Noah
Crooked souls trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain
Dry eyes in the pouring rain
It hadn’t been that long since Noah had been to the desert, but Hak Etme settled into him all the same—dry heat, sharp light, and that quiet, insistent sense that the place was watching more than it should. He had come at Hotaru’s request, ready to help with whatever she needed. Seeing her with Colt gave him brief pause, but it passed quickly once they explained the task at hand.
The last time he had been here, at the pools specifically, he hadn’t been alone either. Phoebe had been with him then, harvesting a dream cactus as well. They had been careful—at least, as careful as anyone could be with plants like these—but he still remembered the exact moment it went wrong. A single misstep, a spine breaking skin, and the toxin taking hold. Her mind had turned inward, folding in on itself, and when she looked at him, it hadn’t been Noah she saw. It had been her brother, long dead, and somehow standing in front of her again. At the time, it had unsettled him. Now, it felt like something from another lifetime entirely.
Noah exhaled slowly, and glanced between Hotaru and Colt, making sure they understood what they were dealing with, offering what knowledge he could if they did not. "I can go up." he said at last, and without waiting long for objection, he shifted. Feathers and muscle replaced flesh in a practiced motion, and his griffin form took to the air, wings beating strong as he lifted upward.
The last time he had been here, at the pools specifically, he hadn’t been alone either. Phoebe had been with him then, harvesting a dream cactus as well. They had been careful—at least, as careful as anyone could be with plants like these—but he still remembered the exact moment it went wrong. A single misstep, a spine breaking skin, and the toxin taking hold. Her mind had turned inward, folding in on itself, and when she looked at him, it hadn’t been Noah she saw. It had been her brother, long dead, and somehow standing in front of her again. At the time, it had unsettled him. Now, it felt like something from another lifetime entirely.
Noah exhaled slowly, and glanced between Hotaru and Colt, making sure they understood what they were dealing with, offering what knowledge he could if they did not. "I can go up." he said at last, and without waiting long for objection, he shifted. Feathers and muscle replaced flesh in a practiced motion, and his griffin form took to the air, wings beating strong as he lifted upward.
While the shadow proves the sunshine
