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Neither wings nor horn depicted this child of grace as she gallivanted through the dense wood of the forest. Her legs opened wide over the frozen grounds as if she could fly even if she couldn’t and her head was thrown back and away from her line of sight as if she wore a crown of bone, even if she didn’t. No markers of species segregated her from another -as plain as she was- and with the voice of an archangel, her song wafted through the sullen trees around her. Such joy emanated from the youth as she weaved through the native shadows of her homeland that even the falling of the snow could not impale her good-naturedness. It sullied her earthy hide in flecks of icy celebration as it fell down around the mare and her cur in a torrent all too unnatural so late in the season. Frostfall would be coming to a close soon enough and though the frigid cold was still as unwelcome as it had been in the Wilds, a friendly reminder of life in Helovia had made Essetia as carefree as an ignorant child. She did not curse the weather as she might have only weeks ago… after all, now that she had the Hidden Falls to call home, she would reap the benefits of relying on a herd.
The freedom of life had been restored to her and as those pale eyes now full of wisdom and understanding glanced back at Romul trailing at her heels, a sense of comfort flooded her from the inside out. The fear of living and dying no longer plagued her journey into the depth of the Rotunda, now a place she had yet to explore since her time away. It was a stunning bit of landscape that bolstered her love of Helovia with its towering pines and ancient oaks even as they often forced her to skid to and fro about their thick trunks. Soft snarling often ensued as the mare leapt ahead of the snow-white canine that fought hard to remain at her side in spite of the obvious difference in size and speed. But when the wind had grown too cold for Essetia’s fragile lungs, she slowed to a quick walk with a grateful Romul sulking into step alongside her.
Tired Ess… it’s cold. His voice travelled clearly across their bond and the mare, sympathetic to his needs, bent her thick face to him in hopes of soothing the wolf. However, those piercing golden eyes only stared back with a lingering coldness that Essetia had been unable to penetrate as of late. Though he could not hide his emotions from her for long, Romul had a careful way of revealing them to her in fragments bit by bit as if to torture her for her wrongdoings. As was his nature, the canine sought reward in most things even if his beloved could not provide them. She had not wanted to return to the Edge and as a result had ignored Romul’s pressing desire to do just that. Since then he had grown quiet and resentful… all things Essetia had grown accustomed to despite their bond. Relax my dear, we’ll return home soon.
The Edge you mean?
His thoughts carried quickly into her mind, both hurtful and offensive, and so the mare moved onward in search of the acclaimed stone structure with the colored glass. She imagined it to be something great as it was said to cast faint shafts of -blue? maybe green?- light onto the stony floor. However, upon discovering the edifice standing tall just ahead, the pair stopped to marvel its majestic wonder. Slowly Essetia move forward toward the thick drapes that concealed the alleged glass from view, against the soft grunt of Romul who thought it better to scout the area surrounding them. With that, he darted off into the wood probably angered by Essetia’s lack of reply…
Leaving her companion outside, the mare nosed her way past the thick coverlets that hung at the entrance, still untouched by the elements. Inside, the cold was muted and quiet, but upon placing hoof to stone she balked suddenly at the sight of another within the small confines of the glass-covered building. Disappointment fell heavy within her gut as she realized that such a magical moment of discovery had not only been interrupted by another but that, that whimsical moment of arrival had only revealed a placid crystalline monument shielded by the snow. The colors still reached weakly towards the rocky flooring but it was not as Essetia had imagined it and something in that served to break a small piece of her heart as she moved forward, certainly caught by the attention of the individual within. “What a shame…”
Her voice was laced with displeasure as her eyes remained locked on the ceiling above them. The reality of life came crashing down around her as she glanced to her fellow fantasist just inside the cavern, though he was nothing more than horror reimagined. Something about him made the mare’s senses quiver and recede into herself, which in turn sent Romul rushing into curtains behind her. The canine rumbled in a series of mismatched chords until falling silent despite Essetia’s warning glance. “I’m Essetia… and this is Romul. Sorry to invade, I was just hoping for something- well never mind.” Her voice quivered slightly; it had been so long since she’d shared a conversation with anyone other than her companion. “Do you have a name dreamer?”
Large, questioning eyes gaze ahead… always hoping for the magic she thought life to be. | |
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