[private] I can feel the paradise before my world implodes

[Malik]

The scent of flowers is heavy in the wind, carried across the vast expanse of water from the distant western islands. Malik stands at the edge of the forest, looking out at the sea that covers what had once been a far-flung kingdom. Beside him, a powerfully-built griffin sits with his feathered leonine tail curled around heavy paws, beaked head nearly level with Malik’ shoulder.

The griffin purrs softly, a contrast to the dark storm that inhabits the thoughts of his companion. The young stallion’s gaze has not shifted from the far-distant shore, but his bicolored eyes are not truly seeing anything. Instead, he is thinking of the future, and of the danger that lies ahead of him. Somewhere over there, wherever Islandres is. That’s where the threat lies.

The skin along his neck is no longer tender where his father had ripped it open, but the hair has not yet fully grown over the scar. It is the only visible mark on his dark body, as the glowing stripes are dimmer than the spring sunshine that illuminates the edge of the woods. Only as clouds pass are they visible on both of the black creatures, and in the shadows the light that emanates from the core of Malik’s broken horn shines all the brighter.

The young stallion scowls, rolling his feathered shoulders, and kicks at the water’s edge with a dark hoof.

@bolder