Tears. They fell from Isa's blue-green eyes and rained upon the ground that was marred by piles of white icy ash as the young lass stood there shaking beneath the weight of her fears and sorrows. Her tears were hot and salty as she cried quietly away from December who was also crying on her own. Isa couldn't watch her however as December fell to the ground and buried her face into the snow as if it would make everything disappear.

But it didn't.

Guilt wrapped around the Isa's heart and began to squeeze much like a snake would to its prey. She had done this. It was her fault that December was crying. It was her that had hurt December so. And it was probably her fault that Hector left too. Everything...EVERYTHING was because of her. She was the reason her mother was captured, tortured, maimed and ultimately killed. She was the reason why December was crying now. She was the reason for everything.

Everything.

With her head hung low, Isa began to feel herself spiral from within. Slowly but surely she was falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of depression. Thoughts ran wildly through her head. Thoughts about death. Thoughts about who would all miss her if she chose to runaway right this very moment and never return. Thoughts about how everything would keep on moving on whether she existed or not.

And was that not true?

Whether Isa lived or died at this very second, the sun would rise come morning. The birds would return come birdsong. The trees would grow and shed their leaves. Seasons would pass, time would move forward, generations would pass by and eventually her name would be lost within history.

And the world would go round and round.

A glazed look began to form over her face as she fell deeper and deeper into her hole. She was so disconnected from the present that she didn't even notice December come towards her. Didn't even flinch when December reached for her. Didn't even respond to December's embrace or kisses. It was almost as if December was interacting with a ghost of the girl she had tried to love so long ago. What expression Isa's eyes may have held mere minutes before seemed to slowly fade away, giving into a nothingness that now claimed them.  Her body, other than her breath, grew still and unwavering.

The poor thing was dying.

Why did everything have to happen to her? Why did her mother and her have to be in that cave and tortured by those wingless equines? Why did her mother have to die? Why did her mother die and not her? Why did Hector take her in only to disappear in the night? Why did December yearn after her so much? Why? Why couldn't she have lived a normal childhood? Why did she have to endure so much pain in her life already? Why couldn't she just lock everything in a box, shove it into some dark and dusty corner and forget about it once and for all?

Why?

Ears barely even moved as December spoke to her - apologizing for not understanding something she couldn't have possibly known about. Saying how she would have stayed away to allow her the time to heal if she had known. Saying she was sorry for frightening her.

But Isa's mind only half registered what the mare had said for even though the two were standing with their skin touching, it was like December was whole world away. So distant that her voice was merely a whisper on the wind. And despite December grasping to Isa tighter and tighter the girl did nothing for she was no longer there...her body a mere shell of what had once existed.

Then something caught her attention. Ever so slightly Isa's head angled to look at the sky as white little flakes began to gracefully glide to the ground from the clouds above. The sight in itself was beautiful. The moonlight, the water, the snow it was like a scene out of a dream. But to the chocolate and cream young mare the newly falling snow represented something and began to rouse her - began to rise her out of the murky depths from which she had become lost within.

It's so pure, so innocent, so bright and shiny. The voice of her birth mother reverberated within her mind as she awoke.

That's why I named you after it.

Her mother was watching. At least that's what Isa came to believe as she watched the snow fall around them almost on cue to what had taken place here. Granted many more logical explanations stormed her mind, but at this very moment she decided on a whim to believe in the illogical. To believe in the mystical. Her mother was watching and was happy that her daughter was making amends with December and for once in her life, felt a brief sensation of pure joy. However fleeting it may have been, it had still been there and sparked Isa's mind back to life.

Hot and sticky tears poured silently from her teal eyes as Isa suddenly seemed to become reanimated. Muscles coiled beneath her dual colored skin as she quickly embraced December back with such ferocity and passion that it left her only able to blubber out a few words that made any sense, "He's gone."

Isa pulled away slightly to look at December to see if there was any recognition as to whom she was referring to and after a few minutes to try and recompose herself she gave up and through wavering shallow breaths and salty tears she managed to speak up once more. Though this time her words were more discernible than her previous ones.

"Hector," she spoke his name hesitantly, "He's gone. He left."

"SPEECH"
NOTES; omg my head hurts....x.x @December