There is my mind, there is my heart.
It amazes her how well this mare is able to read her. Kagerus knows what Kylin wants and needs even before she knows it herself. She melts into the piebald’s side, her fin between their bodies, partially concealing her hips, but they are not long enough to cover the sharpness of her too pointy hip. Easy like that, Kagerus fills the void that has been left by those before her.
All Kagerus lacks is a pair of wings to drape across Kylin’s back, to tug her close and shelter her from the big bad world.
No. Kagerus is not Kharon. And that is for the good of it. Kylin remembers vividly how she had thought Klaudius was Kharon, and it hadn’t done her any good. Maybe she could use some change, like the one Kagerus is offering her right now.
She does not protest, but instead finds herself nodding. Kagerus says Hyaline would welcome her, and Kylin trusts her, even without her word for it. The corner of her lips curl every so slightly, and hope returns just like that. Hope she hasn’t had in a long while.
The trip from Ischia to Hyaline is not easy. She is leaving behind her home – god knows for how long – while she is not in a fit condition to travel. She’s weakened, emotional and broken. Not used to travel long distances, and neither to the cold. The further they leave Ischia behind them, the colder it becomes. And when the reach Hyaline, it’s even snowing. Kylin does not know if she should be delighted or terrified. The white little specks are cold upon her back, make her shiver and pull her fins tighter against her sides, but they do nothing to keep her warm.
Kagerus does, the right sight of her body doesn’t feel gold. The mare pressed against her side shields her from the wind, and their close bodies make sure to keep the heat between them. But Kagerus cannot be both on her left and right side, leaving the left unprotected and vulnerable to the cold. Something Kagerus soon makes her forget.
”It has been a while..” she mumbles softly, her dished head lifting as her hazel eyes glance around, taking in everything she sees. Her lips curl, and both her lavender ears perk forward. Hyaline hadn’t changed one bit, except for the winter that holds her in its grasp. ”She’s still beautiful” Kylin softly speaks, tilting her head a little to glance at Kagerus with a small smile. ”Though I prefer the lake not frozen.”
Kylin reaches out to press the velvet of her muzzle against the corner of Kagerus’ mouth, still smiling, but soon she finds herself glancing around again. She is eager to move towards the lake, frozen or not, because the water naturally calls to her. Father hadn’t picked Hyaline as a home for their family for nothing, though it had only lasted short. ”Can we go there?”