everlasting

When her father had died, it had been a shock, but at least the little ghost-seer had had time to say goodbye. Later, too, she had seen him again, had been able to assure him that she was fine, that she'd be able to visit with him at times. She'd taken his flame-colored rose and tucked it into her own mane, carrying a piece of him with her always. And besides, she'd still had mother, even if the mare was half a ghost herself at times after the WildFire's death.

This... was not like that.

This was darkness, and hatred, and fear. All around her, chaos swirled. Death reined supreme, and she didn't know what to do. Seeing them die was bad enough, but then their ghosts would appear, angry and afraid, and she wanted to reach out, to let them communicate with their kin, to help them say goodbye, but there was no time -

And there was mother, with the half-sister she'd never met, and then they were gone, burst apart in a startling spray of light -

She was numb then, finding her way through the Portal only because her body was shoved along by the mad stampede that ensued. Later, she would realize that she was lucky not to have been trampled. At the time, though, all she could see was the starburst of her mother's demise, those last moments of life consumed by protecting some other filly. For the first time, jealousy and anger raised their ugly heads within the filly. If Sohalia hadn't been with that other girl, if she'd been closer to the Portal with her youngest daughter - maybe then, Sohalia would have survived.

The travel through the Portal took no more than a heartbeat.

There was no going back, no chance of reuniting with her lost family. The girl didn't even know where her siblings were. She was alone.

She hung her head and cried.

"Talk."

Magics:
{*] Magic: DarkxLight | Can see and interact with ghosts. Restrictions | Requires permission for character-specific ghosts.\n[*} SAFE Magic: Earth | Can craft with colored crystals. Restrictions | Crystals have normal durability; can make 3 small, 2 medium, or 1 large items per season.

Requests:

Something squirms through the rain-wet thickets; it moves under thorn tangles, brambles and blue-tinted ferns, its eyes like two flaming headlights.

It is a feline, but not one as you have known them; its body is slick and black, broken by bone-colored spines. Some are snapped, some have dried blood on them. The tail is too long, long tendrils of fur trailing after it. Its knotted and tangled, midnight black. Sharp claws make indents in the soft earth. Sharp teeth wait in a black mouth. Its eyes, bright and orange, focus on you.

A bolt of lightning travels down the spines, arcing away into the distance. It smokes where it meets the wet foliage.

The creature opens its mouth, and out comes a hiss—part song, part reverberating engine, part promise. It's otherworldly, in some way, beautiful and frightening. A white tongue flicks out between its teeth. The burning gaze darts to the killing grounds, where more than this crying girl stood; it seems to contemplate.

It makes a decision. It beelines for the girl, presses a wet, strong shoulder—the skin beneath the fur feels like leather—against her nearest leg. It's almost as big as you, now that it's close.

Then it disappears into the underbrush again.

Some bright flowers spiral up from the ground, and twine uselessly around your ankle.

the Rift
life between worlds

image

[ TRANSFER NOTES: VINATI ]

Magic:
Crafting: Can craft with colored crystals.

Maybe the cat took the ability to interact with ghosts—maybe it didn't. Whatever the case, your wings drip ectoplasm now.