Memories and Places

Muscles trembled in fatigue and pain; the festering half-healed wounds had broken open miles ago, releasing blood and worse to trickle down his forelegs. He'd been relying more and more heavily on his brothers' help to keep on his feet, but he'd refused to stop moving. He had this horrible feeling that if he stopped, if he lay down again, he wouldn't be waking up this time.

So on he had trudged with Thor and Loki on either side. At first he had taken care to keep his ever-present rage throttled down so as not to piss off Thor - because right now he really, really needed Thor's help - and Loki's irritating jokes and bantering had stretched his control nearly to breaking. But as the miles went past, he'd started feeling numb. Numb to the pain, numb to the anger, numb even to Loki's bullshit. Loki had gone quiet a while back. Hati wasn't sure if it was because he'd given up or if his throat had just finally given out. Either way was just fine with him.

Between one step and the next he found himself on the ground staring up at his brothers. "Oh, hey guys," he slurred. "Why don't you just go find someone else to bother, huh? Just leave me the hell alone."

Was Hati being self-sacrificing, valiantly pushing his brothers away that they could go one with their lives? Hell, no, he was just sick of them following him around everywhere. Hati could only stand his family for so long. And wouldn't it be some sort of justice for him to die alone or something?



"Speech"

the sins of our father, the sins of our young