The quiet of the wintery afternoon washed over Vi as she clumsily waded through the prickly seagrass. Milk stained eyes searched the path before her helplessly as she tried to make sense of the shadows that made up the remainder of her vision. As the ground beneath her shifted downward she stumbled slightly before catching herself, the lump in her throat thickening only momentarily before she pressed onward. Her dark ears chased the melodic songs of seabirds as they dove and spiraled above. Finding comfort in the soft thumping of their wings against the air, Vi attempted to forget the heaviness of her heart.
Her memory had slowly begun to return. Simple things like, the names of her parents and their faces had arrived to her almost immediately – giving her hope and a reason to remain. Visions of her childhood swarmed almost every waking moment and she clung to them with the hope that she could soon provide her mother with the answers she so desperately sought. Understandably, her disappearance had pained both of her parents though, before the world went dark, she’d believed them to be dead. Their revival was just as much of a shock to her as she imagined her return was for them. Though questions pressed on her from every angle, she forced them out of consideration. Choosing, instead, to focus on her gratitude for being reunited with them.
Around her unfamiliar voices and scents tormented her constantly. It was enough to send her retreating back to her comfortable corner secluded from the main population. Despite her greatest efforts she was finding it difficult to embrace the new land that Scorch seemed to loyal too. The mare even dared to refer to the queen, Hestia, as the new Khaleesi.
But it was not home.
The jungle was gone. Vi understood that, but the reality stung nonetheless. The memories she held having grown up among the towering tropical trees and the suffocating humidity made the barren land of Nerine more difficult to accept. The only comfort within it’s borders was her family’s residency there.
The gentle thudding of hooves against hard packed earth drew Vi’s pace to a halt. Turning the point of her ears towards the sound she froze in anticipation as the clump of shadows drew closer. The deep, thunderous voice that greeting her eardrums set her insides trembling.
“Father…” she echoed, her voice barely rising above a whisper. His had been the voice she’d longed to hear since Scorch had brought her to Nerine. His was the comfort that she desperately needed. Feeling his warmth beside her she leaned close, resting her weight against him as a sob shook her body. “I – I’m so sorry!”
She wasn’t sure why, but the sudden need for her to apologize rose up from the depths of her and the words spilled from the velvet of her lips hardly without them meaning to. As the apology drifted between them a sudden weight felt lifted off her shoulders and she buried her face deeper into the soft of his neck.
VI
lights will guide you home
@[Hestoni]