No moon graced the sky that night. Trying to find ones way through the woods was close to impossible. Only the sounds could be used as a guide. The small stream to the left, the footsteps of the army to the right.
She sat crouched beside a tall pine, sais at the ready least anyone stray from the main body and head her way. The Romans had been coming more and more into Germania, leading campaigns in search of victory and domination. Xena had gone off to scout not less than half an hour ago, leaving the young bard to sit and wait. The armies presence had been unexpected. That the Romans were in the area had not been a secret. The columns of smoke from their camps could be seen from miles off. However, they had been following the ridge steadily and this sudden turn to the South had been unforeseen.
Somewhere above an owl sounded, cutting the night like a knife.
She leaned against the tree and listened to her breath, felt the cold air enter her lungs. Winter was coming steadily upon them. They had already had snow flurries. The ground beneath her knee was cold and covered with dry leaves. She dare note move least she rustle. Through the inky gloom she could see the shadow of the men, slightly darker than the night around them. They could not be more than 50 feet away.
Come on Xena, where are you?
They had entered Germania on the trail of a renegade band of Greek Amazons who, unhappy with the current state of the Amazon Nation, had struck off to form their own village. They had killed more than a few of their Amazon sisters on their way and Gabrielle felt it her duty to deal with them. They had not expected to be lead to Germania with it's feuding tribes and Roman presence.
The trail had gone cold a few days back.
She felt the light touch of a hand on her shoulder and gave a little start. "Xena?" she whispered, trying to distinguish if it was her friend in the dark.
Xena put a finger to her lips to signal her to silence and settled down beside her. She waited until the army had passed before she replied.
"I found their trail. They're heading North."
"Where?"
"They've taken to the trees. I suspected as much but couldn't find anything until now." She smiled at her friend and passed the apple core into her hand. "Someone got hungry."
"What do we do now?"
"Head north."
Xena hoisted the pack onto her back and helped pull Gabrielle to her feet. They started off with the stream behind them into the blackness.
* * * * *
It had started to snow again during the night and as dawn slowly crept across the horizon the flurries took on shades of peach and lavender in the pale light. It was getting colder the further North they moved and they had travelled through the night. Gabrielle was beginning to sleep on her feet, closing her eyes for brief moments when she was certain she would not stumble over anything in her path, trying to follow the footsteps Xena left to keep herself awake.
A clearing could be seen ahead and Xena stopped short, blue eyes focused on a solitary figure standing in the center of it. Gabrielle, eyes closed, walked smack into the pack on her back, knocking herself off balance for a moment.
The figure did not move.
Xena put out a hand to steady her friend without looking back, waving the other one absently to signify silence.
"Who is that?" Gabrielle whispered, rubbing her nose with her hand.
"I don't know... but something tells me we don't want to find out. The less trouble we can make here, the better. We're here for one purpose, and one purpose only."
She lead them slowly round the clearing, keeping to the back of the figure. Gabrielle, now fully awake, watched the back of the person as they passed. She stood tall and proud in the clearing. Fair golden hair pleated down her back and tied off with a thong of brown leather. She was likely taller than Xena and wrapped in furs against the cold. She stood facing the rising sun, hand grasping a large broadsword with a gem encrusted hilt. As the first ray of the sun burst from behind the horizon, she dropped to one knee and began to chant in an earthy, low tone Gabrielle did not understand. Feeling as though she was the witness of something private, she turned her eyes away and focused on the forest ahead.
* * * * *
They made camp some miles on within the boughs of a fallen pine tree, a blanket of needles below as bedding and nothing but their cloaks to keep them warm. They huddled together beside the small fire Gabrielle had built, the hiss of renegade flurries hitting the flames slowly lulling them to sleep. Xena dozed off quickly while Gabrielle lay for a bit watching the pale morning light gradually fade into mid-morning before she finally slept.
Her dreams were choppy and troubling. Tall warriors cutting down Romans, Amazons killing each other in cold blood. When she finally awoke she felt stiff and numb. The fire had long since died and Xena was no where to be found. The snow had given way to a steady rain which could be seen slashing through the evening outside, cutting into the shelter here and there leaving swollen puddles of pine needled beneath.
Somewhere, deep in the forest, singing could be heard. Far and distant.
She shook the water from her cloak and peered out into the forest. No sign of Xena or where she might have gone. She rebuilt the fire and sat down beside it, pulling the scroll she had been recording their journey on from her bag and tried to record the previous days events, to properly record the woman in the clearing.
Darkness fell and with it the rain ceased and a thick mist crept from the hallows and across the forest floor. An eerie silence filled the shadows and seemed to intensify the singing. Finally, unable to concentrate and tired of waiting for Xena to return, she put out the fire, pulled her cloak tightly around her body to ward off the cold, and stepped out into the night air.
