Tiamat

like the ocean kissed the sky

The ocean mare’s delicate head is draped gently across the stallion’s withers, her neck stretched out beneath his touch, so calm in comparison to the dark storm that lies in wait for them. The sun’s shimmering brilliance bathes her in a warm halo of light, not unlike that which glows in her heart, and she wills for Nox to feel the same—to enjoy the beauty of life, the beauty of this day. She breathes peacefully, comfortable with their closeness (ever an affectionate and friendly creature) and knows nothing but the urge to comfort him, to quell his fears. Little does she understand—little does she know.

Dainty ears twist when his roughened voice leaves his lips again, his morose and heavy words bringing sorrow to her once more. It hurts her that he would say such things, that he would think so lowly of himself as to will his life to an end, the innocence of her mind unable to understand what could possibly bring him to such a suffering state. She knows that all life—nature, equine, fauna, and all else—is worth something, to someone. Why would they exist otherwise? She does not want him to feel so downhearted, she does not understand, she does not know what awaits her. “No—Nox, please don’t—” Her plea is silenced when the stallion continues, cutting her off like a knife.

“I have killed my whole family.”

“You…what?” Tiamat nearly stammers, her voice fluctuating somewhere between an exclamation and a gasp. At first, she thinks that she had misheard him—prays that she had misheard him—but when he continues, it becomes painfully obvious that it had not been so. Every word is darker than the last, painting pictures of blood, hate, and distrust that she recoils from, afraid. Her pretty head lifts from the grasses and shrinks away from beneath his touch, instinctively withdrawing from a creature who is capable of such bloodshed, of such darkness.

Her friend, a killer? A…murderer?

How?

The ocean mare knows very little about the stallion’s past—in fact, until now, she had known nothing (not including the fact that he has honed his skills in the art of carving pictures, but that’s beside the point). It hadn’t mattered to her. He had been good to her, kind to her, nothing but a generous friend and companion, and that had been more than enough—did it really matter what happened before that?

Does it now?

No one deserves death—not like that anyway. No one deserves for their life to be ripped away from them, even if they have done terrible things, they are still a person. And a baby! So young in this world, so innocent and pure (not unlike the ocean mare herself), without even a thought of doing wrong…it isn’t right for all of that way be taken away. It’s a shameful, terrible thing. “You’ve…killed?” It is barely a whisper, her eyes wide with a mix of fear, disappointment, and confusion. Tiamat looks away from him, struggling, wrestling with the feelings that blister inside of her. She doesn’t know what to think. He is her friend, she cares for him—she knows the right thing to do would be to accept his past sins—but she struggles against the betrayal that creeps into her brightness like a wolf.

Shifting her weight, the ocean mare rights herself enough so that her hooves are tucked loosely underneath her; she considers standing, if only to pace with her thoughts, but she decides against it. “I don’t know what…what do you want me to say, Nox?” Her white eyes find his face again, tracing the coarse lines to settle on his eyes. Her sight threatens to blur as tears well along her eyelids, but she holds them back for now. “It is wrong to lie and cheat, but no one deserves…no one deserves to be murdered,” her voice is earnest, nearly a plea as her throat tightens with the swell of emotions, “A baby, Nox!” And with that she breaks, a sob wracking from her lips as she tucks her head in towards her chest, blinking against the flow of tears.

He says that he would never lie to her, and she wants so desperately to believe him, but she can’t help but give in a little bit to the cold blade of deception that has pierced her heart. Has he lied to her already? Is he really so kind? So generous? Who are you? She wants to cry at him, demand of him, but remorse finally slides in to cushion her pain. Tiamat knows that she couldn’t possibly push him away…not when he has already proved to her his goodness. Sometimes it’s just hard, and she steals for herself a moment of selfishness to look back at him. “Are you still the same person? Would you kill—” her voice breaks at the word, her breath shuddering as she swallows “—again?” Her doe-eyes glisten with tears, a shyness of uncertainty sobering her usual enthusiasm.


notes; Oh Tia xD she tries so hard! Haha
“Speech.”