&. hc time !
she was young . too young to have that much power , much less to understand it - even she was aware of her own ignorance , but sought not to resolve it . how could she , at the age of barely twelve she hardly knew how to travel the world on her lonesome . even so , she managed - for a while .
in the before , her parents were not kind . her mother was murdered by her father , and her father stole her off to atlas ; he could do as he liked . no one was wont to cross such a hung mind . it was then that vernal became aware of her own powers , and began to spite her father . yet , despite him , she ran . ran as fast and far as her feet would take her , until she reached one of the tribes .
raven’s tribe , to be exact .
she took the girl in without a second thought , ( not only because she was the spring maiden , although rae took much pride in it ) offering her a home : food , shelter , clothes that were more fitting to a warrior than a plaid dress and skinned knees . vern cuts her hair , rae teaches her how to fight . vern cannot remember a time in which she has had anything like a mother - and rae is not sure how to be one .
so they try.
vern’s spent countless nights with her head in rae’s lap , just trying to breathe and remember the world isn’t ending - yet . the woman brushes fingers through her hair in a soothing motion and coaxes her into some state of calm ; it’s a wholly unfamiliar sensation , though vern knows it should not be . it’s here that they bond , that rae creates a permanent connection to the girl and can be at her side in any moment , in mere seconds . this comes as a wondrous comfort to vern - never has she felt this safe .
she didn’t think it was possible . rae finally explains the maidens , and the powers vern is gifted with - she wants to cry , the responsibility feels heavier than the weight of the world and she chooses to stay apart from it , chooses to walk her own path despite whatever consequences the gods have planned from her . ( i will not stray . )