Golden eyes watching our every move
Losing time without the sun or moon
He had so rarely considered the wonders that they call magic, truth be told. To him, magic had always been the norm, and so those without it seem vastly more intriguing. He had always had the shadows, ever since he was a child. And those he had known had always boasted one thing or another, something that made them different and powerful. Even the disastrous events that had turned his life upside down (stealing him from all he’d known and enveloping him in a world of madness and monsters) had been filled with magic. Still, it is with curious eyes that he watches their discussion.
The girl darts away suddenly, returning with an ice-coated leaf. That ice expands, crawling over the filly’s battered skin before melting away, leaving only uninjured flesh in its wake. A shiver shudders along Ether’s spine as he watches, yellow eyes intent. When they’d ended on that icy isle, he’d been as battered as she. But the shadows had swallowed him once again, leaving him mostly whole, except for the weakness that had settled into his bones and the rattle that refused to leave his chest (though he does not require breath, one can hear it in the brief inhale and exhale required for speech).
Merry too seems to grow curious next him, shifting so that he might more easily peer at Briella. But there is a sadness coloring his words when he responds. Though Ether had noticed the heavy emotions dwelling in his sister’s eyes in the brief time they’d spent together, he had not pried. Merry too, had noticed it seems, even as young as he is. There must be much more to this story than he might have guessed.
He does not say anything however, instead merely pressing his muzzle comfortingly against Merry’s neck.
When Briella kick’s the coconut, harder this time, enough to break it against a rock, it startles Merry. He presses closer once more, burying himself against the darkness of Ether’s larger frame. Ether blinks at the wayward girl with mild bafflement. After a moment, he nudges Merry reassuringly, lipping the stray strands of his dark mane as though to say he needn’t fear.
His gaze turns curiously back to the little chestnut filly as she tastes the pale meat of the fruit, yellow eyes beginning to droop faintly with his weariness. A part of him wonders if he should prevent her from eating unknown substances. The coconut looks edible enough however. Though, as a creature who no longer gains sustenance from food, he supposes he isn’t the best judge of such things. Still, Briella has her magic if she needs it, and Ether is far more interested in sleep at this particular moment. “You should rest, Briella,” he suggests instead. “We have had a long journey.”
ether