M E G A E R A
"We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won't do harm - yes, choose a place where you won't do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine." -- E.M. Forster


[Insert challenge here: http://helovia.net/showthread.php?tid=25428]

She'd regret that wild buck later, the movement of her entire body in that was was like the devil's own punch to the places Ampere had already struck her. She landed from it on legs that quaked beneath her; landed hard on the blessed sand and rock of the Throat and listed to the left holding that lopsided position as she tried to catch her breath. 

Breathing, however was a killer. Her neck had taken two bruising bites, the one at her throat just starting to clot and staunch its own bleeding, but her ribs, dear got her ribs... Ampere had kicked her well and good, and each small, shallow breath Meg took had pain radiating from that spot. Under her earthen hide bruises blossomed like windflowers and as much as they hurt now, as much as they would hurt later, they were just as beautiful. Each one made Megaera feel more like herself, something she suspected she hadn't been in a while. 

She heard Ampere's voice behind her, could almost sense the smirk on her lips abut Meg kept her back turned for a long moment as she tried to pull herself together. Both were spent but she suspected that if she kept her at it Ampere would fight with her until the sun rose in the west and set in the east; odd how precious that fact seemed. 

Ampere cared. Even if the herd was lost to Meg, even if the Sun disowned her and Cera hated her, Ampere cared and that was more than she'd thought she had. The blue might show it with blade and blows but, as Gwaihir had realized, there were no better ways to communicate with someone like Meg. Words would be discounted (Meg had spewed enough lies today to prove that), but this was physical, tangible, indisputably true. Healing would take time, that was true, there had been too many ragged emotions tearing through her today for her to make sense of now. She'd been drowning, a creature of land and sky with her head too far underwater, but Ampere had pulled her back to solid ground.

"Did I give the impression that I planned on going anywhere else? Can't imagine where you got that idea." She couldn't quite bring herself to smile like Ampere did, but when Meg finally turned to find the mare her brow was raised. What better way of saying "Yeah, you win you ornery bitch, and thank all the Gods for it"

She turned her body, gingerly, and moved toward Ampere, bending on her way to lift the fallen spear from the ground and tuck it into her wing joint. She saught the bright blue eyes with a sobered expression "I should have been here for all of you...when Gaucho-" her rasping voice cut off as the grief bubbled. Untainted now by the misplaced anger she had tried to guard herself with Meg could just let herself feel it. Tears didn't fall, she was done with those pitiful things, but "Fuck, Ampere, I thought he was invincible."