The heat is unlike any which I have experienced in my long years within the temple walls. Though I have walked deserts and volcanoes in spirit and mind, my body has never felt the torrents. This day, however, I am wholly myself (or nearly so) and the sun beats down on my blackened pelt like an arrogant master to a disobedient slave. Sweat gathers on my brow and rubs my coarse hair against my neck. The sweltering heat does not help the newly healed flesh, perfectly hidden from view, unless I toss my head back or turn in such a way as to display the scar. It’s an ugly thing, crawling desperately out from a single point where my vein bulges. Even in the heat, I am thankful for my thick mane to disguise the mark. It is a harsh reminder to not forget myself in these lands.
I am mindful of my footing, having heard of the terrible tragedies that befall those who do not watch themselves near the Rapax. I have been roaming the lands of Delumine for nearly a year now and my encounters with others have been relatively few and far between, all considered. I still do not feel as if this land is my home, and I harbor a deep ache in my chest for that which is familiar to me. I know that it cannot be. No one who traverses the space between is ever seen to set foot in Ameyal again. Besides, I do not think I would ever be welcome there again. I have been gone far too long, and they would not believe me if I told them I had managed to travel far and away and return. They would think I had forsaken my vows and I would be treated as a thief of knowledge and a traitor in their eyes. I had no home to return to now, and I had almost made my peace with that. I sighed deeply, my gaze following the swift current of the river below me. Still, it did not prevent me from feeling that dull tug for something more. A home that was familiar, with sights and smells and music to dull the homesickness that had nestled in my breast.
I close my orbs, breathing deeply in an attempt to ground myself. The only good it did me was to amplify the distinct feeling of loneliness. Those I had met so far had made their home within these lands since birth or long past. None had been displaced as I had, and there was little kinship to be found in that vein. They were kind (or not) and while each encounter had taught me much about the peoples that lived here, they did not soothe my soul in the way that I had hoped. Perhaps that is why I was here now, wandering dangerously close to the edge of the water.
I shook my head, the bells twined around my antlers fluttering and giggling. What was I thinking? I could not allow myself to get lost in grief. Death lays at the end of that sorrowful road. It did me no good to dwell on such morbid things. I forcefully pushed a lungful of air through my nares, imagining the dark forces at work in my heart being blown away on a grateful breeze. I stepped a bit farther from the river, keeping a safe distance from the edge that still tempted a part of my heart.
Does grief feel the same to all? Could one truely understand the cold cruel mistress that she had been at the mercy of for too long? Purpled knees, bowed head, aching back, all for the master who gave nothing back. Resoluteness had given her rise and only eased the ache within. No solution. No definite help on how to ease it. Only apologies and kind words. She knew the script herself by heart now. She could say the words to herself or to others. Whoever needed to hear the well practiced sympathises, the silver doe could provide.
Shattering the illusion of being alone, Wynter swooped and landed beside her. Bonded souls, two halves. Throughout the night Arah would sometimes still awoke panicked that the griffin had not been found. That she was once alone in the world. But it was never the case, this was real and now she could only live and enjoy it. Embracing this new land to become her home, she was determined to build here. Set down roots. While she had begun foundations in Helovia the roots had never been nurtured. Broken so easily. Perhaps this time it would be different, she was determined to learn from the past and embrace the present.
Bonded souls stood together under the tree. The blood of her pendant sprayed colour down onto her knees thanks to the sunlight. Each time she moved a spectacle was made of the surrounding area, colour spread over the landscape. Wynter, watched and chirped curiously. This had drawn a soft chuckle from the silver doe, still attracted to anything that sparkled, clearly.
Sweat covered her in a light sheen. The heat was unlike anything she had experience. Though the silver doe was well traveled, the temperatures surprised her. Even the griffin preferred to stick to the shade, hiding from the blistering heat of the sun. It was the kind of heat where one inhaled and the warmth spread up their nose, through their throat and burned away in the stomach. Swallowing away her discomfort the doe’s ears pricked to the sound of bells, her golden orbs drawn to another shape moving around the river.
Having met so many new faces during this journey, settling into her new home the doe eased a smile onto her mask. The ripple loosened the tightness in her shoulders, eased the weight in her stomach and softened the crease between her eyes. Instead now the breeze played with the stray strands in her forelock, making them dance around her eyes.
The other mare was a pretty thing, crowned in decadence and antlers, not unlike herself. Though the darker hpcoat was probably not doing her any favours in this heat. Then again her own ivory coat seemed just as willing to bake under the sun’s gaze. Approaching with caution, and loudly enough to draw the mare’s attention, the silver doe stopped a few paces short of the other mare. "Warm day." Arah called, allowing her own voice’s warmth to mix with the heat of the day. "I wasn’t expecting to see anyone else about."
Coming to a stop just behind the mare, the silver doe waited. Golden orbs trained on the darker mare, watching her movements and expressions. The griffin stopped between her mistress’ front legs, chirping at the other mare, not threateningly, more invitingly. As if to soothe any worry the other mare might be feeling.
