just one

RIXEN and if you are to love, love as the moon loves; I nodded along as we walked, one ear pointed toward Kiada and the other swiveling about, listening to the forest sounds around us. Unlike the mare, I wore no armor yet. The golden pendant still hung safely around my neck, swaying gently from side to side with the motions of my body that carried it forward. "Hopefully." Hopefully I wouldn’t have to put the golden cuirass to the test. We were both in agreement about at least one aspect of Kiada’s trial: everything would be so much simpler, and of course cleaner, if we didn’t have to kill the beaked bear first. But I doubted that the Rift would make this that easy. Still, the gilded woman at my side marched forward with apparent confidence and determination to rid herself of the horrible drowning feeling she’d described. I caught her eye on its way toward scanning the trees, offering her a small, encouraging smile. My voice was soft, but not in a way that might be perceived as delicate. The words did not shake. They were surprisingly steady, which was not at all how I felt. Quite the opposite, in fact. "We’ll figure out what to do, if it comes down to that. Maybe it’ll taste better cooked." This was the best solution that I could provide, with a hint of humor to make it a little less bleak. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the uneasiness that was welling within me by now, although my nature was too proud to let such feelings shine through. The was no time to allow myself to drift off in thought about the roots of my worry, for it was of utmost important to stay alert and be on the lookout for the task at hoof. And a beaked bear - well, it sounded like the sort of creature that couldn’t be missed, even if you were hardly looking. What I, we, didn’t want to happen, though, was for it to become aware of our presence before we realized it was nearby. A surprise attack was the last thing we needed. Oh, the irony of thinking such a thought. Kiada had taken to poking around, and I’d begun to pace about, searching for any signs of the presence of a beaked bear. Perhaps some claw marks on the trees, or a tuft of fur. Any indication that one might be nearby. As of yet, there had been no unusual sounds, none that had caught my attention. The clip-clopping of our own hoofbeats was just that - our own. Occasionally there would be the chirping of birds, and the rustling of the leaves overhead as the winter breeze raked through them. Nothing that belonged to a bear. Then there was the rustling of leaves again, more violently than before. And this time, the sound wasn’t coming from above. It was the bear. What a pleasant surprise. "Kiada..." Was all I could manage before the black shadow of a creature burst out from the ferns directly in front of me. Its eyes seemed to bore right into me, a snarl on its lips, and I stared directly back, frozen. I had a front row view of its yellowish teeth, razor sharp and gleaming in the sunlight. Just like that, the bear had found us first. There was no longer time to think; to plan. Because, as it turned out, the bear wasn’t intently watching me. Its beady gaze was locked on something else. Something behind us. Did I dare turn around and look? Slowly, my antlered head swiveled to the right, enough to look over my shoulder and see the Harpax standing there. I tried to catch Kiada’s eye, to make sure that we were on the same page about our next move, even if all we could do was communicate through the connection of our gazes. Perhaps the two creatures were more than we could take on alone. Could we fight them both? Or was it better to wait and see if they took care of each other? Maybe now it was time to bust out the armor. "Talk." it does not steal the night — it only unveils the beauty of the dark

img

@Kiada