To Warmer Plains, Chapter 1

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The Grasslands Routine

Kit drifted off to sleep that night only after a long period of watching the Black Ice Shadow stand vigilantly as her guard. The situation was uncomfortable at best, though she reasoned that it was better to have such a man as her guard than her attacker. The next morning brought the beginning of a day that would be similar to the last one, though their silence was considerably more tense. Their conversation had a broken a barrier that neither was ready to cross, and each felt obligated to spark another dialog, but neither could find the words appropriate to do so.

Kit was thankful that, even amongst friends, words would have been few. The hills grew steeper and the noontime weather hotter; this day's trek was much more difficult than the previous day's. They hugged the edge of the Grey River; it provided them all of the water they needed. They carried salted meat and dried bread, so hunting was not yet a necessity. With the harsher terrain and purposeful mood, the day passed quickly. Nighttime brought more interesting developments.

Black Ice Shadow looked down the Grey River into the sunset. Though his gaze remained forward, Kit could feel his mind searching the terrain, and perhaps the stars, as they began to make themselves known to the encroaching night sky. When he spoke, his tone was more casual than Kit had expected.

"I think I shall sleep tonight. I'll build a shelter near the water; the river in this area is too shallow for river dragon's, and lesser beasts will avoid our scent. We should be safe under the cover of darkness and foliage."

Kit smiled to his turned back; she was glad to see he wasn't entirely without a sense of humanity. She wished silently that she had something to say, though she couldn't think of anything that quite fit the mood.

Black Ice Shadow spoke again; he was more talkative, though his tone had grown no warmer.

"Tomorrow, we should be able to reach the village of Edda by nightfall."

Kit was thankful for the chance to converse, despite being tired from the day's travel. "Edda?" she asked.

"It's a small town southwest of here. There's a heavy ghost population, but their leaders are not sympathetic to the Abyssal cause, and it should prove a safe haven for us to rest and replenish our supplies."

"I see. Are the ghosts friendly to the living?"

Black Ice Shadow spoke as he turned to face her, and his tone carried a hint, though just a hint, of menace. "For the most part. Rest assured, they will be friendly to us." He walked by her as he finished, kneeling in his traditional fashion and beginning to strike a shallow fire.

The two of them spent the next hour quietly setting up camp. They'd managed to strike a tent (Black Ice Shadow, of course, had volunteered himself to sleep outside), find two tree stumps for stools, and build a diminutive fire pit. They also had a hearty dinner roasting -- They were expecting to be able to refresh their stores the following night, and left only enough meat to account of unexpected delays. Those were the Sidereal's words, anyway. Kit wondered how one was to know how much meat would be needed if the event was, in fact, unexpected, but declined to raise her comments, and she knew his kind had a habit of being in the know when it came to such things.

Kit chewed on a strand of cooked meat as she looked across the river, watching Luna take over the sky. Her feelings toward her impending journey were mixed. Despite their brevity, Shadow's words had weighed heavily upon her, and she felt burdened by her lack of choice. Her fate would greet her regardless, she could only choose to accept it or fight it. On the other hand, her adventurous childhood spirit had not been lost in her Exaltation, and she looked forward to the sights and stories she'd carry away from her journey, despite the inherent peril.

Black Ice Shadow, in the meantime, watched deep into the Scavenger Lands, perhaps keeping a lookout, perhaps pondering, perhaps both. It was the nature of Black Ice Shadown's profession that he oft keep his emotions concealed, and his nearly-complete facial covering did little to show what little he let slip by.

Fatigue found Kit sooner than Shadow, and she felt comfortable enough breaking the ice that she decided to test the waters with a bit of easy humor.

"I tire, and so I shall sleep... Don't wake me up too early, Black Ice Shadow." She managed a half-hearted grin, though her delivery was not as smooth as she'd pictured it in her head.

"We must leave under the cover of darkness. If we wait until the Unconquered Sun returns to the sky, we will be easy targets for bandits and worse. They do not seriously threaten us, but if we hope to reach Edda by nightfall, we cannot afford delay. Goodnight, Kit Magnar."

As Kit brushed aside the tent entrance, she smiled to herself. Black Ice Shadow had replied exactly as she'd expected -- she didn't think it would be that easy. His goodnight was endearing enough, however, that Kit chalked it up as a success. She crawled into her bedroll and fell asleep quickly, tired from the day's hike.

The next morning, Kit blinked her eyes awake to see the Black Ice Shadow putting the last of their travel gear into his bedroll. He'd even disassembled their tent around Kit as she slept. She couldn't help but grin at his attempt to accommodate her facetious request; there was a certain sweetness to his unfailing politeness that made his fearsome mien easier to overlook. Noticing that she'd awoken, he addressed her.

"I waited as long as I could to wake you. We should be on our way, however. Edda awaits us."

It wasn't long before the two of them were ahead on their away again.