Wнeɴ тнe 𝚂𝙺𝚈 wepт ＳＴＯＮＥＳ - ᴬ ᵀᵘᵉˢᵈᵃʸ ᶜʰᵃˡˡᵉᶰᵍᵉˢ ᵒᶰᵉ⁻ˢʰᵒᵗ
May 22, 2017 18:50:55 GMT -5
» ѕнαdσω ⚔️, eph 💕, and 1 more like this
Post by ☾ Cʀᴇsᴄᴇɴᴛ ☽ on May 22, 2017 18:50:55 GMT -5
Idalia was alone.
The sun’s fiery rays hid behind a bulwark of roiling clouds, staining them a dark, muddy crimson. The mountainous terrain was bathed in an eerie, pink-red glow. It sleeted steadily, cold icy slush hurtling down in slicing sheets.
A small, roughly-hewn cave lay at the base of the mountains, jagged spikes jutting like fangs around the entrance. A small she-cat sat at the entrance of the roughly-made den, her gold eyes staring blankly into the distance. Her sleek brown tabby coat was slicked back, damp with the cold water. She did not flinch from the frozen drizzle, though the vicious wind swept the precipitation into the cozy shelter.
The compact she-cat sat, stewing with her treacherous thoughts. None of the others had woken. The constant drumming outside should have been soothing, but somehow it was not. Idalia was on edge.
The sleet ceased for a moment, though the red-tinged clouds rolled in heavier, billowing in their majesty. Her blood went cold as the winds picked up, a subtle updraft growing stronger. Suddenly, Idalia felt uneasy. She had seen this enough times to develop a sort of sixth sense. It’s coming, she thought silently to herself.
When the first stones began to fall, she was not surprised. They were larger than average, roughly the size of a vole, and imbrued with a gray-red tint from the rising sun. They struck the ground with heavy thuds. The sound awoke something inside of her, some desire buried deep within the folds of her psyche.
Idalia had waited so long for this opportunity. It’s time. She hesitated, staring out into the hail. But can I really do this?
Doubts slithered into her mind stroking her iron resolution with with gentle caresses, whispering sweet promises of brighter days. She falt nauseated by her tumultuous thoughts. Maybe this isn’t the day after all.
She bit her lip and stared at her paws. Idalia shook her head imperceptibly, banishing the traitorous hissing. No. I could not miss such an artful opportunity.She had mulled over this for too many moons, each possibility stewing in the recesses of her mind.
She couldn’t just cast aside this perfect, beautifully ironic opportunity. Oh, the irony. Idalia let a bitter laugh climb up her throat.
Small noises could be heard as the other cats of her clan started to stir. Idalia was seized with a sense of urgency, and so she stretched out her front legs to drag herself out into the torrent.
Her hind legs lay broken and shriveled, useless. Idalia glanced bitterly at them; they were her prison, trapping her in a life she had never wanted. She turned away, unable to look at them -- at her own body -- for more than a moment. She gritted her teeth in frustration for the umpteenth time as she hauled herself forward and out into the storm.
Time seemed to slow. The barrage of stones came, but they tumbled leisurely, irregularly towards the ground.
One. The first hailstone struck her deformed legs.
Memories began to flow, engulfing her in images from another time, another life. She had been different then. Less jaded, though it hadn’t lasted for long.
“Momma, why am I so slow?” Her legs dragged behind her as she tried to keep up, though she was failing miserably despite their excruciatingly slow pace.
“You’re special, Idalia, my little sunshine. You were born this way.”
“But I don’t wanna be this way. I wanna be like Adonis and Ajax and Ebony. It’s not fair!”
Vana turned to nuzzle Idalia, caressing her malformed back legs with her tail. “Nothing is fair, darling. Just remember, dear, you’re my favorite,” she whispered, her eyes dancing as she disclosed what Idalia felt was their special secret.
Idalia wanted desperately feel it, and yet her legs stayed limp on the ground, bleeding ever-so-slightly from the gash. She wanted to scream. She used her hind legs to propel herself forward, not letting the hail deter her.
Two. The next hurtled towards her left flank. Idalia relished the sensation as it ripped through fur to slice at her skin. Her mind flashed to another time, another angry gash.
Idalia’s littermates. Adonic and Ajax sat, staring up at their elder sister. “Tell us about the storm, about the day we were born!” they chirped eagerly. Idalia hung back in the shadows as Ebony began to speak. She had never liked Idalia much.
“Father, Mother, a few of her friends, and I were out enjoying a sunny day, one of the last before it would become cold. Suddenly, the sky became overcast. The wind whipped around us and we hurried to get back to the cave, but we had strayed too far. Mother started to have pains. You two,” — she hesitated, glancing over at Idalia, who turned her face away as if she hadn’t heard anything — “you three started to come early. We tried to hurry her back to camp, but she could barely walk. You were born early amongst the hail that day, underneath a small crag that barely shielded us at all. I still remember the stormy sky, that huge stones the size of your heads! They were beautiful, but they were jagged and when they fell they sliced your pelt to ribbons"
She dug her claws into the ground with relish to illustrate her point. "It was terrible. Mother and you three were covered in bumps and scratches. She was screaming as she was pelted by hail and you three were wailing in pain, covered in scratches and terrible bumps."
“You two are lucky that the stress on her didn’t kill you and that the hail didn't You were tiny, but otherwise you were fine.” Ebony lowered her voice, but Idalia could still make out the notion. “Idalia? No one is quite sure whether the hail made her the way she is or if she was just born this way. We think it was a combination of the two. Just be glad you didn't end up like her."
Three. Another, this time hitting her right leg. It didn’t break skin, but the stinging sensation raced through her. She could feel a nasty, twisted welt forming.
She was eating when her brothers snuck up behind her. Her siblings had always been jealous of all the attention she got. Idalia ate calmly and was oblivious as they carved her hind legs with their thorn-like claws. When she finally glanced back and screamed at the blood pooling onto the ground, they laughed. “Why are you crying? You can’t even feel it,” they mocked, laughing.
That was what scared her the most.
Oberon, her father, watched coldly even as she shrieked. Her mother ran to scold them, giving them heavy cuffs around the ears, but the damage had been done.
Four. This hailstone struck her chest, digging into her skin and freeing a trickle of scarlet.
Idalia continued forward, her legs dragging across the stony terrain.
“But I think-” Idalia’s protest was cut off.
“You don’t contribute to this clan. You don’t get a say,” Oberon snarled, his eyes dark as he glared at his daughter. Idalia stared back, head held high. She would not back down.
“I don’t know-”
“Shut up, will you?” Oberon’s roar of anger drowned out her protests as he hurtled towards her, claws flashing. She watched, helpless, as he bore down on her. His eyes glittered with fury as he sliced at her flank. Her mother screamed and the other cats at the clan meeting rushed to hold him back, but it was too late.
Five. Her mid-back ached and burned. Idalia didn’t even glance back to see if she was bleeding. She focused on moving forward, still an arduous task.
“...useless...nothing… can’t help… no point…” Idalia skulked in the shadows, eavesdropping. Bile rose in her throat and bitterness ate through her as she listened to her family and friends stab her in the back.
I’m worthless, aren’t I? she thought to herself, a caustic laugh bubbling up inside of her. I’m nothing but a burden. Idalia tried to block out the hushed voices of those at the meeting, but she couldn’t help but listen as they ripped her apart with their words. The most terrible part about it was that she knew they were right.
Six. The ice collided with Idalia’s thin brown scruff, causing her neck to jerk from the impact Idalia thought she felt something pop, but she ignored it. Pain was trivial at this point.
“Stay and watch the kits, won’t you?” Vana turned to leave with the rest of the group. “We'll be back soon, Idalia. I promise.”
Idalia watched them exit their cave: her brothers, her sister, the other cats in their clan. Idalia gazed bitterly on their agile forms as they traipsed off to hunt, her stare steeped in moons-old acrimony. The kittens she had been left to take care of crowded around her, but she batted them away, hissing.
“Leave me alone!”
Her mother turned around to glance back, her gray eyes sad and searching to meet hers. Idalia turned away with an angry sneer.
Seven. Her left leg buckled momentarily under the blow. Idalia let out a gasp as she struggled to trek onwards.
Idalia couldn’t help but admire Crag’s athletic build and strong jawline from a distance. She lay alone in the shadows. He laughed with the other young cats of the clan, her two brothers flanking him. Ebony prowled over, following her little sibling’s gaze.
She leaned in, her voice syrupy-sweet. “He’s mine, darling. And I’ll give you a tip, Idalia: toms never go for a cripple.”
She flounced away, making wide eyes at Crag. Idalia sat feeling as if Ebony had just clawed her in the back. The word echoed in her ears. Cripple.
Eight. It drove into her upper back, hard. Idalia couldn’t help but wonder if the world was against her. The sky almost seemed as if it was trying to crush her to the ground.
“Vana, move!” Oberon’s booming voice reached them and they sat upright.
Idalia and Vana looked up at the same moment to see a cascade of rocks tumbling down the mountainside towards them. Vana glanced over at Idalia, who immediately tried to make her way out of the rock slide's path.
I’ll never make it, Idalia realized. She was traveling far too slow; she didn’t stand a chance.
Before Idalia knew what was happening, Vana grabbed her by the scruff. She propelled her forward with adrenaline’s extraordinary strength and almost instantaneously Idalia realized she had been pushed just out of the rock slide’s path.
Her mother had not.
“Mother!” Idalia shrieked helplessly as she watched the earth consume her.
Idalia finally staggered to the cliff edge, her already broken body abused further, bloody and bruised. The land dropped off suddenly, giving way to dizzying heights.
“Idalia?” Her head whipped around. The faint figures of her clanmates could be seen moving inside the cave.
It was now or never.
Nine. Idalia watched the next come hurtling towards her, head tilted up to watch its descent. It spun lazily, gaining velocity. She pulled herself forward, her chest hanging over the precipice until she was hanging on with nothing but her miserable, paralyzed excuses for hind legs.
The hailstone collided into her right flank. She barely felt the pain as it exploded against her. With one final, wild burst of energy she hurled herself forward and into nothingness.
“We’ve uncovered her body.” Ajax plodded over delivered the news with dull eyes. Ebony gasped in horror.
Idalia screamed as her mother’s battered, crushed body was carried into view. She had know Vana was dead, but the finality of the corpse pushed her over the edge.
“Mother, no,” she whispered, her voice cracking into a wretched groan. “I have nothing to live for. It should have been me.” She had escaped with nothing but a few scratches.The guilt that had been churning inside her began to boil over, eating through her like acid. “Spirits, why? Why her?” she howled.
“For once you’re right,” Adonis spat as he padded over, disgust in his meow. “I wish it had been you.”
Idalia simply screamed.
And then she was falling, falling with the hail around her. Oh, what beautiful serendipity, she thought. Idalia let a wry smile come across her face. With hail she had entered the world and with hail she would leave.
Suicide was an art, after all.
She glanced up one last time to see the dirty, rust-colored sky, watching as it wept and-
Ten. It smashed into her face with a crack. Idalia’s gaze exploded into red and black as her body slammed against the ground. She let the pain engulf her body, welcoming it, cherishing it.
Idalia laughed. Then she was gone.
The sun’s fiery rays hid behind a bulwark of roiling clouds, staining them a dark, muddy crimson. The mountainous terrain was bathed in an eerie, pink-red glow. It sleeted steadily, cold icy slush hurtling down in slicing sheets.
A small, roughly-hewn cave lay at the base of the mountains, jagged spikes jutting like fangs around the entrance. A small she-cat sat at the entrance of the roughly-made den, her gold eyes staring blankly into the distance. Her sleek brown tabby coat was slicked back, damp with the cold water. She did not flinch from the frozen drizzle, though the vicious wind swept the precipitation into the cozy shelter.
The compact she-cat sat, stewing with her treacherous thoughts. None of the others had woken. The constant drumming outside should have been soothing, but somehow it was not. Idalia was on edge.
The sleet ceased for a moment, though the red-tinged clouds rolled in heavier, billowing in their majesty. Her blood went cold as the winds picked up, a subtle updraft growing stronger. Suddenly, Idalia felt uneasy. She had seen this enough times to develop a sort of sixth sense. It’s coming, she thought silently to herself.
When the first stones began to fall, she was not surprised. They were larger than average, roughly the size of a vole, and imbrued with a gray-red tint from the rising sun. They struck the ground with heavy thuds. The sound awoke something inside of her, some desire buried deep within the folds of her psyche.
Idalia had waited so long for this opportunity. It’s time. She hesitated, staring out into the hail. But can I really do this?
Doubts slithered into her mind stroking her iron resolution with with gentle caresses, whispering sweet promises of brighter days. She falt nauseated by her tumultuous thoughts. Maybe this isn’t the day after all.
She bit her lip and stared at her paws. Idalia shook her head imperceptibly, banishing the traitorous hissing. No. I could not miss such an artful opportunity.She had mulled over this for too many moons, each possibility stewing in the recesses of her mind.
She couldn’t just cast aside this perfect, beautifully ironic opportunity. Oh, the irony. Idalia let a bitter laugh climb up her throat.
Small noises could be heard as the other cats of her clan started to stir. Idalia was seized with a sense of urgency, and so she stretched out her front legs to drag herself out into the torrent.
Her hind legs lay broken and shriveled, useless. Idalia glanced bitterly at them; they were her prison, trapping her in a life she had never wanted. She turned away, unable to look at them -- at her own body -- for more than a moment. She gritted her teeth in frustration for the umpteenth time as she hauled herself forward and out into the storm.
Time seemed to slow. The barrage of stones came, but they tumbled leisurely, irregularly towards the ground.
One. The first hailstone struck her deformed legs.
Memories began to flow, engulfing her in images from another time, another life. She had been different then. Less jaded, though it hadn’t lasted for long.
“Momma, why am I so slow?” Her legs dragged behind her as she tried to keep up, though she was failing miserably despite their excruciatingly slow pace.
“You’re special, Idalia, my little sunshine. You were born this way.”
“But I don’t wanna be this way. I wanna be like Adonis and Ajax and Ebony. It’s not fair!”
Vana turned to nuzzle Idalia, caressing her malformed back legs with her tail. “Nothing is fair, darling. Just remember, dear, you’re my favorite,” she whispered, her eyes dancing as she disclosed what Idalia felt was their special secret.
Idalia wanted desperately feel it, and yet her legs stayed limp on the ground, bleeding ever-so-slightly from the gash. She wanted to scream. She used her hind legs to propel herself forward, not letting the hail deter her.
Two. The next hurtled towards her left flank. Idalia relished the sensation as it ripped through fur to slice at her skin. Her mind flashed to another time, another angry gash.
Idalia’s littermates. Adonic and Ajax sat, staring up at their elder sister. “Tell us about the storm, about the day we were born!” they chirped eagerly. Idalia hung back in the shadows as Ebony began to speak. She had never liked Idalia much.
“Father, Mother, a few of her friends, and I were out enjoying a sunny day, one of the last before it would become cold. Suddenly, the sky became overcast. The wind whipped around us and we hurried to get back to the cave, but we had strayed too far. Mother started to have pains. You two,” — she hesitated, glancing over at Idalia, who turned her face away as if she hadn’t heard anything — “you three started to come early. We tried to hurry her back to camp, but she could barely walk. You were born early amongst the hail that day, underneath a small crag that barely shielded us at all. I still remember the stormy sky, that huge stones the size of your heads! They were beautiful, but they were jagged and when they fell they sliced your pelt to ribbons"
She dug her claws into the ground with relish to illustrate her point. "It was terrible. Mother and you three were covered in bumps and scratches. She was screaming as she was pelted by hail and you three were wailing in pain, covered in scratches and terrible bumps."
“You two are lucky that the stress on her didn’t kill you and that the hail didn't You were tiny, but otherwise you were fine.” Ebony lowered her voice, but Idalia could still make out the notion. “Idalia? No one is quite sure whether the hail made her the way she is or if she was just born this way. We think it was a combination of the two. Just be glad you didn't end up like her."
Three. Another, this time hitting her right leg. It didn’t break skin, but the stinging sensation raced through her. She could feel a nasty, twisted welt forming.
She was eating when her brothers snuck up behind her. Her siblings had always been jealous of all the attention she got. Idalia ate calmly and was oblivious as they carved her hind legs with their thorn-like claws. When she finally glanced back and screamed at the blood pooling onto the ground, they laughed. “Why are you crying? You can’t even feel it,” they mocked, laughing.
That was what scared her the most.
Oberon, her father, watched coldly even as she shrieked. Her mother ran to scold them, giving them heavy cuffs around the ears, but the damage had been done.
Four. This hailstone struck her chest, digging into her skin and freeing a trickle of scarlet.
Idalia continued forward, her legs dragging across the stony terrain.
“But I think-” Idalia’s protest was cut off.
“You don’t contribute to this clan. You don’t get a say,” Oberon snarled, his eyes dark as he glared at his daughter. Idalia stared back, head held high. She would not back down.
“I don’t know-”
“Shut up, will you?” Oberon’s roar of anger drowned out her protests as he hurtled towards her, claws flashing. She watched, helpless, as he bore down on her. His eyes glittered with fury as he sliced at her flank. Her mother screamed and the other cats at the clan meeting rushed to hold him back, but it was too late.
Five. Her mid-back ached and burned. Idalia didn’t even glance back to see if she was bleeding. She focused on moving forward, still an arduous task.
“...useless...nothing… can’t help… no point…” Idalia skulked in the shadows, eavesdropping. Bile rose in her throat and bitterness ate through her as she listened to her family and friends stab her in the back.
I’m worthless, aren’t I? she thought to herself, a caustic laugh bubbling up inside of her. I’m nothing but a burden. Idalia tried to block out the hushed voices of those at the meeting, but she couldn’t help but listen as they ripped her apart with their words. The most terrible part about it was that she knew they were right.
Six. The ice collided with Idalia’s thin brown scruff, causing her neck to jerk from the impact Idalia thought she felt something pop, but she ignored it. Pain was trivial at this point.
“Stay and watch the kits, won’t you?” Vana turned to leave with the rest of the group. “We'll be back soon, Idalia. I promise.”
Idalia watched them exit their cave: her brothers, her sister, the other cats in their clan. Idalia gazed bitterly on their agile forms as they traipsed off to hunt, her stare steeped in moons-old acrimony. The kittens she had been left to take care of crowded around her, but she batted them away, hissing.
“Leave me alone!”
Her mother turned around to glance back, her gray eyes sad and searching to meet hers. Idalia turned away with an angry sneer.
Seven. Her left leg buckled momentarily under the blow. Idalia let out a gasp as she struggled to trek onwards.
Idalia couldn’t help but admire Crag’s athletic build and strong jawline from a distance. She lay alone in the shadows. He laughed with the other young cats of the clan, her two brothers flanking him. Ebony prowled over, following her little sibling’s gaze.
She leaned in, her voice syrupy-sweet. “He’s mine, darling. And I’ll give you a tip, Idalia: toms never go for a cripple.”
She flounced away, making wide eyes at Crag. Idalia sat feeling as if Ebony had just clawed her in the back. The word echoed in her ears. Cripple.
Eight. It drove into her upper back, hard. Idalia couldn’t help but wonder if the world was against her. The sky almost seemed as if it was trying to crush her to the ground.
“Vana, move!” Oberon’s booming voice reached them and they sat upright.
Idalia and Vana looked up at the same moment to see a cascade of rocks tumbling down the mountainside towards them. Vana glanced over at Idalia, who immediately tried to make her way out of the rock slide's path.
I’ll never make it, Idalia realized. She was traveling far too slow; she didn’t stand a chance.
Before Idalia knew what was happening, Vana grabbed her by the scruff. She propelled her forward with adrenaline’s extraordinary strength and almost instantaneously Idalia realized she had been pushed just out of the rock slide’s path.
Her mother had not.
“Mother!” Idalia shrieked helplessly as she watched the earth consume her.
Idalia finally staggered to the cliff edge, her already broken body abused further, bloody and bruised. The land dropped off suddenly, giving way to dizzying heights.
“Idalia?” Her head whipped around. The faint figures of her clanmates could be seen moving inside the cave.
It was now or never.
Nine. Idalia watched the next come hurtling towards her, head tilted up to watch its descent. It spun lazily, gaining velocity. She pulled herself forward, her chest hanging over the precipice until she was hanging on with nothing but her miserable, paralyzed excuses for hind legs.
The hailstone collided into her right flank. She barely felt the pain as it exploded against her. With one final, wild burst of energy she hurled herself forward and into nothingness.
“We’ve uncovered her body.” Ajax plodded over delivered the news with dull eyes. Ebony gasped in horror.
Idalia screamed as her mother’s battered, crushed body was carried into view. She had know Vana was dead, but the finality of the corpse pushed her over the edge.
“Mother, no,” she whispered, her voice cracking into a wretched groan. “I have nothing to live for. It should have been me.” She had escaped with nothing but a few scratches.The guilt that had been churning inside her began to boil over, eating through her like acid. “Spirits, why? Why her?” she howled.
“For once you’re right,” Adonis spat as he padded over, disgust in his meow. “I wish it had been you.”
Idalia simply screamed.
And then she was falling, falling with the hail around her. Oh, what beautiful serendipity, she thought. Idalia let a wry smile come across her face. With hail she had entered the world and with hail she would leave.
Suicide was an art, after all.
She glanced up one last time to see the dirty, rust-colored sky, watching as it wept and-
Ten. It smashed into her face with a crack. Idalia’s gaze exploded into red and black as her body slammed against the ground. She let the pain engulf her body, welcoming it, cherishing it.
Idalia laughed. Then she was gone.
