Continuation of this thread.
18th of Vhalar, 716.
"I can't wait anymore, Greyhide." He'd scarcely wanted to break camp for the night at all. Nobody could have anticipated what they'd found yesterday, nor the injuries they'd all sustained. Traveller's wounds took the form of deep gashes along his right hind leg, much like his own. The matching scars would be something to laugh about at another time. Not now, though. Right now all he could think about was the pale horse, the way it'd died peacefully, relieved... the feel of its stone-encased soul as it pulsed in his hand, as real as a beating heart but as cold as ice. He'd destroyed it, thrown it into the volcano from a great height and watched it boil and crack and fall apart. But they'd encountered no less than six other creatures with those 'wells' embedded within them. Did all of them have souls within them as well? He'd never recovered them, never given them another glance. They could still be scattered across the fields of the wilderness, for all he knew. They could be recovered so easily by that same necromancer that animated all those corpses. Reused. There could be other creatures still roaming; there could be more experiments like the pale horse, trapped inside bodies not even their own, waiting for the release of death they could not give themselves.
His wolf was of a very different opinion. "You can and you will." He'd been the only one to avoid sustaining any lasting injuries, on account of his ability to shift into a spirit form and recover. Traveller undoubtedly needed rest, both to recover from his injuries and to treat his exhaustion from the fight and flying. If not for that, they'd all be back at the small region outside of Cally's, where his semi-permanent campsite waited for them, along with Jasper and Malice. For much of the night he'd been awake, pacing around the same stretch of forest surrounding them, on the lookout for any more creatures waiting to ambush them all in retaliation for downing their fellow thralls - that was his reasoning, though in truth they both needed time alone. To say they were both feeling a little shaken would be a gross understatement. The difference between them was that Greyhide's immediate response was to get as far away as possible... and no matter how much he wanted to agree, the thought that one more could be left behind, a creature trapped in a state of endless near-death, made bile rise in his throat.
He leaned forward, intending to rise to his knees, but the uneven ground forced him to put more weight on his injured side and his thigh screamed in pain. Before he could open his mouth to cry out, Greyhide was at his side, supporting him with his body. "You're going to tear something if you keep moving around," Greyhide growled with a tone half-way between frustrated and resigned. Nir'wei hissed through his teeth. Karem, it hurt. He could feel blood soaking once again through his bandages as the scabs cracked. "Look. Hey, look at me." He didn't want to. "Look at me or I'm dropping your ass right here and now." He still relied on the wolf for balance, and even moving away and trying to stand by himself would force him to put more weight on his wounded leg, so he really didn't have a choice.
There was fear in those inhuman eyes. Guilt panged in his chest. "You need to take care of yourself first," Greyhide said through their bond, clear as if the words were being whispered in his ear. "When you risk your life, you're risking ours as well. I know it's hard, I know you want to help people, but... remember what you told Faith?" He did. He'd become fearful of the anger she'd receive for trying to help people, for her efforts to abolish slavery. He'd cautioned her to protect herself, that if she fell then all her efforts would collapse... he'd chastised her, while going off and doing the exact same without thinking how it affected those around him.
"I'm a fucking idiot," he mumbled.
"No you're not," Greyhide comforted him, scooting back to allow him to lie back down. "You're not." Once he was back on his bedroll, the wolf lay down next to him and rested his chin on his chest. "We'll go first thing in the morning. When your wounds are freshly dressed and you've rested properly."
18th of Vhalar, 716.
"I can't wait anymore, Greyhide." He'd scarcely wanted to break camp for the night at all. Nobody could have anticipated what they'd found yesterday, nor the injuries they'd all sustained. Traveller's wounds took the form of deep gashes along his right hind leg, much like his own. The matching scars would be something to laugh about at another time. Not now, though. Right now all he could think about was the pale horse, the way it'd died peacefully, relieved... the feel of its stone-encased soul as it pulsed in his hand, as real as a beating heart but as cold as ice. He'd destroyed it, thrown it into the volcano from a great height and watched it boil and crack and fall apart. But they'd encountered no less than six other creatures with those 'wells' embedded within them. Did all of them have souls within them as well? He'd never recovered them, never given them another glance. They could still be scattered across the fields of the wilderness, for all he knew. They could be recovered so easily by that same necromancer that animated all those corpses. Reused. There could be other creatures still roaming; there could be more experiments like the pale horse, trapped inside bodies not even their own, waiting for the release of death they could not give themselves.
His wolf was of a very different opinion. "You can and you will." He'd been the only one to avoid sustaining any lasting injuries, on account of his ability to shift into a spirit form and recover. Traveller undoubtedly needed rest, both to recover from his injuries and to treat his exhaustion from the fight and flying. If not for that, they'd all be back at the small region outside of Cally's, where his semi-permanent campsite waited for them, along with Jasper and Malice. For much of the night he'd been awake, pacing around the same stretch of forest surrounding them, on the lookout for any more creatures waiting to ambush them all in retaliation for downing their fellow thralls - that was his reasoning, though in truth they both needed time alone. To say they were both feeling a little shaken would be a gross understatement. The difference between them was that Greyhide's immediate response was to get as far away as possible... and no matter how much he wanted to agree, the thought that one more could be left behind, a creature trapped in a state of endless near-death, made bile rise in his throat.
He leaned forward, intending to rise to his knees, but the uneven ground forced him to put more weight on his injured side and his thigh screamed in pain. Before he could open his mouth to cry out, Greyhide was at his side, supporting him with his body. "You're going to tear something if you keep moving around," Greyhide growled with a tone half-way between frustrated and resigned. Nir'wei hissed through his teeth. Karem, it hurt. He could feel blood soaking once again through his bandages as the scabs cracked. "Look. Hey, look at me." He didn't want to. "Look at me or I'm dropping your ass right here and now." He still relied on the wolf for balance, and even moving away and trying to stand by himself would force him to put more weight on his wounded leg, so he really didn't have a choice.
There was fear in those inhuman eyes. Guilt panged in his chest. "You need to take care of yourself first," Greyhide said through their bond, clear as if the words were being whispered in his ear. "When you risk your life, you're risking ours as well. I know it's hard, I know you want to help people, but... remember what you told Faith?" He did. He'd become fearful of the anger she'd receive for trying to help people, for her efforts to abolish slavery. He'd cautioned her to protect herself, that if she fell then all her efforts would collapse... he'd chastised her, while going off and doing the exact same without thinking how it affected those around him.
"I'm a fucking idiot," he mumbled.
"No you're not," Greyhide comforted him, scooting back to allow him to lie back down. "You're not." Once he was back on his bedroll, the wolf lay down next to him and rested his chin on his chest. "We'll go first thing in the morning. When your wounds are freshly dressed and you've rested properly."
