let our hearts cross the li-i-ine
IT’S TI-I-IME
Sinopa followed close behind, the sensation of the touch on her shoulder fading on her skin, lingering longer in her mind. She was silent as she picked her way behind Asche, and silent still when she finally stood on the clifftop beside him. The view spoke volumes for itself, there was nothing for the bay mare to say, aside from the obvious. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed, her voice awash with awe. And he had spoken the truth – there in the distance was the largest of the islands, the Crossing. Turning her head to take in the panorama, she took a moment to study the other three smaller islands, and thought about the journeys she’d take to each of them, in time. The vixen did not miss the brief lapse in Asche’s composure, but just as he had held his tongue earlier, left a question hanging in the air, so too, did she hold her tongue now. There was no time for darkness and sorrow, not now, not here.
Slowly, Sinopa raised her head, looking to the sky when Asche spoke of stars. She closed her eyes and imagined how beautiful the nights must be. A deep breathe, a soft sigh, and a flicker of a warm, honest smile, delicately edged with hope. “Sounds like the most beautiful thing I’ll ever see,” she said, opening her eyes and watched as a pair of birds circled far above. An ear – the closest to the stallion – turned as he spoke again, and Sinopa shifted her weight, her gaze drifting towards the islands in the sea again. “What if I’ve already found my favourite place,” she asked, turning her head a little to look at the capped stallion. A half-hidden emotion sparked in her eyes, and she closed the distance between them, her dark shoulder bumping his pale one, sides pressing together, hips meeting. “Maybe it’s right here,” she murmured, muzzle dancing over his cheek, the touch feather-light, there-and-gone. And then she tucked her muzzle under his chin, whispering something incomprehensible under her breath. She stayed there for a long time, close as she could be to Asche, feeling safe and loved in his embrace.
Time passed, and up on the cliff with the world at her feet and Asche still beside her, making good on his promise not to move away, Sinopa had lost track of time. She was content, at peace, her eyes closed while she rested. But then she stirred, and looked out to sea, and what she saw had her stepping closer to the edge. “Tolinka?!” There was only one moment of hesitation, and then she turned and swiftly headed for the path that led back to the beach. She glanced back only once, as if seeking comfort from the now-familiar sight of her pale stallion.
“Where were you?” The words were dark and heavy, sharp and cutting, far harsher than any Sinopa had heard coming from her sister. They froze the bay in her tracks, and she just stared at her soaked sister, aghast, guilt burning in her throat, choking her. Tolinka’s head was held high, defiant, despite the pain she was in. Sinopa risked a step closer, and extended her muzzle fearfully. Beneath the salt, she could smell blodd, and caught the whiff of a stranger on her sister’s skin. And Sinopa knew then, she knew. She would never forgive herself. Her lips parted, but no words came out, no sound, except for a small, cut-off grunt of pain when Tolinka closed the distance between them, and set her teeth to the skin of Sinopa’s shoulder, not so far from the spot where Asche had pressed a kiss to.
There was anger in every line of the black and white girl’s body, but her eyes had no room for anger. They were filled with betrayal. “So that’s where you were,” Tolinka spat, backing away. “I can smell him all over you.” And then her gaze shifted beyond the bay mare, and her anger dissipated, leaving behind a sorrow so intense that it nearly broke Sinopa. Desperate to comfort her sister, she moved forwards, only to be snapped at again. “Don’t! Don’t touch me!” And then she was left in the surf as Tolinka took off further inland, unable to keep the sobs from wracking her slim, dark body. What had she done?
SINOPA + TOLINKA
the fox && the hound
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