HOME | DD

Description
”Aloine...I...I’m…”

Aloine shook her head slowly, as if in a trance. She didn’t want to hear it. Not right now. She couldn’t. Her mate lay there in the mud, blood pooled around his dark mane...and he was gone. His eyes were closed but he wasn’t sleeping. At least, not a sleep he would ever wake from. A high pitched keening sound rang in her ears and she wasn’t sure where it came from. Her eyes couldn’t focus and the world felt like it was spinning too quickly. Slowly, so slowly, she went down to her knees in the mud next to Breigo. She curled her body around his and rested her head on his side.

”Go...tell the others…” she whispered to Faramir.

She wouldn’t leave him.

Lifetimes passed before he returned, the herd in tow. Wailing and crying berated her ears and she flattened them against her skull and closed her eyes. She was vaguely aware of others approaching them, laying their foreheads against his body and weeping. She didn’t move.

She wouldn’t leave him.

”Fa-father…” Raphtalia choked out as she bent her head over him.

Aloine was aware of Ariadne and Reese standing close by as well. Of course they would mourn almost as deeply as she would. This was their sire lying in the mud. A small part of Aloine’s brain told her she should be comforting her daughter...but she couldn’t bring herself to get up or even open her eyes.

She wouldn’t leave him.

Her knees began to go numb and her back ached something fierce. But these pains were trivial compared to the screaming of her heart. She felt as though she was bleeding into the mud, bleeding out until she’d be nothing but a husk. Everything she was, everything she had, was seeping into the cold mud around her. Her body was shivering in the cold and her teeth chattered in her head. She pushed these feelings away until she was hardly aware of them at all. They didn’t matter anyway. Nothing mattered anymore.

”Aloine...we have to go…” Faramir said softly.

Aloine squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Her mouth was so dry and her teeth ached from gritting them for so long.

”...no…” she managed to croak out.

She wouldn’t leave him.

The high pitched keening that seemed to go on forever finally stopped. Aloine was aware of a stranger standing over her but refused to open her eyes.

”Your stallion is right. It is time to go.” the stranger said, her voice eerily sweet and quiet.

Aloine felt like she was choking. A sob bubbled up from her throat and out her lips, a grotesque noise. She felt the strange mare nudge at her side.

”This is no place for the living anymore. He will be here soon.” she sighed into Aloine’s ear and she shivered from the sound.

Slowly, so slowly, she unbent her body and began to stand. She slipped in the mud and nearly fell, but the stranger caught her and lifted her up. Her entire body ached and she wanted to scream, but no noise escaped her this time. Finally, she opened her eyes.

Breigo’s body was covered in leaves, flowers, and small rocks. All offerings from his herd. Aloine felt her knees beginning to give out and she leaned against the strange mare for support. A fog was rolling in from the forest not far off and she mare supporting Aloine giggled.

”Come now, little one. He is here.” the mare said as she lead Aloine away.

Aloine went without a fight. Each step away from Breigo felt like a new, fresh stabbing in her chest. She tried to turn to see him, one last time, and was met with a sharp bite on her shoulder.

”No looking back, now. That’s not allowed.” the mare said in a sing song voice.

But she did. She did look back, if only for a second. And there, standing at Breigo’s side, was an enormous, mottled stallion. Aloine’s eyes met his for a moment and she felt a deathly cold grip her heart. Her head whipped back around to face forward, but it was too late. She had seen him and he had seen her.

She left him.

Description
”Aloine...I...I’m…”

Aloine shook her head slowly, as if in a trance. She didn’t want to hear it. Not right now. She couldn’t. Her mate lay there in the mud, blood pooled around his dark mane...and he was gone. His eyes were closed but he wasn’t sleeping. At least, not a sleep he would ever wake from. A high pitched keening sound rang in her ears and she wasn’t sure where it came from. Her eyes couldn’t focus and the world felt like it was spinning too quickly. Slowly, so slowly, she went down to her knees in the mud next to Breigo. She curled her body around his and rested her head on his side.

”Go...tell the others…” she whispered to Faramir.

She wouldn’t leave him.

Lifetimes passed before he returned, the herd in tow. Wailing and crying berated her ears and she flattened them against her skull and closed her eyes. She was vaguely aware of others approaching them, laying their foreheads against his body and weeping. She didn’t move.

She wouldn’t leave him.

”Fa-father…” Raphtalia choked out as she bent her head over him.

Aloine was aware of Ariadne and Reese standing close by as well. Of course they would mourn almost as deeply as she would. This was their sire lying in the mud. A small part of Aloine’s brain told her she should be comforting her daughter...but she couldn’t bring herself to get up or even open her eyes.

She wouldn’t leave him.

Her knees began to go numb and her back ached something fierce. But these pains were trivial compared to the screaming of her heart. She felt as though she was bleeding into the mud, bleeding out until she’d be nothing but a husk. Everything she was, everything she had, was seeping into the cold mud around her. Her body was shivering in the cold and her teeth chattered in her head. She pushed these feelings away until she was hardly aware of them at all. They didn’t matter anyway. Nothing mattered anymore.

”Aloine...we have to go…” Faramir said softly.

Aloine squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Her mouth was so dry and her teeth ached from gritting them for so long.

”...no…” she managed to croak out.

She wouldn’t leave him.

The high pitched keening that seemed to go on forever finally stopped. Aloine was aware of a stranger standing over her but refused to open her eyes.

”Your stallion is right. It is time to go.” the stranger said, her voice eerily sweet and quiet.

Aloine felt like she was choking. A sob bubbled up from her throat and out her lips, a grotesque noise. She felt the strange mare nudge at her side.

”This is no place for the living anymore. He will be here soon.” she sighed into Aloine’s ear and she shivered from the sound.

Slowly, so slowly, she unbent her body and began to stand. She slipped in the mud and nearly fell, but the stranger caught her and lifted her up. Her entire body ached and she wanted to scream, but no noise escaped her this time. Finally, she opened her eyes.

Breigo’s body was covered in leaves, flowers, and small rocks. All offerings from his herd. Aloine felt her knees beginning to give out and she leaned against the strange mare for support. A fog was rolling in from the forest not far off and she mare supporting Aloine giggled.

”Come now, little one. He is here.” the mare said as she lead Aloine away.

Aloine went without a fight. Each step away from Breigo felt like a new, fresh stabbing in her chest. She tried to turn to see him, one last time, and was met with a sharp bite on her shoulder.

”No looking back, now. That’s not allowed.” the mare said in a sing song voice.

But she did. She did look back, if only for a second. And there, standing at Breigo’s side, was an enormous, mottled stallion. Aloine’s eyes met his for a moment and she felt a deathly cold grip her heart. Her head whipped back around to face forward, but it was too late. She had seen him and he had seen her.

She left him.