Ariana's Rite of passage: The heart of a Fox

Without looking back Ariana dashed forward into the hills of Arathi, clothed in just a loincloth and rags around her chest as her only protection. She knew that if she glanced back once and would see him she'd not be able to resist the urge to turn around. This is what she had to do but it was just difficult to leave the safety and comfort of his embrace. Only when she was out of sight from the large gates that led into Stromgarde she came to a halt to catch her breath, looking around to the now familiar hills searchingly. Where would she start looking, how would she start this task of finding the animal that was a part of herself?

The realisation came rather swiftly, thanks to previous conversations and a small reminder upon reaching to the claw dangling around her neck tied to a leather strap. Her destiny was not to roam the Highlands in search of her rite-animal but her path would lead her past the wall and through dangerous lands to venture back to Gilneas. She had stayed there long enough, studying her surroundings in solitude to know what to find there.
Melan had told her a fox was suitable, even fitting to who she was so that is where she'd start. Perhaps he was wrong and she may have to look further untill finding what she needed but somehow she knew it was right to go there first.

Thankfully Ari was small and scrawny, her lithe frame sprinting away from the road to instead travel through bushes and shadows and remain unseen. Her little bit of training would hopefully not be needed, especially now that she was not in protective leathers nor armed with her daggers. Running into a forsaken or a beast too large for her to handle would turn into a lethal encounter for her.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins, helping her battle the fatigue of staying up all night to savour the last hours and minutes in his pressence. She had wanted to call it of on several occassion, the Rite wasn't that important up in the mountains and a tradition long forgotten and barely practised. It was not the tradition she wanted to honour, it was her own strength she wanted to find. Accomplish something that'd give her something she could remember to remind her that she could be strong if she wanted to. A victory of her own fears and flaws that she wished to overcome.

The travel went slow and Ari's progress was often interrupted by patrols passing by or having to hide for long times to remain unseen. Her own hand covering her mouth to silence the labored breaths that came as result from her constant running from one spot to another. She felt frightened each time she spotted something close to her that could mean her end. It felt very like her to be discovered and fail once more in something she tried to do. But the girl was stubborn, she promised she would come back and she told herself over and over that she would not give up this easily.

By the time the sun started to set she could see the looming walls of Gilneas infront of her, several branches stuck in her short black hair and her legs and arms covered in scraps and cuts. A grime of dirt caked on her skin from the journey. But the joy filling her for having reached the city that stretched before her made her forget the aches in her body and the layers of dirt and sweat that coated her from head to toe, She wanted to go home as soon as possible, so while fighting the urge to take a break for food and rest Ariana pressed on. Knowing where to go and making her way towards the woodlands of Gilneas. The increasing dark was a hinderance she hadn't taken into account as the tree-growth became thicker and eventually she couldn't see properly anymore.

“Feck...'m nae goin' tae find anythin' this way...” the girl muttered to herself, shaking her head as a hand reached to scratch her nose. Too anxious to try and find her way back to the road Ari slid down against a tree instead. The exhaustion of her running catching up with her when she groaned at the sore feeling of her muscles. In the darkness of nightfall she curled up under low-hanging branches as a natural form of camouflage in an attempt to get a bit of shut-eye before dawn.
When she woke the moon was still high above her, shrouding the woods in darkness. But it was a rustling of leaves and an audible sniffing that had alerted the snoozing girl out of her slumber. Alarmbells went of inside her mind, urging her to keep motionless and as quiet as possible to not attract whatever was prowling out there in her close proximity. A hand fluttered towards her neck, wanting to clench her fingers around the claw resting there while the shivers of fear roll down her spine. The approaching sound of the animal getting louder with each heartbeat untill viscious ripping growls come from another direction and the cautious rustling turns into the sound of paws rushing past her.

Ariana lay frozen and almost whimpering, not daring to stick her head out to see what was going on, all she could make from the sounds was a fight between two animals growling at eachother with yelps of pain and ripping of flesh lashing out in the otherwise silent night. The minutes that past felt like hours to the frightened girl, even when things went quiet and she thought she heard the fight end with possibly one of the animals dead she did not dare to move. The hours that crept past untill morning lasted forever and still she did not move, her body lay stiff by the time the first rays of sun manages to break through the canopy above her.
“Dun' be such a damn chicken Ari...get up 'n keep goin', c'mon, ye can do et...” she urged herself, barely breaking the hold on the lionclaw she held in her grasp still to push her sore body up to stand. Crouching cautiously to peer around to make certain the area was safe first before finally stretching with a wincing grimace.

That's when she saw it, the hulking form of a wild lupine beast dead on the soil not too far away from her. The dirt and sand had been kicked up to mark where the fight happened and blood splattered around the area from the wounds of the dead beast. It made her shudder, realizing the wolf had probably caught her scent and tried to find a nice meal for himself. A relieved and shaky sigh leaves her lips before lifting up the claw to her mouth to press a long kiss onto the small trinket. Whispering to it in a soft tone. “Yer were righ' do Khla, 's protectin' me...thank ye.”
Her stomach rumbled in protest, reminding her she hadn't eaten since she had left the city and her physical extertion had burned the energy levels of her body rapidly. Yet before she could decide how to get some food she saw the trail of blood leading away from the dead wolf, curiousity and perhaps even more than that urging her to see where it would lead. Wanting to know perhaps what it was that had come to an unexpected aid.

Logically she should have turned around and not try to find whatever it was that could kill a wolf, but this time something deep down told her it was not an option this time around. So as she cautiously followed the track with the rising sun lighting up her way she felt something that she thought could be exitement. Something was telling her -somehow- that what she was doing was going to be rewarded. With a shake of her head she tried to get that thought erased from her mind, thinking to herself how silly she was to even think that way but the feeling lingered. Like a guidance to encourage her, soothe her that everything was perfectly fine.

The splatters of blood ended right besides a small bush, it did not continue past it so with a deep breath Ariana stepped cautiously up to the plant covering the wounded -or possibly dead- animal that had fought in the night. Holding her breath upon squatting down to reach out and push branches aside to see what was hidden underneath. What she saw was welcomed by a snapping jaw towards her hand, the creature dishelved and bloodied. Protecting itself by warning the intruder to leave out of basic insticts. Immediatly Ariana fell backwards to land upon her rear, green eyes widened in a puzzled suprise of finding the animal to be a fox.
He was limping, forcing up to stand to come out of hiding and stand agressively infront of the girl with fangs bared in warning. The fox' ears were folded backwards in hostility as he growled out. The sight of the broken and injured beast made Ariana wince in recognision. She could see in how much pain he must be from getting up and trying to defend himself against her, thinking she had come as a predator or hunter herself.

Somehow the girl managed to see past the defensive stance of the animal, see his fear and anxiety and something more.
“Mel's righ'...” she mouthed to herself, an ice-cold shudder washing over her when she suddenly saw herself reflected before her. The fox was still willing to fight and not give up just yet, despite it's horrible state. Ari was at a loss, could she really just lunge towards an injured animal and kill it because of this? Would it even count as her own kill when killing something that was possibly already about to die from another fight?
She couldn't figure it out, remaining sat with her eyes glued upon the frozen fox that stood alertly before her, ready to leap if needed. Or run if that would be safer.

“I cannae kill ye...” a whisper came from her lips, shaking her head at the animal which seemed to approach regardless of his insticts. It startled Ariana to see him drop his guard to limp closer to her with a sudden helpless whine. It tore through her heart to see the animal so helpless, so defeated when it fell down between her legs. His snout lifted with a pleading gaze up to the girl he had protected the other night. It felt surreal, an animal of the wild that just trusted her enough in such state to come closer. But without thinking Ariana reached out to try and help the fox to rest more comfortably, a hand stroking over his head after making sure it would not bite her for trying.

“Ye need company eh? Ye've fought real 'ard las' night, I could 'ear tha'...I saw th'wolf ye killed, much bigger th-...”
Blinking a few times Ariana suddenly gasped out loudly, startling the fox for a moment before it fell back down with a yelp. The fox had beaten a wolf, an animal much like a worgen. Could it be possible that the fox had come to make sure she'd live, giving his own life for her eventually? The answers came for her naturally, yes the fox had protected her when she was asleep. He had willingly given up his own life, lasting long enough to survive and meet her. That's why he had come to her now, ready to die.
She didn't notice her own tears falling down her dirtied face when looking back down at the fox who had been staring at her constantly, as if trying to tell her everything was alright. Feeling strangely connected to the animal and it's hurt and pain she was reminded of every bit of suffering she had been through herself and it had opened up the gates of her tears once more.

It was an impulse she couldn't ignore or fight back, she simply leaned down to pick up the fox into her arms, not caring wether or not she'd be covered in blood. Wanting to hold it close to her and give comfort for aslong as it's heart would continue beating. Crying silently as the animal gave a series of small yips himself, sharing the moment of letting go of the pain that burdened them both, even if they were of different species and their reasons to cry different.
Time must have passed without being aware of it, The sun lowering while Ariana craddled the injured fox in her arms and sat on the same spot where she had found it. But it was time, and deep inside she felt that the moment had come that the life in her hold was about to slip away.

“Thank ye...ye saved me, 'n I'll 'onour ye fer th'rest o' me life. Yer part o' me, ferever...”
She spoke in a soft and gentle whisper, feeling how the animal shuddered and eventually lay to rest lifelessly in her arms. Refusing to let go immediatly she rocked back and forth, humming in respect for what the creature had given for her before putting it down. She had decided she'd dig a grave atleast, be it with her bare hands to burry it so it would not fall to predators to be turned into nothing more but a meal.
It took her an hour, or perhaps even more to shovel the soil with her hands and create a hole deep enough for the fox to be put into. But before she carefully laid it down into the created grave she took a deep breath and kneeled over the small form and took a hold of the claw around her neck. Both her hands shaking from fatigue and emotion when using the sharp tooth as a knife to cut open the chest of the dead animal. Having to clumsily dig through it's fur and flesh before she could reach into the created space to the ribs covering the trophy she decided to take.
A loud -snap- broke the silence of the wood when her hand snapped the bone covering the animal's heart before reaching into his chest to tug the organ free.

“Ye gave yer life fer me, so yer 'eart is wha' I shoul' take 'ome. Rest well 'n watch over me.”

Only once she finished covering up the fox and wrapping the heart into a torn of piece of her lointcloth Ariana turned to find her way back to the road. Back to Stromgarde. During night it was easier to stay out of sight, especially now that she felt starved and exhausted. Saddened even from how things had gone, but deep within a fire burned that urged her forward. A strength she felt growing with each step she got closer to Arathi and home. Closer to her future, which she now trusted to have good things in store for her. She had done it, she would come home and be reckoned worthy of a new name. A name, that would forever remind her of this day, and what she had learned,