Description
On an Aldura kick at the moment <3 I have about..15 story points partially hashed out for her, but this is the first to actually get this far.
Whoops.
Featuring Aldura , Morten (NPC)
Winter, 756 of The New Age
East of Widow's Hollow, Blackwood
These were the moments she lived for.
Breath sounding heavy on the still air, heart pumping smoothly, legs turning the ground into a white-grey blur.
It wasn’t very often that her mother would allow the pair of them out of her sight for very long, but Morten often stressed how important their lessons were. They all had to learn how to live and move in The Blackwood, otherwise the forest would eat them alive.
He was careful though, he never pushed Aldura too far, allowing her to improve at her own pace. Long walks led to trotting, trotting and climbing led to dashes through the icy ground and laden trees.
These were her favorites.
Her father would set the pace, forging ahead of her, breaking up the deepest snow to prepare the way for her young legs. Not that she really needed it, light as feather she floated over the ground, hooves barely leaving a mark next to her father’s deep prints.
She noticed the growing pride in his eyes as it became easier for her to keep to his pace, and to stay out longer each time. Despite not wanting to tempt fate, she felt pretty good about her coming of age ritual, although that was not for a couple of years yet.
Reaching whatever halfway point Morten had decided on, they would pause for a while; breath misting in the clear air.
As they rested, walking slowly so as not to chill or let their muscles seize, he spoke to her of other lessons: how to cover your tracks when hiding was more important than running, how to gauge the weather or tell a hundred different things from the multitude of bird cries one might hear.
She was an attentive student, four of her age companions had already lost their lives to their great, harsh home, and while the Mother might call you at any time, as was her prerogative, sometimes stupidity lead you to her before your time.
“Respect the forest, my little shadow cat, respect Her creatures and respect our Mother. Listen when the trees speak, hear what the owls tell you, and you shall flourish.” He would rumble as she pressed her head to his side, feeling his words as much as hearing them. “Our land is harsh, but not cruel, she has her own ways of allowing her creatures to live. Anyone, anything, that can survive here deserves an amount of respect. We are all tested, and we have all been found worthy.”
She nodded, staring up at him with huge eyes: she would never fail. She would make him proud, and the Mother of course, but she was Her daughter, prized above all else. How could the Mother not be proud of her?
Father and daughter stood in silence for a moment, absorbing the sounds and smells of their home. Morten finally broke the silence, bending down to nuzzle her ears in a rare display of physical affection, “come, little shadow cat, let us run.”
Wordcount: 498