A Mountain's Climbing Path

She had been traveling on her own for the last few days. While she might usually have a guard with her to help stave off any wild animal, the whole of the isle still needed exploring. She needed time to clear her head away from other people, for now that she had opened her senses wide to this world, it was an almost too rough of a feeling to relearn how to use her old powers and new alike. The young queen, dressed in the multicolored hides that came from the animals they started to raise for food and leather so as not to over-hunt the small island and take too much, was already more than halfway up a path that led to nearly the peak, if she guessed correctly.

She was tired and she could see the sky had turned into an array of golds and reds while the sun set, the last rays painting a brilliant scene before her soft and lonely gaze. She had long given Asa up to the Mist. Her heart had shattered and it took her babe to precariously help her pick up the pieces. Her daughter would be queen, and she would be better than Tana was because Tana, though she knew not what she did yet, would raise her daughter to be stronger than she in many ways. She sat upon a log that had fallen, perhaps not a year ago, as it seemed fresh still and not rotted enough to have grown a thick carpet of moss.

The mostly mute woman surveyed the beauty before her, relaxing for the first time since her arrival in this world. This new place was not bad, but there would be a lot to learn still about where they had now come. She began to unshoulder the pack she had carried with travel essentials, her camping gear, now fresh after culling out a few of the herd of smaller bovine typed animals as well as swine. There were flightless birds that made for good stew and their eggs were even better and slightly bigger than a large chicken egg. There was no longer the same hardship there was in the beginning.

Indeed, she laid out a ration of food on a waxed cloth, dried berries, some of the first batch of wine made from various berries and fruits, some cheese made with the goat like creatures' milk that was soft and tangy, and what looked to be dried meat and pickled vegetables of some sort. Indeed, the bounty of food was rich, for her people were used to taking what was in the forest and making it into something they could farm. The next step was to create looms for the new arrivals. Every now and then, a new group of their people would arrive and they would be put to work as soon as they were over the illness afforded by the mist.

She ate thoughtfully and slid her butt into the grass after unclasping the tattered cloak that had belonged to her former mate, rolling it up to form a pillow of sorts. She would need to build a small campfire eventually, and she would with some of the wood she'd bundled up. This would be as good a place as any to relax for the night. For now, she was hungry and needed nourishment. She ate with soft humming noises as the sky darkened to purple.

Tana heard the sound of her name. Squinting, she gazed in the direction of the sound. A familiar presence, she thought, not sure who it was approaching for she had given instruction not to bother her while she was having her think. But then she realized who it was. At first, there was disbelief. She stood up, heedless that her food fell to the ground, luckily still on the cloth for the most part. She felt a mixture of emotions slamming into her, first there was joy at the sight and then there was pure anger. She'd mourned him. She'd cried for him and missed him and had given up hope of seeing his return.

She started to walk toward him, stumbling at first, stooping long enough to scoop up her staff. Then she ran, but instead of leaping into his arms upon reaching him, she swept her staff toward his legs in an attempt to sweep him off of his feet.

The next thing that happened would probably overjoy him, but she was so angry that the words that spat from her mouth rang clear and unhindered by the terrible stutter. "I thought you had died, you ass! Where were you?! I had our daughter without you! She doesn't know you! HOW COULD YOU?" And then she pounced, starting to send her fist toward her chest in a pummeling motion if he did not stop her from doing so.

Then she was crying and spitting out obscenities left and right.

She was so angry at the moment that she went stiff when he hugged her, and when he had showed her his stump, she felt even angrier. She then went limp under him and dissolved into sobs. It took a minute but her arms went around him, her staff forgotten on the ground for the moment. She buried her face into the crook of his shoulder and wept. She had grieved for months, wondering where he had gone, if he had abandoned her right when she needed him the most. There daughter was without her father for the entirety of her life at this point. But he was alive.

She pulled away then, though stuck herself under his armpit and wrapped his arm around her if he'd let her. She had gotten stronger than before he even met her. The scar that nearly killed her was still there, but she wore it like a badge of honor for surviving that. She would then get him upright if he was down and do her best to guide him to where she had been about to set up camp. She said, "L-lay," her stutter seeming to return with her sadness at his explanation. Once he was situated, she'd move to the staff to get it, and trotted back to him. She then put her hand upon his forehead.

She wasn't able to speak again, her tongue was much to heavy in her mouth as she moved to take care of Asa. She couldn't even begin to count the months he had been gone. She gazed at him for a long time and then used sign to indicate four passing moons at least, with her adding that there may be a month or two unaccounted for as time had been a blur since he left. She then moved to her knees and started to tend to things that needed immediate attention. She wanted to make sure he was at least stable enough before she moved to start a fire and get a pot of water boiling. She might even need to set up a torch so she could see better, for the light of day was ebbing away sooner, rather than later.

Once she had him settled even more, she started moving to gather what she could for some firewood. Luckily enough for her, there were a few trees available downhill. She dragged up a branch that she could split up easily enough, it seemed to be brittle enough not to require an axe. She then dug a pit, lined it with some stones that seemed to have been scattered about the hillside. She had a fire started after about a half an hour of labor. She didn't want to talk, she needed to keep her mind busy with menial tasks and not looking at him. While she was understanding of what happened, that did not diminish the anger and hurt she felt.

She pressed her lips together and tended to the fire until it was bright enough to see and she moved to tend to him again, still silent.

Stubborn man. She rolled her eyes in annoyance now. How dare he get up just to make an impassioned speech that led to him passing out? It was unnecessary. Now she really wanted to hit him. She left him to lay where he was, tended to his wounds while he slept, cleaned him up the best she could, stitched whatever needed stitching, and then moved to sit by the fire while he continued to lay there. She would not sleep.

By the time morning came around, she had left him to sleep. At some point, she'd put his cloak that now carried her scent more than his. She was at the creek scrubbing the grime of the night off of her skin. The creek was too small to swim and cold. She had her back to the camp, though she was not too far away. She made sure it was within earshot.