And there it was. It had sidled up in the moonless pitch of night, where she faintly remembered that she ought not go. Was this thing why? It wasn’t so bad. She’d flirted with it now for months. Coyly drawing it with potent Soothbrew, then fleeing with brief, unpleasant sobriety. She felt she knew its incorporeal edges well now, enough to recognize them when they flickered in her vision, like one recognizes the silhouette of an intimately close friend in an unexpected place. It billowed softly, awfully, patiently. Her body hummed, gripped with the manic levity that was the gift of Soothbrew. Was this what the Elders had warned of? Not so bad, so far. She felt fine. Just fine. She could fly away if she wanted, of course she could. It pulsed around her, but there was no trap here. She could leave if she wanted. If she wanted. Of course she could. It reached. The dim memory of something that might have been fear, might have been a sense of self-preservation, wriggled weakly again. Then all was still. --- Fun fact: I drew and wrote this two years ago in fall 2017. I finally pulled it out and finished it, and I am glad I gave it some space. Patrons saw the original #drawing and story when I made them two years ago, and they got to see the finished one early too! Thanks to those of you who have already become Patrons this year--I hope you're enjoying the #stories as I share them! :) If you'd like to become a #Patron on #Patreon and see all of the extra art I post once a week in addition to early Inktobers in October, please check out the link in my bio! #BalladsofRemex #becomingheedless #heedless #BoRLore #birds #soothtouched #soothbrew #addiction #difficulty #personalstruggle #ink #inktober2019 #inktober https://www.instagram.com/p/B3vaIVRj58t/?igshid=1wc5alglmws5f