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She was standing, she realized with a jolt. The fight, the fall, the struggle to rise, all in her head, memory mixed with delusion. The bay stepped from her side, and a feeling of abandonment set in before she realized he was not truly leaving, just getting a better look at her emancipated figure. She trembled, a combination of weakness and cold, looking so utterly alone and forlorn that it must appear heartbreaking. Gold-flecked blue moved up to the empty sky above, seeking solace that refused to come. The mythical fae had come from a land of angels, but none flew down to offer her comfort. No divine light broke through the clouds to gently wrap her in warmth and love. Just heavy masses of gray that promised nothing but more misery.
“You must eat, drink, and rest.” The words slipped into her consciousness, an order, though a soft one. This was good, she knew how to obey. More words were coming, but she only heard pieces, “feel a bit better…show you around.” Enough to understand what the pegasus wished her to do. He came back to her, allowing her to lean on him once again as he guided her to a stream, or so she thought, for the sound of running water was growing closer, and she could faintly see the silvery movement that only flowing liquids possessed.
As they neared the stream, he introduced himself. She hadn’t even noticed that he had not before, and neither had she. Manners had been the last thing on her grieving mind, for after all who needed a name when they were alone and dying? Thor, as he called himself, told her that he was an apprentice protector, whatever that meant. Was that why he had taken her under his care, because he was tasked with protection? World’s Edge was another unfamiliar term, though it sounded like a location. Was that where they were now? It certainly felt like it could be the edge of the world, so cold and bleak. She had never encountered cold such as this, never felt the gentle kiss of snowflakes drifting down onto her back. It was always warm in Paradise, the grass always green and the trees covered in leaves year-round. Yes, this must be the World’s Edge. She was being rude, not offering her own moniker, and so she let her soft, cracked voice tell him. “Adura.”
The creek was now but a foot in front of her, and thirst raged up from its earlier dormancy. When the large steed brought his muzzle to the water and drank, so did she, small delicate sips. The icy cold liquid hit her empty stomach like a savage kick, but she forced down enough to soothe the parched tissue of her throat, knowing it was something she needed to do, no matter how unpleasant.
When he began to graze, she hesitated. Was she allowed to eat too? He had said she needed to before, hadn’t he? Tentatively she bit through a brown stalk, watching Thor for any negative reactions. None came, and she nibbled for a few minutes, grimacing at the bitter taste. Even the water had carried a strange tang to it, flavored by minerals it picked up from the surrounding rocks. A far cry from the pools she had once drunk from and the lush green carpet that invited one to stop for a taste of sweetness. More memories called to her, carefree days spent in the shade of springtime forests. Birds singing from every tree. Deer flitting through the trees, young fawns gamboling about their mothers without fear of being hunted. The occasional maiden, searching for a glimpse of her, staring in absolute wonder should she grace them with an appearance. She missed her home, the unappetizing weeds tasting like ash in her mouth. The mare ceased feeding, suddenly listless.
Bay lord was speaking again anyway, asking questions she must reply to, even if only with a single word. How was she to explain her loss to this stranger, no matter how kind he was? Tell someone who knew nothing of Heaven what it was like to walk among it’s radiant inhabitants? Unable to find a way to pour out the entire tale, she kept things simple, a story she knew he would understand. “I…Someone was killed, someone I was very close to, and I let it happen.” A poor summary, lacking so many important details, but it was a start.
OOC:
Walking the walk
Talking the talk
Thinking my thoughts
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