It was nearly a fortnight before that Sybella and Lyle parted ways, the fruit of their unexpected left in his 'ample' hands.
But a fortnight can bring many surprises.
When Lyle packed up his sweet daughter in a self-made sling, it was beside the ashes of what had once been their home. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, letting the centaur release his worldly possessions and head out, unafraid; after all, not many could say that their house had been torched by lightning. It didn't stop his feet from quivering as he stepped off of his property for what had to be the first time in the past fifteen years, nor the tears from gathering in his eyes. It may have been a blessing, but it was unnecessary and unwelcome in his life; the rainbow centaur couldn't recall a time when he had wanted to leave his comfortable home, the tiny place that had kept him safe for all those years, the sweet old cervitaur who brought him dried meats and cheese and, every now and again, invited herself over to cook him a hot meal.
I don't need hot meals... he hissed internally, spite bubbling up at a blameless passer-by. I need my home back... He couldn't help the way the tears fell freely as he reached the quiet of the woods, heart racing as he tried desperately to keep his site upon the ground -the uninteresting, unchanging ground- but even that betrayed him, small paths leading him down the wrong direction, roots and brambles appearing in the corner of his vision, small rodents making him rear and shriek in terror. The sooner this was over, the better. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could settle in a private little hole somewhere and wish the world away.
It took him two heart-stopping weeks to arrive at the beach that Sybella called her home, and he nearly collapsed at her doorstep. If you could call it that. Having hoped for a normal, calm, quiet, sheltered respite from his perilous and unwanted adventure, Lyle was disappointed to find the centauress sprawled upon the beach, looking pleased and... was she sleeping? OUTSIDE? Shuddering at the thought, he calmly approached his one-night mistress, laying a hand gently upon her shoulder in the hopes of rousing her. "Um... Sy-Sybella? I'm afraid I have some bad news. O-our daughter's fine, I mean, nothing's wrong with her, just... I... I can't care for her anymore, my... house is gone, I'm afraid."
