something new

Solveiga had been doing a lot of walking lately. Her feet had stopped aching weeks ago, and she felt her body getting leaner and stronger. Or maybe that was part of her growing up. After all, she was really an adult now. She had seen two springs already, and the third was coming fast. It was strange, how fast time seemed to fly. And so much had happened in this past year alone, so much about Solveiga had changed. She was becoming independent, meeting new people and seeing new places. She was really starting to discover who she was, and it was exhilarating.

And now she had made a new friend of sorts. Jendai, her new traveling companion. "The water is up there, see?" she said with a smile, gesturing with her head toward the little beach that backed up the wide river ahead of them. Beyond it was a cave with a wide mouth and a vague glittering light coming from inside. Maybe they could explore that later, after they had gotten a little something to drink. The sand colored woman trotted down a bit of a slope toward the water, looking back to make sure Jendai was still following her. She was. It didn't hurt to check, especially considering what the young woman had recently gone through. But Jendai seemed to be worthy of her trust.