The Storming Grasslands were appropriately named. The fields were grayed over by the heavy clouds above. Rain and thunder-claps echoed across the wet, grassy landscape. Flashes of blue and red lightning brightened the world for moments or were simply dim glows high above the thick storm over their heads.

Rina stopped and waited for Svana to catch up. The poor child had probably never seen or heard such storms before. Rina smiled, watching her shiver -- but was surprised when she grit her teeth into a smile, looking up at her. The rains were always warm here. And the lightning was not dangerous. Rina had been struck by bolts a few times the first time she passed through these lands.

At random intervals, the downpour would calm itself. Winds would let up, though even while active they were nothing more than gentle breezes. Rina looked down at Svana, who pushed soaked hair out of her face. The rain was only drizzling now. Svana laughed.

“This is so wonderful!”

Rina wanted to praise her for not being so afraid anymore… but she didn’t mention it. A reminder might ruin the moment. Svana was in awe again. Full of adventure. And way out here she was free. Svana ran ahead, her boots splashing in clear puddles and she spun around and around. Rina laughed, walking after her. Svana fell with a splat and giggled.

“There’s no longer a single dry part of me,” she said. Rina had abandoned her armor long ago for the long trip, selling it for some extra money for food. The journey through the Grasslands and then the rest of the way to Matrun was not a dangerous one.

So, they were both heavy in soaked-through tunics and cloth trousers. Svana sat up and gasped, looking over at something near a small river cutting through the grass. “What is that thing?” She pointed.

Rina raised an eyebrow and followed the path of her finger. She crouched down and shook her head. “You’re joking right?” Svana got up and jogged over, staying just a bit behind Rina. “This is a frog.”

Svana crouched down next to her. “So it’s friendly?”

“You’ve never seen a frog before?”

Svana looked at her and shook her head. Rina nudged her and Svana laughed.

“What?” Svana asked.

“You’ve really never seen a frog?”

“I guess not,” Svana said. “Maybe Gnosh’s lands weren’t to their liking.” She gently rubbed her finger along the back of the chubby creature. It opened its mouth just a bit and bubbles emerged. “Woahhh,” Svana watched them rise up, some of them popping from raindrops, some of them being popped by her own fingers.

Rina admired her curiosity and happiness. Her sense of wonder.

“You remind me of…” Rina started. Then blushed. Svana tilted her head but didn’t look at her.

“I remind you of what?”

“Ah, it’s. It’s nothing. You… remind me of someone I knew once.” Rina hesitated. “Just.” She cleared her throat wishing she had said nothing at all. “We should keep moving, Svana. Venturing through these lands is not a short journey. And we don’t want to set up camp here.”

As they walked, Rina turned up her head to taste the rainwater. The water that fell from these clouds were a strange sort of purity. It held a specific taste that no other water seemed to have in Nadi. It was all such a nice relief from the hot days in the Scarred Lands. The hike became more of a trudge with the weight of wet clothing, but it was better than being dry and overheated. Thunder rumbled. Rina looked out at the miles before her, the scattered trees, the land that rose and fell into hills and divots.

Rina noticed Svana doing the same from the corner of her eye. Tilting back her head, her tongue stuck out far. When she was done, she glanced over at Rina. Mirroring her. Rina smiled.

Svana held a light that Rina didn’t really know she was missing until now. The light of adventure and a love of life. Rina clenched her eyes shut, being bombarded with guilt. She had not honored that light with Nia… In fact, she had snuffed it out entirely. She didn’t want to think of Nia now though. She was gone.

“This rain is delicious. Why?” Svana exclaimed, then completely changed the subject, having so many things to say. “I would play out in the rain at times but couldn’t stay out long because of chores or the fears of lightning. But I don’t feel afraid here. We won’t get struck by lightning, will we?”

“We might,” Rina chuckled, “But this is special lightning. This lightning doesn’t harm you.”

“What?” Svana walked a little closer to Rina giving her a suspicious look. “That can’t be true.”

“It’s true. I’ve been struck by it. In fact, it tickles.” Svana looked up at her with a suspicious expression. “As for the rain tasting good, I don’t know! But I do love it. We should stop for a while and fill our water skins with it.”

They walked a bit further and found a large tree emerging from a small hill they could sit under. The ground was damp but not soaked and muddy, as the tree’s leaves were thick and numerous, causing the water to fall around it more than through its branches. They balanced their water skins out in the open downpour with rocks on either side so they wouldn’t topple, the rain having picked up in pace again. Rina sat and squeezed water out of her hair and clothes. Svana did the same.

She figured there were about a dozen or so miles left of these Grasslands until Matrun’s border could be seen. From there, it would be another fifty-mile trek. But they might be lucky and spot a carriage they can hitch a ride on when they hit the main roads. A gold coin or two would convince any farmer or trader.

Rina breathed and tried to tap into her Gift. Svana was blocking it. But still, even without her heightened sense, the sounds around her were just as peaceful and wonderful. The aches in her muscles reminded her of her age. Thirty-two years soon enough. She wasn’t old or weak… but she certainly wasn’t the warrior she once was. Aches in the sides of her torso signalled a difficult hike to come.

“What’s the matter?” Svana asked.

Rina gripped her side and laughed. Poor girl will learn someday. “Oh, I’m just sore. Resting feels good,” she breathed.

“Hey, Rina,” Svana said. “Can I ask you about your mama?”

“Well, where I’m from, I’d call her ‘Mother’.” Rina smiled.

“‘Mother’,” Svana echoed. “I never got used to calling her anything else. Maybe someday I would have…”

Rina inched a little closer. She watched the water skins to make sure they stayed upright. “I never knew my real mother,” Rina said. Her mind went far back to her early days. She smiled, though the memories pained her. “I was born in Stillpost. A city, far south in the Republic. My mother died giving birth to me.” She furrowed her brows. “My parents struggled to live all while I was in my mama’s belly. And when I killed her for just coming into this world… I think that weighed upon my father heavily.” Rina tightened her fists. She didn’t blame the man for what he did. This world was harsh, despite all of its beauty. Rina dampened her tale. Closed her eyes and breathed. “Anyway. Long story short, Svana, my childhood was not easy. One day, when I was of sixteen years, I met a boy who said he wanted to run away with me. And we did.” She smiled. Many stories there that weren’t appropriate for Svana’s ears.

Svana gasped. “You fell in love?”

Rina laughed. It sounded so silly. But, “Yeah, I did.” And they had a child. And she lost them both. And it was her fault.

Svana gasped again. “Did you have a baby with him?”

Rina blushed and flinched. “Svana!” she laughed. “That’s a very personal question, don’t you think?”

“You ask me personal q--”

“You’re right, you’re right.” Rina tightened a grip around her pant leg. “I did, Svana. But I lost my family.” Damn it. This is just a kid. Don’t be so harsh. “Sorry. It’s not something I like talking about.”

There was only the sound of rain for a while. Rina’s heart beating. She felt strangely guilty for being silent but couldn’t help it.

But she heard Svana stand up. She looked over as she approached and sat back down next to her. Svana’s body inched a bit closer and she rested her head on Rina’s shoulder.

“I guess we both lost everything,” Svana said. “But we found each other, right?

Rina’s eyes burned. She sniffed and refused to cry. “Right,” she breathed. “That’s right.” She smiled.

Rina wasn’t a fool. This girl wasn’t her daughter. But being with her, supporting her, laughing and moving forward with her… she felt like a mother again. At the very least, neither of them were alone any longer.

When the waterskins were filled, they ventured forth once again. Rina’s Gift returned for some time and she stopped to listen to the pops and crackles from high above. The whispers of the Sparks, their language like static in her ears.

Rina told Svana to stop and wait. She turned and crouched down to Svana’s level. “You want to do something really cool? It’ll take some bravery, however.”

Svana tightened her lips, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.” She rubbed her fingers together and pulled on them nervously. “Is it the lightning stuff?”

“Yeah, it’s the lightning stuff. I can hear them high above.”

“Them?”

“Yeah. The Sparks. They’re people that live high up in the sky, within storm clouds.” Rina looked up. The rain was picking up in pace. Thunder clapped and Svana leaped and held on tightly to Rina’s arm. “It’s alright. It’s loud but they don’t mean any harm. In fact, they’re only curious. And they’ll come down and visit you if you open yourself up to it.”

“Does it hurt?”

Rina shook her head, facing Svana. “No.” She laughed. “Always remember, though, Svana, it’s the blue and red lightning that is safe. The Sparks don’t live in everyday storm clouds. Any other kind of lightning is, in fact, dangerous.”

“Right,” Svana nodded. She seemed to relax just a bit.

“I’ll go first. Watch.” Rina stood up and backed away from Svana a good ten paces. She raised her arms up high and tilted her head upward. Svana being nervous must have canceled out her Gift again -- but even without it, Rina could hear the Sparks stirring. She could feel tingles of electricity upon her fingertips. The hairs on her arms stood on end, even with all of this water.

A bright bolt of blue struck down. Rina was overcome with light and a feeling of losing her breath. connecting Rina to the sky. Around her was blue and red sparks crackling across the air. She was within a haze of sunlight and three figures, seemingly made of the colorful lightning itself twirled and hovered around her. They were humanoid but devoid of any signifying features. Rina laughed, feeling that tickling feeling from this energy and the beings weaved in and out, poking at her, giggling. They hugged her and whispered in their otherworldly language. They kissed her cheeks and Rina touched where they were planted, feeling the warmth. Every bit of her was dry again. The water all evaporated within this shielding energy.

And then, another bolt of lightning, red and dark deepened the air in crimson and the figures all left her. The rain soaked her once again. Rina found that she was still laughing.

Svana rushed over to her. “That was amazing!”

“Do you want to give it a try? They just want to say ‘hi’.”

“Sure.” Svana stepped away, moved to raise her arms, but stopped. “I’m so nervous!” Svana shouted through the rain. But it was with a smile.

Before Svana could move, as the Sparks would do oftentimes, Svana was chosen and visited by them. Rina squinted her eyes as blue lightning struck Svana and the girl shrieked with surprise.

Within seconds, however, Rina watched and smiled as Svana laughed and looked around and around at the Sparks. Svana was visited by so many, five of them dancing about and inspecting her.

“Hello,” Svana giggled. She shrieked out in laughter as the Sparks smooched her face and held her hands.

Svana was glowing. A bit too reserved to move too much but she was smiling so wide. She would never let this girl face such horrors she came from ever again. And if she did, Rina would be there to help her. To heal her. To just be there for her. It was no longer an urge born of past guilt or given responsibility. It was because Svana deserved this -- what she was feeling right now.

The Sparks left Svana and she collapsed in a fit of laughter. Rina made her way over to her and helped her up.

“So? How was it?” Rina asked.

“It was… it was… I felt so happy. So warm. Their feet weren’t touching the ground! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Svana was laughing. Hugging her. Svana pulled away and pushed hair out of her face and grinned.

“It feels so good to laugh again, Rina.”