[mature] the everlasting ghost of what once was - kagerus - private

[Solace]

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Solace

Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.

Winter was coming to the mountains. The nights stretched longer which each passing day and Solace felt the cold like she never had before. Her children bustled around her and still, she remained apathetic.  She smiles at them, answered their question, and thanks them for their little gifts, of course, but her heart was not in it. 

They probably could sense that something was amiss, even if she never said it out loud. They were clever, these little princelings, too smart for their own good most the time. And her smile could only ever be bittersweet after Kagerus disappeared, leaving her with nothing but harsh words and painful questions. 

She wills herself not to turn over these questions now, as she herds her family into their shelters grotto. Once her little band of offspring is settled in and gently snoring, (no simple feat) Solace puts the entrance of their cave behind her. With soft steps, she removes herself from the tangle of children to seek the open air of the mountainside where she can finally be alone. 

Hyaline's Caretaker allows her facade to fall, lifting her pale eyes to the stars with a sigh from deep in her belly. The night is still, yet the bitter cold causes the little mare to pull the cloak of her wings tight around her shoulders - a sharp reminder of the lovers she has chased away. She will be back, Solace chides herself as the loneliness thrums fresh in her heart once again. 

She said she would be back. 

Solace tracks the crescent moon across the sky with lingering glances as the night passes, willing herself to sleep. Until an hour has slipped by, and she had forgotten to look up, and finally, finally, she relaxes into the dark arms of her standing sleep.