L O S T
On The Edge of Fridheim
Midvinter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZT41szriWQ
Time is not a measurable thing for one who remains unaffected by it. Decades could pass by in an instance, yet still the childish naivety remains locked within a mind that has seen plenty but understands little. Just how long had passed since last the little wildling had stepped foot on the world of ice could not be said, her life had become engulfed by the funny silver friends she had made, and their great metal beasts which still to this day terrified her; in fact, it was one of those such fiends that had brought her back to one of the few places she remembered... To a place which held hardship and loss, yet also life.When the belly of the beast had opened her companions were far more sluggish than she had known them to previously be. Groom slowly made his way down the ramp, and Ariel did not take flight and instead remained perched atop the tuk'ata's head. The silver friends chirped their funny words, and then she too was following them away from the beast and out into the frigid wilderness.
Home. That was what this place reminded her of, even after all this time. It was cold, harsh on any exposed skin, and even in her feline state she stuck out like a sore thumb... But it was the place she had come into her own. Where she had befriended the wildlife, and learned the best trails to hunt along. It was here she had met Ariel, whose eyes she could see through at a whim, who had gifted her the sensation of flight.
Behind her the great beast closed its belly, and soon with thunderous roar it was gone, leaving little more than upturned snow in its wake. Her departure from her Funny Silver Friend had been far more memorable, and she knew that he did not wish to relinquish her from his care... But she had, in her own way, pleaded. This wasn't goodbye forever, of course, she would see him again, and he would come looking for her if she took too long.
It seemed to be a ritual between [member='HK-36'] and Kida, after all.
For a moment she stretched out her aching body, and yawned deeply. Her gaze lingered across to her two companions, before finally Ariel swooped toward the sky. His feathers were greying, as was the fur around Groom's maw. The stages of age and time were very disturbing for the child who showed signs of neither, so she did as anyone ought to... Ignored them.
Instead she got to all fours, and leaped. With a distinct ripping of fabric she landed in the snow with large paws, and padded forth throughout the wilderness. Her suddenly keen sense of smell picked up on the presence of uprights nearby, and curiosity bade her to investigate further.
With Groom close on her heel, and Ariel watching from overhead, she prowled closer to the settlement... Certain that it hadn't been there when last she visited this snowy world.