|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:59 pm
Wyrsa watched Tloc quietly, not even blinking as he devoured his meal. She wasn't surprised that he didn't thank her. The mare added that to a mental tally.
She watched as he got to his feet, somewhat surprised that he did so on the first try. Though the movement opened almost all of his wounds - and the sudden scent of blood in the air stunned Wyrsa, overwhelming her for a moment, as the moment of the rabbit's death had. The mare shook her head to shake it off.
"Good," she replied shortly. "Let's go." She suddenly wanted away from this place, covered as it was in the scent of old and fresh blood. It wasn't like the stallion could hope to get far without her - he was too injured, and could collapse before he got there. And she wanted to know where this place was, so that she could find it again the next time she wanted to find Tloc.
Luckily, she had two factors in her favor. The first was that Tloc was in no condition to lead her on a merry dance through the forest. The second was that she knew the forest too well to get lost so easily.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:33 pm
The stallion swished his tail a little bit, the bite-marks stretching. His usually bright orange tail was already coated in dried blood. Brittle specks fell to the snow. Without anything else, he followed her.
The silence was defeaning, and Tlocatl was only able to take so much. He cleared his parched throat as he crookily jogged to catch up with Wyrsa and kept stride as he was beside her. It was probably not a good idea to do such a thing considering how much strength that took - but it was all about appearances. If allowed, the kalona would do the same as the night before - show as little feebleness as possible until he simply collapsed.
"I -we," he ammended, "need to go...." The stallion paused as he thought. "Would have needed to go northeast from where.... it happened." He choked a little on the words, reluctant to admit what HAD happened. "But that location is unknown," Tlocatl forgot, the last two days had been a haze.
"But.... where we go is by the desert - skirted by sand and mountain." He didn't know if she could find it - he thought she could... and he was not sure he wanted her to know - Wyrsa seemed different last night - but there was no other option. Perhaps she knew that too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:40 pm
Wyrsa stopped as Tloc mentioned the desert. She should have guessed. The mare laughed inwardly. And to think she'd been afraid he'd try to keep her lost when it came to finding the place. Turned out he needed her to get there!
She turned almost 90 degrees before she continued walking. "Sand and mountain are this way," she informed the stallion with a hint of superiority. It felt good for him to be dependent on her. So dependent that she had a feeling that should she abandon him now, he might die.
The Soquili continued walking, every line of her body saying "you owe me" to Tloc's sight...though she meant "you're mine."
The mare was calmer away from all the blood, though in her satisfaction at her superiority and lack of injuries she hardly noticed. Tloc, however, might notice that where Wyrsa had walked like a cautious beast who knew they could be prey in their previous encounters, now she strode with a confidence in herself that was rarely seen in non-predators.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:48 pm
Indeed, a part of Tlocatl saw all the differences in Wyrsa - and he liked the changes. But really, he was feeling better and with that came his previous arrogance. While the mare walked in a way that promised he would owe her - granted, he had no idea what should could possibly want from him - Tlocatl was gaining more and more confidence.
She could lead them astray, could leave him, could wait for him to slowly die... but he believed she wanted him alive - for whatever purpose. So, if she still wanted something from him then she would at least eventually get them where he wanted to go.
In his own mind, the kalona was using Wyrsa. He didn't believe she cared for him, and at this moment leading him back to where he could get help and heal was all he felt she was good for.
His thoughts eventually did run dry, and because the wind was not under his wings to distract him, Tlocatl decided to try some small-talk. Small-talk was not something he was good at. "What have you been up to?" he asked, maybe if she started talking he would think about the pain that shot through side, wing, and tail, with each new step.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:53 pm
Wyrsa paused as he started talking. It was easier to converse when the other could actually hear you - which would mean she'd have to walk next to him. However, she still kept a bit in front of him. After all, she reasoned, she was the one who knew where they were going.
"Nothing really," she replied. Indeed, she hadn't had any real encounters since the last time she'd...ah...spoken to him. Except for that bit with the human...but that was a human. She didn't count.
Hmm...maybe walking so much closer to him wasn't a good idea. She could smell his blood, and it threatened to do strange things to her mind. No bad things though...but now was NOT the time to lose control.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:21 pm
So much for small-talk... not that he minded, it had just been him trying to be considerate. Like he was going to try that again. Not to worry, he was happier just concentrating on walking, and trusting Wyrsa to get them there.
If he was well, maybe the whole ordeal would have been better. He could have enjoyed these changes in Wyrsa. Alas, the world was not so kind - he knew that firsthand.
The moon was sinking in the sky, and Tlocatl's body was starting to feel the effects once again. His steps were slower and while he was not heaving for breath (for sure, that would take too much effort), his whole body was showing how drained he was becoming.
Head low and his right wing still trailing behind, the stallion was watching Wyrsa's back and feet. Follow her... just follow her. (Under better conditions, he would have liked this view, how the strong muscles expanded and contracted and the scales shimmered in the moonlight.
The brush of the forest soon gave way, and the ground became more dirt and less grass. Shrubs were everwhere and the wrangled skeletons of trees scattered the landscape.
Well, at least they were going to the right direction...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:28 pm
Wyrsa was aware of how the stallion had started to flag, and had slowed her pace ever so slightly each time he did. She'd begun to wonder if he even noticed.
But oh, how amusing it was that his wings were such dead weight when he was on the ground, especially that right one. Glancing over her shoulder at it, the mare wondered if he'd ever be able to fly again with it.
If she'd had any idea of his thoughts as he was following her, she would probably have kicked him for good measure and to hell with his injuries.
Gradually the coarse plants and the snow faded as they came to the dry, cold windswept plain of the desert.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:48 pm
Less snow met less cold... and the slow temperature change to warmer was definately helping Tlocatl's -old- bones. He wasn't able to go faster than a walk, and he still watched the ground carefully...but their speed did become just a little quicker. The stallion was pushing himself to the brink the whole time, not wanting to show how bad of shape he really was in, so when his body was heartened by the changes, it was all the same to him.
The shrubs eventually diminished until not many were left, and the refreshing sight of moonlight on sand made Tlocatl stop.
He stood, head lifted and taking in deep breaths. This was home to him, the desert, not the place they were heading. Granted, he would not survive very long here, his loving desert was harsh and he was still losing so much blood. Instead, the stallion stared out over the expanse, his eyes shining with longing. He would get better, he would heal...and he would return!
Regretfully, Tlocatl tore his gaze from the view and looked at Wyrsa... though that hint of longing was still there, and not reminiscent of the emotion he felt for the desert. She really was a strong mare, and -more important right now- she was health. She did not have so much of her body torn and bleeding, except for some scares that were memories of their own time together.
But he also knew this desert, and knew where to go from here. Looking at the sky, Tlocatl gestured toward a constellation, "Follow the eyes of the snake, and we will get there... the sun will most likely forerun our arrival, though." He looked down again and watched Wyrsa, wondering how she'd take that statement. He knew she didn't care for daylight...and surely she had experienced desert daylight before - this was where they first met, the desert.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:54 pm
The mare was chafing inside at their slow pace, even though Tloc had picked it up a bit. Not much. Not enough. She wanted to run...
But she didn't know where exactly they were going now. Until he spoke up. Snake? She studied the stars as she walked...ahhhh. Snake. There. And it's eyes.
Wyrsa corrected their course slightly, wincing inwardly. Daylight...she wasn't looking forward to it. At least there wouldn't be snow for it to reflect off of, except on top of the mountains. Which weren't close enough to really mess things up.
But still. Day time. It was another point in her mental tally against Tloc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:06 pm
Tlocatl turned to follow Wyrsa once again. One step went fine, and the second and third.... but with the fourth, the stallion stumbled. Front legs collapsed, but the back were okay. Of course, he was too low and the right wing crashed.
Again, the stallion cursed under his breath and moved to steady himself. Tlocatl clenched his teeth in pure determination and concentrating on moving... no.... he had to move faster or the would not make it!
Without a thought or warning, he broke into a smooth canter, not something common for him, as he preferred to fly. In fact, that was possibly why his legs were so unsteady - they simply were not used to being grounded and actually working.
He cantered on, watching the eyes of the snake from the corner of his eye. The right wing flapped pathetically at his side. Each slap of it against his stomach wounds was agony but he refused to acknowledge that. If he could keep up this speed, maybe they'd get there before the sun!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:11 pm
Wyrsa was unsurprised when he collapsed...but when he got up into a canter, of all things, she was stunned. Still, she kept pace with him fairly easily, quite pleased with the new pace.
"You've got a deathwish?" she muttered to the stallion, just barely loud enough for him to hear her. "You know you can't take much more of this." Her tone spoke of contempt for the waste he would make of his life, but also the satisfaction of being able to run.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:19 pm
Tlocatl snorted at the comment. The glance he sent her spoke his words for him as he chose to put any energy from talking into the pace they now set. The look said "I am fully aware of what it means and have taken it into consideration."
In fact he had. Tlocatl knew his blood was speeding out with every moment, and with its lose so were his reserves. While the faster gait dropped more blood and took more effort, it did so at a rate that allowed them to cover more distance before he collapsed for good. And he had no doubt that he WOULD drop again, it was inevitable. He just chose to be closer to their goal when it happened. When he fell again, he would not be getting up.
It was a bold move for one in his condition, and a great risk, but one he did not take lightly. In the forest or even the shrubland this move would have been rash, as injury would be risked along with having to avoid obstacles. But here in the desert, only a sink-hole of sand would be the real problem.
His right wing was a hazard, as it shifted him ever so much. With his spirits lifted from both being in the desert and going faster than a crawl, Tlocatl raised his left wing ever so much, using it to counter the dead weight of the right as well is inaiding to preserve some of his strength so he could go further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:25 pm
Wyrsa snorted her opinion, but said no more. It was truly exhilerating to run through the desert, which was without the obstacles of so many places - such as her own forest home.
Still, she kept an eye on Tloc. Yes, he was trying to compensate for his busted wing, but she was willing to bet that one good gust of wind could bowl him over.
And she kind of wanted to see that happen on some level.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:39 pm
The sky was becoming lighter, but no sun came yet to hinder their desert run. Tlocatl was watching straight ahead, though one ear was cocked in Wyrsa's direction to see if she was sticking around. She was.
No wind had picked up to lift his wing and push the stallion over, so thankfully they continued.
The teepee was the first thing they could see. It was decorated in a very non-local way with mud rock and branches. As they got closer, they could make out the soquili waiting by the entrance and watching their approach. There was something at her feet, but it was hard to make out.
Tlocatl ran all the way there. Only at the least minute, when they could clearly make out the waiting mare and the two-legger (for that was what she was) precariously close to hooves, did the kalona slow down. His back legs dug in like brakes and his left wing flared at the same time before he was stopped.
Swaying on his feet, the stallion sneered at the mare. "Hello, Mother!" And that was the last of it. Tlocatl collapsed and passed out at his mother's hooves.((RP Continuing -in another context- HERE ))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
