I'll Fight

Chapter 2

Hello hello. Here is Chapter 2 of I'll Fight. It's not very eventful, but gives you insight into the daily lives and personalities of Aspen and Juniper and even a little glimpse into their pasts. I hope you enjoy it! I'd love to hear what you think, so please feel free to leave a comment! Also, don't feel shy in calling me out on any grammatical errors. 

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Chapter 2 

     Bird calls and gray light filter through the cabin windows as Aspen cracks open her eyes. The weight and warmth of an arm on her stomach prompts her to look to her right where she sees Juniper huddled close. Her other arm is snuggled under her pillow and soft breathing could be heard from within the blankets. Aspen sat up slowly, gently moving Juniper's arm and resting it on the bed where it was immediately withdrawn into the nest of blankets to retain its warmth. Although it was spring, the high altitude of the mountains insured that temperatures would continue to drop significantly during nightfall until well past the spring equinox. This morning was particularly chilly and felt more damp than usual which only intensified the chill deep in their bones. As Aspen started to carefully navigate out of the bed, something caught her attention through the window beside the bed. Turning to look, she was met with a wall of wispy white fog creeping among the trees. It was so thick all color seemed to be washed out of the landscape, leaving only pure white and tones of gray and dull green.

     Aspen let out a quick breath in frustration. She had wanted to gather more herbs this morning, but it looked like the fog wouldn't be rolling out any time soon and she would have to wait until the afternoon at best. Her eyes landed on her pillow then jumped to the small staircase across the loft and back again. Finally making her decision, Aspen crawled to the edge of the bed grabbed her socks off the bedside table and slipping them on before touching her feet down on the chilled wood floor. Tiptoeing to the dresser and snatching a thick sweater from the bottom drawer for more warmth, Aspen then made her way down the stairs. Despite strategic foot placement, the wood boards creaked with every step and shift of weight, but held fast. Once on the ground floor, she made her way to the now extinguished hearth. Although lacking a fire, heat still emanated from the pile of ashes. Taking the rod iron poker, she shifted the blackened remains to clear the way for more logs and to search for any stubborn embers that might help begin the fire anew. Grabbing several shavings from the basket close by, she sprinkled them onto her small collection of dying embers and blew gently. As the shavings started to light, she slowly added more until the newly stacked logs caught. Once the fire was burning strong, Aspen made her way to the bathroom to wash her face.

     After pouring water from the jug into the basin and soaking a cloth, she wiped down her face and neck and then wrung the cloth out into another small jug on the floor. This jug would be used to water any of the many potted plants throughout the cabin once it was full enough. She then brushed her teeth with an herbal paste and brushed out her knotted mess of coffee curls before tying it into a bun with a green ribbon. Stepping out of the bathroom and heading towards the kitchen, warmth crept across her skin accompanied by the sound of crackling wood. It wouldn't be long until Juniper was up. Aspen had learned over the years that the only way to get her little sister out of bed on a cold morning was to heat up the house. The little gremlin might as well be cold blooded with the amount of energy she had in cold temperatures. However once Juniper was warm enough, there would be no end to her energy. Which worked out well for Aspen. She could manage the cold and was more of a night and morning person anyways, so it was a good balance of activity across the board. Their individual affinities to the day or night, warmth or cold, might have something to do with their interests, or maybe it was just their personalities. Either way, it was interesting to think about.

     In the kitchen she pulled out some of the leftover biscuits Juniper had made the other day, four hard boiled eggs, and some berries. She ate a biscuit and some berries, peeled the eggs, eating two right then and placing the remaining two on a plate with a biscuit and a handful of berries for Juniper to eat once she stumbled down the stairs with half of the bed's blankets in tow. She could have tried for something more elaborate, but Juniper was much more skilled in the kitchen then she was, so she often settled for piecing together leftovers instead of attempting a more difficult spread. After cleaning up her mess and checking on the fire, Aspen went to inventory the store room and then the area of the cabin she and her sister called the office.