Coward. Useless. Pathetic. Weak. Words given by my father, more than eight years ago, but they were etched into my mind and I would never ever forget them. Not because I wanted to remember them, but because I couldn't forget. I had for my whole life tried to prove against them, but... Perhaps he had been right? Perhaps I was just weak, pathetic, nothing more than another mare who deserved to know her place. I stopped and shook my head before continuing, dragging my cracked, grey hooves through the muddy earth. "You will always be a pathetic whore, Delinne. Don't even think about finding someone who'll love you because you are nothing. Who would want you when they could have a smart mare? A beautiful mare. Go back to sleep, worthless slut. Goodnight." A growl quietly escaped from my lips, grinding my teeth.

Father, I would one day pierce your black chest and mangle your heart of ice until the shattered parts ruined you on the inside slowly and painfully.

I rose my head high and looked around me, raising a brow slightly. Apparently I had been walking for so long that I hadn't even noticed the Thistle River, the thick forest or the beginning of a white beach. Open skies above me were grey and filled with boring, depressing clouds - a weather to match the feelings inside. Ugh, if I could, I would've slapped myself hard. Why did I feel like this?! I knew why, but I didn't want to. It wasn't my fault that Azzaron had died. That's what Windwalker had told me. Just because I was the reason, I wasn't a murderer. Sigh. It was my fault. I would always be the reason for the death of my children's father. They didn't exactly have someone else to blame, did they? My blue gaze fell down, spotting a red stain in the sand I stood upon. What the... I lowered my head, sniffing on it and snorting in surprise. Blood. The metallic, rusty smell of the liquid was something I never mistook for something else.

My brow was raised once again and as I followed the trail of red with my eyes, I ended up staring at a silhouette further away. Sleek and dark, it lied by something that looked like a cub - a feline one. I tilted my head and slowly, very slowly, let my legs move forward. Though I had only taken a few when a shadow attacked me from behind. Surprised by the sudden touch, I yelped loudly and glanced back - and a smile was now glowing all over my face. "Dezba!" I giggled and watched the cat as she jumped down on the ground again from my rump, only to sit down in front of me. That's when I realized she was alone. "Dezba... Where is Cah?" I whispered, suddenly terrified that the jaguar had come to me because my newborn was in danger. Had she hurt herself? Was someone after her? Were there any thr- 'No problem. Safe. Home.' She frowned and I immediately knew what she was going to say, even without the telepathic communication.

'You. By the edge. What you think with, Mother?!' I looked away, frowning and every single sign that a smile was ever there was erased. 'What if you fall down? Your offspring. They need Mother most. I nothing compare to you. I no parent. Cahira. Azarel. Destry. They your kids, they love you. You their only parent.' I sighed, still refusing to look at the jaguar. 'Let us go and investigate that silhouette over there...' It seemed to have worked as an distraction, as the black feline turned around and gazed at the figurine in the sand. And she ran.

I followed of course, but I didn't expect to see who the figurine was in the sand when I arrived to her. I had expected someone, but not her.

"Circuta..." I breathed, staring at her bloody shape. The feline that I had seen before her was in fact a feline - a tiger, even. Only a little cub, barely out of his shell. My herd sister was covered in blood and had caused a pool of the red liquid to stain the beach underneath her. She was torn half apart. "Amika... Who has done this to you?!" I whispered, though my whispers were hasty and masked a fury that I had felt many times before. If I were to find the one who caused Circuta these wounds... I would kill them with my own maw, horn and hooves. Merciless.