Night was comforting after a full day spent doing nothing. Or at least, in her vision, nothing constructive. Hunting had not gone too well; tomorrow morning Scarlet would either have to catch something or spend some of her hard-earned cash on the market when she returned. It was frustrating, to say the least, that she had missed her prey by not as much as a couple of inches. I'm going to get that blasted squirrel tomorrow. And when I do... Oh, it's going to be in a world of hurt. She sighed as she took off her tunic in the cold spring air. Tonight, she was not really in the mood for doing anything else, nor would she spend it inside the castle. At least three times a season, Scarlet tried spending a night outside, to keep in touch with herself. Her animal form needed a bit of communion with the nature outside hunting.
For the next 24 bells, she’d return to her animal form, trying to forget everything about the rest of the world. It was some kind of ritual for her, something to help clear her mind off the normal life she lead in the city. Humanity tended to get dull. She leaned back against the tree, the bark pressing lightly across her skin as she removed her boots slowly. Scarlet enjoyed this particular tree for the niche which had formed inside, in which she could easily fit all her clothes, along with the one golden miza she always carried alongside her. Taking the coin out of her pocket, she watched it intently. Thinking. Pondering. So many nice memories from only a single coin which could work wonders.
Lucy… How I wish I could’ve told you. The woman occupied most of Scarlet’s mind. She looked forward to meeting her again. There wasn’t a day which didn’t pass by without thinking at least once at her. This had never happened before, not with any human she had encountered until now. It felt like she shared something with Lucy, something important. Yet she couldn’t really put her finger on it. This was partly an experiment to see if she’d wake up with her in mind, even as an eagle. Here, instincts usually took hold of emotion, and the animal side prevailed.
It was here Scarlet first contemplated taking her life, six years ago. Her mother having abandoned her, she wasn’t one to have lived much by herself. Yes, she had been taught the basics of living in the wilderness, but suddenly being on her own came as a shock. In the early days of winter food had been very scarce and for the first time she had been forced to feed on carrion. But she had come such a long way since then it seemed almost impossible to carry out those thoughts now. Scarlet had finally found a reason to live for.
Stripping off the rest of her clothes, she tried gathering her thoughts. The chilly wind outside felt somewhat releasing as Scarlet stuffed her clothes in their usual hiding place. She stood up, letting the wind brush onto every inch of skin as she took deep breaths. Soon enough, she’d probably shift and go to sleep. It was tiresome thinking of all these human problems.
For the next 24 bells, she’d return to her animal form, trying to forget everything about the rest of the world. It was some kind of ritual for her, something to help clear her mind off the normal life she lead in the city. Humanity tended to get dull. She leaned back against the tree, the bark pressing lightly across her skin as she removed her boots slowly. Scarlet enjoyed this particular tree for the niche which had formed inside, in which she could easily fit all her clothes, along with the one golden miza she always carried alongside her. Taking the coin out of her pocket, she watched it intently. Thinking. Pondering. So many nice memories from only a single coin which could work wonders.
Lucy… How I wish I could’ve told you. The woman occupied most of Scarlet’s mind. She looked forward to meeting her again. There wasn’t a day which didn’t pass by without thinking at least once at her. This had never happened before, not with any human she had encountered until now. It felt like she shared something with Lucy, something important. Yet she couldn’t really put her finger on it. This was partly an experiment to see if she’d wake up with her in mind, even as an eagle. Here, instincts usually took hold of emotion, and the animal side prevailed.
It was here Scarlet first contemplated taking her life, six years ago. Her mother having abandoned her, she wasn’t one to have lived much by herself. Yes, she had been taught the basics of living in the wilderness, but suddenly being on her own came as a shock. In the early days of winter food had been very scarce and for the first time she had been forced to feed on carrion. But she had come such a long way since then it seemed almost impossible to carry out those thoughts now. Scarlet had finally found a reason to live for.
Stripping off the rest of her clothes, she tried gathering her thoughts. The chilly wind outside felt somewhat releasing as Scarlet stuffed her clothes in their usual hiding place. She stood up, letting the wind brush onto every inch of skin as she took deep breaths. Soon enough, she’d probably shift and go to sleep. It was tiresome thinking of all these human problems.
