04-15-2021, 09:29 PM
And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love
For most the sun returning was a blessing, but for Eyas it felt like a curse. The Eclipse had given her more happiness than she’d had in her short lifetime, more happiness than Eyas felt she deserved, and at the end her love and simple happiness had been stolen away. Ehko — her and ‘Tana’s sweet, young filly — had been found by her brother Brash half-dead on the shoreline, after he’d interrupted a predator’s spat over her limp body. Two mares had been involved and slipped away before Eyas or Santana could enact deadly revenge, and they had Brash to thank for preserving what was left of her small, ragged form.
Eyas barely knew who the involved parties were by her colt’s farway sighting; she’d looked for them with anger so sharp and intense it broke her apart, and if she ever found them again they would suffer a fate worse than hell as horses knew it.
But it was useless in the present. She had wept fresh saltwater into the ocean, for hours or perhaps days, numb to the family she’d created with the dragon-shifter. There was only Ehko’s tiny body cradled against her own, curled and hard as a rock which Eyas mistook for rigor mortis. Eventually another horse had tried to pry her away, who it’d been she couldn’t remember. Eyas only recalled how viciously she’d fought and screamed that she wouldn’t be moved, not until her daughter’s flesh decayed from the bone.
Weeks passed. Ehko did not decay.
It was only when the first crystals of ice began to form over her skin like sparkling diamonds that Eyas paused her lamentation and pulled her head away, the black rims of her eyes swollen nearly shut. She’d inspected her daughter’s body in confusion: Ehko was stiff, but cold. Frozen, ‘Tana had said when Eyas begged him to have a look. Strange.
She sought out Gale afterwards.
“I’m leaving.” She told him as soon as she’d found him. Her triplet had been increasingly busy these days, so it felt senseless to pretend Eyas was here for niceties. Best to cut straight to the heart of matters. “My daughter was attacked here and left nearly-dead. She’s… freezing over, I think.” Eyas explained, hollowed out from the inside. The words had no depth, only meaning. “I’m taking her to Icicle Isle one way or another so that she can complete the process there. If I have to carry her myself the whole way I will, but I think Santana will help if I beg him.”
And then it spilled out of her. “My children were my everything Gale. My everything. I can’t leave her there alone — I won’t.” Her voice broke again, dry of tears spent long ago. If it took a thousand lifetimes she’d stay and keep guard over the tiny life she’d failed to protect. Santana and Brash could visit her if they liked; Brash was old enough now to be out on his lonesome and Santana had never needed her, it had always been the opposite. “So I’m going.” She said.
That went without saying she was giving up her title here, giving up her life etched into the tiny sea-capped island. For so long she’d been useless anyways. Islandres was growing and @[Gale] with it. Both deserved a better second-in-command.
Eyas barely knew who the involved parties were by her colt’s farway sighting; she’d looked for them with anger so sharp and intense it broke her apart, and if she ever found them again they would suffer a fate worse than hell as horses knew it.
But it was useless in the present. She had wept fresh saltwater into the ocean, for hours or perhaps days, numb to the family she’d created with the dragon-shifter. There was only Ehko’s tiny body cradled against her own, curled and hard as a rock which Eyas mistook for rigor mortis. Eventually another horse had tried to pry her away, who it’d been she couldn’t remember. Eyas only recalled how viciously she’d fought and screamed that she wouldn’t be moved, not until her daughter’s flesh decayed from the bone.
Weeks passed. Ehko did not decay.
It was only when the first crystals of ice began to form over her skin like sparkling diamonds that Eyas paused her lamentation and pulled her head away, the black rims of her eyes swollen nearly shut. She’d inspected her daughter’s body in confusion: Ehko was stiff, but cold. Frozen, ‘Tana had said when Eyas begged him to have a look. Strange.
She sought out Gale afterwards.
“I’m leaving.” She told him as soon as she’d found him. Her triplet had been increasingly busy these days, so it felt senseless to pretend Eyas was here for niceties. Best to cut straight to the heart of matters. “My daughter was attacked here and left nearly-dead. She’s… freezing over, I think.” Eyas explained, hollowed out from the inside. The words had no depth, only meaning. “I’m taking her to Icicle Isle one way or another so that she can complete the process there. If I have to carry her myself the whole way I will, but I think Santana will help if I beg him.”
And then it spilled out of her. “My children were my everything Gale. My everything. I can’t leave her there alone — I won’t.” Her voice broke again, dry of tears spent long ago. If it took a thousand lifetimes she’d stay and keep guard over the tiny life she’d failed to protect. Santana and Brash could visit her if they liked; Brash was old enough now to be out on his lonesome and Santana had never needed her, it had always been the opposite. “So I’m going.” She said.
That went without saying she was giving up her title here, giving up her life etched into the tiny sea-capped island. For so long she’d been useless anyways. Islandres was growing and @[Gale] with it. Both deserved a better second-in-command.
Grey clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above
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