He froze for only a second, but he suspected that she noticed his response to her observation. She was good at picking up on small details. He'd have to be more careful. Taking a deep breath that he didn't need, he turned back around to face her.
Shyriik is on the ground, enjoying the gut pile as Rowan whittles down a stick a but and makes a spit to put the rabbit over the fire.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
He quickly glanced at Shyriik, only for his gaze to return to Rowan. "So what are you planning on doing after this?" he questioned. "Are you going to go back to the Ravenwood?"
"I'm going to return to High Command and report in, and they'll probably send me out again. Currently I'm MIA which will mean a lot of paperwork."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Paperwork was something that he had - somehow - never had to worry about and hearing her lament the amount that there would be made him feel grateful for his fortune. The most that he had to do was at the library, but Sammy had made up for that.
I wonder what's she's up to now...
"What's your family like?" he asked, trying to keep their conversation from dying out. People usually loved talking about the people that they cared about. Rowan most likely would too.
Her face darkens. "They were...loyal. Strong, smart. Faithful. Trustworthy."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"Oh," he simply said. And then, he hurriedly added, "I'm sorry."
He hadn't meant to ask about something that obviously hurt to talk about. He had that she would have a family. Most people did. She didn't have to worry about the Goa'uld, so why would he think that she didn't? Even though he couldn't have possibly expected her response, guilt still clawed at him.
After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "If it doesn't hurt too much to talk about it, what happened to them?"
"Hunters," she replies simply. "Wolves aren't terribly popular. They killed the pack, and then I killed them." She meets his eyes here, gauging his reaction to the merciless act of vengeance.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Though he didn't know what she means by her allusion to a group of wolves, revenge was something he was quite familiar with. It was the reason why he was so insistent on completing his current charge. He could have done anything he wanted now that his summoners were no longer there.
She contemplates that answer for a few moments before deciding it actually seems to be the truth. Rowan nods. "Few do. Especially when it's mere fur-beasts," she utters a mirthless, rueful chuckle. "So blind."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"No Common word for it as far as I know. Animals, usually with four legs, with fur. Live young, have milk."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "I've heard some places call species that have those traits mammals. They're fairly abundant on other planets."
"Yes, those, with the exception of humanoid species."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
I am always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though. — Holden Caulfield
