[ Homecoming ]

Frozen sleet wasn’t one of Misuru’s favorite weather conditions to travel in, frigid liquid rolled from the top of her head along her face and fell from the tip of her scarred-pointed nose before she took it upon herself to swipe the slush off her visage and squint her dual-colored eyes into the obscured horizon. All that surrounded the prentice was hazy white that expanded in all directions, hail tore through the air and pelted her slender figure as she gracelessly tromped along the tundra. Despite the girl’s prowess when it came to traversing the harshness of the Zena landscape Misuru found herself at a loss for the conditions that she muddled through, normally compacted snow trembled like living silk with each movement she made and the wetness pierced through her water resistant outer layer leaving her soaked and unprepared to continue on with her endeavor.

“What I need is some place warm or at least something hot in my stomach,” She reasoned with herself out loud, gold and yellow hues raking across the skyline for any telltale signs of nearby inhabitants. It was no use, the visibility due to the hail and sleet limited her range of vision, unless she literally walked into a building the blue-haired ice-ling doubted that she would discover anything of use before she submitted to the cold. Quickening her pace Misuru continued in her chosen direction and proceeded onward until nightfall befell her. Gritting chattering teeth together the long-eared prentice fumed inwardly while propelling herself down a small-blind drop, five feet, twenty, a hundred, the distance wasn’t one she was certain of however backtracking wasn’t an option for the girl. Descending the cliff took concentration, strength, and several swear words when she lost and regained her hand holds. After several yards down Misuru panted heavily and hammered in a piton so that she could just dangle precariously against the crag and rest her exhausted arms and legs before continuing downward.

Misuru continued to dangle long after night had set and the temperature plunged into the negative degrees, frost encrusted the outer layer of her garments and she simply hung from the rock face like a limp wet noodle. All resolve to descend the heights had been abandoned as she took the reprieve from the climb and rested the lean fibers in her biceps, oblique, and thighs; truth be told the prentice just wanted to hang there savoring the last dregs of warmth that uplifted from the plummet below. Teeth gnashed together in a vain attempt to keep from chattering before dual-colored eyes peered into the void that awaited her. The scent of roasted drippings mixed with herbs was the first thing that caught Misuru’s attention before her eyes adjusted to the darkness and off-colored wisps moved along the veil of shadows that surrounded her.

“Smoke,” question flooded her tone before it gave way to realization. “A village! Aisha be praised!”

Shaking the lethargy from her limbs Misuru focused past the dull ache that had long ago settled in her fatigued body and concentrated on scaling down the rest of the cliff-side drop. Once the blue-haired youth reached the bottom her boots broke through the crystalline crust that had formed over the ground and pulled Misuru into the icy snare up to her kneecaps. A groan escaped the girl and her chest deflated noticeably, nothing in the frozen waste was ever easy, absolutely nothing. Slender fingertips pried into the ice and calmly Misuru dug herself out before continuing towards the barely visible glow of a flame flickering in the distance. The girl’s sure stride closed the gap between her and destination that she sought, within moments the soaked vagabond peered through the sheets of hail mixed with rain only to spot the outline of a young man cuddled near a fire pit slowly turning a cooking spit. For a long moment Misuru just stared at the lad, her heart pounded in her chest and the urge to simply take what she wanted swelled within the confines of her inner being, her moral compass spun out of control and a malicious grin replaced the pensive expression that claimed her visage only moments prior. She deserved what he had and she was going to take it one way or another. Back tracking the dark-haired huntress circled around the rear of the house and deftly ascended to the roof, crouching down onto her hands and knees she crept her way along the building, the small noises she made dampened by the continuous pang of ice against the rooftop until she found a window left unlatched. Misuru froze in place, how long had it been? Misuru wasn’t even completely sure; it felt like a life time from where she was standing. Mismatched eyes surveyed the village that she once called home; everything seemed so much smaller than what she remembered. Ice and snow continued to drift past the wayward prentice but the chill no longer cut into her limbs and numbed her skin, instead Misuru felt warm, everything tingled and her eyes stung. She thought this moment would make her feel complete again and yet the only thing she felt was heaviness on her chest. A thick hazy still obscured most of the long-eared youth’s memories but she recognized her mothers’ house.

Exhausted limbs gave out and Misuru took to a knee with a crunch of crystalized snow under her weight. Dual-colored eyes squinted and tears instantaneously hardened onto her thick lashes blurring her vision completely. All she had to do now was look for her light, the reason that she searched for so long. Her end goal: her twin sister. Normally the wanderer didn’t allow herself to cry, she didn’t find a reason to show such weakness. It was below her.

“I’m home Buru, I’m finally home.” Reaching up with willowy fingertips Misuru dug into the corners of her eyes removing the beads of ice that gathered there. After several moments the blue-skinned prentice forced herself into a standing position and dropped down from the rooftop that she scaled, all she had to do was make it a few more yards and she would get everything that she deserved.


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