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Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky (part 2) - Eleos - 07-28-2017
RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Zahra - 07-29-2017 Zahra & Ilham It was pride that turned angels into devils Why did she even care?… when barely one week before (had it been that long?), she’d wanted nothing at all to do with him.
Was that even true…?
So many confronting, confusing thoughts and emotions had been stirred to the surface of her cess-pool mind, gnawing, corroding the wretched soul underneath. Zahra had needed some time to think, to process the phenomenon which was his reincarnation; to adjust the basis of her understanding, to suit a whole new philosophy…
Perhaps it was hope, yearning and relief, sentiments that had been so lost in disease, that they were easily overlooked, undermined.
The winged girl had slipped from his company into the breath of those swirling, unfeeling shadows, intending entirely to descend into the refuge of isolation. The decision had come easily for the coward; it meant running, abandoning the cold, complicated face of reality and hiding from all that penetrated her brittle exterior to wound and scar her inner psyche. What she had not expected, was the rude slap of guilt forced down upon her before the sound of her own drumming heartbeat had been given a chance to settle.
She had left him there, weak (undeniably), vulnerable, without offering any insight into the unpredictable dangers that loomed beyond the face of that neon landscape - the breathing, walking forest and the intoxicating plants stretched beneath their towering arms, flesh-eating creatures and others whose strident screams turned the blood cold. Some small, stubborn piece of her, just couldn’t leave him to fall to the merciless hand of this treacherous world; she couldn’t let him die again.
And so from a distance she followed, stalked, watched.
As the time passed, they - he, seldom beyond the reach of her culpably attentive eye - descended still deeper into the bizarre contours of the rift, further even than she had been. There was a moment too when the resonating tone of her beloved sister’s voice rose above the turmoil in her mind to severe the ravelled web of noxious thought; ‘do not go on living…’ she'd murmured softly, weakly through their sickly, uncertain bond, ‘in the ashes of dead happiness.’ Ilham, ever the quiet mentor in her life (little Bird had been the brave), knew of, felt, and agonised over the torturous reunion, and sought to comfort as best she could.
Together they began to weave, concealed well from view by large golden leaves and breathtaking, velvet-grey trunks, sowing through the sticky, sun-spared days and long sleepless nights; the tiny bark spider compelled her older sibling to learn a new pattern, one that delved beyond the superficiality of just skill.
When it was finished (perhaps hours, maybe even days later), meticulous and without flaw, Zahra stepped at last from the murk of that evergreen jungle, hoof sinking through the clingy caress of sand as she made a slow path down his beach.
"Da?" She called softly, hesitantly, unsure whether the suddenness of her own appearance - now - would, in turn, be well received; never had she lashed out so brutally at another living soul and the fact that it had been her father that received the trueness of her hate, filled her all the more with shame. Those last hours had been spent too engrossed to follow his movement, and she wondered now, as wistful eyes drew a path both up and down the pale coast, whether her repentance had come too late… Note to Admin: Crafted: 1x tiny plush phoenix RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Eleos - 07-30-2017
RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Zahra - 07-31-2017 Zahra & Ilham It was pride that turned angels into devils
Torrid, remorseful tears are already bleeding from those downcast honeyed eyes when she stops before his beaten impression. Productive time has been spent in the days (surely), gone by, scouring the reservoir of faded, foggy memories, pursuing those which shed light on the relationship once held. Snippets, flashes of light and mirth – for a damp blanket of filth laid upon them - returned over time to soften her opinion and sever that loathing. Her felony was needless and unjust, and the expression now possessed, was riddled with that truth. Shoulders rolled freely as each heavy step pulled her a little nearer, liberated in absence of the metal collar now adorning him, yet ironically burdened with all the more weight. The neck sprouting from their smoky-black midst was sunk low in submission, respect, and the gaunt-looking face (still, perhaps better familiar to him now), wore not the savage lines of that previous ill-temper; while miserable, there was a sudden soft openness, with ears set forward above, rather than flush against tangled mane. Do not fear… Though the warmth of her sister’s gesture was readily felt, Zahra could nary help the wrath of anticipation from trembling down through her core – she shook violently. Without trace of contempt he came forward, covering the sloppy sand without the hesitation she’d expected; it only fuelled those frigid, cold nerves thrumming wickedly within. Did he not fear her? She did… Without a doubt the cold-hearted creature had proven her worth. Eyes wandered across his bold black front from their dismal elevation, daring yet south of that endless golden gaze; there was perhaps a limp, hindering that fore, bruised sinew at the point of her brutal impact - she too suffered the aftermath, though worked hard to conceal burning hurt. He moved in slow motion and her tenacity began to waver as the seconds crawled by; too soon, her heart pounded, but Ilham hummed through her mind with ever steady confidence. Once… these, reunions, had been won with vigour and childish glee. "Hi, Da…” Dull voice quivered out lifelessly from those whiskered, ebon lips. He welcomed her without reservation, extending plush, warm maw and a fuller tone than before, so that she might too, extend her own; a test? The introvert moved boldly (for the empathy seldom ventured out from those dark prison confines), brushing against the realness of his skin tensely, timidly, for he was no ghost… Wings clenched snug against lean, hot framework and she moved alongside him, walking, matching his similar stride without effort or regard. Chin swept unsurely to earth, grazing the silent sweep of salty sea as it rushed along the shore. "It’s…” she tried softly, demurely, striving for tenderness that had long been broken, "it’s no Hidden Falls…” A cheap, fleeting smile crossed her lips, but tears all the same, still pulsed from tired eyes. RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Eleos - 07-31-2017
RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Zahra - 08-01-2017 Zahra & Ilham It was pride that turned angels into devils
Grooves, trenches left in wake of each step forward (progression in every possible respect), lay merely for moments before the hungry tide of water rumbled ashore to wash them away. Like them, it would have been so much easier to vanish into the aether and continue a miserable life unchecked and unbroken. Things had changed though, taken her by surprise - watercolour skies after the storm - and perhaps there was some small spark of hope pinging through the bleak chemical imbalance in her brain. Undoubtedly, the heart throbbing a nervous tempo beneath her breast felt it. With nought but a show of grace and kindness to pillar her wobbly path to forgiveness (traits first startling, hardly unrecognised), he welcomed her white flag with a soft, validating voice. Her skin crawled uncomfortably, rivulets of sweat - both induced by nervousness and the sweltering air - irritated that dishevelled canvas, but his offering was just enough to smooth that sharp edge beneath her balance; not too little, not too much, and her skull ventured bravely in subliminal response from the dull sand to half-mast. A moment of silence ensued and ticking thoughts merged to harass that puny scratch of confidence. Still-damp feathers ruffled where they were pulled against bold ribs, and the tail slumped jadedly between turning hocks lifted to flick once… twice. The pastel eye nearest, turned quietly to scan that glossy forehand, his breast shoulder and even feather, all nestled properly around their long-missed companion; the collar never slid about as it always did her own body, it rested there, as though it belonged. A pensive sigh engorged her lungs, before her gaze again descended, distracted by the utterance of more words. "Uh..." The answer was easy - yes. The swirl of thoughts within her head was not easy to wrangle (in truth they more easily spewed from those lips on their own accord, dry and derisive), and the golden-bellied girl was working hard to produce with some tact. After a moment, even pausing stride to centre her focus, she replied gingerly, quietly, "it's for the best..." She was so used to the consistency of her beloved bond that it didn’t occur to suggest that the little spider stood alongside. "We…" In a startle of movement, black maw fumbled away, back into the cloak of feathers behind. "We uh, made you this…" From the warm, dry depths she’d plucked a tiny gold-infused bird - silk, plush, stuffed with soft down of her own - tied to the stiff quill of a little orange feather - Ilham's touch, it was the right colour after all. Timidly, awkwardly, she placed the gift down upon its water-proof base where the sand looked to be less drenched. "It's… a Phoenix…" She added quickly, drawing back too quickly, in case the look of it failed to propose the fact. An emotional tempest broiled behind the flimsy facade of courage and she bit her lip with a furrowed brow, desperate to withhold it. Note to Admin: Gave Eleos 1x crafted phoenix and 1x feather of Fina's RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Eleos - 08-04-2017
RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Zahra - 08-04-2017 Zahra & Ilham It was pride that turned angels into devils Lost in the dankest, darkest recesses of Zahra’s seldom spoken subconscious, was hidden a myriad of stories and memoirs stemming from finer, brighter life-moments when she had been but a fat and taintless whelp under care of doting, loving parents. Many of these had been layered over by the filth and failure of the Starry-Eyed’s cold version of her own philosophy; cold truths and hard learnings which needn’t have become the reality of the pure hearted babe. Though there was effort made to conceal that suffering (at least sturdy enough to stand through those first few years of her life), the dying mare had promised her daughter a lifetime of confused, perverted memories, a history that was hardly her own, and a curse of cognitive dysfunction, imbalance.
She stood there, upon the beach, confident to observe the queer painted man beside her while his attention was caught by the measly gift she had offered.
It was a strange discomfort that swept through her; both resignation and resistance, for she remembered not a stallion so tall-looking or haggard. Of course, Zahra wanted to believe that this was her father, the Gallant, the conscionable warrior who instilled a love of prayer and heavenly faith in her heart; he who’s reputation shone with all of the radiance of a strong and fair leader, who she loved so dearly. This one, this skeleton, seemed not the same; there was something not right. There was a skeptical, hurt part within her - judging, and mistrustful - that wanted him to prove himself; to shake the earth beneath her feet or turn those lapping waves into gold. She wanted to see him rise from whatever squaller had impaired him, to stand broad and burly, like she knew he had been.
Nevertheless, she hid on beneath a valid mask of thin-lipped remorse, and smiled quietly (for her intention, in that respect, had been very honest); in turn, the mysterious man murmured the word - the name - she had baited for, and a sliver of warmth carved its path into the icy relic of her soul.
His gracious murmur ventured through the stagnant air stiff between them and his golden, depthless eye snared her own black-centred copy for a split second before it fled out to sea. "Aye..." she returned simply, softly, feeling the press of obligation more so than sociability.
As the moments ticked by - while he collected the delicate craft from the sod, and stowed it as he wanted - Zahra strained to crack through the chaos of her past and discover some other tidbit that might assist their plight. It was meditation which never brought peace, and she preferred by all measure, to push the flood of suffering back into the corners out of sight; thankfully, his voice severed her concentration and she pulled back her distant eyes to examine his face. "Who?" she queried vaguely, unsure where or not her father had been alive to meet her beloved siblings. "Ilham," carefully, slowly, but the more she pressed the skewed memories from that time, the less inclined she felt, to believe that he had. "She came after…" RE: Mad disquietude in a lifeless sky - Eleos - 08-20-2017
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