HOLD MY HAND AGAINST THE NIGHT
SHOW ME ALL THE DEMONS LEFT TO FIGHT:

That supple baby flesh no longer christened Ru’s features. Beyond the growth of gangly limbs, and velvet coating, she’d taken up the chainmail of future spars and had already adorned herself with several scars. Small, miniscule cuts that could only be distinguished from certain angles, lighting, what have you. But then again the girl had hardly considered glancing at her face, or peering too far into her reflection to realize their implications. Merely for the comfort of avoiding her mother’s gaze, and carrying on oblivious to the crafted grooves of a blooming, naïve warrior-child.
 
She embraced the autumnal season like no other before it. How it caressed and dug its nails through her wings and hair; high up in the air streams, the light frost and their playful, ice laden nips. Sending small, pleasurable shivers down her body – Ru could breathe in, deeply with the relief of the cooler temperatures. She may never admit her pleasure for the wayward winds, but she was not immune to their delight and encouraging sways into the atmosphere.
 
Truly the girl was devoted to the scorching sun. And she could not submit, thoughtfully, to the beauty of the changing leaves or the heavy scent of their decay. Warm, enticing as she drew further towards the meadow’s surface. She skimmed across the long grasses, giggling as they tickled her belly with drawn legs. But just as she fluttered, and hopped to a landing, her gaze swept across the field grasping those who’d entered the clearing before her.
 
Their voices swept across in a muted bubble. The girl chirruped curiously, noting the two unicorns that stood together – well, there were three of them certainly. Except, the reddened one was adorned with stag’s horns, and appeared to stand a part from the other two. Ru sharpened her gaze, searching for any tension between the trio – and could not detect any from her distance. Her ears strained to listen, but they were all but murmurs along the wind. Light and amiable, thrown here and there…
 
With caution pushed behind her, the young mare approached the small gathering. Eyes taking in the gilded wonder, momentarily entranced by the delicate things hung about her body. She had never seen such jewelry before worn by equine folk. How peculiar? But like most things in Helovia, saturated in mystery and myth, Ru found delight in these small and miraculous wonders. Lifting her sky imparted eyes, she greeted with a bright trilling. Shuffling her wings briefly, for the odd, striking sense of uncertainty and shyness crossed her then. Infusing the wild child’s heart with a patient silence not often followed by her findings. 

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦