September trades for food and a bag with colorful embroidery and a bunch of beads and cocoa beans ("These are kind of like currency," she explains, "'Cause everyone thinks they're valuable."), and a thin strip of heavily embroidered cloth like a belt or very long hair ribbon.

Shade doesn't think she can care about any of these people enough to do any healing. She still has some supplies from that first village, anyway.

September can cover for anything Shade wants, but, yeah. Of course even a relatively big settlement doesn't have a ton of people needing healing, especially not with them just dropping by and not wanting to wait for word to get out.

September also gets them some supplies for making camps with that fold up small, and heads out of the village with a cheery wave back at the villagers. 

"You want to do anything other than I guess learn magic and find books?" she asks Shade.

"Not really."

"Hm. Well, I can teach you as fast as I can, and we might be able to find somewhere with books that's safer to interact with..."

Shade nods.

And, after a while of traveling and teaching and learning, September, eventually, goes her own way.

She bids a cheerful goodbye to Shade, promises that she'll try her best to keep Shade immortal since Shade's been a good friend, and heads off.

Shade makes her own path, continuing to practice with Heartful magic. In September's absence she keeps her temper on less of a tight leash. There's no one standing next to her that might take offense. And letting it out is... helpful, in certain regards. It's possible she acquires somewhat of a reputation.

She hears horns in the distance, one day, thundering over the hills.

...And just what in the world is that?

Beasts begin to flee through the trees, many of them at reckless speeds, like they may from a fire.

There's a distant sound of hooves, and hounds baying, and laughter, all swept up in the tumult of the birds and rabbits and squirrels and foxes and deer all streaming very determinedly away.

Never let it be said she can't take a hint. Shade will also start moving away from the disturbance.

The earth shakes - 

And a massive wolf snaps into being near her, arriving like thunder, chasing down a large stag.

Someone's riding it. Someone Heartful, with the odd coloration some Heartful fairies have - her hair's a dark bloody shade, her eyes like flecks of crimson, her skin almost too perfectly even. Her clothes practically glow with red, she's so vibrant.

She's laughing, and her eyes flick over towards Shade as she pursues her prey.

Oh, hell. That makes this the Wild Hunt for certain, then.

Running favors them more than her. She stops. Make a stand of it, at least.

She cuts down the stag as it's mid leap, causing it to enter a rather artistic death throe. 

And then she circles her wolf around, to stand square before Shade.

"Well, I don't believe we've met," she says, almost purring.

"I don't either. And I'm fairly sure I would recall something like that."

"I as well!"

"Do you believe you can offer me a challenge, then, that you face me head on?"

"More than by running. This better suits my nature."

She jumps off her wolf, who backs away at a signal.

"Then let us dance, shall we?"

It's less a dance on Shade's part and more an angry, stubborn refusal to be pushed around.

The odd fairy - it's unclear yet what role she plays in the Hunt, though she certainly seems comfortable abandoning her chases to fight Shade - flows around Shade's defenses, snapping like fire then moving like a windstorm, harsh and sharp and fluid. Like a very energetic dancer, in fact, if dancers were customarily armed.

She's good, and it's quickly apparent she's testing Shade. For one, she's barely used any magic at all.

Shade doesn't hold back. To be toyed with is to be taken lightly, and there, perhaps, is opportunity. If the opponent is less than supremely skilled.

And if they are, well. She's not a toy, and would make the play as brief as possible.

She is exceptionally, supremely skilled, enough so to blow September out of the water, who had - other than the old man - been previously the most powerful Heartful that Shade had met. And this woman applies her power well, wielding the same sheer caring as a finely honed blade.

Still, Shade manages to bloody her, ever so lightly.

She pauses, then starts laughing. "I like you! Few manage that."

"I'm not the one playing a game here."

"Who said it was a game?"