Post by Rin on Jun 9, 2015 14:48:46 GMT -5
The Empress of Kar—drunk, naked, and perfectly alone—lay supine in the center of Uneira valley.
Under the light of the bloodmoon, the snow blushed pink. It felt almost warm against Casmia's skin; Snow Shades had little sense of cold. The empress hummed to herself—an ancient, haunted tune—and stared at the parchment in her pale hands. The letter looked as if it had been read a thousand times.
Your wolf heeds the call, the letter said. Watch for him under a bleeding Eye. - I.R.
Casmia sighed, folding the letter reverently. It had arrived exactly seven nights ago, flown to the palace on silent wings. The man she needed, the one her whisperers whispered of, had finally come to the Ridge, had finally responded to her requests. Her whisperer's encoded letter claimed that the man would arrive under a bleeding moon.
"And the moon certainly is bleeding," thought Casmia, glancing at the sky. She pushed herself upright, stretched, and scanned the horizon. She'd spent the last several nights hiking the ridges to watch the moonrise, perusing the horizon for even the slightest glimmer of red. Every night she'd returned home disappointed, save for tonight. And still her wolf was nowhere to be found.
"What could possibly be keeping him?" she thought, reclining back into the snow.
A voice whispered in her mind. "People from your wolf’s land aren't accustomed to casual nudity, you know."
Casmia smiled, eyeing the ridgetop to the west. A horse-sized snowfox paced along a strip of exposed stone.
"What?" Casmia thought back, watching Senka pace. "You think my wolf is a man of delicate sensitivities?"
"I think," thought Senka, "That he's been through a lot. The last thing he needs is to find the Empress of the Holy City lying naked in the snow."
Casmia laughed, her teeth a bright flash of pearl. "When am I not naked, Senka?" she thought. "The only real anomaly in this situation is my location."
"True. Usually you’re naked in the monastery."
"That was one time."
"One time too many for the monks, you mean. He’s here."
"Oh?" Casmia sat up. A figure was approaching from the north.
Under the light of the bloodmoon, the snow blushed pink. It felt almost warm against Casmia's skin; Snow Shades had little sense of cold. The empress hummed to herself—an ancient, haunted tune—and stared at the parchment in her pale hands. The letter looked as if it had been read a thousand times.
Your wolf heeds the call, the letter said. Watch for him under a bleeding Eye. - I.R.
Casmia sighed, folding the letter reverently. It had arrived exactly seven nights ago, flown to the palace on silent wings. The man she needed, the one her whisperers whispered of, had finally come to the Ridge, had finally responded to her requests. Her whisperer's encoded letter claimed that the man would arrive under a bleeding moon.
"And the moon certainly is bleeding," thought Casmia, glancing at the sky. She pushed herself upright, stretched, and scanned the horizon. She'd spent the last several nights hiking the ridges to watch the moonrise, perusing the horizon for even the slightest glimmer of red. Every night she'd returned home disappointed, save for tonight. And still her wolf was nowhere to be found.
"What could possibly be keeping him?" she thought, reclining back into the snow.
A voice whispered in her mind. "People from your wolf’s land aren't accustomed to casual nudity, you know."
Casmia smiled, eyeing the ridgetop to the west. A horse-sized snowfox paced along a strip of exposed stone.
"What?" Casmia thought back, watching Senka pace. "You think my wolf is a man of delicate sensitivities?"
"I think," thought Senka, "That he's been through a lot. The last thing he needs is to find the Empress of the Holy City lying naked in the snow."
Casmia laughed, her teeth a bright flash of pearl. "When am I not naked, Senka?" she thought. "The only real anomaly in this situation is my location."
"True. Usually you’re naked in the monastery."
"That was one time."
"One time too many for the monks, you mean. He’s here."
"Oh?" Casmia sat up. A figure was approaching from the north.
' Bloody heck, two jobs and a BUNCH of kerfuffle later, and I'm back AGAIN.