| Dark eyes, rimmed darker from tears, peered out into
the fog. It was always foggy here, she thought, or raining. Water everywhere. So different from her home.
|
| "Have I changed?" she murmured, shaking her head. She knew she had not.
Her eyes were still the same, her lips, her smile. Her voice still echoed with the timbre of the desert
sands of her youth.
|
| Two days ago, he had wanted her, reaching for her, adoring her, touching
her most intimate feelings. Now, he looked away. Now, she had nothing.
|
| "I am nothing," she whispered into the wind, lifting her face, tears
merging with the falling raindrops. It had rained thus for days now.
|
| "You are," the breeze returned. "Be."
|
|
| It was hard not to look at each leafy twig as a reminder. It was
hard not to look at the dappling on the forest floor and remember dreams and hopes, now dashed. It
was hard not to reach for the pendant that once hung around her neck, the golden bird he'd given her.
It no longer was there. She'd buried it in the damp soil many paces behind her.
|
| Lost in self-pity, eyes brimming with tears that threatened to roll
down her cheeks again, she moved through the forest. Even with the dark depths of her heart, her steps
were light and even, a dancer's steps. It was that agility that saved her, even then, as a large furred
form crashed through the underbrush in front of her, swiping a huge paw at her. She saw only black
matted fur, large yellowed teeth and ivory claws nearly as long as her fingers. Crying out, she backed,
reaching for the slender weapon that hung at her side.
|
| "Stop!" she cried, turning the magical force of her voice on the
beast as she'd been taught by her mentors. For a moment, the animal paused, snuffling in confusion.
Then with a roar, it surged forward again, jaws gnashing, flecks of pink foam frothing on its lips.
|
| Quickly, she danced back, blocking a slashing paw with the small
shield she carried, thrusting the slender metal weapon forward. The enraged beast gave her no more
quarters, slapping and snapping at her, ever pressing forward. Its fetid breath rolled over her as
she blocked another bite and twisted to the side. There, the fur was already matted with blood, and
the stub of an arrow jutted between ribs. A moment's pity for the beast was ended by a slamming paw
that splintered her shield. Dropping the protection, she sang of death as she thrust her weapon
forward, seeking the heart of the furred animal.
|
| As quickly as he had come, he was gone, crumpling to the ground
with one last wheezing breath. She stood over the beast, shaking, blood spattering the supple
leathers she'd once been so proud of. Silence still hung in the forest, the birds and trees seeming
to have paused to watch the battle.
|
| And then the silence was broken again. "Well done," a voice said behind her.
|
| She spun, the weapon still in her hand, blood drying to sticky masses
between her fingers and the leather that wrapped its grip. The man there stood silently now, arms crossed
over his chest, one blond eyebrow lifted into a quirk. "Who...," she rasped, then paused, swallowing away
the dryness in her throat. "I beg your pardon," she began again, dipping into a graceful curtsey, but
making no move yet to sheathe her blade. "Was this poor beast one you hunted? I'm new to this land, and I..."
|
| "Yes, I can tell," he nodded, grinning quickly as he interrupted her.
"For one, ye talk a mite more politely than the wenches hereabout. But as to yer question, nay, that
wasn't a beast I hunted." Almost effortlessly, he shrugged out of his pack, setting it on the ground
before him. He knelt, tugging a binding open, then pulling out a green cloth. "Here. Ye need a bit o'
cleaning up, lass." He tossed the cloth to her.
|
| She caught the towel in her left hand, dark eyes still wide and
on the man, until she remembered herself and her training. It would never do to imply that she was equal
to the men of this land. "My thanks, sir." Eyes downcast now, she curtseyed again.
|
| "Ye'd best stop that now, before I grow used to it," he said,
chuckling. "There's a stream over yonder. I'll wait here for ye."
|
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