’Hello.’ The word filled the hollow of her ear, beating gently against the drum. The midnight mare turned, her head still lowered, unable to muster the strength to lift her crown high. Her sterling eyes, dull like stones, glanced over the unicorn mare, tracing over her beautiful browns, and landing upon the whitened kitsune. Slowly they rose back up to meet the woman’s gaze, but was unable to match the smile that had set upon the other’s lips.

“Hello,” she murmured back, slowly dragging her front half away from the edge, turning to rest perpendicular with the edge of her stage. Ears perked forward, however, when the woman said her name, and the knife in her stomach twisted, her emotions churned, and if she had tears left to cry, they would have sprang to her eyes. But instead she stared blankly, barely managing a shrug. A soft sigh escaped her. Speech“I am unwell,” she said, before looking back to the open expanse past the edge. She didn’t want to say it, couldn’t bring herself to repeat the words she had needed to explain again and again. “You know me, but I don’t know you. And please, spare me any opinions on the matter, I think if I have to have another discussion about how I abondoned something, or left someone behind..” She trailed off, not wanting to state how she would throw herself over the side of the falls right then and there if the mare told her about how she had vanished off the face of the planet and caused hurt or heartache or feelings of abandonment upon someone else. The orangemoon chill upon the water that glossened her coat caused a shudder across her.

The Songbird didn’t deserve her curt attitude, and above all, hadn’t forced Ki’irha’s hand. She bit the inside of her lip, looking back to the other mare, and shook her head. “I apologize, I don’t mean to be rude. It’s been a long month. Lots of headaches.” Her eyes absentmindedly rose, as if to look at her horn, cracked and brittle upon her brow. Sure, she had been experiencing some headaches, throbbing aching pains radiating across the inside of her skull, but most of them were emotional, headache-causing heartaches. Either way, it was a good enough excuse.

“How do I know you? Are you from the north? I met a stallion who stated he was from the mountains, Erebos was his name, and he told me I was, too. Or perhaps you are friends with Mesec, or know my children?” Her stomach flipped when she mentioned her children, a gut wrenching feeling. “If you’re from another time, or another place, you’ll have to tell me. I don’t remember much of my time spent in Helovia.” Again she shrugged, the slight movement easier than further explanation.  

Though the conversation was taking up the last of her time, she didn’t mind. Soon enough the mare would leave, and she could continue on her fatal business.
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@Lena ~