Abandoned

Down the stairs, through the overgrown gardens. Past the now empty stables. Ariuk barely glanced up at nearby movement, seen from the corner of his eye. It had been too long since he had left the manor; not long since he had gained enough strength to do so. It was strange. He’d not once moved from his bed since Elana had passed. Everything ached. His bones ached. His heart ached. His muscles strained with every step. He shouldn’t have been able to get this far on what little energy he had left, and yet, here he was. The wilds were close, he thought, as he continued on through the grounds of the manor. It had crept quite far with no one to tend to them.

These thoughts whirled through his brain before fleeing from the haze, leaving him with only one.

To find her. His sweet little Nectar.

After all, she had been chosen by the wilds. He knew she was out there, somewhere. Safe. Alive. He had only to find her, even if the wilds didn’t, wouldn’t, accept him. Lack of energy hadn’t killed him thus far, and he doubted it would. It would take him time to find her, when it had taken him so long to reach the edge of the wilds, his body wailing in protest. But he had time. Time he was finished wasting. He would find her again; death had never taken hold of him, nor did he plan for them to.

The edge of the wilds swam into view in front of him; it almost surprised him that he had gotten to it. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he pulled himself forward with shaky steps and vanished through the treeline.

He had gotten far enough that day, he decided, when his legs finally chose to buckle beneath him. And so he sat on the forest floor, blinking, unseeing, digging his fingers into the soil. Perhaps tomorrow he would continue on. For now, his body claimed its temporary rest. He winced as he shifted to curl on his side, pulling his unkempt wings over himself. Rubbing at the cuffs on his wrists, he made one last effort to keep his eyes open before relaxing into the groundcover.