The Portal
Slender fingers of lightning split the abysmal sky asunder, illuminating the forest and all the creatures that dwelled in it. For a moment, she could see her brother with more clarity: he was taller than her, with blue eyes were unmistakably the Reaper's, although the tender lines of his face recalled their mother. Although she had been cautious at first, the ghost of a smile pulled at the corners of her lips when she realized that this was no phantasm nor was it some cruel machination of a malevolent forest, but it was indeed Erebos in the flesh. She felt the soft skin of his nose against her's, an overwhelmingly familiar sensation that caused tears to roll down her slender cheeks. Her eyes closed against the water, and she pressed hard against his embrace. For a moment, Lothíriel felt safe in this alien place, entwined with her not-so-little brother—together they could weather this forest. The flower girl noted how broad his chest had become and how fit he was—no doubt he had been training with their father. Of course he would follow in their father's tracks; she expected no less from a being forged from roaring waters and the imminence of death (but what did that make her?). I'm so glad you're here, he whispered into their shared space; she did not even notice the sudden downpour, nor the lights dotting the wood, drawing closer as if attracted to the warmth of their shared blood. "Me too," she murmured, relieving the terrible weight of her head onto his back. Since when had she become so tired? Hadn't she only just woken up? Silent seconds ticked by, marked only by the too-bright flash of lighting and the insistent drum of angry raindrops. The entire forest seemed to protest their presence, biding the strangers to go away, but she did not care: Erebos was next to her, and that's all that mattered. He asked her where she had been, and the muscle and sinew of her neck tensed. With willful idleness, the nymph righted a piece of her brother's mane where it had lain the wrong way, flattening it onto the other side of his crest. "Here and there," she said stiffly, muzzle hovering over his withers. After a few moments, Lothíriel released the breath that she had held so tightly in her belly, exposing sadness and grief. She withdrew from their embrace, shame laying a heavy curtain over the fine bones of her face. "I lost her," the roan girl admitted, almost whispering, looking away so that Erebos would not see the angry tears welling in her eyes, "Mother is gone." Her voice quavered in a way that it rarely did. The forest seemed to feel her grief; another bolt of lighting fractured the dark sky, illuminating the two lonely beings. She sighed heavily, turning her gaze towards his face, weighing his expression. Rain ran down her body in rivulets, the silver of her body turned pewter. Perhaps it was best to turn their reunion to a happier note—or at least one that was not as heavy. "How did you get here? Where are we?" She paused, looking around them, searching for some other suggestion of life in the sinister wood. "Where is Father? Or anyone else for that matter?" |
@Erebos
