Kitty, a new age begins...

[lum]

I. A blessing, or a curse?


Crouching, her blooded fingers felt the hardness of her vest. What had been a stab for one of her vital points, now merely exposed the metal underneath her outfit. Her eyes shone with the reflected light from the moon as she peered up from the bush at the canopy of twisted, leafless branches. The spider’s web was in tatters, but as of now good genes, tons of luck and lots of prayers was all that seemed to count. She recalled experiencing this once before, as a child. And even though it hadn’t been anything of this magnitude, the knowledge taught her well enough, taught her to be extra cautious. When she was about seven or eight years old she had destroyed a cobweb right next to the window of her room. Only to wake up the very next morning, being shocked to see that the critter had built its trap once more, its new web over the old one that hung like thin hair of an ancient hag’s head billowing in the morning breeze.

Kitty glanced at her hands. Not for the first time since she learned about her ‘foul’, supernatural powers, she had cursed for those to fail her. Simply cause they had saved people’s butts more than once. Only now it hadn’t been an issue with control or with concentration. No. Cause when she tried to ‘push’ the energy through her body to her fingertips, her magic had simply fizzled and completely failed. Pretty much like one of those nifty smoke bombs not going off because of a crappy fuse. Her magic only had appeared in dismal purple sparks, which upon contact with the monstrous spider, deflected away uselessly. Gone was the powerful flash of purple force. Gone... was the magic she had considered so twisted and oh so bent, a magic of which she also more than often had wished it be taken from her. Ironically enough it had happened. Only on a moment when she least expected it.

Sometimes blessings do come when you never expect them to come, was her ironic thought.

Slowly she got up, but when she did, her legs felt all wobbly, and her head suddenly went dizzy. She looked a bit confused at her damaged armor. Did the spider managed to get through? It was hard to tell in this darkness, and she was feeling pain all over her body after the creature had landed on her. Only after a series of stabs delivered by the sharp blade she was holding firmly in her left hand, the gigantic creature had fled. But Kitty knew better. One more reason to hate spiders was that they can apparently fake a smashing, play dead even laying flat with their legs curled up and everything. But when you dared to take your attention away from the dead spider, and looked back after a while, you’d notice that the body may be missing.

Always better to burn the corpses…

She touched her head. All of her physical strength seemed to fail her, but it were the thoughts of her friends that prevented her from passing out and giving up.

Friends and family, by the gods.

Her vision sharpened as if by the grim determination of seeing them all again. She looked around as she tried to orientate herself in this darkness by identifying the few light-weak landmarks. Her bag was out there somewhere, and within was an antidote. Her medical knowledge wasn’t very advanced, but she always kept a few of those items around and drank them when she needed to make sure. Looking up at trees again she saw hide nor hair of the monster, and as if to encourage herself, she pictured it now, a fearful trembling thing hiding in a dark corner, licking its wounds.

Yeah right…

Retrieving her bag -which also contained her other, important gear- proved to be an unattainable utopia. FAI was in the western direction, and when she slowly and cautiously made her way there, the first of dew drops appeared, shining from silky threads all around her. She only hoped that Vendor, or Lambe, or another of those rangers she overheard them talk about would be out here and close enough to help her… since she was afraid there was a chance she wouldn’t make it in time.

In her mind she tried not to picture an army of gigantic spiders noiselessly catching up on her, eager to avenge their poor wounded cousin which was away, whimpering and crying in pain. Her face turned as colorless as her hair.

Oh bloody hells… cut it out, Kitty...

((yes, I am also the Kitty player

[lum]

II. Taking time


“Do you think you can check out that pile of leaves without drawing the bear’s attention?” Lambe asked her in a hushed voice.

Kitty turned her attention in the direction where the ranger pointed at. She moved to him and when she arrived at the very edge of the forest glade north of Baldur’s, she eased down until she was kneeling in the long grass and then peered through the bush.

As she did that... the scent of the foilage and golden rays reaching through the trees stimulated her senses, sending her mind back into time, to childhood memories of barefoot morning strolls through overgrown grass, each tuft wild and shaggy like uncombed hair, and down non-existent footpaths in an endless forest of which its scent intoxicated her lungs and senses. In her imagination she was surrounded once more by bark that looked so sacred that it appeared as if the entire world grew hushed when you walked between them, their roots… feeling like they were laying deeper than any of their lives. The ground there was punctuated with protutions of rock overgrown with vegetation which always struck her as oddly symmetrical, and as a child she more than often pictured it as an ancient place created and still visited by the Seldarine. There were times when the ground had been covered by snow, making that spot in the High Forest look even more like a large, open-air temple of some sort.

Lambe crouched next to her, but in her imagination... it was a short, lithe female elf named Ilnin who motionless crouched next to her and who whispered to her. “Take your time, Kitty. Try forget a moment the fast pace that is your human life. Allow yourself to grow in this place, grow with it... in order to learn how to blend into the trees and become one with nature.”

She remembered how she had been observing that elf, who could crouch ever so slightly and keep her weight on the balls of her feet perfectly like forever. She noticed how bad she missed Guide Ilnin’s mentoring… but she also noticed how her own body missed the magical energy within to compensate with the elves’s surreal skill. A magic that hadn’t been really a blessing. She immersed herself once more in the time before she had discovered and explored those powers, powers she always had kept secret from her family and those who raised her. They had praised her for her sudden talent, unknowing, and completely unaware she cheated for a part of it. At least, that is how it felt to her. Cheating.

Her mind drifted then to the moment where her magic had ceased to function, a moment where she almost had died. And she would have if it hadn’t been for Vendor finding her and providing an antidote right before she arrived at FAI. It was a moment where it felt like she was inadequate, and totally not up to par with any of the other rangers she knew. Yet, right now, she also had to started to regard this as a turning point of her life, a point where she actually had received a blessing, a chance for redemption of some sort. She fully intended on washing away every mistake she had made when wielding those powers, and she was determined to reduce any weaknesses she now experienced as she wandered about the land deprived of her infernal… and at times devastating magic.

As for any physical combat, she would focus on her blades and her arrows, and learn to trust on her own inborn senses and talents… before resorting to begging others for magical wards. Her jaw tensioned. Her disadvantages without her once ‘gifted’ magic were many, and she understood she was now much more vulnerable. Direct combat had never been her desired course of action anyways as the elves who trained her, taught her to attack when she held the advantage. And those were things she had forgotten, or which at least moved to the background at the time when she possessed those powers.

“Kitty…?” Lambe inquired softly next to her.

She snapped out her staring at the pristine surface and the tracks of wildlife that were the only thing that marred it. She nodded. “Yes, sorry. I’m ready for it.”

“Please. Take your time, Kitty.”

A new type of smile painted itself upon the white haired woman’s sun-kissed face as she turned her head in the direction of his voice, and the memory of the elf faded, the female shape that was in her imagination transforming back into the human ranger who was Lambe.

Then, she turned her attention back to the magnificent glade in front of her, and she started to move towards her target just as quietly as the water of the stream that flowed with perfect consistency through the rich flora…

[lum]

III. Trials


She suddenly felt young and very alive again, her heart beating hard in her throat. Only a brief gentle gust of air blew through the underground tunnel, a sudden, soul piercing cold causing her to shiver as she caught sight of wispy strands of huge spider webs all around her swaying gently -and- promising. Promising... that if she would touch them and stir them too hard, she would not see supper tonight but instead would be supper herself.

Spiders?… Dammit Vendor… trial of stealth? More like a test of faith to me…

Kitty had entered the tunnel after their passage through the with troll populated mountains. Vendor had picked a cave that was so intense black inside that it looked as if she had entered the darkest gate ever. Solely trusting on instinct and other senses than sight, she had followed the ranger and the female elf who accompanied them inside.

She pulled her gloves back on after her eyes had adapted to the darkness and suppressed a curse when she sensed something bumping into her leg under water.

Probably just one of those blind cave fish…

She glanced over her shoulder and knew Vendor and the elf were following her from a distance,... in case anything went wrong. But if anything went wrong it would mean she had failed the trial. And who knows how many chances she had. Vendor never mentioned that, so she assumed she just would have to pass from the first time.

Without my magic…

Her jaw tensioned and immediately she had to think of what Sirion told her. Go talk to Isabella in Candlekeep, she has helped others with breaking their pacts. Perhaps she could also help those who after their ‘Liberation’ suffered from ‘some’ after-effects. At least it had never been hard to confess, but the truth was she in reality was looking substitutes while she kept telling some people in the face she was trying to learn to trust only on her own physical skills.

At least I’m honest to myself, that without magic I may never be as good at this as with…

It didn’t matter that Vendor used magic himself, and even protected her with his. She felt like it was necessary that she learned how to go without magic first in order to get over her… addiction. And it would also boost things within her emotional cycle significantly if she managed to pull it off. Kitty tried to ignore the screams in her head for that power and fire she had once possessed. Back then it would have been more than easy to handle the things that were inside these tunnels.

Throwing some flames left and right and be done with those probably monstrous critters…

And she would probably burn herself as well. The water she was wading in up to her belly, smelled so strong that it felt as if it could ignite at the slightest spark. Just like with gas rising up from those dead, eerie marches... these waters could be inflammable. Kitty tried to find comfort in that knowledge. Her jaw relaxed only a little. Cool, alien water sucked at her boots and heels, the force of the surrounding gallons preventing her from moving too fast even if she wanted. And that thought was not so very comforting, cause when she needed to run…

She was lucky though as the tunnel sloped up and slowly out of the water. The leather of her pants now clung to her legs as if made precisely for her. She reached behind her back and found her pair of blades right where they were supposed to be. Her surroundings seemed safe enough for now, and as of yet she hadn’t made a lot of sound. Except for the water dripping from the corners of her outfit. She studied the tunnel up ahead. There also appeared to be a few abrupt turns which had both pros and cons. She could stay out of sight until taking the next turn, but at the same time she could not immediately see what was behind the next. And things might pop up from behind one suddenly as well.

Trust on your other senses, Kitty…

She indeed had other talents… yet some raw, and not fully developed. Honestly it also felt a bit all of a sudden to be tested like this. One day she was still full of magic, and the next it was gone. Like as if they had taken her best gift and… and… she groaned softly.

Crap, cut it out…

She sighed softly. It was hard to focus on this trial when she was like this, and it felt she was like one of those drug addicts who were in for a recovery for the remainder of their lives. If someone would have been right there to see her, they would have noticed the haunted look entering her eyes. What IF this was for the remainder of her life? Would she be able to handle this, to live like that? That couldn’t happen… she would have to learn how to function ‘without’, and that is one of the reasons she was here doing this. She would prove herself she could do this. With-Out!

She glanced once more over her shoulder and rested for a moment against the wall. Vendor never mentioned a timing, only that she needed to get safe to the other side without any creature spotting her. As soon as most of the water had leaked and trickled in silence from her clothes she would move on. Her jaw tensioned some as she sensed how the ranger’s wards faded as a bit of time passed.

It’ll be better like this… and...you can always use some of that ‘pocket-magic’ when you need to. For now it’s just better to trust yourself...

Water had stopped dripping in a steady rhythm from her clothing. A sign that it was time to move on. These tunnels were decorated with all sorts of webs. For a moment Kitty did not only wonder on the size of their engineers -which were probably twice the size of a man, the bloody critters-, but also what they intended to catch with these. She passed a few alcoves in which she perceived movement in the back, and she even caught sight of a web weaving spider. Forcing herself to hold her breath for a moment, she continued her path and noticed a faint streak of light at what she assumed was the end.

She relaxed a little as she moved closer, how her shadow -which had dissolved earlier in the blackness- reappeared, albeit very very weakly. Something strange was going on though as the rock walls changed into more smooth, artificial walls. Probably remnants of some underground ruin. As she proceeded, she was about to smile when she noticed how the light grew intenser, brighter than the beam of any torch would have been. But when she looked up at the ceiling, she froze on the spot and learned the answer on one or two of her earlier questions. For instance. Why one spider web had been bigger than another? For spiders... to catch other spiders.

What a huge bugger!!

The monstrous spider, at least three times the size of a human, descended from the ceiling, freeing the opening its body had filled. More light from above streamed into the cave-ruin, and Kitty could easily perceive the curvy blunt hairs on the critter’s palps and legs. Did it saw or sensed its unexpected guest? She watched it dangle for a moment as she pressed herself against the rock in the shadows, her fingers tightening around her weapons. If… if she had to fight these, she would lose, definitely. She had no idea if Vendor had already detected this threat as well, but she assumed if he had he was keeping just as quit as her as well in order to… to protect her.

Protection by… stealth…!

Now she suddenly realized why this trial was also important. To protect others from harm. Vendor probably had perfected himself in it and by that would never make the mistake to draw a creature’s unwanted attention upon a group of travellers. Along with Lambe he was one of the best human scouts she knew around here.

I’m being taught by the best…

Then she too would do her best. Patience was key here. She only needed to gauge the spider’s intentions, and anticipate what it would do next. It wasn’t easy to focus and she would grow dizzy when she thought of the things that had made this bugger so huge. What it ate and all that kind of stuff. She gritted her teeth and then shook her head mentally.

Well, no kitties today… thats for sure.

But all of a sudden the spider untied itself from its silky rope and dropped on the cave floor, its body turning in the direction where Kitty had come from. If she would have been able to, she would have pushed herself all the way into the cold stone, but she couldn’t. There was nowhere to go. She paled as she overheard how the creature clacked its jaws and it suddenly rushed over towards her. The white haired woman widened her eyes and it was as if she looked death in the face. She closed her eyes and in her mind she found herself in her cozy bed, within the protection of her elven home. Away from that other world, a world of suffering and endless issues. What would happen if her body there met death? Would she be a ghost forever wandering in her memories? Or would it be like sleeping without ever waking up? Or hell…? No, most certainly not hell! She was good of heart and never by intention hurt another.

Lies, Kitty, and you know it. Remember that guard? The one you held responsible for the death of your friend the sailor?

I was… I was not myself back then!

...

Maybe… maybe I come back as an animal. Gods… I much would like to be a cat…

Her thoughts were interrupted as cold air rushed against her face and her lips before her eyes opened in surprise. The fat bugger had rushed past her and into one of the tunnels that gave way to this underground structure. The white haired woman let out a sigh of relief and waited for a bit before she climbed out of the tunnels.

Only moments later the others joined her and Vendor smiled warmly at her.

“Congratualations Kitty, you have succeeded in the first trial…”

[lum]

IV. Dumping ballast


She sat up in her bed when the sun peered through the curtains and kissed her face. Sounds from the street, amplified by a small courtyard, told her it was already late in the morning. No wonder though when she considered how the past week had been. And when she dropped her head last night on the pillow, she hadn’t slept for nearly two entire days. She got up from her bed and opened the curtains, fresh air streaming into the inn’s bedroom as the light of the sun chased away the remnants of shadows.

Street sounds drifted now fully throughout the room, but it was a rattle of fine metal chains and clip-clop of horses’ hooves that briefly drew her attention downwards. A black metal vehicle, clearly designed for human transport and using four wheels, was pulled by a team of white steeds, and drove by right under her window on the second floor. On the driving seat, holding a wooden rail that had been built around the seat, sat a guard of the Flaming Fist. It probably had to be some sort of prisoner transport. Kitty’s gaze followed the carriage a moment until it cornered the next building and she could only overhear the sound of its steel wheels clattering over the cobblestones fading in the distance.

She walked to her table and moved through her things in a bag on the chair, fetching a brush and started her morning chores with combing her hair. In the reflective surface she first saw herself, standing there in her shortish white silky night gown, but soon she was caught up in her thoughts and memories, and what she then saw was not the ceiling of her room nor her own reflection, but a forest. Water was dripping from the leaves of nearby trees on her leather outfit, long after the rains had ended. Rays of spring sunshine poked through the canopy and the light bounced from the shrine of Eldath. There was something mystical to this place.

Kitty smiled as she stood with a hand leaning on a thick trunk, the statue of the goddess on its elevated position coming across as some guardian angel that watched over this section of the Reaching Woods. Gnolls had invaded a large part of these woods but not this section. She closed her eyes and intensely listened as the sun and the warmth had forest animals leaving their own shelters, the forest itself like a musical masterpiece as she overheard the stream in western direction gurgling down the rocks and weaving around the trees. She herself then stepped from under the low boughs that had been her roof for the time being and stretched her arms.

The other day she had been standing here with Vendor and Aavalries, and learned she had completed her second trial. For this trail she had been solely depending on herself and her skills, and not even used any pocket-magic. But she had paid attention to her outfit and albeit less protective, she was able to sneak better through the vegetation without going noticed.


Deprived from my magic, but not robbed from my senses and intelligence. I wonder how I will do on my next trial. Was he serious, that I have to fight some big bugger again to complete it? I can only anticipate and pray everything goes well. Take only the things I need, and get rid of the junk I won’t use anyways. I notice how my bags are always full and how they are getting in my way, so it’s gonna be a lot easier. Right now I’m just trying to prepare for anything, really ANY-thing because I doubt myself. I think I won’t have enough with me cause without my powers I might fail…

She blinked her eyes and noticed she was standing in a tree-less evironment again. Slowly she started to get dressed and ready, and at some point she took a seat and looked at herself in the mirror, absently scratching her bare shoulder.

Hidden: show

She smiled faintly at her reflection.

I might as well dump my make-up box as well… for a combat trial it has no use to be pretty at all...

...

[lum]

V. Of spiders and women


When she was a small kid and discovered spider webs for the first time, she had considered them beautiful works of art, perhaps the prettiest ever. There was the incredible detail, the fascinating shape, and of course the way how they glowed when spangled with dewdrops in the shining gleam of morning light. They also had looked fragile whenever she pushed at them with a finger, only to learn they sticked to her skin whenever she pulled back, tearing them apart.

Kitty barely had memories about her life before the age of six, yet the most drastic ones always seemed to remain. One day she had lifted a spider web to her lips, thinking it may taste like candy… but when she realized there was some hairy bugger in it, she had screamed hard and loud in terror. An instinctive response. She had shaken her hand frantically, yet the web just seemed stuck to her finger. And what was worse… the bugger had crawled up towards her finger. Probably to save its life, but to her it had looked as if this ‘huge’ monster wanted to eat her. Later on, after she was ‘rescued’ by her mother, she had had nightmares of that same monster using its long, spiky legs to skitter up over her arm, its eyes and fangs glowing red.

Not even after her mother told her spider webs could be used to treat wounds or stop the bleeding, her opinion on spiders had ever changed. Not really. And most certainly not when confronted with a web that hung like an iron gate blocking the passage beyond, its ‘hinges’ undoubtedly new. At the same time it looked as if it had been forged a century ago, the wires so thick that Kitty couldn’t imagine any creature aside from a giant or dragon being able to break through those.

Vendor -really- must have a thing for these buggers...


She groaned inaudibly, a somewhat insincere half smile showing on her face as Vendor, Lambe and an elf called Tiani -who Lambe playfully had addressed as ‘Pixie’- stepped aside to let her through, to let her begin her final trial. With slightly trembling fingers she reached for her trusty, razor-sharp blades. Even as the slightest vibration would definitely alert its builder, cutting the web was the only way to get through. It was at least eight feet tall and she couldn’t help to feel ‘somewhat’ out of place as she got near. Almost, she backed up again...

I’m gonna be soo sick after this…

After cutting through the barrier and wiping strands of lightweight silk from her blades, she moved in cautiously, every sense alert. She even sensed the eyes of the other three on her back but maintained her focus on the path ahead. Which aside from more spider webs was fairly clean. And aside from a grayish bone here and there… She suppressed another groan. It did grow darker though the further she moved in, two alcove-like spots on the left side were mirrored by two on the right. It was a windless day yet the temperature seemed to drop little by little deeper into the spider’s hide-out, and with every cautious step she took she could feel her fear mounting. Even the slightest of sounds kept her head on a constant swivel.

Like a rushing river adrenaline coursed through her lithe body when a tiny branch under her boot snapped, an intense fear gripping her as the vegetation surrounding her began to move.... creaking… rustling. She had to summon all her courage and all her willpower in order to stay calm. The white haired woman stepped back quite aways and hid in the shadows, dismissing the picture of herself drenched in blood with a light shake of her head. When the sounds around her faded she frowned, her blades ready in her hands.

It made sense though. Spiders rely on stealth and speed when they moved towards a ‘disturbance’ in their territory. She wettened her lips nervously while her mind brought back a memory of Guide Ilnil. “You humans just tend to travel through a forest in a bubble of constant disruption, and by doing so miss out on the beauty of the wildlife as well as attract its dangers. Watch the cougar stalk its prey, or the doe walking calmly through the forest glade. Learn what senses it are they use, since being able to hide well is not enough for them to not notice you. Try and adapt to that and try adapt to their pace. Should the world that surrounds you turn still and silent, you as well need to become still and silent.”

Her body was tense yet ready, her heartbeat slowing down as the memory calmed her. Guide Ilnin had been right of course since many creatures in the forest had a rather mediocre vision. Sudden movements, sounds and smell were even more important things to pay attention to in order to survive in a jungle. It were things she had already taken into account. When for instance Nai the druidess sniffed at her, she probably would have noticed Kitty didn’t wear any perfume and that her outer clothing had been rubbed with pine needles and sagebrush buds, masking her personal scent.

So... I should be good.

Instead of letting her limbs gather speed and run the hell out of there, she waited. And patience indeed had its reward as a fat body moved into sight. The friggin’ bugger was indeed hunting her! And it was friggin’ huge, the formidable creature could easily fill an entire room. Every part of her body longed to run away from it, but right now there was nowhere to go. Not anymore.

At least its eyes aren’t glowing red… she tried to reassure herself.

She moved out of the shadows and couldn’t help but to feel so helpless compared to that huge monstrous body. She gritted her teeth as she stabbed the monster from behind, jabbing her blades into its belly. A fatal wound beyond doubt, but it could take a few moments for the creature to ‘realize’.

And somehow I doubt it will die willingly...

The spider roared in pain as if it realized it wasn’t as invincible as it thought it would be. It screeched and spit out poison… which Kitty barely managed to dodge. The bugger twisted around with a speed that surprised her. Lighting fast the spider lifted one of its deadly legs... which crashed down on her, the surprise blow slamming her backwards into nothingness, her consciousness seemingly for a moment to consist of nothing but sparkling stars. Memories of her entire life cascaded through her mind while her body -reacting with the instincts of a wild creature in danger- rolled over to the side and into the bush. Just in time as another flick of the spider’s razor sharp legs would definitely have killed her.

Crap… it should be dead by now??

Yea, and so were you almost...

She cursed under her breath. Maybe she made a mistake, delivered her blow to the wrong part of its body. Or not deep enough as it was really a fat bugger and her blades weren’t that long. She melted into the shadows, her surroundings being her ‘ally’, and circled around her target.

What the hell am I supposed to do then? Bury my arms along with my blades into it??

Almost gracefully she leaped into sight from behind the spider again, burrying her twin blades upwards to the hilt into the monster’s abdomen so hard that she sensed the black, rigid hair almost poking through her leather gloves. A flood of yellow-green slime emerging from the open wound and over her arms caused her stomach to turn over. She gagged but didn’t gave in to a vomiting episode. That was something she could always do later.

The tall creature roared and once more Kitty was a second too slow as it flipped around and almost pierced its fang into her arm. The blow however knocked her down and she found herself a moment at the mercy of the spider. Not that there would be any… Flickering blades clashed with snapping, midnight fangs, and Kitty fought like a hell-spawned firecat to get from underneath. Almost she reached for a magic within that however wasn’t there anymore, the desire for her old powers to burn this creature... overwhelming. With it an idea formed in her head though.

What could have been a suicidal move but what was meant to distract eventually saved her. She had discarded one blade and tossed a small fire bomb to the side, the explosion burning a few of those hairy legs imprisoning her. She grabbed her blade and rolled under the monster to its rearside again. However, just as she got up she was slammed back with a clattering sound into a pile of bones by the spinning body.

It was an uncontrolled spin however and Kitty saw it. Now was the time to end it. She stumbled back to her feet from the bones and prepared for the kill. The spider too though since it -hurting or not- searched for the origin of the sound. Faster than she had expected, the monster crawled into her direction and closed the distance at an alarming pace. Kitty waited, facing those like amber glowing eyes. Just when the eight legged freak lurched towards its prey, she leaped out of the way in a nick of time and grabbed a branch of a nearby tree. Like it had been a trapeze and she an aerialist, the white haired woman using her momentum spun counter-clockwise twice and let go, allowing her body going air born only to land on the creature’s back. The spider lurched in surprise as Kitty buried her blades into its head and succumbed to this finishing blow.

Silence fell over the secluded glade, but all she would have heard over the next several minutes was her blood pumping in her ears.

“Ohh! What big one!!”

It took a moment for Kitty to realize that Tiani was standing there, with behind the blond female elf the two rangers silently watching her sitting on top of the black body.

Her gaze met Vendor’s, and even without the exchange of words she knew she had passed. But did she also overcome her fears…?

She wiped her forehead and smiled faintly towards the others.

[lum]

VI. Needle in a snow pile

She sat with Lambe on a hill somewhere along Thundars, he on one side of the campfire, she on the other side. Both had fallen silent after their conversation about nature, the past, and hunting things. The rather damp wood snapped and crackled between them, and as Kitty’s hands splayed towards the flames, she fell back in her own world of thought and memories, this time going back to her last visit to the cold North, now almost half a year ago...

---------- flashback -----------


She squinted at the fairly clear sky overhead. The first stars were already up there twinkling, some sputtering in color. It soon would be pitch dark and beyond bitterly cold. She pulled her cloak closer around her as the freezing wind gusted over the icy plain, buffeting and clawing at her outfit. Sharp, rocky outcroppings surrounded her, and it has been days ago since she saw the last trees. There was no more liquid water around either, not even meltwater during the day. Pretty much like a desert. And still there was no sign of that bloody cabin she was looking for...

She checked the floating needle in her hand, something she had bought from that new tinkerer back home. It really did work well, so something about the pointers the people in the last village of the Ten Towns had to be inaccurate. The way how the wind came howling from the north caused her teeth to chatter.

Home I say… all the while this -is- supposed to be my home. Or at least the place where I was born.

She shook her head in such a way that it looked like she glady would reject that idea. Like as if she couldn’t believe she grew up in a place as desolate as this. Not that I have many memories from my childhood either to verify this, she thought as she trudged forward again through the eternal snow-clad world, blinking the ice from her eyelashes, her snowshoes lifting over the sparkling whiteness.

She looked up once more, and cursed under her breath as she observed the ascending side of the glacier in front of her. It was steep and it looked slippery. If I break my leg here, no one will ever know. Not even Terri or Vendor. Suddenly she felt sorry for the way how she had left Baldur’s Gate and the Lodge. Just as she always promised herself she had watched… personally seen to it that those two got married. But right after the ceremony she left… for reasons that were her own.

She sighed. In spite of her considerable hope to find what she was looking for, she now suddenly felt down. She missed her friends and they were probably sick worried on where she was. Why am I so stupid to… hey… what… is that?

At the distance of a mile or less she saw an irregularity in the pristine darkening sky, something that looked an smoke trail, ascending from a point up ahead the glacier. She didn’t forget about the steepness of the slope, but fresh hope seemed to fill her with an electric energy, a powerful tingling sensation taking hold of her chest and legs. Seemingly without effort she boldly conquered any difficulties that parted her from her objective, never yielding for the reprimanding sternness in the severe, sharp wind. She strained her watery eyes as she looked up again, only to notice with a certain level of satisfaction it was a cabin indeed.

And where there’s smoke… there’s life...

She approached the construction now more slowly, and noticed how it was partially set into the glacier. Very smart actually as it offered protection against the cold wind. But why on earth would anyone want to live out here, so far from the habited world? Kitty couldn’t come up with one reason, except if you had been banished from everywhere. And that was not the case. At least not according to the fishermen who had told her about this person.

“H… Hello!?” She tried carefully, her heart beating a little bit faster in her chest, the cold burning on her cheeks.

Merely seconds later the door of the cabin opened, swinging inside, and a large older looking man came out, lowering his head to avoid colliding with the doorframe. He was clad in a mix of raw animal fur and a leather that seemed of higher quality, and held a shield in one hand and a sheathed sword in his other.

The fierce expression, like as if he had expected nothing ever good would come his way and he was ready to battle it, made way for disbelief when he noticed Kitty standing there. Shield and weapon dropped from his hands as he mumbled.

“No… no… this isn’t possible… Ro… Rowena? Is that you…?”

Kitty stood there as if her feet were nailed to the ground, her knees going all weak when she heard the name of her biological mother...

[lum]

--- her flashback continues ---


The artic wind blew her long white hair over her face, giving her the appearance of an ice angel. She thought she overheard the low, obnoxious sound of ice breaking off at the top of the glacier. The man motioned to her with a quick, urging beaconing of the hand. Kitty frowned and briefly glanced startled over her shoulder as snow began to slide. She leaped over fast towards the man and stopped beside him just as a massive snowpack tumbled down the slippery slope of the glacier. She breathed out, relieved, but also slightly embarrassed.

One moment the slope she had climbed a moment earlier looked so peaceful and pristine, and during the next it was moving. She imagined what the power of the powder around her could have done to her body, engulfing her hard and unforgiving, kissingly coldly and slowly smothering her to death.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion as she eventually turned towards the man.

“T… thanks for the warning…”

“Are you alright?” He asked with a deep rumbling voice, his thick brows furrowing into one. “You disturbed the top thin layer of icy snow with your climbing. Quick, come inside before you freeze. Only the gods know how you…” Then he shook his head, left his sentence unfinished and went to open the door for her.

Inside it was cozy and warm, with a fur on the floor to keep feet warm. A small fire was snapping at the far end, and the leftovers of a warm meal hung above the flames. Without questions a warm cloak was dropped over her shoulders. Inside the walls were clad with planks and timber, the panels adding to the warmth. Around her, the cabin was furnised with basic self made furniture, and there was a ladder that lead downstairs into the ice to what appeared an improvised bedroom, a construction that appeared to anchor the entire home into the glacier. Next, she was invited to sit on a small pile of worn cushions near the fireplace.

“I’m not Rowena… but how did you know…” Kitty started.

“Yes… I know, I realized as soon as you had stepped closer that you have the eyes and hair of your mother, but the nose and chin of your father.”

Kitty blinked. “So… so you must be…”

“Victor. I’m a relative of your mother, yes, a distant uncle if you will.” The bearded man pulled a stool over and sat after handing over a plate with warm food to Kitty. “I wonder how you were able to find me, and how you got all the way down here… without harm.”

Kitty blushed slightly but eagerly started on the food. “Some say I’m like a cat.” She said a bit impish, but she noticed the little joke didn’t have the desired effect on the man. “I… I can’t tell you how happy I am now that I finally have found you. I’ve been on and off travelling around Ten Towns, inquiring about the name Icingdale… and… Rowena…” She nodded. “They only told me I should look for someone in this area. It kinda was more difficult than I had expected.”

“Kinda?!” Victor snorted and shook his head.” I think I’m the only living person in a radius of two or three days. Perhaps you are right and you truly have remarkable senses, as well as a knack for survival.”

“What? Oh, I’m being taught by the best.”

“Lumitia…” Victor spoke her name carefully, as if it were a word in an another, unfamiliar language.

Kitty trembled slightly at overhearing her real name, nearly dropping the spoon filled with meat and hot juice on the floor.

“That’s not the name you are used to, isn’t it.” Victor observed.

The white haired woman shook her head as she swallowed down rapidly food that was too hot for her mouth. “No… I been called Kitty ever since I was six or so and…”

“Kitty??” Victor openly expressed his disbelief. “That is a joke right?”

Kitty giggled. “In a way it is I suppose, but it’s true. Rowe… mom, she always told me to never tell anyone my real name. I’m not sure how others called me then before that, but when I got seperated from them and was found by an elf… well, she asked for my name and I found inspiration in a large snowcat that was accompinying her… so…”

“So… Kitty…and six years old… I see…” He nodded. “Truth be told, I’m still slightly in shock upon seeing your face, and finding you here in this remote corner of the world.”

“Just as surprised as I am finding you in this very remote corner of the world…” she said soft.

“Your parents… can you tell me… what happened?” Victor started as he poored in something that looked like ale.

Kitty’s eyes glistened. “I’ve only got vague memories… but the elves told me they were probably caught by some dark creatures in the forest.”

“Which forest was that?” he inquired, careful not to ask too many questions at the same time as he watched Kitty emptying her plate in record time.

“The High Forest… north east side.”

“And have you been there all your life? Since you obviously have certain skills.”

“Partially, I was raised by elves yes, until I finally decided it was time for me to travel, and look for answers. Ten years now almost.”

He sighed. “I hope you also have had a chance to live a little instead of hunting ghosts.”

“But you aren’t a ghost are you now…?” she smiled at him with intelligent eyes,”... and I’ve been going through bad days and good days.”

“Well, you have to tell me all about it.... but not today…” He said when he observed her yawning and rubbing her eyes. “The sun is setting, you are tired of what obviously must have been a rough trip, and you will be safe here.”

Kitty however suddenly got overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions and started crying. Soon enough she found a shoulder with uncle Victor who took care of her.

“My dear, dear girl…” the older man said, patting her back gently.

[lum]

VII. The past cannot be changed, but...

She recalled how she that first night at Viktor's cabine easily had fallen asleep, like as if that arctic place's air had been magical, and helped her regain her vigorous form and clear her entire body. That first night at uncle Viktor however, Kitty had had an experience that involved a very vivid sensation that was if moving outside her physical body and traveling far beyond it.

She recalled how she was moving through a valley, more like hoovering and countering the steepness of surrounding hills effortlessly, crashing through bush without any physical contact whatsoever. She heard someone laughing in the distance and imagined it was her own typical laughter, doing such while throwing her head back.

"A fully retired champion of the field you are now!" A male's voice teased. She knew that voice!

She urged her form to move faster through the valley that had been obviously carved by the water flowing through the nearby river, the earth's crust soaking up the life fluid and turning the land into a healthy green area. The floor of the valley widened, the mountain stream in this stage no longer considered youthful but rather mature. The bush and trees opened up in a beautiful open farmland now, and at the other side of a meadow she perceived a charming cottage or little farm.

"Cocky are we now? I like it!"

That was again her own voice, followed by a soft giggles. It came from behind that place. She hurried over the terrain, again fully ignoring any obstacles, like she were some kind of spirit. Rounding the bend between dense bush of plum trees and vines, she next got a glimpse of the people chatting. And... her mouth fell open as she watched her own appearance... working the land.

She hoovered a little closer, to cast a better look at... herself. Then, she noticed herself looking up and looking over. Whoever this copy of herself was, she wasn't alone as there were two people standing underneath an apple tree, picking the fruit from heavy branches. She looked back at herself

"Hey Kitty!" The male who was Vendor shouted.

The Kitty working the land looked up as she wiped her forehead. Both she and the Kitty looked over at Vendor... who tossed an apple in her direction...

Hidden: show

She rolled on her side, and finally fell asleep with Lambe watching over their campfire.
How could she ever have known the importance of this dream...?