Tuff. My poor darling Tuff.

She was acquired under the Tyrant's rule and trained as a warrior, on account of her fast flight.

She never did show much talent for fight though, and soon enough I started having her around as she tried to hide after skipping sessions. I tried to ignore her, but her discomfort at not being good at what was requested of her was genuine and heartbreaking. What the heck, maybe I could teach her something that would give her some confidence back.

She liked herbs and animals so I started taking her with me on foraging missions with the excuse I needed an excort.

I don't, but nobody knows that.

It worked. We bonded, more that I liked to admit at the time. She convinced herself she could be good at something, so she improved, got promoted, was allowed to seek a mate. I don't think she cared much about the whole experience, she never did strike me as interested in these things. It was just what was expected of her, and she was almost relieved when her children found new homes.

Then, the Tyrant fell and she remained one of our few warriors. No matter if good or bad, she's trained, and there's really not enough left of us to be picky.

Having the murderer of her former teachers still with us didn't help, too. Not that she had any love for them, but they were what made us all feel safe, and they were gone too easily. Rykia is a costant reminder that the world is much more dangerous than what we ever thought, and Tuff knows she is the one supposed to protect us from it now.

She hasn't taken this whole new level or responsibility very well. She's always been a bit of a scatterbrain, but she's gotten worse as of late. When she's not on task she is holed up trying to recover from the stress, curled around some herbal tea. She's our fastest flyer, but we cannot give her messages to deliver because she'd forget . She keeps a Greatshell under her turban convinced it's a lucky charm, despite the thing smells like death.

I gifter her one of my ancient armbands to give her courage instead. A fire stone to keep her heart warm in times of distress.

I hope she recovers soon. And gets rid of that foul thing.