[private] I think that I could die for this revelation; Elio

[elio]

elio

some say I should learn to cry but I only learned how to fight
and I know everything must die but nothing fades like the light

As the days wax and wane, Elio begins to feel the tears his father left on his heart begin to heal. He thinks of him less and less, instead enamored by flowering springtime cacti and the whispering voices of his companions. There are better things—more moral, right things—to dwell on, and even Elio himself is tired of his own suffering. Luckily for him, he is developing into the kind of creature that does not wallow in his own suffering.

Elio is lucky, because that suffering is bound to intensify with a cursed father like Wolfbane.

Loess is warm paired with a refreshing cool breeze and Elio thinks, what more can I ask for? The wind blows kisses into his tousled crimson mane. He smiles into the wind, the wings he usually keeps invisible tucked tight and blood-red against his sides.

The soft swishing of grass under pressure comes as no consequence to Elio, though he does cock an ear in the direction of the noise. He thinks nothing of it until it grows closer, swift and river-like in its approach. Elio’s eyes snap open and his head tilts down to study the hissing that now clearly sounds from between his hooves. A snake, black as night, winds around where he stands. Elio starts, half-rearing and squealing. He slams his hooves down to land on the serpent, misses, and then begins a prancing dance backward. His movements are partially coordinated in that he wants to crush the snake, but for the most part it is clear he is trying to escape while keeping an eye on his enemy.

Eventually, Elio snaps his head up to cast wild eyes around for help. The pale visage of a boy in the distance is all he needs to yelp, “Help!”