The words of my family are heard, but they don't register near as fast as they should've. Another moment passes where my eyes do not dare drift from where Suli had disappeared into the darkness, overcome by some malicious force, but it's painfully clear that she isn't coming back.
I sighed, a troubled and grievous sound before looking between Romani, Tristan, Kasai and Merlin. At least they are safe, and so long as these lungs draw breath, then by (God name) I would see to it that it remained that way.
"I will be alright," comes my response, and though my heart is heavy with the abrupt loss of my beloved green, I know that we must press on as Romani suggested, to try and find some semblance of shelter as well as others who had come through the Portal. In a world such as this, there would be safety in numbers. Looking to brave Tristan, I offer my son a tender look and reach out to bump my nose against his own reassuringly, wishing only to comfort him. Suli had loved the boy since birth, and I knew that her loss, however temporary, would affect him a great deal as well. "One day she will," I promised against my better judgement, "Or we will find her on our own, one way or another." That promise I would keep.
The first step is the most difficult to take, followed by the second and then the third, but soon we are all making our way through the dense growth for an unknown destination. Merlin remains tucked close to my neck, but the normally timid dragon keeps his head held high as his violet eyes continue to search vigilantly for his friend.
Turning my head to regard Romani, I automatically shift closer to her and gently press my nose into the crook of her neck. There's so much that I wish to say, but in the presence of our son, I would withhold it. "Maybe we will be able to find Kaj and Kahlua, or even Alysanne," I thought aloud. We had been estranged from our herd for some time, but honestly, who had been leader then and most recently held little meaning now. So long as we could find friends, either new or old as we tried to settle into this new, mysterious place, was all that truly mattered.
"Speak."
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The Portal
