I own no charaters but my own. And don't kill me if it's no good.
Bast Magi growled into the darkness. She hated these nights, when the moons' light was so weak that she could barely see the rocks around her. Sighing, she pushed her horse forward, trying her best to stay away from the cliff side. The horse responded by letting out an annoyed sound, the beast was just as tired as she was. Smiling, she patted its neck and looked through the darkness for a resting place.
Seeing a large boulder, she slid off her horse and led it over. Using a small rock, she drove a piece of thick metal into the rock beneath her and tied the horse down. She then opened her saddle bags, pulling out small pieces of wood that she was able to gather along her path and used her shadow magic to light a fire. The horse snorted in protest to the new light and the feel of the magic. Bast giggled as she looked up at the beast, her green eyes reflecting in the animals deep brown ones.
Placing a bit of stolen meat over the fire, Bast stood and walked to the cliff side. Looking out over it, she sighed again. She looked over the darkness, seeing the shadows move below her as they acknowledged her presence. The girl smiled as she began to play with them, looking for any life that she might find. The smile quickly disappeared as her horse became startled, causing her to whip around. She almost fell back in her surprise at the sight before her.
The thing that had startled the horse was a man and what looked like his son. They seemed to have smelled the meat she was cooking and had come to see if they could steal it, but the horse had obviously scared them. Bast frowned as she made their way towards them. They backed away a bit as she came upon her food and watched as she checked to see if it was finished. When she had deemed it well enough to eat, she removed it from the fire and began to cut it up into smaller pieces.
She pulled three pieces of baked clay from her saddle bag and placed a bit of meat on them, and then placed two of them away from her. She turned her back on the food and she began eating, ignoring the looks of surprise the two males were giving her. She finished her dinner and wrapped the clay in a bit of cloth before standing to find her water skin she had left in the other saddle bag still on the horse.
As she freed the water skin from her clothing in this bag, she looked over at the two males. They had not moved. She sighed, taking a drink and giving some to her horse. She then spoke to the two.
"You're hungry, are you not?" she asked. The young boy jumped at her voice and looked at her. "Eat, child," she said, giving a small smile. "You are thin, you must eat something. I may not have much to give, but I still offer." The child smiled slightly, but still moved slowly as he approached the meat. Once he had gotten close enough, he grabbed both pieces of clay and took one to his father. Bast watched the two eat, sitting close to her horse, who had decided to lay down and was letting her rest against his side.
"I thank you, Ma'am," said the man when they had finished. Bast just looked at him as the man collected his son's clay piece and placed it near the fire with his own.
"Why do you thank me? I had food and you did not. I did what was right," she replied. The man seemed shocked at her kindness.
"May I ask your name, Friend," he asked. Bast smiled and looked up into the sky.
"I am known as Bast." She smiled at the man and stood, urging her horse up and gathering her items. The man stood as well and took his son's hand as they watched her.
"There is a village not far from here. It is where we live," came a small voice from behind Bast. She turned to see the boy had broken away from his father and had approached her. "I'm sure there is somewhere there you can stay tonight." Bast blinked as she looked at the child.
"You were kind to us, friend. We must return the favor," said the father. Bast smiled, nodding her head.
"If you could lead my horse, I do not know my way."
The man, obviously happy he could help, allowed her to mount her horse and lead her through the valley. They trio soon came to a village tucked away in the cliffs. Bast looked around in wonderment at the rundown homes and the people asleep on the streets. They three came to a home with a small girl playing in the dirt, where they stopped. The girl looked up and smiled at the man who had led Bast here.
"It is you again," the child said as she stood and dusted off her dress. She ran into the home and returned with another man. Bast's guide and this new man hugged and exchanged a few whispered words. As they did this, Bast slid off her horse and looked around again. She jumped as the new man placed a hand on her shoulder, causing him to laugh.
"Do not be afraid, child. My brother has told me of what you have done for him. I thank you, for he had not eaten in a few weeks." Bast stepped back, shaking her head.
"I did it more for the child, friend. I am not one to watch a young child suffer."
"You still fed them. You are welcome in my home, if you wish. My daughter will tie your horse around the back." Bast nodded and followed them man inside, only to be greeted by a woman. The man touched her shoulder again. "My wife, Ishizu, is very friendly." He laughed once again. "And my name is Hassan. My daughter is Mika."
"I am Bast." She looked around the home, seeing that the family owned very little. "This village, you are all men of trade." She looked up at Hassan, who was watching her with a shocked expression. "Do not worry, friend. I am one of trade as well, for I have nowhere to be or to go." A blink and a laugh later, Hassan was calling his daughter in to meet this strange girl. The night soon became too deep, the children asleep and adults tired in their own. Hassan showed Bast a place to sleep, and after a prayer to her namesake, the girl fell to the shadows.
Bast awoke the next morning to the feeling something was watching her. She opened her eyes and found Mika leaning over her. Mika smiled as Bast sat up and ran a hand through her black hair. The child waited for Bast to get up, and then led her to another room in the home. Ishizu was waiting for them with bread and water, which Bast accepted sheepishly. She had her own food in her saddle bags, but Ishizu wouldn't hear of it. As they ate, Mika began to speak.
"Where are you from, Bast?" she asked. Bast looked up, shocked.
"Nowhere really," she replied after a second. "My father was a thief and my mother a nomad. We moved around a lot." Mika looked away for a second. When the girl's brown eyes returned to Bast, they were dim, but Bast could still see a small light.
"Where is your mommy and daddy? Are they coming to get you soon?" Bast blinked and frowned at the question. Ishizu tried to get the girl to leave Bast alone, but Bast raised a hand and looked at the smaller child in front of her.
"Mika, My mommy and daddy are in the shadows. They got caught stealing and were sent away," Bast told the girl. She ignored Ishizu's gasp of shock and went on. "They have been gone for a while now. I never notice."
"How old are you, Bast?" asked Hassan as he entered the room. It appeared he had been listening from outside the room. Bast glanced at him before returning to what was left of her bread.
"I am within my eighth cycle," she replied. She smiled at Mika, handing over the last bit of her breakfast, before standing and walking past Hassan and around to the back of the home. Her horse whinnied at the sight of her, causing her to laugh as she rummaged through her saddle bags. With very little surprise that nothing had gone missing, she fed her horse and set to cleaning him.
She had almost finished brushing the tangles from the horses' mane when she felt someone watching her. She turned to see the boy from the night before, only now she had a better look. Muddy brown eyes watched the horse as he moved closer. Bast smiled softly, watching her horse blink in response.
"He won't hurt you," she told the boy. He jumped slightly and looked up.
"Does he have a name?" the child asked. Bast regarded this young child for a moment. He was not much younger than her, maybe about in his sixth cycle. His hair was white, which was a rare thing. She had only seen white hair on the elder hermits. He looked up at her, frowning, and she realized she had not answered.
"No, he does not. I have never thought of a name for him."
"What about 'Kura'?" Bast blinked at this. Smiling, she nodded, turning to her horse.
"What do you think?" she asked the beast. "Is Kura a good name for you?" With a snort and a shake of his head, the horse agreed. Bast nodded in reply and patted the newly named horse on the neck. "Okay, but you agreed." She blinked when the child started laughing, looking at him.
"I am Akifa Kaito. I never introduced myself last night. I wanted to thank you for the food."
"Do not thank me," Bast replied, turning back to the task of brushing down her horse. "I always make too much anyway. I tend to end up throwing out what I don't eat."
"Mika told me about your parents. Were they thieves too?" asked the boy. Bast glanced out the corners of her eyes for a second to see him sitting next to her saddle, playing with a piece of string attached to his shirt.
"Yes," she answered, turning her attention back to Kura.
"How did they get caught?"
"My father panicked and ran right into a guard. My mother told me to hide and went to help him." Bast sighed, hearing the screams in her head. "The guard killed my mother on the spot and took my father away." She turned to the boy, whose muddy eyes were wide as he listened.
"Were you scared?" he asked, leaning forward. Bast laughed and jumped up onto the crates to sit beside him.
"At first, I was," she said, her green eyes moving skyward. She could see Akifa do the same beside her. "But, when I myself almost got caught, I did not feel anything. I just knew I had to get somewhere safe. I ran to my horse, the only thing I owned, and left. I have been traveling since."
Bast glanced at the boy before jumping off the crates and saddling her horse. Kura looked at her, unsure of what she planned to do. She just patted his neck and led him to the front of the home, where Hassan was talking with his brother.
"Are you going somewhere, friend?" asked the brother. Bast nodded slightly as she mounted the horse.
"I am going to the nearby city to see what I can obtain. I shall return in a few days time," she said. She turned on her saddle and reached into the bags, pulling out the last of her meat. She handed it to Hassan, who looked shocked. "It will go bad soon, so you may use it for your lunch today. I will see if I can obtain more on my journey. I thank you for letting me stay." She turned Kura and headed out of the village.
The days ride found her in a village near Alexandria. Tired and hungry, she rode into village center, looking around. Seeing an abandoned home, she entered the building and tied Kura up. She then waited for the rest of the villagers to blow the candles out. When the village had become dark and quiet, Bast slipped out of the building she was hiding in and into one of the nearby homes. It didn't take her long to grab what food they had and a few valuables before she slipped out again and back to Kura.
She ate some of the bread she stole, and then rode to Alexandria. The gate guard looked her over before letting her in and she rode to a small home built near the walls. A man standing outside doing business with a woman looked up at her as she neared and smiled. Bast smiled back and slid off her horse before giving the man a hug.
"Kena, my friend," she said. The man bowed to her.
"Bast," he replied. "What can I help you with today?" Bast grinned and pulled her saddle bag off of Kura. She then pulled out a silver goblet she had stolen from the village.
"Can you take this? And if so, for how much?" she asked. Kena took the goblet and looked it over. After a few seconds, he placed it on a crate beside him and pulled out his coin bag.
"I will give you fifteen silver for it. It is the best I can do," he told her, handing over the money. Bast nodded in agreement. "Anything else I can help you with, friend?"
"Perhaps a place to stay for the night," Bast replied, placing the money in her saddle bag. "I have a village I am staying in, but it is near the valley of Kings and I do not wish to make the ride back tonight."
"I see, my friend," Kena said. He looked at the woman in the doorway to his home. When the woman nodded, he smiled down at the young girl. "I have a room for you. And I shall let you stay free of charge, but you owe me."
"Of course," said Bast, smiling. She led Kura around the back and tied him up with Kena's horse, then went into the home, where Kena showed her a place to sleep.
"By the way friend," he said as he was leaving the room, turning back to her. "It seems your saddle is becoming worn. Would you like my wife to patch it up tonight?" Bast looked up at him.
"How much to you ask?" Kena laughed at the response.
"Nothing, child," he said, still laughing. Bast glared at him for a second before nodding and the man left her alone. She shook her head and said a quick prayer before falling asleep.
A/N: Let me know how it was... It gets better... I promise. -runs away from the computer-