11-01-2018, 12:20 AM
She dreamed of death, of a dark voice commanding them all to kill. And then her dream dragged her deeper, familiar faces wrapping around her and holding her close, protecting her from the dark god’s call and the voice in her head that demanded she obey. Those faces couldn’t protect the whole world, but they held onto her and kept her as safe as they could manage.
Until the world shook and rumbled and rearranged itself, and Xero jerked awake, shaking and looking around in wide-eyed panic as her nightmare refused to fade. She huddled in a little ball, curled up tight with her eyes squeezed shut until the new land settled into its new shape, trying to understand what was happening. As long as she could remember, nothing like this had ever, ever happened before! Of course, that maybe wasn’t so very long, but still. It was scary, and she was little and all on her own.
The ground calmed, and a voice sounded in her head telling her where she could go to get to safety. But Xero wasn’t close to any of those places, not the big Mountain or the pompoms place or the cove or the icy place or nothing. She’d lost her new friend Lee before she could go looking for the Jungle together, and none of those places sounded like a jungle neither.
Maybe she wouldna been so scared except everybody around was panicking, freaking out and scurrying off toward safety. “Escuse me,” she said softly to one wide-eyed refugee dashing past, “could you help--” But the stranger didn’t stop to listen. “Hello?” she tried again with the next person she saw, “I need--” But the mare kept right on running past, leaving poor little Xero all alone still and with nobody to help her find her way.
Her head drooped, and she sighed a sad little sigh that went all the way down to her bones. “I need some help, though,” she said sadly to nobody at all.
Until the world shook and rumbled and rearranged itself, and Xero jerked awake, shaking and looking around in wide-eyed panic as her nightmare refused to fade. She huddled in a little ball, curled up tight with her eyes squeezed shut until the new land settled into its new shape, trying to understand what was happening. As long as she could remember, nothing like this had ever, ever happened before! Of course, that maybe wasn’t so very long, but still. It was scary, and she was little and all on her own.
The ground calmed, and a voice sounded in her head telling her where she could go to get to safety. But Xero wasn’t close to any of those places, not the big Mountain or the pompoms place or the cove or the icy place or nothing. She’d lost her new friend Lee before she could go looking for the Jungle together, and none of those places sounded like a jungle neither.
Maybe she wouldna been so scared except everybody around was panicking, freaking out and scurrying off toward safety. “Escuse me,” she said softly to one wide-eyed refugee dashing past, “could you help--” But the stranger didn’t stop to listen. “Hello?” she tried again with the next person she saw, “I need--” But the mare kept right on running past, leaving poor little Xero all alone still and with nobody to help her find her way.
Her head drooped, and she sighed a sad little sigh that went all the way down to her bones. “I need some help, though,” she said sadly to nobody at all.