03-21-2024, 04:09 PM
His curiosity about death has been a lingering thing since his early years. He has seen many succumb to it and many who have, magically or miraculously, defied it.
He supposed he could consider Umani’s death to be a little bit of both.
If they hadn't been at the foot of the Mountain, would she have been brought back? Would her vengeful sacrifice have still won her the favor of the fairies?
Pointless questions, really; he'd been taught long ago that chasing ‘what if’s was a fool’s folly.
“I am not uncomfortable,” he refutes her apology and the suggestion to the contrary. “In fact, what happened to you has reminded me of a tale my mother told me once.” It had been in his early youth, when he'd just grown large enough to partake in the battles she waged.
“She spoke of a bird wreathed in flame which never burned it,” he recounts, watching as the shadows play in the fresh grass beneath his hooves. “She said it was giant, that its song was pure and if it were to feel sorrow, its tears would heal all manner of wounds. Only if it were stricken from the sky did the fire ever touch its body. And yet, when the fire burned out, the bird would emerge anew.”
He pauses as he now looks skyward, imagining such a mythical creature in their midst. “It sounds very much like what I saw happen to you.” Doctor smirks a little, looking back at her curiously. “Except you aren't exactly a bird.” He snorts faintly.
“But what if you had those powers? The flight, the strength, the magical tears… You may have been able to save your son.” He can still remember what she'd shouted at the lion, the accusation that it had been the one to kill her foal.
“Would you have used those powers for him?” The answer may seem obvious to some but not quite so for Doctor. He'd been trained not to interfere with death.
He supposed he could consider Umani’s death to be a little bit of both.
If they hadn't been at the foot of the Mountain, would she have been brought back? Would her vengeful sacrifice have still won her the favor of the fairies?
Pointless questions, really; he'd been taught long ago that chasing ‘what if’s was a fool’s folly.
“I am not uncomfortable,” he refutes her apology and the suggestion to the contrary. “In fact, what happened to you has reminded me of a tale my mother told me once.” It had been in his early youth, when he'd just grown large enough to partake in the battles she waged.
“She spoke of a bird wreathed in flame which never burned it,” he recounts, watching as the shadows play in the fresh grass beneath his hooves. “She said it was giant, that its song was pure and if it were to feel sorrow, its tears would heal all manner of wounds. Only if it were stricken from the sky did the fire ever touch its body. And yet, when the fire burned out, the bird would emerge anew.”
He pauses as he now looks skyward, imagining such a mythical creature in their midst. “It sounds very much like what I saw happen to you.” Doctor smirks a little, looking back at her curiously. “Except you aren't exactly a bird.” He snorts faintly.
“But what if you had those powers? The flight, the strength, the magical tears… You may have been able to save your son.” He can still remember what she'd shouted at the lion, the accusation that it had been the one to kill her foal.
“Would you have used those powers for him?” The answer may seem obvious to some but not quite so for Doctor. He'd been trained not to interfere with death.
doctor
@Umani