[PRP] Inner Demons (Antony, Guirien)

[Cajmera]

This is a personal rp; it is also for fleshing-out/historical purposes, is it takes place in the IC 'past'

 

[Cajmera]

Guirien
~~~

Damn, but that hurt. Guirien winced as he held the plant mash against his split cheek, trying to ignore the sting where it touched the raw wound and the bitter smell and dripping juice that were side effects. He was glad for the opportunity to sterilize and settle the wound, but he really wished there was a better way to do so than by holding a wet bunch of half-destroyed leaves to the side of his face! Well, a better way besides avoiding injury in the first place, he thought in quiet amendment.

He was going to have to up his game, Guirien acknowledged with a sigh. He had gotten used to being bigger and faster than his cousins, and that seemed to have made him sloppy. Of course he was going to be bigger than Soquli more than a year younger than him, but he didn't have to look at his enormous aunt and uncle to know that he wasn't going to have the size advantage for long. Even ignoring the fact that Kalonas were larger than winds to begin with, Guirien himself had stopped growing long ago and his proportions were defnintely 'dainty.' As if it wasn't bad enough to be pink, he got to be little as well.

When he wasn't looking, his baby cousins had started to grow up. The edge Guirien had always had in their sparring sessions was disappearing by the day, and he had started to come to the uncomfortable realization that he was going to have to up his game or change his strategy if he wanted to remain a relevant fighting force. Speed and feathered wings could only do so much when faced with the cloven hooves, fangs, spiked wings, and horns of his Kalona cousins, and it wasn't a big amount of 'much.'

With another wince, he lowered the herbal pack from his cheek and experiemtally wiggled his tounge against the inside of his cheek. It still felt raw, but the numbing agent had done its job well. Now he just had to make sure not to chew on it while it was numb...  

[Cajmera]

Antony
~~~

Antony watched his nephew with a troubled expression on his face. Though he had offered to help Guirien with his first aid, he had been given a firm 'thanks but no thanks' response as the younger stallion set about collecting the necessary plants to make a medicinal poultice. Antony had watched all the same, making sure that only things that belongedin medicine were being used. But Guirien had paid attention to his lessons in herbalism, and Antony could breath easy on that score.

Still, that was only one thing he had to worry about with regards to his nephew, and in comparison it was minor. Ever since he and Loveless had unofficially 'taken in' Guirien, Antony had been more keenly aware of his own responsibilities as a father figure; not just to Guirien, but to his entire family. It had taken him a long time to accept the fact that his sister had abandoned her family, and when it finally sank in he had grappled with his attempts to understand how she had done such a thing.

None of it had made any sense.  

[Cajmera]

Antony
~~~

Antony could clearly remember when Guirien had first appeared on the fringes of his family. He didn't know how the foal had known where to look for them, but there was no denying he was Amary's son with his bright coat and the hereditary cardinal face mask so many of his father's descendants sported. Guirien had been very young, very slight, and very anxious at that time; he'd quickly identified himself when discovered by his uncle, and had asked permission to visit with them for a time, adding that his mother had said it was ok with her if it was ok with Antony and Loveless. Antony had been bothered by the fact that Amary hadn't escorted her son, who was clearly too young to be running around in the woods on his own even if there wasn't the matter of introductions to deal with. After all, Antony and his family were Kalona hybrids; definitely not something a small foal should be approaching on his own! When Guirien was either picked up or due to be escorted home, Antony intended to have a few words with his sister and her lackadaisical approach to parenting.

However, that time never came. Guirien proved evasive in his answers to questions about when he was expected home, whether one of his parents would be picking him up or he was able to return on his own. His story changed, going from him simply visiting to him staying with his uncle's family while his mother was on the move. While he genuinely liked the boy, Antony was perplexed by Guirien's indirectness and concerned as the days stretched into weeks that Amary never appeared.

Frustrated in his attempts to get answers from Guirien, Antony set off on a search for Amary, However, it soon became apparent that things were not as simple as Guirien had made them out to be; though Antony knew very well what region Amary had called home, he could find no sign of her there. Likewise, he was stymied in his attempts to find her in the adjacent territory, spiraling out to a wide distance before he ultimately threw in the towel and went for the easiest answers: his father.

Guilian had more or less adopted a sedentary lifestyle these days, living with his 'heartmate,' Luca, who was mother to four of Antony's half-siblings, including Amary. It was easy to find Guilian, but that meeting did nothing to answer Tony's questions.

Amary and Guilian had always been close; of all of his children, she was the one who most closely resembled him in terms of attitudes and appetites. Growing up and even in young adulthood, she had treated her father as a friend and confidant. Never had it occurred to Antony that that relationship might change.

However, he had learned, to his surprise and dismay, that Guilian had not seen Amary for months and had no idea where she was. Even more shocking, Guilian had had no idea Amary was expecting, or that she had a child. Both father and son began to realize that the situation was much more serious than Antony had imagined, and the inquiry went back to Guirien with much more focus. Accompanied by Guilian, Antony returned home.

~~~

What Guirien had finally admited shook Antony and Guilian to their very cores. Trying his best to appear non-chalant and failing miserably, he explained how he was a triplet, that he and his brothers had never met their father and had no idea who he was, and that they had, effectively, been abandoned by their mother. One day, she had made a comment about going to go find some food for them and never came back. The three colts were barely old enough to fend for themselves, but after the first hour stretched into a day and then longer, they did their best. After a week had passed, during which they'd had nothing to eat but dry grass and slept in the same exposed location where Amary had left them, they decided they needed to make a better go of things. After putting their heads together, they had decided that they stood the best chance of making things work if they split up, and had each set out on their own.

A bit shame-facedly and drawing in the dirt with a hoof, Guirien added that he had sought out Antony and his family on purpose, having heard his mother mention in passing the Kalona nature of her brother's family and how it wouldn't appeal to her, having to be such a warlike environment. Faced with starting life on his own at such an early age, the idea of gleaning some of that 'war-like' knowledge was vastly appealing.

~~~

Needless to say, Tony and Guilian had been appalled. Guirien took them back to where he had parted ways with his brothers and they attempted to locate them, but the search was fruitless. Antony and Guilian had finally given up after over a month of inquiry and exploration, their hearts heavy and anxious. Everything preferred to think that the boys had settled in with other families; the alternative was not worth thinking about.

And after quick discussion with Loveless, Antony quietly and unofficially adopted Guirien into their family.  

[Cajmera]

Guirien
~~~

Until the story came out in the open, Guirien had been living his life torn between two different extremes. On the one hand, he had been petrified of what would happen when Antony and Loveless found out that he was basically looking to live with them. They had their own children, after all, and at the moment they were footloose and fancy-free since those children were grown. He had no idea what went into 'raising' a child, and besides, what if they didn't like him?

At the same time, he'd been caught up in the fun and novelty of it all. Though first in awe (and a little bit of fear) at his large, intimidating aunt and uncle, he very quickly realized they were caring, loving, responsible Soquili, fangs and spiked wings aside. Spending time with them, even under false pretenses, gave him a stronger sense of family than he'd ever felt with his mother.

When everything came out in the open, he'd been terrified; terrified that he'd be on his own again, that it would be too much for them to take him on. When Tony finally returned from his search, Guirien had watched his uncle with anxious eyes. Later, when he was finally told that Tony and Loveless would be keeping him, he was overcome with emotion and excitement the like of which he'd never felt before.

~~~

It was no doubt a comical sight; the large half-Kalona stallion and the tiny magenta colt. Even as a colt, Guirien was smaller than normal; compared with his Kalona relatives, he was almost laughable in his smallness. However, he threw himself into his new family life, doing his best to justify that he belonged. Though Loveless ate meat, Tony was a vegetarian like Guirien and showed him the best local places. More importantly, he started to learn to fight.

~~~

This was what had so attracted Guirien to seek out his aunt and uncle, but even he was amazed as how much pleasure he took in the training. His uncle was tough, but fair; he pushed Guirien to be his best, but knew when to pull back. It was intense, but exhilerating all the same.