Comme un miroir en éclats de verre
#1
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et tu m'as vu, une ou deux fois près de toi ramper

depuis tu ne m'as plus jamais regardé

Word Count → 821


The stars were bright overhead, but Hati could not see anything through the blurring of tears welling in his eyes. How was he supposed to carry on without his mother? Yesterday she had been with him; today, and every day for the rest of his life, she would not. The house was like a prison, gloom seeping into his bones and sapping his will to move. The air tasted like ash. He did not know what he was supposed to do.

He slipped outside into the night, moving without thinking where he was going. He found himself at the stables, of course; where else would he go? The horses were slumbering in their stalls, though one or two of the curious ones peeked out to greet him. Asagi, his mother's mare, she was awake. Asagi... was his horse now. Officially. Ayita's parting gift to her youngest son. The tears were blurring everything again, and the yearling clenched his jaw, choking down the lump in his throat. He wanted to ride. It was night, which was dangerous to begin with, and he was clearly not thinking straight, but he wanted to ride anyway. Alder would be furious if he could see his apprentice, but the stablemaster was asleep, just like the rest of the kingdom. So he rode.

Hati did not even notice at first when they flew past the borders of the kingdom; it was his first-ever excursion into the world beyond his birthpack, and he didn't care anymore. Maybe there was nothing but monsters out there in the wilderness, as he had thought as a child. One of those monsters was responsible for the murder of his mother. If he found that particular degenerate, he would be trampled beneath hooves without hesitation. He rode on without saddle or tack; the horse's muscles rippling against his legs. It ached to ride bareback without practice, but for once he welcomed the pain as a distraction from his thoughts. He could ride forever, but he would never escape his mind.

The silver pendant hung around his neck, getting heavier with every passing moment as a mocking reminder -- his birthday present, today was his birthday. A pretty necklace and a horse of his own, it would have been the best day of his young life. It should have been.

Asagi slowed beneath him, her chestnut body dark with sweat. Hati glanced up with surprise, noticing the sky lightening with streaks of color. The sun was rising. How long had they gone like this? He patted her neck, silently promising to take better care of her from now on. She was out of shape, and he shouldn't push her like this, even if he was having his own breakdown. He had someone to take care of now, even if no one was there to take care of him anymore.

Off in the morning fog, he caught a glimpse of something moving. His pale eyes narrowed, and he tensed, ready to spur Asagi on should the shape reveal itself as a threat. His heart raced in his chest, white fingers twitching with anxiety. The shape moved gracefully, though, a glimmer of curves and long hair drawing his attention. The wispy tendrils of fog slipped away as a cool morning breeze blew in over the ocean. The stranger was revealed to him -- it was no loner, but a wild horse. It was ghostly white, long gossamer mane and tail streaming in the wind. There was elegant feathering on its legs like Hawthorn -- a draft breed, then, but more streamlined and delicate.

Hati caught his breath, startled by the beauty of the creature. He felt an affinity for all equines, but this one felt supernatural somehow; a sliver of moonlight that coalesced into an animal's form. His mare raised her neck high and whinnied a greeting, calling out inquisitively to the wild horse. Immediately its ears flicked up, dark eyes boldly set into the pale mask of its face. Hati stared, fascinated by the creature even as it turned its back and galloped away, vanishing into the fog.

The spell was broken. Absentmindedly he ran his fingers through Asagi's mane, looking out over the cliffs and wondering if he had just seen a ghost. The unbearable pain in his chest had eased, if only for the moment when he was watching the spectral horse. It might as well be a dream, as exhausted as he was. Hallucination would be more likely. Then he felt the weight of the silver pendant around his neck again, and his eyes went dark with despair. Reality. It was morning, and he had to turn around and return to the home that no longer felt like home. There was nothing for him out here. He slumped in defeat and tapped his heels against Asagi's ribs, and she obediently turned, plodding a weary pace in the direction of Cour des Miracles.


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