Lakota & Ktulu

The Poisoner & The Constrictor

A shiver ran the length of Lakota's form as she realized that maybe the God had peered further into the past, into her mind, than she had anticipated. Did he see her doubts? Her lingering fears concerning Ktulu's love? And so she lifted her eyes to him, all barriers dropped in the face of this majestic being, and allowed him to see her fear. But among it was her stubborn will, her determination to have this child no matter the consequences. "Whether she remains with me, or her heart wanders...no matter what she chooses, I will love her foal as much as I love Ktulu now. I cannot know the future...it is ever changing. There will always be the possibility, the doubt...but if I let it consume me, I cannot hope to hold her with me as a mate regardless." Tone was firm, unyielding. She believed in every word to the full extent she could possibly muster. Yes, she had doubts. Yes, she knew Ktulu may leave her as she had always feared the moment she saw Ktulu and Midas around Ranjiri on her birth day. But if she allowed that to take her over, there would be a large fissure in their relationship, and then the possibility of Ktulu's leaving would become a surety. So Lakota would take each day in stride, as she had sworn to do the moment their love was professed. And she would not let her doubts eat her, would love the foal no matter how her relationship with Ktulu would end. And she laid it all out in her eyes, in the forefront of her mind, so that only she and the Earth God could see. Offering up everything she didn't want to word in front of Ktulu, to show the God how sure she was of her decision.

Behind her, the sound of hoofsteps strengthened, and her mate was the next to speak. The harsh, logical construction of her primary sentence struck a sliver of defeat in the mare's heart, but she refused to allow it to influence her. Consent and desire...why was it the Earth God made it seem so much more beautiful, made them appear to be a team, and then Ktulu turned it around to signing away her will? But her heart was strong, and she would not quiver beneath the weight of her beloved's personality, for she had herself grown soft over the years but she could not expect the same of her mate.

Whatever doubts were washed away regardless, and Lakota swelled beneath Ktulu's words, smiling to herself even as she continued to stare up at the immortal being. Though his sadness was not something she, nor Ktulu it seemed, could overlook. It wasn't a curl of lips that lasted long because of it. "Were it appropriate, I would only reside in your lands. But I have too old of habits, and we desired to make amends to the Edge for our actions...but it is your magic that changed me, that helped me heal instead of hurt. It will always be you who saved me from that darkness, merely by making me your medic. Your law will always be inscribed on my heart, and though I long for your lands...I stand by my mate first and foremost." Head bowed at this statement, the truth nearly a burden upon her shoulders with the realizations. Lakota wished that she could offer some more permanent solution, that she could return to the Foothills- no, the Falls now- but old habits and strong pride coupled with her desire to remain where Ktulu found her roots would not be denied no matter her secret wishes.

If she could not be the Medic in a land far too changed, no longer her home...she could not stand to return.