A thought creeps up on her as the woodland fades into plains of snow and sky above.
It stays, lingers in the back of her mind as she follows two steps behind them. Half listening to exchanged words of a conversation that sounds foreign to her ears.
The curiosity about where she's being led bleeds into the background as she licks her lips, the lingering taste of gushing red still on her tongue. Her thirst is sated for the moment.
She grimaces at the memory of sisters arguing when she was all but consumed by the raging magma that lined her throat and bled into her gums.
The newborn blinks when she hears laughter ahead of her and she lifts her gaze to see Irina glaring at Kate as she rubs her arm and the newborn finds herself smiling at the two.
"I hate you." Irina grumbles as she takes a side step away from her sister. The reaction only causes Kate to chuckle as she gives her coven mate a self assured smirk. "No, you don't."
The taller blonde only continues to glare even when she tosses her hair over her shoulder with a grumble.
"I hate your shirt." Irina tries again with less bite in her words but feeling the need to add more.
The newborn's eyes dance back to Kate as she waits for a reaction. The small entertainment quells the unease in her stomach that swirls question after question she doesn't know how to answer.
"It's not even my shirt." Kate shrugs nonchalantly, a hand running over the worn fabric from past events. "It's Tanya's." She adds with a smirk.
Bright crimson eyes slip over to Irina, gauging a reaction from her. She's surprised by the laugh and the following whisper of "Oh my god she really is going to kill you."
She's also equally surprised by the glance her way, laughter fading into a solemn stare. Her brow furrows and she shifts her eyes away from the blonde, swallowing the beginning rumbles of a growl.
"Only if she can catch me." Kate responds with a grin on her face that would cause the newborn to stare if her eyes were on her.
But she's looking to the left, watching dancing wind and snow alike, fogged land and the far distance sky. Whooshing and twirling around as if performing for a view, specks of snow and dirt and ice ride without care, flickering scattered light from the sun's rays that peek out past mighty clouds.
It's beautiful and breath stealing, and she's caught in its motions orbit.
The pause in her step is unconscious, the twitch of a finger against worn and stained denim is unconscious, and the echo of a sigh leaving her lips is the same. Her eyes linger and dance, following the flow of minute motions caused by nature.
The moment feels endless.
And yet a slight movement in her peripheral pulls her back, bringing surrounding sounds and smells crashing to the surface.
She blinks, lowers her chin as she closes her eyes, and breathes in.
The lingering thought in the back of her mind rushes forward.
Kate.
She smells like home.
Like a burning fire and belonging, and blossoming warmth under cold skin.
An intense sense of melancholy takes root in the brunette's sternum. It's deep and harrowing and she doesn't understand where it's coming from. She doesn't know why it feels so raw and real and new.
She feels like she wants to cry. Like her throat wants to close up and lock a sob in her chest. Like she wants to crumble to her knees and beg until she's given whatever it is she's lacking.
Something is missing. Something cardinal. A piece of a structure that's just as important as the foundation.
The newborn swallows thickly.
"...come back."
Murmuring of words form solid, pushing past the swirling of emotions that beckon her under a raging sea of displaced turmoil and remorse and guilt.
She realizes that she hates this feeling. How it so easily consumes her as if it owns her. As if it knows her better than she knows herself.
She ignores the latter, how true it really is.
"Come on," She hears the blonde step closer, the crunching of snow with light footsteps. "Focus on me, my voice."
She clings to the soft timber of Kate's voice, the soothing words that pull her to shore.
The newborn sucks in a breath and holds it prisoner. Familiarity and warmth wash over her and she ignores everything else. Zero's in her focus, and holds it like her breath. Soon she feels the tightness of her muscles slowly ebb away and her shoulders lose the tension she holds unconsciously.
"That's it. You're doing so good. Can you open your eyes for me?"
She releases a slow breath and opens her eyes.
Her view is downcast, the white snowed ground meets her eyes. It stares back at her like she's staring into an abyss, but she can see every detail and every trace of life that snow hugs close.
"Look at me." The command is soft spoken, a whisper.
And she finds herself following it, finds deep amber eyes looking back at her. Kate's head is tilted slightly, causing blonde locks to touch her cheek.
Pale hands tighten into fists as the urge to reach out and comb her fingers through incredibly soft looking hair sinks into her bones. The brunette is tethered in place, one move and she might give in.
"Hey you."
She gives Kate a smile in response. It's faint and small and more of a reflex than anything else, but she tries.
Neither of them notice the curious look the other blonde is giving them, her studying stare as she watches with caution and a stiff stance. Irina observes her coven mate as she takes a small step closer to the newborn. She can see the twitch of fingers before they are shoved into jacket pockets, the soft smile that's on Kate's face.
There is no mischief or teasing behind the lift of her lips. It's soft and reassuring, meant to comfort.
"You want to know something?"
Kate's question catches the newborn by surprise and she blinks in confusion.
The low chuckle at her expression causes her to glare at the blonde. But she feels no malice and a hum in the back of her throat is her only response as she waits for the blonde to continue.
"Have you realized that your feet are not cold? We've walked for miles in the snow and yet you are barefoot but I can guess with certainty your feet aren't cold."
The newborn frowns and glances down at her feet, wiggles her toes in the snow and she's now curious about why the lack of frostbite had to be pointed out to her. Strange, she thinks.
Her feet should be cold, right? A nagging feeling that has surfaced with the blonde's words agrees with her, in fact she should be freezing and yet she feels…comfortable.
"I'll be sure to get you some cute looking socks when we get home." Kate speaks again and scrunches her nose playfully.
The newborn side-eyes the blonde for a long moment as the words repeat in her head.
When we get home.
Home.
"I have slippers that would suit you just fine too." The blonde continues before she can spiral again. Kate's stance is relaxed yet her eyes are sharp as she continues watching the brunette.
"Or I could sneak you a pair of Irina's. She has way too many slippers." Kate adds again, this time followed with a nonchalant shrug.
The "Don't even think about it." that spills from Irina's lips pulls the newborn's own into a smile, this one more concrete. A low chuckle rumbles in her chest and Kate's eyes seem to brighten at the sound.
"There we go. I knew you would like that idea."
She does. Like that idea, and the way that Kate is looking at her. She likes that too.
The fast pace she's used to traveling with the two blondes fades into a slow walk as the sun rests high in the cloud covered sky and with a glance between the two, she suspects they are closing in on the destination.
Irina remains in the lead, shoulders tight and back straight as she walks slightly to the left in front of the newborn and her coven mate. The blonde is watching them, watching her with trained eyes.
The newborn huffs as she glances over and sees Kate walking beside her, gaze sharp yet distant as she walks with both hands in the pockets of her jacket. The only guess she has is that the blonde is lost in thought.
She continues her steps in silence, hearing sharp and eyes sharper as they dance around the surrounding wilderness.
Her gaze lands on the distant tree line ahead of them and if she concentrates enough, she can almost hear the sounds of something not quite only nature and feral animals.
It's faint, a whisper beneath a whisper and yet she focuses on it, tries to pick it apart and distinguish each sound reaching her ears.
Her concentration is so concrete that she doesn't notice the soft touch at first. A featherlight touch on the back of her hand breaks her focus with a smooth trace over her knuckles.
When she turns, stops in her steps in surprise she's met with deep honey eyes looking back at her. Fingers dance around her hand to the soft skin of her wrist and she lowers her gaze in confusion on Kate's wandering fingers.
"May I hold your hand?" Her request is whispered into the short space between them, less of a question but not quite a demand and the newborn already knows she can't deny her.
With a soft hum as her answer, she watches as Kate lowers the embrace on her wrist, intertwining their fingers together.
As she lifts her gaze, gently squeezes the hand in her own, she sees Kate take a breath, a slight uplift of her shoulders is the only indication that she did and the newborn watches her with a questioning gaze.
She doesn't know why she does it, takes that small step closer to Kate. But her instincts guide her movements and she finds her fingers pushing strands of hair behind the blonde's ear.
Her fingers linger for a moment before she takes a chance and runs them through Kate's hair. Her movements are slow and gentle and by the slip of deep honey eyes shut, the soft hum that reaches her ears, she suspects that it was the right move to make.
She only pulls back when she registers the absence of footsteps. Taking a step back from Kate as she releases the blonde's hand and lowers her own to her sides. The soft tranquility of the moment slowly fades away.
When Kate opens her eyes they are darker than before and she turns, paying attention to her sister as Irina says something and she responds.
The words are foreign and she only catches the lack of enthusiasm and hints of anger in Irina's responding tone.
But Kate's words are stern and reassuring. It doesn't seem like she will budge.
The newborn stands awkwardly in place. Glancing between the two as they have a conversation that most likely is centered around her.
And judging by the darker look on Irina's face, she doesn't agree with whatever Kate is saying. But she doesn't push and with something that sounds like a farewell, the blonde turns and walks away.
"Come on," A hand slips back into her own, but she can't take her eyes from Irina's retreating form. Guilt grows in her diaphragm as she wonders if she's the cause of the two splitting up.
She turns to Kate, doesn't budge in her stance as she looks at the blonde.
Something in her expression must say what she lacks in words, because Kate gives her a reassuring look. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just going to take you somewhere to clean you up before heading to the house."
Kate tugs on her hand again and this time she does follow.
"I can't have you tracking mud into the house, Carmen will kill me and you for not being considerate to all the cleaning she does." Kate explains with a soft chuckle and the newborn scrunches her nose at the reminder that she is anything but clean at the moment.
She lets the blonde guide her. A slow walk turns into a sprint in half a step and she relishes the breeze brushing past them. The surrounding wilderness fading to a blur and those ever so soft sounds she was so intent on finding fading away with a brush of wind.
The newborn doesn't exactly know where they are going, but she sees no reason to let go of the hand holding her own. The landscape around them shifts from scarce trees and plains of snow to the opposite. A forest undisturbed greets them as Kate slows her pace but keeps her focus on her destination.
With her glancing around at her surroundings, with crimson eyes dancing at every little thing, she doesn't notice when they reach a stop. She may also bump into the blonde because of her distracted attention, but she ignores that mishap even when Kate glances at her with a shake of her head and a low chuckle.
The sound of rushing water is loud in the quiet surrounding forest. Kate had led her to a river that looked like it traveled from a source of water, a waterfall perhaps.
"Okay," The blonde lets her hand go and takes a step to stand fully in front of the newborn. Kate gives her a small teasing smile when she narrows her eyes.
"I don't know if you've ever bathed in a river before, but at the moment this is the easiest way to clean you up," Kate takes a step back, the grin on her face only causing the newborn to look at her suspiciously as Kate shrugs off her jacket. "So because I see no reason not to, I am going to join you."
