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ARELI
The pond water is shockingly cold, and it seems to suck you down, down, down into its green abyss. Little lungs constrict in panic and useless wings thrash about, their airy down no use to you here. You kick out ferociously, hoping to find the muddy bottom, and then you do, shooting your head above the surface…just in time to see Ilios come crashing in. The sight of your older brother covered in pond scum is enough to ease your fear for just a moment, and you burst out laughing in both relief and amusement. You should have known: Illy would save you. “Are! Are, are you okay?!” he calls, wading over to you with a concerned expression. You pause your giggling to let him sniff you, and reply, ”M’okay, Illy, m’okay.” He nuzzles your neck and your sprig of a tail twitches happily, before your shiver all over: it’s cold in here. “How about we get out of here?” your brother asks, and you nod, shuddering. Illy has a knack for knowing what you want before you say it.
”I have something I need to tell you,” he confesses as you clamber up the bank after him. Still behind him, you merely look at him expectantly, too young to know what weight those words hold. Though the glass wall of the Edge was destroyed long before you were born, you’ve still grown up your entire life behind one, protected and sheltered from any disappointment or sadness. So, what has Illy got for you? A surprise? As the thought occurs to you, your face lights up and you pause mid-shake to dance in place. A surprise! Just for you!
Your brother senses your distraction. ” Please come join me, Are,” he tells you, and you give one last shake before wobbling your way over to where he has settled on the ground. “We need to have a serious talk.” He sucks in a shaky breath, but you are too busy calculating to pay him much mind. If he keeps lying like that, how many strides before you can pounce? “Kay,” you mutter out of the side of your mouth so he won’t suspect what you’re up to. ” "Are, I... I feel the Hidden Falls is not where I belong…” One…. “I love you, Mother, and Father very much…" Two… ”I just need to find where I belong, I swear I will come and visit as often as I can--” THREE! You leap towards him, wings outstretched, just as he finishes, ”…I’m going to another herd, the Dragon’s Throat.”
You land in a tumble (hopefully on him), giggling madly, searching for his eyes to share the joke. But to your horror, they are tearful—did you hurt him? The feeling you get is like the one you had in the pond, when you were striking out for the bottom and making contact with only empty space. You didn’t think you would hurt him, only wanted to play! “Illy??” you bleat nervously, stretching your small muzzle out to try and blot the tears from his face. “Illy, didn’t mean ’t! Didn’ mean ‘t, promise!”
@[Ilios]
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