Anahita
Uncertainty persisted, the nagging suspicion in the back of her skull like the buzzing of flies. She took the hand that was offered, and stepped forward nonetheless, out of the shadow and into the heavy light, walking into an unfamiliar horizon.
And she stopped.
Green eyes went wide, searching for a trace of familiarity. The stone-crusted dreams that had wound around her mind for so long appeared fresh before her eyes, as if her waking was just another loop in the dreamer's spiral. She didn't seem to see Danta anymore, as if he was no more than a dream spirit or a trick of the light, and stood for a while, cold despite the volcanic heat, still, waiting for the earth to shift, breathing in sulfur and ash.
A feint scuttering sound broke through the wind. Her eyes darted to the side and focused, deadly, on the steep mountainside just a few lengths away. Grip tightened on her dress like a vice, Anahita leapt forward, closing the distance. She reached behind the rock, grasping at the soft, slippery caterpillar. In a blink its head was already buried in a tight opening in the rock, a split second away from disappearing out of reach.
The lava crawler found itself, instead, in between fanged teeth baring into him with abandon. It's struggle ended quickly in Ana's grip with a twist and a snap. She didn't take her time satisfying that itch, and in no time at all she was making her way back down the slope - her movements more fluid, the tension unwinding from her shoulders, and trickles of the creature's blood dripping from her lips and down her chest.
Only then did she seem to truly see her unbidden rescuer once more, her eyes now clear and gleaming. "My knight in shining horns," she called, the light in her voice ringing clear, sated, "What say you we get off this rock and you tell me about the grand new world?"
And she stopped.
Green eyes went wide, searching for a trace of familiarity. The stone-crusted dreams that had wound around her mind for so long appeared fresh before her eyes, as if her waking was just another loop in the dreamer's spiral. She didn't seem to see Danta anymore, as if he was no more than a dream spirit or a trick of the light, and stood for a while, cold despite the volcanic heat, still, waiting for the earth to shift, breathing in sulfur and ash.
A feint scuttering sound broke through the wind. Her eyes darted to the side and focused, deadly, on the steep mountainside just a few lengths away. Grip tightened on her dress like a vice, Anahita leapt forward, closing the distance. She reached behind the rock, grasping at the soft, slippery caterpillar. In a blink its head was already buried in a tight opening in the rock, a split second away from disappearing out of reach.
The lava crawler found itself, instead, in between fanged teeth baring into him with abandon. It's struggle ended quickly in Ana's grip with a twist and a snap. She didn't take her time satisfying that itch, and in no time at all she was making her way back down the slope - her movements more fluid, the tension unwinding from her shoulders, and trickles of the creature's blood dripping from her lips and down her chest.
Only then did she seem to truly see her unbidden rescuer once more, her eyes now clear and gleaming. "My knight in shining horns," she called, the light in her voice ringing clear, sated, "What say you we get off this rock and you tell me about the grand new world?"
