06-29-2020, 07:47 PM
Iridian is a symphony of sound and laughter as she bounds fearlessly on ahead of her mother, leaping from one mushroom to the next until the sky itself morphs to a color that reminds her of the inside of a gem. It is so beautiful up here, and it is made even more beautiful by the pegasus woman keeping pace at her shoulder. She turns to glance over at Solace, her little face alight with sunshine and exhilaration as her sides heave with the effort of climbing.
It is in that moment that she notices how the clouds unravel from their mountainous forms, rebuilding into shapes that make her smile for their intimate familiarity. Horses - she can tell by their features, their ears and eyes and noses, four pounding legs and wild waving manes. She laughs again, feeling absolute joy at such a wonderful addition from her mother - which is of course also the same moment the dream they’ve built together comes completely undone.
She sinks beside her mother, startled and confused, breathless for a moment until she is sure she isn’t falling but rather floating safely down. It still leaves her with a weightless sensation in her chest that leaves her feeling dizzy for a long few moments before she blinks and shakes her head, and then peers around them quietly. She doesn’t understand why the dream changed so suddenly, or where the colors have gone, because everywhere she looks are shades of cold. Silver and blue and white.
Mothers wings envelope her, and she shrinks back readily into her familiar warmth, reaching up to nuzzle that delicate face. “Don’t be sorry, mama, it’s alright.” She is glad to disappear into the universe that is her mother, shades of white and gold and sky blue, soft feathers and warm skin that smells like home. But it isn’t before the ghosts around them press in closer and she can see the details of their faces solidify. She does not know them, but she knows the way of dreams, knows that these faces came from someone. Just as she knows the only other someone here is Solace.
“Who are they?” She whispers, careful not to shatter the images of them with the sound of her delicate voice as she presses in closer to mother. They feel more like ghosts than friends now, and she finds she is reluctant to see them again so she stays hidden away within the cocoon of blue feather. She keeps her cheek pressed to Solace’s but then pulls away an inch to look up when something damp touches her skin. Worry changes the color of her eyes, turning navy into dark blue crystal as she reaches up to wipe the tear away, her voice as soft as gossamer. “Why are you crying?”
iridian
we are infinite as the universe we hold inside