Her world had fallen apart, as of late. Everything shattering into pieces like glass. The glass had grown, it had started to build itself back up. But that hadn't lasted long. The same villainous forces that had invaded her home in the Foothills had come to attack the Edge. It seemed as if she was trailed by a group of daemons that felt the desire to cling to her legs with venomous fangs threatening to clamp down and paralyze her for the torture they wished to ensue. She had managed to evade those bites, though, and with her dwindling strength she was in desperate need of a sign.

Originally, she had been aching for peace - for solitude - but she had yet to stumble upon such an area where she could really be alone. When she traveled her mind raced, the world swirling by her galloping frame as her legs stretched out and carried her in whichever direction she wished. Endurance. She was glad she had it. She didn't have to get tired out. She didn't have to curl up and cry for she couldn't run any longer. Her heritage had gifted her with that, and she supposed that was one of the few things that had kept her alive as long as she had been. Some, in her position, might believe that the Gods were watching over them. After all, Res had suffered from one too many near-death experiences to not say that there wasn't some sort of Guardian Angel peering from above trying to ensure that the mare could serve whatever purpose she had been set upon the earth to accomplish.

But, no. She didn't think that way. All she could see were the vivid memories of blood. All she could hear were the all-too-real howls of the canines as they marked their prey. All she could smell was the rustic odor that was crawling out into the air and choking her lungs from the splattered puddles of the life-substance. All she could feel was the constricting tugging of the dried, maroon substance as it caked up against her pelt. All she could do was allow the tears to fall. And, when in the presence of others, all she could allow herself to do was pretend as though she was happy and shy. All she could do was try and keep the attention from her as she jumped at every sound. All she could think was that something was going to come from the shadows to finally take her away.

No! She had a purpose now! She would not let herself be taken as easily as she might have done before. But, if such a feat was necessary she would give up her life in an instant. Selfless barely began to explain the heart underneath the mare that was now beginning to clamber up uneven charcoal rocks. Each hoof placed on a precarious edge as she forced her way up toward the top of rocks, golden eyes getting reflections of the blue tints. The glowing magma trailing around her pillars and shining off of her gold lock pendant. Her mind switched to Quil, their interactions and the joy on his face as he confessed his love for her and she said it back. Instantly, she shook her head and forced it out of her mind. She still didn't know if she had said it out of stress, out of the belief that she might lose someone else because she couldn't be what he had wanted. But, she had said it, and she felt an ache around the hole in her heart where Ciro had taken hold to protect her from the world.

A few tears. Not too many though. And, with a quick flick of her cranium they were gone as she took close looks toward the rocks. Blackened symbols, symbols she believed were to represent the wind and the moon, were engraved on a few of the taller rocks that were broken up and scattered around this area. Wind whipped around, howling in her ears at a low, delicate volume and keeping the tears from creasing her face. Res could have sworn that, if the weather had been right, there would have been mists encasing the shrine as well. And, for once, the howling and screeching of the wind in her ears did not scare her. For once the engravings on the rock did not cause her to spin around, to flee from the scene. For once, the prospect of a greater being taking control of the lands, and having a purpose for her did not seem like a fairy tale from a story she might have told her children (when they were still with her) to get them to sleep without fear that they would die.

One breath in. One breath out. Shift her weight to the left. Shift her weight to the right. Golden orbs fixated upon the tallest rock in the broken lands as she perked her one ear up. Usually, she forced it to stay lower, to hide the deformity from the world, but she didn't care here. She felt it shouldn't matter. She felt safe. How long had it been since she had actually felt protected? Way too long. Slowly, her voice emerged, broken and splintered but rapidly gaining strength. "Goddess of the Moon, Mother of the Edge, Caller of the Winds and the Darkness - I pray for naught more than a sign..." Her voice broke, eyes closing for a few seconds before she found the strength to push the sob in her throat down, to stop it from choking her. "A sign that... just perhaps... I might have a purpose. A sign that the world might turn right again. A sign that I might be able to find happiness again..." Another pause as she squeezed her eyes shut, a few tears falling but the wind blowing against her crown soon enough after that they disappeared. "Life has not treated me well. I had found happiness once, and it has left. I cannot find it anywhere. I only want the best for others. Please, I understand that my matters are trivial and if you are busy with much greater matters I understand you not joining me down at your shrine. But, if it is possible, could you at least give me a sign - to confirm or deny - that perhaps I do have a purpose, and that maybe, just maybe, happiness will be able to find me again..."

Gently, she bowed her head, allowing her frame to dip just a little until she stood up and allowed her gaze to fall over toward the expanse of the Veins of the Gods, awaiting a sign and expecting nothing more. But hope bubbled, just a little bit of it, that maybe she would get to see the Goddess, and that she would have definite confirmation on her pleas...

1175 words
Res is slowly getting more comfortable with life.
loving her transformation at the moment