how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage?
too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays
Valdis moves freely, unfazed by the shackles clasped at her ankles. Erio, the small boy shadowing her, mirrors her confident swagger as they scale a rocky precipice.
”I like the breeze,” the boy mumbles as his eyes narrow to observe the distant trees and stream, but the statement goes unanswered. Still uncertain of him, Valdis has thus far been a minimalistic mother. She provides him company and nutrition, but her adoration for him is a daily struggle. Truthfully, she considers abandoning him as he sleeps under the stars while she lies awake, watching him until exhaustion finally grips her. Is it wrong of her? Is it cruel to consider leaving him for his disformities?
Her uncertainties have tethered her just as much as her shackles to Pangea.
Valdis opens her mouth to speak, but reconsiders as her sapphire eyes drift to follow her son’s across the open landscape. The boy will spend his childhood here rather than in the shadows of Sylva. A pang in her gut makes her question the situation – whether or not this is good. At least, she muses, they will be away from the war. There has been talk of what happened in Tephra – both from horses and fleeing reptiles – and how it may travel to the forest. Naturally, she is concerned. She wants to know, to somewhat defend what’s hers, but then Mary’s grimy face slithers into the forefront of her thoughts and erases the compulsion to return.
Reaching down, she brushes Erio’s flank while quietly deciding that his future is meant to align with Pangea’s. If he were to return to Sylva one day, he would be mocked by the Whore Queen and perhaps even discarded by his father.
Yes, she convinces herself, it will be best for him to avoid the forest’s web.
”Let us find Pangea’s leader,” she murmurs quietly as a breeze tousles her locks. Obediently, Erio turns to follow as they leave behind the ridge in pursuit of Litotes.
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Valdis
@[litotes]