Altar of Fire a familiar taste of poison

Kagehide dipped his head to the snow and inhaled deeply. Underneath the cold and the ice, he could taste the lace of wilted flowers. He bet in spring, this place made for quite a sight. He breathed it in again, eyes closed with content. It was a sweet escape from the harshness of winter, even if it only lasted briefly. As the wind picked up to blow flakes of snow into his face, the poison master continued on his trek until he mounted the snowy knoll. At its peak, a flat stone like an altar. The top had been cleared of snow already by another with numerous tracks leading north towards a stand of willows.

Content to share the spot with his unknown predecessor, Kage bounded nimbly up to stretch across its surface and warm his belly. The silver male took the time to chew chunks of ice from between his paw pads. A stubborn one on his back left paw had been giving him trouble for quite a few miles. Once the chore was done, he dozed off and on in the peace of the sunlight, head nodding every now and then.

Despite being alone for much of the winter, Kagehide was not hurting for it. He was a skilled hunter and well used to fending for himself along with many others. Not having an entire pack or even traveling company to tend to actually gave him more time to himself than he'd ever had in his life. Of course, that meant it left him with a dangerous amount of time to his thoughts. Most of them circled around Kenji.

The herbalist still couldn't find it in himself to feel guilty for bringing about his mentor and adoptive mother's death. He hadn't forced her to suffer for days. It had been quick, which was kinder than what his actual mother had suffered at Kenji's poisons. In fact, he could only find anger in his heart for his old mentor. She'd turned him into a murderer. She'd betrayed his trust. All his life! It was only right that she was dead for her treachery.

So why could he not stop thinking about it? Even his dreams were plagued by images of her. Of times when she'd encouraged him and the rare moments when she'd smiled for him alone.

This was why he had to find Jayseden. Diving back into teaching would be a surefire way to distract him. He missed the sharp boy he'd grown fond of and he'd tracked him this far. He'd go as far as it took to find him. And if his mother had any qualms about it, well... Kage would have to remind her of her promise. She owed him.