have you seen that girl?

She had seen if from afar as she wandered from the Edge, looking for a secluded space for her precious to run free. She had felt the egg vibrate in the bundle of moss during the trip, rattling her glass frame. She could feel it squirm and writhe, impatient for the time to be upon her. She strode with a graceful pace, gait quickening as her impatient egg began to wriggle violently. Delicate lobes were pressed back as she slips through the shadows, braided fibers waving helplessly in the wind. She walked along the ledge of the land, gazing out before the sea, watching it endlessly flow onward. Waves crashed up tens of hundreds of feet below her, the longing to smell salt water fills her with a solemn hue. She slowly drags her stained pools to her glassy bodice, ears flicked back. She wanted to scream at herself for being so pathetic, for being unable to even enjoy the scent of salt water, to feel it rolling up her legs, cold waves washing over her body. For the Gods' sake, she couldn't even breathe, she had no lungs to hold that air. She couldn't eat, and she couldn't enjoy the satisfying dreams that bring joy to the solemn. That would have been her escape... it would be if she ever regained the body she lost.

Picking up her pace, she finds herself in a grove of willows. A large, crystal clear lake shimmers out of the corner of her eye, drawing her attention for just a moment. Orangemoon did not hold so tightly upon this area, some plants still fairly green. An eerie warmth spreads over her soul, a warmth that makes her want to ball her eyes out. It was an uneasy feeling, creeping upon her as she strides upon a worn path. She veers off the old road, deciding she would find her own way to go. Slipping through the green, she easily finds a secretive nest of branches woven in the most perfect size. Ducking in, she lays herself to the ground. She places the bundle beside her, taking her thick tail and laying it down to form a nest of pure glass. A gentle smile slips from her lips as she glances at the shaking bundle, taking one end and dragging it to her glass nest. She unwraps the egg, gazing at its creamy white surface, speckled with beige splotches and small black speckles. She pushes it gently off the moss, using her left foreleg to stop it from rolling away on her. Pulling the moss into the middle of the glass nest, she pats it down using her nose. Using her muzzle, she gently nudges the egg towards the center of the nest of moss and glass, letting it settle in. It was time.

Eagerly, she watches as the egg sprouts a dark crack along the side, similar to what she held on her face. Slowly the crack expands, a gentle crunch ringing through her lobes as she awaits the birthing of her companion. As she lay there, watching with growing desires, something sparks through her mind. She's suddenly shaking, prepared to sob. No... no, no, no! She's thrown into the past, forced to relive the birthing of the monster. She thrashed about in her head, rolling in pain and sorrow. She wanted to scream aloud, but knew that would not help her in this situation.
Back in flesh and bone, the girl is laying upon her side heaving and crying. A dark stallion whose face has eroded from all the years of forgetting, stands by her side. She wants to tear this child out of her stomach as pain shoots through her body, her screams echoing in the darkness of the cave. Racking her body with painful bursts, she kicks her legs, wailing helplessly. There is nothing that can be done for this current pain.. nothing that can ease it until afterwords. Biting onto a stick that the stallion has eased between her lips, she snaps it into two, splinters piercing her tongue. Something became dislodged in her body, and suddenly the pain began to fade. Finally able to breathe, the girl hauls herself up to admire the thing she has just birthed. It wails, its sweet cries something the mare never thought she would love. She had nurtured it from then on, raising it to be a delicate child, all the while her father was training her to slaughter the betrayer of a mare.
Blood... oh the blood. There are more images in her mind, flickering through like photos in a slideshow pressed to maximum speed. She wants to sob, curl up tightly and weep until she finally melts away. But the Gods have taken this privilege as well. She suddenly wonders if she can just throw herself from the Edge, tumble down and shatter against the cliff face. If the Gods of this land will stop her from doing so, or if they'll allow it to happen.

Blinking once or twice, she sees that there's now a small gap in the egg. Leaning forward, she tries to peer into the little crack. A dark red hue hits her vision, a dark head suddenly popping forward, trying to open the hole more. The small bird squeals, head drawing back into the egg before bursting out moments later, more of the egg crumbling away. The mare watches as this creature is born, eagerly awaiting to see the full body of this dark creature. The egg finally crumbles, shell fragments falling away to reveal a messy little creature. Small, featherless wings flap at the sides before the small avian creature opens its eyes, dark hues shimmering. Bending down, the girl feels her soul being given to support the life of this creature, a thin silver string shimmering between them as the creature offers a small chirp, beak clicking. The girl examines it, a gentle smile crossing upon her lips. "Tyto alba." She whispers, the latin words falling gracefully from her kissers. Gazing up, the mare sees a looming shadow between the undergrowth. She watches as the sun is cast out by this darkness, stained eyes following the growing shadows as they rise from the waters. Turning back to the little creature who wriggles in its egg remnants, she offers harmonious words, giving a name to her bonded. "My light... Lior." She sets her glass lips upon the fuzzy forehead of the chick, just a moment of warmth passing through her soul. Her heart glows as the moon settles above their heads, illuminating the brush around the two.