06-09-2021, 04:18 AM
With a scorching ache in his heart, somewhere, he had made up his mind well enough to finally act upon it. Antares had done enough waiting for fate to take what was his again and again. But, now that he was in motion, and deep in the flow of it too, he could not remember if it was a willing choice, or full on flight.
On his eve’s travels, storms brewed in the churning skies. He realized that he was alone as showers escalated swift into a fully-blown downpour. Lightning illuminated his path, one set with a steady incline that he chased for more. Somehow over all the rain, he could still smell something that reminded him of smoke, too. Eerie, and it only put him on a greater edge alongside this deeply-rooted possession to go up; away, beyond--run to where no grief nor guilt could catch him after everything had already fallen from such great heights. But his legs were feeling heavier than he could ever remember. How long had it been? How far had he gone? As it all spun his thoughts and the distances went by, strength sapped from him. Even he threatened to falter at a point, and something, someone, shouldered against him, helping to prop him back up.
A gesture made in a familiar fond roughness was what stuck, not what had happened when he steadied his feet. It was a friend first, then another, then each of his brothers, a sister, uncle, aunts, father, mother. In the second it took him to reel, it was gone, replaced achingly by.. stranger? Even that did not seem right. His eyes narrowed, defenses rising beneath his confusion. He saw pitch-colored furs and a voice spoke low to him: “Keep going. They will be waiting,” these shadows assured him, furs bladed in moisture much like his own. He blinked, head heavy with the urge to argue this at first: (I already took too long...) But instead there was a nip on his shoulder that redirected the notion. Too familiar. It threatened to remind him again what he was doing, this fleeing from the harsh realities of it all. “You will find them, from hell to heaven...” like they knew his thoughts, perhaps in a different voice than the first. Antares could not seem to be sure, and did not wholly understand, anyway. “It is over soon, 雷槍.” they told him without decoration.
Hearing this, there was a strange sensation simmering, swirled in uncertainty. “次回は頑張ってください,” the shade assured with a low murmur into his ear. Another firm pinch of teeth to his drenched flanks and he was alone again after.. and yet again pressing forward, gaining momentum, and ailing despite the new burst of a rush. It was full-dark now, getting darker, and his bleary mind searched for the meaning or for any clarity on the matter.. besides to simply outrun the entire nightmare.
Lightning splintered across a distant horizon again to let him see how vast it remained. Despite everything, his pains' protests included, Antares wrung more speed. He didn't seem like he was going fast enough, and newly, his feet felt like they were sinking--deeper, by the stride. Keep going he repeated in his own voice this time Higher. Just a little while longer He tried to reason until somewhere along the way, it all faded away from him into full darkness. Even with his efforts to reach out, there was nothing left to see in this thick, stormy midnight.
As blackness swelled around him, he drowned. Then, it was quiet. Deeply so. Time spanned, something settled--in and around him both. Somewhere, raising his head, he followed a flickering luminescence while it drew lazy circles in the dark. A firefly? It looked a lot like one. Blinking, he thought he saw more distant specks of light.. even ones faraway, further than bugs could be. Stars, a hopeful want guessed, and a strange sense of peace cooled around him.
Above, brighter than all else was the full moon. On instinct, he found himself drawn to its glow. Eventually, its brightness faded, split, then returned a startling, bloodied red.
The Ostrega instantly wilted back from the bright snow-covered scene. He could have sworn it had been spring. Hissing through his wince, he forced a few more steps, then craned a look up once his eyes adjusted some--well enough to squint at least. An ancient, wide tree, splintered from up high, stood above his hollowed-out nook. He sniffed its direction, thinking it could be old lightning damage.. But left to weather the elements of decay since, it was not easy to say for sure what had happened. He stared a moment longer, cataloging this, but he didn't know why it seemed to strike him. It kept his frown in place even after he shook his coat and started to stretch into a slow walk. How long did I sleep? he wondered, not with the energy to feel appalled at how it seemed. Maybe it's still a dream, he went on to reason as carefully, he drank in this unfamiliar place he found himself in.
His head was spinning. One step at a time, he delicately began his explorations.
On his eve’s travels, storms brewed in the churning skies. He realized that he was alone as showers escalated swift into a fully-blown downpour. Lightning illuminated his path, one set with a steady incline that he chased for more. Somehow over all the rain, he could still smell something that reminded him of smoke, too. Eerie, and it only put him on a greater edge alongside this deeply-rooted possession to go up; away, beyond--run to where no grief nor guilt could catch him after everything had already fallen from such great heights. But his legs were feeling heavier than he could ever remember. How long had it been? How far had he gone? As it all spun his thoughts and the distances went by, strength sapped from him. Even he threatened to falter at a point, and something, someone, shouldered against him, helping to prop him back up.
A gesture made in a familiar fond roughness was what stuck, not what had happened when he steadied his feet. It was a friend first, then another, then each of his brothers, a sister, uncle, aunts, father, mother. In the second it took him to reel, it was gone, replaced achingly by.. stranger? Even that did not seem right. His eyes narrowed, defenses rising beneath his confusion. He saw pitch-colored furs and a voice spoke low to him: “Keep going. They will be waiting,” these shadows assured him, furs bladed in moisture much like his own. He blinked, head heavy with the urge to argue this at first: (I already took too long...) But instead there was a nip on his shoulder that redirected the notion. Too familiar. It threatened to remind him again what he was doing, this fleeing from the harsh realities of it all. “You will find them, from hell to heaven...” like they knew his thoughts, perhaps in a different voice than the first. Antares could not seem to be sure, and did not wholly understand, anyway. “It is over soon, 雷槍.” they told him without decoration.
Hearing this, there was a strange sensation simmering, swirled in uncertainty. “次回は頑張ってください,” the shade assured with a low murmur into his ear. Another firm pinch of teeth to his drenched flanks and he was alone again after.. and yet again pressing forward, gaining momentum, and ailing despite the new burst of a rush. It was full-dark now, getting darker, and his bleary mind searched for the meaning or for any clarity on the matter.. besides to simply outrun the entire nightmare.
Lightning splintered across a distant horizon again to let him see how vast it remained. Despite everything, his pains' protests included, Antares wrung more speed. He didn't seem like he was going fast enough, and newly, his feet felt like they were sinking--deeper, by the stride. Keep going he repeated in his own voice this time Higher. Just a little while longer He tried to reason until somewhere along the way, it all faded away from him into full darkness. Even with his efforts to reach out, there was nothing left to see in this thick, stormy midnight.
As blackness swelled around him, he drowned. Then, it was quiet. Deeply so. Time spanned, something settled--in and around him both. Somewhere, raising his head, he followed a flickering luminescence while it drew lazy circles in the dark. A firefly? It looked a lot like one. Blinking, he thought he saw more distant specks of light.. even ones faraway, further than bugs could be. Stars, a hopeful want guessed, and a strange sense of peace cooled around him.
Above, brighter than all else was the full moon. On instinct, he found himself drawn to its glow. Eventually, its brightness faded, split, then returned a startling, bloodied red.
— ⛈ —
Antares woke with a harsh start, his heart absolutely racing. It was light out, now. He was dry, beneath the hollow remains of an old tree trunk, and he could hear birdsong. A few kinds. It smelled cold, of pine forest-floor, with a hint of sea salt and woodsmoke persisting, but that rang as familiar. As him, essentially.. which led him to the next thought of how stiff everything was as he moved to unbend his limbs. He groaned, bothered by the sound of it before setting his head back down, and tried to recount what he did know so he could place why everything felt so.. different. If he could settle his mind some, the rest may follow. As he blinked, he did not feel fully aware of himself yet, let alone what lie beyond this cranny in the woods he had evidently crawled into. It was just a dream, he sought to convince himself with some steadying breaths. When he straightened up to stand again, he grimaced bodily, but powered through so that he could move from his strange cover. He needed to begin investigating--thinking he would feel better with that to do.The Ostrega instantly wilted back from the bright snow-covered scene. He could have sworn it had been spring. Hissing through his wince, he forced a few more steps, then craned a look up once his eyes adjusted some--well enough to squint at least. An ancient, wide tree, splintered from up high, stood above his hollowed-out nook. He sniffed its direction, thinking it could be old lightning damage.. But left to weather the elements of decay since, it was not easy to say for sure what had happened. He stared a moment longer, cataloging this, but he didn't know why it seemed to strike him. It kept his frown in place even after he shook his coat and started to stretch into a slow walk. How long did I sleep? he wondered, not with the energy to feel appalled at how it seemed. Maybe it's still a dream, he went on to reason as carefully, he drank in this unfamiliar place he found himself in.
His head was spinning. One step at a time, he delicately began his explorations.
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