Her feet picked their own way along, perhaps along a path that was rarely used, or one that never really existed in the first place. The white snowflakes fell down from the boughs of the trees that rose far above her head, moved from their wayside along the path to earth, and completing the journey as they landed upon the forest floor, waiting to melt in the summer sun before starting the journey once more.

A soft humming rose from her lips as she moseyed along, enjoying the feeling of being alone with nature, just to enjoy the peacefulness that surrounded her in the breaking day. There was no obligation here. No responsibility. Nothing brought stress or worry to a life that had already had far too much for a woman as young as she.

Continuing on her way, a small white rabbit leapt out in front of her, causing Jasmin to simply stop moving completely. Taking a step backwards, she slid carefully and slowly behind a tree, her bright blues keeping their watch upon the creature. Moving fluidly, her arm snaked up to pull loose the bow that lay hidden across her back, transferring it to her other hand as the right reached back again for an arrow. Setting the end along the bowstring, she sited up with the rabbit as the string was pulled back very slowly. Watching as the furry animal took one last small hop, she released the arrow and let it fly.

Her blues watched as the lifeless body fell to the white ground, now stained with the red blood of the bunny. She replaced the bow upon her back, knowing it would fade and be hidden with the magic once more. Her steps led her across the snow to where it lay, picking it up by the feet and moving towards what she thought might be a clearing in the trees.

Moments were quick and practiced now, the rabbit being set down in the snow while she gathered up a few twigs and small branches to form a pile in a small alcove that was not overlaid with snow. Taking out her tinder, she lit the wood on fire and waved it a bit to try and get it going, then sitting down with the rabbit near her, pulling free a dagger from her boot to skin it. As that task was completed, she set the rabbit aside for now, her cloak dropping down from her shoulders to the ground so she would be a bit more comfortable while she rested. Finding a longer, sturdy stick, she bore a hole through the what was left of the rabbit, sticking on end in the ground to allow the meat to roast over the small fire, while Jasmin leaned her back against a tree trunk.

Eyelids falling closed, she listened to the silence of the forest for a moment before her mind slid off to other thoughts. Her mind took her immediately to where she still called home, believing that it was winter there as well. The house she lived in coved in a thick layer of coldness, a coal-smiling snowman sitting out in the front yard to greet guests; the labor of a child’s full afternoon.

She felt herself missing it suddenly, after all of these years; she still missed the place she called home. Not that it could really be called home any longer, but what else was there to really call the place one had been raised and known for so many years. Even if she ever did go back, would they even remember her? Probably not. All they have wanted to do was forget her. Forget they ever had a daughter. It was probably for the best.

But her best friend, that had been another matter. She knew he missed her terribly, and she in turn felt the same. After spending nearly four years day in and day out with a person, being without them for so long felt like being born into a whole other world. He had always been there for her and had even sworn to come after her when she left, to find her, to bring her home, to his home, with him. This was forbidden of course; nothing could interfere with what she had been called to do. He had tried of course, how could he not. But even with his magic, he could not find her. She would not let him. If he did, she was almost positive the wind would take him from her – forever.

The bright blues opening up once more, she pulled the stick with the rabbit from the ground, sticking the blade of her knife deep into the meat to verify it had been cooked through. Taking a bite off of its leg, she quickly ate the food, not knowing when or where her next meal would be. A sickly thin fox wandered down past her small camp, looking like it had hardly found food enough for itself this winter. Taking one last bite off the rabbit, she threw the rest across the clearing to it, watching as the fox dashed for it, gobbling down the meat.

As it chewed what was left, the deep-set animal eyes came to rest upon her. It did not consider her to be food, though it knew she was meat. Her body was far too large for him to take down alone, and at least the rabbit had been better than anything he had eaten in weeks.

Just as she felt the animal might speak to her, its head whipped around to the direction she had come from, quickly taking to its feet before dashing off past her and deeper into the forest.

Heeding his warning, Jasmin instinctively reached for her bow and grabbed her cloak up from the forest floor. At the base of her tree, she bent her knees a bit and leapt up high into the brushes as the air gave her wings to aid her. As she waited to see what approached, she threw her cloak about her and kept her eyes upon where the animal’s gaze had turned to first.

The fire still burning lowly below her, she called the wind, concentrating as she separated out the oxygen from the air about the fire until it finally gave out. Just as she was muttering words to brush snow over the burned twigs, her ears caught wind of footfalls leading towards her.

~*~*~*~*~