[PRP backlog] The New Eden (Laurelin + Chimalsi)

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

He stumbled out into the open like a nocturnal beast roused prematurely, the streaming light of midday cutting through him, forcing him to track the ground with a swollen gaze in case his feet missed the next step. The kirin was rough, healing channels in his belly and neck showing pink against dark, chatoyant bands, his hair sticky-matted with cave filth. If not for the little pools of freshwater in the back of his home, he probably would have been worse off, dehydrated on top of ravenous. He'd lost track of days early on, too far from sunlight to distinguish when it set or when its sister rose, and the gnawing sensation of lacking - sleep, food, freedom - only began to surface when he was permitted to go again. She rested now, too deep to stop him with more loving deprivation. The carvings on him were affectionate bites only, but they were also there to demonstrate his belonging, ownership to one another. The scabs would soon rub off and vanish under fur, and then they would renew them as needed. But before that, he needed something in his stomach, skin tucked between his ribs where scales did not stretch to cover. The burble of a stream ahead promised fresh greens, and he made a faltering pace toward it, scenting them before he settled down in the mud to cool his body while he browsed.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

She'd been wandering the lands just as she'd continued to do every day since her arrival, but her thoughts were so heavy as of late. Sluggish and weighed down, Laurelin found herself lacking purpose in this place--whenever she reached into her mind, it was as though its shackles were loosened and her ideas and hopes scattered to the wind as freely as pollen grains. Why? She couldn't chase the golden demon out of her thoughts, the taste of salt and delight somehow so sweet on her tongue only to remember the terrible, bitter aftertaste as they'd both realized the error of their ways. So why did it bother her so, tug at her heart with a sensation she'd only felt when longing to return to the trees? Her hooves carried her quietly, unthinking even as the sound of water drew her close. Still, her mouth grew unexpectedly dry as she realized someone else was there--a familiar, somehow sick and despondent shadow of the creature she'd gleefully raced with through the surf. "Chimalsi..."

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

He was pulling up sprays of grass, jaws rolling in a meditative cadence to mash them into fine pulp before he dared swallow, his throat surprisingly sensitive after so long. The fare felt bladed along its edges, rinsed tasteless by the water, but he could not bring enough coherent complaints together to search elsewhere. It was the familiar call that made his mouth stop moving, eyes flickering up while his head grudgingly followed after a delay, green smeared across his tangled facial hair. He stared at the being silently, mammalian mind picking itself off the floor of survival instinct, shaking out to try and place the sight. Blurry browns and golds could have been a simple reflection if not for the persistent wreath of green that surrounded the figure, the shape that sprang from its back and rustled making a unique distinction. Chimalsi smelled female, a perfume that his lover made up for in brassy hints and earth gem odors, but this one followed an outline he had known in darkness, and he spoke before the thought had finished forming. "Laurelin." Musical, but not on his torn vocals, more a rasp than a song.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

She'd hesistated, afraid he would scorn her for her impudence and lack of sensitivity toward the dispute he had held with the receipitant of his gift, but she could not help but shift at the sound of her name. "Chimalsi... What has happened to you?" Her heart yearned for her to help him, barely able to look at the ugly marks marring his flesh, the way his skin hung so loosely from his body... He was filthy, like someone had locked him up and abused him for days before tossing him out to the wolves. Her heart ached, and she could only watch him, afraid and yearning to be by his side all at once. But would he even want her help now?

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

He had indeed invoked her name, but it took longer for anything substantial to rise up and accompany it, distinct memories replaying before his exhausted vision. Brush, beach, warmth that was not a fever. What was she doing here now? The question that hummed in his ears seemed innocent enough, even coupled with her unexplained appearance, and he answered solemnly. "... Nothing." He glanced down at himself, wondering what she saw that he had caught only rare glimpses of. His tail curled around his muck-spattered legs, the most self-conscious he could make himself on short notice with no energy. The upset he sensed in her did not seem prepared to abate, however, and he mulled over what else to add, something to soothe in spite of his dulled processes. "You are... well?" He fell back on strained courteousness, the words sticking to his tongue, forcing him to roll it to wag them into the running of their painfully slow conversation.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

"Yes." She replied shortly, suddenly puffed up that he could even bother to ask her such a thing in his current condition "But you, clearly, are not." And she'd vanish into the woods, her tail whisking and her jaws trembling a little though she kept her head high, refusing to allow a moment of weakness when he needed help. She would return quietly, the plant she'd first treated his wounds with hanging gently in her mouth, though she only watched him from the riverbank as though unsure of where to start- "...May I?" The mare would finally ask, her ears tipped back as though she could not bear to hear anything but agreement.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

Perhaps he was slightly blind to motion, because he couldn't find where she'd made her exit after the words rang snappish throughout the area, turning his head weakly back and forth to try and catch a hint of disappearing flank or manifesting face. But he was unquestionably alone, left wondering if he hadn't hallucinated the entire thing, his mouth twisting at the thought. It was a while before he carefully went back to his pitiful meal, chewing thoroughly and tilting his pounding head back to help it down. He jumped when, ghost-like, she was there again, oddly tentative where she had been anything but in their first exchange. Confusion swamped his face, misunderstanding what it was that was being offered, but he could do nothing less than acquiesce to whatever she wished while he was still too fuzzy to argue. A nod so faint that it might have been blamed on the wind was issued in her direction, trying to read the mare even as he wet the shattered clay left of his brain, attempting to mold it into something useful for the next time they spoke.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

The nod was all she needed, imagined or not, to gently sidle up against his side, craning her neck so she could better apply the plant and its rich juices to the open sores against his skin. She'd shift around him slowly, making sure each and every one was cared for before she stepped to his front, holding the slightly wilted plant close to his muzzle "If you eat this, it will help soothe your throat." She'd caught the way he seemed to have to force himself to swallow, her heart still aching a little in sympathy for the poor creature. What had happened to him that he'd been reduced to such a state?

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

Something savage snapped in him when he realized what it was he'd agreed to, perplexity burning up into a fathomless black that stole over the starved shadows lining his face. But just as it erupted into lightning-swift ripples under his skin - ready to do damage and more to protect his hard-earned achievement - she gently rubbed the bloom into the oozing wounds that adorned his bulk. The cleansing hurt and the quickly referred relief made the fury collapse in on itself, leaving him feeling smaller than before, somehow defeated by so simple a kindness. After that, he sat meek beneath her ministrations, knowing that any word or action on his part would make her stop; the kirin could have even stacked the stones of fault on her back for his current circumstances, walling up the flawless tree already there, if only he believed it himself. Instead, he obediently inclined his head to take the bruised curative, their noses touching while he fumbled with it, the fine grain of her horn pressing lightly into the scarred velvet of his. When he had a grip on it, he began to chew, tasting his blood on top of the plant itself. It wept in his mouth at the first p***k of teeth, trickles of thick solution flowing down to will the muscles to relax, and he gradually followed suit.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

She was oblivious as to the true nature of his trembles, taking them as unconscious reactions to the stinging bites. He relaxed soon enough, however, and she found her mind reeling a little as their noses touched. As soon as he took the plant, the slender mare would lower her head some and back away, watching, waiting patiently for any sign that it was helping to aid him. "You should drink some. At least three, big swallows." Though it might have been a suggestion, something about her tone said she would be displeased if he chose to butt heads with her.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

When she chimed in again, he glanced up at her to make certain he'd heard the instructions right, stare flickering with poorly trained attention even as he adjusted his stance to do as she said. The stallion had to move a step or two to manage an honest drink, and it was a surprisingly agonizing few inches, forcing him to resort to a shuffling movement that was more crawl than actual walking, legs too cramped to support him. When he was comfortable again, he took the recommended dosage in deep gulps, the chill of the spring making his jaws ache, ears twitching spasmodically as a consequence. Done with that, he looked to her again to see if there was anything more, returning alertness permitting the tiny details of her to emerge out of the comely blob of colors and sentiments he'd been listening to.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

It all but broke her heart to see him shuffle and stumble the way he did, though he was able to get the water down without difficulty. He looked at her then, somehow seemingly child like, and she was quiet for a moment to make sure her voice wouldn't waver. "Are you hungry?" She implored gently, as if she couldn't see how thin he'd grown. She didn't, however, know how long he'd been grazing before she interrupted him, shifting awkwardly from hoof to hoof.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

If he had any idea of what was running through her head at his evident helplessness, he was wise enough not to bring it up and further the progress of the wedge between them. Still, he couldn't fake disinterest when anything that involved his stomach was brought up, distinctly perking at the question. "Yes." After the bland meal he'd endured, anything would have been preferable to his plaintively gurgling insides, though he tried to rein in the potential pleasure when he saw her nervousness, reading too far beyond and into agitation. "You've done enough, Laurelin..." His voice was less traitorous than it had been, vaguely off, but definitely improved. He couldn't keep her waiting on him forever, and with replenished vigor came an awareness of dignity laid bare.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Tsunake

The unhidden enthusiasm was enough to make the corners of her lips twitch, though a full smile was yet to be roused from her. "I haven't." She quipped, suddenly brisk again as she waded into the waters after him. Her muzzle would douse itself into the cold waters, earning a bit of a shudder from her before she set on scrubbing the mud and grime from his hide, eventually soaking her tail as well in an attempt to cover more ground. She would only be satisfied after she was sure he was somewhat clean again, stepping back to quietly eye her work. "...I... I'd like to accompany you while you find something to eat, if I may." She wasn't going to get her hopes up, casting a distant glance to the side as though avoiding eye contact would lessen the impact of his words.

 

[Lady_Ourania]

Lady_Ourania

In full view of her no-nonsense attitude, the kirin could not deny the nature-tangled mare in the slightest, even if he felt that his approximation was not untrue. She belonged elsewhere, not observing his rancid exterior and tending to his whims, required for continued living or otherwise. When she plunged nearer, dipping her nose and tail in the modest current, he was completely unacquainted with her plans, only becoming cognizant when he felt her pushing into the caked layer that marred his body. He squirmed, making small, bumbling noises in the back of his throat, trying to dissuade her from the course. The water was cold, but she was very much the opposite, the crackling heat already occupying his form kicking up another degree at the treatment.

When she deemed herself finished, he stood shivering and vaguely violated, eyeing her with mixed emotion and waiting until she had stepped away to shake himself out. Her offer made him halt more abruptly than the pain from stretching his wounds did, and he hesitated admirably before returning to the first and most important mandate. "If... if you would like." Chimalsi murmured softly, reticence brought about more by the new sense of embarrassment than anything else. "It will not be very interesting." He added to caution her, carefully starting forward at a slow, measured rate. The stallion felt unspeakably old, so he raised his head to sport his newly cleaned whiskers, temporarily disregarding the fact that they were only flashing bronze again because of her intervention.