Jun 05 2021, 07:42 AM
She didn't like to dream. They felt disjointed and wrong; she liked it best when she slept in complete darkness, when time fluttered by with a quiet blink. When she dreamed, it felt... real. She knew those were her paws careening through a desert, her throat dry, sand spewing up her sides. There was a brief, cooling shade that touched her back, sometimes, and when the shade came, she felt safe.
A flash and some birdlike creature was raking its talons through her shoulder and into her side. She remembered the blood; the smell-- burning? and copper. And then she was running again. Always running. Always going forward. Don't fall behind.
The worst part about the dreams was waking up. Even that brief feeling of solace, of safety, felt like it'd been ripped out of her jaws. Taken away. When she woke up she was cramped, her limbs were folded in on her and
she knew this place. This dark. There was a sense of... anticipation. She knew when she broke out of here the desert would be back. Her brother would be back. She could see him again and everything would be alright. They'd run. They'd survive. They'd do it together.
A powerful limb kicked backwards and the chrysalis shattered. The world opened up to her but she did not recognize it-- it was cold, here. There was no sand, but instead, smooth rock underneath her paws. The air was wet, water splashed loudly in her ears nearby. Had she been betrayed?
No. No. She... remembered him being here with her. Something happened. Did he die?
A silent pawstep went forward, her ears pinning back against her slick head.
Where were the others? The Garnet? Agate? Not that she cared too much-- but there were always others. Why was she alone, here?