Lark headed out to the road and looked down it hopefully thinking, any day now, any day Rosethorn will back.
After seeing no one come down the road for at least an hour and a half she turned and headed back to Discipline Cottage. Kalyca was over at the other side of Winding Circle with Niko who was visiting Winding Circle for a few days. It been almost a week since Lark had gotten the letter and she was almost starting to doubt it.
She pushed open the door to Dedicate Cottage and sat down at the table. When, when would Rosie get here?
Lark supposed she must have fallen asleep because before she knew it someone was touching her shoulder gently and saying her name. She squinted and looked up into Rosethorn's face. Lark's eyes widened.
"Rosie!" Lark said and stood up so quickly knocking her chair over then hugged Rosethorn tightly.
After a moment Rosethorn stepped back and they looked at each other.
"You've changed so much," Rosethorn said with a grin.
"So have you," Lark said then pulled out a chair for Rosethorn and picked her own chair up.
They both sat down then Lark spoke up, "You want to tell me this story?"
Rosethorn smiled, "I'd love to."
Rosethorn then paused and looked down at the table and Lark sensed some deep sadness. She had obviously been through a whole lot and not all of it good.
"Well, we got to the jungle and we were staying with that tribe I told you about. We studied the jungle for a few weeks and found the place where they were chopping down trees. They agreed to not chop down so many at once like that and to respect the plants and animals living around them, after some negotiations. Then a enemy tribe attacked the camp and Crane and I were captured, prisoners of war. We became slaves, but as they got used to us we became more like, um, servants that weren't aloud to leave the village," Rosethorn chuckled softly, "Crane didn't approve of it much. Then another tribe attacked," Rosethorn paused here and took a deep breath and Lark noticed a small tear trickle down her face, it seemed as though Rosethorn was leaving something out, "they took Crane and I and we became slaves to them. Then we escaped and well here we are now."
Lark was silent, prisoners, and slaves. The jungle did not seem like a very safe place to be. And Rosethorn was surely leaving something out, something she didn't want to talk about.
"Am I getting the feeling you left something out?" Lark asked, "And where is Crane?"
Rosethorn smiled slightly, "Crane's talking to Moonstream and you know me too well."