I'd be lying if I told you I'm fine, but I lie

He awoke in a cold sweat; maybe it was just the rain, except for the shiver that wriggled up his spine. Quick to stand up, to escape something, Iskra's body jolted up. Problem was the muscles and the mind were still a bit groggy and foggy, so he got about half way before a dizzy throbbing hit him in the head. He sat like a dog for a moment, front feet splayed wide to prop him up, neck hung so low his lips almost touched the dirt. All in all he looked like a night out gone bad. It wasn't anything quite so fun unfortunately, just a night in that had gone bad with nightmare after nightmare eating up his slumber. Iskra gave a wide yawn and pondered slouching back down to get the rest of his sleep, or whatever he could salvage, but the quick hammer in his chest told him that wasn't happening. Third night now - he knew the routine. He stood and stretched, not surprised to see Castiel was already drifting by the entrance to the underwater area. The whale was roused by Iskra's fits and though he knew their insomnia walks just as well as Iskra did, there was also probably some pleasure for him in this particular region - a sea he had never known but still felt a connection to. "Misha," Iskra greeted him affectionately, and the whale squeaked from his blowhole in happy response. "Didja see anything tonight?" Iskra asked even as he stepped down into the caves, the soft click and clack of his hooves on the stone an eerie lullaby. A swirl of dark magenta shades and violet hues spilled over the bond and tinged Iskra's thoughts. If there was any sense to be had of the communication Castiel was attempting, it was lost on the colt, who only deciphered dark water from the interaction, which he thought was rather obvious given it was night time and there was water on the other side of the see-through caverns. Deciding not to rely on the young leviathan, Iskra pressed up close to a crystal pocket in the wall, its transparency granting him a visible window to peer into the sea. Thinking he saw something in the murk, he leaned in closer, whiskers brushing the chilly surface of earth and ocean. Iskra You don't have to change a thing, the world could change its heart No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful

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Open! But tagging anyone who expressed interest in threading with Iskra
@Clementine @Melita or Mauna @Neaera @Savera or Zekle @Bathsheba @Ilunga @Naerys @Bellanaris @Mbwana or Vulkan @Otem @Roskuld ??