"And now I wish to God that The earth would turn cold
And my heart would forget it's made of glass"

Never before had the journey north been so long. Every limping step of the way, every creek and glade and towering mountain top reminded her painfully of the one who was no longer walking with her, two steps ahead and silent. They had talked about such silly things. Flowers and funnily shaped clouds, and which grasses were tasty and where dad might be when they got back. Useless things, pointless things, yet the lack of reply whenever she pointed out a particularly lush patch of grass was more painful than any of the bruises that littered her body.

Mother's possessions were heavy. It had never struck her before how strong the small mare must have been, to carry all this so very effortlessly. Weighed down by chains and trinkets while the cumbersome ivory bow chafed beneath her wings, dragging the horn piece behind herself in a coil of the tactile tail, the progress was slow. But nothing weighed more than the knowledge that she was walking home alone for the first time, and that this would be the norm from now on.

Summer was in full throw now. Everywhere the trees stood green and vibrant, every meadow and field lush and thriving. Grasses, flowers, herbs and shrubs bloomed vividly such that a heady perfumed breeze came wafting to her every now and then. The sun shone bright and warm from clear blue skies; wherever she looked there was beauty. Short lived, ephemeral, passionate.

Oh, how she hated all of it.

The sun stood high as she finally dragged herself past the sentinels into the Basin proper. Dread and sorrow lay as a lump of led in her gut. What would she even say to her father? How could she possibly explain what had happened, where her mother was, why they weren't together? Her own blood-stained, limping form aside, how would he take it, what would they do now that they were left behind, abandoned.

How could she explain, when there were no words that could express the emptiness she felt inside?

"F-Father?" She came to a halt near their usual resting place, a small cave on the outskirts of the valley. Out of the way for the main herd, private and still. Please be here, she prayed silently, because I cannot stand to be alone anymore.

"And all the pretty tulips would disappear
And never disturb me again"