-Oh my love, don't forsake me; Take what the water gave me-
Gryffen’s powers, much like everyone else’s, had their limitations. When Circinae had stepped into the stunning grip of that red stare it had been with partial curiosity over what the wraith could really do. Mind-altering, that’s how she would label it - mind-altering and beneficial for the one seeking answers. What she most certainly had not expected was how dually beneficial such a vision quest could be.
The King of Sylva knew her mind, yes, her desires and wishes brought to life in the shape of Ruan and his ‘daughter’, Heda, but what he couldn’t puzzle out was why she had wanted it that way. That milk-white brow would often furrow when his attention was brought to her and it made the little wolf smile; she liked to keep the odd stallion on his toes. Assuredly her choice to leave was strange to him - if she had wanted Heda’s destruction, who better to follow? That’s just the thing, though; she had never wanted their demise, or their death.
What she had wanted was to wear their crowns, to watch them brought low with humility and shame.
“A mirror always reflects the truth.” She ponders, topping the rise of a pleasantly-warmed hillock that gave her a stunning overlook of Hyaline. Below her, the verdant pastures of her homeland stretched to touch the bowl of mountains that was their make-shift border, while at its epicenter the great lake rested peacefully. Her bright eyes scan the tops of trees, glide over the jagged rises and slopes, and then fall to where Jah-Lilah waits patiently for her return. It is in that moment her ruby love jerks to attention, rounding with a shrill call that brings the easy tug of a smile to her bloodied lips.
Down the incline, weaving with practised ease through mountain laurel and twisted underbrush, the nimble predator finds her way to the pair. They’re picturesque - so sweet and lovely that her heart seems near to bursting as she trots easily onto the scene. “Jah! Nyxa!” She barks in greeting, wagging a darkly plumed tail in welcome before shifting upwards into horse. Her babe, growing in leaps and bounds, rushes to meet her on spindly legs that cannot stop the crash of her thin body as it slams against her mother’s. “OOF, hello to you too, little one.” Circy laughs, bracing against the impact before lowering a curious eye to her daughter’s mane.
“What’s this? Some body art, I see? And so young! Tsk.” The mother chides playfully, lipping the airy feathers woven with love. A kiss here, a rub there, and then she brushes past her little girl to greet Jah-Lilah with a hushed, warm embrace of her own. “The hunt was good today,” She relates, pulling gently back, “an unlucky pair of quail met their match.” She chuckles lightly, snapping her teeth together in mock play. Fascinated by this mimicry, Nyxa pokes a curious head around to stare up at both mares with puzzled, amethyst-colored eyes. “Whassa Quail, Momma? And why did you eat one?”
Circy laughs. “You’ll know soon enough, little pup.” She teases with a wink, “but first why don’t you tell me what you and Aunty Jah have been up to, hmm? Have you been practicing with your fangs?” The viridian mare asks, head rising to wait for either her daughter or Spark-and-Flame to speak.
Circinae
