it's a mystery to me

we have a greed with which we have agreed. you think you have to want more than you need; until you have it all you won't be free. and when you think more than you want, your thoughts begin to bleed.

When twilight comes and Sickle does not return with it, Wishbone’s worry intensifies. The glowing, jagged scar across her chest prickles uneasily, a physical reminder of Gale’s presence. He had known to look in Tephra, had seemingly understood that the twins could be somewhere under the watchful eyes of the volcano, and Wishbone’s anxiety has only increased since his visit.

She has tried to watch them more carefully, tried to convince them to stay close to her — if not her, then at least Tephra. But Sickle and Malik are adventurous, daredevil children, and Wishbone finds it difficult to keep track of them. The twins often disappear for the day, even with Malou’s help watching them, and Wishbone feels as though her heart might stop at any moment in the hours where she doesn’t see them.

They’ve almost always returned back to her at night, as she’s asked. Wishbone knows that the Curse controls Gale whenever it wants now, and keeping them close at night means very little when they could easily be hurt during the day. And when only Malik returns, confusion blossoming on his little face, Wishbone feels her chest tighten as her worst fear begins to come true.

She’s only an hour into her search when Sickle’s blue companion streaks through the trees to reach her. It doesn’t take Wishbone long to follow the phoenix and the pair hurry to where Sickle’s wolf pup body curls on the ground. “Oh, sweetheart,” the purple mare croons, seeing the way her daughter’s shoulders rise and fall. At the same moment, she recognizes the bitter tang of blood in the air, and the streaks of it dried on Sickle’s skin. Wishbone lets out a gasp and begins nosing the girl all over, inspecting where the blood might be coming from.

When she doesn’t find a wound, the purple mare kneels at Sickle’s side and pulls the girl closer. “You’re okay, Sickle. You’re safe. I’m here,” she hums, running her muzzle across Sickle’s flat wolf head to comfort her.

it's a mystery to me

we have a greed with which we have agreed. you think you have to want more than you need; until you have it all you won't be free. and when you think more than you want, your thoughts begin to bleed.

Wishbone aches to know what happened to Sickle, but she thinks she might know the answer and it’s more important that she comfort the girl first. Clearly the experience was traumatizing, Wishbone can see that just by the way Sickle curls into her side and soaks her shoulder with tears. She remains patient and quiet, running her nose back and forth across Sickle’s head and whispering soothing words until her daughter has spent her tears.

As Sickle begins speaking, Wishbone feels heat flash across her skin. For a moment, there are too many emotions for her to name. Anger is the first one she can put down, mainly because it is the one that glows the brightest. She is so incredibly angry — at the Curse for threatening and harming children, at Mazikeen and Gale for bringing children into a dangerous relationship, at the world for the seemingly unrelenting darkness — but she is most angry with herself. It is her job to protect Malik and Sickle, and she had promised Mazikeen just that when they’d arrived in Tephra.

Whether the blood stained on Sickle’s blue skin is the girl’s or not, Wishbone can clearly see that she’s failed. She hasn’t protected the twins like she swore to do, and now they are getting caught in the crossfire of their parents’ love. There is one thing Wishbone’s proud of: she has loved Sickle and Malik as her own children. The sorrow that washes over her anger is evidence of that undying love.

Wishbone curls her neck around to hold Sickle close, her glowing eyes closing as her heart tightens in her chest. The twins are innocent in all this chaos, and the blue girl doesn’t deserve to experience the confusion and fear she must feel now. Wishbone contemplates telling Sickle the whole truth, but she quickly decides against it. For the girl to learn that her father is not all she expected and that Wishbone isn’t her blood mother would certainly be the final crack into whatever’s holding Sickle together.

So she answers her daughter’s question with as much honesty as she can muster. “No, he wasn’t. He used to be kind and friendly. But there is a curse that has been in his family for a long time, and your dad has that curse now. It turned him into someone mean and dangerous.” Wishbone opens her eyes again and moves her head to look down at Sickle. “You and Malik came to Tephra with me so I could protect you from him. I’m so sorry I failed you.” Wishbone’s never been one to cry, but she finds tears are softly trickling down her cheeks now. “I’m going to try even harder to keep you and your brother safe.” Her rough, honey-whiskey voice cracks at this promise, and Wishbone is quiet for a moment before saying, “Are you hurt, sweet girl?”

it's a mystery to me

we have a greed with which we have agreed. you think you have to want more than you need; until you have it all you won't be free. and when you think more than you want, your thoughts begin to bleed.

Relief floods her when Sickle admits she isn’t hurt, and Wishbone presses a kiss to the top of the girl’s head. “I’m glad you’re safe,” she says quietly into the girl’s soft mane. At least there is this one small thing that might bring her peace tonight. Although she thinks she’s failed the twins by letting Gale into Tephra so easily, there is some comfort in knowing that Sickle is uninjured in the process.

And there is more relief when her daughter mentions Gale and Mazikeen fighting. Although Sabal hadn’t brought the best news, Wishbone feels a tendril of happiness knowing that her friend is still alive and well enough to fight Gale. The purple mare thinks the drive to protect her children hasn’t left Mazikeen (though she doesn’t know of what happened past their fighting, of the bloodshed and manipulation that occurred after), and Wishbone wonders if there will be a day when her friend might have the family she’s wanted.

At Sickle’s question, Wishbone’s heart tightens and her stomach drops simultaneously. The ways of the Curse seem to shift with each generation, and the question in her daughter’s mind has been in hers as well. It has been passed from father to son, but there’s been no way to predict who receives the Curse next. Wishbone recalls the numerous sons Wolfbane had with Lepis, and she’s pretty sure Gale is not their firstborn. So the Curse could land on Malik, or it could change and fall upon Sickle. Or if, heaven forbid, Gale and Mazikeen had more children, the Curse could attach itself to them.

She decides that there’s no good way to answer her daughter’s question. She knows Sickle needs reassurance and comfort at this moment, but Wishbone would have to lie to give her those things. She’s keeping a secret from them already, and she’s unwilling to tell any others needlessly. Besides, Sickle has just gotten a taste of the real world, which isn’t very friendly to soft-hearted individuals, and Wishbone knows she won’t be able to protect them from harsh realities forever. “I don’t know. The Curse doesn’t do everything the same way. But it’s best that you and Malik know, and we can all work together to make sure it doesn’t happen.”