02-14-2021, 02:28 PM
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The wounds on the right side of his croup still had yet to heal. Two deep claw marks stretched from a few inches behind the point of his hip to a few inches from the base of his greying tail. They were ugly, dark crimson marks against his mottled hide. With the oppressive darkness, he could barely find enough fodder to half-fill his stomach let alone enough to provide the energy to heal from the inside. Kaenros couldn’t find or perhaps couldn’t identify any of the herbs he knew in the darkness to aid in staving away infection or promote new tissue growth. A once graceful gait now held a slight hitch as he tried to keep weight off the injured area. He had made due with willow bark he constantly chewed to lessen the pain but it couldn’t keep him from limping.
The call had come as he stood against one such willow with multiple deep gashes from his teeth, jaw working idly as he attempted to sleep. It was almost like a whisper caught in the humid breeze, tossed and beaten and bruised and desperate to escape. Although it was just louder than the gurgling stream as it curled around his thin frame with an electric quality, it still snapped him from his stupor. Bright, green-gold eyes flashed open to scan what little he could see in the old-growth forest, nostrils flared to take in any stray scent that may accompany it. The sound had faded, but the soft thrum remained long enough for him to get his bearings. Still, after surviving an attack by the monstrous beast that roamed this dark world and having to dodge and hide for the time he’s been here, was he really going to be so stupid as to follow it?
Well, chewing bark and running scared wasn’t doing him any good.
He had a nagging suspicion he might finally find out exactly what in Rajir happened to this place and, more importantly, how he could <I>leave</I>.
The burnished stallion had gotten exponentially better at crossing terrain in the darkness. Even with his slight handicap, his long strides were sure. In his head, though, he kept his ears and eyes on a constant swivel while his mismatched nostrils remained flared. The scent of sulfur and rot seemed to cling to most of this corner of the world but, on his short journey, remained faint.
He had strayed far from any common areas, seeing them as a risk due to the concentration of potential prey. It was a surprise when he was able to meet up with a well worn trail that lead in the direction the call had come from. Dappled hide prickling with unease, he took caution in the way he exposed himself and stuck close to the edge of the trail. But soon the trail connected to others and his small, black hooves danced across something more akin to a path. Beneath him, he could feel the imprints of hundreds of other hooves that have made the same journey.
Doubt that he had even heard or felt anything began to needle into his half-empty stomach. What if he was stumbling right back into another attack? He didn’t have the energy he did on his first arrival to try to make a stand or run again. The only reason he escaped was because of Dretch and her shifting. Or almost just as bad, what if he was leading himself too far from any source of fodder or wound management? He had yet to explore this region, just as he had yet to explore anything more than a few hundred yards beyond the river. It was too dark to really try let alone face the possibility of another too-close encounter with the creatures he did his damndest to avoid. Just the sound or scent of them was enough for him. He’d be fine never being close enough to see them again.
He had made a lot of less than stellar choices and the thought that this was one of them was just settling in when he caught a new scent. A scent of youth and milk and shedding fuzz.
There was a filly out here.
He picked up his pace to a lopsided lope to bring himself the rest of the way to (what he had yet to learn was) the base of the Mountain. Using his nose, he picked his way just close enough to see a faintly glowing blob in the dark. Letting out a light snort and short nicker, he attempted to alert her of his presence without scaring her. Had she heard the call too? Did she know what was going on or was she also just a lost soul driven by curiosity? Regardless of the child’s reasoning, he did not ask at least not yet. He kept her in his peripherals as he continued his surveillance for the monsters plaguing this realm or perhaps for her mother to catch up and offer an elaboration.
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The wounds on the right side of his croup still had yet to heal. Two deep claw marks stretched from a few inches behind the point of his hip to a few inches from the base of his greying tail. They were ugly, dark crimson marks against his mottled hide. With the oppressive darkness, he could barely find enough fodder to half-fill his stomach let alone enough to provide the energy to heal from the inside. Kaenros couldn’t find or perhaps couldn’t identify any of the herbs he knew in the darkness to aid in staving away infection or promote new tissue growth. A once graceful gait now held a slight hitch as he tried to keep weight off the injured area. He had made due with willow bark he constantly chewed to lessen the pain but it couldn’t keep him from limping.
The call had come as he stood against one such willow with multiple deep gashes from his teeth, jaw working idly as he attempted to sleep. It was almost like a whisper caught in the humid breeze, tossed and beaten and bruised and desperate to escape. Although it was just louder than the gurgling stream as it curled around his thin frame with an electric quality, it still snapped him from his stupor. Bright, green-gold eyes flashed open to scan what little he could see in the old-growth forest, nostrils flared to take in any stray scent that may accompany it. The sound had faded, but the soft thrum remained long enough for him to get his bearings. Still, after surviving an attack by the monstrous beast that roamed this dark world and having to dodge and hide for the time he’s been here, was he really going to be so stupid as to follow it?
Well, chewing bark and running scared wasn’t doing him any good.
He had a nagging suspicion he might finally find out exactly what in Rajir happened to this place and, more importantly, how he could <I>leave</I>.
The burnished stallion had gotten exponentially better at crossing terrain in the darkness. Even with his slight handicap, his long strides were sure. In his head, though, he kept his ears and eyes on a constant swivel while his mismatched nostrils remained flared. The scent of sulfur and rot seemed to cling to most of this corner of the world but, on his short journey, remained faint.
He had strayed far from any common areas, seeing them as a risk due to the concentration of potential prey. It was a surprise when he was able to meet up with a well worn trail that lead in the direction the call had come from. Dappled hide prickling with unease, he took caution in the way he exposed himself and stuck close to the edge of the trail. But soon the trail connected to others and his small, black hooves danced across something more akin to a path. Beneath him, he could feel the imprints of hundreds of other hooves that have made the same journey.
Doubt that he had even heard or felt anything began to needle into his half-empty stomach. What if he was stumbling right back into another attack? He didn’t have the energy he did on his first arrival to try to make a stand or run again. The only reason he escaped was because of Dretch and her shifting. Or almost just as bad, what if he was leading himself too far from any source of fodder or wound management? He had yet to explore this region, just as he had yet to explore anything more than a few hundred yards beyond the river. It was too dark to really try let alone face the possibility of another too-close encounter with the creatures he did his damndest to avoid. Just the sound or scent of them was enough for him. He’d be fine never being close enough to see them again.
He had made a lot of less than stellar choices and the thought that this was one of them was just settling in when he caught a new scent. A scent of youth and milk and shedding fuzz.
There was a filly out here.
He picked up his pace to a lopsided lope to bring himself the rest of the way to (what he had yet to learn was) the base of the Mountain. Using his nose, he picked his way just close enough to see a faintly glowing blob in the dark. Letting out a light snort and short nicker, he attempted to alert her of his presence without scaring her. Had she heard the call too? Did she know what was going on or was she also just a lost soul driven by curiosity? Regardless of the child’s reasoning, he did not ask at least not yet. He kept her in his peripherals as he continued his surveillance for the monsters plaguing this realm or perhaps for her mother to catch up and offer an elaboration.
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