Anarchy

A young girl, or perhaps a young woman as her age was clearly a mystery, stepped out of the thick foliage and into the cold winter warmth, her boots crunching a few twigs as she looked around, a bit of her black hair slipping out of the hood. “Well,” she mumbled, “I guess it’s safe now.” Raising her hands quickly, she took off her fur lined hood and revealed a young face with bluish silver eyes, a deep, long scar under her right eye. On her face, she had a scar running over the bridge of her nose from the left side of her face all the way to the right side, ending centimeters under the scar near her eye. Her beauty was marred by a scar on her bottom lip and on the right side of her face. One semi-long scar that started on her jawline ended at the middle of her cheek, and another that sat next to it started on her jawline and ended a few inches later. She shook her hair out of the hood and kicked at the snow on the ground. “Reminds me of home.” Her blue-black ears folded back and her eyes narrowed slightly before rolling her shoulders. She took off her large sword from her aching back, using it to clear the snow away and have a place to sit.

She sighed and propped the large swords sheath up against the tree and sat next to it, her head leaning on the bark of the tree. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead, lightly dabbing a bit of snow onto her forehead. She relaxed and cleared her mind, giving the appearance of a sleeping girl to others, and breathed for what seemed like an eternity with nothing by the sounds of the forest and nature around her. She eventually opened her eyes and got up twenty long minutes later.

Taking the large obsidian sword out of it’s sheath gently, she began to gently draw her long obsidian blade, studying it carefully as it emerged from its sturdy sheath. She turned the sword and caught the flat side in her palm, studying the blade further before stabbing
it into the hard ground. Looking around before walking away from it for a second, her hands swiftly threw the cloak that rested on her shoulders off, letting it fall into a crumpled heap on the ground, soon followed by her belts holding her various knives and viles. She stretched out her legs slightly, keeping slightly perfect balance as she rolled a bit of her pants down to her boots. She walked back to her sword before running at the tree, jumping and hearing the satisfying sound of the blade cutting through the weaker fibers of the branch, before taking the blade out and looking at the damage she had made. “Well, well, well,” she smiled as she said it, “I’m not too shabby after a year’s worth of temple sitting.”

She rolled her shoulders before charging at the said tree again, her sword going through its branches as if it were butter. She landed, pivoted and stabbed the blade into the tree, pushing off of the ground and landing on the sword, then promptly jumped off it, taking out two daggers from her arm warmers and slashing the air as if an enemy were in front of it. She stabbed her daggers into the closest branch, swinging up and landing on the branch quietly. She smirked and looked down at the ground in triumph before losing her balance. “Wha--” Her next words were cut off as she fell onto the cold ground on her back, groaning and bringing snow down onto herself.

“Ugh.” She scowled at herself, getting up slowly and rubbing her lower back as she took the blade out of the wood. She jumped into the tree with less grace than she wanted, but managed to get the daggers out of the tree. She climbed down, jumping and hissing in pain as pain shot up from the balls of her heels to her shoulders. “Ooh! That does not feel good.” Muttering to herself and somewhat oblivious to her surroundings, she began to clear yet another area to sit down and relax after the hard fall. She rubbed her face as she groaned and leaned her head back on the cold wood. “Ughhh.. no more falling gravity, that doesn’t feel good.”

Suddenly, a voice rang out from shadows, startling the girl.
“ Um, excuse me, miss. I didn’t expect to find anyone out here in the middle of nowhere. Do you... Ah, you’re injured! Are you okay?”

She gasped and stood up, holding her sword in front of her in a defensive position. “Who are you and did you follow me here?”

A young man stepped out from behind a tree, his palms up and empty to indicate that he was unarmed and unwilling to fight. “Ah, no, no, I was just wandering about when I heard noises coming from here, so I came to investigate.”

She put the sword down cautiously, her hand still grasping the hilt. “I apologize for my outburst. I am.. not exactly in the best situation with a few people at the moment.” She sat down again and rubbed her right shoulder.

The man raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I’m not one to pry, but I certainly can’t leave an injured person behind. Do you mind if I take a look? I have... some knowledge on the medical arts.”

She glanced at her hand and then her lower back before nodding slightly. “Alright.”

The young man approached the girl before kneeling before her to examine her leg. “You might have to roll up your pants so that I can have a look at it.”

She shrugged and rolled up her right pant leg for him, revealing a large bloody gash. “It’s nothing to really worry about.. I think it’ll be fine in a few days.”

“If taken care of properly, yes, it’ll be fine in a few days, but that is clearly an injured leg and travelling on an injured leg without treating it is certainly not taking care of it properly. And even if you do treat it, it is very difficult to take care of it properly while travelling.”

The young man appeared genuinely concerned, and the girl lowered her guard, his concern reminding her of someone close to her. “If you want, I can help with cleaning the wound.”

“You can help by not moving too much while I treat it... Looks like a sprain. fortunately, it’s not too bad. Treatment shouldn’t even hurt.”

“Of course.” She braced herself even as she heard him. She put her hand behind her, leaning on it for support.

It was over before she knew it. All he had really done was wrap it and create a splint.
“This is all I can really do for now; for a while, you should rest and let it heal. Unfortunately, as you said, you’re ‘not exactly in the best situation with a few people at the moment’, and probably can’t afford to stay here for long, so if you really must go for one reason or another I suggest a crutch or something similar. Either way, with that sprained ankle you won’t be able to move anywhere quickly.”

She swore softly and sighed. “It’s not exactly what I wanted to hear, but alright. If that’s the case, I’ll use either my sword or a walking stick.” She flashed him a smile. “Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.”

“Gladly. Well, then... I guess I’ll be on my way, I suppose...” The young man stopped, and glanced at the evening sky. “... or not, seeing that it’s already evening. I suppose I could set up camp here for now or something, then I’ll be on my way tomorrow. At least this way I can still check up on your ankle before I leave.”

She smiled before shifting her weight. “Thank you so much.” She sighed and laid on her back, her hands behind her head. She looked at the sky before opening her mouth. “Well.. I’m sorry if I seem rude but.. would you like to travel with me?”

“Eh? Well, while that would be an interesting offer, I think I’ll... wait, where are you headed to, anyways?”

“Back to my home country, Weis. It’s one of the three countries here; but you probably know that already.”

“Weis...? No, I can’t say I have, actually. Where is it located?”

She smiled and sat up, her eyes lighting up. “Weis is northeast, and is only accessible by sea. Hah, serves these brutish Kritians right. We’re a large country, the largest out of all three. Although I’m biased, we don’t have the smell of rust, blood and smoke in the air all the time.”

“Krtians...? I assume they are a neighboring countries to yours?

“Yes, we’re in Krtio actually. Krtio is the smallest, but has the most disgusting smell.” She made a face before continuing. “Do you smell it, the rust, blood and smoke?” Her ashen grey ears twitched slightly as she shifted her weight slightly.

“Oh, that? Your sense of smell must be stronger than mine; for me, it’s certainly bearable at the moment. In any case, your homeland... what’s it like?”

“Earthy, green.. nothing like here, where everything is industrialized and cold. I still remember the snow, though we get winter’s chill every once and awhile, it still felt warm. Regardless the weather, it felt warm. We’re considered the peaceful country, unlike Quell, who has.. hm, how to put it.. a..,” She placed a hand over her mouth thoughtfully, thinking for a moment before continuing, “a slower pace than everyone else. We have clans, rather than the cities that define us, it’s territories that define us. I’m from the Entra clan, but due to recent problems, we had to relocate, losing much of our roots. It was right before I left my home country, and I now have no idea where they are.” She looked at the ground as if she were mourning someone, her long hair going over her face. “Ah! Where are my manners?” She looked up and flashed him a smile, her tail lifting up. “I’m Yuki Shiki. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jeremy. Nice to meet you.”

Yuki laughed, throwing her head back a bit, her long black hair spilling over her shoulders and touching the ground. “I’m sorry, I know it’s kind of a lot to take in. I’ve been inconsiderate; I should’ve let you talk more.”

“No, no, it’s alright, by all means keep talking. I don’t mind listening.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I’m talking too much.” Yuki gave him a slightly worried look.

“Well, it’s not like I have much to talk about, anyways... and besides, Weis sounds like an interesting place. I think I’ll take you up on your offer to travel together there.”

She shot up and gave him a surprised look. “Really?” Yuki sounded as if she were a small child, a smile blossoming on her face.

“Well, I don’t have a reason not to, so why not?”

Yuki smiled and put an arm behind her for support. “Thank you.”

“Eh? For what?”

“For helping a complete stranger. Many wouldn’t help a stranger.”

“It’s not really much to be thanked for, but okay.”

They continued to sit there for a few moments in silence before Jeremy broke the silence again.

“Should I make something to eat?”

“Ah. Uhm, not if yo--” she was cut off by her loud, and quite angry stomach. Yuki laughed sheepishly, slightly nudging her long black bang and smiled. “Yes please.”

Half an hour later a steaming pot of rice was cooking over a small campfire. Despite its simplicity the two found it strangely delicious and ate in a peaceful silence. Yuki continued to eat in silence, trying to enjoy the sounds of the forest. However, it was ruined by that forever looming smell of rust, blood and smoke that came from the city next to them, Rythil. She wondered if the smell bothered Jeremy as well, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“How can you stand the smell of rust, blood, and smoke?” she asked, a little curious. “It’s beginning to ruin my appetite. I don’t see how anyone could stand it.”

Jeremy looked up at her in slight surprise. “I don’t find the smell that strong myself. Or perhaps I’m more used to it than you, but I don’t think that’s very likely.”

Yuki shrugged and stretched, looking at the ever darkening sky. She got up and took the sword out of it’s sheath, sitting back down and cleaning it with a rag.

Jeremy, who had been staring at the campfire lost in thought, glanced at her the second he heard the sword being removed from its sheath, but relaxed as he realized that she wasn’t readying for a fight.

Yuki brushed her fingertips over the blade, careful not to hurt herself, and then glanced at the stars. “Hey, Jeremy, what’s your favorite time of day? Or night, whichever you prefer.”

“Eh?” Suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the unexpected question, Jeremy took a moment to think about his answer. “Well... I suppose dawn would be my favorite time of the day,” he said, not bothering to explain why. “And well, the night can still be counted as part of a single day, you know. But no matter; what’s your favorite time of the day?”

She thought about it for a few seconds before answering. “Well, I’d say twilight. Probably the time between the Midnight Comet and the Early Morning Comet. It’s hard to decide, but I find that time best for travelling, training and drawing.” Yuki put the sword back before laying on her back, hands behind her head.

Jeremy stayed silent, thinking over the strange terms that Yuki had used. But he decided not to think too hard about it; besides, he already understood what she had meant. With the conversation over, he returned back to staring at the campfire, lost in thought again, until it got dark enough that the campfire was the only source of light around.

Yuki had closed her eyes for what seemed like a second, but before she knew it, she was already asleep on the ground in a ball as the warmth of the fire started to leave her. She curled her ashen tail around her as she slept, attempting to stop her shivering as she continued to sleep on.

It was half an hour later when Jeremy noticed her asleep, at which he sighed.
“Hey, don’t just fall asleep there,” he said, despite knowing she probably couldn’t hear him. He soon got up, set up proper shelter, and before dousing the fire he covered Yuki with his own blanket. He probably didn’t need it, anyways.

And so, the fated day where two people who would change the course of history met for the first time ended for the two of them.

If only they knew what fate had in store for them...