"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
He meant to yell it as if it could spur his muscles into action, inject adrenaline into his veins, rather than lie here prone and useless. Instead, it came out a whispered rasp, his throat dry and lips cracked enough to bleed. And there he lay, still prone with his sides heaving and bone armor digging into his frail-looking body under his own weight.
"Fuck!"
God, it'd been torture. He'd had Rhonen's disease before and this was something else, something stronger. It was the same disease but amplified somehow, reaching further and affecting him harder. But it'd been torture to have to lay here and watch her walk away. He hadn't even been able to make his mouth move to call for her, push any sound from his throat as he watched Leliana wander in a disoriented stupor. Her steps fumbled. Her eyes were hazy. She didn't have a damn clue what she was doing, where she was going. And she was fucking leaving him! Again.
His skin burned as though that man of fire were laying across him, feverish and sweating. The only one left near him though was Zoryn, his familiar scent both easing Dovev and sending him into another panic. Oh god, Zoryn was sick too. They all were. How bad was it, though? It had better not kill the gold stallion or Dov would find a way to resurrect Rhonen just to kill him again, the bastard. He wouldn't take his best friend from him. His only friend.
Dov's eyes were open, scanning as much as he could with his cheek pressed to the rotted ground. The most he managed was a soft huff, a quiet grunt as he tried to shift his head to see Zoryn. But he couldn't. He could hardly move at all. And he grew so fatigued so quickly, that he had to stop fighting already and lay still once more.
"Zoryn.." he whispered, before it all went beautifully black.
The black he craved. The black he'd hunted for when Leliana had stayed with him that first night and stole all ability to sleep without her thereafter.
11-15-2018, 01:51 PM (This post was last modified: 11-15-2018, 02:00 PM by Zoryn.)
Everything had gone black. Something awful had washed over them all, seeping into their skin and the air they had no choice but to breathe. There was so escaping it. He hadn't even gotten a chance to understand it, before there was nothing but darkness. Nightmares. Awful images of horses around him dying. Dead. And then rising up as something deadly. Something sickening and terrible. And all he could do was stand and stare as they came for him. Mouths gaping and drooling, eyes glazed over. He couldn't move. Couldn't call out. They converged on him and he fell beneath the weight of them. Unimaginable pain as they tore into his body, his face. Until there was nothing but darkness again.
He wakes, drenched in sweat, breathing labored. His skin feels like fire. That's when he remembers. He'd come to join the fight on Rhonen, only to be side-tracked with the Fire Dick. Joined with Dovev, protecting his pet, Leliana. Where were they now? He groans out loud as he pushes himself up from the vulnerable position of laying flat to being more upright on his shoulder and belly. Oh, but his head swims with the motion and he has to pause. His muscles ache and his stomach twists. Good thing horses can't vomit. Sweat beads on his skin over his face and neck as he fights to keep it lifted. Brown eyes, flecked with amethyst, slowly scan the wasteland around him. The fire dick is gone. Through the blur of his vision, he makes out Leliana in the distance, limping hazily away.
Another groan and a grunt as he rocks himself up some more, trying to get his feet about him. He fails, falling flat and having to start all over. "Fuck." What is this. What's happening. Laying upright once more, his face tightens and his eyes clench shut against the pain behind them. The roaring of the beast echoes in his head, for only him to hear, and he hisses out a breath. It throws itself into the side of its cage, demanding release. Zoryn growls and shakes his head, trying to clear it. Trying to remember. Through the fog of his memory, there's the words of the Fairies. Infected, that's what he is. For listening to Carnage and joining the fray. Punished. Fuck. He has to get up. Has to get to his girls. Oh hell, where are they? Surely they hadn't come here, they were smarter than that. But had they been infected too? Shit. Fuck. Okay. Going to them would mean infecting them with this shit too. But he has to know that their safe. The fairies planted a map in his head, rearranged the world again- the wretches. But there are safe lands. Oh, fuck. Dizzy. Is she suffering too? Maybe she would find the girls and rush them to safety. But he has to find out. Needs to know at least his precious girls are okay.
The beast in his head roars so loud and, coupled with his own labored breathing, he almost can't hear the man beside him rasping out. Adrenaline pushes through him as he fights to get up. Rocking himself up on shaky legs, a cough racks through him and nearly has him losing his balance. His lungs burn amd crackle like fire, his skin so feverish and wet. His mane and tail stick to him, and his mouth is so damn dry. He gasps for air as the coughing settles, and finally, he can turn his head toward the sound of raspy breaths that aren't his own. Dovev. Laying flat a few yards from him. Looking like death, were it not for the breaths he could hear, and the motion of his head trying to lift. The man murmurs his name, calling for him, and he does his best to answer.
Grunting with the effort it takes to turn his body and take the steps, Zoryn goes to him. "Dovev." It takes everything not to crumble to the ground beside him and succumb to the darkness creeping up on the edge of his vision. But he can't afford to give in. There is no telling how long they've been lying here, helpless. They have to get up. Find water. Get moving and go find their loved one. "Dovev!" He manages to raise his voice, gain some energy with his next steps. The man at his feet looks as miserable as Zor feels, but they can't give into it. He won't allow it.
With a rush of rage and urgency, he collects himself. "Dovev!!" He's unresponsive and Zor can see some of his bone plaits piercing into his chest. Soon, it might begin to puncture a lung and be the death of him. He definitely can't allow that. With a bellow of madness, he lifts himself high and brings all the force of his weight down on his forelegs over those plates. He feels the give of them, but it isn't enough. Once more, he rises above him, stomping down on all that calcification under heavy hooves. This time, he's rewarded with a 'crack!'. Gasping and groaning for air, sweat dripping down his neck and shoulders, he looks down and assesses. Once more, he strikes him, until the crack follows through and the bit of bone pushing up into Dov's body falls away. Exhausted from the exertion, he collapses beside Dovev with a huff. "Fuck. Come on. We. Have to. Get up." And with a raspy sigh, he drops his head and neck over Dov's shoulder.
He'd fallen into a night terror. Or day terror. Or plagued terror. Demons were surrounding him, his brothers, attacking him. Vicious teeth plucked at his skin so fiery hot, spilling his blood in molten lava down his prone body. He thrashed in his dream but he was too weak to in the waking life.
Then the real fear came.
His brothers, underlings, went as silent as they could manage as beast stalked forward. His voice left him as he struggled to right himself and get away from the cat-like creature. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for, but in his dream it made perfect sense. It was all his fault and he was apologizing. He was so sorry.
The beast came anyway though, sturdy hooves where its paws would've been. It rose up, watching him with cold eyes, fangs bared, and attacked. The whole powerful body was behind that stike, throwing its weight behind it as it aimed for his chest plate.
He cried out, wavering between awake and delirious, the beast shifting to Zoryn and back again. "No!" His armor cut deeper into him, flooding more of his blood to the diseased earth. He was so damn helpless and his best friend was going to fucking kill him. Zor rose up again, struck him again and this time he heard the violent crack that said the bastard was getting somewhere. He was breaking through Dov's armor so he could kill him.
"Zor," he rasped, tears in his eyes. "Please." He wasn't sure he was even loud enough to be heard, and he probably hadn't been. Zoryn raised himself again, going for another strike, and bore down on him with the force of a damn freight train. His armor cracked loudly again, and he gasped a deep breath he hadn't realized he wasn't able to take until now.
His black eyes were wide as he looked up at him, his chest feeling lighter. He gathered enough energy to prop himself up, gazing down to examine the damage. Or rather the gift. A wide shard of bone was broken off, half of it tipped in his blood where it had been fatally embedded inside him and angled for his heart. He would've had a bit more time, but eventually it would've grown enough to kill him.
But Zoryn saved him.
The rest of the plate still guarded the most vital parts of his chest, leaving the lower half bare and free for movement. Nice. Running would be smoother.
Zor fell and collapsed beside him, and his black bone-covered nose reached out without thought to touch his golden sweat-soaked neck in quiet affection and in thanks. "Fuck. Come on. We. Have to. Get up." But neither seemed to be moving as Zor draped his head and neck over Dov's shoulder. Dovev breathed in his scent and nibbled at the base of his mane. He was right though, they needed to get up.
"I have to find Leliana," he whispered to him, knowing Zor wouldn't like that at all. Not even a little. But he really had to find her. He had to protect her the best he could, so she could likely be stubborn and difficult and exhaust her healing on everyone but herself.
Thanks was never a thing needed between them. They simply gave what each other needed. They always seemed to know. And as there was no need in asking, there was little for gratitude. Only satisfaction. In this, he is just happy the immediate threat to his comrade is taken care of, even if it had taken a lot from him to do it. He lays with his head over Dov, breaths coming ragged and slightly wheezing. A burn builds back in his chest, but he hasn't the energy at the moment to cough it away. Just lays there, even with the knowledge they must get up.
Dov's touch lights him up a bit, at least. A more familiar and welcome fire. Would the other man's touch ever not affect him this way? His breath along his neck sends delightfully distracting tingles down his spine. When he nibbles at his skin, pleasure pools low in his belly. Even ridden with fever and exhaustion, still, he hardens for him. Zor leans into his touch, only to growl when he mentions finding his pet.
Amethyst jewels flash with need within pools of brown as he glares up at Dov's face. Glares, but reaches up to press his lips to bare black skin on his neck- a favorite spot of his. He scrapes teeth there and follows with tongue, savoring him even with the sickly salt and coppery taste. A part of him hates to think their time will be cut short, but he gets it. Dislikes that Dov has so many women he cares for, but he understands. "I have to find Dizzy. And the girls. Our girls." He whispers back, absently trailing lips up to Dov's jaw, needing the connection. His eyes shutter closed as he sighs against his skin. They both need to get up and get to searching. But at least for another heartbeat of time, he needs him. Would he ever stop?
Oh, fuck. That look in Zor's eyes, that fuckin' sexy glare. Goddamn, this bastard.
Those lips reached slowly out and pressed into his neck in a familiar spot and he groaned. He stayed completely still, focused on Zor's teeth scraping against his skin and making his weak breaths come even shorter, lighting his skin with an itch, a burn for more. God, and that hot tongue stroking in Zor's wake, smoothing the sting of teeth.
"I have to find Dizzy. And the girls. Our girls."
Our girls.
That probably shouldn't have sounded so good, but it did and not just for his sexy voice lowered to a whisper against his skin. His black eyes pooled with molten heat as Zor's lips trailed along his jaw and he barely managed not to groan again. Their girls. It had all began with Zoryn. He'd never been into guys. And really, he still wasn't. Zoryn was his delicious exception. And he was so worth it.
"I'll help you," he whispered back in promise, nudging Zor's face away so he could get at the front of his neck, spread his black lips open with that starry spot of blue to drag sharp little slow nips up to his throat. "I need Leliana first." He didn't need to point out that she was in danger. They had all three been here in danger and now she'd drifted into a delirium that had pulled her away. There was no telling where she was now or if she was safe, or in even more danger.
"I'll return her to her family, and I'll find our girls."
He drifted from Zor's throat to nuzzle his cheek, missing him already. They had never really been a thing, a couple or anything. And it was hard to even imagine since aside from Zoryn he was completely straight. Zor just had a damn sexy way about him as no other had. They'd pushed this into sex with Dizzy together, and even accidental kids with her too. But he didn't think that had been a 3-way couple kind of thing either. Just fuckin' around. Until Dov fucked it up, as he always had.
He might be with Heartfire now.
He wasn't even fuckin' sure.
Without Cerva, he didn't know what a relationship even looked like anymore.
He swallowed and pulled back to look in those honeyed amethyst eyes.
"I'll find you, Zoryn."
He pulled a fatigued smirk to his mouth. "Now get your ass up and find our baby girls. I want to see her alive." Both of them, but he needed to meet his baby.
