Style Quest: Varick Cries

Varick’s sister, Kaytlyn, scored a lead role in her school’s big end-of-the-year musical. It retells Drakethorpe’s history featuring key events through song and dance. The fennec would portray the last Witch Queen of Clan Wintersong, Katherine Wintersong. Kaytlyn convinced Varick to sew all the costumes for everyone in the play, as the ones the school used had become worn out over the years. As the Clydesdale sewed the costumes, he helped his sister practice her solos till she had them memorized forward and backward. Kaytlyn would make her big singing debut a memorable one for the audience. On the night of the performance, the fennec wasn’t nervous to take her place on stage.

 

Varick sat with his parents in the audience, watching the musical. The chorus teacher changed all the songs of the early history of Drakethrope’s bloody history to be mostly children-friendly. It was rather hard to make the Night of a Thousand Blood Eagles child friendly, and an important event couldn’t be left out. Varick felt uneasy when the songs started highlighting events from the Matriarch War. A song about The Necromancer’s cruelties and his dark foul magics started, and Varick ran out of the theater. He broke down outside the school, crying as a traumatic event from his past flashed through his head. A hand on the mahogany horse’s shoulder brought his tear-soaked eyes up to find his white wolf friend, Bridgette.

 

“I didn’t read the playbook past Kaytlyn’s songs,” Varick sobbed as the wolf hugged him. “That costume wasn’t one I made either. I didn’t know.” Bridgette held her crying friend in silence for a few moments. She knew about the Clydesdale’s childhood trauma just as he knew her dark secret.

 

“You don’t have to go back in there. It’ll be fine,” Bridgette assured her friend as she held him. “We can stay here, drink till you feel better, or whatever you need right now.” They stood there momentarily, embraced as Varick cried his feelings out. 

 

“There’s a flower shop a few blocks down the road,” Varick told Bridgette in a hushed tone as he broke the embrace before drying his tears with his sleeves. “Let’s go get a bouquet for Kaytlyn so she doesn’t have to find out her big brother wasn’t strong enough to face his trauma.”

 

“No one expects you to be able to face him like that,” the white-furred wolf explained to the horse. “What happened to you as a child was terrible, and we all have scars that won’t heal. You faced down that poacher in Lyra on a broken leg like a badass. Now stop thinking you aren’t strong and start walking to get those flowers and return in time.” Varick looked into Bridgette’s blue eyes lit up by the moonlight and lost himself in the moment. He leaned in and kissed his best friend. They had been friends since school, and neither had any romantic inclinations for the other. Both had always been there for each when the other needed them. Something about this moment felt right as the kiss lingered longer than a friendly peck should, just like on Lyra.

 

“I’m sorry,” Varick gasped out as he pulled back. Bridgette’s magitech right hand found the small of the horse’s back as she pulled him back in to kiss him back.

 

“That's the second time in a month,” the wolf growled as she pulled away. “We keep doing that I might have to run away from your horny ass. Now let’s go get those flowers.” Varick nodded as he fell in step with his friend.