11-11-2008, 09:28 PM
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The firelight came out to reach him, casting wide shadows and breaking the subtle blue-gray of the outside world. Ahren saw his shadow in twain, and saw the way the darkness did not reach his companion. In Laruku’s world now there was nothing but white. There was nothing but fog. It hurt him to see the hybrid like this, hurt him in the same way it hurt to think of Matinee, or Kaena, or the look on his son’s face the day he had left.
His ears folded back and he looked down. A gust of wind sent dying fireflies up through the would-be chimney, away from this strange little circus and out into the real world. In here, they were alone. In here, they were invincible. It was crazy to believe this, but perhaps they had, once upon a time. Before the war. Before the fire. Before they both gave up.
“It’s always been that way,” he said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. A few steps took him to the fire, where he tossed in two logs casually. For a long time, he stared into that living entity, into the flame, and then spoke in a quiet near-whisper.
“I shouldn’t have saved you.”
The firelight came out to reach him, casting wide shadows and breaking the subtle blue-gray of the outside world. Ahren saw his shadow in twain, and saw the way the darkness did not reach his companion. In Laruku’s world now there was nothing but white. There was nothing but fog. It hurt him to see the hybrid like this, hurt him in the same way it hurt to think of Matinee, or Kaena, or the look on his son’s face the day he had left.
His ears folded back and he looked down. A gust of wind sent dying fireflies up through the would-be chimney, away from this strange little circus and out into the real world. In here, they were alone. In here, they were invincible. It was crazy to believe this, but perhaps they had, once upon a time. Before the war. Before the fire. Before they both gave up.
“It’s always been that way,” he said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. A few steps took him to the fire, where he tossed in two logs casually. For a long time, he stared into that living entity, into the flame, and then spoke in a quiet near-whisper.
“I shouldn’t have saved you.”