If this is to end in fire then we should all burn together
Stupid. It was stupid, letting himself get distracted and tangled up in some guy he didn’t even know. Drow needed to be smarter than that, needed to not make the same mistakes he’d made with Zurry. Get all hot and bothered over some guy who didn’t know him from Carnage, throw his whole damn life into a relationship that was only going to end in broken hearts and devastation. It was time to just…to just give up on love. All it did was ruin lives, and his life had seen more than enough ruin.
He needed to let go, to give up all the bullshit and the drama and the way it all got tangled up in his head, and get back to what was true. Solid ground beneath four massive hooves, the breeze running through his thick, tangled silver-white mane and tail, hot sun shining down on a not-quite-midnight-dark coat, the warmth seeping into his muscles. The rhythm of his heartbeat at rest, and how it changed when he went from a stand-still to a walk, from a walk to a full-out run. The beat of his hooves pounding the earth, the way the impact of each step echoed up his legs and through his whole body. The smell of fresh green grass with each heavy breath, the way the world started to blur with his speed.
That was truth.
That was real.
That was being alive.
It was a long while before he slowed, lathered and panting, his muscles aching in all the right ways. It was good to remember. He walked farther still, cooling himself down until the sweat had dried and his breathing was back to normal before he stopped for a drink. The water was cool and refreshing, and he waded into the stream, his whole mind focused on the feel of the current on his legs, playing with his thick dark brown-black feathering, the way it caressed his skin. He pawed at the water, eyes drifting closed as it splashed up at him, hitting his legs, his belly. A soft smile on his scarred face, he lowered himself into the water and rolled in it, soaking himself before settling down in the stream and tossing his head, playing with the water in a way he hadn’t since he was a little kid. Fuck the rest, at least for a little while. This was life. And he’d needed the reminder.
He needed to let go, to give up all the bullshit and the drama and the way it all got tangled up in his head, and get back to what was true. Solid ground beneath four massive hooves, the breeze running through his thick, tangled silver-white mane and tail, hot sun shining down on a not-quite-midnight-dark coat, the warmth seeping into his muscles. The rhythm of his heartbeat at rest, and how it changed when he went from a stand-still to a walk, from a walk to a full-out run. The beat of his hooves pounding the earth, the way the impact of each step echoed up his legs and through his whole body. The smell of fresh green grass with each heavy breath, the way the world started to blur with his speed.
That was truth.
That was real.
That was being alive.
It was a long while before he slowed, lathered and panting, his muscles aching in all the right ways. It was good to remember. He walked farther still, cooling himself down until the sweat had dried and his breathing was back to normal before he stopped for a drink. The water was cool and refreshing, and he waded into the stream, his whole mind focused on the feel of the current on his legs, playing with his thick dark brown-black feathering, the way it caressed his skin. He pawed at the water, eyes drifting closed as it splashed up at him, hitting his legs, his belly. A soft smile on his scarred face, he lowered himself into the water and rolled in it, soaking himself before settling down in the stream and tossing his head, playing with the water in a way he hadn’t since he was a little kid. Fuck the rest, at least for a little while. This was life. And he’d needed the reminder.
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Drow