Snippet #1958018

-Titerus Mountains, Shaharan-

The pass was frigid; the cold air and flakes hugging her warm, bundled figure, vainly attempting to steal her carefully preserved heat.

...not that the icy siege was particularily strange or even unwelcome, especially at this time of year; the dead of winter, temporal mecca for snow and rain. She enjoyed the cold, moreso than the heat at least, as it was all she had really knew, and one of very few things she enjoyed. It was truly for the sake of timeliness that she wore her furs rather than travel in her normal attire, as "lewd" as it apparently was...whatever that meant.  She preferred what was comfortable and flexible, leaving aesthetics to the "discerning" eyes of others. She supposed that those who didn't know her might call her an exhibionist, but she couldn't help it.

She was blind, after all. 

But being blind didn't mean that she was blind to everyday fact. A cold body moves slower, that much was evident, and so with slight regret she forcibly trudged onwards, the furs protecting her frame from the elements that gnawed at her flesh. 

"You alright back there?"

The familiar voice was also warm, though she had to admit that her contempt was much more selective. Many of her coherts operated alone when they could, social inepitudes as common as murder among killers, but Tighe was an anomaly of sorts. Casting aside the archetypical "lone wolf" personality, Eight or "Tighe", as he pestered, worked with her on nearly every assignment, serving as her guide throughout her missions, many of the nuances of travel being impossible for those who didn't possess sight.  He was her keeper, in an odd sort of way, and she could only be grateful for it.

"I'm fine."

She wasn't much for words, at least not in the typical, verbal sense. Having not been big on books for obvious reasons, she didn't often exercise her eloquence, preferring to let actions speak for her. Tighe, though was a much different story; a gentlemen of perfected grace, able to navigate through the maze of the social trivialities in a fashion similar to his captaining of the mountain pass they were currently trudging through. 

"Well, that's lovely to hear!" he joked, his voice echoing slightly "I would've thought you were dead, how quiet you were."

"No such luck."

She joked a little with him, knowing that he must be bored out of his mind. It was a long trek after all, and though they were nearing the end, they still had to traverse the last, dangerous portion of the mountain before they arrived in the village where her target was. It was a long shelf of the bitter-cold mountain, and the bane of many who were unprepared. In fact, few actually went this way, more likely to sacrifice time in order to take the safer, roundabout route, unwilling to risk their lives for the sake of punctuality. 

But assassins lacked such leisure.

The path became narrower as the village below came into sight...or so said Tighe. She could only trust him with such information; she had no other choice. She believed him, sure, but only in the way that an assassin could. Good speakers made for good liars, though she doubted that he'd lie about something so simplistic as that. 

"Want to hear a story?" He asked, his bright voice piercing the air around her like a bird's cry atop it's perch. 

"Not really."

He let out a laugh and then gripped her hand "Careful there, it's narrow." 

"I'll be fine. I can sense where the ledge is."

"I don't doubt it, but nonetheless..." his voice trailed off as he laughed again, his hot hand gripping a little tighter. "Are you sure though?"

"About the story? Yes."

"Let me just tell it to you, if only for my sake, ok?" 

She knew that he wouldn't let up, and so she didn't reply, waiting for him to start. And surely enough...

"Back awhile ago, there was a a bunch of baby birdies, hawks to be exact, that lived in their nest with their mother." He paused for a second, as if to let it sink in, and then continued. "They were all very healthy birds, happy and ready to fly...all except for one."

The wind picked up as he pulled her to him quickly, seemingly protecting her, though she didn't need it. 

"I'm fine, let go."

She tried to push away but he was steadfast. He continued, despite he efforts to push him away. "That little birdy couldn't fly, and quickly became trouble for all the rest. She got more food because she couldn't feed herself, and made her siblings look after her." 

She tried to push away again, her blood flowing quickly as worrt coursed through her veins. Despite being strong, he was stronger, and intention began to seep in through her pores, carried through the stories miasma. 

"..and so one day..." he began cheerfully "...they all decided something." She reached for her blade, the worry, like a venom, reaching her heart. 

But it was too late. 

"They decided that it would be easier if she was gone."

She felt him release her as she fell backwards, no ground behind her to land on.

"...and so she fell from
the nest."

She grasped wildly at where she thought the edge was, but the ice proved it's treachery, and why no one took this pass. She could only hear his voice, over everything else.

"...and they all lived happily."