He hadn't even hesitated. This was his other half, his lost soul now found. Of course he trusted him. Maybe it was so naive to, but he did. Completely. And stepped forward with a soft smile and shining faded eyes. This was his other half. Of course he trusted him.
The shadows came and swallowed them up. This realm was one he belonged in and yet didn't. He didn't belong here. For once, he felt a twinge of fear, the shadows clinging to him and grabbing at him, plucking at him as if they could pull his own shadow magic out of him. Perhaps if he'd known of it and let it loose, it would have kept them from digging for it. His scream was lost in the darkness.
He whimpered softly and pressed in closer to Ether, watching worriedly as the smoky tendrils scraped at his black skin. "Ether!" he whispered, frightened.
Then he realized they weren't where they had been and his panic surfaced. "Wait! My mom! I need Luster! We can't leave her!" He turned frantic blue eyes to those gold ones buried in darkness. "Please. I need my momma too. We need her." He fell to a whisper, his stare pleading. He loved his shadow, but he loved his mom. He needed her. They both did.
Ether must have understood, because when the darkness cleared and there was far too much brightness, he could see a familiar blur of blue and white. "Momma!" he cried, stepping through the dark portal and running to crash into her with scared and relieved tears, pressing his face into her warm skin. What if he had lost her!
He cried softly into her for a moment, then got a hold of himself and peered up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "Momma. I found my Mumble-shadow." He guided her with his eyes, giving an affectionate smile to his best friend, his other half.
"His name is Ether." Then he whispered, holding yellow eyes and rubbing his face against Mom's shoulder, wiping his tears away on her, smiling. "He's mine."
[ Cimmerian ]
try to make a fire burn again