S O L S T I C E
and at last i see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted
The woman approaches her, and though every fiber of her being suggests that she should go, Solstice wills herself to remain planted and offers a timid smile. Time was healing her – slowly, but surely. It wasn’t that others had always been unkind, only that circumstances had stifled her. For too long, she had been a prize instead of a person. She had been worshipped by some, revered by others, but hadn’t ever been allowed to truly live. She’d never had the freedom to make her own choices, to determine her own interests, to satiate her curiosities. Now, the world was open to her, but she could not find the bravery to fly.
She blinks carefully, ears flicking forward to catch the greeting tones, warm and friendly. She wants to trust the voice, wants to think the best of intentions – and so she does, smiling more warmly as she blushes at the compliments. “I like your scarf.” she says with earnest, barely resisting the urge to reach out and touch the delicate fabric, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. Solstice dips her head in a quiet greeting, allowing the stranger to come closer as she takes in the scent of her – wild and different from the scents of Delumine.
”Where did you come from?” Her question is blunt but not unkind, curiosity edging in her whisky hued gaze, following the path from where the woman had come. “I don’t know much about this place – about what lies beyond the forest.” Solstice didn’t add that she was afraid to venture much further from the safety and security she’d built.
Despite the lack of shelter here, there was a certain peace she’d found in nature. She was far from the temple which had been her prison and her home. Far from the warlord’s tents where she’d been locked away from the sunlight, hidden from all the world. Here, she was free to know Oriens’ world, and she wanted more selfishly than ever before.
She stepped from the treeline into the clearing of the forest now, stretching her wings wide, not in flight but to loosen the tension from holding them so tightly against herself. Silence fell almost awkwardly between them, for the girl didn’t understand much about social pleasantries, never being allowed to interact with the citizens. Instead, her only friends had been the flowers in her garden and the books on her shelves. She’d busied her days with reading poetry and religious tomes, fighting to understand more about the world she was never allowed to know.
“We can be friends,” she decides suddenly, making up her mind to move forward – to betray the oath of solitude the priestesses had forced upon her. “What should I call you?”
She blinks carefully, ears flicking forward to catch the greeting tones, warm and friendly. She wants to trust the voice, wants to think the best of intentions – and so she does, smiling more warmly as she blushes at the compliments. “I like your scarf.” she says with earnest, barely resisting the urge to reach out and touch the delicate fabric, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. Solstice dips her head in a quiet greeting, allowing the stranger to come closer as she takes in the scent of her – wild and different from the scents of Delumine.
”Where did you come from?” Her question is blunt but not unkind, curiosity edging in her whisky hued gaze, following the path from where the woman had come. “I don’t know much about this place – about what lies beyond the forest.” Solstice didn’t add that she was afraid to venture much further from the safety and security she’d built.
Despite the lack of shelter here, there was a certain peace she’d found in nature. She was far from the temple which had been her prison and her home. Far from the warlord’s tents where she’d been locked away from the sunlight, hidden from all the world. Here, she was free to know Oriens’ world, and she wanted more selfishly than ever before.
She stepped from the treeline into the clearing of the forest now, stretching her wings wide, not in flight but to loosen the tension from holding them so tightly against herself. Silence fell almost awkwardly between them, for the girl didn’t understand much about social pleasantries, never being allowed to interact with the citizens. Instead, her only friends had been the flowers in her garden and the books on her shelves. She’d busied her days with reading poetry and religious tomes, fighting to understand more about the world she was never allowed to know.
“We can be friends,” she decides suddenly, making up her mind to move forward – to betray the oath of solitude the priestesses had forced upon her. “What should I call you?”
― @Noëlle Sorry she’s so awkward… <3
