As she turns toward me, I can see the white’s gleaming in her eyes. She’s afraid, Innerste whispers and I can only swallow the emotions from the rest of the voices as I allow the rain to continue to wash away sin from my pelt. The stinging pain of my ear reminds me that I am still alive and that I needed to stay that way. So, I did what I believed I had to in order to do just that.

The souls were at the ready, and the second I conducted them to yank I was charging forward. However, it was that same second that the souls seemed to disappear – the white noise around me from their chattering voices was gone. But I forced myself to go on, hearing the sound of Circuta’s question of what I’d done to her with the shattering of the gem around her neck. I had done nothing – not if the souls were gone. They weren’t laughing as they usually where. And, then, as suddenly as the souls had disappeared they reappeared. Sickening vocals reached my ears. Cries of horror and sadness were lacing apologies as they clung to my pelt – fighting against the demand to pull what is mine – what they have been directed to do. I feel my horn slice into Circuta’s side, blood coating up against it and sliding down glass, mixing with the water from the heavens above. But, it seems that the souls cannot hold off any longer. The order in their minds is too strong and it only takes a second or two for my body to lose its soul, a fighting and kicking soul that does not leave without a good lashing.

I am numb. All over me I am numb. It is a pins and needles feeling and I can’t tell just where I’m placing my limbs. I should know. I should be able to place myself in the world. But I just, I cannot. My dull mind is attempting to aid me in gathering my footing again (having pushed off from my right side to shove against her left), not wanting to fall with her if I managed to succeed in my attempt to make her fall. But it is a horn that meets the point of my hip and slides up my croup instead of her bodice crashing with the mud. No pain, not yet. Just a quiet feeling as my mind almost places my sight above the world that I am in. Out of body experience? Most definitely it is.

But as soon as the soul snaps back into my frame it is a different story. It’s as if I’d been struck by the lightning that is moving ever closer to us. I’m wincing, stumbling to the side- away from Circuta, and emitting a low hiss from my maw. So that’s what it feels like to get a soul pulled. Unheil laughs amused at the situation that I had fallen into. I did not plan on experiencing that again. However, I also hadn’t realized that my soul pulling magic involved pain. Carefully, I lock that away in my memory as I finally stand stable.

My mind is racing, body unable to keep up with it as the pain shocks my brain into gear. However, the numbness and radiating pain keeps my movements slow and dragging. It had to have been that jewel that had shattered. That, or she had more magic I didn’t know about. I was hoping it wasn’t the latter, but if it was I should be concerned. No more soul pulling, Liebling says, anxious about the situation as I stumble around on my feet, moving left and right until I am facing Circuta head on. Yellow eyes are dull, pain lurking in their corners but not really attempting to take in everything that is around me.

Slowly, all of my feeling was returning, and as I pushed off of my hindquarters to attack Circuta’s right shoulder, I can feel the sharp pain screaming from my hindquarters. She did this. I need to stop her from doing this again. I’m still slow, I’m still feeling electrocuting pain inside of me that has no point of origin, but I can feel the wound stinging with the rain continuing its slow attack on the wounds.

You’re alive. You’re alive. Innerste reminds me and I know that the pain is only a reminder of exactly that. For I am alive, I can still fight, and I can still attempt to make this all stop.