The Portal
08-04-2017, 02:34 AM
even after the darkest of nights, dawn comes again
Thrown as she was into this situation, tilted, off-kilter, Amaris did not notice a difference between the girl's false-smile and true-smile. Perhaps, had she been less numb, less altered and more 'herself', she might have noticed the subtle difference, the way the girl hesitated a mere fragment of a moment before reacting, the way her body rejected the touch through its silent, miniscule tensions - Amaris was blind to it all, unseeing, wilfully ignorant of seeing anything but what she wanted to see in this child of the Mountain she had loved. And whenever she was back to 'herself', would this wilful blindness be lifted? Would she be able to identify that which made Otem different, made her numb, ignorant to the throes of feelings and emotions yet all the more intelligent, smarter, cleverer for it? It was impossible to know.
Otem spoke of things others had said, and Amaris nodded, vaguely recognising the name, though not necessarily agreeing with the words. Amaris had had many homes in her short lifetime, many herds, many realms, though Helovia had always been at the heart of them, the land her soul yearned for - Helovia was no longer to be, no longer an option, no longer possible, though hope still lingered stubbornly within her, she knew she should move on, start the healing process now - even if the only way she could do that was to swallow the despair, the grief, the depression that wanted to consume her whole.
A smile curved her lips as the yearling agreed to join her, at least in this wandering, and she set off at a brisk walk, happy for the movement and the company in this uniquely odd moment.
Amaris listened to Otem's words again, her curiosity urging her to ask more about what the girl had learned so far but not voicing them yet. "Tandavi is my cousin, and her daughters, Neara and Savera, are my relatives by blood. But there are many more whom I consider family." Would it have been too forward for her to tell Otem she held affection for her, even if she knew nothing of her aside from her parentage? Would it be foolish to tell her of the friendship she held with Volterra, her father, of the truly profound way her heart missed Isopia's presence, of how it had broken when the then-Seer had stepped down, had ventured to the Throat to be with him, to birth this girl and her brother..?
It was too much, Amaris knew, and so she held her tongue on that fact, trying to think of all the names of those she cared about, and wondering at how the list had grown so great in such a short expanse of time. Be still, my aching, breaking heart, she pleaded with herself, shoving aside that rising despair that always danced just beneath the surface of her level of control.
Amarees? the question came on tones she knew all too well, tones that lifted her spirits, the raised her heart rate, that caused excitement to thrum happily through her veins. "Yael," she breathed, pressing onwards, finding the mare - the very pregnant, bruised and battered and burned golden mare, thrilled to see her alive at least. "Yael!" she greeted happily, trotting forward, wanting to reach out and touch her, embrace her - but remembering her altered state, the watery saliva that now coated her, that had uncertain affects upon her or anyone who touched it. Who knew what it might do to one with open wounds, with a child growing in their womb?
"Are you alright?" she asked, before gesturing to herself. "It would appear the touch of this place affected us both in different ways - I'm not sure if this new wetness upon my scales is harmful or not."
She turned back to Otem, to ensure she knew this beautiful golden mare was another friend, another member of the family Amaris had etched onto the sides of her heart.
"Otem," she purred, "this is Yael. Isopia named her Sage of the World's Edge," (when the World's Edge was still a place that held physical significance in their hearts.) "Yael, this is Otem, Daughter of the Mountain that Knows, and my treasured friend and knowledgeable companion in this strange place." She didn't know whether they knew each other already, whether Isopia had managed to introduce her daughter to everyone before everything fell apart - she was only going on the assumption that Yael greeted only Amaris by name and peered with silent questions that they were as yet unintroduced, and so hoped to rectify that.
A trickle of comfort, of solace, was found in the mare, as she experienced a sense of déjà vu, of three kindred spirits reuniting, even if one of those was the daughter of the third soul - it didn't matter, for Amaris' heart beat all the happier for it regardless.
Otem spoke of things others had said, and Amaris nodded, vaguely recognising the name, though not necessarily agreeing with the words. Amaris had had many homes in her short lifetime, many herds, many realms, though Helovia had always been at the heart of them, the land her soul yearned for - Helovia was no longer to be, no longer an option, no longer possible, though hope still lingered stubbornly within her, she knew she should move on, start the healing process now - even if the only way she could do that was to swallow the despair, the grief, the depression that wanted to consume her whole.
A smile curved her lips as the yearling agreed to join her, at least in this wandering, and she set off at a brisk walk, happy for the movement and the company in this uniquely odd moment.
Amaris listened to Otem's words again, her curiosity urging her to ask more about what the girl had learned so far but not voicing them yet. "Tandavi is my cousin, and her daughters, Neara and Savera, are my relatives by blood. But there are many more whom I consider family." Would it have been too forward for her to tell Otem she held affection for her, even if she knew nothing of her aside from her parentage? Would it be foolish to tell her of the friendship she held with Volterra, her father, of the truly profound way her heart missed Isopia's presence, of how it had broken when the then-Seer had stepped down, had ventured to the Throat to be with him, to birth this girl and her brother..?
It was too much, Amaris knew, and so she held her tongue on that fact, trying to think of all the names of those she cared about, and wondering at how the list had grown so great in such a short expanse of time. Be still, my aching, breaking heart, she pleaded with herself, shoving aside that rising despair that always danced just beneath the surface of her level of control.
Amarees? the question came on tones she knew all too well, tones that lifted her spirits, the raised her heart rate, that caused excitement to thrum happily through her veins. "Yael," she breathed, pressing onwards, finding the mare - the very pregnant, bruised and battered and burned golden mare, thrilled to see her alive at least. "Yael!" she greeted happily, trotting forward, wanting to reach out and touch her, embrace her - but remembering her altered state, the watery saliva that now coated her, that had uncertain affects upon her or anyone who touched it. Who knew what it might do to one with open wounds, with a child growing in their womb?
"Are you alright?" she asked, before gesturing to herself. "It would appear the touch of this place affected us both in different ways - I'm not sure if this new wetness upon my scales is harmful or not."
She turned back to Otem, to ensure she knew this beautiful golden mare was another friend, another member of the family Amaris had etched onto the sides of her heart.
"Otem," she purred, "this is Yael. Isopia named her Sage of the World's Edge," (when the World's Edge was still a place that held physical significance in their hearts.) "Yael, this is Otem, Daughter of the Mountain that Knows, and my treasured friend and knowledgeable companion in this strange place." She didn't know whether they knew each other already, whether Isopia had managed to introduce her daughter to everyone before everything fell apart - she was only going on the assumption that Yael greeted only Amaris by name and peered with silent questions that they were as yet unintroduced, and so hoped to rectify that.
A trickle of comfort, of solace, was found in the mare, as she experienced a sense of déjà vu, of three kindred spirits reuniting, even if one of those was the daughter of the third soul - it didn't matter, for Amaris' heart beat all the happier for it regardless.
A m a r i s
littlewillow-art | whimzi
on deviantart
@Otem
@Yael
Happy to work this towards fading to black in the next few posts and maybe pick a new thread with them all - sorry for the wait ladies <33
