tiamat

Even as others begin to arrive at the eerie tree’s base, the ocean mare finds herself hardly able to spare them a glance. The mutated creature that stands before all of them tugs at her gaze, as if there is some sort of gravitational pull that is rooted within the beast himself, a strange sort of attraction—a bait that is as frightening as it is enticing. Or, perhaps, it is in the tree. With her quiet breath hitching in her throat, Tiamat looks to the large, ghostly oak. Much like the ghastly beast, it is unlike anything she has seen before; with bones dangling from its branches and trailing its blanched roots, it is as though it draws its nourishment from death, not from the minerals of the earth.

It is not like any family she has ever seen.

“All these were not once bones.”

The voice (rattling with decay and as cold as the air around them) startles the blue mare when he speaks, her body tensing as she turns her attention back to him. She does not relax as she watches the roots move over the gnarled ground, vines slithering towards all of them, clasping pale objects that are presented in a bizarre, nightmarish display. Still, despite all of the fear that chills her veins, Tiamat finds that her curiosity cannot be swallowed. Like a stubborn bud in the middle of winter, it blooms within her chest. Tentatively at first, she steps towards the pale bone that is held in front of her, dainty ears twisting forward and her eyes glistening beneath the moon’s waxen rays.

It takes a short moment for the Mender to recognize what she is looking at. Curiously, she wonders what sort of life the grisly creature once had (what was he like?) and she is tempted to speak, to inquire about what once was, but they are given a task, and her mind is suddenly churning with possibilities.

Others speak before her, but Tiamat only catches glimpses of their words. “An eye...” she gasps to herself, her own eyes tracing the glowing runes on the bone’s surface—patterns not unlike those etched into her own horn. With her curiosity heightened, she reaches forward, brushing her plush muzzle against its cold, rough surface. She gasps again, her breath seized in horror when loneliness suddenly overcomes her. It is not a feeling that Tiamat is used to; between the vast arms of her father and the watchful eye of her mother, the blue mare has never felt truly alone. It is a sad and terrible feeling, so lost and ungrounded, she feels the hollowed pain in her chest and the sting of tears in her eye.

“The eye of the ocean,” the mare murmurs when the others have fallen silent, speaking slowly (carefully, almost). “The ocean’s keeper—a great and noble creature, meant to keep my father’s great waters and his creatures safe. Sustain balance and peace, protect marine life, and conserve the beautiful grace of their world. He could see everything we could not,” the sapphire skin of her brow knits together, and she pauses for a long moment, swallowing before continuing. “But...” Tiamat reaches for the bone again, stroking it tenderly, “But he was alone.”

Her voice shakes with emotion, her mind and body churning with the mixture of feelings that battle for her heart. “The task given to this great creature was a solitary one. He could not spare a moment of his attention to anything but his duty; even...even for himself,” a tear leaves a sparkling streak down her cheek, lips pursing together as she swallows against the lump in her throat. Tiamat cannot understand why this would be; why anyone would need to be alone, and the bone itself seems to magnify her confusion. (Why?) “He had no choice, but to be alone,” the ocean mare pulls away slowly from the eye socket, watching as its runes shine in the moonlight; silent, persistent questions. Finally, she looks back to the mutated beast, meeting his unearthly eyes; and from her lips, slips one broken word: “Why?”


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“Speech.”
Seeking: [Magic: EarthxWind (U) | Pockets of water may be used to heal/soothe minor injuries.]
(An upgrade for
:: [ Magic: EarthxWind | The ability to draw moisture from the clouds, water, and sky to create floating pockets of water that she can move at will. ]
:: [ Restrictions | Can create up to three small, or one large, floating pockets of water and exist in 5m radius from body. ])

Wishlist
First Refusal | Second Refusal

dreaming the day away!