"Blind faith is precious, earned faith is peerless"
"Get away from them!"
Eve was briefly startled as she stumbled into a ducked off clearing in time to watch a vixen stab a cultist attempting to man-handle a kit. The child dropped to the ground with a sound of pain, scrambling to its paws and rushing away with a terrified sob. Who the sheep perceived was the kit's mother continued furiously grappling with the swordsman, yanking her knife out and sinking it into the thin, soft cloak.
How embarrassing, Eve thought judgmentally. Even a thin layer of leather armor would've made the vixen's attempts pointless. This clearly wasn't one of the Worm's more clever followers - or even one of the more liked ones. Leather wasn't that hard to gather after all, there were plenty of leatherworkers scattered across the lands of the Old Faith. Worse, they didn't even need much - just enough to perhaps cover the chest or even just the upper thighs. I've seen better from blood-traitors.
Still, the child knew no better so Eve made her entrance with another arrow of blood, piercing through the skull of the second swordman that tried to dive for the poor kit. The clearing fell still, heretics and victims a liking freezing. The ewe took the advantage for what it was and immediately launched another curse, this time gutting the one attempting to pin the mother down and slit her throat (from the front - definitely not one of Chaos' finest).
She placed her hooves together as mother and child stared at her, offering a light bow in greeting then swept by them, red cloak snapping gently as she crouched beside the body what had attacked the kit.
She shuffled around, blocking the kit's line of sight as she began swiftly de-boning the cultist while she waited for them to come to their senses. They wondered if they should be concerned that de-bonding was starting to become something of a soothing process as they steadily mastered the skills and techniques associated with every new species she encountered. With nothing but a pile of stripped meat left, she scooped the organs into an already soaked leather pouch to be used for traps and placed the bones in a separate one. After a bit of an inspection, she deemed that the cloak from the cultist was in decent enough condition to be re-dyed though, the ragged state of the clothes beneath weren't worth attempting to salvage as even sewing scraps.
Satisfied she rose to her hooves and turned around, coming nose to tip with the vixen's dagger.
"Go away!" hissed the vixen, her ginger tail lashing furiously behind her and Eve noticed that the kit had taken her distraction to hide near the hut she could see near the back. Smart kid, smarter mother - most youngling would try to stay near their parents after such a traumatic incident. She must've taught her kit to move to safety.
Eve gave a curt nod and backed slowly away, only turning to leave when she was farther than she thinks the vixen's shaky arms could aim accurately.
"...just like that?" she heard from behind her.
And for the next few hours, she had to pretend like she couldn't hear, didn't see mother and kit following her as she made her way through Darkwood. She was surprised by how little trouble they caused - they were so quiet that if she hadn't already known they were pursuing her, she might not have even noticed them. They ducked away when the heretics started to charge her though one time, she noticed the vixen take an opportunity to stab a cultist in his side, clamping her palm across his mouth and nose to keep him from screaming aloud and slaughtering him while Eve had been on the far-side of the clearing.
She finally had to drop the act when the sun set though.
She turned to stare directly in the section of the brush they were hiding in to sign, come out while allowing the crown to be her voice, whispering in their heads.
After a long pause the mother pressed out first, ears pulled back warily as Eve watched them.
There is no point in sleeping in the bushes, she signed to them as the kit jumped back behind her mother's leg. That would make it all too easy to be snuck up on.
"...when I said go, you left. Why?" the vixen asked instead of settling down.
I had no intention of fighting you,
"Why?" demanded the vixen, gesturing with disgust to the red crown resting between her horns. "You're wearing one of those - and crown wearers never listen to us 'pitiful mortals.'"
I didn't have any intention of fighting you, the ewe signed again, offering only a light shrug. I wish no harm to you or your kit, and I only want new gardeners if they wish to join me. What is the point in taking someone in who doesn't want to be there?
With that, Eve set to begin constructing a small camping ground. She chose a simple star-shaped fire, surrounding the little logs with stones and then flicked her wrist. Curses often felt like she was striking someone with lightning when she made contact, like there was a spark already present - she was pleased when her assumption bore fruit and the little circle promptly burst into flames. She quickly retrieved the meat she'd gotten from catching a few squirrels and a bird and strung them together on what remained of her wiring, tying it just above the fire.
Might be a bit tough, but better than nothing, she thought with satisfaction though she did ask the crown to remind her to bring or make a pot in the future.
"...you eat meat?" the vixen asked cautiously, sitting down slowly. "Didn't think sheep did that. Then again, haven't seen a sheep that wasn't wooden before."
Common misconception, Eve signed. We mostly eat vegetables and fruits but it depends on the flock. Mine supplemented - especially when the crop-plagues ran up merchants.
She got a light nod from the vixen as they sat around the softly crackling fire. Eve crossed her legs, resting her hooves in her lap and began breathing slowly, in and out. Meditation hadn't come easily to her and she'd never mastered the concept of 'clearing one's mind' - instead, she worked to to allow her thoughts to float aimlessly through her mind only briefly acknowledged. The magic running through her veins, beating with her heart and swirling in the tips of her fingers provided a steady source of energy and passive awareness that made sleeping not just unnecessary but difficult.
Taking a moment to instead, close her eyes and drift in and out of the present moment was the compromise she\d come up with to ensure she could have a moment of rest.
"...mommy?"
"Yes, Tynamar?"
"Are we staying with the sheepy?"
"...yes. Yes, we're staying with the sheepy."
Eve didn't smile or even hum, but she did extent the warm energy associated with the warmth of the crown's powers over them.
