and when I bleed,
I bleed stars
i bleed stars
It was at the Mathair it began, or so she had been told. She had never been there. Most of the Greatwood remained still unexplored by her, but it wouldn't deter her. Hesitation wasn't in her blood. She wouldn't wait to plant these roses, she would not, could not sit idle with the shadow of the blight darkening their world. Not when it was Ronin. And there were others... others, now, she hoped she could save.It was the morning after Vi's roses appeared that she set out, bundling up with gloves, a coat, thick boots, and her old, tattered cloak always clasped at the hollow of her throat. Ashe cradled the rose close to her chest, carefully and gently, a precious thing. Her boots crunched softly in the snow, breath clouding in front of her as she followed the direction that felt right. She caught glimpses of the Mathair through breaks in the trees, unmistakable, but something else drew her eyes. Someone else.
She slowed and peered through the trees to her left, narrowing her eyes as she pulled in the scents from the crisp air. Sunjata. She had met him on the hunt, and she thought she caught a glimpse of crimson red within his hands. Without quite thinking of what she was doing, she began to pick her way through the snow and trees in silence now, keen eyes never leaving his form.
She observed at first, remembering his declaration. A soldier. What sort of soldier? What did he fight for? She had no way of knowing who he was, what sort of intentions he might have, but could she ever really let her curiosity go? She waited until he passed by the trees she hid within, and then stepped out into the footprints he left behind. "Do you know anyone sick?" she asked, her rose clutched close to her chest, tilting her head up at Sunjata.
ASHETTA
