05-15-2019, 07:35 AM
The familiar hills of her homeland are gone, covered by thick walls of bramble and vine. Somewhere ahead - somewhere below - is her son. His shrill cries no longer echo in the cold winter air but she is certain they had come from this way. Her husband and friend behind left her, Lepis is heedless of anything but the search for her only wingless child. A flash of movement has her banking sharply, but it is a smaller boy. Not her own.
She gives him only a quick glance, meaning to soar past, but sees a flash of gold in the growing wall ahead of him and instead cuts down to the earth. The walls of the maze are not wide enough for her wingspan, but the pain of thorns against them is nothing. Nothing like the hot splash of fear and rage and helplessness at the sight of her Tiercel impaled in the poison wall. She joins Malone without thought, kicking and beating and biting at the vines – but too tough to eat means too tough to break and the only thing she frees is the blood in her face and forelegs where it drips from a dozen cuts.
“I’m here, baby.” She breathes, searching for his face in the tangle of thorns, “Momma’s here. I’ll get you out. I’ll get you out.” But she can’t, just like Starsin beside her can’t wake up the little starboy who’d fallen in his efforts to free Tiercel. Her voice is as soft as she can make it and she gives him each ounce of calm and every drop of hope she can. It leaves her with nothing, nothing but fear and fury and a coursing violent rage toward whomever had hurt her littlest boy.
She will free him, and then she will make them pay thrice over.
She gives him only a quick glance, meaning to soar past, but sees a flash of gold in the growing wall ahead of him and instead cuts down to the earth. The walls of the maze are not wide enough for her wingspan, but the pain of thorns against them is nothing. Nothing like the hot splash of fear and rage and helplessness at the sight of her Tiercel impaled in the poison wall. She joins Malone without thought, kicking and beating and biting at the vines – but too tough to eat means too tough to break and the only thing she frees is the blood in her face and forelegs where it drips from a dozen cuts.
“I’m here, baby.” She breathes, searching for his face in the tangle of thorns, “Momma’s here. I’ll get you out. I’ll get you out.” But she can’t, just like Starsin beside her can’t wake up the little starboy who’d fallen in his efforts to free Tiercel. Her voice is as soft as she can make it and she gives him each ounce of calm and every drop of hope she can. It leaves her with nothing, nothing but fear and fury and a coursing violent rage toward whomever had hurt her littlest boy.
She will free him, and then she will make them pay thrice over.
