Witch's Marsh inquire of the dead on behalf of the living

she moved further north from the creek in the next day or so, her pace sluggish at best, hardly the fleet-footed steps of a self-assured woman. but she was worried, and hardly had faith in herself let alone the strange land around her. it remained barren. the sun baked the dirt where once the grass did grow, and everything seemed so different. had hunger not been a problem for her, hosannah may have viewed things differently. the warmth of her lord was here! she would bask in it, herald the coming of the sun and the heat of summer as the daystar's blessings, but she did not think of him today. she thought of the pain she had endured thus far; of emily, and the white woman's words; of all that she was to endure in the future. and she was afraid.

the woman slipped and stumbled, but made her way. her eyes grew red-rimmed from the drifting dust of the plains and her belly moaned piteously at her. hosannah came to a stop when she felt the dampness in the ground, and after a brief pause wherein she looked perplexed upon the earth, she charged ahead through the marsh until she found a deep patch of water, and from that she drank. it was foul tasting, silt-laden water; yet it was a break from the emptiness, and so she drank her fill regardless. once her belly was round and filled with fluid, she set out to find something to bring back — food, perhaps, or herbs, to tend to their needs.

Amber cared little for the lands here, for so long as Spring was not scented on them, she didn't care. Finding her sister was number one on her list, no matter the place she occupied or whom she was with. Right now, her paws led her into a swamp, but at a sniff of the stale water it almost deterred her. Almost. Something drove her further forwards, and she assumed it was the pull of her sisters soul. The ebony queen strode forwards calmly, not for a moment wondering if she'd gone the wrong way. Eventually, she found herself sniffing at a scent, but it was not that of Spring. It was a strange woman, and with patience Amber soon learned that it belonged to that lithe red female, standing by the water. The raven-furred woman came to a halt as Hosannah turned to her, and settled her bold blue eyes on the priestess with warm curiosity.