ASHE
does the wolf apologize when it stands on top? should the lion say grace when it takes its mark?
Ashe noted the plural, nodding her head. Her history was plural in worlds as well, first from Northwind, then onto Northaven. It often was lumped into one, as she discovered from talking to other Naturals. They all knew of the Northwinders, the wave of so many that had appeared at that spire. Most of them were dead now.
The thought was almost unsettling, and she rolled her shoulders as if to chase it away. She focused on what Deimos told her, vaguely describing what could be found where he was from. Kitsune was a distantly familiar term, perhaps something she had read about, but she knew little of them. She quirked her brow up at his smile about them, and she got the impression that she might be grateful that she had never met one.
His question turned on her, and she looked ahead of them once more, stepping nimbly from one red root to another. "I'm a Northwinder," she told him. "Like Ronin and Remi." Like the Launcelyns, but that went unspoken. There were others too, but at least her claimed brothers were well known, and she was proud to love them. "When we were sent to Northaven, we encountered... strange things. A great stone beast, a cat of some sort so big that it the spire would have been a thorn in its paw." Her left hand rose with a wry smile on her face, drawing attention to the prosthetic pinky finger Remi had made for her. "Lost nothing but a finger to it."
She dropped her hand back down, looking ahead once more. She had been sure she would die that die. Absolutely sure of it, and while she had been crushed and mangled, it was only her finger that couldn't be saved. "We faced other things too. Shadow monsters and other beasts in the jungle, but didn't know anything about them. We had magic in Northwind, plenty of magic, but nothing like here." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and she wondered why it came so easily, talking to this stranger, this warrior. Could she take him if he decided she was a threat? Surely she could. "Would you ever go back to your home world?"
The thought was almost unsettling, and she rolled her shoulders as if to chase it away. She focused on what Deimos told her, vaguely describing what could be found where he was from. Kitsune was a distantly familiar term, perhaps something she had read about, but she knew little of them. She quirked her brow up at his smile about them, and she got the impression that she might be grateful that she had never met one.
His question turned on her, and she looked ahead of them once more, stepping nimbly from one red root to another. "I'm a Northwinder," she told him. "Like Ronin and Remi." Like the Launcelyns, but that went unspoken. There were others too, but at least her claimed brothers were well known, and she was proud to love them. "When we were sent to Northaven, we encountered... strange things. A great stone beast, a cat of some sort so big that it the spire would have been a thorn in its paw." Her left hand rose with a wry smile on her face, drawing attention to the prosthetic pinky finger Remi had made for her. "Lost nothing but a finger to it."
She dropped her hand back down, looking ahead once more. She had been sure she would die that die. Absolutely sure of it, and while she had been crushed and mangled, it was only her finger that couldn't be saved. "We faced other things too. Shadow monsters and other beasts in the jungle, but didn't know anything about them. We had magic in Northwind, plenty of magic, but nothing like here." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and she wondered why it came so easily, talking to this stranger, this warrior. Could she take him if he decided she was a threat? Surely she could. "Would you ever go back to your home world?"
I do what I need to, what I have to, to survive. Closer than your friend, I can be your enemy.
