#i would've postponed posting this like usual buuut

[strywoven]

closed. / @stellarhistoria ( ft. knives & kaen )

Come again to a road diverged in the wood of your morality : to do or deny .  But the doe is wise ( or foolishly blinded by a one-sided faith & fondness ) , and knows better than to neglect the hunter’s whims.  And it is to him , ALWAYS , that they owe their life and strength.  Or so they have been led to believe ( & is this so wrong ? has he not done them well this whole time ? ) .

Thus , they DO , as they have done and done and done so afore ; a creature of destruction , their sins honed and weaponized for the sake of the crusade unending.  And perched thereupon the mesa , shrouded in a pelt of thick furs dappled with glimmering stones , Kaen overlooks their craft with an a p p r a i s i n g air ( pride is not their vice , so forgive them for this instant of meager vanity ; it is , of course , an art ) .  Bespectacled blues follow the chaos , the rolling plumes of flame and smoke tarnishing the vista , polluting the night’s horizon— And they know well by now , that this is a step f o r w a r d .  Not back.  They are doing the right thing ( & yet … their heart burdens the weight of the dying irregardless , this is not their work , this is not their war , but far be it for them to change course when they've come so far ) .

When all’s gone silent , Kaen sighs softly ( shakily ) .  It is done , either way.  They spare a glance down the incline , searching the darkness a moment before looking forward again.  He’ll be expecting them , yes , but there is one more thing they do during these rituals : a last grace .  Into the furls and folds of their furs seeks metal talons of an arm long-lost , withdrawing a pan flute.  And , the eerie stillness of the world is broken by the melancholy melody they play ; a soft eulogy , a gentle r e m e d y for the wastes that breaks beyond the shadows and smolder , lingering in the distant breeze.  They , the wee doe , the pied piper come to collect the souls lost.  Their playing stops suddenly , as if startled.  ❝ Ah was a’mos’ done , ❞ Kaen says quietly , apologetically , looking up at the Independent approaching them , ❝ Was … Was Ah takin’ too long ? ❞