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 Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 12:59 pm
Her threats were ignored as hot air, level green eyes unblinking as they watched her make her choice. When the hoof eventually lifted, he offered nothing spoken in return. A deep sigh escaped instead, and he actually did the complete opposite of her directions; flattening along the ground with another sigh and a heavy grunt as his healing abilities continued to knit him back together. It hurt, and normally he wouldn't allow himself to remain motionless where he could only think about the pain, but the alternatives were... troublesome.
She was still standing over him, for starters... and it occurred to him that he hadn't actually asked her if he could get up. It didn't matter in the long run, but she was the weaker party and clearly feeling threatened by his presence. He would not scare her into a rash course of action if he could help it.
So he sighed again and closed his eyes.
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 1:27 pm
Though her movements were slow, gradually she allowed herself to shift her weight backwards, stepping further away from the kalona lying prone on the ground. To his credit, he flexed his injured muscles and heaved a pained sigh, but did not move to get up. Cetra stared at him intently, wings still poised to attempt flight (although she would fail- the Wolf had seen to that) if he made a wrong move.
She still could not bring herself to believe that it was sheer coincidence he interfered when he had, but a darker truth was beginning to make itself known amongst the confusion that clouded her mind. If he had truly and knowingly thrown himself into this and had no intention of making her a victim of his own... she would owe this beast a life-debt. Her very soul was repulsed by the idea, her stomach threatening to rebel... but this was an issue, and a serious one. The winged mare was the heir to the leader of Hakan, and he had taught her to live and breathe by her code of honor- this was one of the highest codes.
To owe someone a life-debt was one of the highest commitments, and although the idea of this monster needing protection was laughable, Cetra was not one to shirk responsibility, no matter how much she hated the prospect.
In response to her dark thoughts, she raged silently, only bestowing the dark stallion with a furious glare as she backed away, motioning for him to stand with her good wing. She did not allow herself words for fear that they would betray her, but her thoughts shone through her eyes well enough. Truly, the gods were having a good laugh at her expense. Of all the creatures, all the breeds anywhere, this was the one that had involved himself in her plight.
"You saved my life." The words were harsh, gritted out almost as an accusation rather than an offer of gratitude as she considered their weight.
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 1:37 pm
His eyes were still closed, so he missed a large portion of tell-tale body language and flashing eyes, but he would not have acted on the information regardless. She was entitled to her emotions, and if the truth were told, he may envy those without the blood rage hovering in the recesses of their mind the liberty to feel without restraint.
He did open them when she repeated herself, lifting his head slightly to grant her a long, curious look. She appeared deeply troubled by the concept, and he had an idle moment where he wondered if she would have preferred to die.
"Did you wish for death?" The look on his face was puzzled, her tension truly a source of bewilderment. At least until another thought crossed his mind.
"You owe me nothing. This is job." He suddenly, and staunchly, asserted. The words were out before he climbed to his feet, the pinch and pull of the healing wound earning a wince before it finally closed and resolved itself into a nasty scar and bloodstain on his black coat. At his full height, he easily towered over her, but he was mindful not to loom. Habit, really. His mother had taught him it was rude to loom over strangers you weren't intending to spook.
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:55 pm
His question actually brought her pause for a moment, stopping to consider as her dark scowl deepened. Would she have preferred death over being in a monster's debt? That was an interesting question... Cetra wasn't entirely certain that she knew the answer. The indignity of being rescued by a beast such as him- the animalistic predatory bloodlust was there, certainly, even if he was hiding it now- was insulting. Then again... whatever her death might have brought to Hakan would not bear consideration, especially with the Wolf nearby.
With that thought, her eyes snapped open to full attention again, though she pointedly ignored his question in favor of gazing off into the distance where she suspected the Wolf had disappeared into- she hadn't seen it, too preoccupied with grounding her would-be savior.
"The Wolf. Did he head north?" Her nostrils flared as adrenaline flooded her veins again, despite her injuries, and her hooves shifted to paw beneath her as she more carefully considered the aftermath of this mess. If the creature sought to use her temporary weakness as distraction, would he then take this opportunity to attack Hakan by surprise? Her hackles rose again as her wings unfurled, almost involuntarily, though she knew that her wounded wing could not carry her at this point. "Will he attack again?"
She was not completely ignorant of the dark stallion's injuries, either- the consideration for his wounds factored in to the frantic whirlwind her mind had descended into. She did owe him her life, and could not in good conscience leave him here to die, but Hakan came first. Still... she began to pace in her concern and agitation, glaring at the ground beneath her hooves. Should she take him with her? Could she afford the extra time it would take for both of them to limp their way there?
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:52 pm
Gen's black leathery wings flared open with a snap, and he flexed them casually in a test of airworthiness before he replied. She was worried, that much he could smell on her and see, but the beast had not gone North.
"No. He tracks my family. May decide to hunt you, however. Does not like prey escaping." This time his voice sounds almost concerned, and his green eyes fall on her, and her wounds, then become questioning. "Stop pacing. You need healer." A pause for thought, or just a mental check of the roster and known locations, and he continues abruptly. "We go to mine. Tiarnan is close."
This, apparently, was not up for discussion.
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 8:21 pm
Cetra could feel his eyes on her, tracing her steps, prickling at the fur on her back, and she snorted softly, endeavoring to ignore it in favor of weighing the possibilities of her current situation. Her ears pricked to attention at his dismissal of her worries, and despite herself, she could feel muscles that were tensed to the point of pain begin to relax. She had no reason to take this stranger at his word, and yet... she had no reason to doubt him, either. Perhaps Hakan was safe, though her own situation may be slightly more precarious.
Agitatedly, she ignored his request and hastened her movements, though her injured shoulder protested with a dull ache. She felt caged, trapped, grounded with her wing perhaps broken and unable to fly. Was this how Mother felt all of the time? Cetra had often caught her staring wistfully at the skies, as if she could take flight simply by will alone, but never with the restlessness and utter frustration that she was feeling now. Did she dare ignore his request (was it a request? It sounded more like a demand) to see a healer and risk encountering the beast again with worse odds, or did she heed his advice and relinquish whatever control she had left- and leave Hakan potentially unprotected for longer?
Despite her misgivings and personal bias, Cetra was no fool. Very much aware that she may not make it back to her herd without healing even without encountering the beast again made her concede to the dark stallion's wishes, if grudgingly. Still on guard, shoulders rolling back in feigned pride, she leveled an intense stare on his staunch form, good wing ruffling its feathers.
"I will stay enough for the bare minimum of healing." Her ears twitched, even now, towards the path she knew led back to Hakan, wary of leaving them for any given amount of time. Hopefully her brother and uncle would pick up the slack of her foregone border patrol... and hopefully not try to follow the beast's trail as she had. Unwittingly, her ears pinned back in anxiousness at the thought once more, and she tossed her head impatiently towards him, shifting her weight unsteadily. "Lead the way, then."
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