11-11-2018, 05:10 PM
Once his thirst had abated, Raul was able to think a bit more clearly. The water was icy cold and felt wonderful on the soreness of his legs, pulling caked dust and blood away. Slowly his coat transitioned from dull grey-brown back to the the fine tawny of buckskin, flaming locks trailing in the current. Following the girl's lead he sank into the water, letting it soak into his skin and erase what evidence it could.
He lay down just long enough to feel clean, rising again to shake chill droplets from his coat. The stream moved too quickly to bear a reliable reflection, still he looked down and tried to decipher his face from among the ripples. A color like dried blood stained the hair of his muzzle and he could just make out twin bands that stretched across his throat. They were too regular, and beside, weren't those the places where still he felt the burn that had robbed him of his voice? A scream echoed in his ears. A vision of red blood and emerald fire, and horribly rending flesh. Terror like he hadn't known was possible as his own clotted gore spilled from his lips in an unending torrent.
Feels better.
A violent jolt tore him back to the present. Within the cage of his ribs his heart pounded in double time, adrenaline coursing an electric path through his veins. He could only stare blankly at her for a moment as her words failed to register. Pangea was behind him. The nightmare was over. Breath, Raul, breath. Family. She had asked something about his family. A hard swallow forced its way down his throat. With a shrug and a shake of his head, the drenched young stallion looked helplessly toward the west, not knowing just how much the landscape had changed. Ischia was the last place he had seen his kin, but that didn't mean they were still there. His dam was as much a wanderer as anything, and his brother... dammit, Santana was probably looking for him still.
Damp as they were, he found himself noting that him companion looked more refreshed after their impromptu bath. The water darkened her coat until the bay was almost black, and the white hair stood out crisply now that the it was clean. His skin trembled with cold and nerves. He felt like there was a good chance he'd simply fly apart at the seams soon if he couldn't get his mind off the horror they'd experienced. The nonchalance he'd exhibited in the cave was pure acting. It was a weak attempt to maintain control in the chaos.
A gleam of crimson caught his eye. It shone on her neck like a wayward brushstroke, a spot of blood somehow missed by the purifying water. There can be nothing left of the long night. Unthinking, the gold and flame youth met her eye, then dipped his mouth to brush across the offending spot. Teeth and tongue would make quick but careful work of removing the stain, returning her pelt to its unblemished perfection. Once satisfied he stepped back, maintaining eye contact through the dripping curtain of his forelock. One crystal blue eye, one of molten silver, they searched the depths of her midnight dark ones without apology. Taking a kick or reprimanding bite would be nothing right now. He'd accomplished his goal; fear no longer sat at the forefront of his mind.
@[Warlight]
He lay down just long enough to feel clean, rising again to shake chill droplets from his coat. The stream moved too quickly to bear a reliable reflection, still he looked down and tried to decipher his face from among the ripples. A color like dried blood stained the hair of his muzzle and he could just make out twin bands that stretched across his throat. They were too regular, and beside, weren't those the places where still he felt the burn that had robbed him of his voice? A scream echoed in his ears. A vision of red blood and emerald fire, and horribly rending flesh. Terror like he hadn't known was possible as his own clotted gore spilled from his lips in an unending torrent.
Feels better.
A violent jolt tore him back to the present. Within the cage of his ribs his heart pounded in double time, adrenaline coursing an electric path through his veins. He could only stare blankly at her for a moment as her words failed to register. Pangea was behind him. The nightmare was over. Breath, Raul, breath. Family. She had asked something about his family. A hard swallow forced its way down his throat. With a shrug and a shake of his head, the drenched young stallion looked helplessly toward the west, not knowing just how much the landscape had changed. Ischia was the last place he had seen his kin, but that didn't mean they were still there. His dam was as much a wanderer as anything, and his brother... dammit, Santana was probably looking for him still.
Damp as they were, he found himself noting that him companion looked more refreshed after their impromptu bath. The water darkened her coat until the bay was almost black, and the white hair stood out crisply now that the it was clean. His skin trembled with cold and nerves. He felt like there was a good chance he'd simply fly apart at the seams soon if he couldn't get his mind off the horror they'd experienced. The nonchalance he'd exhibited in the cave was pure acting. It was a weak attempt to maintain control in the chaos.
A gleam of crimson caught his eye. It shone on her neck like a wayward brushstroke, a spot of blood somehow missed by the purifying water. There can be nothing left of the long night. Unthinking, the gold and flame youth met her eye, then dipped his mouth to brush across the offending spot. Teeth and tongue would make quick but careful work of removing the stain, returning her pelt to its unblemished perfection. Once satisfied he stepped back, maintaining eye contact through the dripping curtain of his forelock. One crystal blue eye, one of molten silver, they searched the depths of her midnight dark ones without apology. Taking a kick or reprimanding bite would be nothing right now. He'd accomplished his goal; fear no longer sat at the forefront of his mind.
@[Warlight]