How can you remain, Staring at the rain, Maddened by the stars?
On foot or by wing, hitching rides on merchant wagons and finding sleep in lukewarm pockets of wilderness, Azure crossed lush jungle, thick marshland and sleeping hills, finally landing to rest just outside the Grounds.
Her feet had grown heavy at the approach, weighed down by instinct and the anchor of memory. Her camp lay out of sight of the Grounds' scorched boundary, where young grass bled into a warning for those who entered the cursed land. And yet, it lay there, just beyond the hill, like a nagging behind her eyes.
Seeping over the rock like shadow over a pond was the light of her fire, touching the awakening trees and every once in a while, irises of creatures stirred out of snowy slumber. The flame broke the silence, crackling as it ate through kindling. Azure laid a branch over it and rubbed her hands together before facing them towards the warmth. The chill of Deepfrost still lurked, seeping into her blanket.
The girl looked up, where the moon was still fresh on the sky. She leaned against the rockface, letting her eyes cast down onto the ground. This place is calm and reverent. If she can, she'll let it lull her to sleep before she has to decide on her next move.
Azure
