Welcome to Gaia! ::

Beann startled at the rumbling voice, rubbed her face with the back of her hand and looked up at Miklos. She had to crane her neck to look into his towering face. She was confused for a moment, then noticed the torn ferns, silent in the earth. Everything seemed hauntingly silent, until he resumed his noisy chewing. She watched him eat for a moment before remembering that he had questioned her. "No, it's not you," she replied.

It was the dream. She didn't remember any of it, but still felt the fear. She looked down at her hands. They were dirty and now wet with tears. "I'm going to go wash," she said, without looking at the minotaur. She shivered in the cold morning air and rose. As she left the campsite, she began to hear the comforting sounds of insects and birds and the gurgle of the creek. She knelt on a flat stone and drank before washing her hands and face. She would bathe later, at someone else's lake. She spied a mulberry tree with ripened fruit and held out the hem of her tunic below its branches. She asked for some berries, and the tree shook itself and showered her with the black juicy treats. She smiled and picked up the few that fell on the ground and ate them. Beann thanked the tree and took the remaining berries back to camp to share them with the others.

Beann found Vasilisa and Miklos still at the camp and shared with them her bounty. Beann and Vasilisa ate their fill. Miklos ate the rest in one quick swallow. After breaking her fast, she had nothing to do and nothing to say, so she sat still and looked at the wood. Then she looked at the fae and the minotaur. Perhaps she should leave them now. She felt a hollowness inside that she had never felt before. She didn't want to be a burden to them and that was surely what she would be. She felt the tears welling up again and blinked them back, ashamed. She hugged her knees and rocked herself for a while.

Tan quietly descended from the tree when he saw Beann return with an arm load of berries. Not being his kind of fare, he remained quiet as the other broke fast. He had spent some time gathering what nourishment he could from the sun. In desert lands he could go for many days, if not weeks, on energy he received from the sun. Here in more northern lands, he was forced to supplement with regular food much more often.

He was not surprised at Vasilisa's urge to leave. He had in fact expected it sooner, if not for the delay in straightening things out with Beann. He was, however, surprised at the red rider who came pounding through the trees. He drew his hood forward to hide his eyes and pulled his hands into his cloak. The cloak hid his hands, now lined in fire, and the hood hid the flames that flickered in his eyes. He did not know this person, and would not hesitate to char him and his horse.

Should he turn out to be an enemy, of course.

I agree. I'll probably hafta kill her, lol.

When Amarial did not return that day, or the next, Reign began to lose track of time. She lay in the bed, tossing and turning, only rising when her bodily functions forced her to. Without the drugs, she experienced what could only be described as torture. She had the chills, her whole body ached, and she vomited until her stomach was past empty. When she slept, her dreams were plagued with memories of the past; of a life she would give anything to return to. Alexis had changed her, and she had been so sure she was doing the right thing, standing up to Death. Now, though, she wished He would just come for her already. Why did mortals cling so hard to this misery called Life?

Groaning, she rolled over and stared at the ceiling. She waited for her stomach to churn at the movement, and was surprised when it growled instead. Inhaling deeply, she realized she felt better. Not perfect, by any means, but the agony of the past few days had lessened considerably. "If I get my hands on Amarial..." she muttered to herself, sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She made her way to the kitchen, only to find nothing but bad wine and old bread. The idea of drinking wine turned her sensitive stomach, and she realized that if she wanted to eat, she'd have to go out.