the darkness falls around me at night
My fingers are numb, the tip of my nose stings, and the snow has officially made it past the waterproof promise of my boots. There’s no denying it anymore—I hate the cold. I always dreaded it most when mom and dad wanted to hide out in Halo a while.
But I didn’t leave for Torchline just to find family. I left to prove something. That I could help. That I could do more than hide from the things that scare me. And if I’m going to test myself on that, a void creature is probably my safest option—that can’t be done in Torchline, and I didn’t want to pay for a trip over the mountains. So here I am, on an impulsively brief trip to Halo with what funds I’d gathered.
I stay back, mostly hidden behind the frost-crusted trunk of a tree, breath curling from my mouth in soft, uneven clouds. I watch as a tall man leans against a gnarled old tree, unicorn at his side, calm in a way that makes me wonder if he ever gets cold at all.
He doesn’t look like someone who takes kindly to interruptions.
But he also doesn’t look afraid. Which makes me think he’s the one the others are following. If anyone here might have use for an extra pair of hands—or at least not kick me out for trying—it’s probably him.
I grit my teeth and stay where I am. Just another quiet shape in the trees. I don’t speak yet. Don’t want to give him a reason to send me back after I’d followed the group all the way out here.
But I didn’t leave for Torchline just to find family. I left to prove something. That I could help. That I could do more than hide from the things that scare me. And if I’m going to test myself on that, a void creature is probably my safest option—that can’t be done in Torchline, and I didn’t want to pay for a trip over the mountains. So here I am, on an impulsively brief trip to Halo with what funds I’d gathered.
I stay back, mostly hidden behind the frost-crusted trunk of a tree, breath curling from my mouth in soft, uneven clouds. I watch as a tall man leans against a gnarled old tree, unicorn at his side, calm in a way that makes me wonder if he ever gets cold at all.
He doesn’t look like someone who takes kindly to interruptions.
But he also doesn’t look afraid. Which makes me think he’s the one the others are following. If anyone here might have use for an extra pair of hands—or at least not kick me out for trying—it’s probably him.
I grit my teeth and stay where I am. Just another quiet shape in the trees. I don’t speak yet. Don’t want to give him a reason to send me back after I’d followed the group all the way out here.
Theea
and covers me in silence so bright
