“My love!?” I call out as he comes back my way. The twitching form of the golden-human in his arms. Einervaene. She was chasing us... Why? Why would she even!?

She must’ve followed along with the reaction of the other humans… Thinking my love is a monster- She’s here to kill him!

“Get rid of her!” I plead, getting up to try and force the twitching body out of his grasp. His jaws lash out at me, a guttural rumble coming from his throat as he brings his head back. Blinking slowly, I clutch my chest as my heart quivers. I slip and fall as a new feeling overtakes me. Without realising it, I look down at my dirt covered hands, and the imprints caused by my crawling.

My love’s eyes soften and he whimpers.

“I’m sorry...” he cries, his free hands coming up and clawing at his head to no avail. Every time he tries to hook his chitin, his fingers slip. Panting heavily, I get over myself and go to him. I hold him.

“Shh... Shh... It’s okay... It’s okay...” I say, my uncertainty so abundant I am struggling to find a place to put it. My eyes shift the way we have come. How long will it be until those human thorns ride after us in force? Will we even be able to lose them? Their leader may be insufferably invasive to me, but he’s able to pick out a petal.

The skills to find strength and beauty are there-

“Higher ground... Higher ground...” my love mutters as he secures me and the golden human in his arms. My instincts demand me to secure my body. Arms, legs and tail wrap around him tightly, however they can. My love leaps into the sky, the ground breaking so easily behind him and in front of me. Closing my eyes to the point it hurts, I reassure my grip as the winds turn comparatively still. And far bitterer.

Stone cracks and crumbles. My love puts us down on the cold floor and I look out the cave’s entrance. Using my true-voice, I let it sing in order to keep us in the light. Yet, though it shares the colour of my rose hair, the dark shades it so. Making it so much more crimson. It shines in my love’s eyes and his chitters bounce about the cave. The cold is not what makes me shiver.

“Should I...?” he asks himself as he prods some rocks that he can no doubt move and block the entrance with. He stops, turning towards me again. His direction seems to be me until it is not and he falls to the ground, back along the cavern wall. My love hides his shaking head behind two clutching hands. A growing growl within.

“Wh-What happened!?” I work up the courage to ask. Bringing my points close to my chest, I tuck them in with another shiver. Never mind my fears, my love has brought us up quite high. I am not dressed for such an occasion.

“That damn girl... That stupid shit called Neeameth!” he seethes, his fingers- claws cutting into the stone. He gets his grip on one piece and pulls it until it snaps right out, little flakes still falling. The rock comes before his face and enters both hands. Snap.

Nin’s grip tenses, crushing the two pieces further. He drops them and I look away so my mind can focus. That name, this Neeameth...? A human comes to mind, a particular one of recent aggravation...

“What... What did she do!?” I ask, some anger within myself as I consider such sacrilege towards my love. I do not even allow Einervaene the opportunity to enter my love’s heart. She’s my better, Einervaene is my better. But no one else in that town surpassed me... Not one woman!

A root dared to force her pathetic self on my love!? My love... -My- precious love!? How dare she...!

“She... Used something to make it sound like you-“ he starts to explain and I gasp. His head snaps up, his eyes boring deep into mine. I flinch back towards the stone, not giving it any mind as I scrape my head on it.

A meek noise escapes me as Nin rises.

“Care to explain...!?” he demands to know as his dark form looms over. His jaws opening up with trails of saliva between them. Rows of needle teeth with cruel inward curves. Those mouth things further behind, unending in their vile noise.

I bring my hands up protectively and shake them vigorously, with as much life as they can hold. Tears fly away from my head as my head does much the same. He backs away, if only slightly. M-My chance to...

“I didn’t help her, I swear!” I cry, fearing for my life as I struggle to understand why I cannot see the man I loved before me. All I see is an osibindah again. All I can see once again is that monster. Neither in my head nor in reality, it’s the same shape and form. Those growls that keep entering my ears.

My wrists enter his grip and I flinch, remembering another such touch. When he... When he turned. When the nightmare began, when he was supposed to bless me with a child. He was supposed to make me a mother, and he became this creature!

But... What I am fearing does not come.

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“You stupid aelenvari... You stupid, stupid aelenvari.” my love lets out quietly as he holds me close in a gentle grip. A hand goes through my hair, stroking it as my arms try to push him away. His arms keep me secure, even as my tail wraps around a wrist to pull. I find myself sighing against his chest, its familiar power all I really have right now.

More trembles affect me, and another sigh escapes, prying my mouth open, “What now...?”

I’ve never been in a situation like this before. Never one where I’ve had so few to rely on. A situation where I am in league with the very enemy of all the collectives I know of. I am at a place where I have nothing... Nothing.

Not a thing.

My body comes to life with frantic panic as a single image fills my mind, stuff. Stuff. Stuff. Stuff. All of my stuff. All of our stuff. Important stuff. Unforgettable, unacceptably in-abandonable stuff!

“YOU NEED TO GO BACK!” I scream against his face.

“Why...?” he asks, his bafflement unacceptable.

“My clothes! You need to get them!” I tell him, panicking to my core as I realise immediately where my haste has made me slip. What I said was wrong. It’s not my clothes being lost that bother me... It’s my special outfit... The one I am to wear during my- Our first time!

“What...!? No!” he nearly bellows, that snarl returning.

“NO! NO! NO!” I scream against him, holding him tight.

“-“ I give him no chance to speak.

“You need to get it, you must. I don’t care if you lose most of our supplies. There’s one specific outfit you must get, do you hear me!?” I tell him, recalling all of my left-behind authorial voice as I stick up to the fear holding me back otherwise. His head moves back and his scowl softens. He looks away to the exit, then around the cave.

My love sighs his exhaustion, “What one? I might as well try to get our stuff back, anyway... I packed most of it before that shit came in. Besides, if we’re chased out of here because of how I look... We aren’t getting into our destination with me like this... Are we?”

I struggle to smile with him, and I put a hand to his cheek. Nodding with a tearful sniffle, I find myself unable to process his words. My love is a monster. The man I love is only here in spirit now.

No... I need to focus on my tender touch and how it reassures my love. Our worst fears have come to pass, and he needs to remain strong for both of us. A future with no one at my side is an unbearable concept. I’ve already lived that part of my life in a position of power. I won’t be able to handle it on my own.

“Do... Do you remember the outfit I was wearing when you... Before you became an osibindah?” I am scared to ask, the topic is so tenderly raw. My wounds, even with the help of the gilded-bark of the human settlement. They’re still there, still aching from the depths of my bone-marrow.

“The one with the rose-gold tubes?” he asks and I nod energetically, a slight smile on my face as he recalls more about it.

“Is... Is that all you can remember about it?” I ask, trying my best to try and lighten the mood somehow. Somehow...

“I remember more, that... That’s just something that sticks out to me about it. I-I-I’ve been a bit busy on o-other memories.” he quakes as he speaks, choking on his thoughts. All so overwhelming, so mutually overwhelming.

“Do not worry, my love. I cannot be mad or angry. Especially when what followed was something so rare it could only possibly be a legend.” I tell him, recalling how he came back to life. Pushing myself forward, I plant a confidence-blessing kiss on the side of his head. My love spent time with the gods and goddesses themselves. Those we worship, he dined with them! He even brought back a gift made by the goddess my body has grown so beautifully to honour.

“Get that outfit, get what I can of mine,” my love repeats to himself with a nod. I nod alongside him, smiling some more.

“I wouldn’t mind if you could get my kimono and the other things... But focus on those two outfits. They are what is important. It’s very important you come back with them.” I tell him as he gets up to move, leaving me alone in the growing dark as my true-voice dims.

“I’ll try, Rose... I’ll try...” he lets out as my lips turn downwards. It’s too taxing to keep them any other way. My love shifts his direction back towards us and an arm points. I turn to face the still twitching golden woman.

“What about her?” I ask, moving away in disgust at what is no doubt going to be a source of further trouble.

“Stay close to Einervaene. It will keep you both warm and safe. You... You will be better as the one to explain the situation. Better than I ever could as I right now...” my love explains and I watch him exit the cave. He lingers on the mountainside, his eyes facing the far away ground.

“Good luck, my love... Try not to get into a fight... I don’t want to lose you again.” I tell him as tears form in the corners of my eyes. They flow slightly, becoming so cold so very quickly. I wipe my face clean and do so repeatedly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” he assures me with an over-the-shoulder nod. His next step makes him drop out of sight and all that lingers in my senses is the noise of his fall. The image is within the confines of my head. I sigh and turn back to face the largely motionless Einervaene. A frown forms as I shiver again.

Crawling up to her, I wrap my body around hers and snuggle what I can into her clothes. Sharing her attire somewhat, I settle for what comfort I can get against her soft body. Keeping our bodies tight together, I run a hand across her arm, farther up one of her sleeves.

She’s emitting lots of little sparks. Each one a sudden prick of warmth that keeps me coming back for more. Even with each bit of pain they bite me with. I suppose she made a good choice taking one of my cold weather outfits back when we first met. It’s coming in to comfort my life with such unexpecting grace now.

My tubes go along Einervaene’s body, drawing out more of her magic than I thought it might. One leg kicks out into the air; the voltage having nowhere else to go but back through me. I consider maybe removing the mainly metal piece of clothing. It is probably for the best. Metal is naturally cool as well, and such a sensation is not wanted right now. I’m pretty sure I can feel the warmth in my body draining into them.

Yet, removing my tubes would take off some thin layers of clothing that I do have. That would only make me colder than I am already. Besides, ruining my clothes for such a short-term issue is... Unacceptable. No, no, I refuse to think of it any further.

“Get back soon...” I mutter to my shortly gone love. My eyes flicker shut as I feel the want to sleep overtake me. Snuggling up closer than I already am to Einervaene, I fight back the urge to breathe with my mouth. I even keep my head under her nose so I can have some of the stream. I shiver again.