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Kaalnia had been around. She had been beaten by bandits, iced by icelings, and torn apart by terror. Multiple times. Essentially, as she crept along the outer wall of the old, abandoned granary, she was glad she was still moving. She was happy to be alive. “Whew...” she exclaimed, resting against the wall as her healing wounds screamed at her. She had to balance listening to her body with ignoring it – she had to move. She was Kaalnia, after all.
Injuries took time and effort to heal, and she was thankful that they were healing. Of course, she had help – in the form of a very dutiful Brother. She owed Votzhem her eternal and undying gratitude. Which meant, she had to not die if she could help it. Which, therefore, meant she had to get better.
With a grunt, she started moving around the old building, doggedly aiming for a full lap. She could make it – she had done so before. It was exhausting and cold, but it got her blood pumping and legs moving and she knew that, by moving, everything would heal the way it was supposed to. She had to rest periodically, though – she was definitely not ready for two laps.
She gasped against the wall again, laughing at her own struggles as she looked around her at the desolate, snowy, abandoned village. It was a sad place, but that was what happened when bandits decided to come around. It probably had not been much even before it was raided – a small town, maybe, of hunters and trappers trading to the 'fur belt' that Votzhem kept talking about. A shame.
It took Kaalnia a few moments to realize that something out there was looking back at her. For a moment, her mind immediately went to bandits, and she prepared to either hide or die because she could barely walk, let alone defend herself. Then she realized that they were the dark, innocent eyes of an animal. It moved closer, and she could see it was a Roati.
“Hey there.” she greeted it. It was so fluffy – so absurdly fluffy – and she wanted to pet it. It was a funny desire, but she was here without her menk and Votzhem was not currently there. She was lonely. It seemed friendly. That was that.
She sat down on the ground hard, her rear end stinging from the frozen ground. “C'mere...” she said, wiggling her fingers at it, “C'mon...”
It crept forward, curious but wary, it's soft hooves treading gently on the snow.
“C'mon...” Kaalnia cooed, “I won't hurt ya...”
It stretched its neck out, sniffing her hand tentatively.
“There, see?” she said, reaching for it, a trill of delight setting in as she touched – actually touched – it's head. It was so soft. “No hurting from me.”
It let her touch it's head for a few strokes before giving in to wariness and bounding away, spooked, into the abandoned village.
Kaalnia laughed. “Come back again!” she called after it, before struggling back to her feet and continuing her lap, a big smile on her face...
527/500
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