05-24-2022, 01:17 AM
He had lived a relatively sheltered life.
When the south had flooded he had been young—hardly a year old. While it had not directly affected him, it had been an eye-opening experience; the first time he witnessed the destruction nature could cause, and how quickly everything you knew could be uprooted. Curiosity had led him to asking his mother if she had ever seen such devastation in Tephra before, and Casimira, always honest, had told him of when Loess had invaded Tephra all those years ago.
He tried to imagine Tephra alive with fire and shrouded in shadow, but he can’t.
He tried to envision the aftermath, of scorched earth and fields of igneous rock, but it is beyond what his young mind can comprehend.
After the lightning storm, though, it is not quite so difficult to imagine.
He stands now at the edge of one of the flowing rivers of lava, a frown etched onto his face, clouding his usually bright green eyes. They were lucky the damage had not been worse, his mother had said, and he supposes that is true, though it does little to ease the knot forming in his chest. He had tried using his flora revival earlier but had quickly grown discouraged by the sheer amount of vegetation that had been burnt, but the dismay he felt was hardening into agitation.
He almost does not notice the other young stallion when he appears not far down the bank, and when his eyes first snap to him there is a sharp suspicion to them. He was not typically unkind to visitors but the storm had left his nerves on edge, though by the time he approaches he has been careful to smooth the irritation away. The smile he offers the stranger is somewhat taut, and it does not reach his eyes, but it is as genuine as he can manage. “We decided rivers of water were far too common and thought lava might be more interesting,” he says dryly, staring at the molten liquid with a cautious interest before lifting his gaze back to the visitor, wondering if perhaps he was here to check on a friend or family member after the storm. “Are you looking for someone?”
When the south had flooded he had been young—hardly a year old. While it had not directly affected him, it had been an eye-opening experience; the first time he witnessed the destruction nature could cause, and how quickly everything you knew could be uprooted. Curiosity had led him to asking his mother if she had ever seen such devastation in Tephra before, and Casimira, always honest, had told him of when Loess had invaded Tephra all those years ago.
He tried to imagine Tephra alive with fire and shrouded in shadow, but he can’t.
He tried to envision the aftermath, of scorched earth and fields of igneous rock, but it is beyond what his young mind can comprehend.
After the lightning storm, though, it is not quite so difficult to imagine.
He stands now at the edge of one of the flowing rivers of lava, a frown etched onto his face, clouding his usually bright green eyes. They were lucky the damage had not been worse, his mother had said, and he supposes that is true, though it does little to ease the knot forming in his chest. He had tried using his flora revival earlier but had quickly grown discouraged by the sheer amount of vegetation that had been burnt, but the dismay he felt was hardening into agitation.
He almost does not notice the other young stallion when he appears not far down the bank, and when his eyes first snap to him there is a sharp suspicion to them. He was not typically unkind to visitors but the storm had left his nerves on edge, though by the time he approaches he has been careful to smooth the irritation away. The smile he offers the stranger is somewhat taut, and it does not reach his eyes, but it is as genuine as he can manage. “We decided rivers of water were far too common and thought lava might be more interesting,” he says dryly, staring at the molten liquid with a cautious interest before lifting his gaze back to the visitor, wondering if perhaps he was here to check on a friend or family member after the storm. “Are you looking for someone?”
R H A E G A L
I COULD OPEN THE DOOR AND BREATHE IN THE DUST
I COULD WALK THROUGH THOSE FLAMES TIL I DON'T FEEL THEIR TOUCH
I COULD WALK THROUGH THOSE FLAMES TIL I DON'T FEEL THEIR TOUCH