They said we'd burn so bright.
We burn this city and go.
This period of grief and solace was also a time of reflection for Paradiso, as he worked through his feelings about Brienne, his brother, his family, and the choices he made. The Bay was his home, there was no denying that, no matter how hard his heart strings tugged at him when he thought about the Prairie these days. So when he heard Maziel's call, he turned his head swiftly in the direction of her welcomed whinny. A small smile worked its ways over his cold speckled lips and he returned the whinny in an effort to help guide her to his position. Paradiso jut forward when he watched her stumble, this involuntary need kicking in to take care of her, but Maziel was quick to correct her stance and did not give up on her pace to reach him.
She was a welcomed distraction today, and any day. His troubles seemingly melted away when she was near, now hovering close enough that he could feel her hot exhales against his thick and damp winter coat. "I've missed you too." He replied softly, extending his whiskered muzzle to drape lightly down the length of her neck. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long." Maziel knew why he left. While she wasn't able to meet Brienne during their trip to the Prairie, Paradiso had often talked about her before. Brienne had been Paradiso's closest friend while he was growing up in the Prairie herd. This was the first death he'd experienced of someone so close. "But it's good to be home. And to see you."
The young stallion hardly wished to rehash the details of what he saw while he holed up in the Prairie with Evaline and Vita Nova, feeling useless and helpless in aiding his brother through such tremendous grief. Maziel seemed to sense this, since she never pestered him for more information and instead stayed generally upbeat in her demeanor. But Paradiso would be lying if he said he never thought about how gut wrenching it would be if the roles had been reversed -- if he were to lose Maziel like Shamwari had lost Brienne. Thinking about it, if only for a second, made his stomach churn and his throat tighten up. He didn't think he could bear it.
So he told himself he should be honest. He should be honest about his feelings and the way she'd changed his life. If Brienne's death had taught him anything, it was that no one knew how much time they had in his world. He should be living every moment knowing one day, sooner or later, it could be his last. He didn't want to waste that. He didn't want to waste any more time away from Maziel. The spotted stallion sighed deeply and rested his chin against Maziel's withers for just a moment, reveling in how good it felt to be close to her. His blue-eyed gaze took in their snowy surroundings. Soon they'd be confined to higher elevations, huddling together for much of the time in cold, damp caverns. "Maziel." He said softly, pulling himself away from her so he could look at her squarely, even though she couldn't see him in the same regard. "If the death my brother has experienced has taught me anything, it is how grateful I am to have found you." He mumbled on, his heart beating quickly in his chest now. "I want you to know that you mean so much to me. You are my world."
Stallion | Evaline x Valentine | Smokey black pintaloosa | 15 hh | Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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