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01-18-2015, 01:55 AM
“Nasreen. Of course it’s true…” the deity begins, and the young Seer feels her heart sink in grim despair. And when the goddess reveals that more will perish, tears well in the grey eyes that are normally so clear and cheerful. So overcome with sorrow is Nasreen that she misses the Moon’s direction to follow the clues—and even if she had been paying closer attention, she wouldn’t have known the first place to start. The girl has only ever seen one dead body in her life after all, and should she have stumbled across one of the victims herself, her first instinct would most certainly be to flee, not to investigate. Briefly, she thinks of Amaya’s still form, remembering the crude burial she had given her…And then the tears spill over, rolling in crystalline streaks down the princess’ ruddy cheeks. Embarrassed, she ducks her head, wiping it on her foreleg. It is all she can do not to whimper aloud, for though she knows that she is safe here with the goddess, what of the others? The heart that beats inside her painted chest is perhaps too tender still for the evils that lurk in the great wide world beyond. “See the silver lining, my Seer,” the goddess prompts her, and the maiden lifts a tearstained face to the deity. “Life is precious and yet so many have forgotten,” the Moon continues, and Nasreen nods numbly. How could this be happening? How could the gods allow it? Unbidden, images of a burning palace creep into her mind, scenes of a homeland that she had locked away behind mental doors and barricaded with memories of festival days and summer nights. Her eyes close tightly, and she shudders. Why? The girl had always believed that the gods were on their side…but where had the gods been when the forests of Th’orqui burned? Where had they been when her family had been torn asunder? Where had they been when Amaya, her dear, sweet rescuer, had succumbed to a sickness and left her alone in the wood just beyond the Threshold? And as the shadow of doubt flits across her trusting heart, Nasreen flinches visibly, the force of her inner conflict boiling to the surface. No, it cannot be. But the Moon’s words do not comfort her as they once did. “So many rejoice in the light and forget that it is only the contrast of darkness that allows the light to appear brighter and stronger. If you forget about the darkness in turn you shall forget why the light was valuable and precious to you,” the goddess murmurs in a voice like velvet, and without understanding why, the Seer feels uneasy. Perhaps in retrospect, she will realize that the mare she speaks to is Darkness incarnate, the very soul of the night, a force to be reckoned with who will not allow herself to be forgotten in favor of her fiery brother. Perhaps she will understand the significance of the Moon’s message, and tremble in due fear. But perhaps Nasreen will never truly understand the Moon’s words, naïve as she is to the ways of the gods. Perhaps instead the undertone of a warning will pass away with time, like dark clouds scudding across the surface of a windswept sky. “Do not become complacent, daughter of the Edge. You must rage against the dying of the light that you hold so precious if you think it is being taken from you. But do not be so naive as to think it was not your sloth and greed that allowed it to be taken from you," the goddess finishes with a flick of her tail, expression as unreadable as a starless sky. Nasreen exhales softly, for though much of the goddess’ message has been lost upon her innocent mind, the reprimand is clear enough. Head hangs low, and she recalls her last conversation with the goddess—the Moon had advised the herd to cut ties with the others and lean solely on her…had they done so? In her absence, the Seer had not known, but based on the deity’s apparent displeasure, Nasreen begins to suspect that the Qian hasn’t listened. “I’m sorry—we’re sorry,” she whispers, ashamed now for doubting the one who had given the herd such clear instructions. “We…we have been wrong, your Grace. But I ask you—I beg of you!—will you help us? You once told us to find our strength in you…will you reveal it to us? We are weak, and you are strong.” horse:Colourize-Stock.deviantart.com || bg: Dark-Wolfs-Stock.deviantart.com || wings: Chocomix-Stock.deviantart.com & Chunga-Stock.deviantart.com || image: impassioned-dreams.deviantart.com || table by wanda |
Please do not tag Nasreen except for in opening posts and in spars!
