Home of the Wild One

Chapter 1 - The Fight

Twelve Years Later - Amerolian

She could feel the earth beneath her bare feet as she raced silently through the forest. Braving the wrath of the Lady of the House, she had shirked her duty and left her post to run through the forest as it called to her. The wind blowing through the branches and the animals flying through the trees was a siren song to her Northern nature, not that anyone knew about that. She was just a poor girl, who wandered onto the steps of a House.

Poor orphan Kali who never talked about the past. But, that wasn't who she was, not really. The demure, quiet housemaid and soon to be Lady's maid was only who she pretended to be. This was her, the real her, a wild creature that scorned the long confining skirts and tough shoes.

Silent feet carried her away from the large House, and she left all appearances of tameness behind with it. Winter slowly encroached on the forest around her; trees had begun to drop their leaves, making hiding places scarce. She knew that the servants kept close to the House, so she ran deep into the forest, spurning human contact; no one could know that she did this, ran wild.

Before she snuck out, she had pulled her hair loose from the tight braid and it now half blinded her, but after the tight pressure of the confining braid, release felt like heaven. Branches seemed to reach toward her legs and hair as she made it to a dense forest briar. Slowing, she picked her way around the tumble of thorns at a walk, making no sound.

She had to turn around soon, but being locked in the house with duties had driven her almost from her own mind. Darkness would fall and she had to be back to light the fires, but she could go a little farther; she knew of a stream not far from the briar.

Her skirt fell to just above her knees and she wore a man's shirt as a top, allowing her the freedom of movement she needed to run and fight. Today she stopped just before the stream and strayed slightly off the path only her eyes saw. Rooting around in a tree well, she pulled a compact package from the leaf covered ground. Dusting the dirt and mulch from the oiled packaging, she pulled a bundled woven cloak from the interior folds.

The old fabric settled on her shoulders in a familiar way, warming her shoulders and body after she stopped from her long run. A hood hung from the cloak, and she pulled it up around her, trying to keep her face from freezing. Now, well swaddled in old, well-used fabric, she walked back to the invisible path toward the stream. The water gurgled and laughed as it danced over the rocks, leaving a fine mist in the air in the quickly chilling evening.

Kali had discovered a rock set at the edge of the stream the previous times she visited and now sat heavily upon it. Settling herself upon the large rock, she bent her hands to the water to get a drink. The cool water had a pleasant burn as it slipped down her dry throat.

She watched her breath begin to crystallize in the cooling air. Wrapping her cloak tighter, she stood and began walking back into the forest. The quickly setting sun made her search for a quicker way back to the large House and she decided to risk the paths closest to the road, knowing she could hide her face in her cowl. No one could know she was not at her post; she could be severely punished, and with her upcoming promotion, she couldn't risk that.

Making her way away from the densest part of the forest, she moved quickly, absorbed in her own mind. Which was how she stumbled into their campsite without realizing it. The clearing was deeper in the forest than many dared go, so it made a quick path free of trees. But today the large clearing was occupied by a host of men and their beasts. Stopping abruptly, she turned on her heel and melted back into the trees and froze, hoping no one had seen her. After a few tense moments she deemed it safe to move and snuck further into the forest to find another route.