[Milestone1] Ashraven - First Steps

Visions– truths and absolutions, an awe-inspired lack of illusion– waved and swam, swirling and effervescent. Ink drops and stardust shifted above Her, outlines of shimmering holographic rainbows sparkled and swept across an arc overhead. The air streamed gently, licking and caressing a frigid, stiff face.

Where was She? A languid blink revealed nothing, only a flicker in the mist. The absence, however brief, wrought a horrible, wretched pain in Her chest. The ember extinguished as soon as it warmed, easily and softly suffocated. 

An angel. Aspenkit was seeing an angel. No— angels. 

She giggled. Her tiny paw lifted, reaching and keenly accepting. So, so many angels. “I see you. I see you...” She said softly, reverently. Crystalline and glimmering eyes peered in welcome. They were so perfect; so numerous and connected, all one mind and body, collective yet markedly individual. Greens, yellows, and violets pierced and faded among one another; a beautiful mosaic She couldn’t look away from, even as Her eyes stung and burned. Was She among them?

A soft whine broke Her when ivory claws merely parted the spirits. Not among them, merely viewing and intangible. Oh, how She needed to parse their kingly whispers tickling her ears. 

”Aspenkit–!” Shivers wrought her tiny form, purple fur spiking and smattered with tessellated dyes, bending and flickering with sparks of light. The Divine’s whispers grew louder, a cacophony of snipped and displeased huffs. ‘Not yet– you may not. You mustn’t. We welcome you. We love you. You are Divine; eternal. We need you. You must stay. Leave, now; farewell.’ 

The Divine trickled away. Their beautiful, iridescent light trailed off. Only traces and suggestions remained in their wake. Her eyes stayed wide, straining and searching for them. Only minute shifts and fragments remained.

Clouds. She could see clouds. ”Aspenkit, how did you sneak out? You’re freezing.”  Beautiful, pillowy clouds. The moon was smiling at Her. Smiling and guiding, outlining the few left. “We need to get you back inside; you’re freezing.”

She whimpered. They wanted Her to live— no, needed her to live. ‘Not yet. We love you.’  “I love you…” Silence met Her, for Her profession wasn’t meant for the audience. “I love you,” she muttered again. It hardly eased the ache.

“How did you know where he was?” The stranger inquired their third (fourth?) party. 

Lilystar’s voice cut through the dreary silence of the night, voice equally gentle. “The Divine guided me.” Aspenkit’s ears perked, eyes blearily focusing on the Starspeaker. So, it was true… She was special. Chosen. They loved Her. They needed Her to stay alive.