everything we are, it just went away
with a slide of the tongue and a sour taste
She wanders the shoreline on this warm spring day, watching her daughters splash in and out of the waves. The thought of them playing in the water terrifies her – there are things in the ocean, after all – but she lets them continue with their games. Her tiny lion cubs are strong and smart, and though they may be little, they have proven their ferocity. She has multiple cuts from their razor-sharp claws, left from them tumbling over her while she rests, and her bear is missing so much fur that she wonders, when she shifts, if it looks like she has mange along her spine and barrel.
It has been several months now since Kagerus and Solace have left them, retreating into the mountains to protect Solace’s fragile health. She has not met the girl but she knows that they had welcomed a daughter into the world, and she can’t help but wonder if that girl will bring them forth from their seclusion. She misses their serenity and guidance so much already – she isn’t sure if she’s quite ready for the tasks laid ahead of her, but for their sake she has to carry on. They needed someone to carry on their legacy, to help the Sanctuary flourish, and she desperately wants Clayton and herself to do a good job.
Lost in her thoughts, she feels the sand give way to dirt under her hooves, and then grass. Turning, she looks back to her daughters with a smile, and whinnies to get their attention. They whip in her direction and tumble her way, giggling and shrieking as they tumble over each other. Austra collides with Dawn suddenly and the mare stumbles, chuckling as she catches herself and nudges her daughter. “Careful, girls,” she tells them, smiling as they scamper about her, playing games only sisters can come up with.
She is about to turn away from the beach and head deeper into the Cove when a golden figure catches her eye on the black sand beach, and she stares at it curiously. It’s a foal, not much older than her girls... alone?
Without a second thought she breaks into a trot, eyes full of concern as she approaches the filly. She is unmistakable – she looks so much like her older brother, and both of her mothers. “Where are your mothers?” she calls to the girl as she approaches, dipping her nose to nudge along the filly’s back. “Are you hurt? Can I help you?”
Dawn
oh, it's gonna be a long night
@[Oriash] @[isilme] if you wanna pop in too since the girls are with her
