Fia needed some time away from home as much as she was feeling like wanting to be a lump on a log stuck inside her den and being waited on. Kind of. She was a strong independent woman of course, but she was missing a life a luxury. Maybe she was just spoiled, or believed she deserved that sense of royalty. She really had it all, it was really all a make believe world of hiding her insecurities. She was good at it.

The last time Fia had been here... well the memories could certainly make her smirk. But it was happening all around the south eastern lands of Boreas wasn't it. There wasn't really one place, or one guy she was searching for. A second random friendly encounter sure. But she was easily not attached to the men she found herself bedded with. It was the act, it wasn't the relationship. It would be easy to indulge after once though. Simple fact.

This time she was for a stroll rather than the hunt that led her into the otherwise spooky forest. Not spooky for her. Soft feline paws leaping up on the large roots and dead logs as she drove herself deeper into the forests. A chill in the spring air made the fogs bearable, maybe not so much in the summer she assumed. It was probably a hot muggy mess here come next season.

"Fia"

Absinth moved silently through the foggy forest, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows with practiced ease. The early morning light filtered through the dense canopy, casting eerie, shifting patterns on the forest floor. The air was thick with moisture, carrying the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, mingling with the acrid smell of tiger. She could sense the big cat's presence before she saw it, and how lucky – it was exactly the adrenaline rush she had been looking for.

A flash of movement to her right caught her attention. The tiger, a moment before it lunged at her with a ferocious growl. Absinth dodged to the side, her movements fluid, the knives holstered in her fore bracers glinting in the dim light. She needed to lead the tiger to a more open space where she could battle it more effectively. As she sprinted through the underbrush, weaving between trees and leaping over fallen logs, Absinth's mind was focused on the task at hand. She was a blur of motion, her every step calculated to keep the tiger at bay while drawing it towards a clearing she knew was just ahead. She even offered it mocking yips and giggles as she went.

Through the thick fog, Absinth's sharp eyes caught sight of another figure moving through the forest. It was a stranger, a red woman with a graceful gait. For a moment, Absinth's emerald gaze lingered on the stranger, but there was no time to engage her now; the tiger was close on her heels, and Absinth needed to stay focused. With a final burst of speed, Absinth broke through the dense underbrush and into the clearing. The open space was just what she needed. She turned to face the tiger, her muscles coiled and ready for the fight. The big cat lunged, and Absinth met it head-on, one of her knives flashing in her jaws as she struck with lethal precision. A long slice grazing across the cat’s face, blood immediately dribbling down into its eyes.


"Absinth Artemisia Inferos"