Changing Hearts - A Tale of Two Myths

[TheScarletWillow]

ENTRANTS

Partner 1's Username: parsnip
Partner 2's Username: TheScarletWillow

Contest Entry for MotE No. 0116 - Build-a-MotE

QUICK NAVIGATION

Initial Introduction - Who is Hawyse? - A Fresh Start and New Faces - Just Keeps Happening - Not so Different - the World Lit a Fire - Onward and Upward

GETTING STARTED

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxName: Hawyse
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxHeight: 12hh
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxGender: demigirl she/it
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCoat: somatic(bay) silver sooty buttermilk pangare buckskin
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxEye: tavern fire
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxHorn Color: N/A, no horn
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMarqing: laced filigree

base and design by TheScarletWillow

[TheScarletWillow]

identification

gender: demigirl
pronouns: she/it
hawyse is from a small village where identifying with it/its pronouns is normal. she never felt that completely fit it, however. with encouraging parents, it explored other pronouns and spoke with the few villagers who used identification other than it/its. anxious at first, she announced that it wanted to use 'she' along with 'it'. this discovery led her to feeling like its whole self.

attraction

asexual/aromantic
in a queer-platonic relationship with faolan

personality overview

determined
the words "give up" are not common in the myth's vocabulary. when hawyse sets it's mind to something, she will see it through to the end no matter the outcome. she may change how she approaches a challenge, it may try something new to reach the desired result, but seldom does it abandon a task it has set out to complete. it is this determination that makes her so stubborn

fiery
admittedly it's temper tends to be quicker than it's wit. that isn't to say that hawyse is unintelligent. quite the opposite in fact. it simply typically allows her quick-to-flame attitude to get her into more situations than it would like. this doesn't just apply to a flared temper, either. it is extremely passionate about her goals and interests, going at them with unbridled enthusiasm

emotional
hawyse is governed by her emotions. she has peaks and lows and feels them strongly, often compelling it to act on their behalf. it will say things in the heat of the moment, or tears will flow when her heart feels like it is sinking. she feels things to extremes. devastating lows to indominable highs

sentimental
the smallest things will leave the biggest impacts with on this myth. she keeps every little kindness tucked away in her heart to look back on when the nights are long. all the little trinkets and books it keeps in it's bags have stories to tell. it is her rosewater heart that also remember every little cross, too

Design Moodboard

moodboard by TheScarletWillow, images from pintrest

[TheScarletWillow]

the morning was comfortable. the early chill had disappeared as summer started to march in. it was still spring, yes, but the afternoons were already hinting at the heat to come. that wasn't why hawyse was out walking the market so early, though. habits borne from it's childhood aren't so quick to die, and she finds herself waking well before the sun to beat the crowds. her pactice required the freshest ingredients it could manage, and what better way to get your pick of the crop than being one of the first to arrive?
leather bags hung empty on either side of her flank, kept up by the broad strap across her back. her jaws parted in a yawn as sleep was leaving her. it enjoyed the quiet of the mornings, the hushed clatter and murmurs of vendors finishing setting up just barely filling the air. the market here was bigger than her childhood village, but the sounds were the same. they were comforting, and familiar. with a small smile she remembered tugging at her ama's tail complaining about being sleepy and why they had to be there so early. it was those trips with it's parent that taught hawyse the importance of being to market at open. even if that meant being up before dawn graced the sky.

the young myth hadn't been in the city for long. at most a week and a half. it was still estabishing it's routines and rhythms, but this one was set. it strode over the stone pavers, hooves clacking loudly in the quiet, and kept it's head on a slow swivel as it looked for specific items.

'lemon balm, persimmon tree leaf buds, hawthorne.. sage and lavendar should be no problem. any herb stall should- AH!'
it cut it's internalized list and quickly turned, picking up it's pace toward a stall still having product placed out.
"you still have winterberry! how!? and.. more importantly, how much are you asking for a bundle?" she spewed, eyes glittering and hopeful. the vendor placed down the box they were moving and stepped over. their conversation quickly entered into business. she inquired further about the berry, which she was set on purchasing as it was unheard of to find this time of year, and moved on to ask about other items after agreeing on a price.
deep in coversation, hawyse didn't notice the buzz of a crowd beginning to form as townsfolk began to make their way into market. a happy grin tugged at the corners of her mouth ad she nodded agreement with something the vendor said. with a deal having been struck, a couple other items were added to the bundles of winterberry. she quickly took the herbs and turned to put them in the leather bag hanging from it's side, grabbing the soft pouch from the bottom to pay for it's newly-secured goods. it was in that short moment of turning back to hand the coin over that a myth much smaller than it was crashed into it, the linen sack hitting the cobble stone with a metallic clank.
without looking up, a hurried apology tumbled out of her mouth, "oh gods! i'm so sorry. are you alright? you arent hurt are you?"
she shook her head, finally taking the time to look at just who she had collided with. a small myth, close to it's own age, sat splayed on the stone. his long, deep-glas fur was rumpled and lightly dusted from the ground and two long ears brushed against his forelegs as he shook his head.

"sorry! I'm so sorry. no, no i'm fine. i should have been paying attention." he spewed, quickly getting to his hooves and side-trotting around hawyse, "it was i who bumped into you. but i can't stay. i'm running terribly late for work! again i'm so sorry. i hope you're alright! sorry again!"
that final apology come from already three stalls down from her, a final wave punctuating the shout before he turned and rushed off.

she sighed, hoping it really wasn't hurt. giving her head one last little shake she turned back to the vendor, apologizing to them for the scene. she reached for the sack containing her goods payment, only to find the stone it had fallen on barren once more.
'no! no no no! someone must have taken while i was distracted! but who-'
the realization crashed down on it like a tree felled by lightning. the whole thing had been a ploy! a rouse! he did it on purpose! anger quickly flared in her chest. without a second thought she turned to speed off after the thief.
'that little, green goblin! when i get my hooves on him..!'
the notion of paying for her picked goods, a long gone thought. hawyse, too, had become an unwitting thief and accomplice.

"OOOOHHHHHH get back here!" it shouted behind the small figure, making steady gains on him.
his verbal taunts and seemingly-gleeful demeanor over his successful ploy served only to fan hawyse's anger with him. she reached a point of just barely close enough to grab his overly-fluffed, rabbitish tail but still too far to grab it in her teeth. this was the pace they kept for several stalls. it was caught by surprise the first time spring fruit came crashing down just in front of it, but by the time he had resorted to tripping up innocent market-goers she was used to things coming down at her hooves.
"dragging random myths into this is in poor taste, yknow!" it shouted to him.
for just a moment she lost sight of him as he took a sharp corner, but in the next breath she was right behind him again. she should have been paying closer attention to what was being sold on this stretch, because in a blink a wave of farm fowl was bringing her pursuit to a full hault.
'what? how did he? that was like magic! those chickens came out of no where!' her mind whirled as she attempted to comprehend what just happened. it was that bewilderment that gave him just enough time to slip away scott free.
"hey! your friend did this! you're gonna help me clean it up!" the vendor shouted, tone cross.
"oh but we're not- he's not- i don't-..!!" hawyse stumbled over her words, but none of it was going to get her out of the mess she looked back to see behind her. a trail of carnage and chaos and ruined product and wounded customers. her ears fell and her shoulders sagged.
"i'm terribly sorry. i-i'll be sure to pay you all for your losses-" she trailed off, a thought striking her like lightning, 'pay! o crap.. i never payed for the herbs and winterberry...'


sketch by parsnip

[TheScarletWillow]

three days before Summer Solstice, year XXXX

grrr, he's everywhere! i can't go anywhere without him being there! not since that morning some months ago. ugh! what a pest! i just wanted to do some window shopping, maybe find a cute lace-up collar to save up for my birthday. ama and apa used to get me really pretty ones for important days. but he was there! what in the gods' names could he even want from a place like that? i got so frustrated i left before really getting a good look at anything...

one week after Summer Solstice, year XXXX

i saw him at the vintage market expo today. i went because i'd heard there could be some items from back home, so i wanted to try my luck and see what i could fine. i had jsut barely set foot in the market when there he was! thank the gods there were some bigger funishings i could hide behind. i hate to think what would have happened if he saw me. i only just managed to clear my reputation with the winterberry vendor! i still feel so bad for stealing..

late summer, year, year XXXX

the book store! i'm not even safe at the book store of all places! what does a guy like him want here? still managed to keep out of sight, though. and found some really rare spell books, too! what luck! they had a few spells i remember ama and apa casting. if that green goblin had seen me i'm just sure he'd have snatched them from under my nose!

late summer, year XXXX

it wasn't as hot out today, so i went to a little park just to stretch my legs. summer here sure is different than back home. by now the bugs would be so loud i'd have to stuff cotton in my ears to keep from hearing them! this reminiscing is.. kinda making me home sick. but i can't go back there.. not after everything..

early autumn, year XXXX

the autumn equinox will be here before i know it, so i went into town to start buying up things i would need for my little ceremony of celebration. the vendors are all really nice, and i've made myself a regular at a few stalls that seem to always have just what i'm looking for. i was on my way back to my little room at the inn when i spotted him. i didn't care what he was doing. or why he was there. but i wasn't gonna hide this time! i narrowed my eyes and wrinkled my nose, and turned away. he could have.. what ever.. it was he doing. i'm not letting him get in the way of this.

two weeks before Autumn Equinox, year XXXX

UGH! i'd been eyeing that cut! and he knew it! that's why he took it. somehow. somehow he swapped our queue tickets. and he went to the counter before me, and took the last cut! i saved up for that piece. it was going to be my last big splurge of the year. ooohhh i don't know what kind of magic he possesses, but it's a sneaky kind! he's so sneaky! i didn't let him get off that easy, though. i yelled at him this time. i said "yeah! you'd better run, bunny! that's what rabbits do best! they run away!" and i think that really ticked him off. heh. good. about time i got a little even with him.

hawyse sighed, flipping through her journal she'd been keeping of the months since she arrived here. somewhere between the animosity, it began to see faolan differently. she had guessed this was his name when one morning he was being chased by one who clearly knew him, because the larger myth was yelling the name and cursing him for everything he was. it was slowly and with no lack of tempers flaring, that she began to learn he was more than he put on.
their taunting eachother had turned less about just getting a response of anger and more into a game. one that neither side was willing to admit defeat to the other. nor were outsiders allowed to join in. on more than one occasion their "game" that day ended in the defense of the other from someone who sought to interject themselves. hawyse and faolan would always end up fending off the would-be attacker as a duo.
she was also beginning to wonder if he rival possessed any magic capabilities at all. sure, he was able to make things happen sudden and in a blink, but there was something that bothered it about them. the flow of magic energy never seemed to be disruped. so did he truly possess magic, or was he just so highly skilled it seemed that way. that wasn't something it could call him out on. short tail or no, if it were wrong and he did have access to magic. well, that wouldn't be a good look to call out a fellow magician with a claim like that.
hawyse couldn't say she hated the smaller myth now, though. not anymore. depending on what it was out of it's room for, it almost looked forward to the random chance encounter.

winter had finally made its way in. it was cold, and grey, and wet. and with it, the town itself seemed to turn bitter. myths would snap at and grumble with eachother over the smallest things. nothing like the little village she was from. there, winter brought everyone together. of course it also snowed heavily, something she hadn't yet seen here for the season. making preperations for the winter solstice, too, still was no easy task by herself. even in the five years since.. she shook her head. that was the very last thing it wanted to think about right now. it's stomach growl, reminding it that it hadn't eaten that day. instead, it had remained holed up in it's room studying another book.
hooves clacked dully against wet stone as she picked up her pace and trotted to the oak door of the tavern. she squeezed herself in, giving it's body a thorough shake as the heavy door groaned shut behind it.
brrr, much warmer in here! it thought to itself with a final shudder to shake off the chill. the tavern was full tonight of patrons and customers clamoring and chattering over eachother creating a numbing drone of voices. not exactly hawyse's first choice, but the food was cheap, and the tavern was open late. it didn't care to take stock of the crowd instead weaving up to the broad counter to place an order.
"what'll it be?" a gruff voice greeted, not even looking at her.
she hummed to herself a moment attempting to read the scrawl written on the board, "the meat stew. please."
it was one of the cheapest items on the menu and one rest assured to fill her stomach and warm her bones. when the, erm, host, for lack of a better term, dismissed it and told it to go pick a table, it stepped back and began looking over the crowd. most of the tables by the fire were cramped and packed with raucous myths. definitely not where she wanted to try to make a spot for herself. instead it began to scan the outer edge.
that's when it spotted him. short, green and looking the most miserable it had ever seen him. it almost felt pity for him. but that was also the only familiar face in the sea of myths that milled around, so she really couldn't think of where else to head to even if there were no chance he'd have waved and invitation over.
they locked eyes when it was half across, a moment of panic flickering over his face before being replaced with defeat.
"ahah... fancy seeing you here... would you like to sit?" he greeted, hawyse taking note of the half-hearted tone in his voice and lazed gesture toward the small-but-empty table he stood beside.
"yeah, actually. um, thank you." it answered evenly, picking it's around the other patrons to reach the little slice of sanctuary, "my name's hawyse, by the way. we keep running into eachother. i guess you should at least have my name."
the two fell into a tense chatter, idle and awkward, before finally giving up and letting the background noise of the taven fill the silence between them.

she was content to let that sit and what remained of this surprisingly neutral encounter. that peace, apparently, was never fated to last. a tall, broad-built myth slammed through the door, the chatter in the tavern instantly vanishing.
"i know he's here! that pathetic, sorry excuse of a thief!" he roared.
"those pitiful parlor tricks don't make you anything!" he boomed, words punctuated with spit, "and they sure don't make up for the fact you have not an ounce of magic in your veins."
despite the heat of the stranger's words and the fire blazing in the hearth, a great cold gripped the room. hawyse stared baffled for a moment, it's face blank as it blinked at the hulking form that had reached their table, but it didn't last long before it's expression fell and fiery eyes lost their warmth.
"i think that's enough." she stated flatly.
"what was that? you say something, princess? i can see you have no claim to magic, either, so i think it's best you keep your trap shut." he growled back at her, "myths who can't use magic are nothing to no one. the best thing they can do for the rest of us is stay out of the way."
it was those words again. those words it had heard whispered behind it's back through it's childhood. those words that meant she and others like it, who's tails were short and had little to no mana pools, were never meant to make it in their magic-ruled world. even if she and faolan didn't get along, no one deserved to hear that.
"i said. that. is. enough!" hawyse yelled, rising to stand on the table to meet the brute face-to-face, "it's ones like you what think the world revolves around them! that everyone else has to answer to you just because of the length of their tails and claims to magic! well i call bull! everyone. everyone has as much right to walk this world as the next. and anyone who has the will to has the right to practice magic! that isn't for someone the likes of you to decide!"
by now she was all but nose-to-nose with the stranger, who seemed taken aback by what it had to say. not in the way that would make any clear-headed person back down. his snout wrinkled into a snarl and he let out a blinded roar, the sound seeming to shake off the timbers holding up the timbers.
'oh no.'

in the moment the realization comes crashing down on it, so does it to the tavern floor as it's tackled from the table. mind still trying to play catch up, it let itself be lead to it's feet and through the crowd that had gathered to see what the commotion was. her shoulders knocked against other patrons as faolan dragged it through the swarm of bodies and toward some stairs. in clearing the mass of myths, it's mind seemed to shake clear of the fog. she caught up with what happened. the smaller myth had gotten her out of there. her steps steadied as she drew closer to him, racing up the spiraled case at his lead.
he disappeared behind a corner door and it was all but yanked in after him. the door shut with a very final-sounding slam. no rattling of frame or knob. just closed. the next moment the various clicks and slides of numerous locks being turned over reached her, and she looked up just in time to be met with a furious, golden stare.
faolan exploded. he gained twice his size from the bristling of his coat, and his frustrated shouts fill the small room. admittedly hawyse only half listened, letting him vent and be upset with it. he had every right to be, honestly. maybe it should have just let the angry stranger say his piece and leave. maybe she should have let him try to defend himself first. no undoing what happened, though.
"so it's true." she finally mumbled when his voice trailed off, "you can't perform magic."
she wasn't about to give him the chance to start speaking again, "then i said exactly what needed to be said. i'm sorry it happened in your home, but i wasn't about to let that man get away with saying that. i couldn't! not that."
tears burned at the corners of her eyes causing it to break eye contact and look down. she swallowed hard, biting them back. it held out a hoof, concentraiting hard only for a handful of dying sparks to crackle out.
"i.. can't do magic, either. i have a mana pool. my parents were both great mages- and i'm going to be a great mage, too! but.. someone took that from me." she spoke, tone low voice trembling, "i'm not giving up my biggest dream just because my best chance was taken! no. i'm going to become a renowned and respected mage, and in the process.. i'm going to return the favor tenfold."
hawyse paused, finally returning his gaze with her eyes full of renewed fire.
"it's why i spend as much time as i can studying every book. practicing every spell. i buy ingredients, concoct potions, perform rites. i keep up my training, and i keep looking for new paths. i keep. going. so no! i couldn't let some.. some.. thick-headed, slobber-eating, drool-faced.. nitwit say those things! because i'm going to prove ones like him wrong!"

a short silence fell between them, both seeming to weigh the other. for all their differences, they were still very much the same. ridiculed, misjudged, dismissed. belittled. she could see him thinking, the racing of his mind visible on his face. she sits up a little straighter, breaking their level eye contact. her lip quivered a little. she couldn't tell if it exhaustion trying to creep in or her emotional state, but her mind was clear. she meant what she'd said, and he called her a fool and damned her for it. so be it. there would be no regrets from it's actions tonight.
what he responded with knocked the wind from her lungs.
"i said, 'what do you say about a little company on your quest'? hm?" he repeated at her baffled prompting, adding, "there's got to be someone out there who knows something.. something about what happened. about.. them."
"if your parents were both as great as you say, there have to be scholars out there who know them. copies of their works. we could look for them together?"
hawyse wasn't sure what to say. without her realizing it, tears begin to flow down her cheeks, hot and thick. slowly, it's face contorted into a mix of emotions, snot and tears. how does one reply to that? what do they usually say? has anyone ever even been in the same spot it's in? it isn't sure, but finally it nods. the movement is small and heavy, but it's genuine.
'yeah. i.. i think i would.. i've been on my own.. for so long.. i think i really would like some company.'

sketch by parsnip

[TheScarletWillow]

"it's so humid!" the bob-tailed myth whined, shoulders slumping. hawyse hadn't been in the city during the early weeks of spring, and it certainly wasn't prepared for the air to be so oppressive and thick so soon. that wet and grey winter certainly made the warming days much worse than it could have imagined, especially compared to the summer. one would think that the peak of heat would feel worse, but after experiencing this she would argue otherwise.
"stop whining and come on. you're the one who said it wanted to see some of the things it missed last year." grumbled a much shorter myth, who stood only two steps ahead, "and have oh so kindly, in all my benevolence, agreed to be your guide."
his tone was playful despite the edge of annoyance. she shot him a pathetic look. ears sagging and frown pulling theatrically at the corners of it's mouth, giving it the appearance it was melting.
"i knoooowww.." she whimpered again, sighing and taking a defeated step to follow him.
it had half been her idea to see the early spring market stalls, spurred only by faolan's boasting about their grandure. he told of bright green leaf buds for limited time teas and floral streamers made of paper, cut to advertise the types of blooms that would be available later in the season. he also quickly fell into scheming, talking about the fools who flashed their purse practically begging for them to be stolen. that earned him a scowl from his taller companion.
upon reaching the market, hawyse's eyes widened and her pace picked up a touch. it quickly strode past faolan without realizing.
"hey! slow down! you don't have to look like a starry-eyed foal the moment you see everything!" he snapped, rising to a trot just to keep pace, "that's just screaming 'i'm an easy target'! and if we're gonna be companions down this path if yours, i'm the only one allowed to rob you!"
"what!? what makes you think i'm going to let you keep stealing from me? besides! i was just admiring the artistry!" it flashed back indignantly.
"sure, sure, keep telling yourself that, yse." he grinned beside her, twirling a linen coin pouch from one hoof.
"how did you-?!"
their conversation through the stalls quickly devolved into the two squabbling, drawing looks from vendors and consumers alike. not that either hawyse or faolan were aware.

the eighth time faolan shows up at the window of the room in the inn it's staying in is the last straw. hawyse has had enough. not only does he keep acting recklessly despite his barks at it about that night five mooncycles ago, but this is the worst shape he's been in!
"faolan!" she growls, quickly throwing back the window and dragging his small frame in hurridly and carefully as she can, "what in the hells happened? better save it. i need to get you cleaned up first."
the only response she got was a weak, half-hearted grin and pained groans from him. thankfully it hadn't taken it's linens to be cleaned yet, so she set to work using them to staunch what bleeding she could and slow down what she couldn't. between the barrel of drinking water kept in the room and the final three healing potions it had crafted back in spring, he was finally out the worst of it. not fully healed, but she didn't want him to be anyway. some lessons have to be learned the hard way, and a healing potion wouldn't always be available. that was something the under-sized thief should know better than hawyse itself.
through the process, she was not short of angry, worried retorts. words that would die to murmured grumbles when she realized her patient had passed out.
"what ever. what ever! i'll just.. give it to him again when he wakes up!" she muttered crossly, nose wrinkling more in concern and keeping her head from running away from herself than anything else. she knows it won't give him an earful again, but it will demand to know just how spectacularly he messed this job up. but that would be for tomorrow. tonight, though, hawyse just wanted to make sure he kept breathing.

three years. hawyse can hardly believe it. it's been in this city for years years now. it walks down the cobblestone path between stalls still being put together. dawn has not yet arrived, just like that fateful morning. a wistful breath found its escape through the myth's nostrils as she exhaled, turning to look toward another stall. so many of the vendors were still the same, too, but this time it knew them all by name and greeted them warmly. much how one would greet a friendly acquaintance. even the vendor from whom she stole from that day welcomed her with a smile and a gesture at some goods.
it found itself chattering away on the street til the sky streaked pink. it looked up and something in it's expression changed. faolan would be getting off from his shift at the tavern now. it turned back to the stall owner it had just been speaking with and bid them farewell and luck with the day's ventures.
'strange,' she thought to herself, 'this very time of day those springs ago i was chasing his bunny butt like a madman, and here i am. same time in the season, the sky a similar hue, still seeking him. but.. a lot has changed. and i'm hoping.. something else will change today.'
see, after the first year of the formation of their partnership, faolan kept casually bringing up that hawyse room with him. that it would be cramped, yes, but it would be cheaper. that it could have the opportunity to save for things it really wanted. it would somehow always manage to dance out of the conversation more smoothly than he was able to pocket market goods, though, and after months of trying, faolan simply stopped mentioning it.
passing down one of the alleyways it had been shown, hawyse picked it's way toward the tavern. across the street from the establishment, she hauled herself up to sit atop one of the barrel stools to wait for the long-earred menace to society to take his leave. it wasn't sure how long it waited, but it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes before that exhausted and disgruntled face showed itself from behind the door. he was a few steps out before he looked up and the tension faded away.
he quickened his stride, greeting it with a tired smile.
"well well, not often you're here to greet me the moment i'm off work." he attempted to tease, but admittedly too worn to try too hard, "must mean you have something big planned."
hawyse returned the smile, taking an easy leap off her waiting spot and onto the cobblestone.
"yeah, kinda. do.. do you remember.. that. that thing? you asked me?" it started, instantly beginning to grow anxious and stumble over itself as the hours of practice and reciting what it was going to say fell to the wayside, "um, the one about..."
she hated this feeling. the bubbles rising and popping chaotically in her chest. it suddenly straightened, taking a deep breath. it fixed the shorter myth with a determined, fiery look as it finally exhaled,
"faolan, would you still like to get a place together?"
the words tumbled out of her mouth hurried, like she was trying to spill them before she lost the nerve. the laughter that errupted from him caught her off guard. it was light, and genuine. he'd been doing that a lot over the last year and a half it noticed. being genuine.
"idiot. i've never stopped thinking about that. it's about time you asked."

the summer solstice had come and gone. the days would soon be shortening and a certain busy body of a myth was already making preparations for the autumn equinox. last year a small, even busier body had no shortage of complaints about the mess and running around his newly-acquired roommate made during it's preperations. at least he hadn't been in their room for the late nights due to his shifts at the tavern. this year, hawyse was going to try not to create so many issues for him with it's work.
this year it also had something extra it wanted to try. afterall, it was the week leading up to the equinox and the day of that the connections to magic were at their strongest. those with limited reach were able to access more, and she had even read in a few books that..
"faolan, would you like to try to connect to your mana pool on the equinox this year?"
the smaller myth kicked the corner of his bed, swears and curses spewing from his mouth as he hopped around to face it.
"what!?" he snapped, rubbing his now-sore hoof, though at a glance she could tell he was considering.
"yeah! i've read in some of the older tomes that on the autumn equinox, because the veil is so thin, that some myths with no connection to magic managed to access their mana pools and learn magic!" she bubbled, turning to look at him, flashing an apologetic look seeing him nursing his hoof, "sooo, would you maybe wanna-"
"no." he cut in, tone aggravated and short, "it wouldn't do any good. don't waste the time or resources."
"but we could just-"
"no, yse. don't bother."
"you won't know unless we-"
"no!" he finally snapped, voice raised louder than he'd intended, "i'm not going to try, so just.. stop. hawyse. please. just stop."
faolan didn't say another word as he spun toward the door and disappeared through the threshold, slamming the door behind him. it wasn't that he didn't want it. it was that he'd already tried for so long. he didn't want to be burned again. hawyse just blinked at the door where he'd stormed out. she'd have to make it up to him later.

[TheScarletWillow]

it was a brisk night late into autumn. the room had a small fire lit in the hearth and two myths were cast in black silhouette, only outlined by the warm glow being put out by the flames.
"i still remember the day, you know." a voice broke through the silence, sounding small but steady.
"it was warm. hot, really. humid, and the bugs were so loud. growing up there some people slept with ear plugs just because they were so loud. it was the only way they could get any sleep." it chuckled.
"i was out practicing with an old book my parents gave me- you've seen it. it's the one with the unreadable cover. i used to sleep with it for the longest time after.. n-nevermind- anyway i'd been out practicing all morning. noon had come and gone when in the middle of concentrating my mana.. i was reminded i hadn't eaten since before the sun was awake. knowing my ama and apa would scold me if i came home complaining about being hungry after being out all day."
it paused, a bittersweet grin stretched across it's face, a short, bitter chuckle escaping it's throat, "i was this close to the spell actually working this time. i could feel it! but.. i didn't want my parents to be upset with me. so i closed the book and made for home."
"i could smell it before i could see it. i thought apa had just overcooked another potion, so i picked up the pace to get there and help get it back under control 'ama! apa! do i need to grab a bucket?' i can remember shouting through the trees. but it.. it wasn't a potion. my home was on fire. that big, wonderful old tree. the seals were melting, the notches on the kitchen doorway where ama used to let me see how much i'd grown.. the winding staircases to the upper library and potions room below.." it's voice cracked pitifully, fresh grief washing over it as it recalled the little details of the home, "it was all up in flames. i dropped my book and ran. i grabbed a bucket from the well, but i knew it wouldn't do any good. i screamed for my parents, but they never came out. and i couldn't hear much over the roar of flames."
"i'd lost count how many buckets of water i'd uselessly thrown at the blaze, how many of my tears were mixed in with them. i tripped on my final run. i screamed as the water soaked into the ground. i knew it was no use, but i had to keep trying. then a voice hissed in my ear. 'you're not worthy of the title of mage. i will make sure the whole world sees that.' and pain flashed in my tail and up my spine. that's why my tail is so short.." it murmured, the bob of it's tail thumping subconsciously, "i don't know how long i stayed there, wailing as the inferno ate my home. i just know it was night before i finally got to my hooves and grabbed the book i'd tossed aside. and i ran. my throat was swollen and sore from the smoke, ash, and screaming. i had no where to go. so i just ran. i lost everything that day. my home. my ama and apa, and i'd lost what little connection to magic i had when that monster cut my tail. it's why i work twice as hard as anyone else. and i swore that beast would get their dues."

it's muzzle wrinkled as it recalled the face of the one who stole the sundown of it's foalhood. short fangs glinting as the heath fire caught on their smooth surface. it looked up finally and turned it's head toward it's companion, face falling as a realization came crashing down.
"a-anyway! th-that's enough for tonight. i-i-i'm gonna get some sleep now. g'night, faolan!" the words tumbled hurriedly and awkwardly from it's mouth, legs quickly catching grip and taking it to a small bed on the far side of the room. hawyse tucked herself into the straw and under the blanket, curling as tightly as she could into a ball.

late autumn, year XXXX

stupid stupid stupid! why did tell him all that? and without warning! you just dumped all of your trauma onto your roommate! who does that!? uugghh, hawyse you fool! you stupid, stupid fool! he has his own baggage to deal with, and now you give him yours!? idiot! uugghh, i won't be able to look at him tomorrow..

- xxxxx - xxxxx -

winter arrived cold, bitter, and without warning. it was early and the whole town seemed angrier than the weather outside. hawyse noted how similar it felt to it's first winter here. that was five years ago now. it groaned lightly and sleepily tucked further into the blankets. for it to be such an early riser, she slept like the dead. in the middle of the night as it was, it would be near impossible to wake it. the rising clamor from below certainly wouldn't stir it from sleep's embrace.
quietly it began to toss, shifting it's position in the bedding as it's dreams warped into some distorted version of the blaze that ate it's childhood. from the heart her burning home, shouts could be heard, indistinct and frightening. her breathing had become quick and shallow as the memory of smoke and ash filled her lungs. as the dream reached it peak, hawyse's eyes flew open and her head snapped up. it wasn't just a dream. what greeted her was a haze that had filled their shared room and shouts from down stairs.
"faolan!" she shouted, trying to keep panic from it's voice, "faolan are you there?"
no response. she picked her way to the other side of the room to find his bed empty. he was gone.
"great! what a perfect time to be out on a night-run!" it growled, quietly thankful he was out filching rather than in their room. faolan always kept his important things in his pack, so that was the first thing she threw over her back. next she began to stuff books into her own bags.
'only the irreplaceable items.' she told herself, 'i can't get these books backs. everything else.. we can start over.' she told herself, tightly cinching the strings on her bags before taking to the window. in the years she had known faolan, he had taught her a lot. and for once she was glad for the "rooftop shimmy" he'd drilled into her head.
on hurried and unsteady hooves, she stepped out onto the roof. the air was clearer outside, but the cold bit hard. a shudder ran down it's spine as the winter air quickly took it's hold.
"i can't dawdle. gotta get off this roof. i need to find faolan." it told itself aloud. speaking to itself would help keep it's head clear despite the panic gripping it's chest. she slipped her way to the edge of the tavern's roof, coughing a little as the smoke had grown thicker and with more reach as the fire continued to consume the building.
with a final glance over her shoulder, she took a leap to the neighboring roof. she could get down from this one. from the roof to the awning to a stack of crates and from there the fridged stone below.
"faolan!" hawyse shouted again from steady ground, "faolan where are you!"
she raced to the front of the tavern, stumbling backward as flames lapped from the windows and door. she stared for a moment, praying silently to the stars that he really was out stealing rather than still inside. she turned from the building and slipped down his favorite side alleyway, calling for him again.
she could hear the shouts of others growing louder and more numerous as neighboring buildings and myths came from their homes, either to help or to spectate. the square was waking up. surely with the blaze growing faolan would start to make his way back. that would give them the chance to run into eachother.
"faolan!" she shouted again, desperation beginning to edge her tone.

the fire's light could be seen from the spring markets street now, and there had been no sign of faolan. hawyse was frantic now, worry and panic blinding her as she ran all but screaming for her companion. it's ember eyes were wild with fear, breathing erratic as it threatened to hyperventilate. hooves thundered against the cobble stone as she turned down another back passage, still crying out for the small, green myth.
it had been hours now, and she had been down all of the allies and shortcuts and passages he had shown her when they first agreed to work together. five years had passed since then, and it had been a rocky go. at times she wanted to hit him with her heaviest book, and others it had been beyond grateful he was there. a sob choked it's way from her throat as she began to wonder if he, too, had been taken by flames. if someone else important to it had been stolen.
"please! don't let me be alone again! don't take him, too!" she wailed to the stars, voice raw and broken. it took a moment to break down, sitting on the frosted cobblestone letting howls of grief fill the dawn air. tears streamed down it's cheeks, steam softly coming off them as the heat was sapped by the winter air. dark stains appeared on the stone where droplets met the ground.
with a sharp, shaky inhale and a wet sniffle, hawyse pulled herself back to her hooves. she had to keep moving. she had to find faolan. with all of his shortcuts exhausted, she chose one of the less obvious spots to look for him. it was a richer side of the city, with even tighter security. he loved the rush of getting away with things, but he wasn't foolish enough to try that side of town. normally. the building here had flower boxes under some windows and clearly saw more up-keep than the side of the city the lived in.
the buildings had fresher paint and the raw wood was evenly lacquered. they were family homes, not multi-room buildings where dozens of people could stay in paid rooms. these myths did not lack for wealth, and the powers of the city saw to it they had better protections than most. it was a place faolan would muse about hitting, but never dared to. hawyse was desperate to find him to be looking for him here.
"faolan?" she called again, voice a little quieter, throat sore from hours of yelling and crying for him, "faolan, are you here?"
it knew how dangerous it would be if he were caught here. theft on this side of the city was treated like a high crime. of course, so was disturbing the peace if she were caught waking the wrong myth with her yelling. at most she would be fined, but with all of their earnings surely lost to the fire that was something she couldn't afford.
"faolan, please. if you're here-" it cut off, head twisting around as a door somewhere behind it clicked open. her ears fell as a myth stepped out, wrapped in a fur-lined satin robe, a groggy but aggravated look on their face.
"what's all the commotion? i should call the authorities if you don't quit that racket!" they grumbled, fixing their dark stare on the stranger in the middle of the street.
"i-i'm sorry. i'm. i'm looking for my.. my fri-.. part-" hawyse began to stammer out, voice hoarse and apologetic.
"i don't care. just quit your yelling. it's bad enough the poor side of the city is in an uproar so early. i don't need you bringing that here" they snapped with an accusatory tone. the angry myth turned and hurried back into their home, slamming their door.
'crap. o-okay. m-maybe that means.. he's not here. but if he's not here then...' it's mind raced. it couldn't keep searching for him here, and the only other place it had left to look was back at the tavern. back at the fire. it swallowed hard, not ready for where it had to go next.

if it had to return to the tavern, it wasn't about to waste any time letting fear and dread keep it frozen in the middle of a street. with a push, it tore off down the well-kept street. it's hooves lead it down toward a dark and narrow alley. the very one faolan always talked about using to make his escape with the riches he'd pocket from this side of town. hawyse galloped through it, the clamour around the tavern fire growing louder as she took various connecting side streets to reach her destination.
cloven hooves scraped against stone damp from melted frost, trying to grab hold to bring the body attached to a stop. the tavern was still in flames. the building was fully consumed now, onlookers having formed groups to gossip and murmur amongst themselves. myths had started to stumble out of the crumbling tavern, the timbers creaking loudly as they prepared to give way. it looked through the crowd, scanning and searching each bundle and every face that left the blaze. none of them were faolan. none of them had his fierce golden gaze or clover-freckled green fur. none of them had his long ears that nearly touched the ground due to his stature. of the dozens of myths in the swarming mass of bodies, none of them were faolan.
a wail was caught in her throat, the sound unable to escape past the knot that that formed. tears welled and flowed freely down her cheeks once again as she is overtaken by emotion. he had still been in the building. he hadn't been out looking for targets to pick-pocket from. he had still been somewhere in the now-collapsing tavern. shouts and screams of onlookers reached her ears as it stared in horror at the wood structure falling in on itself with cries and creaks and aches, the shattering of the structure a booming clatter before pitifully dying with a whine.

as though feeling the weight of the city's loss itself, the sky broke open. icy cold rain fell in a heavy sheet. the fire had eaten through most of it's fuel already and had very little to call upon to fight against the downpour that quickly began to put it out. within minutes the blaze was reduced to nothing but smoulders. the world around hawyse had gone numb, every sound reaching it's ears as if underwater. voices and touch and movement were dull and unable to reach it as it stared aghast at the charred heap that used to be the place it called home. the room it had shared with it's companion gone. burned in the fire. the bags that held their remaining items hung heavy at her side, suddenly feeling as though they contained the weight of the whole world.
what now? what could she do? she had called this place her home, she had gained someone in her life who had forever left it changed. and once again it had been snatched from her. was she destined to never feel as though she could call somewhere- call someone home? she didn't know. at that moment it knew nothing.
myths milled around it, jostling and shoving. some were sobbing, others were angry and cursing the universe. some, like it, had just lost their homes. their livelihoods. everything. everyone who had something important in the tavern had just had a major loss. it would take the whole town to rebuild it. she wasn't sure she would be a part of the clean-up. if faolan wasn't there to be a part of it, what was the point? she allowed herself to be pushed back away from the scene as myths ran to and fro doing one thing or another. from under the eve of a building across the street, she stared blankly at the blackened pile of timbers and debris. rain still poured, but not as hard or as fast now, it's rhythm having steadied.
'what will i do now?' it wondered, 'what can i do?'

the tears to cry had long flowed from it's eyes. it's gaze was vacant and glazed, the life having drained from them in the aftermath of the tavern fire. all it could do was stare. nowhere in particular, just stare out. new shouting dully reached it's ears. likely some having found important, business-related items in the rubble. nothing that would concern it in anyway. there wouldn't be anything pulled from the ash that would be of it's concern. everything it had left was in the three leather bags haphazardly dropped to the ground beside it. the last pieces of the new life it had just started to make.
absently, her head began to turn toward the source of the commotion anyway. her body was running on auto pilot now, none of the movements of her own volition. without truly taking in the scene, it watched as a handful of myths wrestled someone toward a makeshift tent. it assumed someone who'd helped try to put out the blaze was being taken for treatment. there were many myths who had been wounded in an attempt to quell the fire. the smaller shape eventually calmed, letting itself be taken. she watched on, the small event the only new thing to catch her, as medics and apothecaries began to administer firstaide.
it's unfocused gazed settled on the injured civilian as others began to clean their wounds. ash and soot matted their fur, rain causing it to streak in places. they were small, but proportioned like an adult, clearly a grown myth. a short tail hung off the side of one barrel, water dripping from the ends of the long fur. on their back, the fur was crimped and burnt as if burning rubble had fallen on them. the ends of long, dragging ears were caked with waterlogged debris. it's gaze landed there longer, locked onto black-streaked ears.
still absent of mind, hawyse's body rose on it's own. her legs ached in protest after having run nearly the whole of the city before dawn, and having stopped long enough for the cold to settle into the joints. to her it felt like she was floating as her hooves carried her toward the tent. the closer she got, it began to notice some green peeking out from under the streaks of soot. that little detail woke it's mind from it's daze.
"faolan?" she croaked, voice inaudible from over the buzz of the crowd.
"faolan?" she called again, a little louder, "faolan!"
"faolan! faolan!" it cried, fully regaining it's voice, "faolan!"
it must have found another pool of tears because it's face became wet with more than just rain at the realization. it pushed its way through the myths that still milled around the wreckage as clean-up commenced, shoving without apology when it bumped into someone. it tunnel visioned, trying to reach the phantom of the one it lost to the blaze. she didn't register as the myth began fighting against the medics who tried their best to hold it down, only trying to get to it to confirm the hope it felt in it's chest.
when the soot-stained shape called back, the voice it heard brought the lump back to it's throat. it was him. they collided in front of the tent, a heap of wet fur and relieved sobs. hawyse clung to him tightly, fresh tears melting into his fur. she couldn't speak as she led him in his front limbs, shaking as wails wracked it's body once more.
a dusty, heavy cough caught it's ears and it pulled away, looking at him. it actually looked at him this time. he was a mess. from ash that clung to his soaked fur to wounds that needed medical attention right away. he hadn't looked this bad in a long time. she opened it's mouth to speak only for a pair of medics to march up behind him and began to drag him away. faolan struggled and spat curses at them as they pulled him away from hawyse, who scrambled to it's hooves to quickly follow behind them.
"it's okay, lan! i'm right here." she choked, "i'm not going anywhere. let them treat you. it's what they were trained to do."
it placed a cloven hoof over his as he huffed and threatened to bounce right back off, murmuring reassurances to him. he needed to be treated. he calmed eventually as the medics and apothecaries set to work in a practiced rhythm, his exhausted body leaning into it's. it didn't quite understand what he muttered, but hawyse lightly squeezed his hoof anyway.
while he was being tended to, she recalled her childhood and the blaze that marred it and everything that was taken. she thought on the flames that claimed their home today, and that from today's flames she kept something. nothing was taken. a quiet cry shook her body, careful not to disturb faolan as he rested. it didn't need to hunt down that myth from her past anymore. she doesn't need revenge. she just needs someone who stays.

[TheScarletWillow]

hawyse hadn't bothered to count to the number of times the sun rose and set after the tavern burned down. at some point during his treatment at the healer's temporary tent, it slipped off to collect the three bags of their items it had left under the roof eve. he was angry when he'd woken up and it wasn't immediately within sight but instead was ducking under the tent flap. she flashed him an apologetic grin, but held up his leather pack to him. faolan had been surprised, resigned already to the idea of having lost everything he owned. she could tell he was holding back tears as he fanned through the various journals and items he'd always kept within.

when they were released from the tent, they weren't certain where they would be going next. they had no home, and neither of them had family in the city. nor did they have any coin to pay for an inn. after discussing where to go, they settled on a decommissioned drainage let-out. it was damp, and smelled of old, stale water, but they wouldn't get rained on and the wind was mostly blocked. it was still the beginning of winter and the coldest days were ahead of them.
they had managed to scrape together enough money to purchase necessities, such as a few food items and a shared blanket. they could only afford one, but hawyse wasn't one to complain. between having to share the blanket and huddling to keep eachother warm, it was the perfect excuse to ensure he was still there. that he was still real and that it wasn't some cruel dream.

one night, after their tiny fire had died, faolan broached the topic of the future. not next week, or even next year 'future', no. decades. long after their bodies have weakened and they faced down mortality. he spoke of how he never pictured himself having one, admitting he had always assumed he'd have landed himself in custody or worse, but that before the tavern fire he had begun imagining a retirement. a quiet place, one all their own. theirs. the both of them.
it's throat tightened a little taking notice that his idea of the end of his own book had her in it. she returned the wistful smile, looking out at the rain water that flowed down the waterway.
'honestly," it admitted, "i always imagined myself quietly passing away in my study. surrounded by books and my own works. i would leave fame, and apprentices who were training students of their own. my works would go into libraries and schools to teach endlessly. but honestly? i think i'd like to rewrite that a little. i still want the fame and the students, but it wouldn't be the same without my partner in crime there with me."
what she wouldn't admit is that it had found something that made her feel more completely whole than any of that could ever compare to.

late winter, year XXXX

after our talk about the future, we discussed what to do after faolan was healed. we decided instead of getting somewhere else to stay in the city we'd save up for a ship ticket instead and sail out of here. we still have to decide where, but... i can't say i'm not excited for the next chapter.