Ungrateful little worms. The both of them. Astri had sacrificed a life of her own so that she might breathe some into her children and what have they given her in return? Only wasted years and unfulfilled promises. She could spit in her madness. Instead she grumbles under her breath and weaves through the brackish growth of the forest, wondering why her fellow equines even needed this much seclusion. As if secrets and forbidden meetings could be concealed from the world by the makings of a few trees. It was absurd that Dacia would come here thinking that the elder green mare wouldn’t seek her out. The Chamber was a living forest itself - Astri knew her way around the woods.

But then again, that’s probably why Dacia had come here in the first place. Some part of her willful daughter wanted to be found, and Astri was to blame for that. She’d clearly spoiled the filly, given her some unrealistic expectations about her place in this world. It was probably her daughter's intentions to be found entangled with some horrible excuse of a stallion just so that she could have excitement in her life. Astri wonders where she went wrong. With a defeated sigh the matriarch of the strange little blue-green Chamber trio descends into the heart of the wood, wondering if she can retrieve her young look-alike before the girl really got herself into a mess.

With Dacia, one could never be sure. Of course, this would be easier if she had the help of her son, Lupei, but there was another waste of flesh. He was too tangled up in his own power, too interested in the ways of nature. Men … what a species unchanged. With the flick of a single ear she slows to a halt, sensing that there’s movement ahead. “Dacia!” She calls out, the irritation in her voice straining the word. “Enough of your attitude. Come out and face me.”

Her eyes, never agreeing in their color, narrow on the spot ahead where she was certain she heard something. If it is not Dacia, then oh well, she would scream at woodland creatures all she liked. But she was certain that nothing else would come out this far. Her jade tail is restless, and a for a brief moment, Astri feels uneasy.

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She knows (with some sort of terrifying certainty) that he will be the end of her. The faint shimmer of gold in his coat is illuminated by the scattered light that breaks through the broad leaves above them, and Astri sees him as some sort of angel, almost. With certainty he edges forward - the steps of a creature who knows he’s caught his prey. Each footfall deliberate and soft. She cannot escape him, and he’s well aware of that. Inwardly, she blames herself. The Chamber had gifted her with wings and she had refused them, finding the things cumbersome and awkward on a body born without them. To think, if she had kept them, this might have only been a casual encounter. But not now, not with the unthinkable lust that’s reflected in his gaze.

He questions her, and like a weary lioness who’s encountered a rogue male one too many times she hold her tongue, feeling her lip curl involuntarily with spite. Her daughter’s name in his mouth turns the word to ash. He edges closer, and Astri is careful not to move, not to betray the thundering pace of her own heart. He was enjoying this - enjoying her, and the smooth firmness of his horn against her cheek told her that she was his plaything now. Only a means to an end. “I’ve given life to things more terrible than you.” She whispers, feeling his absence the moment he steps away.

Her eyes lock with his, and his power overtakes her.

There is nothing to describe what she sees, only the outward reaction from her terror gives an idea of what she experiences. Her eyes roll into her skull, the sclera giving her a ghastly face. Her muscles seize, neck contorting to twist her head sideways as her mouth snaps open to release a thin, high scream. The effect is momentary, but the memory is there now. Astri cannot escape. She feels her heart near to bursting, feels her mouth form words that come out as a cry for relief, for him to stop. Her eyes rolls back, pupils wide and whites exposed, and she sees - only for a second - Dacia in the wood far from them, lingering with terror in her eyes, watching. But in an instant her daughter is gone.

She’s soaked in her own sweat, panting from the exertion of her body in that terrible moment. Astri is not herself anymore. With a feral cry she stumbles forward into her own end, teeth exposed in a weak attempt to attack him. “Free me.” She thinks, because she cannot speak anymore. Death is now a welcomed friend, a sweet embrace to shield her from what he’s done to her. “Bastard.” She whispers, closing her eyes.

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Here lies Astri, Mother of a fire wolf, Mother of a colorless child. She loved none, admired many, and remained loyal to her kingdom until death. Truly a mare of her own means, she would have wanted it to end this way. - Into this world alone, out of this world alone -

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