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 Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 4:20 pm
This is a private AIM Rp between me, XxXPandamoniumXxX, and XBlind-DarknessX.
Do not post without our permission.
Posts will have three from Chosovi and three from Gareth
Teepee's: XxXPandamoniumXxX | XBlind-DarknessX
 
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Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:36 pm
With eyes flicking open, the young mare slowly lifted her head up from the ground seeing the sunlight before her knowing now that the storm had passed on by. She didn’t know what time of the day it was, but it had to be a little into the afternoon. She rose up onto her feet and stretched looking around for a moment before remembering that Gareth slept there with her. She turned around and eyed the sleeping stallion making her flick her tail in annoyance. She thought he would be gone by now or at least awake like she was. She watched him for a moment seeing how he acted when he was asleep and for a moment thought it was kind of adorable. Oh god what was she even thinking? How could he be adorable? Out of all the Soquili out there she thought he was cute and adorable. What was she a foal? She grumbled lightly at her own thoughts before nudged his shoulder with her talons. She wanted to wake him up and then leave even though the thought of leaving him there alone had crossed her mind already. She at least wanted to say goodbye to the moron. “Hey. Get up I’m leaving.” She said to him as she walked to the entrance of the cave seeing the storm clouds in the distance. She assumed that was the direction in which they went.
“Look it was nice chatting with you, but I have something that needs to get done and you will only slow me down.” She said to him in a cold way not caring if he was away or not. She usually got this way when she left someone she actually was starting to connect with. It was the only way she could stop herself from crying or thinking of herself as some kind of defective animal. She stepped out into the sunlight and looked around hearing the sounds of birds chirping from the trees above her. She looked carefully at her wounds seeing that they were healing quite nicely and she would be able to be back to her old self in a few days time. Right now though, she had a mission, which didn’t involve Gareth. She had to get away from him so that he wouldn’t slow her down. She always made herself believe she didn’t need anyone when it was probably the opposite. She needed someone there by her that would watch over her, she just was too stubborn to admit it.
She stepped out from the save and began walking slowly down a path that seemed to curve into the forest. She didn’t know if Gareth was following her or not, but she really hoped he wasn’t.
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He had closed his eyes with the express intention of not falling asleep but upon growing comfortable he was unable to prevent himself from doing so. It was a dreamless sleep, one filled with the pleasant darkness indicative of good rest. His restfulness was soon interrupted by a nudge on his shoulder and he slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring up at a wolf-like mare staring down at him. Lifting his head slowly and stretching his neck he looked from Chosovi to the opening of the cave where sunlight was streaming in. “Well aren’t you pleasant to wake up to.” He commented sleepily while bringing himself to his feet and extending his wings to rid them of their stiffness. He was glad to find he was completely dry and that he didn’t seem to feel any residual effects from the chill. Once he had completed a small routine he turned to face the entrance just in time to see her making her way out. In that moment he could have sworn she was a different mare altogether. The sun’s soft rays caused her white pelt to glow slightly and highlight the innate grace she possessed as she moved. Shaking his head he blew a strand of his forelock out of his eye and began walking slowly in the same direction.
It wasn’t until she spoke that he remembered it was her utmost desire to be rid of him. Pulling himself up short just as he reached the mouth of the cave he watched her walk away. Though he had been resigned to the notion of them parting ways before, there was something within him that prodded him to call out to her now, to follow her despite her words. Shifting in place uncomfortably as thought after thought barraged his mind he eventually spread his wings and took to the air with the intention of leaving her far behind and forgetting the day had ever occurred. Angling himself in the direction of his home he felt a stubborn pang of regret that would not subside regardless of what he did.
“Dammit..” He grumbled his words lost on the quick moving wind playing across his entire body. He realized he would likely end up getting snarled at, berated and possibly slapped with that magnificent tail of hers, but he could not just abandon her. Angling his wings he came about, his eyes landing on her pale form after a moment of staring at nothing but trees. Diving down he eventually hovered in front of her, wings stirring up all sorts of rubble as he pounded at the earth. “For someone who prefers swift moving, you are somewhat slow She Wolf.” He smirked.
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She flicked her tail and looked back at the stallion feeling a little irritated that he was following her once again or it seemed that way at least. Maybe he needed to travel this way to go home, but that would be way too much of a coincidence. “I’m still injured you know..if I dash away from you then I will end up hurting myself. Sorry but getting away from you isn’t worth hurting myself all over again.” She nodded to him as she kept on moving forward feeling a slight pain from her wounds, but it was something she could easily ignore. There was one thing she knew she needed before she reached their destination and it was food. Since Gareth was going her way, she was going to ask him as politely as she could if he wanted something to eat or to hunt for her. Either way she was going to ask. “I’m going to need food soon. So either you can help me and eat yourself or you can starve unless you want berries. Then you can go forage alone.” She told the stallion glancing back to see what kind of expression he would have on his face. Why would she even care about that though? Maybe she was losing it.
“If you want I will let you kill the thing so that you can have a thrill or whatever sets you off. “ She shrugged her shoulders and continued down the path feeling her stomach growl again before sniffing the air for some kind of animal smell. She needed something even if it was small. “So..do you want something like a deer or an elk or a rabbit?” She asked teasing him in a way since she knew he had these urges he couldn’t really control or at least had issues with. She flicked her tail and continued on her way seeing a rabbit scurry down the path feeling no urge to chase it down. Then she saw a couple deer in the distance making her lower her body to the ground. She crawled into some nearby brush ignoring all the pain she felt since hunger was stronger then pain.
“Sorry, but I’m making a choice for us.” She told him lowering her ears to her head as she watched them closely. She was going to pick out which one she wanted to attack before actually doing so. “You better not mess this up…” She grumbled at the stallion hoping he wouldn’t screw this up or she would lash out at him. It wouldn’t be pretty either. “Which should I go for?” She decided to ask him seeing what he would say and if he was actually a hunter or just a berry eater.
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Ceasing the motion of his wings he gracefully fell back to the earth as she walked by, and he noticed the slight twitch of irritation from her tail which made him sigh. He was most certainly glad that she had not decided to make him regret his decision through means of physical punishment but he had hoped she would have been a little happier to see him. Though he was unsure of why. Coming up beside her in a comfortable gate he found himself looking at her back as she spoke of her wounds. They looked a lot better than yesterday, something he could take pride in, but they still didn’t look great. “I guess I have you trapped then.” He snickered as he directed his attention to the path unfolding ahead of them. “But it is good to know that you don’t dislike me so much as to injure yourself further in order to flee from me.” He smiled gently at the notion. He didn’t know whether or not he should feel triumphant about a mare being unable to run from him, but at this moment he did.
His mood fell when she spoke of hunting and an emotionless mask fell over his countenance as the words struck him. Inwardly a battle was raging, one side repulsed by his desires and the other desperately wishing to take the opportunity to hunt with someone who understood, who wouldn’t judge him. His eyes plummeted to the ground when she mentioned the thrill and part of him began to regret telling her. He knew it to be his own sensitivity over the matter and not her teasing that bothered him. She had already accepted it in a way, making a joke out of it rather than attempting to avoid it or diminish it because she was squeamish. He remained lost in a bubble of tense silence until she sunk to the ground and he found himself automatically mimicking her. He followed her gaze to the deer and when she asked his opinion his ears perked and he became more observant.
Both of them appeared strong and healthy at first glance but as he studied them more closely he noticed that one displayed a gash on its hind leg that had still not fully healed, likely from a failed attempt by a coyote or some other such predator. Though he couldn’t deduce exactly how much slower this one would be than the other he could feel his urge nudging him toward that one. “The one on the left.” He responded in monotone, his brain becoming more focused on the hunt than on chatting. It helped that the left one was also a little closer to them and would have to wheel fully about to run from them, unlike its companion.
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Flicking her tail very quickly behind herself, she kept her eyes on the potential meal in front of them. She made a note of his behavior change and wanted to comment on it, but she was just so focused on the situation right now to even care too much. Though she definitely would ask him about it later. When he mentioned which one, her eyes fell on the slightly younger looking deer seeing how big it was knowing it would be more then enough meat for the two of them. She wasn’t going to ask him for help and didn’t care if she hurt herself all over again. She was use to getting injured even if it was very unpleasant. With no warning, she bolted for the target digging her claws into the ground as she ran pushing herself as fast as she could. When she neared the deer, after weaving around trees and bushes, she dove for it. Wrapping her legs around it as she went toppling to the ground along with it. She didn’t let go and with a few snaps she broke the animal’s leg seeing it attempt to get up, but she made sure it remained on the ground. Smears of red blood stained her white pelt and the soft cries of the deer filled the air. The others fled far away knowing they couldn’t help their dying friend. She looked down at it while it squirmed and attempted to rise to it’s feet.
She gave a final look to Gareth with blood staining her muzzle before swiftly silencing the struggling animal beneath her. She flicked her tail and moved away from the kill so Gareth could eat first, but mainly it was because she was in a lot of pain from the wound on her back. It opened up a little bit and the blood was dripping down her rump. It wasn’t too bad at least. “You eat first..” She said in a breathy tone of voice as she sat there eyeing the dead animal feeling accomplished and was happy she didn’t really get any more injured then she already was right now. This was her life and there was really nothing she could do about it. She was going to kill things and hurt herself all the time. Her sister might hate it, but she loved it. Maybe she was a little messed up in the head since she didn’t mind being hurt all the time. She didn’t even mind having to fight for things as long as there was some kind of thrill involved.
“Do you really have to go the same way I do? If so..I guess we move out when we are done eating.” She said to him and for a moment she didn’t mind his company. She felt like something weird was going on and maybe it was something she needed to talk to her sister about. It wasn’t normal and she didn’t know what she was going to do if it was what she was thinking. Did she have a small crush on this stallion? Oh hell no. If she did, she was going to have to bang her head against a rock until she forgot everything. That would be a better fate then actually having to be around someone like him forever or anyone for that matter. “Hurry up we don’t have all day.” She growled at him licking as much blood off her muzzle as she could.
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His heart began to thunder in his ears as he slipped easily into predator mode, taking measured breaths and pressing closer to the earth as he watched the creature go about its business. Its head came up as it began to scan its surroundings for any sign of danger but upon finding none it went back to grazing. The ears had turned away from them, and just as he was bunching his muscles to strike a white streak shot across his field of vision. With all of the carefully, calculated moves and ferocity of a wolf his companion leapt upon the creature and brought it down. Though he felt a bit cheated it was soon replaced with respect as he watched her wrestle with the thing. Standing he began to trot in her direction, pulling himself to a stop a few paces away as she looked up at him. An unusual idea struck him in that moment, the notion that she looked beautiful even with her face smeared in the lifeblood of some poor animal. Mentally shaking himself he watched as she finally dealt the death blow and began moving away from it. He couldn’t deny that the entire spectacle had sent tremors of excitement up and down his spine, especially when the little thing cried out. He watched as she walked away, focusing on the reopened wounds on her back until she invited him to take the first bite. Looking from her to the corpse he felt the urge to play with the flesh rising within him.
Taking a few steps toward the carcass he lowered his head, fangs bared and ready to rip and tear to their contentment, but he came up short. His ears flicked back as he realized he would appear weak in front of her once the blood became too much for him to bear. He would never be able to eat the meat; he would just play with it and then begin retching like a foal with a belly ache. How she would laugh when that happened. But, oh, how he wanted to feel the power that washed over him as his fangs tore through the skin as if it were nothing more than a thin leaf. Squeezing his eyes shut and attempting to lock away the urge he brought his head up and backed away. Replacing the anguish on his face with a false grin he turned to her and shrugged. “I told you, I’m a berries kind of guy.” Sidestepping he dropped his muzzle to the grass and pulled up a juicy chunk. Though it went down smoothly and felt good when it hit his stomach he couldn’t help but to look at the kill lying not too far away from him every now and then. “And, yes, I do have to go the same way you do She Wolf.” He retorted simply.
He found he didn’t like rejecting her offer at having the first shot at the kill. He had learned once that it was considered an honor in wolf packs and, though she was not really a wolf, he still imagined her to be quite close to one. Similarly, he didn’t like the idea of her actually being hurt or upset by his refusal. She had seemed a bit wary of talking about her diet in the first place and he found himself stressing over whether or not he had hurt her. He didn’t want to leave her side, wanted to impress her, and did not wish to harm her in any way. How had he become so caring toward her? And what did it all mean? Glancing at her through his peripherals he felt an overwhelming sense of warmth was over him. He wanted to be there for her, wanted to prove her theory wrong about no one being able to befriend a wolf. But…Why?
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:58 pm
When he didn’t go in and start eating, she felt a little disheartened by it. She had kind of hoped he was like her and ate meat on a daily basis, but apparently that wasn’t true. “Fine..” She said in a bit of a grumble as she walked over to the kill and began to eat her fill. There was a sense of pride every time she ate from another animal. She wasn’t like her father and sister whom prayed to the animals once they were killed. No, she was grateful enough that she was alive and was that she was brought up well. She didn’t know if she could be grateful for the animals that she killed to survive. Though without them she would probably starve or force herself to eat berries for the rest of her life. Once she felt full, she stopped and stepped away from the half-eaten carcass. She licked her muzzle and looked over to the stallion wondering what exactly he thought of her. If she was a monster to him or some feral being and this was something that needed to be answered. “How do you feel about me?” She asked giving him a dead stare for a moment before flicking her tail and walking over to the path. She felt like this wasn’t a question he was going to answer or something he was going to try to avoid.
“I don’t know if you want to ask me the same thing because I’m sure you can guess how I feel about you.” She said to him and it was a lie. She was starting to get use to him now. She really didn’t know what she would say if he asked her. Would she lie again? She slowly walked down the path knowing he wasn’t going to eat any of the kill so there was no point in really stressing over it. “So since your going to eat berries for the rest of your life…do you want to stop to pick some or are you going to starve?” She asked him knowing he was going to be with her for who knows how much longer. She didn’t really want to be near him, but then she did. She felt so confused and conflicted to the point where she didn’t know what to do about it. She wanted to get rid of him since having friends was a pain, but then she liked his company. It wasn’t much and she bickered at him, but it was better then being alone.
“Why do you have to go this way anyway?” She asked flicking her tail nearly hitting him in the face like she had done before. It was going to become a habit she just knew it. She felt like she wanted to impress him for some reason. She felt like boasting about something or doing something outrageous just to hear what he had to say about it. Would he poke fun or be concerned? She wanted to know all of these things, but then she didn’t want that. She didn’t want to put on a front for something she wasn’t so sure about. “I hope your not stalking me now. The last thing I need is some weird stalker.” She said to him looking back wondering if she was making him uncomfortable.
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The idea that he had upset her hung heavily upon his frame throughout his meal of grass and continued on even after he had eaten his fill. If he had just gone with his initial instinct, pathetic display or not, perhaps he wouldn’t have offended her so. Chewing and swallowing the last clump he had lipped up he looked over at her and watched as she finished her meal as well. Though blood made his stomach churn unpleasantly he began to wonder if he would ever be able to eat meat or if his fangs were just some joked played on him by the twisted tunnel. He had all the makings of a great predator but he just couldn’t muscle past the last and most important part, consuming the prey. He opened his mouth as if he wished to say all of this to her but soon closed it and instead turned in the direction in which they were headed. He realized he hadn’t even asked her where she was going or what she was doing, he had just returned to her as though being called. He was somewhat interested to learn of her goal but at the same time he knew it wouldn’t matter, he would be beside her anyway. The force of that sentiment caught him off guard and he shook his head as though he were shaking out his mane. He turned back to her just as she looked up from the carcass and spoke to him. The question confused him for a moment and he thought about simply dropping it when she walked away, but he wanted to answer it. “I think you are obstinate, ornery and extremely guarded,” he paused, “but I quite like that about you.” He concluded, trotting up to her side and falling into step with her.
His ears went back at her next comment and he nodded. “Yes yes, I’m a useless hindrance and you would much rather be rid of me.” Turning his head to look at her he smirked. “Or that could all be a front; you could actually like me a little.” He could see the same dark clouds that had cornered them in that cave off in the distance and was amazed that all of this had happened over such a short amount of time. Had it really only been a day? His train of thought was derailed when she asked about the berries and he rolled his light eyes. “I think I’ll manage without berries for a bit. Grass holds me over just fine.” He snorted. Though many would see these interactions as being undesirable, hostile even, he found them fun. It was better than having someone showering him with halfhearted praises or not reacting at all. “Shall we catch you a rabbit to go m’lady?” He enquired sarcastically, bowing his head in a cocky yet respectful manner.
He had slowed down a bit to inspect something at the side of their path when her tail came up and just about grazed his face. Though he had jerked his head back just in time to evade it he felt this would not be the last time this would occur, and that in the future she would be much more accurate with her aim. Watching as it fell back calmly to her backside he responded to her questions. “Well, if I am your stalker that answers your query of why I have to go this way. Doesn’t it?” He grinned at her as she looked back. He didn’t want to tell her that he had felt some strange connection between them and that he hadn’t been able to leave her. “Or I could just say that I desire to see what it takes for one to befriend a wolf.”
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Who would like that about someone? He didn’t make sense sometimes and that was something that she had gotten use to already. He was strange and weird, but not in a bad way. She snorted and didn’t know what to say to him at first. She didn’t even know how to describe herself in the first place so to have someone do it for her was a little flattering even if it wasn’t the best qualities. “Heh..well then your weirder then I thought. If I’m all those things then you shouldn’t like me at all or is that something that intrigue’s you?” She asked looking over to him noting that he did eat something. She didn’t know what, but it was something that subdued him a little bit. She didn’t know and wasn’t going to pry it out of him. As useless as he seemed to think he was, she didn’t want to get rid of him yet. She didn’t know what she would do if she ended up traveling on her own again. It would probably sadden her or she would end up just going home. She could always rely on her family to make her loneliness go away and at least feel like she belongs somewhere. “Even if you say that..I still don’t know what to think of you.” She didn’t know how to put it and didn’t want to say he wasn’t a nuisance to her.
“Like you?” She growled at him thinking of that possibility and not liking it at all. She didn’t want to like him and if she did, she would kill that feeling somehow. “How could I ever like you? Your bothersome, too talkative, you eat plants, and you just down right get on my nerves.” She said to him trying not to be so cold with her words, but she would do anything to not feel something. “No rabbit..” She said to him flicking her tail as she continued to walk feeling the pain from her wounds subside a little bit. She wanted to attack him and hurt him for his words, but a part of her couldn’t. “Why would you even want to be my friend? I don’t want to be yours and the more you annoy the closer you are getting to being attacked by this so called wolf.” She nearly snapped at him as they continued on feeling the pain from her wound hit her hard causing her to cringe a little bit. She tried not to show her weakness to him and looked away even though it hurt so damn bad. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t know if she would be able to withstand fighting a skin walker in the condition she was in at the moment. But how could she confide in him? She needed to do this without him. Without his help to prove that she was strong and independent. She didn’t need help with anything.
“Look…just don’t get in my way. I’m not your friend even though you want to be mine. I will never be your friend.” She stated flicking her tail feeling a little disappointed at herself. Then that urge came back. She wanted to snap at him and hurt him to scare him off, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t hurt someone she was beginning to consider a friend. Someone whom she wanted to protect from all harm and it wasn’t everyday that someone like her felt this way.
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He stopped for a moment and watched as her figure moved away from him, a heaviness playing deep within his chest as he stared. He had expected her to snap at him perhaps but the words she uttered made him feel slightly dismayed. Even after admitting he liked her she was resistant or at the very least doubtful. He started walking again, a bit more slowly as he muddled through the words he wished to say. “Chosovi,” he sighed and shook his head, “yes I am weird, and yes you do intrigue me but those are not the only reasons why I enjoy your company. It may not make any sense at all to you, in fact I’m still trying to process it, but I like you just because I do.” He didn’t know where he was going with his words and that instantly made him uncomfortable so he decided to make that his stopping point. She was different and while that was extremely appealing to him, there was something else. It harkened back to the feeling that there was more to her than meets the eye that he noticed before. Even now as he stood looking at her he could see he had just barely managed to scratch the surface of the mare called Chosovi, She Wolf. “Anyway you asked me what I thought of you and, in truth I responded.” Ruffling his wings he shrugged. “I’m okay with you not knowing. Frankly I am just happy you refrained from saying you despise my every breath.”
The growling had returned and he felt more at ease with the otherwise tense situation as he sped up his pace to fall in beside her once again. “So you have been paying attention?” He quipped. Just as he had been observing her behaviors she had been observing his, and only someone who had even the slightest amount of interest in another would do that. She had remained around him long enough to begin etching a rough portrait of who he was, even if it was negative for the most part. “Well then, I suppose this will be a one-sided friendship. Though I will make a promise to you here and now, if you do attack me, I swear on my honor that I shall not run away.” He didn’t know if this would serve to simply annoy her more or if this would make her realize that he was truly bent on proving to her that she was capable of being liked by others, that a wolf wasn’t always undesirable. As he looked her over he caught a brief glimpse of her reaction to her wounds and, against his better judgment he addressed the matter. “Do you know of any herbs to help with that?” He asked, jerking his head towards her back. The gashes looked angry at the moment and he could only imagine they were beginning to feel a bit raw.
He remained undaunted by her words even though he knew to a certain extent that she meant them. “Duly noted She Wolf.” He responded in a serious tone. He was never one to back away from a goal he had set for himself, and even if she never recognized him as her friend he would at least show her that she was worth more than she thought. The image she had of herself was not entirely true. “Where are we going?”
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What was that he just said to her? He liked her? What the hell did he like about her? Why did he like her? She felt all this questions rushing her at once and she almost felt a little light headed from it all. She didn’t understand it and didn’t know if she wanted to understand it. “I don’t understand that. I don’t know if I really…want to understand it either.” She said to him feeling herself getting a little uneasy by the whole thing. It was one of the few things that she didn’t like talking about nor did she like anyone saying anything to her about it. It made her want to run off and hide somewhere. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was a shy part of her or her self-conscious side of her acting up again. “I hate to say this, but the feeling isn’t mutual so you better get over it.” She said to him keeping her voice the same with that same bitterness she had been sporting the entire time. “Maybe I should tell you what I think of you. Maybe it will finally chase you off. I’m tired of you hawking over my shoulder!” She nearly shouted feeling herself getting a little nervous. She didn’t quite understand why she felt this way. Maybe knowing he actually liked her in some way made her afraid. She didn’t know why he liked her and that scared her. It scared her so much that she didn’t know what to do. Though right now she had to calm down before she ended up freaking out on him. She flicked her tail and clicked her teeth to calm herself down.
“Of course I have been paying attention?” She said to him flicking her tail as she walked through some dense bushes not sure if she was getting closer or not at this point. “Then it’s a one sided friendship. Just don’t expect any special treatment.” She said in a bit of a growl as she cringed once more feeling the wound on her back give her some more trouble. “I will be fine. I’m going to get more battered up anyway so I should just wait until after this whole ordeal.” She said to him feeling as though he was asking a lot of questions now. Then he said her nickname, which only made her feeling more calm. She liked it and then she hated it sometimes. It really was all about what kind of mood she was in. “Why do you want to know where I’m going? Why do you even care? I thought you were going home?” She looked over to him feeling a little bit on the defensive now after all the recent events.
“Honestly..I’m going to fight a skinwalker. I want to kill it and rid the world of it. I don’t like them as much as I hate harpies. So I suggest you go the other way on this or you could face your death.” She told him in a serious tone of voice wanting to frighten him so badly. She didn’t want him in danger even if he was annoying her. She didn’t like someone innocent to get harmed. “So just forget about me because I might not be coming back.” She didn’t think she was going to die, but she knew how fierce skin walkers were and wasn’t going to sugar coat anything. She had almost died once and apparently she didn’t learn her lesson and she didn’t know if she would. Maybe one day, but she needed to do this. Even if it meant she might die. She needed to do this for herself to rid the world of this evil. She walked down the narrow path and knew she was getting closer now. She could smell something foul in the air. Something that she needed to get rid of and she needed to get rid of Gareth before he ended up getting killed.
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Like a rock battered by the waves of the ocean he remained firm and took the abuse without so much as a wince. Her tone was as sharp as the lethal talons adorning her feet and equally as frigid, but he maintained eye contact and retained a stoic expression throughout her outburst. It was evident he had struck a nerve as he watched her posture shift and an ounce of anxiety flash briefly behind her light eyes. Once she had become quiet his brows knit together and his mouth twisted into a thoughtful frown as he regarded her. “Interesting.” He observed her a moment more before calmly looking ahead, his pace matching hers as he continued to stay beside her. If she thought cruel words would be enough to frighten him off she was sorely mistaken, nevertheless he didn’t want to push the issue too far, seeing as she was already extremely uncomfortable. He knew the subject was far from concluded, but as suggested by the soft sound of her teeth clicking together she was in no condition to talk calmly about the matter. Though, he did plan on bringing it up again sometime in the future.
“As I said, even if it is unrequited I don’t mind. You are the only one who seems to be struggling with it.” Though it was a criticism he made it as gentle as possible. He couldn’t fathom why someone would become so upset over being told that they were liked, it was saddening as well as puzzling. He was able to muscle past the topic when she mentioned receiving more of a beating and his question concerning where they were heading became even more urgent. If a fight was what she was heading toward he had no issues, but in her present condition it hardly seemed wise. “If I had wanted to go home I would have already been there.” He responded with a halfhearted flutter of his wings, he was much more interested in what she had meant earlier than in her snippily redirected question. “And I think my reason for caring has already become quite evident.” He snorted. She was back to her guarded self even after she had briefly dropped her iron curtain to him.
His muscles froze in place as he made a sudden stop when the word ‘Skinwalker’ left her mouth. His mind was suddenly flooded with his grandfather Alexiel’s story about Worm, the walker who had butchered his family while he was still in wicker. Aside from that there was the case of Gareth’s psychotic aunt Neva who had become a walker. He was not fearful but he did have a healthy respect for something so vile, it was not something to be taken lightly. His reminiscence was shattered and replaced with anger at her comment about forgetting about her. “Then you will have lied to me.” He stated flatly. “You said it was your desire to die in a fight with a villain, but if you go in there already weakened and die because of your own impulsiveness there is no honor in it!” He all but growled. “And I cannot comprehend why you put so little weight upon your own life, but it certainly is no small thing Chosovi.” His rebuking done he inhaled deeply and stood ready for her anger.
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:24 am
The young mare was not expecting him to freak out in such a way or raise his voice for that matter. It caught her off guard and she stopped walking just to get a good look at him. If she could cry, her eyes would probably be filled with tears right now and she would probably scurry away from him so that he would never see her weakness. Maybe she was being foolish at how she was approaching this whole thing. She was injured and being injured she was at a great disadvantage against a fully healthy skin walker. She probably would only be able to get a few hits off before she would end up facing her death, which was a little frightening to think about. “How do you know what my life is? I know life is precious and sacred. I know I’m loved and cared for. I know all of this, but why don’t I feel it. Did I lock myself up so tightly that I can’t even feel the love of others and even from my parents!? I don’t understand why I’m so guarded around every single individual I meet. Why I run away from possible friendships and why I don’t care if I live or die sometimes.” She said to the stallion flicking her tail and stiffening up again like a locked treasure chest. An impenetrable one at that.
She continued on as if she said nothing to him and felt a bit weak at everything she just admitted to some stranger. She needed someone she could trust and didn’t know if this stallion would be her savior or her demise. She didn’t know what to feel or if she could even feel anything. She felt a little something thought. The thought of losing him and him never being around her made her a bit sad. Maybe because she actually thought of him as a friend or something close to it. “Then…I will need your help. I can’t fight it alone and even if I’m injured I can still fight. I just will need someone watching my back and you’re the only one that I can trust with this.” She said to the stallion flicking her tail and digging her claws into the soil. She never cried before in her life, but the urge to do so was there. She could feel it building up. She didn’t want to break down in front of him. “Will you help me?” She didn’t know if he would and the thought of having someone help her made her a tad bit uncomfortable.
Looking over to him, she gave him a dead stare before emitting a growl from her throat. She was still guarded and didn’t want him near her. No matter what happened when they got there she was going to try to protect him. She couldn’t risk losing someone who opened her up to the hands of a beast. “By the way…I’m going to punish you for that little outburst. Maybe not right this minute, but soon…very soon.” She snorted looking away from him trying to get some of that sarcastic humor going again. She knew they were getting closer to the threat, but she didn’t know where the creature was. They could be lurking around any corner right now.
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His expression softened and his posture eased when she turned to look at him with an expression he had not seen from her before. A plummeting sensation welled within his gut as the dread that he may have gone too far blindsided him. He shouldn’t have let his temper get the best of him and now she would likely hate him even more than she had before, he had hurt her and that was the last thing he had wanted. His mouth opened as his mind frantically sorted through various apologies but no words exited for she began speaking. His mouth closed and for a time he could find nothing to say to her; there were no words of comfort he could offer. Taking a hesitant step towards her he said the only thing that came to mind. “I can’t answer those questions for you but, maybe you are already making progress toward the answer by simply asking them.” When it came out it sounded more idiotic than it had in his head, but he hoped she got his meaning. “Maybe now you can sort through them one at a time to try and find what you are looking for.” His gaze dropped to the ground and he kicked childishly at a pebble with his hoof. “And, you don’t have to do it alone.” This time his voice was a bit more muffled due to how foolish he felt uttering those words, but he wanted her to know she did not have to muddle through this as a solitary being.
When she turned from him whatever feelings she had been experiencing prior had vanished from her countenance and he felt dismayed as she rebuilt her wall against him. He knew it wouldn’t, couldn’t last but he had begun to get the feeling he was making some headway. Picking up his easy gate again he fell in beside her, reflecting on the various wall analogies he had heard in his lifetime. Something so structured and reinforced cannot be felled in one day. Just as he had resigned himself to a silent journey she spoke again. Though he attempted to hide it he was sure his shock was evident enough upon his features. Did she say trust? He fought to keep himself from becoming too excited but inwardly he was buzzing. This was a big step, she was putting her trust in him for however briefly a time. Clearing his throat and composing himself he nodded. “Of course.” He decided to keep the answer simple so as to keep her from feeling overly awkward. Though he still wasn’t comfortable with the situation of her fighting while injured he knew that would be a losing battle to fight.
Her expression changed yet again and her growl brought him the rest of the way down from the heights he had reached. With a shake of his head he grinned at her. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He chuckled gently. Though inwardly he was a bit nervous to learn what she meant, there was no doubt she was a fearsome mare. But one that he respected highly. The humor in his face quickly melted away as a lump could be seen up ahead amidst a break in the trees. Without much thought he quickened his pace, his ears shooting forward as he listened for any signs of the monster they were hunting. Hearing nothing he trotted up toward the lump only to gaze down upon the horribly mangled corpse of a foal. His teeth grit together as he lowered his head and closed the poor creature’s terror stricken eyes. “It is close.” He growled.
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She didn’t know if she would ever be able to find the answers to her questions, but she could always try. Maybe not right now, but at some point in her life she could try to be a better mare. She didn’t say anything to him and simply continued walking knowing that if something was said it was going to be her downing herself once again. Keeping quiet was the best option and she didn’t want him to lash out at her again. She remembered doing that one time with Gabriel around and he lost it on her. He didn’t understand why she had no self-esteem when she was so proud of her heritage. She really was proud of who she was and her family blood. It was time for her to actually start caring about herself as a whole including her personality. She just didn’t know how or when. Gareth was slowly helping her even if he didn’t know it. His persistence was helping her be more tolerable around others even if it might end up being only him in the long run. She could only imagine being close to him and only him if things worked out that way. She was trusting him with her life right now and that was something she didn’t do at all. This was something she was afraid of doing and being disappointed in the end. She didn’t want to feel that kind of pain and wanted to avoid it. In order to avoid it, she would have to fight the skinwalker alone and that wasn’t going to happen. She couldn’t.
Sniffing the air, she lowered herself to the ground ignoring the small amount of pain she felt from her back as she crawled forward a tiny bit. “Yes it is..” She said to him in a whisper feeling a bit of fear creep up inside herself and she didn’t know what to do at first. She knew this creature was heartless and vicious not caring about anything else. Right now she just was going to treat this like another day hunting. She hid behind some brush seeing the creature finally make it’s appearance in some clearing just ahead of them. She was going to show it no mercy and knew she had to be very careful. She didn’t want to die or be injured more then she already was. Her father and mother would be screaming at her if they knew what she was doing. She wasn’t supposed to be this violent and it was something she kind of hid from her family. They knew she hunt for food, but she didn’t tell them she loved danger. She loved the thrill of it and loved how it felt.
“You...just be careful and try not to get too injured. I’m going to attack it quickly to distract it so that you can get a hit in.” She motioned to the stallion as her ears flattened against her head. All the pain went away just for this moment. She carefully thought this out compared to when she usually hunted and just ruthlessly took the animal down. No right now she had to be careful. She gave one flick of her tail before darting forward at incredible speed leaping onto the creature’s back sending shrieks into the air. She clawed at it’s back and wrapped her jaws around his neck feeling the sheer strength of the animal fighting back. She then pounced off the large stallion and ran climbing up a tree to safety. This didn’t stop the skin walker stallion from wanting blood from the wounds that were inflicted upon him. She watched as he charged the tree trying to either shake her down or completely topple the thing over. Either way it wasn’t something that was good. She was on a pretty sturdy branch, but that could change really fast. She looked into his eyes seeing the hate and the anger with nothing else there.
This was the perfect time for Gareth to attack, but she was scared. She feared he was going to be injured or killed and if things were looking bad, she would risk her life to save him. She just couldn’t let someone like him die. There were few good individuals in the world and he was one of them. He was going to make someone happy someday and have himself his own family at some point in time. She didn’t know if any of that was for her so she really had nothing to lose except for her family. They would miss her and her sister would be broken, but they would move on eventually…She flicked her tail and growled at the skin walker. No, she was not going to back down and she was going to come out of this with her life in tack. She had to. Her family needed her.
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The atmosphere around them began to twist as light gave way to unadulterated darkness and the air was filled with the pungent stench of death. He kept low as he followed along beside Chosovi, coming to a stop as she did and casting his eyes upon the beast as it made its way arrogantly across his field of vision. He had never seen one in the flesh but what he had pictured when listening to his grandfather’s stories was fairly close, though he had envisioned them a bit bigger. He split off from his companion when she took cover in some brush and instead took to pressing himself in amongst the dense trees, taking advantage of his black pelt. His ears flicked in her direction as she spoke but he kept the creature in his sights lest it sense them in some way. It was in this brief moment that he realized his tunnel vision had yet to set in, he was still concerned with the mare’s presence and was not entirely focused on the battle to be had. He almost wanted to tell her to hold back but he knew she would not listen, just as he knew he was not capable of doing this alone. Giving her a curt nod he held his breath as he waited for her to strike, his attentions being divided between her and the Skinwalker. His muscles tensed briefly as he watched her head toward the target as a spring of concern bubbled up within him but he would not allow that to cloud his concentration, she was depending on him.
The painful screams acted as his cue and he circled around to the rear of the demon just as she made for sanctuary up a tree. It seemed that her attack had enraged the beast more and it began attempting to throw her from the bow she was perched upon; moving quickly he brought himself into a flanking position and charged silently ahead. Her distraction had worked and the creature didn’t see him until he was nearly on top of it. Feigning a forward attack he came within claw distance of the Skinwalker before using his wings to propel him backward just as it lashed out at him. Using the velocity he pivoted on his front hooves and sent a double hind kick right at the creature’s jaw. He was relieved to hear the crack of contact and whipped around to see the outraged animal stumble back. “You okay?!” He called up to Chosovi, his wings already in motion as he planned his next attack. He needed to push it back far enough to where she could easily come at it from the side or from behind.
The Skinwalker managed to right itself and send an earthshattering roar directed at both of them. If it had been outraged before it was even more so now. Sensing the change Gareth calculated the severity and took to an erratic pattern, feigning left and right in order to further frustrate it. If he could get it to focus on him and follow him it would buy her enough time to come safely down from the tree. Picking up his speed he took to the air once more, coming down in front of the Walker and using his tail as a whip as he sent it across the predator’s cheek. Though he landed a good blow he wasn’t quick enough and the beast’s claws raked down his shoulder, catching only a small amount of flesh and scraping against his armor. Jumping away he took to evasive maneuvers as he awaited the arrival of his comrade.
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She was not happy. As she watched from the branch up above, she noticed Gareth had gotten injured and that was something that enraged her even more then she already was. She never thought she would feel this angry about something so small. Something that was probably a scratch to him and a gash to her, which she promised herself he wouldn’t get injured at all during this fight. She jumped down from the branch when the beast was far enough away and watched it go after Gareth with a fury she had never seen before. She knew what kind of fire that was though. She herself had that same fight in her the day she nearly died. This creature knew it was going to die. It knew it’s death was coming and she might have let it live if it didn’t injure Gareth the way it did. There was no escaping it’s fate now. “I’m fine..” She said in a growl that probably wasn’t even loud enough for Gareth to hear. She could feel the ripping pain of the wound on her back knowing full well that the thing had opened up once again. Maybe not as bad as it was before, but she was agitating it. Though right now she didn’t care and wasn’t going to care. She wanted to bring this animal down by any means possible.
When she saw it veer off to the right, she took the opportunity to lounge herself forward with a burst of speed. She tackled the beast to the ground clawing and biting the animal with anger hearing it’s cries, but nothing stopped her. This beast thrashed under her under she was thrown off it’s back causing Chosovi to fall onto the ground with a grunt. She rose to her feet and flicked her tail growling at the skin walker who was promptly growling right back at her. She could see how injured it was and knew it was almost the end for this animal, but she wasn’t going to back down. She was going to attack it until it was dead. She lounged forward clawing it’s front leg before feeling a bite to her back causing her to shriek out in pain., but this didn’t stop her. She broke away and jumped onto the stallion’s back again repeatedly pulling off flesh from the creature making sure she avoided any attack he tried to make on her. Though she ready for what he had in mind next and it was going to hurt her so badly. The skinwalker ran forward with a burst of speed and stopped abruptly throwing her off into the base of the tree. She fell to the ground with a thud feeling her body ache and burn from everything it had endured.
She couldn’t even get up. Her body was denying her and she couldn’t even move right now. She looked up at the skinwalker stallion that was walking closer and closer to her. She needed to change her lifestyle if she were to make it out of this alive. If she did, she needed to be less reckless because her body couldn’t handle much more of this. It didn’t mean she was going to stop what she was doing, but she needed to be more mindful of things. “Gareth…I can’t…move.” She said in nearly a faint whisper wondering if he would even hear her. She closed her eyes slowly feeling the pain taking over more then she could handle. She felt herself getting nauseous and she knew she was going to pass out soon. She flicked her tail once before it fell limply at her side. She didn’t know what was going to happen, but she was at least happy to have had a good life even if it was a short one.
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He had just dodged another swipe when Chosovi appeared quickly and once more joined in the fight, knocking the villain off its paws and landing many a noble blow. Everything appeared to be going well until a flash of teeth pierced the white pelt he had grown accustomed to. Sensing a call to action he took to the air and was preparing to dive onto the creature when Chosovi leapt atop its back and he was forced to veer away, a stream of curse words echoing in his mind as he did so. He was just coming about when he witnessed the mare being thrown from the monster’s back and crashing solidly into the trunk of a tree. A wave of sick terror soured his gut as the world was enveloped in slow motion, she was down and she did not look good, the Skinwalker was making its way toward her with the notion of a death blow heavily on its mind, and he would not let any of that come to pass. Just as her tail fell limply to the ground he folded his wings in close to his body and dove with all of the speed and might he could muster, the bulk of his body aimed at the Walker’s side.
Everything became dark for a moment as the sound of flesh and bone colliding echoed across the otherwise noiseless landscape. The impact on his chest was enormous as the metal plate slammed against the Skinwalker, ringing out with a hollow scream as it did so. Though the wind was knocked from him he did not allow himself to hesitate for even a moment as his fangs found the tender spot behind the neck and began ripping and tearing as they were meant to. Blood spurted into his mouth as he continued to dig even after they hit the ground. His hoof dug into the Walker’s neck as he pressed it to the earth to prevent himself from being bitten. With that the creature took to its last line of defense and it clawed frantically in every direction, catching him from time to time but unable to deal the amount of damage it truly wanted. Ripping a chunk of flesh from the neck he spat it to the side and snarled. “No one hurts her.” With that he thrust his head down quickly and ripped into the windpipe, effectively ending its life with a pathetic gurgling noise.
His stomach began to churn as blood hit it but he paid little mind to it as he ran painfully to Chosovi’s side. She was breathing thankfully but her wounds from before had opened and she had a few fresh ones that looked pretty ghastly. “Hey She Wolf.” He said relatively loudly, attempting to gauge her level of consciousness as he tenderly brushed a piece of her mane from her face with his nose. He knew she didn’t like to be touched but at this particular juncture he would be happy if she clawed him. Stepping back he briefly took stock of the situation as he attempted to figure out the best way to move her. “Are you able to lift your body at all?” He asked in a soft tone. If she could at least lift herself briefly he could maneuver her onto his back, if not he could fashion something from branches and place her onto it.
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:38 pm
She didn’t know what was going on, but she could hear the faint sounds of struggling. It wasn’t until she heard the silence then her name called when she finally opened her eyes looking at the stallion standing over her. She didn’t know if she could even move right now. Her body was in so much pain it was taking all of her strength just to look at him right now. “I can try..” She told him liking that he was being very patient with her and on top of that..he saved her from suffering a terrible fate. He protected her from that creature. He could have easily left her to die, but he didn’t. This caused her to feel a soft ping in her heart. One that she hadn’t felt for anyone ever. She slowly, very slowly to be more exact, began getting up until she was finally on all fours. She felt the pain tear through her body, but she would feel better once they got to a place where she could actually rest. “We…should find a place to rest..” She said as she slowly began to walk which was proving to be very difficult. She didn’t know how long she would be able to last walking like this. She could feel the blood running down her back and even though she was ignoring her pain she felt so dizzy right now.
“Thank you..” She told him as they walked through the forest at a slow pace. Her wounds getting the best of her and she went tumbling down against the hard ground. She felt the cold ground under her and sighed gritting her teeth from the pain. “I can’t..let’s just stay here..” She said not wanting to bother him with carrying her and then him getting hurt or something along those lines. She was at least happy they were pretty far from the corpse of the skinwalker now. “Do you…think you could find something to cover me..? The wounds will heal and feel better tomorrow..I just need to rest.” She said feeling the burning sensation of the wounds. She didn’t know if she even believed her own words right now. She just felt so damn tired. Then on the other hand she was so grateful to him. She owned him her life and much more. It didn’t help she continued to feel this strange sensation in her chest that she couldn’t shake off. She didn’t know what it meant or what was going on, but she had a slight idea. She was starting to like him. Whether it was as a friend or more was the question. She probably wouldn’t know anytime soon either.
“Your hurt..you…need to rest too..” She mentioned to the stallion in a light whisper. She was more worried about him then about herself. She didn’t want him hurt. She didn’t like seeing it. A part of her wondered if he was going to be gone when she woke up if he was a true friend that would stick by her or if he would abandon her. She didn’t know and that scared her.
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He hadn’t wanted her to walk on her own but felt that attempting to stop her may cause more harm than good, regardless he still wore an expression of evident concern as they lumbered away from the scene of the slaughter. He remained by her side, his shoulder gently tapping hers now and again as a result of his nearness but even that didn’t stop her from toppling over. The thud from her body meeting the earth reverberated in his mind for a good while after it happened. Her words tore at the deepest level of his heart as he realized she truly could not go any farther. His head came up as he observed their surroundings which only added to his worries. Though they were far from the Skinwalker and the smell of rotting corpses that would likely draw the attention of other predators, he still felt far too exposed. He needed to get her somewhere hidden and preferably with fresh running water. His ears flared forward as he struggled to listen for water running off in the distance, though he was only met with silence. Either way, he needed to get her out of here.
His eyes fell upon her now fragile looking form as she requested something to cover up with and he nodded. Pulling the white cloth from around his neck he set it over her. It was too small but until he could find something else it would have to do. “I will locate something better for you I promise, just use this for now.” Hesitantly he stepped away from her and searched around the trees for something he could use, keeping her in sight the entire time. Taking to flight he landed upon a thick pine tree branch and continued to put his weight on it in various places until it came crashing down. At least this would give him something to use in order to transport her. Digging his teeth into the limb he pulled it behind him until it was positioned right at her head. “You are going to have to bear with me on this one She Wolf, things may be unpleasant for a few minutes.” He stopped what he was doing and a soft smile formed on his face as she voiced her concern from him. “Shh, I will not rest until you are properly cared for.”
With that he gently took the collar of fur about her neck between his teeth like a wolf scruffing a pup and dragged her as gently as possible until she was lined up evenly on the bough he had retrieved. He was grateful that the distance was short for he knew nothing in that process could have been comfortable. Walking around her he carefully positioned parts of her body that were hanging off before heading back into the trees. He returned a few moments later with a few smaller and softer branches that he placed on top of her until she was nicely covered. Then, winding his tail through portions of the bough he lashed it in place with a few strands of thick tree bark he had stripped using his fangs. Without another word he began walking once more, his eyes and ears on alert for any sign of a good place to rest, dragging his companion behind him.
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Chosovi didn’t know what was going on around her. She was so out of it the only thing she could feel was her body slowly moving as if she was being drug across the ground. It didn’t hurt. He had made sure she was properly cared for so that she didn’t suffer or come to any more harm. He was being a complete gentleman about this and it shocked the young mare so much that her heart began thumping in her chest. She didn’t know why all these strange feelings were happening to her and she wished she could know what the hell was going on with her own heart. She opened her eyes slowly seeing Gareth being relentless and making sure they were going to get somewhere safe. She felt another ping in her heart at this sight. The sight of someone being so helpful and so loving towards her, this made it all worth it. Someone that wasn’t her parents or her sister that actually gave a damn about her well-being and would fight to protect her. He was someone she wanted to protect with her life and she felt that he wanted to do the same with her. What was going on between them? Why did she want him to stay by her side forever? Why did she feel sad at the thought of him dying? She didn’t want to answer any of those questions because it scared her.
“Gareth…just be careful. You shouldn’t over exert yourself..” She said in a weak tone of voice as she felt herself continue to move along the ground. She still felt comfort in knowing he would protect her in such a way. He brought the beast down when she couldn’t. He risked his life for her. A mere stranger and someone who didn’t really want his company before while now she didn’t feel the same way at all. She opened her eyes slowly again only to see the sun beating down through the trees making the forest kind of glow a little bit. It was gorgeous and if this were any other moment she wouldn’t even notice something like this. Her mother always told her to stop and always appreciate the beauty of the simple things in nature. She never did during her adult years and was rather defiant when it came to listening to anyone’s lessons in life. “Gareth..” She said lightly as she rose her head up a little hearing the birds chirping around them and then watching them scatter at the sound of thunder in the air. Another storm was approaching and now they definitely needed to get out of sight before they were soaked. “We should be almost there..” She mentioned still marveling in the beauty surrounding them.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” She asked him even if she didn’t get an answer she was fine with just watching it herself. She didn’t need anything else right now. She was getting help from a stallion she could actually trust with her life. He proved his worth even if it caused her a great deal of damage. He proved that his friendship was a valuable asset to her and it was one that she wouldn’t give up for anything in the entire world. The only problem now was telling him that he was her friend. That was going to be a feat for her to overcome.
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His eyes remained fixated upon the ground for the majority of the time as he scoured the earth for any rocks or branches that would upset the pallet he had crafted to carry her, for the remainder he was scouring the landscape in search of someplace safe to hide her away. His ears remained forward, listening for any sign of running water and when he finally heard it he angled his trajectory towards it, a sigh of relief escaping his diaphragm as he did so. His own wounds had begun to sting as the adrenaline cleared his system but he made sure not to allow her to see even the slightest tell that he was feeling them. They were nothing too terrible, just a few scratches on his underbelly where the Skinwalker had attempted futilely to fight him off in its last moments. Every so often he would look back at her to be sure she was alright as the concern remained fixed within his heart and mind. He would be lucky if she didn’t go into shock, she was a strong mare and that was what he was banking on. Otherwise there was still a strong possibility that he could lose her. He was glad when he heard her speak but the softness of her tone had him picking up his pace a little, he needed to get her somewhere she could rest.
“I’ll be fine She Wolf.” He chuckled lightly. “You just keep yourself strong back there alright?” He called over his shoulder, angling a little more to the left as the sound of the water grew more persistent. Casting his gaze toward the sky he noticed gray clouds beginning to blot out the sun and a wave of urgency crashed upon him. There was no way he would allow her to get caught out in the rain; it would only make matters worse. Silently cursing their luck he put more effort into pulling her, ignoring the sensation of blood dripping down his hind leg. The cuts must have been a little deeper than he had initially thought, but he didn’t have time to think about that now. He could not express the sensation of relief he felt when the water he had heard came into view in the form of a gently moving stream. He did not celebrate for long before he took to finding a place to stash her away where she wouldn’t get wet. “We are definitely getting close.” He responded distractedly. She spoke again and he turned to look at her and then followed her gaze up to the canopy of the trees. She was right the light that was left was warm and welcoming and it painted a lovely picture overhead. Turning his attention back on her he smiled warmly and nodded. “It is.”
Once more turning to the task at hand he walked along the edge of the stream but chuckled briefly. “It figures the only time I would be able to see something beautiful with you is when you are half conscious.” He allowed a bit of the sarcasm he had adopted when speaking to her slip in. For a moment he reflected on their battle and a strange feeling welled within his gut. This time he had been more focused on keeping her safe than winning the glory. He had moved only to protect her and had waited for her to act as his teammate. He had never done that with anyone before, but he did enjoy it. Though in all likelihood it was only because Chosovi was Chosovi. He couldn’t imagine the same outcome with a different mare. “Here we are!” He exclaimed as a rocky outcropping entered into view. It was no cave but it would at least put some form of a roof over their heads. Pulling her fully beneath it he freed his tail and adjusted a few of the branches he had used to cover her with. “Will the same herbs do or do you have different ones in mind?” He asked gently.
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She was trying so hard to keep herself awake and strong so that she didn’t pass out on him. She didn’t want to give him too much of a hassle when they actually reached their destination. “I am trying…” She said to the stallion slowly feeling herself getting weaker and weaker, but she fought the feeling as much as she could. He was being so amazing right now and if she was another mare she would probably be thanking him until the day she died, but she wasn’t going to do that. She was going to be grateful of course, but in her own little way. There was no need to be overly thankful because then they just got sick of it or didn’t want to be bothered with you. Right now she wasn’t too worried about that. She was more worried about staying alive so that she can continue tormenting him and being a royal pain in the a**. She loved making his life a pain and she was sure the feeling was mutual. “I haven’t had much time to look at all the beauty around me. It’s been since I was a filly or maybe even then I didn’t pay attention to it. It’s something that we take for granted.” She said softly hating that she was in this kind of mood because it only meant she was saying things that were personal to her.
He was right with that comment. It was beautiful and she was half out of it. It was something that she really didn’t know if she would be able to see if she was feeling completely better. She just didn’t think it would be possible. They bickered back and forth all the time to the point where she couldn’t stand being around him. But then again what would she do without him? She would have been skinwalker food if he wasn’t there. “I would rather be half conscious then us always bickering at one another.” She told him eyeing the stream as they traveled on by it until she heard him say something about being there. This caused her to perk her ears up and look around seeing a stone formation above her happy that they found some kind of shelter for the oncoming rain. “Yes the same ones shall be fine, but don’t be out too long. It’s going to rain at any moment.” She told him and was a little bit worried about his safety. She didn’t want him sick and didn’t want him getting lost out there.
She slowly sat up using all her strength trying not to lay around too much or she ran the risk of passing out. She needed to move around even if it was in small increments. “We should rest up here..it should be good until the storm passes then we can go our separate ways.” She told him feeling like this was déjà vu all over again. She didn’t know why she still felt that pang of sadness at the mention of their parting, but she had to leave him. They were becoming too close and she didn’t want to deal with him for the rest of her life. She would end up gray and crinkled before she reached her full adult years. “Though I wonder if you would be able to survive without me..” She said to him in a low voice giving him a tired stare. She was still hurting and exhausted so she had to keep talking or she was going to topple over.
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His light eyes swept over her prone form and for the first time since they had met, he actually looked at her. Before he had noticed the more unusual features of her being but now there was something different. The way her belly rose and fell and how her nostrils flared when she breathed made him realize just how happy he was that she was alive, and how much he wished to protect her so that she could go on doing something as simple as that. He noticed how the dark markings on her face drew attention to her eyes and he knew he never wanted to see them close with no hope of opening. He felt the urge to touch her cheek presenting itself but he snapped himself out of his delirium by shifting focus. He hadn’t known what had caused him to travel down such a strange path, perhaps it was all the talk of beauty, but his task was far from over yet. “Beauty isn’t just around you, it is also within you.” He muttered gently making sure to direct his gaze away from her as he spoke.
Stepping out from under the outcropping he smiled at the recollection of her earlier comment about bickering. “Then we will have to find a way to make you half conscious more often.” He joked. He truly didn’t mind the bickering but he did enjoy speaking to her like this, apart from being quite concerned over her wellbeing of course. “Or I can try and not grate on your nerves so badly.” He continued, turning to grin amiably over his shoulder at her. A heavy stone formed within the pit of his stomach as the time for him to leave her in search of the herbs neared. He could not stand here and chat with her, she needed the treatment but he did not wish to leave her either. He had a horrible fear that he would come back and she would no longer be with him, a fear that had his heart quickening beneath his breastplate. “I’ll hurry back to you m’lady, just don’t go anywhere…” He was surprised when his voice gave a little at the end of his statement, it almost sounded like he was pleading with her rather than just saying something. Shaking a strand of hair from his eyes he made to set out quickly before he could persuade himself otherwise but came to a stop when her voice found him once more. “I’m not leaving you Chosovi…” If a horse could blush his cheeks would have been close to the hue of a rose. His gaze remained fixed upon her but he felt himself becoming nervous and soon took to staring at his hooves. “I won’t…” He added a bit more resolve to his tone. Her next words had him looking at her again but this time he managed a smile to conceal the more serious nature of his last declaration. “Maybe I can’t,” He sighed, “does that mean you would allow me to stay by your side?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:11 pm
She didn’t know if she could agree with what he said because she still needed to experience the beauty in others. She could see it in Gareth and that was enough to settle that notion for the time being. “You might be right, but you don’t know that for sure. Sometimes there is no beauty within someone. Sometimes there is only ugliness both inside and out.” She said to him and flicked her tail a little bit. She didn’t know if he was complimenting her or just speaking in general, but either way it was something that she wouldn’t get regardless. She was a little thick headed in that aspect. She peered outside seeing the rain start to fall and was happy it wasn’t too hard or he would be soaked in a matter of minutes. Though there was something about this stallion. His words rung in her ears and she could feel a pang to her heart. One she hadn’t felt before and it was unlike the other times. Was she falling for this weird stallion? She didn’t understand it and didn’t want to understand it. His words though….they really made her wonder if there was a hidden meaning behind them or if there was something she should be trying to figure out. “You always get on my nerves regardless of what you do.” She said to him shrugging her shoulder cringing a little bit at the pain which she had forgotten about. She was beginning to feel numb and that was a good thing. She didn’t have to suffer too much until he came back with the herbs.
“Wait what..?” She had to do a double take from his words before scoffing at him. “Where am I going to run off to? I can barely move let alone run away.” She said to him still feeling that strange sensation in her heart. She didn’t know how to get rid of it and she really wanted to squash the darn thing into oblivion. “Leave me if you want. It’s your choice.” She said and was trying to play off that tough girl attitude that she always had. She didn’t want to seem needy or wanting of his company. No, where would the fun be in that.
“Don’t get your hopes up. Just because I said that doesn’t automatically mean you claim a spot at my side. I don’t really do side-kicks you know.” She told him shutting her eyes as he body felt more and more weary. She opened them slowly again at the sound of the rain falling more and more outside of the enclosure. She didn’t want him to leave her, but if she was going to survive she needed him to get the herbs she would need to cure her wounds. Right now wasn’t the time to feel needy or want time with the stallion. He was just going to be someone to forget later on down the line anyway. Someone who was probably going to forget her very quickly because quite honestly she wasn’t that great was she? “Just hurry back..your going to get sick out there.” She said to him locking eyes with his and feeling her heart pound in her chest. There was definitely something there. Something she couldn’t quite explain just yet.
As she watched him wander off finally, she lay down on the makeshift bed and waited. Would he return? Would she be left to die? She hoped that he would return because a part of her wouldn’t be able to stand being separated from him. A part of her was on the verge of breaking down right now at the thought. It was so strong tears fell down her cheeks. “Why am I crying..?” She asked herself as she rested her head down on her claws. She never felt anything like this before.
She was falling hard.
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Minuscule drops of rain began to coat his body as he stood out from under the outcropping, his eyes trained on the mare before him. He had felt weakness before; the fatigue of his muscles after he pushed them too far, the soreness of his body after a particularly nasty battle, but this was different. He felt warm, fidgety and as though his legs were made of willow vines. An unfamiliar and uncomfortable lump stuck in his throat and his brain scrambled to find something articulate to say. He didn’t quite know what was happening at this moment in time but it excited him just as much as it frightened him. Fighting to maintain an easy composure he cleared his throat and put strength behind his tone. “My choice?” He nodded as though answering the question for himself. “Then I choose not to leave you.” His words felt shaky as they left his mouth but he knew he meant every one of them. He did not want to leave her, even before when they were bickering back in that cave he hadn’t truly wanted to leave her. Turning his back to her he took a deep, quiet breath and peered over his shoulder. “Stay with me.” He demanded gently, reaffirming his earlier order for her not to go anywhere. He knew he sounded foolish which is why he turned quickly away and began walking.
He laughed audibly as she spoke of side-kicks and claiming a place beside her. “I’m glad,” he chuckled, “I’m not really the side-kick type of stallion.” Coming to a stop he turned about slowly and tilted his head playfully. “And I suppose I shall just have to win that spot beside you if I cannot claim it.” He concluded with a wink before heading off in search of the herbs for real. He had to remind himself frequently not to look back at her but there was a strange energy between them he hadn’t noticed until just now. He felt drawn to her based on more than just her appearance and somewhat bad attitude, there was something else. Something deeper that called out to him. A bubble of anticipation began forming within the depths of his being, anticipation over exploring this connection further and seeing what it meant.
Turning his eyes skyward he allowed the now pouring rain to douse his face and thanked the universe for the chill of the water. He still felt warm from their last encounter and was confused as to why he could not seem to work past it. After a moment he lowered his eyes to the ground and eventually found the herbs he had needed. Gathering them gently between his teeth he turned and began to trot back toward Chosovi. He had made his choice, he would not leave her. It was his intention to remain by her side as long as she would allow him to. He cared about her, and he soon realized just how ecstatic he was about the prospect of seeing her face again. About the notion of returning to HER.
~Fin~
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