Thistle: What’s one time your character has been angry andharsh with someone?
Yew: What makes your character sad?
Inever was a great man for writing, you know that. But then it’s not like you’llbe reading this where you’ve gone anyway so I don’t suppose it much matters.Somehow sitting here tonight I find myself wanting to talk to you and this isas close as I’m likely to come. So here it goes. I’ve thought a lot about thelast day I saw you, about the things we both said. I’m not likely ever toforget them with your words burned into my brain and the way you looked, allfire and pain and eyes like jewels.
SometimesI stop and think about what I’d do if I had it all to do over again. But whatI’d like to think I’d do when I’m lying wrapped in blankets and half asleep isa lot calmer than either of us was then. I said a lot of angry things I didn’tmean. I called you a betrayer and a coward and a list of other things I don’teven want to remember. I’ve regretted them almost every day since. I try totell myself that you feel the same, that those harsh words came out of pain andanger and you didn’t mean them either.
Butit’s hard to know. There’s some years between us and then, now. There’s time tothink and I think sometimes about how I’d like to run into you again. What I’dsay. It’s mostly here in this letter. I think I still love you, though I am notsure it’s the same. But mostly, I’m sorry for that day and I wish that I couldtake it back.
He hadalmost missed it. Snow was a thing that shone in rainbows of colors, strikingsparks like jewels and dazzling the eyes. Taelathin squinted against it fromwhere he crouched beside the tattered remains of an Alliance banner, running a gloved hand overthe fur between Brightspark’s ears. But there again, just when he tilted hishead was a flash of blue that seemed a little too consistent for the dancinglight on the snow.
He andthe lynx picked their careful way toward that sparkle, stepping around thebodies and broken blades half frozen into the ground. There’d been some sort ofa little warband by the look of it cornered maybe, surrounded and overpoweredby the Scourge. Even if they hadbeen Alliance Taelathin couldn’t find it in himself to exult in their demise.
There.Something small, silver and blue under the snow. He crouched, scraping at itwith a glove and then with the blade of the hunting knife from his belt whenthe frozen ground withstood his touch. His breath left him when he couldfinally see and lift the small pendant from the snow. “Oh no…” Hewhispered and Brightspark nudged the top of his head against his arm.
He knewthe piece as well as he knew the one he wore around his own neck, both twin andopposite. It shone silver bright against the dark leather palm of his glove, asmall cat with sapphire eyes curled into a lotus blossom. The chain that hadcome up with it was broken.
Hewasn’t sure how long he had stayed crouched there, staring down into the eyes ofthe pendant. Long enough that his fingers had started to numb and his knees hadgone stiff before he finally moved. He tucked the necklace into the pouch athis side, frowning as his fingers rustled a sheet of folded paper.
Hetugged the letter out of his pouch, stared down at it for a while withoutunfolding it. He knew what he’d written there and carried with him for years incase he ever found a place to send it or familiar hands to put it into. There was no need to carry itany more. Setting it down where the pendant had been he watched the wind pickit up, unfold it and carry it away with the drifting snow, one more thing lostto the cold of Icecrown.
"Let’sgo find a fire, Brightspark. I’m cold through.“
