#vernalane

“I can’t…” “Sweet girl, yes you can.” Verna’s voice is soft, comforting as she moves to stroke a hand against Tamerlane’s stomach, careful to keep her touch gentle. Gentle touches are still new to Tamerlane, even now, so she’s careful with her, gentle and warm and kind. “You can do this… I’ll be with you the whole time.” “I’m scared.” “I know.” Verna’s voice is soft even as she strokes Tamerlane’s stomach again, her voice gently tender. “The little one will be gentle with you, sweetheart, we both will, all we need, all we need is you.” Tamerlane shivers again and Verna smiles softly, kissing her neck gently. “Relax, sweet one, Ravens take care of their own.”

The silence as the girl, as Tamerlane, falls feels like a start of something. Verna knows she should save her, Tamerlane’s innocence has long marked her as her an Omega, a human Omega. So, when Tamerlane falls, she moves to meet her. Rising from the water like she knows it’s her destiny. The girl is still silent even as she watches Verna bring her down. They land in the water without leaving a ripple. Verna smiles as she carries the girl down, into the water, kissing away her tears even as she claims her girl, the girl’s innocence given without a sound. They will be together, forever.

It’s rare for animagus talents to show for anyone besides a matched pair. Both Tamerlane and Verna have always looked for someone to be with, Tamerlane as the Dove of the pair had known the moment she met Verna, the Raven of the pair, that she and would find a way to ensure that they were a perfect pair. Verna had surprised her by proving both gentle and slightly possessive, everything that Tamerlane could ever want. The two had been close since the moment they met, but slowly the two of them had found a way to balance their lives.

“Was it worth it? Daddy?” Tamerlane’s voice cracks, the scars are still livid with blood. She should be dead, she had been dead. “Whatever the deal was… was it worth it?” “No, it wasn’t.” Madeline’s voice is full of pain and Verna watches with interest as Madeline approaches Tamerlane, almost reaching for her until Tamerlane inches away, tucking into Verna’s side, her smile soft as she traces soft fingers up Tamerlane’s scarred back. “We were stupid… greedy… We didn’t think about… anyone else.” “What if you could take it back?” Verna’s question is soft. “No.” Roderick sighs, his voice shakes a little. “No. We wouldn’t… be different then.” “What about now?” “No. Not this far in…” Tamerlane’s sigh is soft, her eyes bright with pain as she looks at Verna. “Deal done?” “Deal done.” Verna murmurs, moving to kiss Tamerlane softly. She will leave Madeline alone, kill only Roderick, heal Morrie and help her move on. Later, much later, Tamerlane cries, tucked safely into Verna’s arms, releasing all the pain she hadn’t shown her father.

Tamerlane is whimpering when Verna finally manages to dig through the glass, pulling her free and leading her quietly away. The girl is dead to everyone but Verna, shuddering even as Verna strokes her cheek tenderly, attempting to close open wounds. Tamerlane’s shudders turn to soft sobs by the time Verna is finished. She is bleeding, of course, hasn’t stopped, right until she has managed to hide, heal, the scarring. Tamerlane’s face is still bloody as they haunt Roderick, but when she is finally free, the deal over, Tamerlane heals all over again, easy as breathing. Verna spends her nights, now, wrapped around Tamerlane like a blanket, doing all she can to keep her safe, keep her calm, keep her rested. It isn’t easy, but Verna loves it all the same.

“He makes so many shady deals…” Verna’s sigh is soft, her fingers trailing through Tamerlane’s hair where the girl’s head rests on her lap. She’s quiet, Tamerlane, almost scarily still. She’s been like this since she functionally died. “Did you know?” The question is addressed to Tamerlane, her sigh soft when Tamerlane shakes her head. “He fucked you over then…” Verna murmurs. Shady deals had lead to the deal Tamerlane’s father made with Verna herself. Now Tamerlane was dead, traumatised and clearly struggling to relax even now. Later, much later, Verna would wonder if she could find a way to save her, but for now she just wanted the girl to rest.

Finding a Wild Mustang was not easy. Verna knew her herd tended to be afraid of humans for a reason. She also knew that she, half horse and half human, was an outcast even among the wild horse community. So when she sees a small figure wrapped in a ragged dress snatch men’s clothing from a washing line and hurry away, she follows. It’s easy, she thinks, to ignore the girl, but she can’t. In the end, after she has stolen the girl away, ignoring the sounds of gunshots as they ride away, Tamerlane’s grip tangling into her mane even as she gallops away. It had been easy to think the girl was odd, but then, she was too… they suited one another.

Tamerlane Usher had always preferred the nighttime. Having run away from home, running far away from home and leaving behind a broken bank vault and a dead employee of her father’s, she found peace in the moonlight with only her horse and her campfire. Raven, the horse she had taken, had surprised her months ago, revealing her truth. She is both human and horse. The shift comes when she wills it, although stress or pain will often cause her to revert to her horse self. Verna, Raven in human form, seems happier in the night, but sometimes, like tonight, they spend some time prancing in the moonlight, Tamerlane enjoying the feeling of Verna’s light movements under the moonlight.