didn't press the point. There were other things that needed to be discussed, after all.

"What did you and the chief discuss?" he asked after a quiet, pleasant moment - one that she wished could've lasted just a little longer.

"I'm going to visit the capitals like we talked about before," Aloy began matter-a-fact, betraying the uneasy way her fingers dug into the clay of the floor beneath her. "Hekarro talked to me about all the commanders, what to expect, all of that. It sounds like Tekotteh is going to be the biggest pain, but that's no surprise." She let out a weak, humorless laugh. "He's also giving me some provisions for the trip, which saves me the trouble of going around to buy them all."

Keenly aware that she was starting to ramble, Aloy pinched her eyes shut and exhaled slowly. If Kotallo was keying in on her nerves, he gave no indication of it: his gaze on her steady and patient as ever when she opened her eyes again.

"He wants me to help clear out the remaining rebels. And well, he may have -" Aloy stammered, losing confidence quickly. "He mentioned -"

"He wants me to join you," he stated plainly, saving her from floundering over the statement any longer. The weight of the conversation snapped, and Aloy's expression morphed into one of surprise. "He discussed it with me before your arrival."

An airy laugh thick with irony escaped her. She should've known.

"I believe he asked me to leave your meeting so as to not sway your decision on the matter," Kotallo reasoned as both relief and annoyance washed over Aloy. 

She breathed in, a sheepish expression now creeping across her features, and shook her head. It was futile to fight against the foolishness washing over her, but Kotallo's understanding smile was helping ease some of the embarrassment.

"You have a choice, Aloy," he spoke up again, his tone softening and his expression growing serious. "Do not let my readiness to help sway what you believe is best."

"I know," Aloy murmured, averting her nervous gaze from his. "But thank you for saying it."

Her stomach turned once more as she digested his words and his intentions. 

It was a rare thing - not being bucked on her decision to handle things alone. She was reminded often and loudly that it wasn't a requirement of her role, though she disagreed with the sentiment nearly as frequently.

No more running.

She had promised that to Varl and did well to remember it. If not for herself, then to honor all he had done for her. What all of them had done.

Taking in the sight of the man beside her, she knew she couldn't imagine her journey so far without him. If she was honest with herself, she couldn't imagine her life without him. It was still hard to believe that she'd gained such a dedicated ally from the rigid, steeled Tenakth back at Stone Crest all those months ago.

And yet there he was, vowing to help her again. No questions of dangers or sacrifices - just pure, unwavering loyalty. His pledge felt almost as surreal as the first time he'd offered it in the wake of the Kulrut. 

She couldn't deny him then, and she couldn't now.

The lingering discomfort roiling inside her had started to wane, making room for a more pleasant feeling: the warmth of acceptance and...excitement, strangely enough. Her teeth pressed gently into her lip as she willed away a keen smile.

"Well," Aloy breathed, her chest rising and falling with a slow exhale. "Are you really sure you want to go on another trip through the clan lands with me?"

The grin that spread across Kotallo's face could've lit up the entire damn Grove.

"I can think of no higher honor."

The following day arrived swiftly. Despite Kotallo's insistence, Aloy had gotten very little sleep. The throbbing ache of exhaustion did nothing to slow her path, though, and they were hauling their bags onto their chargers before the sun peeked over the horizon.

"You know, there's still time to back out," Aloy teased as she saddled a bag on the haunch of her charger. 

Its ambient blue glow was more striking in the fleeting darkness of the arriving dawn, the sun just beginning to paint the sky a pleasant mixture of pinks and yellows.

A rough laugh rolled from Kotallo nearby. "And leave you to deal with Drakka on your own?"

"I've done it before," Aloy countered coolly. "A few times, actually." 

Giving a firm tug on her bags to ensure they were secure, she brushed her hands together and rested them on her hips, satisfied. 

"He owes me. If we can't convince him, I'll just blackmail him."

Kotallo didn't laugh at that. Instead, his attention snapped to hers with a confused look on his features. That is until he saw the smirk Aloy was failing to hide.

"You were making a joke," he observed flatly. 

If Aloy didn't know better, she would've sworn she saw a blush touching the top of his ears - his paints blocked any indication of it on his face.

"I am ready when you are," Kotallo pressed on, clearing his throat loudly.

He turned, looking back at the entrance to the Grove where Hekarro stood, watching as they readied to leave for Scalding Spear. He nodded curtly, placing a fist to his heart - a silent tiding of safe travels.  Kotallo returned the gesture, and Aloy followed suit before hoisting herself onto her charger.

It was rare that Aloy traveled by land mount anymore, but the hot winds that tore through the Raintrace had squashed any chances at an easy flight. Not to mention how much the conditions would worsen out in the flatlands of the Shining Wastes. 

There was a sunwing nest due north of the Desert Clan capital that they could find a mount in after their visit, but chargers remained the best travel option for the time being.

"It is about a day's ride to Scalding Spear," Kotallo explained, giving a firm nudge into his charger's side as he passed alongside her. "We should arrive before dusk."

Aloy mirrored the gesture, and they took off from the Memorial Grove at a rhythmic trot. 

"Anything to be concerned about on the way there?" Aloy asked, watching as the greenery of the Raintrace began to slowly fade into darker, duller colors farther on the road ahead. The expanse of the Shining Wastes lay well beyond the rolling hills before them, but she tried to picture it in her mind as Kotallo spoke.

"Thunderjaws, possibly. They have been known to roam south of the settlement."

"Right," Aloy breathed, recalling the location. Her search with Drakka to find a missing Tenakth child a while back had taken her to the site he spoke of. "What about stormbirds?"

Kotallo turned to her, looking skeptical.

"Drakka and I took one down when we were fighting a thunderjaw out there," she elaborated, thinking back on the shock that had run through her when the stormbird had descended upon them, seemingly out of nowhere. They had both uttered their fair share of curses that fight. 

"I thought that site was by Arrowhand," Kotallo countered. 

"Different thunderjaw."

"It sounds like he kept you busy," he said with a short laugh. 

"I told you he owed me," Aloy chirped, giving Kotallo a proud look. 

"Perhaps I can convince you two to share that tale with me when we reach the settlement."

"I don't think he'll take much convincing," she japed, knowing Drakka would never pass up an opportunity to brag, especially regarding his martial prowess. The chuckle that rumbled in Kotallo's chest let her know he was thinking the same.

Their laughter was interrupted by the familiar sound of droning gears and the telltale yellow headlights of an alerted machine. Their heads snapped in unison to the light source, and Aloy's eyes narrowed as a bristleback came into view just beyond a thicket of trees to the left of the path.

"Only one of them," Kotallo noted, his voice so quiet it was difficult to hear over the whir of the winds blowing through the clearing. He had slowed his charger - Aloy followed his new pace. "Must have wandered away from its sounder."

With practiced patience, Aloy observed the bristleback as it circled the nearby copse idly. Its blaze canisters glowed a brilliant bright yellow, not unlike its light, making it easy to track the hulking machine through the cover of thick trees. 

Earth began to kick up from its snout as it dipped its grinder discs into the soil, and the ominous glow of its lights faded to an amiable blue color. Aloy breathed out a sigh of relief. With the machine's curiosity quelled and a comfortable distance between them, she allowed her attention to turn to her companion just ahead of her. 

The muscles on Kotallo's exposed back twitched with residual tension as his eyes were still wide and deadset on the bristleback. An uneasiness constricted in her center, watching his chest rise and fall with slow, heavy breaths. To someone unfamiliar, he looked like the practiced hunter he was, prepared to pounce at a moment's notice. But Aloy knew him better than that, and apprehension had begun to consume his severe glare.

Her mind pulled her back to the day she'd met Kotallo. At the time, he had just been another Tenakth marshal - sauntering up to the Embassy with a small collection of the Sky Clan in his stead.

And then it had all gone red. 

The screams were vivid in her memory - the first ripping from Kotallo, wild and determined, as he'd launched his spear clean through a rebel rider. And the second, agonized and desperate, as he found himself on the receiving end of a charging bristleback's fury.

"Let's keep moving," Aloy spoke up, her tone serious.

Kotallo straightened to attention at the sound of her voice. Tearing his eyes from his foe to meet Aloy's instead, his glare eased, and he gave Aloy a curt nod. He promptly quickened his charger's pace without a word.

They rode in silence as the morning grew late, gradually leaving behind the comforts of the Raintrace in favor of the craggy slopes that signaled the western border of the Shining Wastes. The midday sun hung just below its peak in the sky and bore down on them as they crested the apex of a sizable hill the pathway led them through. 

Greeted by a breathtaking view of the flatlands ahead at its peak, a pleased smile pulled across Aloy's lips. Her Nora furs were damp with sweat, and her cheeks were sun-kissed, warm and growing tender. The promise of reprieve from the sun was enough to excite her but the flatlands were, in a way she'd never noticed before, quite beautiful in their own right, and she drank it in.

Dry earth danced wildly across the plains ahead of them, dust trapped in the blustering winds and forming small, passing cyclones across the barren terrain. The vast expanse of sun-fried earth lacked the colorful landscape the Raintrace offered. However, it made up for it with the pockets of flowers, vibrant shades of purples and pinks, that littered the otherwise dreary terrain.

The Wastes were also home to a particularly fascinating sight that Aloy was looking forward to - one that came into view as they descended past an outcropping of rocks along the hillside. The unmistakable silhouette of Scalding Spear, its singular crooked tower careening over the settlement, stood like a beacon in the scorched abyss. It looked meager, too far off in the distance to feel real yet, but the sight of it breathed new enthusiasm into Aloy.

"The spear in the sand," Kotallo announced, and Aloy found him looking back at her. She mirrored his knowing smile and kicked her heel into her charger, picking up their pace.

They were nearly there.

Chapter Text

"The sun here is as fierce and unrelenting as its people," Kotallo sighed when they stopped for rations and a drink, practically seething at the sight of some much-needed shade under a large cluster of jutting rocks.

Aloy couldn't argue with the sentiment. The heat had been tolerable in the early hours of their trip, still in the cover the lowland jungle trees provided. But as the day grew late, the sun pitched higher, and shade grew scarce. Reprieve from the blistering rays became a lost luxury, and Aloy had felt the slow creep of exhaustion mounting over her entire body.

Her armor had been doused in sweat for the better part of the day, and she felt like a furnace beneath it - the light furs and leathers trapping in every ounce of heat. Unable to see it but entirely certain that her face was now a deep shade of pink, both from the sunburn she'd acquired and the fatigue taking hold of her, she downed the last of her waterskin with a long, exasperated exhale.

Glancing lazily over at Kotallo, it didn't look like he was much enjoying the weather either. His usually pristine paints were smeared from sweat, and his bare shoulder glowed an angry red that was bright enough for her to see through his body paint. Much like her, he grew up shrugging away the cold bite of mountainous winters, not whatever kind of torture the desert was imposing upon them now.

A thick haze settled over the flatlands, blurring and warping the air around them as they pressed on across the scorched earth. The once-distant outline of Scalding Spear became more discernable as they traveled, though, beginning to look less like a faraway mirage and more like a place they were actually going to reach.

As the evening began to loom over the Shining Wastes, the sting of heat began to give way and a palette of deep oranges filled the sky, painting the sweltering land around them a lovely shade of red. Fitting for the Desert Clan, Aloy thought to herself as the barren fields around them began to populate with rows upon rows of metal panels and decorated Tenakth totems.

Reigning in her charger as the road narrowed between the panels, Aloy craned her neck to marvel at the intimidating spear-like tower careening above them as they finally arrived, its shadow casting out over the land like an enormous sundial. Dim torchlight adored the many peaked perches that jutted out from the capital's exterior wall, the ambient glow a welcoming sight for what she had first believed to be an unwelcoming tribe.

Weariness ached at every inch of Aloy's body as she dismounted her charger outside the main gate. Silently gathering her belongings, she watched Kotallo follow suit before they strode up the impressive spike-lined entrance of Scalding Spear together.

Walking into the settlement, Aloy was reminded of the awe she felt the first time she'd stepped foot in the capital - nothing more to them than an outlander with a marshal's dagger back then. Though eyes still tracked them as they moved through pockets of people, there appeared to be far fewer filled with suspicion than on her first visit. Instead, many landed on her with curiosity, though she also found others that paid more attention to the marshal in front of her, their gazes inevitably falling upon his maimed shoulder before narrowing.

An anger stirred within Aloy - a quiet one that she'd become too familiar with. Tensing, her jaw set, and she swallowed the urge to lash out at those ignorant enough to look at Kotallo like he was some kind of pariah. She held her tongue, though, following him up the rising slope of the walkway without incident. He didn't need her defending his honor any more than he needed the approval of those staring at him with such cruelty.

Of the many things about the Tenakth Aloy admired, the narrow idea of what constituted "strength" some of them clung to was not one of them. 

Close behind Kotallo as he led the way through the maze of clay ramps and tents, Aloy forced her attention elsewhere. Lively conversation came from the Zokkah's tent as they passed by - a young Tenakth man lay with his chest bare on the table as the inker marked him - while the sound of idle bargaining came from the stitchers across the way. A low rumble of chatter reached them from the level below, the kitchens in full swing as soldiers and common folk huddled around the small tent, awaiting their portion of the day's hot meal. It was all drowned out by a wave of animated cheers that roared from the melee pit below, a pair of Tenakth women battling for dominance in its sands as a crowd gathered, heckling and howling excitedly.

The sounds of revelry faded away the higher they ascended, the murmur of quieter conversations taking their place as they approached what appeared to be barracks. A large, decorated archway marking the entrance to the tent separated them from the commander's deck just beyond it. Speaking for the first time since they'd entered the capital, Kotallo addressed the soldier posted at the entry.

"The commander in?" he asked concisely. 

The soldier, who barely looked old enough to serve even for a Tenakth, gave each of them a wary look, having to tilt his head upward to meet Kotallo's gaze.

"What's your business?"

"To speak with the commander," Kotallo's tone was delightfully dry, and Aloy stifled a laugh. 

"I'm sorry, I can't - " the man started before he was promptly interrupted.

"Drakka!" 

Her voice rang out brusquely against the low drone of conversation, and the young soldier's eyes widened. Aloy relished in the sight of Kotallo's satisfied smirk, however muted it was. There was no intent to make this man's job difficult - she simply wasn't a fan of formalities, and her patience was as fried as her skin at the moment.

It didn't take long for the Tenakth commander to heed her call, trotting down the worn ramp that connected the barracks to the overlook. All smiles and that signature bravado she'd come to know, Aloy watched with unbridled amusement as Drakka greeted them with a beaming grin.

"I'd know that voice anywhere," he chuckled, his arms outstretching in welcome. "Desert Flame." He promptly clapped a firm hand on Kotallo's pauldron. "And the High Marshal? Must be something important going on if the two of you are here."

"Nothing gets past you," Aloy teased, mirroring his grin.

"I can't tell you how much I've missed our lovely talks," Drakka chortled. He eyed their packs and got the soldier's attention beside him with a light tap on the arm. "Make yourself useful, kid: take their bags down to the guest quarters."

Wordlessly, the soldier offered a hand, and Aloy and Kotallo obliged, giving him their belongings and watching as he disappeared out of the tent.

"C'mon," Drakka beckoned them with a nod. "We can talk on the deck."

Beds lined the cramped barracks, and the handful of soldiers resting upon them watched in silent intrigue as they passed through with their commander. Proceeding up a small, open ramp, Aloy was greeted with the familiar sight of the commander's deck.

The quarters were covered under a circular tent and opened to a two-pronged balcony that hung above the entirety of the settlement. A firepit crackled in the tent's center, its smoke snaking slowly out to the vent at its peak, with several benches surrounding it. Though empty of its usual occupant, a vulture post stood on one of the outlook's narrowed ridges.

Motioning to the benches circling the firepit, Drakka sat down across from Aloy and Kotallo, who followed suit. She settled in with a long exhale, grateful to be off her feet. With the day's heat still waning, the fire was not uncomfortable like Aloy had anticipated - it was actually quite relaxing.

"Best seats in the settlement," Drakka said cooly. His gaze flitted between Aloy and Kotallo curiously as he studied them, looking uncharacteristically pensive.

"You're burnt to a crisp," he commented, lifting his chin to motion Aloy. "You two ride in this sun all day?"

"Yep," Aloy said shortly, curbing the bite that threatened to reach her tone as she thought about all the discomfort the day had brought.

"Well, I'm flattered you were that desperate to come see me."

If looks could kill, Kotallo would've dropped Drakka dead on the spot. The marshal's unamused glare did nothing to stifle the other man's laughter.

"Are you not here to see me?" the commander countered.

"We are," Kotallo grumbled, the muscles in his shoulders flexing as he rolled them back. 

"Well, as much as I'm grateful for the visit, I gotta ask," Drakka shifted, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at Aloy attentively. "What's so damn urgent that you two rode so hard to get here?"

"It is a long story," Aloy sighed, and Kotallo let out a gruff laugh. She fully recognized that 'a long story'  seemed like the understatement of the century. But it was a start.

"Sounds like we should get started then," Drakka shrugged. "I'm all ears."

By the time Aloy had gotten through everything - explaining and elaborating and then explaining again - the sun had set, the skies were dark and freckled with stars, and the air had turned cool and comfortable. Through no fault of Drakka's, Aloy was beyond exhausted from the conversation, grateful that Kotallo had stepped in to help clarify when he could, edging her more technical terms with ones that Drakka could wrap his head around.

"If I didn't know you two so well, I'd swear you were drinking paints in your spare time," Drakka quipped, raking his fingers slowly through his dark hair. His easygoing demeanor had faded throughout their conversation until he was left looking damn near dumbstruck across from them now. "But if you say this...world-killing machine is coming, then I believe you." 

A tired, appreciative smile pulled across Aloy's sun-chapped lips.

"My people are probably gonna think I've gone completely mad," he scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "But you have my word - I'll make sure the Desert Clan has your back when the time comes."

Drakka turned his attention to Kotallo, his expression setting before he spoke again.

"The chief as well."

"You have our thanks," Kotallo declared, offering Drakka a respectful nod.

"Thank me when whatever this thing is is taken care of," Drakka countered, a flash of his usual charisma reappearing. "We've been fighting machines our whole lives. What's another one?"

There was a levity that came with Drakka's pledge to Aloy and the clan. There had been little doubt in her mind that he would pose any real opposition, but it had worried her regardless. For all his bravado, he had a leader's mind and a good heart that beat first and foremost for his people. His own desires were probably a close second on that list, but he had yet to make her regret standing by his side.

"What do you say to a drink, huh? Maybe it'll get this guy to stop blabbing so much." Drakka waved his arm to Kotallo, who looked reservedly amused by the joke. Aloy made no attempts to hide her laughter.

"Allow me," Kotallo spoke through a tight-lipped smirk, his hand finding Aloy's shoulder as he stood. The gesture was innocent enough but left her missing the heat of his touch as soon as it lifted. Instinctively, her eyes followed him until he'd disappeared out of sight.

"I can barely get a laugh out of that guy anymore," Drakka sighed, his eyes set on Aloy as she pulled her focus from Kotallo. "Back in the day, he was as much trouble as I was, believe it or not. Caused all kinds of ruckus up and down Sky Clan territory."

Aloy quirked up an eyebrow curiously.

The thought of a younger, wilder Kotallo was a strange but fascinating one. He was only a few years her senior but often felt older - wise beyond his years in so many ways. Still, she could believe there was truth in Drakka's claim. She'd seen that mirthful glint in Kotallo's eyes more than a few times, the ghost of a smile upon his lips that indicated something mischievous hiding under his steely exterior.

"It's understandable, I guess - him locking up after the Embassy. It was a tough hit, to say the least," Drakka went on, and Aloy watched a rare bout of vulnerability flash across his features. "Then the rebellion? Victory or not, we lost a lot of good people. It's been tough on the tribes."

It was easy to remember how hard the massacre at the Embassy hit the Grove - she had been in the thick of it there - but all those marshals were once the sons and daughters of the tribes. The sorrow in Drakka's gaze, however fleeting against his persistent sanguinity, was a firm reminder of why she was helping Hekarro.

"The chief said some rebels are still causing problems?" 

"Not so much out here," Drakka shrugged nonchalantly. "Sun's too hot, and those cowards are too soft. Up in the valley, though? They're running rampant."

The memory of her first mission with Kotallo came to mind - all gruffness and bristled responses as he perched over the edge of Stone Crest, watching Regalla's forces march by with their machines. She had found him a bit brooding then - with good reason, of course - but could understand his frustrations watching the enemy move through their territory unopposed. So, Tekotteh's unwillingness to buck the rebels seemed to be an ongoing problem, even after their victories in the rebellion. Aloy wished she was surprised.  

"I'm guessing your marshal is here to help with that stubborn prick up in the Bulwark?"

The phrase your marshal struck her oddly. Briefly, her lungs constricted, somehow the sensation feeling pleasant rather than uncomfortable. She forcibly squashed the flutter of nerves that bubbled up in her core. 

"If he'll even give us an audience," Aloy sighed with an indignant shake of her head. The very idea of having to deal with Tekotteh again made her even more tired than she already was.

"Well, not everyone can be as agreeable as me," Drakka drawled playfully.

"Or as annoying," Aloy added. 

Drakka placed his palm flat on his chest and grimaced dramatically. "You wound me."

Kotallo returned to the sound of their laughter, three ales clasped securely in his large hand. He gave them a curious stare before offering a mug to each of them and returned to his spot beside Aloy. She enjoyed a long sip - a tart mixture of herbs and hops warming her stomach. It was smoother than the scrappersap Erend always had, but she would guess only half as strong. With her eyes already heavy with sleep, she thought maybe that was for the best.

A calm washed over her as she settled in, watching on fondly as Drakka and Kotallo fell into an easy banter - leaving behind the hefty conversation of world-ending entities for those of old friends and, as promised, enthralling thunderjaw fights. Eventually shedding off the less comfortable pieces of her armor - her bracers and chest piece in a neat pile behind her - Aloy curled into herself a bit, finding a comfortable position on the bench to lounge more freely. 

Though Drakka still very much dominated the conversation, it may have been the most Aloy had ever heard Kotallo speak in one sitting. It was the most she'd seen him smile as well - especially as of late. Kotallo looked so at peace, she noticed, her green eyes studying how drastically his features softened when he let himself smile uninhibitedly, how his laughter - low and rugged - made her chest tighten in that delightful way she couldn't quite control. She allowed herself to enjoy it, rather than fight it, this time - sinking contently into the first feelings of simplicity she'd experienced in weeks. Thoughts of the remaining trials to come escaped her mind for a short time, replaced by the swell of joy that came with sitting around a fire, surrounded by friendly faces and effortless conversation.

"You're damn near drooling on your marshal there, Desert Flame."

The raucous tone of Drakka's teasing voice knocked Aloy abruptly out of the semi-consciousness she must've fallen into. Stirring awake in an instant, the first thing Aloy felt was confusion, followed by the sensation of something pleasantly warm pressed against her left side. Eyes fluttering open, she fervently blinked away the fog of sleep that hung over her and looked around uncertainly. 

The night was late - that much was obvious - and Drakka was across the fire from her, the firelight casting shadows over his pleased grin. He was clearly entertained by whatever she'd done, and her eyes narrowed. Was she snoring? Was she actually drooling? What was he looking so amused by?

The answer lay in the warmth that still radiated against her, her eyes casting upwards to find Kotallo's gaze - more endeared than Drakka's - staring down at her with a small smile that touched his eyes. In any other situation, the tender look might've twisted her stomach into delightful knots, but not this time. Not when she was precariously leaning against him, her face planted firmly against his taut bicep. 

By the forge, she had fallen asleep on him.

"Shit," Aloy grumbled, peeling her frame drowsily off of Kotallo's, the absence of his inviting body heat leaving her feeling cold, almost bare. Goosebumps formed along the length of her arms and she stubbornly rubbed at them, trying to will them away. Too embarrassed and tired to linger on whatever her brain and body were trying to do to her, Aloy ran her palm over her flushed face with a groan. "Sorry."

"You do not need to apologize," Kotallo assured her, his arm shifting to settle behind her as she steadied herself to sit upright.

Drakka's amused chuckles did not go unnoticed, only unacknowledged, while Aloy's mouth opened wide with a long, deep yawn. 

"Shut it, Drakka," Aloy snipped dully, finishing her yawn. Shooting him a tepid glare as she stood up, the commander snickered back. Despite her best efforts, Aloy could not stave off the chuckle he drew from her. 

"I -" Aloy heaved her armor up from the ground with one arm and a grunt of effort. "- am going to bed."

"Sure you don't wanna stay? This guy looked like he made a pretty good bedroll," Drakka razzed, earning himself a subtle warning look from Kotallo that did nothing to dampen Drakka's smile.

"I'll see you in the morning," Aloy drawled, her reddening cheeks betraying the easiness in her tone.

With a roll of her eyes, Aloy turned her back on the two Tenakth men and headed to her quarters, her thoughts stubbornly stuck on the lost feeling of his skin on hers and the comfort of shared warmth.

Chapter Text

Smoothing out the dark linen of the breastband under her chest piece, Aloy's hands idly explored the texture of the new Tenakth armor she now donned. 

Brillant flecks of red and yellow trimmed the pliant armor, accenting the metal scales sewn into the intricate woven chest plate on her shoulder and secured diagonally across her breast. It strapped comfortably along her ribs but left her midriff more exposed than she was accustomed to.

Like the machines she faced, each armor had unique strengths and weaknesses, Aloy reminded herself. For what the set lacked in coverage, it made up for in flexibility and, as she noted when she pushed the curtain draping over the archway out of the way, allowed her to relish the feeling of the light breeze against her bare skin. 

A whistle pierced the air as she exited the guest quarters, and Aloy didn't have to look to know its source. Turning slowly on the spot, she stopped herself when her gaze fell on Drakka - a cheeky grin plastered across his face.

"Now you're truly a flame of the desert," Drakka drawled, strolling up to her and giving her a once-over with his brown eyes. "My clan's colors suit you, Aloy."

"Flattery isn't going to get me to stay longer," she chirped, her eyebrow quirking upward at the audacious commander. 

He had spent the better part of their time awake trying to convince her to stay in Scalding Spear, as he often did during her visits. She'd grown fond of the settlement and its commander, so the idea wasn't necessarily one she opposed, but the task at hand didn't leave room to fraternize with the Desert Clan any longer. Shifting her gaze downward to adjust the lightweight bracers on her forearms, Aloy let out a laugh as Drakka sighed dramatically.

"Breakfast is all I'm asking for," he reasoned, taking one of Aloy's bracers between his hands and tightening the laces for her. The gesture was sweet - charming, even - and more forward than she would likely tolerate from most others. She thought it futile to try and deny the soft spot she had for Drakka's innocuous flirtations.

"Drakka…" It was Aloy's turn to sigh as her green eyes returned to meet his stare, a smug smile playing across his boyish features as he released her bracer and lingered.

"Maybe test out the new armor in the pit?" 

"You are incorrigible," Kotallo interjected as he strode by, and Aloy felt herself jump a little at his sudden arrival.

His restocked satchel slung heavily over his shoulder as he nudged into Drakka, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his painted lips. Aloy's stomach flipped at Kotallo's chiding and she felt the familiar sensation of heat rising in her cheeks as she studied his blithe expression. Thankfully, Drakka had turned away from her and toward his fellow Tenakth instead, his eyes narrowed. 

"You jealous I didn't get a new set made up for you too, big guy?" he countered, his arms promptly crossing over his armored chest.

"I am content with my marshal's armor," Kotallo replied matter-of-fact, letting his smirk show more fully now that he had Drakka's attention. "But I think Aloy will find hers more agreeable to this weather."

Dark and curious, Kotallo's eyes cast over the length of her - neither invasive nor scrutinizing in nature - simply observant. The heat that pricked stubbornly at her cheeks seemed to ignite. Aloy swallowed down the anxiety rising in her throat, and tried to ignore how she could still feel the weight of Kotallo's gaze long after he'd preoccupied himself with other tasks.

Their return to the desert outside of Scalding Spear proved to be a much easier endeavor the second time around.

A healthy number of clouds scattered the skies above them, blocking away some of the sun's oppressive heat, and the Tenakth armor was doing its job as well - its design granted Aloy ample access to the fickle breeze that cooled her as it rolled across the flatlands.

The lands north of the desert clan capital posed new threats they hadn't stumbled upon on their way there, the borders between the Shining Wastes and the Greenswell boasting a higher concentration of machines than Aloy saw elsewhere, aside from maybe the valley. Pockets of blue lights and the ambient sounds of machinery felt ever-present as they trekked towards the sunwing site - just one of the many machines that had claimed the vast, untouched expanse as their home.

Hugging the western slopes, Aloy and Kotallo slipped past the familiar herd of chargers that roamed just outside the solar panel fields encompassing Scalding Spear. Though a more treacherous route for their mounts, staying west kept them out of sight of the slitherfangs and bristlebacks that prowled the eastern hills. Keen on getting a few rarer resources she needed but less keen on wasting time getting to the Bulwark, Aloy decided to save the slitherfang for another day.

Tucking into the shade of a nearby crag, Aloy hopped off her charger with an enthusiasm she had been sorely lacking the day before. 

"Let's leave these guys here," she instructed, giving her charger a friendly pat before unhitching her bags from its side. "The sunwing site shouldn't be too far now."

Wordlessly, Kotallo heeded her instructions. 

Normally, she wouldn't find his lack of response odd, but she was already questioning his silence on their trip. Though he was never much for talking to begin with, he had been uncharacteristically quiet since they'd left the settlement earlier that morning. The curious part of Aloy had wanted to press him on it, but the reasonable one told her to leave it be, and so she had. Their small talk - if it even qualified as that - had been brief and fleeting, leaving a dull knot growing in her stomach as minutes turned into hours.

The crunch of dead earth echoed their steps as they crept along the hillside in strained silence, using the rocky outcroppings to their advantage whenever possible - both for the shade and cover it provided. The sunwings came into view not long after Aloy and Kotallo passed over the main road leading toward the Greenswell - two of them roosting peacefully in the sunlight just beyond a small, flowered field. Aloy admired the glint of sunshine that bounced off of their wing webbing as they stalked closer, leaving behind the cover of the hills in favor of the tall, magenta brush that covered the earth around the nest.

Kotallo was like a ghost behind her, her prior knowledge of his presence the only indicator that he was near. She might never understand how a man of his size was so light on his feet. The thought, along with the imminent promise of new mounts, made her smile as she swiped a pocket of brush out of her way to get a better look at the sunwing nearby.

Overriding machines was simple enough task, but getting them alone to do it in the first place usually proved more difficult. As if reading Aloy's thoughts, she watched as Kotallo flanked around to another patch of scrub closer to the second sunwing. Losing him in the tall grass, her eyes followed a rock that flew from the brush a moment later, tracking as it landed just beyond the further sunwing, effectively pulling its attention away from its nestmate.

Acting quickly, Aloy swooped up behind the sunwing closest to her and engaged the override on her spear. The machine croaked, startled, but the flash of yellow in its lens was brief, fading back to blue when the override was complete. Her hand found its wing, calming it before moving toward her next target and repeating the process with practiced ease.

"All set!" Aloy announced, a proud smile pulling across her lips as she hopped to her feet briskly. Giving the second metal bird a playful pet on its neck, she was quickly reminded of how large the machine was up close as it towered over her.

The other sunwing stirred behind her and Aloy turned to find Kotallo getting to his feet, eyeing the other machine as he approached it slowly. There was a peculiar uncertainty to his movements - not fearful, she noticed, but cautious - as he circled the sunwing, inspecting it with a narrowed glare. The realization that she was staring struck her and Aloy averted her gaze and started working to attach her bags to her sunwing. Looping the straps of her satchel to hook around the side carriage of the machine, her idle thoughts were interrupted by Kotallo's voice as it carried quietly over the billowing desert brush between them.

"Are you certain you wish for me to travel this way with you?"

Pausing her movements and turning to gaze over her shoulder, Aloy's brow furrowed as she looked at Kotallo, puzzled.

"What?"

"I can always continue on my charger," Kotallo explained stiffly, his broad hand softly grazing his sunwing's collar. "I would not be far behind you to the Bulwark." He looked slightly lost in thought, his gaze following his flattened palm as it moved along the metalworkings of the machine beside him. 

"Don't be silly. The Greenswell is crawling with machines," Aloy reasoned, her confusion growing.

When Kotallo didn't reply, she shook her head and let her bag hang slack against her sunwing. Closing the distance between them in a few determined strides, Aloy waited as his attention shifted from the machine to her. Kotallo's expression was a hardened mask - her nerves pricked uncomfortably under her skin.

"What's going on?" she asked, her tone sharper than intended. Subduing the anxious hum growing in her chest, Aloy breathed in and spoke again, gentler. "Do you not want to travel together anymore?"

"I quite enjoy traveling with you, Aloy. It is not that," he assured her, and Aloy felt a tug at her heart that stirred up a fresh gust of nerves in her center.

"Then what is it? Is there something wrong with the sunwing?"

Before he could answer, Aloy placed her hands on the machine and began giving it a superficial inspection, trying to find a reason why he was stalling. Kotallo's imposing frame loomed beside her, silent as Aloy's deft fingers explored the sunwing's exterior components, and he laughed shortly, though it lacked any humor.

"There is nothing wrong with the machine."

"Then what is it?" Aloy huffed, dropping her hands from the mount and craning her neck to meet his gaze. "You've been acting weird since we left this morning."

His eyes, steeled and pensive, seemed to be searching for a response - they cast downward and averted from her. The uncertainty biting at her resolve sat unpleasantly in her chest, but she swallowed it, letting him mull through his thoughts without interruption.

"You fly on the Wings of the Ten at your leisure," Kotallo stated matter-of-fact, his tone unreadable. "It is an honor you have earned one thousand times over."

The hardness in his stare faded as he looked to her, making way for something close to reverence, and Aloy felt that tug again. The persistent tightness that sat in her core bloomed.

"To fly beside you would be a tremendous honor," he continued. His brow knotted together, and he frowned before he spoke again. "One I struggle to find myself worthy of now that I am faced with it."

Retreating into herself a bit, Aloy scolded herself for being so dense. How had she so easily forgotten how important something like this would be to a Tenakth - to Kotallo especially? He had spoken of the Wings of the Ten to her before.

The Visions tell us that the Ten flew on great metal machines with wings and leapt into battle from the sky, he had explained, the fondness that had touched his features still a memory fresh in her mind. For us, to imitate this feat is the ultimate expression of martial prowess.

In her eagerness to keep moving, to create the most efficient plan, Aloy had neglected to consider Kotallo in it all. It had become such a casual pastime for her that she'd forgotten just how venerated it was by the Tenakth - and how much Aloy was actually asking of him. And while she couldn't claim to hold in it the same esteem that Kotallo did, she could at least honor what it meant to him.

"Kotallo," she practically hummed his name, taking a deliberate step closer. "I can't think of another Tenakth more worthy of this than you."

His lips flattened into a hard line, and his jaw set. "That is...kind of you to say, Aloy."

"I'm not just 'saying' it - I mean it," Aloy breathed as she tilted her head to force his gaze on hers. When she captured it, she studied him momentarily. Appreciation was clear in his tentative stare, but it lacked conviction. Nervously sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, Aloy breathed in and reached for Kotallo's hand. 

His skin was hot to the touch, even through the wraps that enveloped his palm and relishing in the sensation of the rough skin against her own for a moment. She expected him to retract, bracing herself for a rejection that never came. He simply looked down at their intertwined hands, and his expression tempered.

"Kotallo?" His name left her again, firmer than before, and he looked up from their hands expectantly. Aloy quietly sighed, a reticent smile touching her features. "I want you by my side in the sky."

There was a pregnant pause between them as Kotallo digested her words, his eyes scouring hers in a probing way they never had before. It made her feel exposed somehow, and she fidgeted under his gaze, her stomach clenched uneasily at his silence. Several moments, too long, hung between them before he finally spoke with a small nod.

"Then that is where I will be."

Astride their respective sunwings, green eyes met brown and lingered. Apprehension practically radiated off of Kotallo as he gripped the sunwing's reigns stiffly, his metal arm secured on and looking almost like an extension of the mount itself. She had given him all the instructions and their bags were secured - all that was left was to get going.

A strange bout of nerves pinched at Aloy and she rolled her shoulders back, settling, before offering Kotallo an encouraging smile. Reluctantly pulling her gaze from his, Aloy shifted on her mount and gave its side a nudge.

The sunwing rocked beneath her as it promptly kicked off from the ground and began to gain altitude, the rhymic flapping of its wings like a drum beat surrounding her. Behind her, she could hear a sound mirroring her sunwing's and resisted the urge to look back and check on Kotallo. 

Climbing to a height high enough to avoid the detection of the machines below, Aloy breathed in the cooling air around her and relished in the familiar rush of release that came with flying. Shifting her weight forward, she felt the machine lurch under her and begin to pick up speed until it reached a cruising point, and she settled more comfortably on its back. Taking the opportunity to quench her curiosity, Aloy's gaze forewent the scenery for the time being and instead searched for her companion and his sunwing.

The telltale sound of wingbeats drew her gaze to her back right flank, and when she found him, Aloy beamed.

Every ounce of Kotallo's concentration appeared stuck on the machine beneath him, his dark eyes wide and focused as he stared down the elongated neck of the sunwing. He looked utterly captivated - fear and excitement meshing into an endearing crooked smile. Even from a distance, Aloy could see the death grip he had on the reins, the muscles along his arm taut with effort as he held himself steady. She stifled an amused laugh and gave her focus a quick tap, prompting a private channel between herself and Kotallo. 

"Let's go a little higher," she instructed, watching as Kotallo startled briefly, likely surprised by her call while lost in the flight. "Sorry," she added with an unceremonious snort, earning herself an abashed glare in return.

Guiding her sunwing further upward, Aloy's eyes set forward and fell upon the distant husk of the deactivated horus in the mountains east of the Greenswell. It looked more ominous than usual, the last remnants of morning fog still settled around its gigantic metal arms that snaked through the mountainous terrain. 

Once at a decent cruising altitude once more, she let the machine take the lead and softened her grip on the reins that guided it. The world rushed by below them, flickers of the fading desert alight with machine light seeming so far away as they soared overhead. The air was even cooler this high up, and Aloy drank it in, her eyes fluttering closed with a deep inhale, a content smile touching her features. She would never grow tired of the sensation flying incited, and she had a feeling someone else wouldn't either. 

"How about this view, marshal?" 

She spoke into her focus, turning to find Kotallo and his sunwing flying parallel to her now, keeping even pace with her. His gaze flickered between the open air before him and Aloy, looking uncertain if it was wise to allow his attention to wander. Perhaps it was her stare that bore into him or just a bout of courage, but when he did finally look over at her, all of the nerves coiled in Aloy's middle unraveled.

There was a youthfulness to his expression that she had never seen before, his eyes alight with thrill and his scarred lip upturned in a delighted smile. His reply was a pleasant whisper in her ear, an incredulous tone thick in his voice.

"It is breathtaking."

Chapter Text

Despite his initial hesitation, Kotallo took to flying quickly. And based on the pleased smile that had been plastered on his face since they had crossed over the western slopes, he seemed to be greatly enjoying it now that he was aloft.

Leaving behind the dull palette of the desert, the world beneath them began to fade into shades of green in the more temperate weather of the Greenswell. A familiar humidity - though more tolerable than that in the Grove - filled the air around them after they crested over the derelict horus and lingered well into the afternoon.

Chatter had been brief and fleeting but comfortable all the same. On occasion, Kotallo's voice rang over her focus with idle thoughts - questions about the old-world machinery littered across the lands below or observations about the landmarks they coasted over. Aloy drank in the view of Salt Bite in the distance, the stark hue of its briny waters accentuated in the afternoon sun as they passed above the last of the Desert Clan territory, and listened with a steady smile as Kotallo described the salted lizard bites he indulged in whenever he visited the settlement.

A shriek - human, not machine - pierced through their easy conversation, and the muscles in Aloy's shoulders flexed with tension in response. Her eyes quickly scanned for its source as she leaned into her sunwing, prompting it to descend swiftly, sights narrowed.

"Aloy? Did you hear that?" Kotallo's voice had grown serious in her ear, all levity of the prior exchange gone.

"Yes," she replied quietly, focusing on the interface before her, flecks of blues and purples highlighting the finer details of the scattered forest below. 

"By the ruins."

Their outlines glowed a stark yellow on her interface, the silhouettes of five people visible only through her focus as an old set of ruins blocked them from Aloy's eyesight. Closing in on their location, the group finally came into full view as she rounded the western side of the dilapidated building, her sunwing casting a great shadow over the gathering below. 

A clash of color made picking out the rebels easy, the streaks of green marked upon their armor conflicting with those of their home tribes that covered their skin. Two of them were locked in a skirmish, each against a Desert Clan member, while a third lay wounded several yards away from the fray, writhing and shrieking in pain.

"Rebels," Aloy said succinctly into her focus, receiving an affirmative grunt from Kotallo in response. "I'm going to drop in and -"

Before she could finish explaining her plan, the loud trill of a burrower cut through the air and Aloy grimaced. She craned to look behind her where a small herd of machines was approaching the Tenkath below, the brawl likely drawing in their interest. 

"I'll head off the machines," she switched gears in a moment, wheeling her mount around with practiced precision. Aloy didn't wait for Kotallo's response - not needing it to know he could handle the Tenakth - and dove full speed toward the advancing machines. Steadying herself atop the sunwing, her knees ached with the effort it took to balance on the moving machine as she calculated her approach. With a hard shove off her mount, she descended toward the leading burrower, just in time to jam her spear directly into its sound shell, neutralizing it in one swift stab. 

A painful shock ran up from her feet as she connected with the ground and staggered, the air knocking out of her lungs in a huff. A sharp gasp escaped her as she collected herself quickly, staring down the small stampede of approaching machines. Two bristlebacks had heeded the burrower's call and were tailing a trio of recon machines. If she was fast, she could take out the burrowers before the bristlebacks even arrived, and she scoured the scene before her.

Peeking down at her belt, she grabbed for her sling and loaded an adhesive bomb into its cradle. A slow inhale, a moment to steady, and she unleashed it, the orb soaring well over the burrowers. Her eyes followed its path from her sling onto the hide of one of the bristlebacks. The reaction was instant, the bomb exploding with a sickly golden goo that immediately sank into the grinding gears of the hulking machine. As the adhesive settled, the bristleback began to lumber and screech, falling well behind its partner. It wasn't long until the second bristle back followed suit, another bomb striking true once more and effectively slowing them both for the time being. 

Sheathing her sling on her side, Aloy pulled out her spear, her fingers dancing anxiously along the hilt, waiting for the right moment to strike as the burrowers bounded wildly closer. She studied the terrible dance of red lights and shrieks as they approached unheeded, and set her feet. Pushing off from the fertile ground and closing the distance between herself and the closest burrower, Aloy's spearhead made a marked impact into the center of the lens and twisted. 

The machine came to a shuddering halt under her spear, a spark rippling up from the impact point and pricking against her knuckles as she removed her weapon with a forceful jerk just in time to roll away from the following burrower that was launching itself recklessly at her. 

Regaining her footing a few feet from the machine's carcass, the sound of metal on metal grated in her ears as the second burrower toppled atop its herd-mate, clattering for a moment, giving Aloy enough time to grab her bow. She knocked an arrow and sent it reeling into the burrower's side, falling just short of its resource container but effectively stunning it. Another arrow soared across the singed earth and made purchase this time, the second burrower collapsing atop its partner. 

Before she could wheel around to face the last burrower, Aloy was met with the harsh burn of plasma as it struck her square between the shoulders. The acrid smell seeped into the air around her, and as she scurried back to her feet, Aloy felt the element hardening around her new armor which, she was quickly learning, didn't take to plasma as well as her Nora set might have. All the more reason to make quick work of the final burrower, though it had dug itself out of sight for the time being, the trail of disturbed earth the only indicator of its position.

Widening her stance, spear ready in hand, Aloy inhaled sharply as the burrower emerged from the ground with ungainly zeal, and dodged. Refusing to be caught off guard again, she anticipated its next move - halting its follow-up strike with a spear to its exposed center - a pleased smirk touching her features as the machine crumpled around the tip of her spear.

The plasma plastered to her armor irritated the skin beneath it, but did nothing to slow Aloy's determined movements, her sights immediately seeking out the encumbered bristlebacks. Grateful to find that they had been led away from the fray by Aloy's sunwing, a flurry of acid and plasma filled the area around them as the three machines battled for dominance a safe distance from the Tenkath skirmish in the other direction. 

The sunwing, if it made it out, would need repairs no doubt, but Aloy's attention was already elsewhere as she began bounding toward the Tenakth just beyond the nearby ruins. Her back ached from the burn of the plasma, but the stiffness of its impact had subsided by the time she was barreling around the southern side of the ruins, the conflict finally coming into full view.

Fully prepared to throw herself into the fray, she found her footsteps halting abruptly, her chest heaving as she caught her breath and watched as Kotallo's domineering figure bore down on the last of the rebels. Sure and strong, as he always was, Kotallo advanced on the other man with unyielding pressure, one strike followed deftly by another, causing his opponent to stagger backward as they tried to keep pace with the seasoned marshal. 

Taking the opportunity to scour the rest of the scene, Aloy took stock of her surroundings. The two Desert Tenakth were huddled on the far side of the ruins, one tending to the other, as they both watched the battle raging between Kotallo and the rebel, wide-eyed. Beside them was the figure of another rebel, bloody and motionless. One person was unaccounted for, and Aloy's eyes fell to the spot where she'd first seen them. 

The injured rebel she had spotted first was still alive, though arguably looking much worse than they had only a few minutes earlier. From the patches of paintless skin that Aloy could make out, they had turned sickeningly pale, and their movements were sluggish at best. When she looked even closer, Aloy swallowed hard and let her feet carry her toward the rebel.

She couldn't be more than a teenager - a youthful fear evident in her moist eyes as Aloy approached cautiously. A pained sob ripped from the rebel as she tried to pull herself away from Aloy, and she cradled her side, which, now close enough to investigate, Aloy could see was covered in blood. It seeped through the rebel girl's fingers as she pressed into the wound and spilled slowly into the growing puddle beneath her, the edges of a deep gash visible under her trembling hand.

"It's okay," Aloy assured her, her voice calm and even as she held her hands out in front of her - a display of good faith. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl flinched as a loud crack filled the air, and Aloy's head spun to the source with bated breath. To her relief, it was the rebel that was on the receiving end of the devastating attack that rang out of the battlefield, his spear shattered into two distinct pieces beside him, and the point of Kotallo's spear aimed directly into his throat.

"Yield!" Kotallo barked, his spear inching dangerously close to burying itself into the rebel's neck. There was a long, heavy moment before the man nodded, and Aloy watched as Kotallo's grip on his spear loosened slightly, though it stayed at its place threatening the man.

"Eyes up, soldier," he commanded, his voice tight - reminiscent of Aloy's first meeting with him. The familiar twitch of muscles along his strong jaw told her he was fighting back a rage she could practically feel wafting off him. 

"The choice is simple. You can die as here rebels," Kotallo spoke as his stony gaze bore into the man knelt before him. "Or you can face judgment in the Grove as true Tenakth."

"I don't -" the girl gasped beside Aloy, and she instinctively reached for her, steadying the rebel as she sobbed out again and shook under Aloy's touch. "I don't want to die. Please. I'm sorry."

Aloy nodded and tried to ignore the uneasiness that stirred in her stomach from the amount of blood that coated her hands as she laid the girl down gently. She already had Kotallo's attention when she looked up, his dark eyes holding a danger in them that she'd only seen a handful of times. Wordlessly, he understood, and his gaze softened for a flash, only to steel again when his attention turned back to the man before him.

"I dream of the day someone finally makes Hekarro pay for his betrayal," the man hissed out before he spat at Kotallo's feet. "I would kill him myself if -"

The spearhead was clean through the rebel's throat before Aloy could even process what was happening, a gasp escaping her as the man let out a sickening gurgling sound. Kotallo pulled his spear back from the rebel, and a stillness settled amongst them as the man shuddered and fell silent, face down on the ground.

"Hekatta, right?" Kotallo spoke a moment later, not looking away from the dead rebel at his feet. 

"Yes, sir," one of the Desert Clan women spoke up, rising from next to her tribemate and approaching Kotallo at attention, pressing a fist to her chest despite his attention being elsewhere.

"We will help you escort these two back to Salt Bite," he explained, his eyes flickering over to the girl beside Aloy before he turned to the other Tenakth. "I will send for another marshal to gather these tags and arrange for the girl's passage to the Grove."

"Understood," Hekatta said with a brief bow. She turned to retrieve her tribemate but stopped short and faced Aloy and Kotallo again. "Thank you, sir," Hekatta said quietly, sincerity in her gaze as it shifted between them. "Both of you. Salt Bite is in your debt."

Salt Bite was uncharacteristically quiet that evening. Aloy understood why, of course. The rebel attacks were never easy to stomach, especially with so many holdouts being those who had defected from the Desert Clan - but regardless, it unsettled her more than she'd anticipated.

She knew it was due in part to the rebel girl she'd flown into the settlement, the source of the ichor staining her new armor that lay in a pile. Ikirra, her name Aloy had learned during their flight, passed from her injuries not long after they'd arrived. According to those in Salt Bite who had known her, she was the daughter of some of Regalla's fiercest loyalists and was, by all accounts, a part of the rebellion simply due to familial bonds - a child dragged into a senseless war. A knot had sat, heavy and regretful, in Aloy's stomach ever since.

Death was nothing new to her, but a part of her had hoped that after the rebellion and the Zeniths, maybe some of the needless death in the west would cease - even if it was just for a little while. A short reprieve until their newest foe arrived. Today has been a firm reminder that it hadn't and very likely wouldn't.

The reality was sobering and weighed on Aloy as she fletched arrows by the fireside, sleep evading her for the better part of the night. She'd spent the first hours of darkness beside Kotallo in the tent the tribe had offered them, finding comfort in his silent presence as he slept. But as the night drew on and rest refused to find her, Aloy left the comfort of the tent behind in favor of the empty fireside nearby.

The soothing scent of wilderness wafted around her as she set her arrow and jig to the side and took in the fresh air that stirred in the light breeze passing through. Allowing herself to relish in the calmness of the moment, Aloy finally decided to tap her focus and initiated a call.

"Aloy?"

"Hey, Beta."

"It's good to hear your voice again," her sister admitted in a quiet voice, and Aloy smiled. "It's pretty late. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's alright," Aloy assured her, idly picking at the arrows beside her as she went on. "We're in Salt Bite for the night so I figured it'd be a good time to check in."

"Salt Bite? I don't remember that being on your route."

Aloy let out a small laugh - of course Beta had memorized their route. 

"It wasn't, but something came up with the rebels by here," she explained, opting to leave out the gory details of the encounter. "One of our sunwing's got grounded so we're just here until we can set out again in the morning."

"Grounded? Are you alright? Is Kotallo?" Beta's tone shifted immediately, the worry thick in her voice - something Aloy was hoping to avoid.

"We're alright, I promise," she said in a forcibly steady tone. A sigh of relief met her on the other side of the line. "Just an unintended detour."

"Based on what you've told me about your other adventures, that's sort of expected, isn't it?"

Another laugh, this one more genuine, escaped Aloy.

"Yeah, I guess it is. I'm notorious for getting pulled off track."

"But if you were out by Salt Bite, that means you went through Scalding Spear, right?" There was a timid hopefulness to Beta's question. "How did things go there?"

"Not bad, honestly. We left there first thing this morning - we have the Desert Clan's support."

A rustling behind her pulled Aloy from Beta's cautiously enthusiastic response. Casting her gaze curiously over her shoulder, she noticed the sound was coming from her tent. A bout of nerves bloomed in her chest, and she cut Beta off a bit brusquely.

"Beta, sorry-" Her sister stopped talking abruptly and went silent on the line. "Sorry, let me give you a call back, okay?"

"Of course," Beta replied, though Aloy could hear the concern inching back into her tone. "I'll talk to you soon, then."

Without another word, Aloy ended the call and promptly rose from the bench, approaching her tent and pulling back the fabric of the door.

It was just Kotallo in there, as it had been all night, his large frame laid out on his bedroll as he slept. The rustling came again as she stepped fully into the tent, her eyes watching him curiously as he shifted on the furs, settling onto his side and using his outstretched right arm as a pillow. She thought for a moment he might be waking, and she took a step back, ready to exit the tent.

But then she saw as his features began to warp in his unconsciousness, his eyebrows knitting together into a pained expression that crept across his entire face. Aloy halted and studied him - the growing tension seeming to ripple through him, what seemed like every muscle in his body drawing taut abruptly. His hand clenched into a tight fist, and the veins in his arm rose with the pressure as he trembled. 

A nightmare, Aloy noted, and she stopped her retreat. Unsure of what she planned to do, she closed the distance between them in a few cautious strides. Lowering herself onto her bedroll a few feet from his, Aloy settled beside him, tucking her knees into herself and looking closer at Kotallo.

There was a bittersweet comfort knowing she wasn't the only one who fought against the weight of the world around them, but it was a burden she wished she had the power to spare her friends from. She swallowed down the guilt that rose up swiftly and focused her thoughts on the man before her as he battled with his subconscious. 

He looked sad, she realized, and her heart sank. The urge to wake him was the first to strike her, but she stopped herself just as her hand hovered over his rigid forearm, more exposed to her now as his pile of armor lay beside hers in the corner of the tent, both blood-streaked and more damaged than they had been the day before. Aloy knew better than anyone that waking didn't stop the nightmares, not truly. She'd had more restless nights than she could count, tearing herself in and out of sleep in a vain attempt to escape the inevitable pit of a nightmare that would simply not relent. The ones of Helis and Tilda. The ones of Rost and Varl.

Her body stiffened at the thoughts of them, and she pulled her arm back against her chest, willing away the unease that was starting to grow inside of her. She was accustomed to solitude when this feeling wound its way around her, safe in the privacy of her room at base or alone with her thoughts in the vast wilds as she went off on another mission alone. But she wasn't alone now, and as if to remind her of that, Kotallo tensed next to her, another flare of torment washing over his sleeping frame.

Unfurling from her own embrace, Aloy lowered herself onto her bedroll, shifting her weight from her back to her shoulder so she could fully face Kotallo. Tentative in her next moves, she reached her hand out towards his as it lay outstretched between them, still bundled into a tight fist. Forcing out a slow, controlled breath, Aloy's fingertips danced nervously across the rough skin of his knuckles as if testing how it felt before she rested her palm gently across the top of his hand.

The gesture felt childish at first, and more than once, she almost pulled away. But as the moments passed, the warmth of his skin on hers, the knowledge of his presence, provided Aloy with a type of comfort she didn't know she needed. And, as the tension in his hand began to wane under her touch, she wondered if she was offering him some comfort as well, whether he was cognisant of it or not. As if to prove to herself that it was her that had calmed him, Aloy tested further, rubbing slow, steady circles over his wrist with her thumb. She couldn't help but let a small smile through as his heartbeat steadied to a rhythmic thrum beneath her fingertip, his breaths evening and his features relaxing.

With her free hand, Aloy called Beta once more, her voice just above a whisper as she assured her sister everything was fine and bid her goodnight. As she shifted to press her focus again, Aloy felt Kotallo's hand move under hers and she froze like a peccary in lens lights. His fingers were moving lazily, slowly brushing against hers until his hand was properly holding hers, giving her palm a gentle squeeze before resting again.

Her heart jumped into her throat and the urge to rip away out of embarrassment was overwhelming, but she didn't get the chance to as her green eyes, wide and frazzled, fell upon his brown ones, lidded with exhaustion. A sleepy smile, barely there, spread across his softened features, and Aloy felt her heart pick up to a gallop in her chest.

Before she could even return the gesture, his eyes were shut again and she was left alone with her thoughts whirling and his hand cradled in hers.

Chapter Text

"You are in your Nora armor again."

It wasn't a question - rather an observation - that stirred Aloy from the mild daze she'd found herself stuck in as she readied the sunwing on the perch outside of Salt Bite. The gravelly timbre of his voice, always gentler in the early hours of the day, was a welcomed sound but one that made her lungs clench uncomfortably.

"That plasma shot I took left a pretty nasty dent in the set Drakka gave me," Aloy lied, keeping her tone even and her eyes set on the machine as she forced her attention away from Kotallo. 

She didn't think it necessary to confess how her stomach had turned when she'd grabbed the Tenakth armor only to find it still reeking with the stench of blood. She had promptly stowed it away without so much as a second glance.

"We will be in the Sky Clan territory soon, anyway," Kotallo reasoned after an affirmative grunt. "The extra layers will serve you well there."

A prick of apprehension snaked up her spine as she heard soft footfalls behind her, willing away the thoughts of the night before. However innocent the exchange, it had left its mark on Aloy in the most aggravating of ways - the kind that had her practically losing her breath over the simple act of his arm reaching over her shoulder, his hand pressing gently to the sunwing as he settled close behind her.

She might never understand how he radiated such an overwhelming heat - one that she could feel even through their respective armor. The proximity felt suddenly suffocating in a way Aloy couldn't quite grasp, and she was brisk in her movements as she shuffled along the flank of the sunwing, plunging her hands into the satchel she'd attached under its wing.

"I sold off a few things to lighten the load of my bag," Aloy explained, digging blindly into the bag, looking for nothing in particular. "I don't think we'll be able to get another sunwing until we're closer to the coast."

"I will do the same then," Kotallo replied, and Aloy watched from the corner of her eye as he took a hesitant step away from her. A tinge of guilt settled in her center at his caution, and she forced herself to face him. 

His paint had been touched up, she noticed; the angular design that encompassed his face a renewed shade of dark blue, and the white that covered most of his skin was crisp and even once more. His armor had been cleaned, too, lacking any obvious evidence of the battle the day before. He looked refreshed, relaxed even. Aloy envied him for a moment before realizing she was staring. 

Kotallo's gaze was pensive as he studied Aloy back, his features subtly pinching as she shifted her weight awkwardly next to the sunwing under the weight of his stare.

"I will be back shortly," he said in a tight voice, granting Aloy a fleeting glance before he turned away. 

Embarrassment sank in swift and heavy, the undeniable warmth of a blush rushing over her fair cheeks and flushing them in an instant. Releasing an exasperated sigh once Kotallo was out of sight, Aloy audibly cursed herself and closed her bag with a forceful tug. 

Uncomfortable with the steady hum of tension coursing through her, Aloy felt exceptionally annoyed by the fact that she had no idea what the hell she was doing. Her composure had crumbled like an old ruin with one look at Kotallo - as if she'd never shared a passing touch with him before last night. 

Sharing idle touches with him wasn't anything new, after all - a parting brush run along her forearm, a steady hand on his shoulder, her body glancing along his in the rush of battle. She'd felt something then, too - a knot coiling in her stomach that made her mouth run as dry as the Stillsands - but no exchange had ever felt quite so…intimate . 

The realization sat uneasily in her chest as she let out a long, slow breath and waited for Kotallo to return.

The anticipation over sharing a sunwing that had plagued Aloy since she'd woken up turned out to be unwarranted. Well, at least some parts were.

Unsure of how much the machine could handle once airborne, it faired better under the weight of two passengers and their belongings than Aloy had expected. Though its pace slowed with the additional cargo, she was grateful they could still likely make it to the Bulwark by nightfall, barring any unforeseen mishaps. 

And nightfall couldn't come soon enough - or maybe it was coming too quickly. It was hard for Aloy to grasp where her thoughts were when they were torn between longing for more space and relishing in the feeling of Kotallo's broad frame nestled behind her, the dull heat rolling off of him acting as a constant reminder of just how close he was. 

To his credit, she could tell he was making an effort not to crowd her, though it was arguably difficult to do with the sheer size of him and the limited space on the sunwing. He'd found stability holding onto the exposed cables on either side of Aloy, the occasional hint of his knuckles brushing against the pliable fabric of her trousers pulling her out of the moments where she found herself lost in thought - of their journey so far, of what still lay ahead.

The temperature had begun to dip well before the land below was blanketed with a persistent veil of snow, but the crisp air of the Sheerside Mountains felt downright intoxicating as they began to weave through its towering stone peaks. The familiar smells of pine and teaberry surrounded them, the steady breeze carrying it up from the frigid wilds below, and a calm washed over Aloy.

"These mountains have always been a sight to behold, but from up here..." 

Kotallo's voice was quiet in her ear as he mused, and she watched, curious, as he tightened his grip on the sunwing and carefully leaned to look beyond the machine's outstretched wing. Perfectly ill-timed, a rush of wind swept from under them and caught the sunwing's webbing, lurching its right side upward with a jerk. 

A yelp escaped Aloy at the brief loss of control, and she felt her heart seize until she steadied the sunwing a moment later. It wasn't until her heart rate was evening out that she realized Kotallo's arm had found its way around her middle while his metal hand gripped the reins between her thighs as if his life depended on it. He felt stiff as a board around her, his breath coming out in uneven bursts and forming clouds of warm vapor.

Her nervous laughter came swiftly, and Aloy snorted unceremoniously at Kotallo's frazzled state as he dropped his forehead heavily against her shoulder with an embarrassed groan. Her hand promptly shot up to cover her mouth, cheeks aching under her fingertips as her amusement escalated.

"You are being unkind," Kotallo grumbled with a defeated chuckle, lifting his head and beginning to unfurl himself from around her. Before he could retreat fully, Aloy hastily placed her hand over his, holding it in place. 

Paying little mind to the sharp ridges of his gauntlet against her palm, she found herself transfixed by the way he hesitated before flattening his large hand against her stomach. A flutter of nerves bloomed beneath it, and she felt herself growing hot under her armor despite the cold bite in the air around them.

"Just keeping you on your toes, marshal," Aloy gently teased, hoping the tremble in her voice wasn't as obvious as it felt. She was being bold - too bold, truthfully - but the fitful way her heart was pounding in her chest kept her touch firmly on his.

"I am Tenakth. I am always prepared," Kotallo countered as he leaned close enough that she could feel his breath dance across her earlobe.

"You could've fooled me," she smirked.

He chortled softly, an alluring rumble in her ear, and Aloy's reaction was instant - instinctive. Her body slanted insistently into Kotallo's, and she felt his hold tighten in response, drawing her in until her hips were flush with his own.

Being pressed against the jagged edges of his armor was uncomfortable, but the sensation of settling between his burly thighs was anything but. Aloy's chest grew tight with anticipation as she focused on his subtle, silent movements - his palm dragging slowly along her torso as if exploring the strong muscles there. She mentally cursed her armor for robbing her of the feel of his skin on hers. Kotallo's chest rose with the slow breath he drew in, releasing it with a hum that breezed across her jaw, inciting goosebumps in its wake.

It happened involuntarily - his name leaving her lips in a sigh - warning and wanting. Her breath hitched in her throat with a soft gasp, the embarrassment almost as overwhelming as the fervor rushing across her entire body.

"Yes, Aloy?" Kotallo replied, his voice a husky whisper right beside her. 

Her skin seared under the layers between them, but it felt like a freeze canister had been opened in her veins. She could barely look Kotallo in the eye a few hours ago over a trivial sign of affection, and yet here she was, melting into his tentative embrace and the sound of his voice, steady and lined with intent, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

Aloy tensed, her muscles rippling with growing tension. This wasn't some passing graze or a comforting embrace she could brush off as a simple exchange between journeying companions. No, this was different. Innocence had been long forgotten, replaced with something new - charged, heady, and decidedly reckless.

Ungraceful in her movements, Aloy slowly shifted forward, peeling herself from against Kotallo and re-establishing a deliberate space between them. He gave no resistance, allowing his hold to slip gently from around her, but the apprehension that followed grew thick in the air surrounding them.

"If we want to make it to the Bulwark tonight, I need to push the sunwing a bit," Aloy explained, her voice uncharacteristically timid as she stared stubbornly ahead. 

She didn't dare turn to look at him. She couldn't. 

Swallowing down the lump forming in her throat, Aloy leaned into the sunwing and felt the machine promptly pick up its pace. The sound of its wingbeats filled the heavy silence that fell between them.

"I'm sorry. He won't meet - not tonight."

They had only just arrived at the Bulwark, and Tekotteh was already testing Aloy's patience. Kivva had been kind enough to receive them in his stead, and Aloy had minded that very little - it was preferable, even. But this latest act of defiance had Kotallo's features twisting into an indignant scowl beside her, his tolerance for his old mentor already at its limit.

"Bastard," he hissed and turned on the spot, leaving Aloy with Kivva as he paced the path from the commander's quarters. He looked shockingly similar to the first time they were here together, all bristled edges and tensed muscles. 

Aloy hoped they could leave on as positive a note as they had back then. 

Pressing her fingers into her brow where her head was aching the hardest, Aloy collected her thoughts and sighed heavily. She willed away the frustration nipping at her already tender nerves as she addressed Kivva. 

"What's stopping me from just going in there anyways?" Aloy questioned brusquely, her hand motioning to the cave behind the young woman.

Kivva's sympathetic gaze held Aloy at silent attention before she stole a look back into Tekotteh's quarters. Through the decorative furs that hung across the large archway, Aloy could see a handful of soldiers inside, some she recognized and others who looked like they may have been freshly appointed. When Kivva's attention returned to Aloy, her irritation quieted a little, understanding what she was being asked without being told.

Those inside would defend Tekotteh, and she didn't doubt the lengths their commander would go to to subdue her and Kotallo if it came to that. Aloy had no interest in hurting the very people she was here to help - enough of them had already been dragged into their commander's petty games.

"If he doesn't agree to talk tomorrow, I'll have to do something."

"I know," Kivva nodded, an appreciative smile touching her features. "We're all grateful you're here, Aloy. You and Marshal Kotallo."

Kivva's eyes drifted over Aloy's shoulder, and she followed them as they landed on Kotallo as he all but stomped his way back toward them, annoyance radiating off his towering frame. With a final glance at her tribemates behind her, Kivva rested a calming hand on Kotallo's bicep - a gesture that made Aloy's lungs pinch uncomfortably for a fleeting moment.

"Let me show you both to your quarters," Kivva offered with an amiable smile, her hand slowly dropping from Kotallo's arm. With a stiff nod from each of them, Kivva led them away from the captain's quarters.

The sounds of idle chatter and crackling fires filled the Bulwark as they wandered through its snow-dusted paths. The looks here were as abundant as they had been in Scalding Spear, but far more were in admiration than scrutiny, greetings of welcome and well-wishes reaching Aloy and Kotallo often.

"I'm surprised Tekotteh even allowed us to stay within the walls," Aloy spoke up as she fell in step beside Kivva, who let out a short laugh. 

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," she smirked. Aloy heard Kotallo chuckle quietly behind her, and a smile touched her features, some of the lingering tension brewing within her seeming to fade with it.

It wasn't long before Kivva pushed aside a thick fur curtain and ushered them both into one of the shelters built into the mountainside. 

It was as cozy and inviting as Aloy imagined it would be, full of the same amenities she'd loved most growing up in Rost's cabin: dim firelight casting playful shadows along the carved edges of the room, the smell of leather and cool earth filling the small space - everything meager but practical, worn but well-loved.

Settling onto the edge of one of the cots laid out for them, Aloy looked across to Kivva, who was dropping the curtain across the entryway.

"I hope this will suit you well while you're here."

"It's perfect," Aloy assured Kivva, her hands running idly along the soft pelt set atop the cot beneath her. "Thank you, Kivva."

"It's the very least we can do," she said with a small laugh. Kivva hesitated momentarily, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before speaking again. "If it's not too much to ask, can we meet in the morning before you see Tekotteh? There's something I want to talk to you both about."

Aloy shared a curious glance with Kotallo before returning her attention to Kivva. "Sure," she shrugged. "But we can talk now if you want."

"It's better discussed over a hot meal," Kivva smiled unevenly as she reached for the curtain in the door. "Meet me by the kitchens when you wake. I'll explain everything then."

Before Aloy could oppose, Kivva swept out of the shelter in a hurry, tidings of a good evening following her on the way out. She had half a mind to chase down the sky clan woman but reminded herself that they were at a stalemate for the time being. There was no rush in leaving the Bulwark until they'd spoken to Tekotteh.

"Is it Tenakth custom to be secretive about things that involve me?" Aloy huffed, her back hitting the cot with a muted thump. She sighed contently, the comfort of the bedding already soothing the exhaustion weighing on her.

Kotallo let out a reserved laugh as he busied himself with his cot across the room, his eyes not quite meeting hers. "What do you mean?"

"She's acting as shifty as you were when we went to hunt down that scorcher," Aloy elaborated, turning on her side to grant him her full attention. 

Leaning into her elbow and propping herself on her side, Aloy felt the worry settle in her center as Kotallo's sights seemed to stay set on anything but her.

"And yet you did not pester her as relentlessly as you did me," he hummed, the torchlight accentuating the dimples on his painted cheeks as he smirked unobtrusively. 

"I don't pester; I inquire," Aloy scoffed through an incredulous chuckle, her mouth slightly agape with offense. "I don't like going into things blind."

"If it eases your concerns, I have never known Kivva to be indirect," Kotallo explained, his gaze finally finding Aloy's, the steady flicker of the torches reflected in his dark irises. "I trust she will answer all of your inquiries in due time."

"And Tekotteh?" Aloy questioned, watching as his demeanor shifted at the mention of the commander. "How do you think that conversation will go?"

"He'll be obstinate and difficult...if he even agrees to speak to us," Kotallo said matter-of-factly, settling onto his cot with a sigh. His elbow perched on his knee as he leaned into it, looking tired but comfortable. "But if anyone can bring Tekotteh to heel, it is you, Aloy."

"I vaguely remember having some help with doing that last time," Aloy drawled, her eyebrow quirking upward as she challenged him. 

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing we are tackling this new challenge together then," Kotallo mused quietly. 

His smile, subtle and demure, cut right through Aloy, and she felt her heart jump into her throat. Her pale cheeks ignited with color, and Aloy turned to lay flat on her back, hoping it would obscure her face enough from his curious stare.

"Will you wake me if you get up first?" she asked, staring at the uneven juts in the carved stone ceiling above her. She could feel Kotallo's eyes on her for a moment longer before he followed suit and laid back fully on his bed.

"Of course, but I cannot recall the last time I rose before you," he reasoned - she could hear the gentle amusement in his tone. It did the blush reddening her face no favors. "I would request the same if you do not mind."

"Of course," she parroted.

A strange silence fell between them - expectant, almost, but not stifling. Aloy wasn't quite ready to sleep, but words were failing her. The things left unspoken from earlier were the only ones on her mind, and she was unwilling to bring them back up any time soon. And so she settled for nothing at all, relaxing into the ambient sounds of the settlement around them and Kotallo's rhythmic breathing a few feet away. 

"Sleep well, Aloy," he murmured into the darkness settling around them.

The space between them felt endless at that moment, and for the first time since they'd arrived, the world around Aloy felt unbearably cold.

Chapter Text

Sweat wicked at Aloy's forehead as she exhaled, steam rising off the tepid water she basked in and billowing away from her face before vanishing toward the carved stone ceiling above.

A bath was long overdue, but even more than the need to cleanse her body of the grime of the past few days, Aloy ached for a few moments of peace before confronting the cantankerous commander of the Sky Clan. Cooperation would be nothing short of a miracle, but as Kotallo liked to remind her, Aloy had worked a few of those at the Bulwark before.

Losing herself in the soothing sensation of warm water enveloping her and the ambient sounds of the cave, Aloy slid further into the hot spring. Her chin dipping below the surface, she closed her eyes and tried to let her mind drift.

"Champion?"

The water rippled around her as Aloy stirred at the title, her eyes fluttering open to find a Sky Clan soldier ducking into the entrance, a sheepish look evident under her intricate face paint.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the young woman offered, taking an uncertain step closer to the pool, her eyes inspecting Aloy's disposition before continuing. "You're being summoned to the commander's quarters."

The sun hadn't risen yet, and the commander knew how late they'd gotten in the night before - the little hope Aloy had that this would go amicably was quickly fading.  What a sad play at power , she thought as another heavy breath from her sent the steam scattering around her. 

"Thanks for letting me know," Aloy said tightly, though the smile she offered the soldier was genuine. Straightening her back and allowing one last moment of comfort in the water, Aloy let out a tired groan as she lifted herself out of the bath, promptly wrapping herself in an oversized towel.

"Do you know where I can find the High Marshal?" the woman asked, quieter this time, as if afraid to question Aloy further.

Brows knitting together, a dull worry flashed in Aloy's chest - he had been fast asleep when she'd left only a short while ago, the broad expanse of his exposed back rising and falling with soft, even breaths. She had admired the sight for too long, taking note of the definition of his muscles and the intriguing shapes of the tattoos that she wasn't usually privy to, normally covered up by his intricate Tenakth chest piece. The urge to run her fingers across the dark ink and study them like glyphs had left her all but running toward out of the shelter.

A soft clearing of the woman's throat brought Aloy back to the present, and she was immediately grateful she could easily blame the flush in her cheeks on the warmth of the baths.

"I'll find him on my way back," Aloy explained as she gathered the small pile of her clothes resting on a bench nearby. Clutching them a bit too tightly to her chest, she turned to the soldier stiffly. "You can let Tekotteh know we'll be there shortly."

With a swift bow and a hand over her sternum, the woman left Aloy alone once more. The air had a cold bite that nipped at her pale skin as she dried off and changed into the comfortable set of oseram loungewear Erend had gifted her. It wasn't built for the Bulwark weather but would suffice until she got back into her armor.

Scurrying through a fresh dusting of snow on the wooden pathways, Aloy's feet were stinging by the time she rushed into her quarters, a wave of warmth washing pleasantly over her chilled, clammy skin. A sigh of relief escaped her, vapors forming in the air before her.

As expected, the room was silent and empty when she arrived - Kotallo was not there. His satchel remained leaning against his cot, but his armor and arakh were nowhere to be found. A second glance allowed Aloy to notice his metal arm was gone as well.

Smiling to herself at the inkling of where the marshal was now, Aloy leisurely put her Nora armor on before she plopped cross-legged on her cot, readying to refresh her braids and tapping at her focus before starting the process.

"We're being summoned," she announced, running her hands through her knotted locks and grabbing a section of damp hair tucked behind her opposite ear. Mirroring the humorless laugh that rang through her focus, Aloy shook her head and sighed. 

"I know," Aloy breathed, reading Kotallo's mood without needing the words. She could practically see those dark eyebrows furrowing together, trying to practice patience with a man who didn't deserve it. "Training in the valley?"

"Have I become so predictable?" Kotallo mused with a curious hum, the sound of cracking ice on the other end of the line alongside the faint rhythm of footsteps on frozen earth.

"Comes with the 'traveling together' territory," Aloy reasoned as she wound a second neat braid into her auburn hair, fastening a bead to secure it at the end. "I'm sure you could do the same to me."

"I assure you, you are anything but predictable, Aloy."

The corners of her mouth curled into a shy smile - private and indulgent - as her teeth sank gently into her chapped lip, a dull heat stoking in her stomach. 

"But if I were to wager a guess," Kotallo continued between huffs of exerted breaths, contradictory to the lighter lilt to his tone. "I would say that you are either organizing your equipment bag -" He paused, a muted  thud  crossing the line, and Aloy could envision him scaling down one of the valley's cliff faces with practiced ease. "- or tending to your braids."

Aloy's fingers danced in the thick strands of her hair, no longer twining them but picking at the slightly frayed ends as a knowing silence lingered over the line.

"I will take your silence as confirmation," Kotallo remarked a moment later, a quiet chuckle following. "You are not the only one who can be observant."

A rush of excitement swept through Aloy's center at the way his timbre dipped, a low and pleasant rumble in her ear. She fought to ignore the heat rising in her and let out an airy scoff.

"Just hurry up, okay? The longer we make him wait, the more of a pain he's going to be."

"It is unlike you to tolerate such pettiness."

Aloy hated how right he was. There was no accusation nor judgment in his tone, but she found her defenses rising regardless. Her nerves bristled with frustration at the thought of Tekkoteh - his smugness, his arrogance, how he treated the man on the other end of her focus.

"I just want this to be over with," she explained shortly. "If that means playing his stupid games a little bit, then so be it."

"Fair enough," Kotallo conceded, likely taking the flash of irritation in Aloy's tone as warning enough not to press. "I'll be back in the Bulwark shortly. I'll meet you by the kitchens."

Feeling more like a lost grazer than the Tenakth's mighty champion, Aloy's eyes drifted over the growing crowd once more - searching impatiently for either of her targets amongst a sea of bright colored paints.

Kivva was nowhere to be found, though some light questioning revealed her to already be in Tekotteh's chambers.  Ensuring his best fighters are present , Aloy noted, her muscles drawing at the thought of anyone hurting themselves for his sake. The tension waned as Kotallo came into view, looming over his fellow Tenakth as he moved through them toward her.

"Aloy," he greeted her simply with a soft bow of his head. Before she could even bring it up, his chestnut eyes surveyed the area around them before they fell back on her, his eyebrows pinching together. "Have you already spoken with Kivva?"

"Seems that she received Tekotteh's eager invite as well," Aloy shook her head. "She's already up there."

"I suppose we should join them then," Kotallo hummed, his features falling before hardening to that of a stoic marshal. 

His demeanor remained so as they wound their way around the melee pits and up the short ascent to the commander's chambers, a growing apprehension settling around them both as they approached. Outside the yawning mouth of the cave, Kivva awaited them, not unlike the night before - though she arguably looked much tenser than before.

"Aloy," Kivva breathed when her eyes settled on them, an edged smile touching her features. "I'm sorry, I know -"

Aloy waved off the apology before Kivva could go further. "It's okay, Kivva. I know this meeting came about quickly."

The increasing number of Tenakth coming into eyeline kept Aloy's attitude in check, and she smiled at Kivva before turning to Kotallo.

"You ready to do this?"

"As I will ever be," Kotallo shrugged, the corner of his mouth pulling into the briefest of grimaces before it settled stoically again.

They were all silent as they left the frozen landscape of the Valley behind and entered the torchlit chambers. The comforts of the Bulwark were most evident here - large, well-kept furs and hides adorning the smooth stone walls, murals of the Sky Clan splashing the otherwise empty wall with pockets of color - blue, pink, white. Another time, Aloy would've liked to take the time to enjoy the art, but her sights were too set on the carved throne that soon came into view, and the smug man settled atop it.

"Ah. How kind of you to finally join us," Tekotteh's voice echoed off the chamber walls as Aloy and Kotallo stepped fully into the room. Shifting to sit up more fully on the large stone seat, he offered a tight-lipped smile. "I assume the guest quarters were up to your standards?"

"Kivva has been a gracious host - we are grateful for her hospitality," Kotallo spoke evenly beside Aloy, his gaze set on Tekotteh, giving away none of the frustrations Aloy knew were simmering just under the surface.

"Right," Tekotteh sighed with a glance at the marshal. "I've been told you two have something of the 'utmost importance' to discuss with me, so -" With a wave of his hand, Tekotteh looked at them with feigned expectancy. "- go on."

All eyes were on Aloy as she strode closer to the tiered steps of the chamber, feeling more than hearing her companion behind her as he followed suit. The moment felt reminiscent of her first visit to the Bulwark - all bated breaths and curious glares as they engaged with Tekotteh.

"As you know, the enemy across the waters from the lowland tribe - the Far Zenith - were defeated not long ago," Aloy began, reciting the words she'd practiced more times than she could count. "But their presence here, it..." She shook her head, unable to quell the tension in her chest that flared each time she spoke of Nemesis. "It lured in another threat. One that even the Zenith pale in comparison to."

Taking a moment to gauge Tekotteh's reaction, Aloy's green eyes cast upward to where the older man looked down at her. His face was a stern mask, but she could glean a flicker of unease in his focused gaze.

"It's an entity that's been chasing the Far Zenith, and well," she breathed heavily. "They led it directly to us."

There was a long moment that hung uneasily in the chamber. The silence was overwhelming, and Aloy felt grateful as Kotallo took a step closer, settling by her side, wordlessly requesting her attention. She gave it without pause, feeling her hammering heart slow slightly at his gentle nod and the encouraging gaze he shared with her.

"This...entity," Tekotteh finally spoke with a skeptical edge as he rose from his throne, offering a more attentive stance. "What do you know of it? What would it want with the people who defeated its enemy?"

The question was one Aloy had been dreading. Threats to the Forbidden West were no strangers to the Tenakth, but trying to explain Nemesis to those unfamiliar with its machinations and its history with the Zenith, with GAIA, was more than difficult. The very idea of Nemesis sounded so ludicrous, Aloy might not believe it herself if she didn't know for certain it was real.

"It was what started the Derangement," she began bluntly, and Tekotteh's brows knotted together. "It was trying to destroy the Zeniths and anything involving them, including their first home - here. And now that it knows it failed - that there are people here still alive - it's coming back to finish the job. We don't know what kind of threats it's going to bring or when, but Nemesis is -"

"All I'm hearing so far are speculations," Tekotteh interrupted brusquely, taking a heavy step down from the throne and squaring his shoulders to Aloy and Kotallo. "A phantom enemy from the stars..." Tekotteh mused to himself. "This sounds like a fairytale we tell our young ones around a fire."

"There is a lot we don't know yet; I'll give you that much," Aloy conceded, holding back the indignation that roiled in her center. "But we're working every day to find out more about Nemesis. It is  real , Tekotteh, and it's coming for all of us."

"And what exactly do you expect of me? You come in here spouting stories of enemies you know nothing about and expect me to pledge my people - their  lives  - simply on the word of an outlander and a disgraced marshal?"

Beside her, Kotallo's breath left him in a sharp huff - the gesture didn't go unnoticed by the commander. Shifting his focus from Aloy to Kotallo, Tekotteh's stare bore down on his former charge as he stepped down again, only a few feet from them now.

"I had the sense to bar you both from ever entering this chamber again," the commander hissed, the wrinkles in his face paint accentuating as his scowl hardened. "I should've heeded it." 

"If you would let us, we could tell you all we know, but unifying the Tenakth is the best way to -" Aloy began before she was promptly cut off.

"Do not speak to me of what's best for  my  people," Tekotteh barked, bearing down on Aloy, who stiffened defensively. 

The air in the cave grew thick with uncertainty as her eyes, perceptive and paranoid, watched as hands found hilts all around her. Gathering whatever restraint she had, Aloy resisted the goad through a painfully clenched jaw, seeing Kotallo mirror the gesture from the corner of her eye.

"You have earned favor for your feats in the rebellion, but that does not make you one of us."

"She may not be Tenakth by blood, but she has more than earned her place amongst us. You would be wise to heed her warning."

For a man his size, Kotallo moved with grace likely only Aloy could parallel - his domineering frame straightening as he stepped to square up to the Sky clan commander. Still atop the tiered stair, Tekotteh's dark eyes cast downward to Kotallo's own with palpable attention.

"I have seen the proof of this enemy with my own eyes and taken it to the chief, " Kotallo continued, his tone matter-of-fact. "We have secured support from the Desert Clan, and we both know Commander Atekka has no intentions of ignoring the chief's call to arms."

"Is that meant to convince me?" Tekotteh's stare narrowed, anger bending his battle-worn features. "Atekka has let her affections for the chief cloud her judgment too often, and that halfwit in Scalding Spear is as much a commander as you are a proper marshal." 

Finally stepping down to be eye-to-eye with Kotallo, Tekotteh scanned the marshal head to toe with a look of disgust. 

"Delusional children playing pretend."

"Atekka is a shrewd leader - you would do well to remember that before you try to smear her name," Kotallo said, his tone low and warning. Still, he held his composure as the tension between the two men seemed to be approaching a peak. 

Aloy had no doubt years of resentment were roiling back to life just under the surface of Kotallo's decorated skin - aching and raw like a reopened wound. 

"And Drakka has earned his place as commander - he has the sense you seem to be lacking on this matter. One would argue he is more fit for command than you are at this point."

Tekotteh's movements were surprisingly fast - reminiscent of the powerful warrior he likely was in his youth - as he closed the remaining space between himself and Kotallo with a restored fervor. A wild rage flared across Tekotteh's blue eyes as he postured threateningly.

"You are as foolish as you are brash if you think you can come into my home and lecture me on how to lead my people,  cripple ." 

The bite in Tekotteh's tone was as harsh as the frigid winds blowing across the Bulwark, and Aloy saw the flicker of something touch Kotallo's features. Hurt - the kind you couldn't hide; the kind that ran deep and settled, festering.

"Marshal Kotallo is right." 

Kivva's voice cut through the growing pressure in the room and stopped Aloy in her tracks as she prepared to advance on Tekotteh. It seemed like every pair of eyes settled on the young woman in that moment - even Tekotteh and Kotallo's.

"The Sky Clan has been suffering under your inaction for too long, Tekotteh," Kivva pressed on, stepping further into the throne room, her sights set only on the commander. "I had hoped after Regalla's defeat that you would see reason, but you only continue to prove your cowardice."

"Watch your tongue, soldier," Tekotteh warned in a dark tone. Pushing forcefully past Kotallo, knocking his injured shoulder back in the process, he approached Kivva like a predator readying to pounce. "You are dangerously close to committing treason."

"No - I will not stand in silence any longer," Kivva asserted, meeting Tekotteh in the center-most ring of the chamber. "This 'Nemesis' Aloy speaks of is just another threat you choose to ignore, and I can't -" She paused, drawing in a slow breath. "- I  won't  let my brothers and sisters fall victim to them or the rebels any longer."

"I should have dismissed you after you followed this one to the Embassy,"

Tekotteh spat, motioning to Kotallo. "You know nothing of what it takes to lead, child - what needs to be considered in situations like these. The rebels cower in the Tear, and we will defeat them handily should they be foolish enough to attack the Bulwark."

"They raid our hunting trails, attack our gatherers, and blockade our trade routes," Kivva explained, the stark difference in their statures making her look no less commanding as she went on. "They are not the ones cowering;  we are . They are slowly killing our clan, just like this entity will if you don't allow us to unite!"

"The Sky Clan take care of their own -"

"The Sky Clan wants unity!" Kivva growled, her voice trembling with passion. A flash of what Aloy clocked as fear caused Kivva's demeanor to shudder before it steadied again with renewed confidence. "And if you won't grant it to us, I will."

The chamber fell deadly quiet around them, Kivva's words lingering in the confines of the stone cave, weighty and uncomfortable. Instinctively finding Kotallo's gaze, Aloy saw her own shock reflected in his brown eyes and tightened jaw. He stood at the ready, his mechanical hand twitching subtly as it hovered over the grip of his bow.

"Is that a formal challenge, soldier?" Tekotteh asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

"It is." 

The sound of Tekotteh's sharp inhale was the only sound in the room for a long, hanging moment before Kivva spoke again. 

"But under the terms they struck in Scalding Spear," she explained firmly. "No squads, no retaliation. A challenge of single combat."

Seeming to gauge the collective disposition of the surrounding Tenakth, Tekotteh took the time to read the room around him before offering his attention to Kivva again.

"Let it be so, then," he replied tightly, his shoulders rolling back tensely. 

Blue eyes pierced into Kivva for a moment longer before Tekotteh stalked past her, addressing the soldiers near the entrance as he briskly exited the chamber. 

"Inform the chaplain and ready the melee pit. The challenge will commence at dusk."

Chapter Text

The air in the cave felt viscous in Tekotteh's absence. Several Tenakth soldiers followed behind their commander in silence, exiting the throne room and leaving it in a deafening stillness between those remaining few.

A dozen questions danced on the tip of Aloy's tongue as she studied Kivva, who seemed frozen on the spot - her thoughts seemingly worlds away as the hush of the chamber pricked at Aloy's nerves, the unsettled aura making her muscles twitch with anticipation.

The sound of footsteps on stone broke her concentration, Aloy's attention whipping from the Tenkath before her to the one settling quietly beside her - a contemplative look to match her own turning his features. 

She looked to Kotallo, green eyes wordlessly probing brown for the answer to "what happens now?"

Her heart sank as his dark eyebrows knotted together with clear apprehension.

"Kivva?" His deep voice echoed through the chamber, accentuating the isolation creeping into the room. "Are you certain this is what you want?"

The young woman's expression tightened under her face paint as she considered his question.

"It doesn't matter what I want," Kivva declared, shifting uncomfortably under Aloy and Kotallo's questioning gazes. "I have to do this. For the Sky Clan."

Kotallo hummed with acceptance, his shoulders flexing backward as he offered Kivva a curt nod.

"I was going to give you a heads up in case this happened, but Tekotteh -" A heavy sigh left Kivva as she shook her head. "- well, he had us up and gathered before the sunwings even started chirping."

"And here I was thinking he did it just to annoy me," Aloy chortled humorlessly as she matched Kivva's exasperation. "Maybe he hoped keeping us away from you would stop you from speaking up."

"He's as ignorant as he looks then. I don't need you two fighting my battles," Kivva quipped, her usual demeanor flashing across the fleeting smirk on her lips. 

There was levity that came with the gesture, and Aloy was grateful. Taking a step away from Kivva to allow Kotallo to approach her fully, she watched as he rested his large hand on Kivva's pauldron.

"We are here to help however we can," he declared stoically, though the severity in his tone waned when he spoke again - softer this time. "I know you will do our people proud."

His gentle encouragement was met with a meek smile that seemed out of place amongst Kivva's typically bold manner. Kotallo had bestowed similar kindnesses upon Aloy in their time together, many of which earned him the same smile she saw on Kivva now. And yet a bout of something uneasy spiked in her center. Taking in the way Kotallo's features softened, how his eyes grew youthful when he was comfortable enough to let down his guard, Aloy almost missed how Kivva's hand settled over his, her palm squeezing his fingers gently.

"Don't go soft on me now, Kota," Kivva teased in a sugar-sweet tone as she let her hand fall back to rest on the spear fastened to her tassets. "I'll need you by my side at the end of all this."

Aloy's stomach turned fitfully, and she stifled the sensation stubbornly, her green eyes casting away from the tender moment unfolding before her. 

The exchange was playful - flirtatious even - but her worries grew small and unimportant in the company of the two old friends as a sadness settled in their shared gaze: an acceptance of what was to come.

Death was on the horizon and whose had yet to be decided.

The entirety of the Bulwark was alive with chatter and anticipation as the sun rose to midday and began its descent in the evening. Preparations to the melee pit were prompt and organized: the fresh sheet of snow was pushed to the edges of the concave clearing to reveal the frozen rock below, the torches were tended to and relit, and the blunted practice spears and arrows were removed to make way for a much bloodier battle.

Though the planning for the challenge felt formal, near-business-like, the Tenakth of the Bulwark were anything but. Aloy heard a plethora of predictions as she made her way through the settlement, busying herself by replenishing her ammunition and rations so as to give Kotallo some space. 

He had been quiet, even for him, when they'd finally exited the commander's quarters, those dark eyes miles away as everyone around him buzzed with conversation. 

"If you need anything, you can speak to Gerrah," he had instructed Aloy before slipping off into the settlement with little more than a goodbye. There was a part of Aloy that wanted to follow after, to offer anything - reassurances or distractions, but she knew better than most what it felt like to seek solitude and to have it denied. 

As she waited for the impending dusk, Aloy let her thoughts get lost in the people around her. The diverse canvas of Tenakth that lingered near the melee pit were alike only in the paints and armors they donned. She admired much about these tribes and people - their willingness to accept anyone, regardless of origin or gender, so long as they could prove themselves loyal and strong, the familial bonds they forged with one another in the name of love, not necessity. Had she been shown a fraction of the kindness or acceptance the Tenakth had offered her from the Nora, her youth might have been vastly different.

But for all she admired about the Tenkath, Aloy couldn't wrap her head around the need for violent transitions of power or these arbitrary displays of "strength." Diplomacy wasn't her favorite pastime by any means, but it served its purpose in situations such as these. She knew better than to think she could convince the Tenkath further, though. The simple fact that Kivva had opted for one-on-one combat and Tekotteh had actually agreed was more than Aloy could have expected.

Not long after supper, what seemed like the entirety of the settlement began to gather amongst the tiered platforms surrounding the melee pit. Across the way from where Aloy stood, she watched with piqued interest as Kivva applied fresh wrappings around her wrists, her eyes not quite meeting the other Tenakth soldier helping her ready herself. 

"The challenge will commence shortly," Kotallo's voice came quietly from behind Aloy, and she turned on the spot. 

Immediately, she could tell he had been sparring - the paint on his arms was smeared in several places, and a dark bruise was visible on his exposed abdomen, turning an ugly purple color under the growing chill in the air. Though he did well to mask it, Aloy could see the tiredness in his gaze - the uncertainty.

At a loss for what to say, Aloy nodded and made space for him beside her, which he took without another word. The area around them filled quickly with eager onlookers and Aloy saw Gerrah take her place beside the pit just as the evening sun dipped below the mighty peaks of the Sheerside Mountains. Moments later, the two Tenakth challengers entered the pit beneath reddening skies.

Fitted with polished armor and a fresh coat of paint, Tekotteh looked admittedly imposing as he strode toward the center of the circle, a large, decorated spear clutched firmly in his large hand. A scowl pinched his aging features as his eyes settled sternly on his opponent.

Kivva, much smaller in comparison but lithe and muscular all the same, crossed the pit with the grace of a Stalker and the confidence of a Thunderjaw. Squaring up to Tekotteh, she looked small - like a child going toe-to-toe with a parent - but lost none of her confidence. Aloy smiled at the sight despite the nerves buzzing wildly under her skin.

"A challenge has been made and accepted," Gerrah announced to the silent gathering, the older woman looking between the commander and the soldier before continuing. "A fight to the death for the title of clan commander."

Kotallo shifted beside Aloy, his tall frame fidgeting as Gerrah went on.

"May the Ten be with you both," she concluded before she stepped away and into the crowd of Tenakth.

"I will take no joy in striking down such a promising warrior," Tekotteh sneered as he stepped back to put distance between himself and Kivva. Widening his stance and securing a firm grip on his spear, he readied himself.

"You can certainly try," Kivva retorted. Creating space for herself, Kivva assumed a similar stance before her gaze quickly cast over to Aloy and Kotallo. Offering her an encouraging nod, Aloy watched as Kotallo curled his right hand into a fist and pressed it to his chest.

"Kivva is an exceptional warrior. Smart. Swift," he said in a hushed tone, though the crowd was beginning to rouse around them. "I have little doubt she will be victorious."

His stare was glued to the melee pit before them, unwilling to meet Aloy's gaze. She studied him for only a moment longer, noting the tension rising in his shoulders, before she too gave all her attention to the fight ahead.

Like predators sizing up their prey, Kivva and Tekotteh circled the perimeter of the pit, eyes locked and spears readied. Deft and light on her feet, Kivva looked lighter than a feather compared to the commander's heavy, deliberate footfalls across from her. Aloy would compare the contrast to that of Zo and Erend, but she wouldn't dishonor her Oseram friend by comparing him to the likes of Tekotteh.

Whether from intimidation or impatience, Tekotteh made the first move, his feet padding loudly on the frozen earth of the pit as he closed the gap between them in a few long strides. He lunged towards Kivva with a swift stab of his spear, which she dodged with ease, returning the attack with a swipe downwards to send his spearhead in the opposite direction.

The Tenakth roared with excitement all around Aloy as the battle commenced, cheers and boos alike filling the Bulwark, so loud she was certain it could carry through the entire valley.

The skirmish grew into somewhat of an intricate dance - spears clashing and bodies dodging and weaving around one another until the first blood was drawn. Kivva yelped as Tekotteh's spear glanced along her left bicep, a mistimed dodge that left a clean gash open for abuse. 

With a temporary upper hand, Tekotteh applied pressure, allowing Kivva little more than a second to recover before the onslaught of forceful swipes had her staggering toward the edge of the circle. 

Aloy could see how, in a tribe that valued strength over all else, Tekotteh had risen to his rank. Though he lacked the selflessness and diplomacy of a leader, he did not fall short in his martial prowess, even as he'd grown beyond his prime fighting years.

Powerful arcing strikes continued to bear down on Kivva, whose own spear looked like it could break under the force of Tekotteh's attacks. It wasn't until she found an opening that she was able to swiftly dive out of the way of an overhand strike, leaving Tekotteh reeling to the ground with the momentum of his swing. 

A guttural warcry escaped the commander, who clumsily tried to scurry to his feet, but Kivva was too quick. Launching herself upwards and using all her weight to lay down an overhead attack, her spear struck Tekotteh in the back with a sickening crack.

Though his armor took the brunt of the damage, the telltale crimson of blood seeped from underneath it as he swept Kivva's legs out from underneath her, granting him the time to regain his footing.

Faster than a Stalker on its prey, Kivva was back on her feet as well and the two heaved with exhausted breaths as they faced each other once again, the fight reset anew.

The dance resumed, each side fighting for dominance to claim a window of opportunity that would turn the tide of the fight. As the onlookers grew wild in their enthusiasm, Aloy was jostled by overzealous soldiers and civilians alike, though her attention remained fixed and unwavering on Kivva and Tekotteh.

Kivva's arm was bleeding profusely as she strained the wound with every strike, the deep red of it drowning out the usual pinks and blues of her paint. To her advantage though, Tekotteh was clearly feeling the effects of her last attack, his movement stiffer and lacking some of the power they'd had before. Beaten and bruised, the two remained at odds for what felt like hours.

What happened next, though, happened faster than Aloy could fully comprehend. 

Kivva's spearhead cut clean across Tekotteh's abdomen with a sideways arcing strike, metal tearing flesh with ease and debilitating the commander instantly. Clutching at his maimed stomach, Tekotteh cried out in anguish before looking to the crowd behind Kivva.

"Now, you fools!" Tekotteh called out angrily. Aloy's eyes caught sight of his intended audience as they emerged from the sea of Tenakth: two young soldiers barreling straight toward Kivva.

Before she could turn to face them, the men had Kivva grappled, each taking an arm firmly in their grip as the one on her right knocked her spear from her hand, sending it clattering to the ground.

Tekotteh was on his feet again and approaching fast despite the copious amount of blood seeping through his hand that clutched over the wound. Staggering unevenly, he secured his spear in his hand before releasing a wild yell and stabbing right toward Kivva, who was struggling in the soldier's hold.

Instinctively, Aloy began to move toward the scene. She could take little more than a step before Tekotteh's spear found purchase, but not in its intended target.

Kivva yanked the soldier on her left with the might of someone twice her size and used him as a shield against the strike. Tekotteh's spear went clean through his own man. Using the moment of shock to her advantage, Kivva kicked away from the remaining soldier's grip, swiping up her spear in the process and lodging it into his gut with one precise strike.

The floor of the melee pit was painted crimson as the two interlopers fell with pained, gurgled cries. Kivva scrambled to her feet, spear in hand again, and squared herself to Tekotteh.

Shock and defeat were clear on his face as he stumbled forward and fell to his knees, blood still coursing from the wound he was desperately trying to contain. As the crowd fell silent with the impending conclusion to the fight, the heavy, ragged breath that escaped Tekotteh seemed to echo around the Bulwark.

Kivva's offensive stance waned as she studied her commander's condition, and her spear lowered as she approached him slowly. The silence hung between them before Kivva spoke.

"The Sky Clan will be in good hands, sir," she said with far more respect than Tekotteh had likely earned. 

"May the Ten guide you," Tekotteh murmured weakly, granting Kivva one last glance before he let his head fall in defeat. "You will certainly need it."

Kivva's spear buried into Tekotteh's stomach with one final thrust. His weight shifted as the last remnants of his strength depleted, and as she pulled the spear out from his center, he crumbled to the icy stone, motionless.

The crowd's enthusiasm before paled in comparison to the victor now being crowned, but Aloy couldn't hear any of it - not really. Her eyes were set on Kotallo, who looked shellshocked as his stare stayed fixed on his felled mentor, his blood still dripping heavily from Kivva's spearhead.

"The new Sky Clan Commander!" Gerrah called out as she lifted Kivva's arm to the sky, and the Tenakth bellowed with approval all around Aloy.

But not Kotallo.

No, he stood beside her, silent and motionless in the wake of Tekotteh's demise. She didn't know if it was shock, relief, or perhaps both, but he looked utterly speechless. Unsure of what to say, she reluctantly pressed her palm to his forearm and gently squeezed it.

She might've anticipated continued silence, but what she didn't expect was anger.

With a sharp inhale, Kotallo flinched away from her touch and hugged his arm protectively to his middle. His eyes darkened when they met hers, fury and sadness meshing into something Aloy couldn't recognize, and for a moment, she felt scared.

"I -" Kotallo began, his voice so low, it was nearly a growl. He halted, his jaw muscles flexing with tension as he ground his teeth together in frustration. 

"Kotallo, whats -" Aloy whispered, searching his stare for some indication of where his head was at. She found no answer as he purposely avoided her gaze and cut her off.

"Just call me when Kivva wishes to speak," he interjected stiffly, turning to leave.

"Kotallo!" Aloy repeated, following in his hurried footsteps as he pushed his way through any Tenakth in his way. Confusion clouded her better judgment that reasoned to leave him be, and she called out his name again. He stopped abruptly at her persistence, the fire in his eyes burning hotter than before and causing Aloy to recoil slightly.

"I said leave me be, Aloy!" he snarled through gritted teeth, holding Aloy's gaze with an intensity she could hardly handle the weight of. Her own jaw snapped shut as she bit back the indignation welling up inside her.

Without another word, Kotallo stalked through the settlement and out of sight. And this time, Aloy did not follow.