|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:53 am
A sickly sweet scent wafted in the warm breeze, swaying greenery into a mosaic of polychromatic hues. Golden eyes watched them dance round and round, swaying faster and faster as for a split moment they almost seemed to lose their color altogether. The horseman only sighed and stretched his fingertips, brushing lightly along the petals of various flowers as though he could somehow soak their color in.
Mara.
His fingers curled suddenly back, as fruitless an endeavor as his search had been. It seemed she was the only thing on his mind since the incident. He refused to call it by name. It still made his chest rattle cold and his breath shallow, thinking of just what he had done ... What he had cost the clan ...
And the voices!
Ever since they had arrived back from the Haunted House he had begun to hear peculiar sounds. Soft whispers, hushed things barely within his range of hearing, that made him start and turn about. But when he looked, nothing was there. He couldn’t tell if they were really there at all, or only his own imagination gone wild from fear and shock. Even worse was the fact that he couldn’t discern what they were saying; for all he knew they could be gossiping to themselves of his failure as a horseman of the Four Clans, no - of the Lost Clans.
He sank his head into his hands, and tried his best not to notice. Moments passed, the breeze whistling through the Famine gardens as his eyes searched the ground for some sense of solace. All he could see in the soil of Halloween were the shifting desert sands of his own isle. His home, and how it was now nothing more than blackened ashes, and all because of him ... Because he wasn’t strong enough. Because he couldn’t protect anyone, he had failed. Failed. Failed. Failed.
The word repeated in his mind, underlaid with shifting voices, like the sound of an approaching sandstorm. It was useless.
He couldn’t stop this. Just as he couldn’t stop anything then. He was as much a failure now as the small boy with the broken wings. He had spent all that time in the heart of the Insanity, and not once had he realized just what it was. He had allowed it to consume him, to overpower his reason. How could he ...?? How?? ... He had hurt the ones he loved most.
The crimson flowers shifted, swirling in a colorful haze. The ones he loved ...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:55 am
A giggle startled him upright. Her voice, so light and airy, sent chills along his spine, but it warmed him to see the smile that lit her face, her tiny fingers as they wrapped about his wrist. “Come on silly, join us! You know you want to.”
The laughter that followed was like the bubbling waters of the cool oasis; clear and refreshing. He glanced past her, to the ring of clansmen now gathered round a large fire at the center of the room. Some were mingling to the side, others weaving in and out of the tunnel passageways, carrying fresh fruit and drinks to those gathered. But those at the center were already dancing, the cacophonous chime and jingle of jewelry creating a warm, vibrant song that only Famine could produce. It seemed like so much fun, he wanted to join in. He really did, but ... He stretched his wings, rotting limbs jagged in the dim cavern light. They would only get in the way. And the other boys, they would laugh. Laugh like they always did. Kiwi, the washed up dodo bird.
He sank back down. “Mara, I-”
But before he could say more she had him to his feet, spun round to face her with that adoring giggle. It surprised him how stout she was at times. She may have had more book smarts than battle-tact, but sometimes he wondered what kind of warrior she would make, had she chosen such a path.
“Don’t be so afraid,” she grinned, her fingers curling into his. “I’ll dance with you, then. How’s that??”
A jangle began near his feet, a sound that rose from her sandaled feet kicking the dust up around her, as she began to sway to one side, lifting an arm in the air above her. A sideways smile, and she began to coax him in the other direction, silently urging him to move with her. All he could do at first was stare, bewildered. And slowly, ever-slowly, he allowed himself to dance. He began to circle round in the opposite direction, careful to keep his ratty wings tucked in. Then back together, he joined hands with her as they twirled round and round, this sickly sweet aroma filling the air from the crown of red spiderlilies she wore for the occasion.
The song was winding down, and her tempo began to slow. One of the flowers bobbed down crookedly, swung about by the speed of the dance. He reached forward and brushed the red plant back in place, smiling softly as it settled across her pale brow.
“Thank you.” Her voice came quietly. He glanced down to her, the flush of her cheeks, and felt his face redden as well. She only giggled, palms covering her lips briefly. “Silly colt, they’re my favorite don't you know?? ...”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:59 am
His fingers clenched round the stem of one of the spindly crimson flowers, and he twirled it between his fingers. He couldn’t save anyone, least of all her. If he couldn’t even save her, then what good to the clan was he?? ... His fingers tightened round the plant, plucking it from it's stem. A second came along with it.
Mara, I may not be able to save you ... I may not be as strong as you thought. But as long as I live, I will not forget you, and I will not rest til I make amends for this. I’ll become a horseman that would make you and Mother and Father proud. I won’t forget.
His fingers worked the flowers, braiding them into his hair, into a small coronet of crimson petals.
He wouldn't rest til he put an end to this Insanity. For Mara, and the clan. And for himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
