Arrow Lake requiem

if her joy at being among family again had been nearly at its peak, Tahani's health had plummeted to its lowest levels yet. she was happy, but god. . .so tired. she'd expended all the energy she could yesterday in being useful, gathering herbs and spending time with children and speaking with her siblings. it had been a very good day. a good day for Tahani.

she gathered rosemary and watched the stars. so aromatic, rosemary was. Tahani would never get used to how bountiful this land was, even if it was so hot. to find greenery within the ice of the north was a boon; here, plants seemed to grow from every nook and every cranny. it was a good place, despite its fallbacks.

the healer fell asleep in the few hours before dawn while sorting the herb, on a slab of rock overlooking the lake, rosemary tucked under her chin. she was drawn into the most wonderful, vivid dreams. . . of running with Shivali and Siarut upon an endless plane of snow. of whelping children of her own flesh, drawing them close to her breast. of climbing high into misty mountains with Currituck at her side, the girl a constant, steadying presence.

i love you, she said to her daughter, and she caught the loving flash of olive-hued eyes, felt the young woman's nuzzle against her cheek.

somewhere within all of these dreams, Tahani's body gave out. she drew in a breath and let it out, and stirred no more. and as the sun burst over the horizon, over the crags, its blood-orange glow would engulf the ivory form in warmth, in flame. if one looked close enough, they would find the ghost of a contented smile curving the healer's lips, frozen for eternity.

a peaceful end for a peaceful woman.

Peace was far from his mind.

The power of holding someone's life in one's hands (as Mesa had felt while fighting off an intruding girl) was intoxicating, especially so for the little warrior who felt they had much left to prove. Juxtaposed to that was the indomitable sense of loss; images of Stigmata buried deep within the mountain - forever its heart, though flesh slipped away and muscle deteriorated beneath the surface - tainted what would have otherwise been a beautiful memory. Now when Mesa thought of his beloved idol he saw ruin; rotted meat and blank eyes. Powerless, for he could not pull time back to that moment and return his father to the living.

Then there was his brother. Mesa yearned for Ego's company too - but this was sliding in to darkness, for the boy could no longer discern a difference between his desire for a whole family, his lusting for power in the face of his percieved frailties, and his subtle and unwanted sense of blame. Did he blame Ego for their father's death? Maybe he wanted to. He certainly didn't think to blame himself; the mountain was more at fault than any one of his kin. Desperate to hold on to what family was left, Mesa had begun to stalk the mountain paths; more-so bludgeon them as he raced along them, shoving bodies out of his way or snapping uselessly, indignantly, if anyone should question his behavior.

All except for Tahani. He had not seen her upon the slopes - granted his aunt was not high on his list of priorities, she had shown him patience and kindness as his fortitude began to wither. Mesa was not seeking her out on purpose. Her scent hit him - weak, likely overwhelmed by the herbaciousness of her gathering - and when he paused to look down upon her, he saw her form prone as if asleep. Nothing startled him at first; the boy lingered, drifting down the mount like a wayward cloud, and as he came close to where Tahani lay he chuffed to garner attention.

When it did not come he chuffed again - louder.

Stillness, silence - a growing sense of nostalgia mixed with dread.

He bends low to sniff at her face, and her eyes are closed. Mesa frowns and on a whim (a selfish, needy, childish desire) he drops against the stonework and tucks in against her limp body. There is where he waits, waits, waits... And when no breath stirs from the woman, Mesa plants his chin upon his spreading limbs adjacent to her own, letting himself quietly mourn for her.

She had been up for a while, patrolling and doing absolutely anything to distract herself from the things she didn't wish to think about. Later, as she neared the lake, she caught a hint of Mesa and decided to track him down and check on him.

She found him at the lake, and smiled a little to herself when she realized he was sleeping curled up against Tahani. She couldn't be more thankful for her sister's return, at the very least because right now, she had felt some semblance of peace while she approached the pair; it was the first time she had felt that way since the day Stigmata had died. 

But when she got closer, she realized there was something very wrong and very familiar about her sister's scent. Taki froze, eyes staring down at what she now realized was Tahani's lifeless body. For a few moments, her brain simply refused to believe this was real. Surely she was still asleep, having a horrible nightmare. 

Movement from the corner of her eye startled her, and when she whipped around to look, she realized it was the side of her own chest, rising and falling too fast as she drew in quick, shallow breaths. She took a step forward and touched her nose to her sister's cheek. Tahani? she said, her voice cracking a little. 

Her breathing quickened further, and suddenly everything she had been avoiding came crashing down on her, as if her sister's death had smashed open the top of where she had been hiding everything she didn't want to deal with. 

Tears streamed down her face. This wasn't happening. Hadn't she suffered enough? Hadn't her children suffered enough? Why was she repeatedly forced to continue on without members of her family? Forced to watch them die or fruitlessly search for them? She didn't think she could handle anymore grief; surely she would finally shatter.

Sister, no, she whispered. You can't leave. But she had left. She had come back only to leave again after barely any time together. Eventually, Taki might be happy that her sister's death was, at least, peaceful. But right now, she wasn't seeing anything clearly through her despair.

She tilted her head back and released a sorrowful howl before settling down next to her son and burying her face in Tahani's fur, letting the tears fall freely once her face was hidden. @Sadiq would be here soon, and then she could usher Mesa away from here before returning to bury yet another loved one within the mountain.