She fled, fleeing the life they had created together.

As she plunged into the icy waters enveloping their home, she immediately began to swim, her eyes fixed on the distant horizon... anywhere but Tinuvel. Anywhere but the place that lingered with his scent and overwhelming memories. She could still feel his lips brush against her shoulders, his breath warm on her arched neck, and the comforting weight of his body beside hers. A strangled cry escaped her whiskered lips, echoing into the midnight hour— a lonely, broken scream tossed into the dark sky and the void beyond, mingling with the faint stars flickering in the expansive darkness.

She swam until her powerful legs lost sensation, rendered as numb as the rest of her body. The strong current pulled her southward, away from the nightmare that had consumed her life. She didn't resist; instead, she surrendered to the gods, letting them carry her from her pain and heartache. The water around her turned warmer, and suddenly, the sand rose up to greet her weary, feathered legs.

Stumbling through the hissing surf, she collapsed in a heap. Her sides heaved as her heart raced against her chest. The air surrounding her felt radically different from the cool mountain breezes of Tinuvel, yet undeniably familiar—this desert island held memories of a time before Solomon and before Tinuvel.

She squeezed her seeing eye shut as tears flooded down her salty cheeks. He was gone. Her mighty king of Tinuvel was no more, replaced by an emptiness that engulfed her entirely. "You promised," she moaned, the words thick in her throat, nearly choking her with their weight. Another sob wracked her tired body. She closed her seeing eye and began to whisper the prayers of her earth mother, hoping they could mend the gaping void within her chest.

─── ･ *.☽ .* ･ ───

An hour passed, and the sound of muffled hooves on the sand pulled her from her prayers and meditation. Wearily, she lifted her head, her tattered ears flattening against her neck as she bared her teeth. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep moving," she growled at the approaching stranger. Her voice was strained and fragile, barely rising above the ocean's hiss. She craved no assistance and welcomed no company; none could soothe her shattered heart.