Moira

Moira choked up the black sludge, coating her pearl and the purple and blue flowers she held with it. She wept so loud and so hard, but there were no souls around for miles. She was alone. Only moments ago, her mate had been a few feet away, and now he was no more. It was the beast of the Lightweaver who had ended him. An Emperor, running rampant through Light’s territory. There was a charred wasteland before her and as she glanced out, bits of the memory returned to her. A flash of light. Screams and fire. A sharp shove in her side, tossing her into a cave. His familiar voice. “Stay here. I love you.” Another set of screams. A deafening roar. And silence. When she left the cave, there was nothing left. Only ash and bones. She couldn’t even find a tatter of his clothing. There was only a trail where the Emperor had continued its rampage.

She slid back into the cave, finding an abandoned and slightly charred sword just outside the entrance. The pearlcatcher held her pearl and the sword close. For many days, she sobbed in the cave, alone. So alone. The voices in her head grew louder and louder. She could feel her own body starting to die. Suddenly, a new voice. One from outside.

“Hey! I think we’ve got another one!” A striped wildclaw with glittering green wings stepped into the cave. “Hey. Are you okay? You must’ve been here when it attacked… Come on. We’re here to rescue you.”

In a slight panic and in shock, Moira put the sword to her own throat, not wanting to be taken away from the place her other half had died. She felt her heart racing as she began to cry again as she thought of ending it all here and now. The wildclaw held up his claws in response, trying to soothe her. “Hey… Hey… It’s okay… You’re safe now… It’s gone…” There was something familiar in his voice. She couldn’t quite place it. “Put the sword down… We won’t hurt you…” It clicked. He sounded just like her mate. The sword fell to the ground with a clatter and she fell to her knees, sobbing endlessly. The wildclaw looked down at the pearl that still hadn’t quite set into the silvery sheen it normally had, and he realized what had happened to this poor pearlcatcher.

He walked over and slowly helped Moira stand. “I’m Virgil. We’re going to get you to my home and get you some food.” He offered her pearl to her and she clutched it tightly. Virgil’s voice no longer sounded like her mate’s. It was his own and she looked confused for a moment until she looked into her pearl and saw her mate’s face reflected in the silvery surface. “It’s okay now. I love you,” the reflection whispered to her. She sobbed softly as she was helped to the Outpost, holding her pearl tighter than ever.