The TwiceBorn

The Fundamental Mystery Of It All

 What we allow the mark of our suffering to become is in our own hands."--Bell Hooks

Alderon had paused in his strange circling again and was eying her with that peculiar flat stare Alora was already well familiar with. Against her better judgement, she approached the big horse again. The methodical circling was getting on her nerves, not to mention being exceptionally creepy. She'd planned on waiting to saddle him up for the day but if his master plan was to eventually kick her in the head, then no time was any better than another. Might as well do it now.

She grabbed him by the forelock, something she always did with Loki, and the familiar gesture caused her eyes to brim with tears.

I should have watched out for you better. You never knew, you trusted me to take care of you and I failed.

Nothing could bring him back. He was simply gone. She refused to let her mind drift any farther down that path.

Islinn

I should have watched out for her better too but...that can be fixed.

She smiled a sick-dog smile and was suddenly aware that Alderon had decided to placidly follow her over to where she had dumped his saddle and blanket. Hardly daring to breathe, she saddled him as quickly as she could and closed her eyes as she tightened the cinch, already feeling his lightning quick teeth sinking into her shoulder as the cinch grew snug.

Nothing.

"Maybe you're just as eager to leave as I am, huh?" She said, quietly and gave him a gingerly pat on his muscular neck. He swung his head around and studied her for a moment then turned and gazed off across the grasslands with barely concealed boredom. Alora eyed him. The saddle suddenly looked extremely far away.

"Don't worry; you'll get your chance to kick my head in." She remarked, glancing sidelong at his platter-sized hooves. If this had been Loki, she would have checked for bruises, stones, or packed mud.

I'll just...let him be...for now.

She had a horrible premonition she'd be seeing those hooves up close and personal very soon anyway. Her mouth twisted.

Blixen was still draped across the rabbit entrails, arms and legs splayed outward, with his head thrown back and gummy little tongue flopped off to the side. If Alora hadn't known better, she'd think he was faking since it was such a dramatic pose but his enormous penis was sadly drooped and still, so she knew he was truly out.

She walked over and nudged him with her boot. A few gnats and flies that had burrowed into his sticky fur rose and lazily circled before settling back in again. Good. Once she was done with what she needed to do, she'd dump some water over him and bring him around. Right now though,she didn't need to hear his incessant squeaky chatter or watch him hang on to his penis with his eager little hands.

Like I'll be so much more ready for that later on...

The morning was turning off cold but the sun was climbing and, hopefully,it would warm up a bit. Alora walked a little ways from her meager camp and seated herself, cross-legged on the ground. She tilted her face to the cool breeze. The Hawkish moon had been low in the sky the night before, and soon it would be Reap, everything cut down and gathered up as it started to die, time for things to be...collected. She closed her eyes.

Time to collect...yes...collect what's mine...

She began to breathe, deep painful breaths, the iced air hurting her lungs and frail chest, moving over the black lacework of her new scars, and filling each small indentation and crevice.