| but it’s not burning for you
ooc: got permission from erin to post ahead and say that ivar left. we can end things here and pick back up in the prairie ^^
Once Vihaan submitted to Cain, things very quickly became a blur for Everglow. In time, she would remember the occasion only in snippets: her anger, her tears, her cursing, the sound of Vihaan’s hissed threats, and the stench of Cain bearing down upon them all. When Vihaan left with him, it was a struggle for Everglow not to follow them. She let out a shrill cry of frustration and began to pace, before becoming aware that the other stallion still lingered. She whipped her head in his direction and addressed him in a tone that invited no argument.
“What are you waiting for? Get lost! You did enough!”
She closed her ears to whatever retort he had to offer, and eventually he made a quiet retreat. In time, Everglow would regret her sharp words. After all, the stallion had only tried to help her. But in her fury and grief, she needed someone to blame for her current predicament, and she blamed him for failing to hold Cain off. Strangely, she blamed him more than she blamed Cain.
Everglow could not have said how long Vihaan was gone - only that every second felt like an eternity - but when she heard hoofsteps, she rushed forward, heedless of the fact it could have been Cain himself, and bumped into Vihaan in her enthusiasm. Cain’s scent was thick on the mare, and it repelled her, but her urge to be close to Vihaan was stronger.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Everglow asked in an earnest whisper, though she knew it was pointless to ask. Of course Vihaan was not okay. Everglow could smell her fear beneath Cain’s stench and could hear the melancholy in her voice. No matter how much Vihaan claimed that this was a freely-given choice, Everglow knew it was no such thing. Vihaan may have made the choice to offer herself in place of Everglow, but no one in their right mind actually wanted to do what she had just done.
As Vihaan led them to a pool of fresh water, Everglow lowered her head to drink, but the sound of splashing gave her pause. She listened in puzzlement as Vihaan waded into the water, then realized exactly what she was doing. A wave of guilt more intense than anything she had ever felt before washed over Everglow. She felt cold, as though all her blood had left her body. Tears sprang from her eyes and continued to flow even after Vihaan had rejoined her.
“I just… I can’t believe you did that,” Everglow murmured. “You didn’t have to. You don’t know me. It should… it should have been me.” She shuddered. Just the thought of Cain on her back was enough to make her feel unclean. “That scumbag will pay, Vihaan. I’ll tell Father all about it. He won’t stand for it.”
4; mutt; palomino; 15.1hh; blind
shamwari x brienne |