11-18-2019, 01:53 PM
She doesn’t realize how thin the grulla mare is stretching herself, trying to keep all of them safe. By the time Cress begins her crossing the woman has already reached her limits, and it doesn’t take much for Cress to realize that no one is coming to save her or her son - the only magic in this afterlife is Nikkai’s, and she is unable to help them all. The golden woman doesn’t even have her wings left to steady herself against the current as the tree comes barreling towards her - all she can do is brace her hooves and look away as it draws nearer and nearer.
Then there is pain, and she is tumbling over the edge of the falls, the first to plummet towards what would be sure death in any normal circumstances. The pain is endless as she falls and she blinks in and out of consciousness, a golden dragon flickering on the edge of her vision. She is drowning even as flames wash over her, burning away all of her hair and flesh and stripping her entirely of her ears - she remembers just as vividly as though it were yesterday, the Dark God’s hell where they had all been tortured to the brink of death, over and over again. She had stretched herself too thin then, just as Nikkai had, and had been left with twisted stumps for ears and exposed flesh on her forehead that had never truly healed.
When she finally comes to, she is on the banks of a shallow pool, surrounded by all of the strangers but somehow all alone. “Ravine!” she screams, but the red colt doesn’t respond. Struggling to her hooves, bloody and weak, she looks around desperately, finally finding him near the opposite shore. As quickly as she can she races towards him, weaving between the reuniting couples to reach her son.
He doesn’t stir when she finally arrives at his side, and she collapses to the ground with tears in her eyes. “Oh, my beautiful boy,” she croons as she wraps herself around his broken body, wishing she could heal his wounds and bring him back to life herself. The boy finally moves beneath her touch as she grooms his withers, groaning in pain. “I’m so sorry, my boy,” she whispers, pressing a cheek into his mane. “You shouldn’t be here; you have a life still left to live.”
Nikkai’s voice startles Cress then, and she looks up to see the grulla mare looking tearful and apologizing profusely. She, too, is covered in blood and as broken as the rest of them as she explains that she cannot bring them all back after all, and Cress swallows hard at the implication - she can send Ravine back to life, but she won’t be able to follow him into the overworld. “You have to go back, my angel,” she tells him, trying to not let him see her tears. “I cannot live in a world that is missing one of my beautiful children.”
Ravine sighs heavily then, turning his dark eyes on his mother. <I>“No,”</I> he responds firmly, and the strength of his resolve startles his mother. She sits back to look at her son - to really look at him - and though he is smiling sadly at her, she knows there is no changing his mind. <I>“I will always be judged for my appearance up there, but here... I am whole. I am weak in life, but Mother, you are so much stronger than I. You have the power to help fix the world - I don’t. Please. For the sake of my brother and sisters, go back and make the world a better place.”</I>
With a sob, Cress buries her head in his neck once more. “You are the purest thing I have ever created, my son,” she murmurs, tears soaking his red coat. “I will find the strength, and I will make sure you come home.”
Then there is pain, and she is tumbling over the edge of the falls, the first to plummet towards what would be sure death in any normal circumstances. The pain is endless as she falls and she blinks in and out of consciousness, a golden dragon flickering on the edge of her vision. She is drowning even as flames wash over her, burning away all of her hair and flesh and stripping her entirely of her ears - she remembers just as vividly as though it were yesterday, the Dark God’s hell where they had all been tortured to the brink of death, over and over again. She had stretched herself too thin then, just as Nikkai had, and had been left with twisted stumps for ears and exposed flesh on her forehead that had never truly healed.
When she finally comes to, she is on the banks of a shallow pool, surrounded by all of the strangers but somehow all alone. “Ravine!” she screams, but the red colt doesn’t respond. Struggling to her hooves, bloody and weak, she looks around desperately, finally finding him near the opposite shore. As quickly as she can she races towards him, weaving between the reuniting couples to reach her son.
He doesn’t stir when she finally arrives at his side, and she collapses to the ground with tears in her eyes. “Oh, my beautiful boy,” she croons as she wraps herself around his broken body, wishing she could heal his wounds and bring him back to life herself. The boy finally moves beneath her touch as she grooms his withers, groaning in pain. “I’m so sorry, my boy,” she whispers, pressing a cheek into his mane. “You shouldn’t be here; you have a life still left to live.”
Nikkai’s voice startles Cress then, and she looks up to see the grulla mare looking tearful and apologizing profusely. She, too, is covered in blood and as broken as the rest of them as she explains that she cannot bring them all back after all, and Cress swallows hard at the implication - she can send Ravine back to life, but she won’t be able to follow him into the overworld. “You have to go back, my angel,” she tells him, trying to not let him see her tears. “I cannot live in a world that is missing one of my beautiful children.”
Ravine sighs heavily then, turning his dark eyes on his mother. <I>“No,”</I> he responds firmly, and the strength of his resolve startles his mother. She sits back to look at her son - to really look at him - and though he is smiling sadly at her, she knows there is no changing his mind. <I>“I will always be judged for my appearance up there, but here... I am whole. I am weak in life, but Mother, you are so much stronger than I. You have the power to help fix the world - I don’t. Please. For the sake of my brother and sisters, go back and make the world a better place.”</I>
With a sob, Cress buries her head in his neck once more. “You are the purest thing I have ever created, my son,” she murmurs, tears soaking his red coat. “I will find the strength, and I will make sure you come home.”
infected.