[=white][=9][center]Fear:;.~
I bottle up this emotion more than I should.
Today I woke up to the delighted laughs of my brother and sister as they pranced about in the fog, the bats swirling like a dark cloud of disease above them. I stayed in the Ename as they giggled like idiots, happy for the weather change the Gods have ‘blessed’ them with.
Gee, thanks.
I fear the fog. I fear the bats. I fear the lament songs that the wolves sing, seemingly right behind me. I fear the pond and it’s murky waters, clinging to my hooves and insisting on dragging me under to it’s dark depths. I fear the Old Oak, a once inviting place, and it’s massive cave of darkness. I fear the shadows, moving in and out in the shapes of deer.
I fear the Forest.
Vipin and Xylia insisted on bringing me out to look at the dramatic change, forcing me to walk around for a bit. I grudgingly accepted, only because I wanted to see if he was there. I made my way to the Twin Gods, to beg them to change it soon, when I was greeted by the one called Skokey. His pelt was the blue-black of twilight verging on night, speckled with golden yellow stars. His antlers were thin and brown, then fat and round at the ends. His mask scared me half to death.
It was hollow, with eye sockets as dead as my mother. They were streaked with dry blood, and I could smell the rusty stench of it. I greeted him politely, but he seemed more eager to buttonmash instead. I shrugged and walked off. My brother would meet up with him later.
I made it to the pond. It was dark; unforgiving, even, as I sat down in the shallows to ponder. I pondered what I would do after I greeted my love again. What would I do after I greeted him? What if my fear got the best of me and I fled? What if neither of us said anything, and I bored him? What if… He never felt the same…?
No.
I cannot believe that.