and I guess I’ve known it all along; {everglow} Posted on January 14, 2021 at 02:47:49 AM by vihaan.
the truth is you have to be soft to be strong The pair had lingered in the Meadow for some time now, golden ghosts forever haunting the fringes, never seen apart, always quick to retreat into hiding when approached by strangers, no doubt leaving some to wonder if they were real, or just visions trapped in the half-light of dusk and dawn.
Vihaan, for her part, had been emboldened by her sister’s words, spoken into the still air of the Prairie not so long ago. For all the fierceness that lived within her, a deep truth that the dunalino would defend with every breath was that the greatest source of strength for her was and always would be the blind mare from who’s side she rarely strayed. Everglow’s companionship had done much to ease the pain Vihaan felt at the parting with her sons. To Akello, she had given her blessing – his life was his own to live now, whether he choose to remain in the Prairie with the fragments of their family, to return to the Desert alongside his brother, or to strike out on his own.
She had wanted to ask him for forgiveness, too, but she’d been unable to form the words.
Ahimsa had embraced his new home without much fuss – after his quiet goodbye, he’d set off for the herd in the distance and not looked back. For her part, Vihaan did not regret this parting; at least she’d been present with Ahimsa more-so than she had been with Akello. (Of the two, though, secretly she worried more for her younger son. Stoic as he seemed to be in the face of everything, he felt lost within himself – lacking any sort of grounding.) As for what little family remained to her besides her sons, well, it was easier for Vihaan not to think of them. They had either left her, or moved on. Only Everglow was loyal. And, ironically, only Everglow had seen Vihaan for who she truly was, instead of something Vihaan could have been, or could be in days to come.
It only stoked the love she felt for her sister to burn ever more fiercely; Everglow was the one Vihaan Loved above all others, and this Love did not go unrequited. For all the expressions of love that had ever been offered Vihaan; by her mother, her father, Cain… Everglow had done more than just acknowledge all that Vihaan was – a fighter and a fierce guardian. She allowed Vihaan the freedom to be herself, without judgment, without fear. Everglow had never denied the dunalino.
And what’s more, the blind mare was the only one who’d returned love in equal measure, by fighting for Vihaan, the way Vihaan fought for all that she loved (with the whole of her heart).
The kathiawari mutt turned her gaze from the sky (with its stars fading before her eyes) to settle her entire focus upon her sister. Often, Everglow woke before she did, having senses far sharper than Vihaan could claim to possess. But this was one of those times when Vihaan woke first, and as she studied her sister’s face (so still, and more beautiful in repose than any sunrise the dunalino had been witness to), she felt peace settle deeply into her soul. Out here, alone in the quiet of the dawn with just her Beloved for company, all else fell away. If only such tranquillity could last for always. But Everglow would wake soon, and the sun would follow its path across the sky. Life would go on. But they would be together, and they would not forsake one another for anything.
“Everglow,” came the softly murmured greeting, followed several moments later by an affectionate caress. “Sister-mine, it’s a new day,” Vihaan continued, and leading the blind mare out into the Meadow proper, Vihaan paused, and lifted her face to the light of the rising sun. It fell upon them softly, illuminating them with a gentle glow, settling its still-mild warmth upon their hides. “The world awaits us Everglow. Shall we linger here awhile, or go forth and continue our journey?”
daughter of Shamwari & Darshan
mother of Akello & Ahimsa
& keeper of Everglow