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 Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:05 am
 Dirt rained down over a section of corridor, adding to a growing pile. Soon followed by another shovelful. Then another. After a few more such motions, the grey Faun stopped, leaning tiredly on the shovel in his hands. The tool had been a welcome discovery, and he hated to think what sort of progress he'd be making if he was limited to the small utility shovels he'd found in their packs.
Still, progress seemed dismally slow.
His grey fur was darkened and streaked with dirt, and he rested his head on his hands, needing just a moment's rest before he could continue. The normally energetic, optimistic Faun seemed worn and weary, as if an unseen weight dragged his shoulders earthward. His dark hair hung limply over his eyes, their usual brilliance dulled. He was past fatigued at this point, nearing complete exhaustion. Yet, he pushed on. There wasn't anything else he could do.
Three days now of hard labor with little to show for it. Or was it five? It was hard to tell when you were underground, away from the sun and unable to mark the passage of time with any certainty. He ate little, worked as much as possible, then slept when he had to. And yet it seemed that the wall of soil would continue long after he was gone. For every bit of dirt he removed from the blockage, it seemed that more just fell into its place.
He knew he couldn't entertain such thoughts, else he risked giving up completely in dispair. He glanced sadly over his shoulder at the corridor behind, then shook his head. He couldn't give up yet. He'd made a promise. As long as he could still move, he intended to make good on that promise.
Of course, he couldn't help but notice that his hands were shaking. Dammit. Perhaps it was time to take a break. He couldn't keep going like this and he knew it...but what other choice did he have, aside from giving up and lying down to die down here? He wasn't the most imaginative or special of Faun, but he was stubborn when he set his mind to something. And he'd made a promise to Celestia to get her back to the Tree safely. He was going to make good on it somehow.
With a sigh, he tossed the shovel down in the dirt, picking up his empty canteen and turning back towards the hallway. He'd return, take a rest and get a drink, refill his canteen, then get back to work again soon. Just...a short break first.
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:05 pm
 Celestia had fallen asleep, or perhaps she had passed out, on one of the tables in the kitchen area where she prepared the food for the two of them. More often than not, as they were not particularly sharing meals together, she would give much more food to him than she to herself, even if his was not great. This was justified in her mind by saying that he was working, she was not, therefore he had a greater right, and need, to sustenance than she. You cannot dig from a cave when you are weak from hunger, but you can continue to sit down and rest.
There was also the fact that their reserves of food had become very small, nearly nonexistent in fact. It was not something she expressed concern about to him, trusting entirely in his ability to dig them out. Once they could leave, surely they would be able to survive, but without his work it would be nearly impossible.
The sounds of his footsteps coming closer stirred her from her unconsciousness quickly enough so she could sit up and produce an air of calmness and hide most of the deadening weariness she felt. At this point, she really only left the chair on a need-by-need basis, already having difficulty walking without a large amount of focus directed to the activity.
"Are you in need of anything to eat? To drink?" the princess asked as he entered the room, now appearing that she had simply been waiting around for something to do rather than battling her own sort of weariness. At least by now the hunger had moved past the regular point and was instead a constant feeling of nausea and dull pain, rather than a yearning for more. This she could handle for a while longer, even past her ability to walk if needed.
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:30 pm
Faroth entered their 'kitchen area', wondering if it could still be called that when it contained little to no food at this point. He held out a hand before Celestia could rise, pausing to grip her shoulder briefly in passing. "Just some water, don't trouble yourself," he said with a smile, giving her shoulder a squeeze, but letting go before she could feel the shakiness in his grip.
He filled his canteen in the basin, then lifted it to drink until he'd had his fill. If not food, at least they could fill their bellies with water to simulate being full. If only for a while. He wiped his mouth, then refilled the canteen before turning back around and leaning back against the counter. Continuing the line of conversation, he attempted to put on a cheery tone once more. "Just your pleasant company as refreshment, dear, before I get back to work." He was too exhausted to even have the energy to be embarrassed by mere conversation at this point. The light-hearted tone was about the only thing he had left to try and help keep up morale. If a little teasing and making a fool of himself now and again kept them from giving up, so be it.
"I'm getting less dirt falling from above," he offered as a note of hope. At first, for every shovelful of soil that he moved, two had fallen to take its place, it seemed. It was more than disheartening, even if it was to be expected. If the soil had come from some sort of collapse, then that meant that there was still more waiting to fall as the soil below was cleared out. The little used side hallway had become the new home for the displaced soil, and Faroth had struggled on, even as the hallway seemed to fill while their potential exit appeared the same.
At first, Faroth had been concerned with allowing Celestia to watch him work. He'd played it off as wanting to save time and energy by having her continue looking for other resources while he worked on their exit strategy...which was true enough. Yet...he'd been concerned with the amount of falling soil as he dug at first. If the entire corridor were to collapse...well, better only one of them be caught in the collapse than both.
Fortunately, those fears had proven unfounded. The corridor continued to stand, even as the soil shifted. After some time, he'd not had as much of a battle in keeping Celestia from offering to help. She concerned herself with keeping him hydrated and fed with their limited supplies. Otherwise, he had assumed at first that she was conserving energy.
Glancing at her sideways, attempting to keep his concern veiled, Faroth tried to get a gauge on her condition. He wasn't as oblivious as he seemed. He wore a tired smile and focused on his job...but he'd realized what Celestia was doing. He wasn't blind. He could see when her portions were much smaller than his. Or when she didn't eat at all, claiming she'd already done so. He'd heard her stomach growl at night when under the pretense of sleep.
And yet, he said nothing.
Some irrational part of his mind had said that he should argue against this behavior, insist that they share the food equally and that Celestia stop sacrificing her welfare for his sake. The more logical part of his brain told him to shut up, take the food without saying anything, and keep working.
So far, it was winning.
After all, he was doing most of the work now. And if they didn't get out of here soon, neither of them would ever be leaving. She was in no shape to help at this point, so it was up to him. Hard work was his strength, after all, so it seemed only natural that he take the responsibility. And a larger share of the food.
It made sense...even if he felt shitty about it.
Survival first. Politeness later. They'd agreed on it before and he was going to stick to it.
That didn't mean he should let her suffer for her sacrifice. He could at least make things as easy on her as possible, even if he needed to be subtle about it. After what could have only been a few seconds, he nodded to her. "So...I suppose most of the rooms have been thoroughly searched by now. You know, if there's nothing else to do for the moment, I'd conserve energy. Thought about lying down for a bit? I could come wake you later for dinner?" he offered with a smile.
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:57 pm
Smiling lightly and nodding as Faroth walked by, she casually moved one of her hands to rest atop her other wrist, using this as a way to properly stabilize herself up. How long had they even been here, at this point? The days seemed to blur together, particularly due to a lack of indication of time in this place, so she could only assume it had been some great many of them. Laughing, a notable weariness in her tone, she shook her head as she chided back, "You continue to always flatter me, miseur. It is as much a pleasure as any to have you visiting as well." Every once in a while, there was the slightest of a cracking of her voice, hardly noticeable, but present. Her eyes blinking, she glanced over to the hallway as she mumbled, "Is that so...?" before looking back, an earnest smile on her face. "That is certainly wonderful then! Spirits help us, we shall surely be rid of this place soon."
It had been a long, tiring process when he had first begun working and she had set to looking through each of the rooms, looking carefully though each of them and through each thing to see if there was anything that might have been of use. Most of it, however, was fading with age or relatively useless, serving them no purpose. Well, no purpose other than to busy herself; it would have been maddening to have been made to just watch Faroth constantly working. Even the dull sounds of the shovel on the dirt had been painful to ignore.
Soon enough, though, she had settled into a more actively helpful position by preparing all of the meals, fetching water for him, and providing him with entertainment. It had been gradual, though, that their portions grew smaller and smaller, that she came to the hall with him less, that their conversations disappeared. The act itself had become tiring, and they were wearied enough as it was.
By now, with how little she had been eating, it was beginning to show in the princess's physique in small ways, such as a loss of he roundness in her cheeks or how her ribs were becoming ever so noticeable. Nothing dramatic, but enough. Again she nodded, sighing and shrugging. "Yes... There was nothing of use I could find among them. Quite the shame, really." Lifting her hand to brush the notion away, she laughed lightly before shaking her head. "I believe that I would prefer to remain here, in case you need anything. Besides, I have not prepared the meal yet."
Truthfully, she was unsure of her ability to walk normally to the bedroom and did not wish to preoccupy his thoughts with anything unneeded. That being, more specifically, anything that did not involve them getting out. It would do no good for either of them if he lost the will to dig, it would be a grave ending for them both indeed. "I shall go if... when I require some, alright? Trust me."
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 2:29 pm
Frowning slightly, Faroth started to object. "Are you sure? I could help-" he stopped short of offering to help her to bed, concerned that might have the opposite of the desired effect. Princesses could be stubborn too. "I'm sure I can manage on my own for a while." Not that there was much food left to prep at this point either. The bananas were long gone, as well as much of the fairy-made meals, most of the trail mix, and even some of the jerky. Having grown desperate enough, Faroth had tried to eat some of that, figuring there had to be some nutritional value to be had there, if nothing else. The dried meat had turned his stomach, but fortunately, he'd stopped before getting sick. He'd tried again later, shredding a bit into some of the rice and vegetables from one of the packs to try and disguise the flavor while making the most of all they had. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but this was survival.
Sighing, he admitted defeat for now, dropping the matter. He wouldn't push any harder; arguing took too much energy. "Alright, have it your way," he acquiesced, pushing away from the counter to stand upright again. He crossed over to her, laying his hand on her shoulder and meeting her eyes with a smile. "Just as long as you promise to go if you need it. You're doing just fine taking care of me." He stood there for a moment, smiling down at her. He'd grown...perhaps more than fond of the young woman before him in recent days. Helping her with her issues, surviving such dangerous ordeals together, and now her self-sacrifice for his sake had touched Faroth's heart deeply. He wouldn't let her suffering be for nothing. He'd get them out of this and back home, no matter what it took.
Without thinking too deeply about the action, he placed his hand on her cheek and leaned in to kiss her forehead just below her spiraled horn. "Take it easy. I'll see you later." He stepped away, giving her a smile as he collected his canteen and headed back towards the blocked corridor.
Just as she hid her weariness from him, he hid his concern for her. They had promised to leave things aside for sake of survival, and yet, here they were, still hiding things from one another. Granted, it was for the sake of a larger purpose...but Faroth wasn't sure that made it any better. It was still there. Lurking. He was growing frustrated with the whole situation. It was either that or grow depressed, so he was actually choosing to focus on the frustration, as it at least kept him going. Every day, he dug and dug, moving soil for most of his waking hours, yet for all his effort, he could do nothing more to help himself or Celestia, and there was no proof that what he was doing was even going to pan out for them in the end. What if he hit a wall of rock? What if the corridor did collapse after all? What if he wasn't even going in the right direction, and only ended up digging and digging endlessly until they both died down here?
By the time he returned to the wall, his frustration had reached boiling point. He was normally quite a patient Faun, not really violent, or...okay, he could be impulsive, but usually not in a negative way. Yet, now all he wanted to do was lash out at something. Someone. Anything. He fixed the shovel with a glare, as if it could be blamed for his inability to do anything more to help the situation. What more could he do? He still had the presence of mind not to draw attention to himself out here, as the sound could carry. So, he didn't yell, he didn't shout...but he needed to do something before he burst. Walking straight up to the wall of soil, he grit his teeth, wound up, and poured all his frustration into slamming his fist into the earth. Then, he drew back and did it again, this time for the feelings of uselessness. Inadequacy. Confusion. Indecision. Fear.
Even after he stumbled from weakness and ended up on his knees, he continued to strike the crumbling soil until he ended up leaning on both fists, panting. It had been a stupid waste of energy and he knew it. But it was too late now; what was done was done. He needed to pick himself back up and continue trudging on.
What else could he do?
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:01 pm
Looking up at him, into his eyes, simply brought a smile to her lips. It wasn't one of embarrassment, nor forced, but something... simpler. More basic, more warm, one that she might give to a childhood friend, if she had one, or to her family. How strange, it seemed now, that at the beginning of this trip she could not make such a gesture without triggering an uncontrollable vision, that instead she had to always divert her eyes from him. Just being there, his hand on her shoulder and his presence beside her, felt so natural at this point, almost as if it had always been there. As if it would never leave.
In a way, she feared their escape and the thought that it might separate them once they returned to the tree, that the distance that was originally between them might return. The princess did not want that. Already once, she had given up a close friend, a family, and... if she were to lose him in a similar way, after all of this... it would simply be too painful.
Her cheeks flushed red as he kissed her cheek, and had he not turned away soon after he might have noticed her stumbling, loosing her balance at the table and nearly falling forward. Celestia was able to catch herself with her hands on her thighs, though, before the momentum won out and instead turned to rest her upper body on the table. Her cheeks were warm, her forehead warmer, as she nuzzled her face into an arm, eyes barely open to the world out there.
What might she call this feeling, at this point? Surely they still knew too little of each other for it to be more than a attraction, but... she felt this so strongly... No, that was silly of her, again with these thoughts. Her mind must really be going off from the exhaustion to return to them once again.
Her eyes closed and she bit her lip as she heard a loud thump unlike the background she had grown accustomed to. Then another, and another. Quiet tears began to form as she put the pieces together, then fell down and onto the table. Had he been so frustrated all this time? How had she not noticed, or why had she ignored it? Just as she was putting on an air as if she was okay, he did so as well, probably for the same reasons. That did not take the pain of knowing away, however, and as the pounding faded, she breathed deeply, calming herself.
Clairvoyance had told her she could ask the spirits about the outcome of a situation, if she was calm enough, or something similar to that. The princess had avoided doing such a thing out of a fear that their efforts might be for naught. But... if there was a chance... any chance... that they might make it out alive...
She pleaded to the spirits to tell her, to answer her question.
It was gradual, almost unnoticeable, but soon she was filled with a sense of peace. No fear, no desperation, no foreboding. Just a warm, inviting, hopeful feeling.
Yes... They would make it out of this.
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:51 pm
Faroth was slow to rise, sitting back on his haunches first, shaking the dirt from his hair and reaching up to wipe his face. He'd likely just smeared the soil into his fur instead. Hell with it. He was long past needing a bath anyway. He pulled one hoof under him, rising shakily until he got the other braced as well. Back to work. The brief break in the mental wall had been sealed, and with quiet resignation, Faroth reached for the nearby shovel.
'...a...oth...?'
The dappled Faun froze, ears twitching forwards instinctively. A voice! But no, inside his head...
'F...oth? Faroth?!?'
"Raina?!?" He nearly smacked himself in the head. He was really out of touch. She wouldn't hear him shouting like an idiot down here, not as far away as she seemed to be. She was getting closer though. Their connection was shaky at best, but it was better than it'd been since this whole ordeal had started and they'd been separated. Focusing, he reached out to her. 'Raina? That's you, isn't it?'
'Nah, it's some other spirit talking into your brain.'
'Heh...I missed you too.'
'Feh.'
Faroth grinned in the darkness; despite her tone, he could feel the relief from his spirit companion through their link. She was just as happy as he was to hear from the other again. 'Raina, where are you? Can you get to me? Are you outside?'
'Here. No. Yes. Anything else?'
Faroth rolled his eyes. 'Funny. Not in the mood right now. Kinda' dying down here.' That seemed to get her attention. 'Listen, I'm somewhere underground...been trying to dig out for days now...I think. Hard to tell. If you can find where I am...I could use some help...or just...let me know I'm getting somewhere.'
'Alright, give me a minute...keep your hooves cool,' she grumbled back in reply, already seeming distracted from talking due to focusing on trying to track him through their connection. Just hearing her voice in his head again gave Faroth hope. Surely he was close to the surface if Raina could hear him again! Ugh...hopefully it wasn't straight up...that could be tricky. If he could just continue...
'I'm getting...something, here. Can't get any closer, but there's like...this depression in the ground. Is that you down there?'
Raina's 'voice' sounded clearer than before. Not as sharp as when she was standing beside him, but much closer than it had before. 'I sure as hell hope so!' Faroth answered, allowing excitement to start creeping in. Could it be true? Were they that close to escape?
'I dunno' how deep you are, Raina sent back, warily.
'Doesn't matter now! I'll meet you in the middle!' The shovel started moving again with renewed energy, tossing soil and pebbles backwards as the grey Faun pushed forwards.
*** Some time later ***
Faroth's muscles were shaking, threatening to rebel, but he pushed on. He was close now, he knew it. The low level of chatter between him and Raina served as a guide, only a few words from time to time allowing him to judge his progress. The soil was looser now, falling into his hair and face, but he squinted his eyes against it and kept going. He'd started aiming a bit higher, less soil to move that way, though it now formed a sort of ramp upwards in the hall. When the shovel suddenly broke through, he was rewarded with an alarmed yelp from the other side.
"Sorry, Raina!"
The spirit wolf grumbled her disapproval, but resumed digging at the edges of the hole, widening the opening so that she could get through and tackle the pain-in-the-tail Faun on the other side. They rolled down the incline, Faroth laughing in exhilaration all the while. Though it was dim from back here in the hallway, the glimpse of natural light from the outside had sent his weary soul soaring. He took time to wrestle with the wolf, taking her head in his hands and rubbing their foreheads together. "Good to see you too, you fuzzy lump," he teased.
After a bit, he struggled to his hooves again. "We'll talk more in a while." He looked back towards the circular hallway. "I'm not the only one down here. Wait here, I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder, rushing back towards the living area he'd shared with Celestia during their incarceration. "Celestia! Celestia!!!"
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:59 pm
A soft grumbling could be heard from the princess as she was stirred once more into consciousness. Ugh... Her head was so heavy, yet light, and everything seemed to be spinning; she hadn't felt this terrible before sleeping, right? Actually, she hadn't meant to sleep at all.
With some effort, she brought herself back to her arms in the same way as she had done previously (usually before he was there to see it), if not a bit more slowly and shakily, before looking back to him with a soft smile. "Yes...?" Pausing to take note of his attitude, she laughed lightly, "You look as if you have seen the light, or perhaps you have gone mad at last. I hope it is the first?" Her voice as she spoke was soft, but still clearly audible.
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:09 pm
Faroth nearly skidded into the cooking area, his hooves stumbling, though he managed to catch himself before he fell. "Celestia!" His expression faltered for a moment, seeing her weariness...and realizing that she was allowing him to see it. Or was too tired to do otherwise. Then he shook it off, reminding himself of the good news. It didn't matter now. There was hope in sight.
"Celestia!" He rushed to her, dropping to his knees beside her chair. He took her hands in his, seized by a strange urge that he attributed to the moment and ignored, as he wasn't sure it was appropriate to just...kiss her...instead, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a hug. "We're through, Celestia. We're through!" He pulled back, laying his hand against her cheek. "What say we get out of here?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:18 pm
Celestia was nearly caught off-guard by his sheer amount of enthusiasm and energy, not quite finding herself to process his words in the moment, but rather letting them slowly sink in as he embraced her. Smiling, she felt herself begin to laugh as a few tears ran down her cheek, surely continuing onto his skin, and she returned the hug with the strongest one of her own (not that it was particularly so at this point).
"I knew you could do it!" she exclaimed happily through the laughs, his joy permeating into her own. "I doubted you for not even a moment's time, really."
Not pulling herself back from the hug, she moved to attempt to pull him up with her as she went to stand up from the seat. Instead of this, however, she was met with a rather clumsy stumbling before tripping over her hooves and falling down beside him, her arms holding on tighter to help break the impact of the fall. Again she laughed, though this time softer, as she looked back at him. "Pardon me, I suppose I misjudged my strength."
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:45 pm
Though he couldn't help but notice how much more frail she seemed now than before, Faroth didn't let the observation drag him down for long. Though it seemed Celestia herself was about to do that. "Woah!" There was a bit of an awkward, flailing moment as the two ended up half-sprawled on the floor, giggling like children.
'...if you two are done wrestling, I thought you wanted to leave?'
Faroth turned a quick glare on the wolf, hovering in the doorway with as innocent an expression as a wolf could wear. "Alright, alright, keep your fur on, Raina," he shot at the spirit wolf, squashing down a few other choice words he'd like to have shared. Though he did share a thought with her pondering how warm a wolf skin coat might be for the next winter. Back to Celestia, his expression softened. "Hey, you alright?" He attempted to right himself, trying to help her back to her chair. "Heh...maybe take a minute to get your bearings before we try again."
"I'll get our things," he added, finally climbing to his hooves. Adrenaline was giving him strength, so he was making the most of it while it lasted. There wasn't much in the way of food to pack, but he rushed to pack up the bedrolls, blankets, and other supplies from the other room. It was a rushed process, but there wasn't much to gather really.
Everything was shoved into the pack, which Faroth quickly shouldered. Then, he held out his hand to Celestia, ignoring the look that Raina was giving him from the doorway, and said "Come, milady. Shall I escort you from this place?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:59 pm
Turning her head to follow Faroth's look, the princess felt her cheeks redden at the realization that they were no longer alone, making the situation significantly more awkward. "I... I am fine..." she managed to get out, looking away, but still holding on to him until she was again in the chair. Laughing lightly, she nodded before speaking with a tone of resignation, "That is probably best, I think. Thank you."
When he left, she looked to observe the wolf, the first time she had done so ever really. There was something majestic about the creature, but it was still a mystery to the princess as to why, exactly, he had a wolf that was following him about, that could communicate with him. Not that she minded, particularly at this moment.
Her hands were shaking as they rested in her lap, and only now did she start to curse how little she had eaten. "My thank you," she replied in a cheery tone reaching for his hand. "Truly, I mean so from the bottom of my hea--...!" her sentence was cut short as she again went to stand, pulling on his hand to do so, but her legs giving out almost immediately and sending her to fall upon her knees on the floor. A dry, tired laugh came from her as she shook her head, sighing, "It appears I have severely overestimated myself..." Bracing herself, she moved so that she was on all fours (well, threes, as she continued to old onto his hand) and struggled to stand on her own again.
This was humiliating. Disgraceful. It took all of her strength to keep a smile plastered on her face rather than giving in to the impulse to just give up and cry. Even so, her cheeks reddened again and her arms continued to shake along with her lips as she stubbornly tried to stand.
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 6:37 pm
Starting to smile as she stood, Faroth's expression turned swiftly to horror as she stumbled. Without thinking, he was at her side, arm wrapping around her waist to keep her from falling further. Squeezing her hand lightly, he looked her over in concern. "So it seems," he agreed with her assessment quietly.
He stood as support for a moment, watching her struggle to stand on her own. He had to admire her determination, but something told him it'd simply been too long without proper nourishment for her to even have the energy to hold herself up. All because she'd given most of her share to him.
He couldn't just watch her struggle, the color in her cheeks betraying her embarrassment. He felt for her, wondering what he could do to help, to save her this frustration. 'Better to ask forgiveness than permission,' he thought to himself before muttering, "Sorry." He knelt, releasing her hand to shift his arm lower, other already around her back. Then, he lifted her, cradling her beneath the knees and back carefully.
Normally, such a feat would be nothing to the stallion Faun. However, he hesitated at an initial quiver in his stance. The ordeal had weighed on him as well, though perhaps not as bad as she. Still, he took a moment to check his balance, deciding that while he couldn't keep this up for too long, he could at least get them both outside. He smiled awkwardly, offering, "Allow this gentleman the honor of delivering the lady to her destination." Perhaps she wouldn't be too angry with him for trying to help spare her some embarrassment.
Princess in his arms, pack on his back, Faroth nodded towards the doorway behind Raina. "Let's go." They re-entered the hallway, heading towards the corridor and the hole that led to the surface...somewhere. "Hey, Raina...where are we anyway?"
'Not far from the Fae Clearing actually.'
"Really?" He was surprised, but pleasantly. It was as good a place as any to emerge in the forest. Few they could have hoped for better. It would be less wild than they were dealing with on the hike before, safer, and hopefully with some source of food nearby that they could find quickly. As he thought about it, he turned to Raina again. "We're going to need food and soon. Any fruit trees in the area?"
'You know I don't eat that stuff,' she shot back with a look, then relented. 'I'll see what I can find.'
That was answer enough. Relieved, Faroth carried Celestia up the incline of soil, carefully through the hole he'd dug, then towards the...late afternoon/early evening sun (if his judgment was accurate), casting its warm glow over the land below.
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:28 am
The princess tilted her head, blinking and looking over to Faroth as he came closer and her hand fell. Her cheeks reddened further as she felt his fingers move across her skin, on the undersides of her thighs, and send little twitches of energy up her back. Instinctively, she lifted her arms to wrap around his neck as he lifted her up, using it as a support to make it easier on them both. Though it was painful to have her wings folded so tightly against her back, she could put up with it for a little while to get out of here.
Laughing hesitantly, she replied, "No, I am sorry... Heh..." her eyes looked away, "...thank you..." There were so many times in this ordeal that he had humbled her with his kindness and strength that she could not recall them all. Again she laughed, more earnestly this time. "Even if I could say no, who would willingly refuse to be carried by you?"
Her hands clenched tighter, fingers wrapping around each other, as he moved and her eyes looked to each and ever place around them. Man, they had been pretty far under the ground, hadn't they? And Faroth had single-handedly made the way out. As expected, she only caught bits and pieces of the conversation going on between the wolf and him, but from what she understood, the situation was about to become even better.
Eyes looking straight up, almost entranced by the soft light falling upon the landscape around them, Celestia squeezed him tighter, bringing her head to rest on his chest. "We made it... We did... Faroth, we survived! We are alive!" Excited giggles escaped from her lips as she continued to lean against him. In this situation, this position, with the level of strength she had, it was all she could do to show her relief and her gratitude.
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Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:50 pm
Chuckling at her words and affection, Faroth was riding a similar high, mixed feelings of relief, exhilaration, and pure giddiness left him unable to stop grinning like a fool. Of course, he realized that this was only the first part of their escape...but it was the hardest part. And they were still alive. That was enough to celebrate.
For some of the Tree, a trip across the Isle may be a daunting task, but in comparison to what they'd just endured, coupled with his own travel experience? A trip across the Isle back to the Tree would be easy. "Yep, we made it," he agreed, resting his cheek against the top of her head. As Celestia was already cradled in his arms, it was the closest approximation of a hug that he could give at the moment.
But, there was still work to do. He straightened up, turning towards his canine companion. "Raina? I'd like to get some distance between us and this place. I'm going to keep moving, but we also need food. Do you think you could take a look around for us?"
Raina had been staring at the pair oddly for a few minutes, then cocked her head at the grey Faun. 'Yeah, yeah, fine...just try not to fall into any more holes while I'm gone,' she shot back with an audible snort.
"We'll try not to," Faroth answered dryly, rolling his eyes. "Just tell me where the Fae Clearing is from here."
'North, half hour, maybe an hour's travel,' she answered shortly, turning her head in the indicated direction.
"Alright, we have a couple canteens of water, but I'd really like to find a fresh source as soon as possible. We'll head south for the river instead and follow it back upstream to the lake. Should be an easy hike back to Laisidhiel from there," he explained for both ladies' benefit. "Meet back up with you soon? That's the path we'll take," he said to Raina.
The wolf now rolled her eyes in a very Pae'il-like manner. 'Like you're that hard to track when you're not hiding down some hole in the ground.' She barked cheekily, turning on her paws to dart off into the surrounding forest on a scavenging expedition. What fun. At a short distance, she paused, glancing back at the pair of Faun thoughtfully...then she was off again.
Faroth watched the wolf bound off into the forest, then shook his head slightly. So many thoughts in his head, things he should have asked Raina about what had happened in their absence, where everyone else was...first things first though, they could talk more later after they'd taken care of immediate needs. For now, he turned to the south in the waning glow of the setting sun. "About time we headed for home, wouldn't you say?" He started off at a slow, steady pace, then nodded with a glance back over his shoulder. "Should be just a handful of trail mix left in one of those pouches in the pack. I say we go ahead and finish it off, if you can reach it from there. Side pocket on the left. I can stop if not." He really was quite eager to keep moving while there was still light...and any energy left in his system, even if it was only remaining adrenaline. With luck, they'd have real food soon anyway.
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