Phantom Hollow [m]aybe it's me

@Reverie
slightly mature themes way below

down in the flatlands, she watched the wildlife prepare for changes.

she noted the way the plains had emptied and how it seemed as if they held no close neighbors beyond the vale wolves. she swore that if she squinted hard enough, she might spot the great presence of akashingo far from here.

she could do no such thing, but its presence bore down upon her like a smiting all the same.

into the hollow she disappeared to follow a trail. the land grew thick around her, swallowed her presence until it seemed the outside world was muffled. here she could hear the movement of everything in a way that seemed startling in such silence.

it meant she, too, could be heard.

it unsettled her enough that she slowed her pace into a prowl.

Literally shrieked when I saw the tag ty for starting <3333 tag is for reference!

She was heard.

Reverie sat watchful from her perch upon the thick roots of an ancient tree, alone for the moment while @Hunst had departed to hunt. Truth be told, she wished she wasn't alone. She wished he had taken her along.

She would've been a hindrance, of course. The aftermath of the attack had found her a shattered thing, all bloodied glass shards glinting beneath the moonlight. It'd taken time to clean herself up, to sort through the mess of wounds and treat each separate hurt. Her head hurt fiercely even now, and secretly Reverie worried that the blow to her skull was the worst of it.

It was far from comforting, then, to find that she wasn't alone. Reverie rose on unsteady paws, dizzied from her first steps as she moved to meet the stranger. Her first impression was little more than a blur; a pale woman, unfamiliar, alone. Even so, her heart raced.

a mirror into another life, was her first thought.

which was far more whimsical than the truth. that another blonde, distraught woman had come out here and was discovered in sinking silence. the eagle moved with careful steps. always aware that her presence might be an unwanted thing.

she had come to see there was more weight to her now, with a carved appearance to her.

do you mind the company? it would be easier to speak first and set the scene for her intentions.

look, harmless.

even when she ached for something punchy most days. it was better to behave and cash it all in later when the stakes were high.

The woman could have been a Medeiros, she thought; all gilded ivory, though the scars and the pretty blue of her single eye were out of place. Reverie blinked at her, shaking her head slowly as she processed the woman's words. Company was alright — though surely Hunst would have disagreed, with her in this state.

I'm Reverie, She murmured, beckoning the stranger to join her at the small, temporary camp she'd made. There was a bit of food tucked beneath the tree roots, herbs, a pelt. Reverie wasn't sure yet when she meant to return to her companion.

beautiful name.

old thinking had makono think the woman was a jewel, a thing to admire in a court. yet she had not walked into such a place in so long. maybe now she could understand the stiffness of mereo when they had walked akashingo's halls.

how peculiar.

the camp was a welcomed relief. royal eagle. no real names here in no man's land, yet the title was carried with a heft that lent itself to reality. do you mean to make a place here?

Royal Eagle. Time spent in Casco Bay made her contemplate the name; was the woman truly royal? She looked it. But then — everyone thought gold the color of royalty, didn't they? Reverie herself was no princess, though she'd heard it otherwise from the mouths of Cyaneans and Sea-Snakes alike. Her mother was once a princess, they'd said, but it was more than that. Something they hadn't said. Something they still would not say, though she kept company with them as if among friends.

Not for long, no. Not long enough to call it a home. Wars to fight, you know? Reverie made herself smile, but she felt as hollow as her words. I've got a valiant death to run to. I always kind of thought that was the realm of men, but motherhood makes warriors of all of us, I guess. The world won't let you be anything else.

wars to fight.

in that moment it felt like her mind echoed. something lifted at the edge to let a cold air in and it swept dust off the shelves of her thinking.

the realm of men.

she did not bother to stifle the scoff that cut through her throat and into the air. women create the realm of men before men take their first breath. there can be no realm of man that women have not forged first. had she a hand, it would have been waved. instead a paw only raised briefly before it pressed down against the earth again.

the world demands more of us always — and we have always delivered.

she fueled the fires of this golden warrior.

Reverie couldn't help but smile at that. Mmm, yes, but why not let them keep the bits that don't suit us? Let them run into battle on our behalves, if they will, She'd never been one to choose a fight, after all.

But you're right - the world demands more of us. Men have the freedom to choose their battles. But it's women who are left to the inevitable - to go down with the ship, or see it sail again, Women, after all, understood the true worth of life; the blood and struggle of creating it, nurturing it, defending it. No man could ever hope to know these things in the same way.

she laughed and it was a haunted thing, something old coming up from dark depths. in it was the glimmer of a mad god instead of the feral thing she had become.

and do you know how to steer your ship? her good eye was bright upon the face of reverie now. not doubting but burning curiosity!

i will show you all i can in one night, if you wish it. one night was all she could spare. despite her fleeting nature and restless energy, she did not wish for the ridge to know her absence too long.

She thought of Dusty Rose, then, and found it odd that he should come to mind. Not once had she thought of him while she'd tangled with the man from the valley — but that had been different. Reverie had sought closure in @Cole's arms, the gentle closing of a chapter she'd never quite put behind her. Nothing more.

The bluefire of Royal Eagle's eyes burned her in a different way. Guilt gnawed at her as never before, but she couldn't bring herself to shy away. Instead she shifted closer.

I've been around a few times, She murmured, her own eyes dark with promise. Enough to know my way - but I'm always eager to learn.

as any good warrior should be, her voice a drawn out thing, hushed and dark like a cavern corridor.

it was the mark of a good one. the woman could become a possible tactician. maybe gather men who were good for nothing more than a war.

what terrain will you battle upon? you must work certain muscles the most to have the strength to move quick across your chosen terrain.

her half-gaze roved the woman. her scars. she sought the stories that had brought them upon her.

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Easier to show you than tell you, I think, Reverie ventured, bolder now; certain that she wanted to know this Royal Eagle better. Even that she wanted to see her again — !

But that was entirely too much thought for this moment. Reverie reached for her without another thought, even without another breath, not even wondering if her kiss would feel different than that of a man. She'd wondered before — but never had she dared to find out until now.

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she was beginning to realize women were so easy to adore, to hold.

maybe it was the spirit of a royal to think such a thing. she knew this woman was strong, scarred by her own hardships. yet she knew too that they could only know one another as women could.

show me, she whispered in the small space between them.

prepared to kiss her, to know her, to hold her in any way that might be allowed. this camp could be their own little hideaway for however many hours they could afford.

and in these things, she might learn more than she could teach.