Balthazar Black
Pip did what he had always done, made his roost in Reed's tangled locks. Locks that had gotten longer. The voice of the stranger was like a dagger to the gut, but as sweet as rain in the desert. A sound, he thought he would never hear again.
When she finally turned around to face him, it was like seeing a ghost. Reed. The large hyena took a step back while the sounds of the world faded away and the movements seemed to slow. This wasn't real! Balthazar screamed internally. His heart seized with panic in his chest. She just couldn't be standing in front of him. This was just his mind playing tricks on him again! It was a hallucination!
Balthazar could remember finding her small, broken body on the battle field. He could still recall how still her pulse felt to his sensitive touch when he curled himself around her..begging her not to go.. He remembered carrying her home for the last time..he remembered her funeral.. The man's eyes burned with tears. He blinked to try and fight them off; to brush off the memories that so often haunt him.
It felt almost like being underwater. He could see her talking, sort of hear a muffled voice- but he had absolutely no clue about what was being said. Pip fluttered around Balthazar's head, but the giant couldn't pry his eyes away from the living ghost before him. 'Oh you must be part of my crew!' Wait. Crew? Did she mean Casfura? Balthazar finally moved, tilting his head. "I suppose you could say that." The words came out, still somewhat breathless from shock. He didn't fully trust himself in the moment. What if he was talking to himself again? And if this really was Reed- how did she not recognize him? "Do you know what happened to the ship? Or the rest of the crew?" YOU DIED. Balthazar wanted to scream so badly. He wanted to tell her..she wasn't supposed to be here now...but that didn't seem fair to the selfish side of him- the one that had for so long, wished to find her again somehow- to have her back.
"Do you know who I am? My name?" Hesitantly, he spoke, each word like a razor blade on his vocal cords.
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