And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand The dark lady's admittance, a softly spoken 'I've missed you so much, Apollo,' warmed his heart in a way that had nothing to do with fever or sickness. Soulful, honey-brown eyes grew soft with sentiment, rubbing his cheek once more against the gilded hairs of her back. She had missed him... She had missed him. The knowledge was empowering. It was humbling. It was so much more than he could ever put into words. Their history was not a juvenile thing. Since the day he had arrived in Helovia, Ktulu had been apart of his life. For years, their histories had been intertwined, woven together like stitches upon a tapestry. Worn, frayed, stained by the passage and stresses of time, but no less precious and beautiful. "I... I've missed you too," he murmured in response, eyes inadvertently falling closed as he relished her warm embrace, "So much." And he had. Wholly, completely. Perhaps not fully aware of it at the time, but right now, with her so close that he could smell her scent, feel her warmth, hear her voice, Apollo couldn't imagined how he had survived his life without her by his side. The past, however, would get them nowhere. Relishing in once was would bring them no closer to their answers, nor would it help the Merciful stallion's deteriorating condition. Eventually Ktulu pulled away, and even though it was only because they needed to part in order to progress, Apollo found himself yearning for her warmth already. Still, he let her go, listening to the wise words that poured from her lips. This wasn't the Rift? Turning his head, the monochromatic overo regarded the prairie once more with a more careful eye. She was right. Nothing about this land seemed to display the same warped, diseased state that the Rift lands had carried. Nothing about it was the same. This was perfect, heavenly. Peaceful. "Then I suppose all we can do is find out where we are... But we can't give up on Eytan and Zola. They have to be out there somewhere." Severed bond or not. Apollo wouldn't think of a world where Zola was gone from his grasp forever. He couldn't. He just couldn't. The concern that Ktulu directed to him made the stallion swallow hard in affection. He was sick, but not dangerously so. Not yet. Not like with Lakota, when help had come far too late. Reaching out, Apollo brushed the velvet of his muzzle against Ktulu's own, breathing deep. "I'll be alright," he soothed, hoping to ease her worry, "I'm not that sick yet. A fever and chills, some aches and pains, but... It could be worse. I can still walk and travel. If we could find some meadowsweet or yarrow, maybe some elderberry, that will do the trick to lower my fever. Meadowsweet and yarrow are both stemmy herbs with tiny yellow flowers that bloom on top, and elderberry is more leafy, with little white flowers." Cutting himself off, Apollo smiled somewhat sheepishly. Living the life as a medic for so many years had its perks, especially right now, when ironically, he might need it the most. Bumping his nose against the Constrictor's once more, he pulled away, letting out a long, strained breath as he shivered from the breeze. "Help me keep an eye out for them, and we can try to find out where we are. There has to be something or someone around to let us know..." They couldn't be the only ones in this prairie, or this world. It seemed too vast. Only when Ktulu was ready did Apollo scan the horizon and pick a direction, his pace slow, but far easier now that he could fall into step beside the dark lady, drawing closer to brush his side against her own with every step that they took. It was easier to walk, easier to face the reality of what had happened, now that he wasn't alone. Ktulu instilled in him a strength that he had no idea that he had possessed. Like fighting Confutatis amidst a mid-summer's storm, he would press on, fighting against his weaknesses and uncertainties for the hope of a better tomorrow. Hope. It was far more than just a word. It was the dawn after night, rains after a drought. Life after death. Apollo clung to it, just as he would forever cling to Ktulu. With her, and hope, his future seemed far more bright. When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am |
@Ktulu
