[AW] Cold Winter Nights

[Arah]

A R A H

SPLASH

Breathless.

Cold.

Blind.

Empty

As her head broke the surface of the water she desperately gasped for breath, her throat burned and she flared her nostrils. An empty mind, thoughtless, blank and confused. Nothing made sense, everything was wrong. Who was she? Where was she? Why had this happened? A cough that sounded like it belonged to the dying filled the air around her with sound, water flooded her open mouth and gushed down her throat. Gargled noises escaped her neck, as the creature choked. This must be a punishment for something. Someone was angry with her. Like a bird trying to escape it's cage, her heart thudded against her bones. The entirety of her body shook, yet she could not tell if it was from the cold or her terror. Sinking again the water rose to her chin, this must be her death then. The final moments of a lost, desperate woman. What a dismal sight it was. Black spots began to form in her vision, water gently rippled around her sinking body. It was a peaceful way to go, once you got past the first stages of panic. Exhausted and weak her heart sank as her body gave in to death's embrace, should she wish it, he would warm her tonight. A name she would claim from his lips, her past she would beg from whomever else was listening. Would it please her to know such things? Had her life meant anything? Or had she simply existed while others around her became great? Was she alone in the end? 

'Swim.' The voice was quiet, not her own but utterly familiar as if it came from her own soul. 'I can't.' Arah whispered back, the blackness at the edges of her vision was growing thicker. She was fading, it would be over soon now. Already she could feel the dark shadowy tendrils of death wrapping around her legs and pulling her further into the depths of the water. 'I don't care. Move.' A spark of annoyance stirred in her gut, as she was dying someone had the audacity to give her orders. She's been looking for peace, not company. 'NOW ARAH!' The voice filled her head, but it was the sound of her name that shocked her back to life. Images flooded through her mind, Deimos, Crowley, Roland, Farenjer, Lakota, Mauja, Arwen and Asch. The Ghosts of her past. Tilney. Maude. Rhiannon. Wynter. Her future. For them she could break out of death's grasp. They needed her and in turn they would look after her but if she died her, now with no witnesses to her termination, her family would never know what happened to her. Would they continue on with their lives always looking over their shoulder for her? No. She knew how it felt to have the dead as your companions. She would not do that to them. 

Eyes wide despite the water burning her orbs she raised her gaze to the surface and began kicking, forcing her wretched body to move. Each muscle screamed in defiance, begging her to stop. The closer the doe came to the surface the bigger the desire to inhale. She had to hold out, could not let herself swallow anymore water. But it was the natural reaction of her body and under the depths of darkness she inhaled lungfuls of water. Death was chasing after her, grasping, promising her a respite. Her mind pleaded with her to listen to him, allow him to take her away. No. Breaking the surface of the water again, Arah could hardly force enough air into her lungs to flush the water out. Furiously blinking she managed to make out a blurry outline of land, her waterlogged eyes assessed the distance. Maybe five meters, she could swim the five meters to safety surely. Arah could not ignore the protests of her body but if she gave in there would be no coming back. Instead she focused on a single spot, watching as it gradually grew closer. 
Eventually, after moving slowly, ever so gods-damned slowly, her hoof brushed the loose bank. It signified her refuge, her rebellion against death that had sought to claim her. They would meet someday, but they already knew each other well, perhaps he would embrace her and greet her like an old friend. He'd taken so many from her but tonight he was not able to complete his set. She'd been saved by the voice of her bonded, the brattish griffin who tonight would not let her give up on life. "Wynter." The doe's voice did not reach her own ears. 'I'll find you.' Then nothing, the feeling of her bonded vanished without a trace. A sob broke from her lips, had she not faced enough in her life? Why did the gods still want to punish her? She had done horrible things but she had paid for those sins dearly time and time again.

Pushing up way up through the shore Arah managed to only make it a few steps from the water before collapsing. The violent shiver encompassed her entire being, her mind, soul and physical body. At least her vision her cleared slightly allowing her to survey her surroundings, what should have brought her comfort did not. The world was unfamiliar, not even the outline of the surrounding terrain were unrecognisable. The fauna was not from the lands that she'd grown to call home. Arah knew without a doubt that she was no longer within the lands of Helovia. A full moon filled the sky with it's pale light, the dark shadows played hide and seek with the trees shivering in the light breeze. The shadows watched her, played with her even, threatening to engulf and hide her away from any salvation. 

There was not much she remembered of her moments before arriving here. A flash of blue, lighting violently lighting up the entire sky above her crowned head. Arah vaguely remembered someone shouting about unstable magic...is that what had caused her to turn up here? The doe had so many questions but there was not a soul around to answer them. Coughing up a mouthful of water she wondered if the water she'd inhaled would cause her any permeant damage, with her luck that was the most likely outcome. All the same it would not so to lay here forever, not when she could still feel death's gaze upon her. Firstly she needed to make sure that Maude, Tinley and the rest of her family were safe. If they'd wound up in this land then no doubt they'd be just as confused and frightened, especially her daughter if she'd wound up alone. Trying to raise herself Arah only successfully stumbled a step forward before her legs gave out again. The fight for survival had left her utterly devoid of strength, in truth her numb mind was also still not fully functioning. Without assistance she would not be able to move, not until her strength returned at least. 
She did not know when that would happen.

@Apollo mebbe? & Open!

❆