Winter 35, 515
The Wildlands, Kabrin Road
20th Bell
The forests of Syliras sang with a different melody than the Sea of Grass had. The grasslands had harmonized a song of ferocity and tranquility, life and death; an eternal struggle for survival. Here, among the dense trees that stretched as far as the eye could see, Anja sensed something more melancholy, quiet. That wasn't to say that there wasn't danger here, only that the threat was muffled. The snow hanging from trees and clinging to the ground gave an impression of devious compliance. Anja didn't have to be wise to know the threats lurking here, especially considering the mission that had brought him to this place.
The Drykas stirred the embers of the fire and blew on them, adding a few twigs and watching with bated breath to see if they would catch light. He had been nursing the fire to close to an hour now, only just barely keeping it from winking out completely. It would take hold of his meager offerings of tinder, only to sputter back to embers the moment he tried to add something more substantial to the flame. The patient and calm Anja Nightwatcher had been replaced by a stranger with cold eyes and gritted teeth. If he had stopped to consider the reason, he might realize his state of mind had more to do with than the state of the fire. Unfortunately, today his mind was not in a state that lent well to contemplation.
Anja felt a gentle clap against his back that made him jump and tense. His focus had been so intense that he had not heard the approaching footsteps. "The wood you're using is too wet, son. You'll just keep on snuffing it out at this rate." Anja glanced over his shoulder to see a kind, familiar face looking at him. The man with whom Anja now shared his travels was near to twice Anja's age, but the test of time had honed his body rather than break it. The salt and pepper in his hair gave him an air of dignity, and his broad shoulders and scars sounded an untold history of combat and diligence.
The words had been gentle, but Anja still found himself biting back a sharp reply. He had no quarrel with Logan, but the longer the pair travelled together the more tense Anja became. "You know more about this than I do," Anja told him. "These lands are still strange to me."
Logan chuckled. "I'll give you a hand then. Why don't you go tend to the animals?" If it had been anyone else, Anja would have found the words patronizing. Outside of his Homeland, the Drykas felt all but deaf and blind. The unfamiliar lands held hidden dangers that Anja had no way of knowing, and some of the less charitable people he had met had mocked him for his ignorance. But in spite of everything, no matter the circumstances, Logan had never faulted Anja his lack of knowledge. No matter how useless Anja felt to him, Logan never treated him as a burden. The man's words and suggestion to him, setting the Drykas to a task that he knew well, cooled Anja's temper a shred. At Anja's nod, Logan set the two rabbits he had caught by the fire, and crouched next to the flickering embers, a look of concentration blooming over his features. Anja left him to it and rose from the fire, turning towards where his skills would find the most use.
(Words 582, Total 582)
The Wildlands, Kabrin Road
20th Bell
The forests of Syliras sang with a different melody than the Sea of Grass had. The grasslands had harmonized a song of ferocity and tranquility, life and death; an eternal struggle for survival. Here, among the dense trees that stretched as far as the eye could see, Anja sensed something more melancholy, quiet. That wasn't to say that there wasn't danger here, only that the threat was muffled. The snow hanging from trees and clinging to the ground gave an impression of devious compliance. Anja didn't have to be wise to know the threats lurking here, especially considering the mission that had brought him to this place.
The Drykas stirred the embers of the fire and blew on them, adding a few twigs and watching with bated breath to see if they would catch light. He had been nursing the fire to close to an hour now, only just barely keeping it from winking out completely. It would take hold of his meager offerings of tinder, only to sputter back to embers the moment he tried to add something more substantial to the flame. The patient and calm Anja Nightwatcher had been replaced by a stranger with cold eyes and gritted teeth. If he had stopped to consider the reason, he might realize his state of mind had more to do with than the state of the fire. Unfortunately, today his mind was not in a state that lent well to contemplation.
Anja felt a gentle clap against his back that made him jump and tense. His focus had been so intense that he had not heard the approaching footsteps. "The wood you're using is too wet, son. You'll just keep on snuffing it out at this rate." Anja glanced over his shoulder to see a kind, familiar face looking at him. The man with whom Anja now shared his travels was near to twice Anja's age, but the test of time had honed his body rather than break it. The salt and pepper in his hair gave him an air of dignity, and his broad shoulders and scars sounded an untold history of combat and diligence.
The words had been gentle, but Anja still found himself biting back a sharp reply. He had no quarrel with Logan, but the longer the pair travelled together the more tense Anja became. "You know more about this than I do," Anja told him. "These lands are still strange to me."
Logan chuckled. "I'll give you a hand then. Why don't you go tend to the animals?" If it had been anyone else, Anja would have found the words patronizing. Outside of his Homeland, the Drykas felt all but deaf and blind. The unfamiliar lands held hidden dangers that Anja had no way of knowing, and some of the less charitable people he had met had mocked him for his ignorance. But in spite of everything, no matter the circumstances, Logan had never faulted Anja his lack of knowledge. No matter how useless Anja felt to him, Logan never treated him as a burden. The man's words and suggestion to him, setting the Drykas to a task that he knew well, cooled Anja's temper a shred. At Anja's nod, Logan set the two rabbits he had caught by the fire, and crouched next to the flickering embers, a look of concentration blooming over his features. Anja left him to it and rose from the fire, turning towards where his skills would find the most use.
(Words 582, Total 582)