Nicodemus
E
verything was moving like a whirlwind around Nico, what with his memory being locked from him, him not particularly knowing exactly where he was in the world, and now this journal with it’s strange abilities… Nicodemus grew weary, his sore body and mind still trudging on in a hapless march forward. As he wandered onward, the mule took time to pick various herbs he found, both studying them and letting the journal press them within its bindings to store for later, namely when he had to redress his face. It was rather symbiotic, the way the book lent itself to him, almost serene. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that the book pulling at his telekinetic grasp to lead him towards a new specimen was frightening to the shaken equine. Nico’s ears pricked at a subtle noise that drew his attention away from a sprig of burnet that he had found. It sounded like a faint churning, soothing in nature. The mule lifted his nose and sniffed the thick air. There was a moisture that clung all around him. Water, Nico realized. He also realized how parched he was, his mouth and throat still scorched with ash from what he had to assume was from the fire he woke to. He trotted along, weaving through the trees and bushes to follow the sound and scent, until he finally broke through the treeline. Relieved to finally be in an open space, and in the presence of a glistening creek, Nicodemus bounded quickly towards the edge of it.
As luck would have it, Nico in his excitement had overstepped and pressed down awkwardly upon an uneven set of rocks, resulting in the colt tripping yet again. Jaws clacked painfully against each other as his chin hit the ground and bounced into the water. The brown colt jumped back up, shaking the water away in a frantic manner, rivulets of dampened dry blood and water scattering around him haphazardly. The shake down made Nico dizzy, the mule having to take a moment to still himself and catch his breath. Snapping back into the moment, Nicodemus watched in horror as the journal bobbed aimlessly at the surface of the creek before giving way to gravity and sinking down into the shallow depths. Nico rushed over, spraying water all about the quiet shore as he quickly tracked down the book and plucked it from the waterbed. Grasping it between his teeth, the mulicorn shook out as much of the excess water from its papery innards as he could before returning to dry land. He set it down on the rocky bed that encapsulated the stream of water and attempted to pry its now sticky pages open.
”Nono no,” Nicodemus chewed nervously as he peeled away the cover and witnessed the damage. Ink and stains of color bled down the pages he saw, smearing into unrecognizable blots that dripped to the grass below. Page after page, ruined by his own gawky legs. He felt tears prick the corners of his wide eyes as the last of what he had, of what he knew of who he was, literally disappeared before his eyes.
”Nooo…,” Nico whined, slumping down to sit by the bank. He set the journal down, not bothering to close it as he did. He looked down into the water. His rippling reflection met his gaze, only now realizing how much of a mess he had become. Long mane clinging to his head, a blend of reds and browns staining his cheeks and muzzle from dried and rewetted blood and dirt… He and his journal, both pitifully wet and dirty, muddled in knowing what they even were anymore…
At least until the journal began to slowly draw the ink back onto its soaked pages. Nicodemus watched silently as the colors, words, and art returned to their original state over the course of several minutes. The pages, while still appearing damp, were soon legible once more. With a gentle and cautious hoof, Nico touched the page it was open to, sliding it along the words in quiet awe.
”You are… Quite an indomitable spirit, aren’t you?” Nico chuckled tiredly as he picked the book back up and held it close.
