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NASREEN
The silence is almost more deafening than his anger had been. She dares not look up, but she can feel him watching her. Head tucked to her chest, she lies prone, submissive. And then his hoofbeats recede.
For a moment, she doesn’t know what to feel—relief? Grief? What had she really expected, that anyone would stick around after that little exchange? But then the ground thrums softly with the beat of nearby pacing. A furtive glance upwards reveals that Bucephalus is still near. Confusion clouds her vision: why does he neither gloat nor leave her to cry? What purpose could he have here?
And then, a prickle of fear rakes hot pins down her back. He…he wouldn’t hurt her, would he? Though Nasreen could not know the sheer brutality her companion was capable of, she remembered that she was wary of unfamiliar males for a reason, some subconscious knowledge that there were creatures in this world who could and would do her harm. A fragmented scene flashes in her mind, of flying hooves and bloody feathers drifting lazily down…a horrifically abbreviated scream…hadn’t that voice once sung her lullabies? Someone saying run, run!, Amaya’s face floating ghostlike to the surface of her memor—no. No, must’ve just been a nightmare. Just as suddenly as it had opened, the box lid is slammed shut and the girl turns her back on the past she’d forgotten.
The pacing ceases, and she can feel the electric hum in the air as the beast draws nearer. Unbidden, her heart begins to quicken its tattoo, but the girl forces herself to remain calm. Apathy, when combined with a lack of energy, makes a wonderful sedative. Grey eyes downcast, she watches two pairs of hooves come to a halt before her. She doesn’t even blink.
“I’m sorry.” The apology comes as he sinks down beside her, settling in the moist dirt. Pupils dilate in surprise, but she does not dare to look directly at him. “I was tired, and there was no need to take it out on you.” But there had been, and she knew it. So she lay quietly, waiting for the inevitable “but.” Yet none came. "The World's Edge has invaded the Hidden Falls... perhaps your family is there?"
That got her attention. Head moves upwards, startled, and eyes grow wide in shock. “Invaded?” she asks, not understanding what he could mean. She knew little of herd politics, but Kahlua had always been one for peace. What could have happened to make her change her mind? Or perhaps…oh, heaven forbid: what if something had happened to Kah? A thousand questions swarm through her mind like alarmed bees, but only one makes it through lips that have already been parted by fear and disbelief: “…But why?” How could this have happened?
@[Bucephalus]
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