Lena
if I can stop one heart
from breaking
Dipping the bucket into a nearby pool, she waited for it to fill, gazing at the starlight, at the twilight, surrounding its vestiges. It undulated, then dispersed with a ripple of her movement, but she knew she couldn’t truly disturb the treasure, the beatific, beautiful world contorted and created around them. She could be a piece of it, a backdrop of sorts, like flowers blooming and bursting for the void, but never something that wholly changed it. Maybe, eventually. Uncertain if that was even a dream of hers, she noted the bucket’s contents, then backed away, an airy smile contorting, and footsteps once more light and incandescent towards the Cloud Wyrm.from breaking
When she turned, she hadn’t expected Gideon to be there, amongst and amidst the garden. Another smile radiated for the priest, and she advanced again, granting herself access to the enclosure while the wyrm looked on curiously. “Can’t fly, it seems.” Gently placing the water down where it could drink to its heart’s content, she gazed fondly upon the creature as it sidled along the cage, eyes segmented and riveted on Gideon. What happened? She asked, while producing bandages and some ointment from her pockets, quietly and calmly unrolling them while the beast processed her voice within its mind.
An answer came in due course, with its attention still on Gideon, suitably distracted. “Ah, hunted by a Sear Cat,” she responded in kind to the priest. No judgment in her voice; respect for all living things, no matter prey or predator relationships. Perhaps the little one had been too close to land, too foolish, too youthful, to understand the dangers until it encountered them firsthand. Experience a teacher, and sometimes not a compassionate one. “Well, you’re safe here.” Another quick and rapid smile, while she readied and prepared her remedies. Her gaze lifted back to the older man for a moment, tilting her head slightly. “How have you been?”
I shall not live in vain
