» every broken promise

otem You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley You can tell the sun in his jealous sky when we walked in fields of gold Kaos thanks her, and for a moment the oak-marked filly thinks that perhaps the metaphorical swelling heart of the Grinch is not a metaphor, for she is fairly confident that within her own chest, her own tiny grinch-like heart is also swelling. Pride and recognition surged like a wave inside of the girl, and Otem's mind also hastily supplied a great deal of optimism into the mix as well. But Otem didn't have time to baste in Kaos' brief acknowledgement of her before everything went straight and utterly to hell. Or rather it all came from hell, presumably. Otem watched horror-struck as Ampere (a mare she really hadn't known well at all back in the Throat), appeared in a wicked fury of sparks and undead rage. The blue ghost's anger was directed towards Zero (her pseudo step-father, she supposed), and Otem took a hasty step backwards from the river and Varuna to try and distance herself from the scene unfolding. The filly was glad that she did, for Ampere was soon joined by her daughter, also seemingly intent upon Zero. Before Otem could think about any further reactions (should she sent her earth spirits to help? was Kaos going to intervene? could the ghosts even hurt him?), her mother appeared. Her mother appeared. Her mother appeared. Her mother appeared. Her mother appeared. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Words left her. Thoughts left her. Time slowed. Or maybe it sped up. Did the air grow colder? Was the world spinning? Was this real? Would- But Isopia hadn't even turned towards her, nor to Vulkán or Mauna, or Volterra or Zero. She turned to Kaos. Otem wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to faint, and run away, and run towards Isopia and hit her and hug her and tell her to leave and ask her to stay. But all she could do was watch and listen. It was Erthe actually who broke Otem out of her reverie. Clearly it was something that Kaos had done to bring her mother here, Isopia's scolding had confirmed that, and now Erthe (a mare who had seemed so calm and kind when Otem had first met her), was now attacking him. Isopia might not have looked at her yet, but she would. She had to. Even though Otem had no illusions about her mother's almost sterile emotional nature, she would say something when she could. If she could. With the sort of scream that only a child can manage, Otem shrieked at Erthe and hastily bound forward. "STOP IT". The words flew from her lips in such a high frequency she might have broken glass. Each word was punctuated by spittle which was ejected by the urgency of the air leaving her lungs. Two earth sprites appeared, belching thick black smoke from their silent mouths as they flew towards Erthe, their bodies defensively spread to protect Kaos if they could. "DON'T. YOU'LL MAKE THEM GO-" The last word died as it left her lips, for her tiny body was so exhausted from the emotional uproar and magical energy that for a moment stars filled her vision and she felt very light headed. Staggering slightly, Otem turned moiste eyes towards her mother, as if her stare could somehow fix the demi-goddess in place. "Mom please", she sobbed, mucus dripping from her nose slightly as tears rushed down her cheeks. Her voice was broken with emotion and longing and need. Her body ached to be held, her ears screamed to hear a word or two from Isopia directed their way, and her heart broke at the implications of Isopia's words. We are beyound your control. That could only mean they weren't staying.  They weren't staying. She wasn't staying. Otem would have to watch her mother leave again.  "Mom.." The word was a pitiful sigh of her heart to be looked at, held, loved.

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WAY TO GO CHARKS. CLEARLY NO ONE WANTED TO FOLLOW THAT.


Otem tries to protect Kaos from @Erthë and cries for her mom Q____Q