To distract her mind Mati began the shading that would make the deer of her picture come to life. The male stood just before the doe, his antlers uncharacteristically large for the time of years she depicted. No they would not have a set so large in spring, but it was what she wanted and so she created it. It was what she liked most about painting and drawing, the power and control she had over the contents and the subjects of her art. Even if it didn’t end up as accurate or beautiful as she hoped, she had still made it. The silence of the room, and the dark that surrounded her candle flames was deafening and overpowering but calm all simultaneously. It frightened her, but slowly she was growing numb to the fear. She had seen her death, accepted it just nights before. What would she have to fear in her own house?
A noise startled her, even with her new confidence and courage. She paused, eyes still looking downward at her paper. Closing her eyes softly the female took in her surroundings with the rest of her senses. There was no unfamiliar smell, just the comfort of home filling her nose. The sound against the floorboards was light, the weight of someone lighter then she. It brought a new sense of ease to her mind, enough that purple eyes could open and look to the one that approached. Finding the form a black wolf in the dark shook her, but it was easy to recover when she saw her aunt standing before her. Mati could even smile, though concern was written on her face. Had she woke her? The words weren’t expected, and Mati looked down at the paper, her smile turning to a little grin. Thanks Auntie. her voice was soft, happy to feel the warmth of her compliment.
She looked away at her next words, unsure of how to tell the story of what happened. But she had been reluctant to tell even her mother, how could she tell Savina without admitting her foolishness. Mati kept silent for many moments, debating on which details to include and which to keep hidden. I found out that Haven isn’t coming home, so I hid in the university. Mati paused, finding that it was her brother that was being made the wrong doer, she tried to fix that. And I shouldn’t have been there, and I know it. There was a wolf, and he attacked me. But Onus came, he saved my life. He saved her from being raped, a realization that had occurred while she lay alone, replaying that attack over in her head as she fought to sleep. She hadn’t known, hadn't been able to believe that such things could happen to her. But they happened to her own mother, and did that make her more susceptible? Momma took care of me. She meekly reassured her Aunt that nothing had been forgotten, though the pain of it was being relived and shown deeply in her body.
table by Syd
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