Bilgewater Baptism

Delaeni felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. His words, laced with venom, pierced through her like arrows, each one leaving a painful wound behind. She was weak, pitifully so, and she knew it. His condescension, his scornful disbelief... it all stung like a physical blow to her already fragile psyche. Her breath hitched as his hot breath brushed over her skin, her body trembling under the intensity of his proximity. "I.. I'm not... s-strong..." She stuttered, her voice barely a whisper, each word punctuated by a sob. "I... I can't... f-f-fight... I can't..." She confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. Her chest heaved as she drew in shuddering breaths, her eyes lowered to avoid his verdant gaze.

Her knees jarred painfully as she fell backwards onto the icy ground, a soft gasp escaping her lips. The cold was biting, yet it was almost soothing contrasted with the fiery humiliation that burned within her. His words echoed in her mind, reinforcing the chasm of self-doubt that had all but consumed her. The realization that she was a lamb amidst wolves struck her hard, a bitter pill swallowed reluctantly. She lay there, crumpled and defeated in the cold embrace of the snow-covered earth, the taste of total surrender tainting her trembling lips. A silence fell over them, as heavy and suffocating as the blanket of snow encasing the land.

She shivered, her body convulsing under the onslaught of the cold and her fear. The words she wished to say remained trapped in her throat. It was a silent plea for understanding. Laney's eyes welled with tears, the icy wind stinging her cheeks. With a whispered, stuttering apology that held no weight on the silent, snow-laden air, she scrambled to her paws, and without any further prompting, she staggered away. Her paw steps were slow, uneven and pained. Her frail figure, beaten and bowed, retreated from the scene of the ocean inlet. Back to whatever safety she could find in the Sidi quarters.

-Exit Delaeni-
"Delaeni Terblanche"