#Erevan | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

barovianbitches · 9 months

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The Wild Wood's Call

Her bow was drawn, the muscles of her shoulders, chest, and arms taught as her keen eyes honed in on the large hare that she had been tracking for a while now. The weather was dark and gray like any springtime on the Sword Coast, but the heavy rainfall had made it difficult for her to track prey much anymore. Tracks were lost to puddles, leaving her frustrated and hungry. She took a deep breath in, her fingers loosening on the string. It was the perfect shot; come on-

“Kida!” A voice called from the bushes, accompanied by heavy footsteps and the rustling of branches. The hare was startled, launching off of its back legs as the arrow stuck into the muddy ground behind it. A cold wind nipped at her cheeks as she startled, halfway jumping out of her skin as she turned to see just where the hell the sound of a giant thundered from.

“Erevan!” She snapped back, throwing her hands in the air as she shot a stony glare at her brother. Kida didn’t say another word, huffing loudly and turning as she shoved through the underbrush to collect her arrow. Stooping down, Kida yanked it from the ground, flicking the mud off of it and inspecting its integrity before stowing it back into her quiver. “There goes dinner, nice one.”

Erevan’s face fell a bit at his sister’s temper. He never liked it when she got like this, bitey and ever so slightly aggressive with her remarks when she was frustrated or tired. He shrugged helplessly, pointing back in the direction that they had made camp in for the past several days. “While I appreciate the thought, sister, I came to tell you I caught several large bass from the river nearby, dinner is ready.”

Kida gritted her teeth, sighing a bit as her shoulders slumped in defeat. She took just a moment to breathe, trying to get her bearings together instead of snapping at him again. Erevan didn’t deserve it, he didn’t know that she had gone out practicing with her bow. After all, she did leave without telling him where she was going and why, but she was seventeen damn years old! She wasn’t ten, needing her big older brother to tag along to make sure she didn’t scrape her knee on a particularly tough tumble. After a bit, she shook her head, wrinkling her nose and closing her eyes to try and remedy the ache she felt in front of her head.“Got it. Sorry. It’s just-”

“I know. I know. This whole adventure thing isn’t working out quite as you planned.” The tall Renaltian followed after her, opening his arms for a hug. He always did this. Erevan always wanted to hug it out, thinking the physical contact would solve every little problem Kida had. She shook her head stubbornly, looking away from him dejectedly and into the bushes where the hare ran. His arms fell to his sides, and he tried to hide his hurt expression. “Chin up, sister, we’re getting the hang of this! No shut-in kids from a monastery are going to be seasoned outlanders in such a short time-”

The siblings had hailed from a region high on the rocky bluffs at the very bottom of the Sword Coast’s territory from a place known as the Looking Pools of the Songseer. It was an ancient city, or so the monks said. Created from white stone found only in the deepest parts of the ocean. It was said to have been created by the great God of the Sea, Veles, son of the Goddess of life and brother to the other elemental gods. Below the cliffs were beautiful hot springs that were said to have magical healing properties, another gift from their deity. These pools were made of a similar white stone, naturally carved out by the movement of the sea over them long ago. Erevan and Kida were born into a higher-ranking Andreas family. Their mother, Safira, was a high priestess who selected and trained the warriors of the pools, known as the Tidemasters. She was a prophet and mouthpiece of the sea god, foretelling storms and other various events that would affect the monastery and the surrounding people there. Erevan had taken after her in such a way, quickly learning how to control the flow of the sea with the wave of his hands.

Kida, though, showed no such gifts as the rest of her family. Instead of blessings from a made-up god, she believed that the abilities of the Tidemasters were innate gifts given to them at birth. In fact, she didn’t believe in any presence of gods at all. How did that make sense? Divine beings, controlling every aspect of their lives and looking down upon their subjects as they were torn through by disease, famine, and war? If such beings did exist, they were cruel and did not deserve worship.

“It’s been three months! Three months in the cold wilderness, scraping together what little food we can find, narrowly avoiding being poisoned by berries, our tent being blown away in a storm, could it get much worse?” She ranted, pacing back and forth as she usually did when she was venting. A commonplace for her. It’s true what they had said, though. When Kida had originally made her plans to leave the monastery, leave all she had ever known behind, she thought it would have been not so dreadful, and at the very least not so frigidly cold as she traveled North. Erevan, having found out about her plans, insisted he would accompany her. It wasn’t that she had necessarily allowed him to go so much as he forced her to allow him to trail her.

Thank the gods that he did, though, lest his younger sister be traversing this cold and rainy hellscape alone. Erevan signed softly, reaching out and ceasing Kida’s march on whatever poor forest creatures lived in these woods before she had paced herself into her own grave.

“Three months of learning.” He soothed, gently pulling her in for a hug anyway and letting her head rest on his chest. He smelled of sandalwood and river algae, his shirt slightly damp from where he likely waded into the water up to his chest and caught the fish bare-handed. She tensed like an angered cat, beginning to snarl a vaguely rude phrase to release her. But as he began to pet her hair, Kida relaxed ever so slightly, quieting down for the moment and letting him hold her.

“Three months of nothing.” She countered, her voice barely above a woeful whisper. Kida let all of her weight rest against the pillar of marble that was her brother before finally giving in, wrapping her arms around her brother’s waist and burying her face in the soft material of his tunic. He rubbed her back in slow circles, doing his best to soothe his agitated sister and copying an old trick he had seen their mother do many times before. “Maybe mother and father were right… Maybe this was all a mistake.”

Erevan’s face contorted in confusion at this, looking down at her with his dark, storm-grey eyes. Kida refused to meet his gaze as she could feel tears welling in her eyes, instead opting to bury her face into the half-dry tunic further. She never did like crying in front of others, ever since she was a little girl. She had always felt it was too vulnerable and awkward a position to be in, even with those who were closest to her.

“Ki, you are too hard on yourself. Listen to me, your big brother! You’ve got nothing to worry about when I’m here-” Her stint of silence was broken by a sniffle, causing her brother to pause. “Awe, Ki… Let’s get you back to the camp, unwind for the evening. You’ve been out here all day by yourself. It’s not good for you.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “Not until I bring something back.” Good gods was she strong-willed, nearly to a fault. Erevan huffed in defeat, releasing her from his grip and lifting his hands again in defense. She was only seventeen, full of spite and more fire than Erevan had witnessed in all of his training with his peers. Kida had always been this way, much to the dismay of their parents. She never wanted to study with the other children, instead escaping through a window and into the distant forest to the east of the temple.

“Fine, fine, I relent. I expect you back so you can warm up by the fire by dark. Promise me, Kida.” The stern expression he wore on his handsome features was uncharacteristic to the Tidemaster, only coming out when he suddenly had to become an impromptu parent to his sister while their actual parents were absent due to important business in the temple.

Kida let out a sigh of relief, giving her brother another quick hug. “I promise, Erie. Thank you.” Her overt affection was a rare occurrence indeed, as she usually resorted to violence instead of public displays of affection. Erevan sighed along with her, squeezing her back and kissing her head. “I’ll be back by dark.” She pulled back, giving him a small smile before disappearing through the wood in pursuit of the rabbit that had evaded her.

Erevan shook his head as he watched her go, the warm woolen capelet gifted to her by their grandmother disappearing into the brush. Their parents had always scolded him for enabling his sister, saying that he was encouraging her bad and rebellious behavior. He disagreed. He thought that they didn’t truly understand her yet, and she was meant for something different, not within the confines of the monastery.

He remembered the first time he was sent to retrieve his sister from the woods. He was ten years old, Kida only seven. Somehow, despite her age and relative ability, she became a master escape artist, wiggling her way out of various places just under the noses of the other priests and monks that roamed the empty halls.

She was supposed to be meditating at the tidepools with the other children her age, where she would forge her connection with their patron god, Veles. She refused, stating that he never spoke to her as he did to the other children. This led to a brief shouting match between her and the elder leading the meditation, her escape ensuing. As soon as their mother caught wind of this, Erevan was sent on horseback to locate his sister. He found her crouched underneath a willow tree over a mile and a half from the temple, watching a mother bear and her two cubs forage for berries and fish in the river from a distance. One of the cubs wandered away, too far for the mother bear’s liking. She quickly collected her shield, carrying her back to the river’s edge, where she was catching dinner.

“That’s mama. And that’s me.” She had pointed to the interaction, looking up to the young Erevan, who, at this point, had dismounted from the horse and walked over to see what she was doing. He was incredibly impressed at how someone so small was able to make it so far. Even he wouldn’t have been able to.

“Is that right, Kiki?” He kneeled beside her, looking at where she pointed. “And why is that?” He rested his hand on her small shoulder. She wasn’t listening at this point, instead finding interest in what she fiddled with in her lap that she hunched over. “Kiki, what do you have?” He asked, trying to look at what she was holding. She made an angry little harumph, trying to shrug off her big brother.

“Nothing!” She whined indignantly, trying to get away from him. He wasn’t letting up, though. Their mother had specifically instructed him to bring his sister home as soon as he found her. She had already been gone all afternoon at this point, the temple turned upside in search of the small girl. Erevan would never admit that he knew where she would have gone. She was always so curious about the forest, as well as the flora and fauna that inhabited it. She had no interest in the ocean, the very thing in which their entire culture was rooted in. No, she was always drawn toward the forest. Their parents knew this, thinking it would simply be a pacing phase in their daughter, but they soon found that it was most certainly not.

“Kida, let me see! Right now!” He was agitated. Erevan himself was just a boy, mature for his age but still not quite understanding how to be gentle with his little sister. He grabbed her shoulder roughly, pushing her over against the ground in his anger. She let out a pitiful cry, a small object dropping from her hands. He immediately understood his mistake, going to comfort her. “Kiki- I’m sorry, it was an accident-” She began to cry, an intense and shrill sound that seemed to shake the trees around them. He helped her to her feet, picking up the item she dropped. It was a necklace, acorns, wooden beads, and small mossy agates strung along a woven vine twine. She couldn’t have made this herself. It was too meticulous. “Kiki- Where did you get this?” It was no use, though. She was having a full-blown tantrum, and it was growing dark. He sighed, picking up his sister and packing her onto the back of the horse. It didn’t make sense. There was not a village for miles. Had someone found her and given her the necklace? He left it in the brush, riding away back to the temple to return to their mother.

Erevan shook his head at the memory. She hadn’t changed much in ten years. She was still so strong-willed and still getting into trouble, all of which her older brother had to remedy or rescue her from so she would not incur the wrath of their parents. Though, her escapes became more planned, crafted in such a way that no one would notice until she had taken a horse and ridden miles away at that point. Every time Erevan would chase after her. Every time he brought her back. Though, three months ago, he had a change of heart. That time, he followed her.

At this point, the rabbit had been long gone, but Kida was still giving chase to the creature that had once evaded her. She never liked to lose, let alone to such a small creature. She would have already caught it if Erevan had not so rudely interrupted her hunt. No matter, she was hopeful and hot on the trail, the rabbit having left tracks in the mud that she quickly followed before they were lost to the rest of the wet ground and the possibility of rain.

Her failure to kill the rabbit drove her further into the mindset that her parents had been right. About everything. Maybe she was the one who had broken the bond with Veles and angered the ocean god, and that’s why she never gained her powers. Maybe it was truly all her fault. It usually was; being an outcast in such a place led to her becoming the scapegoat for things, only resulting in more of her direct defiance of the entire monastery. Her parents tried to reteach her their ways early, ensuring that if she apologized and repented to the god, he would forgive her and grant her the magic of the Tidemasters. But she was too far gone for them. She swore off the gods, swore off everything about the religion her parents stood for.

Kida wiped her eyes, not realizing a stray tear had gathered on her waterline. She had to focus; otherwise, she would look like an idiot. At the very least, if she caught the hare, she would be an idiot with dinner. She moved through the forest like the whisper of a wind, blessed with light steps, unlike her brother. Not a single branch impeded her travel, and soon enough, she saw brown fur disappear under a bush. She screeched to a halt, dropping low to the ground and drawing an arrow from her quiver, the same one she had attempted to use on the rabbit earlier.

She rounded a tree trunk, quickly drawing her bow as she came around the other side, thinking the rabbit had settled there. Kida was ready to fire, when she realized nothing was there. She cursed under her breath, resuming tracking the rabbit. Where could this little nuisance have gone? The underbrush wasn’t dense by any means, the trees arching overhead a mix of spindly birch and young oak that were still naked from the wintertime and provided little canopy. Her movements were more or less covered by the torrential downfall of the rain, but so were the rabbit’s. She was moments away from giving up just as a quick movement caught the corner of her eye. Gotcha.

She leaped into action, running after the small creature as it bolted through the wood. She wasn’t going to outrun the rabbit by any means, it had proven that much. She stopped in her tracks, eyeing an oak tree that was old enough to support her weight. She didn’t have much time to assess the situation further as she scaled its branches, higher and higher, until she could see out over the barren treetops. She was just able to track it with her eyes as she quickly drew the bow again and fired. The arrow found its mark. The rabbit didn’t even know what hit him. Kida’s face lit up in delight. Yes, yes! She caught it!

She allowed herself a moment of victory, pumping her fist in the air and trying to contain her glee from the thrill of the hunt. Grinning, she threw her hands up in the air and let out a hoot of joy just as a clap of lightning struck down a tree beside her. Her joy was short-lived, jolting in fright as the tree branch underneath her snapped. She didn’t have time to think, groping for another branch as she plummeted to the ground, blacking out.

Suddenly she was back on the bluffs of her home, only a mere few months ago.

It was her seventeenth birthday. The ocean churned in anger, the dark sky overhead turning the water a hateful dark grey. The waves crashed against the smooth white stone of the tidepools, flooding them out as the sea level began to rise. Kida watched from below a tree as the storm met the seas, thunder rolling in the far-off distance. Her fingers curled into the soft grass, her knees brother to her chest where she allowed her chin to rest on them, her dark eyes watching the waves grow in height as the storm intensified. She had always enjoyed the rain, finding comfort in its repetitive tut-tut-tut tune that played over and over again like a familiar song.

The monks predicted the storm, having seen the clouds at a distance that morning. The temple whirled with life as they made preparations for the onslaught of rain and wind that was to come. Storms never bode well for Kida’s people, as it usually meant they had done something to anger Veles. Kida didn’t care, though. He had forsaken her long ago. She chose to enjoy it in the face of danger and the supposed wrath of their patron deity. At this point, everyone was bundled up inside, candles lit in every room as they chose to wait out the storm.

The commotion had caused everyone but Erevan to forget what today was. No matter; she wasn’t a fan of birthdays anyway. In the middle of the shuffle, Erevan found time to visit Kida in her room, offering a slice of lemon cake and a small wrapped parcel. “Happy birthday.” He told her with a smile. After all, his twentieth had just passed a few weeks before. He sported his new robes of blue-grey hue, signaling his rise into the official position as a Tidemaster.

She accepted it, quietly thanking him. “Aren’t you going to open your present?” He asked hopefully, tipping his head as if he were a bird. Kida rolled her eyes a bit before nodding and delicately unwrapping the golden twine. Within the small package was a pair of beautifully crafted earrings with pale gold hardware, dangling with preserved leaves and small brown bird feathers. They were the most beautiful things she had ever laid eyes on. Unlike the blues and silvers that adorned the walls of the monastery, she always preferred gold and green. Erevan knew her stunned silence to mean that she loved them. She rose from her bed, quickly putting them on before turning to him to give him a hug. “I hear a storm is coming. Everyone will be inside… You should go see.” He smiled, nodding towards the dark sky visible through her window. He knew she would jump at the opportunity for a moment where no one would bother her. She nodded, kissing his cheek and heading out the door.

And so here she was, watching the sea rage against the rocks far, far below. She only ever had two people in her corner, who always had accepted her as she truly was. Erevan, of course. And their paternal grandmother, lovingly nicknamed Yaya. The old woman had always understood Kida’s inner turmoil, as she had married into the monastery by way of their father’s father. Yaya had seen what it was like outside of the Pools and encouraged Kida to explore as much as she liked. “This is a small pond, my dear. You should explore the ocean before you settle.”

Yaya had requested to speak to her with the last bit of her strength. “Look for me in the sea, my love. I will be watching over you from there.” She said to Kida on her deathbed. Kida was not ready for her to go so soon. Her parents didn’t understand her ways, and Yaya had been the only one who had made Kida feel sane. “You must follow the farthest star, my dear girl. Follow the voice that sings to you.” Yaya passed just over two years ago now, leaving Kida with only Erevan by her side.

She didn’t quite know what she had meant by that last phrase. There were many stars, which being the “farthest” not entirely clear. Which way? North, west? Kida had always chalked it up to being premortem psychosis. She loved Yaya dearly and appreciated how she had supported Kida’s dreams, but she didn’t offer much by way of guidance.

The ocean churned below, dragging debris out into its depths. She did not yet understand her place in all of this. She knew it was not with her mother as a priestess or with her father and brother as a Tidemaster. None of it made sense to her, and it just wasn’t fair. All she ever wished for as long as she could remember was to travel far, far away from Renaltia and never look back. Her family chalked it up to adolescent angst, but Erevan recognized it as much more. He couldn’t do much, though, as it wasn’t often Kida’s expressed her emotions in a way that would be constructive and could lead to a possible solution. No, instead, she bottled them up, pressure gradually building with anger, envy, and spite before it surely would explode.

Kida came to after a moment, deep within her own mind, as the storm continued to swirl and intensify around her. The wind howled in her ears, drowning out any other sounds besides the sea. She slowly got to her feet, dark eyes drawn to the distant, blurry horizon where the dark blue ocean met shadowy grey of the cloudy sky. Pebbles gave way at her feet, reminding her of her proximity to the edge of the bluffs. The water below was far. Would she even feel the impact? Surely not. Her mind wandered as she took another step forward, the edge of her leather sandals skating over the edge of the rocks.

“Kida!” A voice shouted to her, startling Kida from her trance. She whipped around, her eyes meeting the terrified face of Erevan. “What in the world are you doing? You’re going to-” It was difficult to hear him from this distance, over the wind and water. Her brow furrowed in confusion before his mouth fell open to a scream. She hadn’t noticed her heel teeter over the edge, the fright zipping through her body, leading her to lose balance and begin to fall backward. Kida watched as Erevan shot forward from the gates of the gardens, running to the edge where she tumbled. Time seemed to stop as she watched Erevan bolt after her in slow motion, her body floating back off the edge as her eyes turned to the storming sky. Lightning struck overhead once more, but she couldn’t hear the strike, only the column of wind rushing past her as she fell.

Erevan could only helplessly watch his sister plummet off the edge towards the rocks and the lashing sea. Kida felt both weightless and so heavy, the descent down so slow but so fast. Her heart screamed for her to move, to try to grab something, but her mind was silent, taking a vow of silence in this moment. She looked back up to Erevan, who had reached the cliff’s edge, making eye contact. He could see the vacant expression in her eyes, knowing she wouldn’t try to save herself. How could she, anyway? She had not been blessed with powers by Veles as he had.

He had to think and fast. He dropped to his knees in the dirt, reaching his hand out, not to her, but to the water below her. The waves lapped at the air, wanting to rise to his hand, but the distance was too great. The Renaltian swallowed hard. He would not allow his sister to leave like this. Rising to his feet, he quickly removed his robes and shoes, clasping his hands together and diving after her. He would only have a few moments before she would hit the water, or worse, the rocks.

He fell after her, the siblings staring at each other as the plummeted to their deaths. Kida lost herself for that moment, but Erevan hadn’t. With his palms extended, he summoned as much strength as he could, willing the water to his command. The angry sea snarled back to him, swirling and baring the fangs of the jagged stones. Come on, come on– He wasn’t going to make it in time.

He dove to her, catching her by the waist and rolling them over in the air. Kida remained in stunned silence as he now was beneath her to break her fall, one arm firmly holding her waist as he reached to the sky with his hand. In the split seconds of all of this happening, the water finally rose to meet them, clashing against Erevan’s back, knocking the wind out of him but still cushioning the fall. They were swallowed by the wave and, with a desperate movement of Erevan’s wrist, were coughed up onto the rocky shore. Rain pelted them from above, ocean spray making it worse. Kida tumbled from his arms, coughing and gasping and looking at Erevan. He lay sprawled on the smooth surface of white stone, face down.

“Erevan!” She cried out, scrambling to her feet on the slippery rock to go to her brother’s side. She rolled him over on his back, and after a tense moment, he sat straight up and coughed hard. She let out a sharp sigh of relief, collapsing into his lap and letting out a sob. “I’m so sorry Erevan, I wasn’t paying attention, I, I could’ve killed you–”

He continued to cough, managing a weak smile for his sister. “Ah, don’t sweat it, Ki… How am I supposed to be the Grand Tidemaster if I don’t look out for those I’m supposed to protect?” He gently pat her back, looking to the ocean that held both their people’s way of life but also possible death. She continued to cry the way only a child could. She wiped her red eyes, looking up at him before hugging his shoulders tightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Kida whimpered, Erevan only shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have come out here at all– What if-?”

Erevan cut her off. “I told you to come look at the storm, Ki. If anything this was my fault.” He murmured, holding her close to him. “Come on. We should get back up to the temple to make sure you didn’t break anything.”

She pulled away, sniffling hard. “To make sure I didn’t break anything? Erevan– You, you almost sacrificed yourself for me! You’re the one who may be hurt!” Realizing this, she quickly stood and tried to help him up. He could only wince, just managing to get to his feet. Kida led him to the flat marble stairs that had been carved into the rockface leading up the bluff, slowly guiding her brother up.

Luckily enough, he only had a few broken ribs from the sheer impact of the water against his back. Her mother scolded her, her words laced with malice. Her father didn’t have the words, only shaking his head in disappointment. She had not only put herself and the next Tidemaster in danger due to her foolishness. “Why were you out in such a storm anyway? Why were you so close to the edge?” They had asked, to which she did not have an answer. Erevan tried to cover for her, saying it was all an accident. He was not wrong. But their parents still chalked it up to her gripes with the temple and their way of life.

Rumors began to swirl, the washwomen and other citizens of Renaltia hearing of the near-death experience of both of the most important children in the Entire temple. They said that Veles himself tried to kill Kida. That she was a disgrace to her family, and he felt the need to strike her down in a storm, and that Erevan had intervened when he shouldn’t have. That perhaps, it would have been better if she were dead.

While her parents quickly realized their mistake of treating their daughter in such a way, it did not undo the damage that the rumors had already done. Kida found herself to be shunned by her peers, by all of those she had grown up with, even worse than before. It was her breaking point.

Kida slowly stirred, bright light shining directly into her eyes as she awoke beneath the tree she had fallen from. The storm had cleared, early spring sun bathing her in the warmth she had longed for all of these months. There was a brief moment of clarity before pain shot through her body. She sat up, wincing in pain and looking down at her swollen ankle. Well, it could have been worse. It must have been early morning now. Shit. Erevan was going to be pissed.

She took a moment to survey her surroundings. With sunlight now filtering through the canopy, the forest took on a much more warm and inviting air to it. She stood carefully, minding her wounded foot. Something clinked around her neck, something that had not been there before. She lifted her hand to her chest, feeling for what now hung there. A necklace. Made of acorns, mossy stones, and wooden beads, all things that could be found in a forest surrounding her. Confusion crossed her face, and as her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed more and more things that were not there when she was originally here the evening before.

Kida could pick out her outline in the long grass. Surrounding it was a circle of twisted ivy and small, wild white roses. She bent down, brushing her hand over the flora that seemingly had grown overnight. “What in the world?” She whispered to herself,

“Do you like my gift?” A soft but commanding voice called to her. Kida shot to attention. She had not heard anything approach. That just wasn’t possible. Her eyes met with that of a massive brown bear who was standing on two legs just a few feet away from her in the bushes. Kida’s eyes widened, both in fear and shock, as she scrambled backward, her foot catching on a stray root as she tumbled backward into the base of a tree.

“What are you??” Kida cried out. There was no way this bear had just spoken to her. Her eyes traced up. Oh, of course, this was no ordinary bear. The brown bear’s eyes were a gentle, glowing green. Something inherently maternal shining within them. Atop its head grew a huge rack of antlers, ten points total. They were draped in flora, similar vines, and small white rose buds. Small birds hopped from point to point, chasing each other atop the head of the bear.

“Forgive me, I must have scared you.” The bear slowly lowered itself onto four legs, laying down in the brush until it was entirely out of view. While Kida was terrified, she was also painfully curious about the talking bear. Of course, she was used to the magic of the realm, but nothing such as this. She couldn’t tell if she was still dreaming or not. Kida pinched herself just to make sure she was, in fact, awake.

“Wait-” Kida held her hand out, not before an absolutely radiant woman stepped from the very same bushes. Kida’s mouth fell open, looking up at her slowly. She was beautiful and tall but built with strong musculature and broad shoulders. She had long, minty green hair that had been pulled back in a braid and secured with twine. She wore animal pelts across her shoulders, legs, and arms, a crown of twigs weaved together with flowers and precious stones circling her antlers.

“Be not afraid, little one. I do not wish to harm you.” At a distance, Kida knew she was tall, but as the woman emerged from the bushes, her height was much more apparent. She was well over seven feet tall, still towering over Kida even as she kneeled down on the forest floor. “I am Caija, and I have known you since you were little.”

Kida still didn’t understand. “But– But I have never seen you in my life– How do you know me?” She shook her head, trying to clear it of the delusions she was so obviously seeing materialize before her. Perhaps when she fell from that tree, she had died. Yes. That must be right. She is dead, and this is the ferryman to the afterlife. How odd.

Caija smiled kindly to her, reaching down and holding Kida’s cheek in her rough hand. She stiffened immediately at the touch. She was never one exactly for physical contact from her family, let alone a total stranger bear-woman who she had just met in the middle of the woods. “Every time you came to visit me in my forest. Every bear and butterfly, every blooming flower. I was there, watching over you.”

Kida felt her head spinning at this new information. She didn’t believe in Veles, not for a long time. The gods, by association, weren’t real. This couldn’t be a goddess on earth. “I have never heard of you, Caija. Are you my ancestor?” Her voice quaked, scrambling for something that Kida would be able to wrap her mind around. “You… You’ve come to protect me?” She said hopefully

Caija simply chuckled before giving her a nod, soothing Kida’s nerves a bit. “You could say that, yes. If you choose to believe that I am your ancestor, then it is just so.” She pet her cheek. Kida couldn’t help but lean into it, she felt so tired, and this woman was so warm and inviting. Her voice was as soothing as a babbling brook and as warm as the summer sun on her face. “I have finally made myself known to you, as I will guide you on this path you have chosen.”

Kida’s eyes lit up. “You’ll guide me? So- I wasn’t wrong to leave Renaltia?”

Caija shook her head. “Oh no, my dear. Your decision to leave was entirely your own, and your desire for something beyond those walls was never wrong. You simply hold a different fate than what your family hopes for you.” She smiled again. “You are much like I was when I was younger. Ever ambitious, desiring more. You will grow into your desires, dear blossom.”

Kida had so many questions for the woman- Or Caija, as she called herself. So many questions that would be left unanswered.

“Kida– Kida, where are you–?” Came the frantic yet familiar voice through the brush, causing both women to look up curiously like alerted rabbits.

“I must go. Your brother is worried sick.” Caija bowed low, butting her forehead against Kida’s. “Stay safe, my golden child. Remember, you are never alone.” She whispered. Kida’s eyes fell closed, hanging onto her every word. She could feel Caija’s hands leave her face, a whisper of wind blowing past her. When she opened her eyes, the woman was gone. All that remained was the rabbit that Kida hunted, lying peacefully within the circle of flowers.

#Kida #Erevan #NPC #D&D #lore #background #Veles

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