This was pain, a different kind of pain that permeated up through my legs and out across the shivering expanse of my spine and sides. Ears, tall like towers, swiveled back and forth, orbiting a lowered skull as nostrils flared against the dusty ground. My body shuddered, legs trembling with each strained step. Several bruises could be seen blossomed out across my rib-cage, it looked very much as though someone had pushed me over to stamp on me a few times, and to be honest - it sort of felt that way. Where only a day before it had been bearable, now every breath was excruciating, tearing through weary lungs and putting strength into muscles long past due for a rest. My hooves ached, so hard, it was difficult to keep putting one foot in front of another and yet somehow... I did.

The breeze was light and airy, relaxing in a way, but not enough to sweep off the stress and anxiety driving a wedge into my heart. I was so lost, is this what forsaken felt like? Left in a watery cove to be bullied by a disrespectful cur and then expected to go looking? Searching, desperately for the Mother who was supposed to be there. Sialia was gone though, nowhere to be found, like a dark waif she was gone into the night, disappeared into nothingness. I choke on a spot of dust before clearing my throat, like fire burning a trail down my esophagus. (Mother...) My soul cries out for the woman I know will not answer the call and it is a terrible, drowning sensation.

Trees, tall and strong rise on either side of the trail, a trail marked only by weather-smooth stones buried by ages of leaf-mold and algae. Dark hooves shift the leaves from side to side, drawing vague and unfamiliar symbols into the dirt as I slowly amble forward. I cannot tell how long I follow this barely-there path, sometimes it branched off into three's and two's, coaxing me into the unknown although I always chose the brighter road. At this point I was in no mood for darkness, the shadows were already like angry spirits, dancing and clawing through the corner of my eyes, waiting for something to leap out for me. Then she was there, or I was there, here, wherever here happened to be. The path opened up into a clearing and there near the far side was a filly, white as snow with two wings perched tightly against her delicate sides. I stop, head jerking up and lips pulling taught into a pursed line.

We were not alone, aside from the wilting flower at the girl's feet there were four faded tombstones set in a sloppy semi-circle. Perhaps tombstone was putting it simply, because they were more like sanded monuments, etched with runes I could not read and all number of intricate designs. Each stone was guarded by a wooden shrine that suffered their own tragedy of age and weather, but stood resolute and proud all the same. The filly was snuffling about one shrine in particular, shrouding it from view, but what I could see of the smooth stone were black markings, black as coal and unreadable. Should I say something? Let the filly know that her sanctity had been breached? This place seemed like the sort one would hole up in to escape reality. "Ahem... I - am I interrupting?"  

"Talk."




@Erthe