[private] you could be the one that I keep

[Altissima]

The earth had rumbled beneath Altissima’s hooves and she had not worried until Tarian came to get her, back earlier than usual from his patrol. The look on his face had been enough for her wings to appear and to follow him into the air. Coherent thought was impossible, everything was a complete mess of confusion, until they were in the air and watching as Loess crumbled and sank beneath a sea that now divided the continent.

Panic was not a feeling she knew well but it settled thick on her as she hovers there for a moment, watching the muddy waters churn and begin to settle. Gone are the rock-formations, the hot springs, the glowing flowers that he had named after her. The cave where their children had first opened their eyes and the spot where she had said she loved him for the first time.

Eventually Altissima leads him east where they land at the edge of the forest. Instead of meadow turning to trees, there exists now a shoreline. Across the water, she can see the hazy presence of Tephra and its volcano.

She stands close to him, removing her wings so she can press a little closer. Her voice is quiet, unsure - not her own, in other words, but her mind is still trying to catch up with what exactly had just happened. “The twins left Loess earlier today to explore. Winter’s looking for them now.” Her owl companion was swooping through the woods and wouldn’t rest until both had been found. Altissima feels the worry for their children like a knife twisting in her gut and her eyes are a pale blue with her sadness.

Loess had only been her home because of the stallion next to her, and she grieves its loss for his sake. “Tarian, I’m so sorry.”

altissima

@Tarian