rise and rise again Posted on August 15, 2021 at 09:16:41 AM by Rade
rade
The sound of laughter chuffing in her throat, the press of her muzzle against his shoulder. If Rade closed his eyes, he could pretend that they were still standing on the beach of Paradise those years ago. That he was a young stallion only just entering his prime, and Jaws a too-reckless child always stumbling into trouble. But like the white-foamed waves that had climbed the shores of their home, he could not cling to the warm sands of his past for long. Ears twisting towards the gentle music of the dark woman’s voice, the Boss sunk back into the chilly waters of the present. The pain of his aging body, the ache of his tattered heart. Nowhere else you belong. A heartbeat of silence and the subtle shift of motion as they reoriented their bodies without breaking apart. I realized there’s nowhere else for me either.
Throat squeezed tight by an inexplicable tangle of emotion, Rade had nothing to offer his would-be daughter in response. He’d wasted years of his life searching for a better version of himself— a version that simply didn’t exist. And then he’d simply given up. Abandoned the only fragment of his family he’d had left and returned to the only place that had ever been able to hold him. Hollowed out his heart willingly— never expecting that he would find cause to use it again— as the wisdom he’d once shared his brother circled endlessly in his thoughts. They're gone, kid, and even if they come back, it won't be the same as it was. Tasting the lie of those words now, the golden roan felt Jaws reach for a burr that had buried itself in his creamy mane, combing it out with her teeth.
And shivered, memories of Conquistador briefly flooding his mind.
Here, if you can reach that high, boy. Rade’s head lifted reflexively, exposing his throat— though the burr that had once nestled there was years-gone, plucked away by the lips of a young boy. He could remember everything, from the way he’d sought to cling to his brother’s side to the jagged edges of hurt that had found him when they’d drifted apart. He could remember how desperately, then, he’d wanted something— anything— of his past to cling to. And now that he’d all but given up, now that he’d released the tethers that held him to this world… now, of all times, one came back to claim him. It’s weird, coming back after all these years. Jaws’ voice reached him, wrenched him back to her side. And coaxed a bark of laughter that was both bitter and warm from his lips.
“Don’t worry, nothing’s changed. The grass still grows, the sun still rises, and every young stallion still thinks himself a god.” He'd lived that way himself once, convinced of his own immortality. But now he was old and tired, too tired to fight for anything mre than his next breath. And the corners of Rade's lips twisted downward as he considered how easily anyone could tear Jaws from his side. “Come with me?” He invited gruffly, not entirely successful at disguising the desperation behind those syllables— the plea of them.