Cerulean Cape i.xiii : who was dragged down by the stone

Her heart, too, was shattering. No, not shattering--just crushed, hard, as if someone had torn open her chest with their teeth and taken the beating flesh between their jaws. Squeezing, squeezing. It was impossible to breathe, and she gasped for air, rooted to the spot where she stood. The sharpness of his voice was the worst pain she had ever felt--and she had felt much pain.

You too, Mou, Maegi whispered, looking stricken as she stared at him. I love you. Go, now.

She couldn't gaze his way anymore. She would go with him, if she did. Maegi turned away with paws of lead, ribs heaving with stifled sobs. Her ears swiveled backwards, listening for the sound of his paws traveling on the sand--away, not toward.

Once she was satisfied that he was going the right direction, she took off in a sprint, expending the last of her energy to bring herself to a quiet part of the river. She splashed into the chill, submerging herself, washing his scent from his pelt. Over and over did she dunk herself, the tears indistinguishable from the water, the sound of her mourning muffled under the surface.

She eventually collapsed on the bank, shivering, curled into a tight, pale ball. Feeling like the worm she was.