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Visiting Eclipse Town had never been anything but a bittersweet occasion, heart longing for the family she had made over the years of being with them but knowing she simply couldn’t stay forever. Even Salacia grew emotional whenever they came and went, her crown’s water gone still, unmoving, as though she didn’t want to move, either. By the time Astartia had finished her goodbyes, some more painful than others, as it had been a few months since her last visit, it had grown time to leave, and so she and Salacia parted with the townspeople and slinked their way through the forest. Normally, she’d find her path quickly and return to her new home relatively easily, though this time she’d decided to take a detour — she hadn’t had a good stroll in a while, and both her familiar and herself were itching for one.
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With her bow strung over her back — a hard habit to overcome, even though she’d never hunt animals again, but target practice on some trees wouldn’t hurt once in a while — she made her way, exploring more of the forest before she found her way into Gale Valley. She’d only stepped foot in the area a handful of times, and somehow had steered clear of any lurking monsters; she didn’t know if it was luck or simple instinct that had protected her whenever she’d ventured out into the land, but she was grateful nonetheless.
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Salacia had gone ahead of her, stretching to her full, intimidating ten foot length; the boa loved to be as big and as impressive as possible, especially when in the wilderness; Astartia figured it was a sort of animal instinct, even though the snake was far more than she appeared — either that, or she did so to protect Astartia by way of warning and distracting an enemy with her appearance. The witch figured it was likely both.
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It’s very calm today, the snake observed, and though Astartia could not see where she was, she could feel the distance. It’s nice.
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Astartia merely hummed in agreement, taking in the feel of the valley with a relaxed expression on her face. She hadn’t even acknowledged that Salacia had stopped moving, that the familiar was watching something — or someone. She heard a small rustle as the snake adjusted her position, and decided to change her course to see what exactly was going on that had caught the boa’s attention. She was leaning low to the ground, a habitual reaction, like a hunter stalking prey before her eyes caught sight of the figures Salacia was observing.
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Astartia regarded the two with a wary expression before she realized they weren’t malicious — simply doing what they were doing, or so it seemed, before the figure began to come near them. She stood up to her full height with her brows raised, whereas Salacia slinked out of the underbrush and curled up in front of Astartia, her head raised a good four feet off of the ground, the snake’s cold eyes studying the two. Her crown rippled, slightly foaming at the ends — a sign that she was wary and unafraid to protect her witch.
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“Who are you?” the snakes silky, melodic tone implored. Her regal, broad head was tilted in consideration, though she did stand down a bit once she felt Astartia adopt a relaxed demeanor.
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“Don’t mind her,” Astartia chuckled with a roll of her eyes, though she didn’t seem all that bothered. “The valley is beautiful. We were just taking a walk— I assume you are as well?”
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She didn’t see an issue with conversation; besides, she was used to having to defend herself, so Astartia couldn’t say she was particularly afraid of what could happen.

629 words ● @flynn