| Outcast atk: 8.0 | def: 10 | dam: 3.5 |
| Colt :: Pegasus :: 14.1 :: Three HP: 67 | Buff: NOVICE |
| charks |
Zèklè Well these days I'm fine
But these days I tend to lie
Iskra's sobbing settles and slows, and with it the thundering of your heart. Instead of panic you are left with a deep weariness, exhaustion too great for you to have fathomed mere seasons ago, but now somewhat familiar, expected- your life has been building to this moment, in a way, where your carefully constructed sandcastles of hope finally erode their way into the sea. Oh, sure, you'll build them back up again - that's what you do, after all. You stay positive, you push forward, you survive. But not right now. Right now you're tired, and you just want to lie down, to collapse, to sleep it off and wake up two years ago, when Ma was happy and you were a child.
You can't - not just because de'nile is only a river in Egypt, but because Sparky is here, his big blue eyes staring up at you earnestly, his hope still close to the surface and easy to ignite. So instead of falling down to sleep you settle into your heavy hooves, your lips nibbling lightly at the joints of his wing as you think, trying to bring up an appropriate story, one that will restore a little faith for both of you.
"When I was real small," you begin, your voice thoughtful as you "Not a lot bigger'n you, there was a hole in the world called the Rift. An' from the hole came people - new people, some of 'em nice an' some of 'em not. An' the people brought their gods.
"Ma was the Gladiator when it happened - she used to be, y'know, an' Sultana before that - so it was her job to lead our warriors into the fights. Because the new gods were evil, an' with their world lost they wanted to devour ours. They were gonna tear it apart an' leave it in ruins, an, well, Ma wouldn't have that. She said, if anyone's gonna destroy the world, it's gonna be me!" You chuckle slightly at your own joke.
"The first Evil God was a great and hungry bear, an' when it died it fell in a river, an' made the Blood Falls. The second Evil God was a horrible Wolf with dripping, bloody teeth, an' when it died its fur grew tall and wild, making the Green Labyrinth. The third Evil God was a sly an' crooked Crocodile, an' its shiny scales made the Halcyon Flats. An' the last Evil God was a cruel and snarling tiger, an' when it died its teeth an' claws made the Riptide Isles, but its coat was made into a cloak for Ma, because she fought so bravely against it. The very same cloak she gave to Tae."
Much of this story is, strictly speaking, untrue. You prefer embellished, though, and besides, isn't it more interesting to think of the world as being built on the bodies of slain gods?
...Okay, maybe a little morbid. But still. Interesting!
"Because I was so small, Ma didn't want me to fight. But when the Tiger God came I followed her, because I wanted to help. An' when the time came to fight it I did something very stupid - I climbed up some stairs an' tried to jump down onto it from above. That was the first time I broke my wing," you add, waving that poor, abused appendage for emphasis.
"Well, I was lucky. I might've died, but Ma saw me, an' you know what she did? She flew up, right into the tiger, an' saved me while at the same time delivering the killing blow. I thought I was a goner for sure, but when I woke up Ma was there, an' Da too, an' the tiger was dead but I was safe.
"Once she decided I was safe, Ma was furious. She yelled an' yelled an yelled, an' I thought she'd never forgive me. But then I realized she was just scared, 'cus Ma's are always scared about their kids. They want us to be big and strong, y'know, but not to get hurt doing it, and this was the most hurt I'd ever been. An' Ma was always extra scared about me, 'cus I only got the one wing...
"When she was done being mad Ma was proud of me, an' started training me to be stronger an' smarter. So, see, sometimes Ma gets mad, but it's just 'cus she loves us, an' 'cus she's the best warrior in the world, but sometimes warriors can only really show their love in ways that don't make a lot of sense. But she loves us, Sparky. She really does."
Silence falls, and you stare into the distance, your mind still churning as you struggle to put together the pieces of reassurance you just tried to give yourself. You want Sparky to believe it, but you're not sure you can fool yourself. When Ma got mad before, you could always see the love behind it. But this time?
This time, you just aren't sure anymore.
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