Shadow Mountain and i need you now

for @Desna

'Shadow Mountain' seemed as fitting a name as any, Cicero mused as he walked through the dark valleys. There was little shadow to be seen -- or rather, little no-shadow to be seen -- for everywhere the patchwork boy walked was cloaked in darkness. The clouds above mirrored his feelings, dark and looming and foreboding of the night that he dreaded so much. He would need to seek shelter soon so that he could rest the night away without fear. There were fresh wounds along his muzzle where teeth had locked around it, and blood was caked to his ears and neck, the hairs in his scruff ruffled from where he had been grabbed. Although there were no visible injuries there, Cicero's tail was folded between his hind legs to provide a fake sense of security and a blanket for his shame to hide under. Cicero had always enjoyed pain, savoured it like no other emotion, from when he was little. But this time, it was different.

Cicero cast one last glance in the direction of Phoenix Maplewood, where he'd presumably visited, before he turned away and started on along a path that wound through Shadow Mountain. He could not find his way home soon enough.