Frozen Stone

Crouched atop a rocky rise that looked down upon a stream, Maranda and Osha waited. Downstream was a horse with a rider whose clothing flaunted his high status. A young woman sat behind him, gripping onto his waist tightly, giggling loudly as she enjoyed their secluded trip through Wolfswood. Maranda needed to wait for them to come closer so they could use their height as an advantage, so she shifted slightly and scratched Umbra’s head to pass the time.

“How’d you end up the master of such a wild creature?” Osha wondered in a hushed voice.

“You really want to know?” Maranda smirked.

“I saw them beyond the Wall, you know. They’re savage beasts, not companions,” Osha replied, so Maranda decided to tell her tale.

“I’m a Stone, which means I’m an acknowledged bastard of a lord in the Vale. When he died when I was a little girl, the woman who was supposed to be my mother, the one who swore to my father that she would care for me, kicked me out of her home,” she began, pausing to steady herself. It wasn’t a story she told often, probably because it made her emotional, and therefore weak.

“I asked about your cat, not for a sob story,” Osha remarked and Maranda grinned, loving how blunt her new friend was.

“I was drinking from a stream one night when I heard a noise beside me. There was a line of shadowcat cubs drinking next to me. I don’t know why, but when they started to leave, the mother nudged me until I followed. I went back to their cave and spent the night,” Maranda continued, lowering her voice as the couple they were watching came closer. “The cubs grew and got forced out of their den, as did I. Umbra stayed with me… We haven’t parted since.” She turned and met Osha’s eyes, only to watch the other woman’s face crinkle into a smile.

“That’s a good story,” she scoffed, turning her focus back onto the drinking horse.

“You don’t think it’s true?” Maranda giggled, shocked that she was being challenged. Osha shrugged and unsheathed her blade.

“I think it’s real unlikely, that’s all,” she said with a grin before carefully sliding down the rocky face. Osha stealthily crept around the pair, though she didn’t have to be so quiet as the two were paying no mind to their surroundings. Once Osha was in position, Maranda stood and drew her bow, whistling to catch their attention.

“Please! Don’t hurt us!” the man pleaded, frustrating Maranda with how cowardly he was. Easily giving into one woman with a bow only proved that he was not strong enough to defend his woman, whoever she may be.

“Give us your coins,” Maranda called out with authority and the man immediately reached for his pouch of Gold Dragons before hesitating.

“Us?” he replied with a whimper.

“That’s right, us,” Osha said as she cut the string that tied the sack to the man’s saddle. She then pressed the blade against the woman’s thigh, locking eyes with the man. “Got anything else we might like?”

“A bottle of wine! It’s expensive, I swear it!” the woman replied, pointing to another storage compartment on the saddle. Osha took that too, then scurried away into the bushes. Maranda held her aim until she knew that Osha would be far enough away, then hurried with Umbra to their predetermined meeting point. A part of her was surprised to see Osha there waiting, but she allowed herself to smile, glad that she had found an honest woman to travel with.

“I don’t know how much this will get us,” Osha stated as she passed the pouch over, Maranda taking a peek at the goods inside.

“Let’s find out what luxuries the nearest village has. We’ll be able to buy plenty of treats,” Maranda grinned, hoping that once Osha bathed in the expenses, she would want to stay by her side.