Cheska had been left entirely unscathed by recent events, remaining unaware of the vaguest hint of darkness cast upon the lands. To her, Helovia was a rather fortuitous discovery, filled with all manner of strange and wonderful creatures. Its façade remained untarnished by cruelty or death. Here, she had met only kind faces and gentle hearts, and she'd heard little talk of recent events. It left her blissfully ignorant, free to tell her tales without recent context to compromise them and to wander without fear for her safety. She had taken full advantage.

The day had been spent exploring, as many of her free days were. She couldn't resist the call of warm wind and a chance to tangle up her mane with further explorations by shoving her head wherever it would fit. True to form, she'd managed to invade a poor starling's private time and been well and justly assaulted by flapping wings and an angry beak for her trouble. She'd managed to choke down a few of the bright clusters of violet flowers that had blinked at her from every corner. She'd even engaged a tree in a climb-off (neither of them had successfully climbed the other, ending in a decided stalemate). As her adventures had come to an end, she found evening quickly casting a gentle flush of red and orange over the meadow.

She knew she ought to find shelter for the evening, but for now, a sturdy oak got the job done nicely. She folded her legs beneath her, finding familiarity in the position. These were the kind of evenings that she would curl herself up under a safe tree and wait for her inevitable companion. Without fail, her daughter would trot up and flop into her side, demanding a story or a back scratch, at the very least. Cheska, indulgent a mother as any, would always oblige her. The memory made her burn. She'd buried that wound too quickly without letting it heal, and now it ached under the weight of her own cheerful disguise. Surely, growing up was the most spiteful thing a child could do to her parent.

Cheska had endeavored never to grow up.

She wiggled against the bark, the mild pain pulling her back to the present. Perhaps she'd spend the evening here, she thought, basking in her memories. Maybe she'd close her eyes, ignore the inherent danger of being alone, just for one moment…

count] 405
tags] @[Spice] first, then open
ooc] This is a bedtime story thread.