So the goddess had left, but Alysanne wouldn’t.

The Edge was still her home, it was still filled with the faces of her herd and those she loved. Somehow, she didn’t really believe the Goddess would be gone for long. She had caused trouble before - certainly - and when the Earth God had disbanded his herd in the Falls the land itself had remained. They could have lived there on their own - an unsanctioned herd but a herd and a family nonetheless.

She had every intention of staying here - both of her daughters had been born here, her sister was here, she had friends within these woods and memories beyond count. And, for now, it seemed as though no one else had any intention of leaving either. Now that the Goddess had gone she wasn’t really even sure whether she was still a queen - but that didn’t really matter. She was still a mother, still a friend, and still had every intention on keeping tabs on those she loved as they tried to navigate this confusing time. Perhaps, without the Gods, Helovia might even know peace.

It doesn’t count as blasphemy if they are not around to hear it, right?

Cypress was snoring faintly in his nest on the crook of her back where her wings joined her flesh while Hemlock was off hunting for the pair of them. The little owl seemed to do nothing but sleep and cry - but his entrance into this world had hardly come at a happy time. He wasn’t yet capable of understanding that though Alysanne was sad, though she was in pain, she was alright at the same time.

A bright white figure drew her attention through the trees, encouraging her hooves to lead her towards the cliffs where she came upon a familiar sight - Mauja, bathed in the fire of a sunset. “Hello, Mauja.” She called out his name in a gentle voice, relieved to come across someone else - relieved to be seeing him standing, with his owls. She looked over all three of them when she came to stand by his side - checking them all over for signs of stress, signs that they weren’t healing after their ordeal.

Better than she feared, she thought, but not as well as she would have hoped.

Her voice was still soft when she spoke again, green eyes focused on his face. “How are you?” Perhaps, given the circumstances (the gods leaving, his near-death experience) it was a foolish question but one she would continue to ask because she always wished to know the answer.

If you could only understand—through my heart and through my veins