[open] dark clouds will follow -- any

[Avelina]

Avelina does not have the bravery that runs strongly in her family, none of the ferocity. She wants to believe that Skandar is sorry, and she is ready to forgive him before he even asks. Ready to do whatever it is that she can to help him. She thinks nothing of when he moves towards her, though her fireflies become agitated but she doesn’t notice. They do not land on him like they do with Isakov, don’t dance circles like they do around Cinona. They do not want her near him but of course she goes, what else can she do? One moment she is moving to accept what she’s sure will be an embrace - a peaceful smile on her face, so glad to be putting the past behind them. Her soft green eyes flutter closed for only the shortest of moments before pain erupts in her shoulder and she begins to scream before they are even fully open. She sees the beams of light coming from Skandar’s eyes, hears his cruel words and the pleasure on his face as he says them as she scrambles away from him. She clamps her mouth closed, cutting off the sounds, but pain beyond anything she’s experienced is not so easily shut off and she begins to cry. The sobs are choked by her stubborn refusal to open her mouth, an instinct born out of shock. Like if she stays quiet, he won't hurt her again. Avelina may not be brave, but there are instincts in her blood and just like the last time he had hurt her she becomes a black panther - her teeth bared but out of fear. The scars he had given her the last time they met are more visible in this form, spaces in the black fur where he had bitten her. She can’t even form that one syllable question this time - why - because that question doesn’t matter. Not the second time. He had done this because he wanted to. And this sweet charcoal mare cannot even compute such a mind. It stalls out her rational mind and the twin wounds are burning on her shoulder as she hisses at him - unable to even get out any words at all as she begins to back up. Thinking now only of getting to her family, to Isakov and to the kind world she’s created free of Skandar.

@Skandar