Polaris.

Clutching the narrow ledge with its inadequate hand-holds, I pulled myself up and rolled on my back. With laboured breathing, she reflected on how she ended here.

Mountain of Temeria stood proud and tall—living up to the tales of its enormous stature, piercing through the clouds, the sky and ill-omened atmosphere. The wind, just as the ancient one had said, nipping at her flesh, tiny snowflakes kissed her ruddy cheeks and nose. Yet the white beauty of the snow-clad mountains around was awe-inspiring and all worthy attention. The huge grandeur rendered her feeling destitute human akin to a speck of dust on the ground. Thick blankets of snow snuggling with the brown rocky land, and the mighty pine trees dotting the landscape.

She had never come across such a low temperature, where her blood refused to flow. Hunger carved her inside raw. It has been seven new suns; she was still to see the peak. Aware of the harsh climate, but nothing had prepared her for this; not even the thickest fur coat. Her trousers had woollen puttee wrapping from knees down to the ankles and feet covered in socks and leather boots, it was all wet. The cold came nipping twice as hard that it was. The outer fur hood was the only piece of clothing she appreciated the most stealing from her Da.

She n00eeded fire soon to prevent her body succumbing to the worst. She sat up looking for dry twigs or anything that would burn, running a gaze over the surrounding she discovered to be on top of a plateau, on one edge stood the mighty Mountain of Temeria and on the other was a valley with few tall trees dotting along. It would soon darken and Mountain of Temeria was a rough climb again, after today's climbing, walking would be a dedicated strenuous effort and the one she was not in favour of; the valley was an open-source for good shelter and fire. With high hopes to a soul calming rest, she turned my back on the mighty mountain.

The mountain a un-walked winding path ahead, and the downward valley–a ceaseless blanket laid on a bed, each footfall taxing her more strength. It is a steep and thicket snow, rocky chaotic way, just enough to prevent her gait falling into a steady rhythm. Every step, the carrier on the back dug deep in her shoulder so did her feet in the snow, a repetitive determined process, her legs hurt, her arms and her back—if only there better words describe the agony.

She had no meat left and only one piece flatbread and no freshwater at the thought hunger clawed back, and so did the worry. In carrier on her back, she carried my world, the scrying tools, and the heavy rock scrying basin—the inseparable fragment of her life. On the edge of the plateau, her one foot stumbled and sunk deeper in the snow, in a haste to right her balance another leg rose quick and landed on the snowy edge with no rock support.

She had lost balance and fell.

Tumbling, she went down. The world shifted swiftly as she rolled, gaining speed. Snow enveloped her and left her blind-sighted to the uncontrolled events.

She hit my head first to a jutting rock and landed harshly on the—

-:-

9 moons ago...

'Ye're thirteen winters old, a maan now! ' my words coaxed a honeyed sweet smile on the little boy's face. I turned back to gaze at the shiny dotted sky. We laid on our backs as the fire burned near roasting meat.

'What doths a maan do?' I asked again. I hadn't had food with the clan, I was angry at Da, since yesterday.

'He fights, hunts, and looks after his family!' he rushed, eager to show me how much he knew. That he was a maan now.

'Aye, my brother, would ye look after our family?' he was silent. I closed my eyes. He slowly shuffled towards the fire, I assumed.

'Wherefore do ye utter such words? Ye look after us! Ye are to become chieftain soon!' I could hear his accusations, I still didn't move to assure him or deny his accusation.

'Polaria!'

'What if I weren't here? Everything would change, people will change. Those who speak the sweetest now may make your ears bleed with bitter words,' I opened my eyes, turning to gaze at him. 'I wish ye to be our chieftain.'

'Ye're Da's firstborn, they would never accept me!'

'Hmmmm.'

'Have ye seen something?'

'Nay!' being silver-tongued was always a boon, I considered. But not today. His unfaltering and wise beyond age gaze caught me red-handed.

'Addar...' I stalled.

'What- what is it!'

'She wants me to go north.'

Silence.

Slowly he asked, 'Ye want to?'

'I want to see what clans and Gods live in the North, I am not satisfied with what I have been given, I... I feel restricted, akin to a dog chained to a pole, it can't see beyond the horizon; the dog is trapped, I feel trapped.'

'Ye hunger knowledge?' he countered.

'I would give far more to receive knowledge—of the unknown — of North.'

'But Da?'

'Explain this- to the South and West are clans that already exist and face drought like us. The East, now, if there were plenty of games to hunt and water sweeter than honey, then why don't the Nomads claim it? Why no one talks of the east? Only North—'

'But the Elders—'

'My brother, I believe that they hide great treasures from us!'

He scoffed.

'What are ye going to do? I think everyone heard of your and Da's brawl, from the sun before yesterday. Got every tongue flapping.'

'Hmmmm.'

'Polaris?'

'It angers me; Da would rather risk the clan and go with the nomads, for his self-worth preservation than bend his knee to his firstborn!'

'When will ye leave?'

'Tomorrow, at the first ray.'

-:-

Polaris opened her eyes, but everything appeared dark and muddled. Submerged in darkness. A lone thought drifted aimlessly through her empty skull, and it asked whether she was still alive. As her vision gradually returned and her senses stirred awake, she tried to gulp air. Instead, her lungs filled with a thick, partially sweet liquid. Polaris started coughing and sputtering, but more of the syrup filled her throat, even going into her nose and ears. She couldn't even manage a strangled cry. Outstretching her hands in front of her, Polaris discovered she could touch some kind of rough wall; she was inside of a container. In desperation, she started banging her fists against the wall. The syrup was flowing all over her body, inside of her it moved, and she could almost feel it like it was writhing and testing her. As if it was alive. It flowed over her eyes, under her eyelids, under her nails. It seeped into the very pores of her skin. Polaris struggled but in fruitless attempts.