01-14-2019, 04:04 AM
The night was not dark and stormy, but in Atropos's opinion, it might as well have been. Clear skies couldn't disperse the thunder roiling in her breast, nor the lightning bolts spidering across the walls of her heart. No, this stormcloud had been brewing for half a year, red and cold with Alastar's blood and her sister's tears. For six months, she'd watched and waited, biding her time even as her talons ached to rend flesh. Every tie he formed was a victory for her. Every smile on his face, every laugh, every peaceful moment—they fueled the tempest.
The blackened bark of her roost crumbled beneath her. She loosened her grip, shutting her eyes as she breathed in the brisk air. It wouldn't do to fall to her death, now, would it? Who would avenge Eirene's grief? She craned her neck upward. The skeletal oak on which she perched stood among the tallest of the trees at the border of copse and field. Here, she could spot a lone figure approaching a mile away from inside The Ascendants territory. She could see the stars, in all their glittering array. Beautiful. They would all be witnesses to her act of justice.
Ah. She inhales deeply, zeroing in on movement below. The feathers at her nape shuddered with a rush of exhilaration. A few minutes more of careful observation confirmed his identity. I see you. Atropos had been patient long enough. It was time for the rain.
She dived—a missile locked on target. Her talons stretched out to rake a line down his back. With a mighty flap of her wings, she launched back into the sky, catching an air current. "Little boys shouldn't wander too far on their own," Atropos called, tracing lazy circles overhead. "Daddy might not be there to protect them."
The blackened bark of her roost crumbled beneath her. She loosened her grip, shutting her eyes as she breathed in the brisk air. It wouldn't do to fall to her death, now, would it? Who would avenge Eirene's grief? She craned her neck upward. The skeletal oak on which she perched stood among the tallest of the trees at the border of copse and field. Here, she could spot a lone figure approaching a mile away from inside The Ascendants territory. She could see the stars, in all their glittering array. Beautiful. They would all be witnesses to her act of justice.
Ah. She inhales deeply, zeroing in on movement below. The feathers at her nape shuddered with a rush of exhilaration. A few minutes more of careful observation confirmed his identity. I see you. Atropos had been patient long enough. It was time for the rain.
She dived—a missile locked on target. Her talons stretched out to rake a line down his back. With a mighty flap of her wings, she launched back into the sky, catching an air current. "Little boys shouldn't wander too far on their own," Atropos called, tracing lazy circles overhead. "Daddy might not be there to protect them."