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 Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:23 am
Miranda wasn’t entirely certain where she should begin. She had always been quite good at telling stories but this wasn’t like the works of fantasy that she created nor was it like the oral histories she knew. This had happened. It had happened to her, her family, her friends… it had happened to everyone she knew and cared for. Miranda took a breath and looked off into the distance, she couldn’t deliver this while facing the stallion, she didn’t want to see his face when he heard her words.
“I suppose…” She began slowly, voice soft and strangely hollow sounding. “The best place to start is at the beginning…”
Malcolm nodded his head in agreement and encouragement but said nothing until he realized that she was not looking at him. “Take your time. Say everything you need to say.” He offered wishing that he had more useful advice to give Midnight. He had seen horrors of his own but whatever was haunting this mare seemed to go far beyond your first mate leaving you after a miscarriage. He would have to be careful not to say the wrong thing. Whatever was going through the mare’s mind, it seemed to be held in a fragile balance.
((Note to HG if you are reading this: The first mate is not in reference to Faline. Malcolm had a canonical mate before I bought him at soquili who left him on his own in the desert.))
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:01 am
Malcolm would have been better off saying nothing, for Midnight was far away now. Her mind was lost in events of the past both recent and distant. A pained smile settled on her face.
“I come from a land far from here. Not so far that it can’t be found but it is not a trip to take lightly.” Her eyes glazed over as she spoke. “We had lakes. Beautiful crystal pools of water all over in a valley surrounded by cliffs. There were trees everywhere; great, green, leafy trees that were full of families of birds and squirrels. We all lived in peace, my herd and the animals. It was such a cheerful, happy place. Some of the elders even called it “Paradise.”” Midnight laughed just long enough for the sound to turn bitter.
“We had thought we were safe. The way into the valley had always been concealed so we’d never bothered with guards. It was a mistake. They came for us one night while we were celebrating my little sister’s coming of age.” Midnight turned her gaze to the sky and took on a chastising tone. “We hadn’t even known such creatures existed. One moment they were simply horses in animal costume… then they were beasts; vicious, blood thirsty beasts that attacked us as well as those of their own kind.” Midnight began to tremble. She could smell the blood in the air and hear the screams of those lost.
“A few tried to fight, but we’d never had to before. The most dangerous thing we’d ever seen was a porcupine with a bad temper. I ran with my sister and the rest of my herd for the passage out of the valley. They were waiting for us. I wanted to fly away but… Miranda… she can’t… she couldn’t.” Tears began to slip from her golden eyes. “I got her into the passage while the beasts weren’t looking… but they saw me. I had to fly away. Things were no better in the air; two giant hawks came after us, faster than any of us could fly. The tore off the wings of my herd members and sent them crashing to the ground. I did all I could think to do… I shrank to pass by unseen.” Midnight stopped for several minutes to compose herself.
“I left them all to die.” She said quietly still staring at the sky. “All of them. Gone now… because of those monsters.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:12 am
The longer Midnight’s story went on the sicker Malcolm began to feel. What Midnight was describing was both unusual and all too familiar to Malcolm. The beasts she was describing were known as skinwalkers in these parts. They were as much of a plague on the land as the kalona were. But kalona at least stood a chance at redemption whereas skinwalkers were always monsters. He had never heard of skinwalkers attacking in such a group before though. Skinwalkers weren’t known for their ability to work cooperatively, though if Midnight’s story was anything to go by they weren’t behaving in any cooperative manner. She had said that they had also been attacking each other. If they had all agreed to attack this one herd it had been a loose alliance at best. Malcolm wouldn’t have been surprised if most of the walkers had died in the attack just from infighting.
That still left Midnight. Alone in the world and suffering from guilt in the worst way. “You did… everything that you could have done.” Malcolm offered not daring to step towards the mare. It wouldn’t be good to startle her.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 10:57 am
Midnight let out a choked sob as she shook her head frantically. He was wrong. He was so wrong. She could have done more. She could have gone into the tunnels from the other side to look for her sister and other survivors. She could have stayed and fought to help the others. She could have done so many things that she didn’t do all because she was frightened. She was frightened then and she was still frightened now even though she had come so far away. It was like she could still hear their cries on the wind chasing her even here.
“No… no!” She cried stomping into the ground. “You do not know that! You were not there! They… they weren’t your family!” Midnight knew that she wasn’t being fair. The stallion was only trying to help. He had only ever tried to help her… and perhaps she was not ready for assistance. She had been wrong to speak. She wasn’t ready for the truth to be voiced. She still needed time to process. She looked to the sky, she wasn’t ready to travel far but she didn’t need to go far. She only needed to get away from him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:08 am
Malcolm knew immediately that he had misspoken. His words had only made things worse rather than helping. Judging by what she was saying now he had been wrong to try to get an answer from her at all. She was panicking now and Malcolm worried that she might do something rash and hurt herself.
“Midnight.” He said gently risking a step forward now. “Midnight you need to rest.” He had no idea what he was doing. There was nothing in his life that had prepared him for such circumstances. He’d dealt with characters that hadn’t wanted his help before but they had been aggressive in denying it and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Midnight seemed frayed and fragile and incapable of looking after herself right now. She was also looking like she might take off at any second despite this.
“Midnight, please… come rest for a while and recover your strength.” He sounded nervous even to his own ears.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:17 am
Midnight could hear Malcolm. She knew he was making sense but she simply couldn’t bring herself to care. She needed to be alone. She needed time to grieve for her people without others looking in on her. She needed to spend entire days weeping until her tears ran dry and she could not do that here.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… but please don’t look for me.” She said before shrinking down to the size of a large dragonfly before fluttering away. She knew it was far too soon, she could feel it in her bones but it wouldn’t stop her. She would go as far as she could and then mourn properly wherever she fell.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:29 am
“Midnight…” Malcolm started to say just as she shrank down. “No!” He took a few steps closer before stopping. She had asked him not to follow. For a moment he could still see her but as she moved away he began to have trouble following the white speck. He knew which direction she had gone. Malcolm knew that if he walked he would be able to follow after her with few complications, but should he? She didn’t want him around. He stood debating for a few more moments before racing off in the direction Midnight had gone. He kept his eyes peeled for signs of white in the distance.
He caught a glimpse of something off to the left and rand towards it, the closer he got the more he realized his mistake. A butterfly. He had run after a butterfly. Malcolm lifted his head and looked around even knowing that it was hopeless. There was no way he was going to find her. He had been mistaken.
“Please…” He said inclining his head to the sky. “Please keep her safe where I could not.” It was a prayer for the spirits. One that he would never know if it had worked or not.
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