to live and burn is
the most exquisite form of self destruction

They came upon the Falls side by side, their strides— hers seamless and lively, his a graceless shamble— slowing as one. Arriving at their destination in the same moment, and drawing curious glances in the mismatched pair that they were. An old man and a young woman. A bright, burnt-out sun and a shadow that cast light on everything around her. The scarred husk of a once-great leader and a girl free of both blemishes and burdens. Well, perhaps not so free as she appeared. The roan recognized the intensity of Jaws’s expression. He heard the strength of emotion behind her deceptively-soft voice. You know I’ll always love you, right? He knew how far those depths could reach, and why shouldn’t he? They were another thing she’d borrowed from him.

The finality of those words, though— it filled Rade with dread, hurt him in a way he knew his daughter never intended. It was just that— that always had meant something different when he was younger. Then, always was a promise of a lifetime that stretched on and on with potential. Now? Now always promised a different sort of eternity; one that didn’t include him. One that was impossible to grasp, and yet so close that it could easily grasp him. But there was no sense in running from it, so the Boss only brushed his grey-flecked muzzle lightly across the girl’s forehead, exhaling the contents of his lungs in a soft sighing of words. “I know,” he breathed, feeling the wall of his throat tighten. And then, forcing the tone of his voice to lighten— to push the darkness that threatened them away— he tugged gently on the tips of one of Jaws’s ears.

“And always a little fool, too. Did you really drag me all the way out here just to give me news that’s nearly as old as I am?” Rade shook his head in a parody of disappointment or disgust, but seconds later he was grinning like an idiot and swinging his hip to bump it gently into hers. What a pair they were, indeed. “C’mon, you— let’s have that swim I was promised. A rotten old cripple like you probably needs to soak her aching bones after that little run of ours.” He was taunting Jaws now, pushing whatever buttons it took to bring back the bright, cheerful girl who helped him forget.

She might be ready to have this conversation, but Rade— he wasn’t. There wasn’t much time left, but he wanted the time that they had together to be happy.

He wanted today to be a beginning... not an end.

And so— flicking his creamy tail to slap lightly against the young mare's flank— the palomino darted towards the pool with another of his barking laughs. “Too fast for you, cripple? Should I offer to carry you across my shoulders?”

stallion . palomino roan . mustang mix . 15.1hh
debonaire x neassa