[open] Beneath his feet, beneath the moon // Venge-pony, any

[Indius]

I KNOW I NEED US MORE THAN I NEED ME

What should clatter falls silent, dampened by the intimate cloak of snow draped across this barren landscape. In distant crags, fresh blood splatters set into freezing, the body of the kill picked bare by the scavenging birds swirling overhead. I watch their movements with upturned eyes. The glide of their trajectory, so seamless, reminds me of Iri's liquid dreams, of how I could lean into them and lose myself in their unbeating embrace.

The caw of a bird above shreds through my reverie and I find myself grounded again, yet unrelieved of the ache in my chest. I yearn for my sister. When I close my eyes, I can summon the ghost of her, the chestnut painted hide and the downy wings at her side, but this minds-eye illusion escapes me in a breath, leaving me more lonesome than before. Iridian, I thin—k— - no, I pray - Wherever you are ... I love you. I'm sorry.

Feeling alone in my entirety, bereft of the core of myself with whom I grew in the womb, I once again lift my chin. This time, though, my crystalline eyes slip closed, and in their place, my lips split open. For some time, the steam of my breath alone occupies the air above me, swirling and arcing and eventually dissipating in the wind. When at long last the song comes to me, I unleash it with all the pain in my being, allowing the echoes of my aching candor to lullaby me into total isolated abandon.

Indius

"" @Venge, any

"Siren song: the ability to emit a song or noise that is extremely enticing to those who hear it. It may compel others to approach the singer and view the singer as extremely attractive, but only if within hearing distance."