“Mount Marble, the highest peak of the standing realm, as is.” yawned Morgen atop her lungs. The sky above them was a clear dark navy with strips of purple running throughout and around her was a mixture of pale brown of autumn leaves and shades of grey. Powdery soot ran amok above the treetops, spurting out onto the wider area.

“We’ve been here for a hot hour or so. You know what’s transpiring here?” Aefen poignantly asked, sighting the mountain from afar. It had been raining down for half a day, it almost felt like the place was snowing. Morgen mockingly laughed.

“Calm your roars down. Other animals might be startled. Now, now.” Her prim voice was like her loafing position, tucking in all her limbs like a distinguished beast that she is, awaiting any signs in the wind. Suddenly she rose, “Well. I suppose we move now.”

Ferociously, despite her fragile bones, she began hugging a tree nearby and started shaking. A cluster of stardust dropped down on her nose. “Achoo!” The impact left it dancing until it rested on the ground. She stooped to look, eyes almost hitting each other had they not been separated.

“What is it?” Aefen asked with slight excitement at the corner of his mouth. “The stardust from Mount Marble.” She spoke while observing its remarkable fluff. Slowly, she whipped her paw up and pinched it. The cluster unbelievably began to dance up and down, side to side like a child had just played with his favorite toy.

Aefen’s brows gripped his mouth up like a handle. “I know what that is. What I meant was, what does it do? Is it the same as the sparkling spring of the east hill?”

“No!” she sprang up like a springboard. “Sorry, for being a little loud, of course.” Her sound was weak from the shouting. Then, she began coughing, rather loudly had she not tried to keep her voice down a second later. Aefen came rushing to her side. “Are you fine? Don’t rush the talking, now.”. He patted her on the mane. “I’m fine.” She continued to cough, slowly regaining strength to talk. “Well, where was I?”

“You haven’t answered anything of note. That’s where you were.” He answered.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Hah. I didn’t expect enfeebled me to fumble this much. Well now, how do I say this?” she pondered, her body quivering. Aefen continued to cuddle beside her. “Slowly.” He whispered.

“The stardust, yes. It came from there, the mountain, right? Yes. It is an omen.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Of what?” Aefen braked her before she drifted off the conversation.

“I… I don’t exactly know. Lady Charlotte was the one to instruct me. So, I came looking. There it is. Today.” She slowed her breath and began yawning again. “See? Good as gold.” She cleared her throat.

“Her again? I don’t exactly recall us agreeing on-”

“Come now. It’s important today. She insisted upon it, truly. I don’t feel like pampering myself all day anyway.”

His eyes and brows flared up like haybale lit aflame, but cold and coarse around the mouth and chin. The way he held onto his lips was that of a mad and sick person. Gradually, parts of his facial expressions began to drop.

“I know I shouldn’t be like this.” He frowned. “But you understand how I feel? Last time she asked you to do her errand, you ended up…” He paused.

“Like this…” He stopped, pushed his face upon her side in profusion.

“I understand, but-”

“No. No, you don’t. If you understand, you would’ve quitted.”

The back-and-forth halted abruptly. Both parties tried to open, but neither wanted to be the brave one to start. Wind blew the stardust even stronger than before, filling in the silence that took place between them. The rustling of autumn leaves filled the hole of quietness with its symphony, and the distant bird chirps wrapped up the band of nature with their singing prowess.

The continuity stopped when Aefen broke through, “Just tell me what I have to do for my part, if it is that important.”. Bravery began to fume on her side, but not enough for her to break her silence.

He ended on a subtle note, “Please.”

“Well.” She began.

“You need to cross the river to the other side…” She gasped for air. Aefen quickly covered for her. “Stand up. Sitting here amidst the dust clouds won’t help you much.” Morgen stood while Aefen brushed her fur of the small pebbles sticking themselves onto her.

“Where was I?”

“I believed you talked about the river.”

“Oh. The river.”

“This is the second time now for today. You’re usually not like this.” His voice was heavy. “I don’t know… Maybe you’re overthinking it?” She grumbled.

“Believe me, it’s… Never mind.” He walked up to the tree she leapt out of.

“Why? What about it, the river?”

“Charlotte needed you to cross and wait there. Across the river and the dark woods.”

“That dark woods? That is a no-go zone.”

“I don’t understand either. Even she didn’t seem to understand the meaning behind it.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Aefen looked up again. His mouth was just as ready to fire some shots back at her, but a deep part of his mind prohibited the idea. The only gesture he could do from now is a slight smile of acceptance.

“Fine. I’ll do.”

“You can graze there as much as you would, but she insisted you don’t stray far from there.”

“What occasion?”

“The stardust. That’s why we came here. So, yes. Now is that occasion.”

The two finally nodded off despite some tension brewing. Aefen went to the east, and Morgen went to the north. “Do we have an understanding?”

“Of course. I never fail a promise.” he proudly pronounced, hustling himself up and shuffled his feet around like a sturdy stallion.

“I’m ashamed, truly, to drag into this again. I’m… I’m sorry.” Her face began to blush.

“Don’t ever say ‘sorry’. You don’t belong to that.” Aefen visibly dimmed for a split second, lighting up again after noticing his downward position. “Cheer up. We’ll catch up with each other later. I promise.” His smile was the brightest thing ever radiated upon Morgen among all things in the dark sky. Her eyes woke to it as soon that it hit them. Before, they were teary and disappoint-prone, now they were a little shinier and prouder.

She didn’t come around to answer in the end before she left, only leaving the corner of her lips straightening as a thank you. Aefen knowingly lifted himself up with a prideful jog off into the distance.

Morgen coughed before she turned back. Her husband was as fast as the wind itself. She chuckled, then ran into the thick of the woods. On the floor, there were splatters of red, slowly seeping into the ground.

…

A decent lot away from the opening, one or two half miles, across cotton-like fields, covered by the powdery soot and dead tree’s entrance to the base of the steep hill, Morgen had been painfully clenching her mouth in despair. She could feel her heart pumping gallons of blood as if all her arteries had ruptured, calling for more blood. Her vision began to wane, and trails of blood dropped sporadically along the path of seamless snow.

“Aefen…?” She spotted a shadowy figure looming ahead of her, although it began to shrink the closer it got to her. The brave winds had whirled stardust into blizzards, so much so that her eyes began to dry out. The pain was tremendous.

She tried to call out again but was interrupted by a sudden cough. Red scarred the floor like a painter’s swing, although she never batted her eyes on it for a second, focusing on the sketchy object blinded by the stardust. “A rock…” She whimpered agitatedly.

She switched between closing and opening her eyes; she saw it again. “Charlotte…?” Her mind began to wane. She gulped air and braced her eyes, “You are here.” Her words were barely formulated before she fell.

…

“My great Morgenwyrm, a lustrous star in this dark world…” What appeared to be a girl of seven began humming into Morgen’s ear. She could physically feel the words lifting her onto a soft, pillow platform.

“Fret not in your dimness, for the dreams before you unfurl…”

“Flit about with grace, caution the winding steep hills…”

“Of Mount Marble the mighty, churning marvelous dreams and wills…”

Morgen’s riveting murmuring put a big smile on the girl’s mouth, whistling tunes as she went. Her patting was rhythmic and playful, her fickle fingers would tumble down her mane onto her aching back.

Morgen’s sickly coughs, however, were still present. The girl’s face eventually faded into one of seriousness. “No.” She began searching in her sachet. “No.” Her traumatic faces began to alternate, shuffling through the spaces and little holes.

“This one!” The girl pulled a stash out. The cracking sound of the bottle, followed by the swift pop sound spilled a droplet of green paste off the vial as she began to open. A small sapling rapidly burrowed the ground above it and reached out to breathe, as green as the liquid that touched it.

“Brace for it. Very bitter, this one.” She whispered as she inched closer. Regret marked her face. “Now. Open.” Instinctively Morgen began to widen like an obedient child with her mother, unknowingly gobbling on the green medicine the girl handed to her.

The hesitation to swallow was visible, even in an unconscious state of hers, making unsavory noises when it hit an undesirable spot on her tongue. Out of a sudden, bits of the paste flew out and dirtied the girl’s face. “Ahh. Troublesome you.” She rushed to cover Morgen’s mouth, her palms managing to close a fraction of her gaping mouth. Luckily, a gulp was heard seconds after.

“Phew… Off it goes now.” She chortled. The wrinkles on her face began to ease up. At a nearby flat rock, she sat and prayed.

“Augh!” A voice suddenly woke the remaining birds still benching on dead sticks around them. The girl jumped backward into a nearby bush, her dress catching numerous flakes of stardust.

“You wake.” She shouted from behind a dead tree’s trunk. Her voice seemed to resonate well with Morgen, wiggling her ears as she began to nervously swing around.

“Charlotte!?”

“Here, behind you.”

“Are you real?”

“As much as you want her to be.” She had a good chuckle.

She touched Morgen’s paw and began rubbing it against her hands. Heat transferred right into her mind as the voice knocked some senses in her. Morgen began to pounce around, prompting Charlotte to narrowly dodge every hit.

“You almost got me. Good to know my stamina is not off yet after clambering all the way here.”

Charlotte could hear sniffing, with Morgen curling around herself, coughing from the bitter taste.

“Come now. Don’t be a crybaby, especially today. We have business to attend to.”

“Am I… Am I done for?”

“Having a friendly chat didn’t seem to dispel the idea of death for you, did it?” Charlotte sighed.

“Anyhow, I seem to have fed you half the bottle by accident. There should be some amount of throat burn, and just about that… I believe.”

“Ah.” She struggled to form words. “I hope so.” She began rubbing her neck aggressively.

Charlotte climbed Morgen up to her face. “Let it rest. That should remedy itself any time soon.” She stepped off Morgen. “Here. A lift, if you need it.” She pointed. “Paw.” Slowly but surely, Morgen began to reach out.

“Now, push.” Together, they began to lift Morgen up from the ground. The strength of a seven-year-old could only do so much in the process. Now, the beast was on her firm four legs. The scuffle left a sea of dust around them, making Charlotte sneeze profusely.

“Pardon. These childish features had their own quirks here and there.” She squeezed her nose.

“You came from the other side of the mountain, unannounced no less.” Morgen nudged as the little girl began to look around her huge mass.

“It wasn’t much. The ‘halfway’ idea wasn’t too bad, so I decided to walk and, I walk.” Charlotte’s eyes began to straighten. “Splinter? Please hold the conversation.” She began pulling the prickly thorn out. Pus poured out, a size of her two fingers combined.

“Hmm. Endure.” She began whisking her hands about. Waves of purple moved the wound to its place, slowly sealed shut and healed as if stitching it with its magical, nonsensical threads. Morgen’s squeaks were small, but leaked into the open, nonetheless.

“Good to go. Where were we?” She pondered as she stroked Morgen’s tousled tail. “Then I saw you here, whited out like a wilted flower, so I consider my arrival a ‘divine’ intervention, is it not?”

Morgen stayed put. “You didn’t respond. I’ll consider that an acceptance.” She snickered as she returned to the front. “All functional. Nothing to complain about, for now at least.” Her wistful hum went along.

“I must admit that I was sweating here when you went unconscious. Don’t do that too often, promise?” Charlotte lay on the ground, exhausted. The temperature gradually dropped down, even as they spoke. Charlotte’s nose was as red as a reindeer’s. Before it got to her too much, Morgen quickly swarmed her with what little warmth she had left.

“Rest on my back while we go. My body is warm enough.” Morgen spoke in her full voice for the first time, full of concern.

“Did you tell him about your condition?” Charlotte tried shaking her sleepiness away.

“No… No, I didn’t.” Her voice was like a shattered piece of glass. As she nudged her friend up, there was a sudden cry of frustration.

“…Why?” There was no answer. She fell asleep before Morgen took off.

For an unfathomable amount of time, silence enveloped them. The only sounds heard were Morgen’s galloping, chirps of nearby fowls and the distant crashing sound of a waterfall.