Hearthwood River rolling girl

Water pooled around his ankles, taking some of the blood and dirt off instantly. Due to the recent bout of warm weather the water moved at a leisurely pace, tumbling over the rocks as it meandered through the forest. The river had always been a source of comfort for the ghost, like the lake south of the Kingswood. His chartreuse stones fell to his paws, briefly, watching tendrils of red being swept down the river. His brows narrowed, throat suddenly becoming dry. The last remnants of Kisla were dispersing into the river; disappearing and soon to be forgotten. His heart ached. Coming to terms with this loss was going to be difficult, he knew that, but he couldn’t let it continuously weigh him down. He had to move forward, even if he did not want to. Even if he wanted to let the grief consume him. He couldn’t let it.

He peered over at little Risaela, his features softening as he stepped toward her, brushing his tongue against her forehead once more. Remaining silent the leader slumped into the water, his long legs folding against the bottom of the river. He motioned for her to join him, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “It’s okay,” he hummed as he lowered his nose to the water, his peridots still focused on the little Tainn. “She’s still with you, Ris. Always. Even when the blood is gone. She’s in here—“ he tapped her chest gently with his nose “—always.” With that XIX dipped his head beneath the water, despite being reluctant at first, and allowed the shallow water to cascade around him, ridding him of his friend’s blood.

 

stick with those who stick with you

Oh, but Ris hated the water. Hated it for being so cold, so fluid. Hated it for taking the red - the last bit of her mother - away from her. Hated the feeling of going underneath it, of choking on it and feeling trapped beneath the surface. She'd been feeling a lot of that recently. Like she was stuck at the bottom of the river, staring up at the surface. It was a terrible feeling - loss and loneliness and fear and despair and hopelessness, all rolled into one huge, terrible feeling that was drowning.

But Lachesis urged her forward, into the water, and she couldn't find it in herself to argue. His words made no sense to her, but the physical comfort was welcomed, and she leaned into it when he offered. Then, the child watched as he plunged himself beneath the surface, and squeezed her eyes shut before copying his actions.

The girl could almost feel Kisla being taken away from her. The current ran like fingers through her pelt, gently detangling and soothing away the feeling of dry blood, but replacing it with tiredness and ache and misery. With her eyes shut, the little Tainn could almost pretend that Kisla herself was grooming her fur for her, one last time, before brushing by and running along with the river's current. She envisioned her mother's beautiful green eyes as she looked over her shoulder and smiled, as if saying goodbye, before vanishing forever into the water.

It was only after her imagination had run its course that she realized her lungs were screaming for air, and she lifted her head back above the surface. If there were tears rolling down her cheeks, she wouldn't have noticed, with all the water running down her freshly-cleaned fur. The child immediately turned to get out of the water, trembling with chill and too many emotions, all at once, before settling down on the bank once again. She was so tired that she couldn't see straight, and even if she couldn't sleep (which was a definite possibility), she certainly didn't want to move anywhere. So she simply lay on the pebbled riverside, chin on her paws and tail wrapped tightly around her shaking form, wanting nothing more than for her mother to come and lay down beside her one more time.

You can fade with your next post if you want to <3

@Risaela archived! <3

After keeping his body submerged for a few moments Lachesis breached the surface, his jaws parting as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving. It appeared the little Tainn had followed suit, for her tawny fur was visible beneath the rippling surface of the river. Seconds after the ghost had greeted the cool air, the silver-eyed girl reappeared, looking even more panicked than before. He wasn’t really good at this whole comforting thing, was he? A frown tugged at his lips as he moved toward her, seeking to comfort her once more, but the girl scrambled away from the water visibly distraught. Way to go, Lachesis, he thought brashly to himself as he followed her, his long legs pushing through the slow moving water with ease.

Flopping down beside her once more the ghost took her against his chest, hoping that his body heat would help sooth her trembling body. The wounds were still fresh—there was nothing he could say that would ease her pain. XIX knew that he just had to be there for her and do whatever he could to help her get through the loss of her mother. If she ever moved passed it. Tucking his chin over her small body the ghost remained silent, not wanting to disturb her or cause her to run from him once more. They would stay like that, for as long as she needed to, before XIX would return her to the dens, tucking her inside his own den after ensuring checking on Mathéo to see how he was handling his mother’s passing…

Fade.

stick with those who stick with you