The Academy: On these hands and knees I'm crawling [PART II]

All because of you,
I haven't slept in so long;
When I do I dream,
Of drowning in the ocean,
Longing for the shore,
Where I can lay my head down;
I'll follow your voice,
All you have to do is shout it out!

In confusion, I looked about, my inked pools searching thoroughly throughout the entire Academy to see if another Scholar had done this. For after a moment of pondering the event, realization had dawned upon me that it was not I who thought the... Thought. No, it had come from afar, or further than I could see, anyways. There was an unusual tug within my head, almost as though something were trying to open up my head a bit more, to snuggle under the blanket of my mind and get comfortable. At first, I reacted by tossing my blue roan features and wildly pawing the earth, damaging a couple carnations in the process. Eventually, I could fend the being off no longer, and no sooner did I feel some lightweight being upon my shoulder than a louder, clearer thought barrelled into my head, You're an idiot.

Shocked, I rotated my head upon its station swiftly, to attempt a glimpse at what had sent me this message- for, obviously, no one had ever called me idiot before. And there, perched upon my dark shoulder was an avian male- his feathers of parched white flicked here and there in the wind as he nonchalantly raised a wing and preened his feathers. A white raven! I couldn't believe it; never in my life had I seen a bird quite like this before, but having seen hundreds of common ravens before, it didn't take a genius to understand that this too, was of the same family. Of course, it seemed the bird wanted to make a point of this. No shit, sherlock. Well, do you feel it?

Not only was I bewildered at the blasphemy of a bird speaking to me directly, but this question beffeled me as well. "Er... Feel wh-" I had hardly begun to phrase the question when I felt my mind, which had felt for so long like I was being contained, open up. It was not an exposed feeling, but more free, as though I could thin keverything and still hold it all in my head.
And then, excitement hit me like a freight train. Could it be...? My inked eyes traced the floor of the Academy grounds, overlooking each flower I had summoned, and watched with the first burst of happiness I had had in a long time, as my Earth became ecstatic along with me.

Remember your happiness. The avian pointed out dryly (though I was sure a touch of sentiment was hidden in there somewhere), and I nodded. With a courageous leap, I began to prance around the fields of the Academy, parading like a colt. And without further adue, a flood of memories came in waves, like the ocean, cascading into my head like someone had finally unlocked the file that withheld them from me.

My mother, her large stomach swollen like a boulder. Days later, a new colt frolicking about the grassland where they inhabited. The gruesome dislike that I had held for my new brother, as he was taking all the attention of the herd (being the second son of the leader, I myself, being first). Our walk down to the gorge at the end of the river. And suddenly, I halted. Skidded, more like, and there was a deep feeling of dread rising within me, turmoil racing down my spine and back. My heart stopped.

No.

We strolled to the gorge, and I looked down at the hundred foot plunge, and the jagged, rocky outcroppings that lay just above the water. The river fell at the one end of the gorge, near where we stood. As my little brother giggled, coming closer to me, I told him we'd race across the river, that it wasn't too deep.

My limbs shook, but I maintained an expressionless face, only taking note of the white raven perched upon my shoulder when he moved. Absently I realized he had the feeling of sympathy, of determination (almost as if he were trying to subdue the bathing of my past, stop it from going on).

Without hesitation, the foal bounded forwards at my "go", and I took only a step towards the river. My brother, however, ran headfirst into the water, and his hooves were swept from under him. He travelled only a little ways before-

"NO!" I cried, water staining my cheeks as I shook my head vigorously. Unfortunately, it came anyways.

He fell. The waterfall carried him over the edge, his desperate cries for help, for his brother's aid, going unheeded over the falls. My hooves beligerently carried me to the gorge, where I looked down. I could see nothing from such a height, so I made my way quickly down by means of a rocky staircase. Once at the bed of the gorge, I walked to the shoreline, noticing a frail, limp body, dapple greyed and bloody, washed up. As I approached it, I could feel my legs become shaky, swallowing was more difficult. It was then that the reality of what I had truly done hit me.

EXILE! My herd had screamed upon their finding of the body. "EXILE, on pain of death, for the murder of your brother!".

When I awoke, I was laying upon the ground, amidst the flowers, my eyes opening to look at an insect as it crawled purposefully up the stem. Formaldehyde. Are you alright? There was that voice again- the raven. A deep intake of breath, and suddenly, a small smile hoevered upon my lips. I always needed to know the truth. I could never put it to rest, not knowing why. But now I remember. And if I am doing this well, then I know my brother forgives me.

A feeling of understanding rushed through me, and I rolled to my stomach, pulling myself up slowly.

What do you want to call me? Briefly, I wondered what the raven meant as his white body flew over and grasped my withers; then I got his point. Oh, you need a name. Well. Grimm. After my brother. A near roll-the-eyes emotion flitted between them, and Grimm responded with a, If that's what you want.

A new outlook on life? Possibly. What I had done would never truly leave me alone, but I knew. I knew, and for me, it was all I needed to lay it to rest at last. Have I come so far already? I wondered, raising my blue roan face to the skies, thinking of my friends. Knowing I had them. I was not alone.

Obviously.

A small chuckle escaped me, and I knew that this Seer business would be a grande new experience for me.

All because of you,
I believe in angels,
Not the kind with wings;
No, not the kind with halos,
The kind that bring you home,
When home becomes a strange place;
I'll follow your voice,
All you have to do is shout it out!

EARTH III
W O L F
AMBASSADOR