Lianna pulled her thick mantle tighter around her shoulders. While all of the seasons were represented on the island, she had chosen the Glaciem one. The glittering snow muffled noises and brought peace to her the turmoil within her. This was the first time she had ever seen snow. The white bridge had come from the brisk Terra section, and she had loved the bright colors of the place but had finally reached her goal destination. The slick, icy stairs before her posed a danger, but she took her time and cared with them. 

Hours later she reached the top of the stone steps and was rewarded with a magnificent site. Before her lay an enormous expanse of rolling snow hills. The gentle fall of snow had lessened enough that she could see pretty far ahead. The pine tree forest on the edge of her vision looked heavenly. Her aura turned the lavender color of peace; it reflected off of the snow, enhancing the shimmer. After having lost so much time during, timedeath, it was nice to have a place to rest. She rubbed her gloved fingers together and looked up at the gray sky in awe. The snow fell softly on her forehead. Just as a child would she opened her lips and tasted the pristine snowflakes as they melted on her warm tongue. Without a care, she let herself fall backward into the cold white blanket that covered the ground. Powder puffed up around her as she landed with a dull thunk on the snow. 

She closed her eyes against the falling wetness and when she opened them there was a ball of black and white fur looking down at her. Lianna stared up into the black eyes of a panda cub; the little bear was small enough she could have fit it in her pack and apparently lost. It was likely the creature had wandered in from one of the other season areas and gotten lost in all of the snow. Luckily it was covered in warm fur and didn't look to be starved or anything. Lianna sat up slowly, knowing that if she frightened the cub off it was likely to perish here in this eternal winter. She looked around cautiously to see if there were any predators that scared the panda toward her, but couldn't see anything. That didn't mean something that had adapted to the white wasn't lurking nearby. Her aura changed back to the neutral gold as she inspected the ball of fur before her.

"Who are you? How did you get all the way out here?" she asked the cub. It merely looked up at her curiously, sniffing a little at her arm. Perhaps she could take it out of here to safety. She knew it would grow to be a rather large beast, but pandas were fairly timid. It would make a great companion if she could convince it to stay with her and find out if it was a boy or girl. 

A vacation of wonder. A grand adventure for mother and daughter in a land of strange seasons. Horae Island was supposed to be just that for Natsumi and Saya. Natsumi had been planning to map out the strange landmass by herself, and, much to her misfortune, let this fact slip in front of Saya. The little girl had, as result, begun begging her adoptive mother incessantly, asking pathetically to come with at every possible moment. Had it been anyone but her daughter, the Ice Queen would have vehemently told them no, but the soft underbelly was exposed in this moment. She agreed on one condition: that Saya would not leave her side during the duration of their stay.
 
Unfortunately, like most children her age, Saya displayed a short term memory problem when it came to rules that did not suit her. She forgot her promise shortly after Natsumi and she arrived via gate travel, and wandered off into the Glaciem region before Natsumi caught her. There, she had been playing a hide and seek trick on a blonde woman, hiding behind her vision as she stared at a young panda cub. Only she wasn't completely content with just watching. As soon Lianna paused to cautiously examine the overly friendly panda, Saya quickly crawled on her back and peeked over the top of her head at the fuzzy critter below.
 
"You don't look like Li," she said in a series of bear squeaks that, while adorable, were an actual language. "What kind of bear are you, fuzzy teddy?" Her tiny body continued to weigh down on Lianna's head as she waited for a response from the tiny bear, thereby treating the woman beneath her like a podium rather than a being worthy of respect. She hadn't even bothered to say hello to that female she was piggy backing on, and just went straight to talking to the bear in front of her as if nothing else mattered. All of this was in direct contrast to Natsumi's ground rules for the vacation, and a primary reason for why the little girl nervously laughed when she felt a gloved hand grab her by the scruff of her neck before any further conversation could be had.
 
"That is a panda," the angry Ice Queen said as she pulled her daughter off of Lianna and held her up in the air. "And you are a troublemaker."
 
"Hello, Okaasan," Saya responded timidly. It was obvious that she knew she was in trouble, and all following conversation proceeded with that in mind.
 
"What did I tell you when I agreed to take you here with me?"
 
"Don't leave your side or approach strangers?"
 
"At least you remember that. Now, what do we say to those strangers when we have invaded their space without permission?" Saya paused for a bit at this question from her mother, but soon looked over at the aura woman she had used as a stool, knowing that it was in her best interest to obey.
 
"Sorry."
 
"Good girl." It was at this point that Natsumi's anger finally gave way to a smile. Her daughter's punishment, however, was far from over. Seeing as Saya had failed to demonstrate proper levels of self-control during her jaunt, her future freedom of movement would have to be restricted. Kino would assist in this venture, but only after Natumi stuffed her daughter inside of her winter coat. The mystical artifact adjusted its form once that condition was met, manifesting a pocket around Saya, perfectly tailored to her proportions. The pocket was enough for her to have some room to move around in, and would support her high enough that she could look over Natsumi's collar; but it would make sure she wouldn't be wandering off on her own anymore. That fact, alone, caused a timid frown upon her tanned face, even though she knew she earned it.

Lianna wasn't exactly sure she understood what had just happened. One minute she is kneeling in the snow looking at a PANDA and the next, there is a young girl climbing on her back TALKING to the panda. It was a good thing she wasn't one of those weary strangers, and she stayed still while the child sat on her back. When the second woman approached, Lianna gave her a warm smile. While she had never had a child herself, she had cared for enough of them to understand how tedious it was to try and keep a youngster safe. Her right eyebrow made its way toward her hairline when the kid was put in a pocket, but she'd seen stranger things. 

"I accept your apology," she smiled at the child now peeking out from the woman's collar. "It is a strange looking little bear, and I think if it will let me I will put it in my backpack, so it doesn't freeze out in the cold. Were you talking to it?" 

Lianna realized she was only addressing the child and quickly smiled at the lady before her. "I'm Lianna, and your daughter is adorable."At least now she wasn't a complete stranger. She removed her right glove and held her bare hand out for the Panda to sniff. The worry for the small creature changed her aura to tan. If it didn't accept her, then there was little she could do to help it. For the moment she just knelt by it, letting it get used to her presence before she tried to hold it.

"She was honestly okay, I don't mind having children in my personal space," she admitted, not wanting the child to be reprimanded for being curious. "What are you two doing here in this beautiful snow?" She hadn't seen anyone else since she had entered the Glaciem area, but it was a vast place. The snow was coming down steadily again, and Lianna's aura turned the Lavender color of peace once more. She stood and let the panda cub sit at her feet. With her glove once more on her chilled right hand, she reached out to the woman before her for a handshake. It wasn't often that she got to meet new people, and she was excited that someone else thought this place as awe-inspiring as she. 

Glaciem was better than even Violet could ever imagine. The soft powdery snow was colder than even she could ever imagine, the slippery ice had taken its toll on her more than once in this visit alone. She had only ever heard of this type of season in books or from merchants traveling into Mamlak, never before had she experienced the wonder and awe from being in actual snow. But for all the good, she was living in the bad as well. Never before in all of her life had Violet known the biting cold, the threat of frost bite was so real she could feel it in her toes every second. Where others would eventually go numb, Violet did not have the pleasure.  It pained her; it scratched at her skin and made her eyes well up with tears. This was not an area for the faint of heart, especially for those raised in perpetual summer. Worse yet, she had not dressed comfortably for something this cold, it was always cold for her outside of Mamlak, but not like this. She had donned a cloak that part was smart, and a heavier dress than normal, but her slippers in the soft snow were soaked through, and she only carried a staff otherwise. No gloves, no scarf, no over coat, no boots or socks, which were things she desperately needed.
 
Breaking from the line of trees into what appeared to be an open field; she saw two women talking and immediately recognized the one kneeling. Pulling her cloak tighter around her, Violet gripped her staff and raced forward. “Ho! Miss Lianna!” She called to the one emitting different colors and a strange light. She had met this woman before in her home town. “I am glad to see you here!” With hurried steps, Violet approached the two as they stood talking, and it was only at this moment that she noticed the panda bear and the strange woman with… someone poking up from her collar. She took pause a few yards away from them.  It was just a short distance, she could see and hear everything, but the caution showed that she was not used to strangers and adventures just yet. Violet was new in the world and had heard horror stories growing up her whole life.

With an even tighter grip on her staff she approached even slower than before to join the conversation. Her lips were turning blue, and her teeth chattered, but she paid very little mind to the weather now. How she wished desperately for a pair of gloves in the moment. “Greetings, my name is Violet Mentis, and you are?” She addressed the new faces before turning her attention back to the panda bear next to Lianna. "What is that?" She asked as she nodded to the bear, she was used to the lions of her hometown, never before had she seen a panda bear before, let alone a cub.

Lianna's acceptance of Saya's apology, while good to hear, did little to budge Natsumi's decision on the matter of containment. All it really accomplished was boosting Saya's self-esteem, but that was independent of Natsumi's focus. The Ice Queen, while glad for her daughter's improved mood, had preoccupied herself with the strange woman's questions as well as her aura. There was something disorienting about this traveler, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what even as the conversation continued.
 
"Pandas are a rarity," Natsumi said while moving around Lianna to get a better look at the cub. "Both Saya and I can talk to her and try to convince her to trust you, if that is your wish. Your temperament will certainly make that easier." Compliments were soon to follow this offer, and Natsumi did grin despite her normal demeanor around new people. Flattery almost never worked on her, unless it was with her daughter as the subject. Even then, getting an uncontrolled reaction like that grin was rare. Lianna's aura was, apparently, breaking down the druid's guard in abnormal ways, but she remained oblivious to this fact even as she moved onto explaining why Saya was being punished despite Lianna's assurances.
 
"Be that as it may," the queen began while facing the woman of luminance, "the whole reason I'm in this glacial area ahead of schedule is because Saya disobeyed the ground rules for me taking her to work. She promised that she wouldn't leave my side as a condition for her coming with me while I mapped out this new land mass, but she broke that promise. I came to the Glaciem area of this island to track her down."
 
Saya visibly – or at least as visibly as she could given her skin tone – blushed at this explanation. She, most definitely, had thought herself clever enough to evade her mother, forgetting how good of a tracker that the woman had become since her adoption. Obviously, the girl failed, and was embarrassed by her failure more so than her act of defiance.
 
However, this was not to say that the rapid influx of visitors that her escapade had brought hadn't at least made the trip several more times interesting than it already was. Just before Natsumi could reciprocate Lianna's handshake, another scent and voice entered the area. This new arrival burst from the tree line in frigid fashion, causing the Ice Queen to be unable to deal with anything as planned. It was much like a chain reaction: one that made Natsumi more than a little worried about the possibility that her daughter possessed the same penchant for disaster as she did.
 
"Natsumi," the concerned woman reiterated with furrowed brow to the newly arrived, poorly dressed girl, "and this is my daughter, Saya." She tickled the small child's fox ears to signify who she was speaking of, and then pointed down at the next subject of interest. "The fuzzy creature before you is a panda, a unique species of bear that doesn't typically live in a climate such as this."
 
Beyond that hastened reintroduction, Natsumi remained largely silent. She eyeballed Violet and the absurdity of her outfit, taking special note of how light it was. The girl was obviously from a tropical area and not accustomed to the cold, otherwise she would have never come to the Glaciem area dressed as she was. The clear signs of hypothermia that hung about her were evidence enough of that reality.
 
"Seems everyone but I is a little chilly right now," the observant cartographer remarked as felt the slightest tinge of pity for those gathered. "Especially Miss Violet. Lucky for you, I have an easy remedy." Holding one gloved hand up to the frigid air, Natsumi concentrated arcane energy. A strange, runic stone quickly materialized in that palm, one that the druid wasted no time tossing into the snow. It would seem an absurd action to anyone not familiar with instant hearths, especially when the stones replicated into a fire pit. The resultant flame burned warmly in the center, inviting all the weary and chilled. There were even stone seats available, toasty enough to keep users nice and comfortable despite the surrounding weather.  "Take whichever seat you wish."

Lianna was flattered by Natsumi's evaluation of her character. It wasn't often that she was complimented and her aura turned pink as she blushed. Once the fire was crackling she took a seat on one of the stones while rubbing her gloved fingers together. She was glad she had brought warm clothes for this venture and was happy to see Violet had arrived. She had met the woman in a far off city while trying to get a meeting with dignitaries. Lianna frowned at Violet's state of dress, it was dangerous to venture into a place like this without the proper equipment and she was grateful for Natsumi's flame. The island here had lands with each of the seasons in eternal bloom. Before venturing into the Glaciem section she had purchased a thick cloak and gloved from a vendor on an airship. They had sold all types of clothing since the weather on the island was reflective of each season. 

The panda cub plodded over to Lianna's knees and placed it's chin their. It looked over at Natsumi and her bulky jacket before speaking to the two. "Can i keep her? She is warm," the panda asked in a series of squeaks and growls as she looked back to Lianna. Absently Lianna put a had on it's furry head and patted the Panda. The warmth of the cub seeped through her glove blissfully. 

"Violet, it's so nice to see you! Come have a seat near the fire before your fingers start to fall off," she admonished. Lianna had always felt the urge to care for other people, which was why she had studied the art of healing. After she became an Aurai the fact that she created her own 'holy' light made the process simpler. With the aura came the ability to manipulate light. Since she hadn't been an Aurai for long, Lianna hadn't figured out everything that she could do.

"Natsumi, if you could help her stay with me I'd appreciate it. I don't want the little thing to freeze or starve here. I doubt there is any bamboo nearby and I am concerned for her safety." Lianna said to the fox girl. The chill was finally ebbing away with the warm fire. Her aura turned golden as she looked over their odd group. One woman had a child in a pocket in her jacket and the other didn't even have a pair of gloves in the snow. They were a rag tag bunch, but a smile came to her face. For so many years she had been alone, petitioning for assistance from as many governments as she could. Here she was surrounded by friendly faces in a place so peaceful she could sink down into the snow and sleep.

Being wholly ignorant of the discussion that occurred before her arrival, Violet was able to circumnavigate the discussion of punishment and Lianna’s idea of taking the Panda cub as her own companion. She would ask questions as she observed things, and would address things anew that had already been discussed. It was the nature of someone bursting into a scene long after others. “Ms Natsumi and Miss Saya, it is my up-most pleasure to meet you.” She said with chattering teeth. Blue eyes lingered on the fox ears on both creatures a bit too long for comfort; she blinked to clear her eyes for a moment before smiling fresh and addressing Lianna.
 
“A Panda.” She repeated the word as if it was the oddest name in the history of her short life. A giggle of joy escaped her lips as her shining blue eyes took in the sight of the animal at Lianna’s feet. It was a clumsy sort of bear, nothing like a grizzly or black bear like she was used to. “Where do they usually live?” Violet questioned more to herself as she knelt to inspect the animal closer. “I have never met a panda bear before. It sure is fluffy!” She thought about reaching forward to pet such a thing but thought better of such an action.
 
Lianna herself looked remarkably warm with clothing that she had been offered, however Violet had spent majority of her journey purging her stomach over the side of the ship instead of thinking of shopping. This was doubly unlucky for the girl considering her state right now.  When Natsumi mentioned the coldness everyone felt, Violet flexed the fingers on her free hand and drew her cloak around her shoulders tighter. It was a minor understatement really, and one that Violet noticed as her teeth chattered. The easy remedy made Violet jump backwards with surprise as the fire sprang to life. It was not something she saw every day, and while she had the use of minor magic, she was unable to make anything of that nature.
 
She did not have to be told twice to take a seat, because once Lianna offered her to sit, Violet set her staff down behind her seat and held her bare hands out to the flames. The heat rolled over her in waves and she let out a sign of contentment as she sank down into her seat and put her feet closer to the fire. This was exactly what she needed and it was an all too easy remedy indeed. Closing her eyes, she focused only on wiggling out of her wet shoes and pulling her skirts aside just enough to dry her feet. Picking her wet slippers from the snow she placed them on a stone near the flames, but far enough to keep them from burning.
 
“Thank you” She finally said after a few moments of warming by the fire. “I was going to make my way over to one of the warmer areas but this was certainly quicker. I actually came to this island to play in the snow for the first time, but now I thoroughly regret such things.” She laughed sheepishly as she flexed her fingers near the open flames. “Perhaps Mamlak is the only place for someone like me.” It was a statement she did not like making, she had a wanderlust growing so passionately within her that she did not wish to quit traveling, but the idea of dying did not sound appealing either. She had a lot more to learn than she expected.

Not being one for pleasantries after so many years in the wild, Natsumi gave only a nod when Violet proclaimed it was a 'pleasure' to meet her and Saya. Not even Saya, herself, really responded, as she was beginning to nod off. The warmth of her mother's coat was overpowering to the little girl's senses, and it was getting close to nap time anyway. She was quiet by the time Lianna and Violet rushed to the open flame, and turned around to unconsciously hug the elder woman's chest as she sat down between Violet and Lianna before addressing the question of panda origins.
 
"They're native to Ataiyo," Natsumi said while maintaining a calm voice so as to avoid waking her daughter, "a land to the East of here. The large bamboo forest near to that country's capital supports their population, but they also eat tubers, other grasses, and meats."
 
Massaging the head of her small, sleeping child beyond that explanation, Natsumi stared at the crackling flames, speaking up only whenever she saw fit. The first instance for such was when the small panda squeaked at her, asking if it could keep Lianna. It was unique for the druid to hear animals so readily accepting of humanoid creatures, but perhaps this particular individual was still too young to know fear. That was dangerous, and made Natsumi reluctant to help Lianna until she was certain of the situation.
   
"I don't think she'll take much convincing," the Ice Queen said while poking her tail out from underneath her cloak for the first time in a while. The large, bushy appendage would be large enough to wrap any of the women present up into a fur ball, but, for now, it remained stationary on the stone seat. "She's already asking if she can keep you, but I can tell that she is very young to not know fear of humans yet. I will help you extend the rest of the way, so long as you can prove to me that you'll have the ability to provide for her. She is, after all, still a child, regardless of species, and one with a very particular diet"
 
As a druid, Natsumi often found herself very against the idea of pets, but not because of some misguided notion that all animals belonged in the wild. Some creatures liked the idea of human companionship, actually. It was part of their make-up. Those particular creatures, however, were not the ones that concerned Natsumi. Rather, the prospective owners were the ones who frequently caught her attention in a negative light.
 
According to Natsumi's own morals, all living beings were worthy of respect by default. Their actions could remove that requirement, as was customary for pragmatic reasons, but the difference between this code and the code of the majority was that non-humanoid animals were included. Some owners were less than accepting of that ideal, believing that only human wants mattered in a pet-owner relationship. Natsumi often killed those people, or simply denied them their pets by force.
 
Lianna was not exempt from this rule, but Natsumi wasn't about to kill her like she had others; especially not in front of Saya. Even so, she did want to make sure that the woman with a visible aura had some form of income or create food spell before she helped: anything to provide for the hungry panda she wanted to adopt. The Ice Queen's reluctance, therefore, was never about Lianna as a person so much as it was about her ability to care for the creature who was already so friendly with her.
 
"What of your parents?" Natsumi said to that panda as soon as she was done letting Lianna know her requirements. There was a brief pause in conversation at this point, interrupted by Violet's dejected admission. The fox girl had gone back to staring at the fire by that point, and had even gone so far as to wrap her tail around herself and Saya to serve as a blanket. She did, however, remain fully alert and completely capable of shooting down the nearby apothecary's self-chastisement.
 
"If I had listened to that logic, I'd still be stuck at home in a miserable, arranged marriage and heavily pregnant with my second or third child." The druid spoke with an almost sage-like tone, even if she was a little distracted. She was thinking back to her own past and what could have been as she spoke, seeing much of herself in the girl to her right. "We are who we choose to be. If you believe yourself an adventurer and apply your efforts toward that goal, you will become an adventurer. Conversely, if you give up and believe yourself to only belong in Mamlak, you'll end up back there." Scratching Saya's head, Natsumi slowly turned her gaze toward Violet before finishing her advice to the would-be traveler. "Always remember that life is limited in length, no matter what. It's our choice whether to live in fear just to extend that life by a few years, or to live life to its fullest."
 
Irony was thick in that response, even if it was a good piece of wisdom that few could argue with. While Violet and Lianna would likely age and die with the years, Natsumi would never die of old age. The Handler's curse had made sure of that, for better or worse. It was only she who didn't it know yet.

Lianna felt better once Violet had sat before the fire and started drying out her slippers. Both of her companions seemed hesitant to start up a conversation so Lianna took it upon herself. The dignitary in her began to show as she sat up straighter and looked each of the other women in the eye. Natsumi had mentioned that she was worried about Lianna's ability to provide for the panda cub. While she did travel a lot she received steady income from her family. Not only that but on the side she liked to collect and sell rare goods. That part of her life wasn't as regular but it was much more lucrative. 

"First time experiences are supposed to be something to learn from so why not enjoy the snow so long as no permanent damage was done. Leaving home is much the same and nothing comes from going the safe route, I'm glad to see you outside of Mamlak." she told Violet. Only three years previously Lianna had ventured away from home for the first time. It wasn't long after that she had suffered heart ache and was set on the path she was now. The path that had taken her to Mamlak and to many other cities to petition for protection for a dying race. 

"Have either of you been to the other parts of the island? I was planning on visiting them once I'd explored here a little more, but it's so beautiful here I'll be sad to leave," she admitted before turning to Natsumi to answer her questions.

"I have income from my family and am a trader of rare goods on the side. Where is it that you are from Natsumi? It must have been hard to leave when so much was expected of you. Not that I think it's fair to chose someone else's fate for them, I am merely curious." 

By now the Panda had plodded over between her and Natsumi and was staring at the fox eared woman. The tiny black and white creature looked at the snow before speaking to her. "I don't know where they are, I used to belong to someone who left me in the snow, this lady found me and she is warm," she spoke frankly, not understanding that her previous owner had meant for her to die in the cold. The poor cub was too young to know fear or the finality of being left alone.

Lianna shook the snow out of her long blonde hair, it had melted and began dripping off the ends. She shivered as a droplet made its way down the back of her neck. Despite the flames and her warm clothing it was still much colder than she was accustomed to. The light of her golden aura made the snow pack glitter. The fir trees' boughs weighed down heavily from the snow, but the dark green was the only color other than white.

[OOC: Sorry, Violet. We can't wait any longer.]

Despite the warm personalities of Violet and Lianna, Natsumi was far from comfortable in the current situation. Surrounded on either side, she found herself at a crossroads she had seen many times already. It was all too tempting to call these women friends, to break her self-imposed isolation on her heart. Yet, like the innumerable instances of the past, she hesitated in the chill. They were too kind to associate with a creature such as her, she thought, and so she kept her emotional distance even as the conversation continued.
 
"All of them, thanks to this adventurous scamp," the Ice Queen responded when confronted with Lianna's first question. She was looking down at Saya while recalling the many biomes of the island, thankful that the little one had remained unharmed throughout her exploration. The Aurai's comments on income would inevitably retrieve her from this reminiscence, but the silent reverence that accompanied it obstinately refused departure even after return. Why? Well, because the question Lianna had mixed in with her commentary touched on a sensitive issue.
 
Almost without exception, inquiries on Natsumi's origins led her to withdraw. She was protective of her past, fearful of its implications for both her and Saya's livelihoods; and so, while she agreed to assist in her companion's predicament, she professed silence rather when the question on where she was from came up. In the grim stillness, a red, hourglass symbol appeared on the palm of her left glove. It was an adaptation of Kino's after absorbing an hourglass of deadtime, an anomaly that allowed Natsumi to share memories with anyone who willingly shook her hand - even a panda. With that in mind, she lowered her palm to the furry creature's level, and motioned for it to come closer.
 
"Give me your paw, little one." No hesitation existed in the naive child, for she happily did as commanded. A thousand stars that only the druid and the panda could see burst from the glove on contact, taking the two back into a memory of time's past. The present froze to welcome this chronological disturbance, making way for the appearance of ghosts.

---

Menomori forest: a place that the runaway knew all too well. It was the last location she had seen of Nisshoki on the night she left home, and the first she saw while exploring the panda's memories.  A phantom image of the subject lurked inside a nearby cave, watched over by two, fully grown adults. It was family of pandas: the one this little cub had lost.  
 
"You stay here, Aspen. Mommy and daddy need to check on something. We'll be right back."
 
Fading, time progressed. The smell of blood filled the air, and a strange man found the cub still waiting inside her home for mother and father to return.
 
"Hey there, little guy." It was her previous owner, a shifty wisp of a man with hands that smelled of blood. It was obvious to the druid that he was nothing more than a common murderer, even if Aspen still regarded him as her savior from the abyss of loneliness.
 
"Ugh, you were cute before, but you're such a pain to feed now," that hunter said as the landscape shifted to the glacial frost of Horae Island's Glaciem biome. It was only a couple weeks later, and yet the pet owner had already grown fatigued. "Look, just stay here in the snow. I can't take care of you anymore. You're nothing but dead weight."
 
He parted from the cub at that point, losing her in the sparse forest. She shivered, but stayed put, fully believing that her owner would return. He never came back, though. They never came back.
 

---

 
Burning eyes and a heavy heart greeted Natsumi as that last vision faded. She retracted her palm from Aspen's paw, removing the spell in the process, and then unwound her tail from her body. Saya stirred as she felt her mother's mood change, waking up just in time to see the dulled expression in her eyes.
 
"Okaasan," she asked groggily? Forcing a smile, the druid removed the small child from the pocket and laid her down on the warm stone bench between her and Lianna. She needed time to process what she had just seen, and didn't want to burden her empathic child by keeping her too close.
 
Unfortunately, time for healing was never to be Natsumi's. A new group of scents approached and a familiar voice was quick to shatter all notions of peace.
 
"Hey there, buddy! Remember me?" A scraggly man at the head of the interlopers spoke from several meters behind the grouping of five. He wore a cheesy smile and ill-kept facial hair, things meant to complement his pasty white skin. He also had seven guards dressed in all gray flanking him, each with signet rings bearing a crest of bear fangs. They were armed, and, obviously, did not come in peace. "Thank you for looking after my little panda for me, ladies. He got away from me here in the Glaciem region, and my friends and I have been looking all over for him. We'll be taking him back now."
 
Getting up from her seat, Natsumi was the first to approach this man. She strode with an icy stare on her face, and stopped right in front of the human who had the gall to reappear after what he had done.
 
"Uhm, is there some sort of-" he tried to say as he grew nervous toward this woman's intentions, but his statement was swiftly cut off when the Ice Queen's hand grabbed and squeezed his testicles hard enough to make his voice jump an octave or two.
 
"How about you try again with your explanation? Slowly, this time, so you can think well enough to tell the truth." The man's guards were surprised at the Ice Queen's audacity, and it was clear from his expectant gaze that he was trying to get them to intervene. A swift warning from Natsumi made his eyes refocus, though, as threat of harm to a man's family jewels was always a good way to get his attention. "I wouldn't be signaling them, if I were you, unless you want to be castrated by an explosion spell."
 
"You're bluffing," he squealed, hoping that Natsumi wasn't actually being serious.


"Do you really have the luxury of trying to call any bluff in your position" she retorted without the slightest bit of humor? He refused to answer, though, choosing silence over truth and forcing Natsumi to explain for him. "Fine. I'll tell them." Clearing her throat and raising her voice, she addressed all that were present so that she could enunciate her past and the crimes of those present. "You asked where I was from Lianna. Not too long ago, I would have made up some bullshit answer; but the situation has changed now that my birth family has filed paperwork to declare me deceased not more than a fortnight ago. I'm a former member of the main Yamauchi family in Nisshoki, previously disowned and targeted for death due to the dishonor I have brought them by refusing an arranged marriage. Turns out the daughter of a prominent noble in a traditional family isn't allowed freedom of choice in matters of the heart. Even though that position is no longer mine to claim, however, it did allow me firsthand knowledge of the poaching problems my homeland has. You see these men and their signet rings? The crest on those rings denote them as belonging to an organization of poachers that the council of Nisshoki has been trying to rid itself of for several years now. Their primary quarry is pandas, and they hunt them for sport as well as fashion. This man I have here belongs to that organization and is the same one that killed Aspen's parents, adopted her, and then left her to die when she became a financial drain. Now he's back just because he decided it was more profitable to sell her off than to abandon her!"



Obviously not too happy with being exposed, the leader of the poachers in question vainly tried to turn the situation around.

"Kill them!" he shouted, finally making the decision to assume the woman restraining him was bluffing. Unfortunately for him and his rape revenge fantasies, however, she was not. As soon as his command went out, a loud boom and flash of light flooded into the glacial atmosphere.  Blood gushed out onto the snow and Natsumi's body as the explosion spell went off, bringing the man to the edge of death before his accomplices could even react.
 
"I suggest you run," the Ice Queen said with cold malice as her first victim of the night lay dying. "Unless you want to end up like your leader."