She left Swiftcurrent Creek for the lands of the North. Jasmine knew the way would lead to the sea, though she hasn’t decided if she would travel through sandpits or mountains first. The coastline would be less slippery, but the mountains! Well, through most of them, she’d never been.
She heard the stranger’s voice before she even entered the wetlands, and a sense of curiosity compelled her to seek the other girl out. Jasmine found her pretty quickly. If not for her howls, then for the mighty swath of colour she scored across the trees still salted with snow.
Hey girl,
Jasmine sunk into a great stretch as she neared the other, who looked somewhat around her age. She noticed how she shivered more than anything else, you lookin’ for someone?
Until the other girl spoke, Jasmine was ready to take her to be something akin to a puppy lost at sea. But the strength of her voice surprised her — and so did the accent that brushed her words with the flavour of shanties and salt.
She’d heard these inflexions before. Felt at home within their foreign waves.
The girl remained cautious, but her words made Jasmine smile a wry little grin. Jasmine,
she offered in exchange for Mireille’s own pretty name. Damn. I remember when I went off on dumb little adventures that had my own family worryin’,
funny, to be the age where no one really worried about you anymore, y’need help? I’m out scoutin’, I’d be happy to lend a paw.
sorry it's taken me so long!!
She fell into step with Mireille, glowing at the girl's little snicker. Finally, someone her age - and a girl, at that! She'd been surrounded by boys and men for so long she forgot how
good it felt to be with someone young and
hip again.
And she was from the sea!
Girl, boys aren't so tough to talk to!
she said with a little grin,
they just like to pretend they are. You hold your head high and crack a few jokes, and if they laugh you're gold, and if they don't,
she shrugged,
well, then you keep goin' till you find someone who does. Easy as that!
for Jasmine, at least - but then, she hushed herself and leaned over, as though conspiring,
but girl, they get weird this time of year, though,
she thought of Swiftcurrent, and before that, the pirate boys, who'd turned into actual animals around the older girls this time last year,
but they blame it on the spring.