Within Storms [ Persephonix x Aleera ]

[`raze]

Persephonix looked up at Aleera, his icey eyes surveying her face to see signs she was joking.

She wasn't. He really had to choose? Why couldn't she just fix both and be done with it? Oh... because of his attitude? Really? He growled low in his throat, wihich was followed by an exasperated sigh. "Well, Aleera, since my attitude is such an inconvenience for you, do what you wish." He looked back at her, his expression tired.

"If it's easier to just find the pain reliever, you can be rid of me quicker," he offered a slight smirk, "But you could have ran away and been rid of me already, and yet you came back saying you tire of my demands. Actions speak louder than words..." He mused aloud, raising a brow at the mare. He figured he was going to set her off. The Wind didn't have to help him. She didn't, and he was very well aware of that fact. So he didn't want her to trot off.

She was in fact fairly useful. Persephonix mulled over this for a moment. She was speaking to him at head level, which was nice. He probably would've gotten annoyed she was standing over him. Standing so close, he could see her eyes were dual-toned, which was different. And that she had a kind face, even though she was giving him the impression she was kind but not a pushover. He surveyed his face quietly.  

[ArashiX]

Her eyes shirted, then seemed to go flat.

"Here you are again, questioning my integrity. I said I would help you and I will, so don't make it sound like I'd run off. By getting a pain killer I'm actually thinking of your comfort, as I daresay you're not at all comfortable."

Her ears flicked, forward, then swept back.

"Stay here. I'll be back."

...not that...not that he could really go anywhere, right?

She exhaled a sigh and lifted her head to move off again, intent on finding the willow bark, some part of her softening a little as she stripped the bark. What she had said was truth: she was focused on his comfort, because there was no way he wasn't in pain.

She soon came back, blessedly much quicker than the last time, her hoof-falls soft beats punctuated by the crunch of snow. Around her legs, timidly tucked and scooting, was a small rabbit that hustled to her hind hooves at the sight of the Kalona, to hide in her tail. The willow bark was set closer to him, and then she could speak again.

"Take a strip and chew it. It is not the most pleasant but it will help with the pain. This is Aera, my familiar. She will help apply the other herbs and roots to your wounds as a poultice."

The rabbit didn't emerge, but stayed hidden.

 

[`raze]

Ug, again with this integrity thing. Persephonix only rolled his eyes and snorted at the mare. He had been looking over her face, distracted. She definitely was easy on the eyes, but so testy! It was exhausting. Was it really? Or was it the pain in his chest and the fight earlier that had driven him to this point of irritability? And while he was in his thoughts, she was off again.

Watching her leave also wasn’t a bad sight.

‘Woah now,’ he chided mentally, snorting externally, ‘You have other things to worry about than another lesser mare.’ He laid his head on the ground, and found himself dozing. He woke to the sound of her hoofbeats, and her voice informing him of the willowbark. Lazy eyes just stared up at the mare as he grabbed a piece and chewed it, his face not giving away that she was indeed right. At the mention of her familiar, the Kalona’s gaze dropped to her tail, where the furball was hiding. My, did Aera smell delicious! His eyes flitted back up to Aleera. Eating her familiar definitely was not the way to go about thanking her.

“I promise not to bite,” he said, intending for the rabbit to hear him, but his eyes were locked on Aleera’s face. Why was she so helpful? How did she trust him to not eat her familiar? This act of kindness was lost on him, and it was uncomfortable. “Come, Aera.” He shift up so expose the wound on his chest, which had clotted and dried.

 

[ArashiX]

Aleera watched him with a resolute sort of calm that came with the type of assurance one had when they'd do what they said, if push came to shove. Those dual-toned eyes of hers watched, intent but non-aggressive as she watched. She didn't flick her tail, letting her familiar hide in the comfort of layered chocolate strands.

Slowly, she lowered her head and snagged the herb cluster and roots she had found and proceeded to chew them into a softer amalgamation of the two without turning them into mush. She turned her head a little and blew a soft,
comforting breath at the rabbit.

Aera timidly crawled out but skirted around the side of her companion that was farthest from the Kalona, and then nuzzled against the mare's muzzle for comfort. She picked up a few of the plant-like herbs between her teeth and slipped forward, never straying too far from the safety of Aleera's head as she opened her mouth. The rabbit finagled a bit but managed to smear the paste against the wound and packed the herb against it, in it, so it would stay. The mare was able, in the mean time, to keep something of an eye on Aera, and a bit of one on Persephonix, though she took him mostly at his words.

When the last of it had been moved from her tongue she closed her eyes and shifted, the rabbit scurrying back behind her, to safety!

"...well..."

Did she really want to say what she had to? Best wait for Persephonix to say something. For the moment, she simply looked him over, for the first time. Sure, he was certainly injured, but his bad temperament had made her less inclined to look. Now she looked quietly, slowly.  

[`raze]

This rabbit wasn't half bad. Persephonix was sure Aera would have been a tasty meal, but damn wasn't the rodent handy. Maybe he'd have to get one for himself. He stayed still as she packed the paste onto his wound. The willowbark was definitely helping, as the pain in his chest was dull and fairly easy to ignore.

It also helped that he was obviously staring at the mare that had been helping him. She was a pretty sight, with a lovely frame and mane to match. She was infinitely prettier than the last mare that he had kept company with, and well, any mare prior to that. His gaze towards her was anything but predatory. It was surveying and appreciative, and if he was aware of it, he would have shaken it off to keep up appearances.

"Aleera," her name came from his throat deep, "I guess this is where I say thank you." He offered no smile, and the word was foreign on his tongue. He shifted his wings to get comfortable, tail flicking anxiously. Why was he anxious? The feeling unsettled him. Was it because she was going to leave? He internally snorted, but the Kalona knew not to lie to himself. Yes, she probably was. Why else would she stick around? He had been quite a bit of an a**, and offered her nothing in return for her kindness. 'Well, maybe her life,' he internally noted.

"Stay. Don't leave." His voice rumbled low, and he gestured with his head for the mare to come lay by him. "Talk to me, Aleera," he tasted her name again, "Tell me where you will head after this."  

[ArashiX]

Aleera's perusal of the stallion enabled her to glean a few things, aside from raw power, and the dangerous threat of sharp teeth and hooves. As he settled down, no longer in quite so much pain and apparently less of a crusty male for it...he seemed to relax. Not gentle, not soften, those weren't words she felt she would use right now. But with his relaxing came a more pleasant, more bearable personality.

Tolerable, even.

And now that he wasn't looking at her like he would snap and try to tear out her throat, his dark face and subtly glowing eyes were drawing her. His coat, too,
was magnificent in its pattern and colours.

Her attention dipped to his wound, briefly, and then the snow around them. She couldn't leave, not when he was like this. He'd probably freeze at night from both temperature and shock unless she stayed. And, in all practicality, his poultice would need to be changed in the next day, with a fresh application. She couldn't in good conscience leave him to face the elements, and so she wouldn't. Aleera felt the sweeping sense of relief. How odd, she mused, considering he'd been quite the rough character. Her ears pitched forward a little more as his voice sounded in her name, a deep and rolling pitch.

The thanks surprised her and it showed in her eyes, which widened and then softened.

Stay? Don't leave? Silly stallion, she couldn't have left. But he was making it easy, by gesturing for her to lay beside him, as though they'd had one mind. For a moment, she remained placidly still, and then moved forward in a relaxed walk to move and maneuver herself towards his back and slowly fold her knees to settle, to share her warmth with him. Aera stayed well within her tail until it no longer provided a drape. The poor thing froze a moment and then scampered to nestle between her bent forelegs; for even though it was closer to Persephonix's head, it was also right near Aleera's. She huddled in, quivering until a gentle nuzzle from the mare quieted and relaxed her fraying nerves.

"I've been wanting to head over the mountain ranges, to go explore the desert. I suppose that would be my next venture... The warmth of the baking sands would be a nice reprieve from the cold and snow, though I suppose the difference won't be so bad as it would in the summer months. I've heard that far to the southwest there's a jungle, so if I were to stay along the mountain ranges along the bottom cusp of the sands, I could eventually sweep down and make my way there."  

[`raze]

Persephonix was sure he looked the part of cool and relaxed, or at least the best he could with her settling in beside him. His heart hammered in his chest however, and he internally chided himself - what was he, a newborn colt? He watched the rabbit as Aleera spoke of her plans. The desert? His chest ached dully, whatever she had Aera apply was working wonders, but for a second he wondered if it hurt at the thought of her running off to some warm, distant land. He was absolutely disgusted with himself. She was a stranger, a lesser kind, kept company with a rabbit of all creatures… but she also treated him with dignity when she didn’t have to. She had every right to perceive him as what he was, a predator, and walk away. She also should have walked away when he lipped off at her, but there was something pleasant about her sticking around. Persephonix was never good at naming his emotions outside of anger, but her attention made him feel unlonely, and that was a feeling he was very unfamiliar with.

There was no way Merciette would have traveled to the desert, or the jungle. She had only ever known the cold, so it made sense she’d stay somewhere familiar. He felt his blood pressure rise at the thought, only for it to lessen as he glanced back at Aleera. But what if he abandoned the chase? That singular thought flitted across the front of his mind, and with it a flurry of emotion he did not want to deal with. He cleared his through anxiously, turning his head away from Aleera and Aera. “I’ve never been further than these ranges.” The admittance came low from his throat, as if he didn’t realize he was sharing. “What waits for you out there?”

word count: 306

ArashiX

 

[ArashiX]

The golden-hued mare gave the stallion a nudge where his wind met his body. "Tuck this in."

And so long as there was no fuss, her wing - strong, broad of feather and yet sized more towards her mother's sleek set than her father's dazzlingly large double sets - draped comfortably overtop, helping to lock in some body heat while her other made to fold itself comfortably. A shelter for Aera, who still watched the feather patterned male with the distrust of prey against his more predatory form. But she snuggled in close to the winged mare and gave a tiny little sigh. Secure enough.

The quiet query drew her attention. 'Someone's warming up.' The mare contemplated to herself, mulling over the sparing information he shared, but the conversation he was willing to have. He'd never seen further than the ranges, either?

She tilted her head, considering.

"Life," Aleera murmured. "And living."

The latter, said upon an even quieter voice that was almost reverent, faded into the frost of the night. Yes, living. She wished to live and experience life, to forge her own path and own opinions rather than those that were drilled into her head from youth. The ones she rebelled against even now.

"And endless sand, I imagine. I've heard it gets everywhere." Lighter, then, she steered them, a lilt in her voice of amusement. "There will be wonders in the jungle, marvels I can't even fathom. Others with stories and lives to know, to be part of. I want to see it, be part of it for however long a time is fitting before I go where my heart next leads."

She bent her neck enough to gently brush her muzzle atop Aera's head, lips giving a comforting and affectionate wriggle before she blew a warming breath over the rabbit's hide and enclosure, lulling her familiar into comfort. It was safety she promised the little creature, even at the cost of her own life. The snow beneath was chilling, but she was still warm enough despite it, and despite Persephonix's attitude she was sure could be just as icy and bitter - maybe especially when he was hurt - and even dangerous she seemed self-assured, or at least willing to trust him at his word while her continued presence benefited him and ensured his survival.

word count: 386  

[`raze]

It was a simple enough answer, initially unexciting to hear. He trained his gaze on a distant point as he mulled over her reason. He did not understand the appeal to run off to some distant land in the name of “living”. Life was lived every second of the day, traveling to the sea or the jungle didn’t change that. It just sounded like hopeless escapism. All the sand in his eyes and humidity in his mane would not change his current reality. He had familial business to take care of once and for all, and then…. The thought trailed off. And then what? What came after the hunt and the anger? He had no other family to turn to, and he had done a spectacular job of treating his own spawn with incredible neglect that they would not welcome him back now. It was the first time Persephonix felt guilt over his lack of parental presence and guidance, but it was not his first time blocking out an incredibly uncomfortable thought. He swallowed hard and focused on the comfortable heat Aleera provided next to him. It was nice - she was nice, and she was set to run off to warm and sandy lands while he stewed in his anger in the snow. It seemed fitting enough, she deserved the warmth and the sun.

Before stewing too far into his pity party, Persephonix realized she only mentioned “living” as her reason, and not family or a mate. It sparked something in his gut, something that Persephonix might identify as hope one day. He shut his eyes, debating on how to proceed. The warmth she provided, the attention, and her company had been a bright spot on a very bleak day. Week? Month? He couldn’t think of a time he felt even remotely interested or drawn in another individual outside of a family long gone. The idea of them separating spurned him on, and Persephonix’s words left him without the consent of his cold heart and brain.

“That sand sounds miserable.” He said quietly, glancing at her face for a reaction. He felt the stirrings in his gut again, a feeling he may one day learn to call embarrassment, and looked away back to the far point on the horizon. “Okay. For life and living. When I’m better, that’s when we go.” He said it with finality, that he did not intend for her to tell him otherwise. Or that she would, and he would ignore it. He had lived on this mountain his entire life chasing his anger and a ghost. He made a decision to chase the pretty winged mare beside him to the sand and jungle, as chasing the confusing, warm feeling brewing inside felt more like living than he had in years.


word count: 465  

[ArashiX]

Had he asked, he would have found her answer much the same to his own thoughts. But therein was the secret: she could travel, and live each day, and with every breath. She'd felt stifled for so long - certainly not territory to broach with a stranger - by her father's presence, by his biases and suffocating reach that she simply wanted to be and do and experience what others took for granted.

Perhaps even what he took for granted with his single-minded quest.

"I've heard it can be." Her expression was pleasant, sunny with anticipation. But wasn't that part of the fun of something new and novel? She gave a slight, twitchy sort of jerk at his words. When he was better that's when we go?

Aleera's ears cocked, one angling towards him with the other flicking back slightly. Uncertain. Then she blew out a warm breath of acceptance as it perked forward once more.

"...together, then." Aleera accepted, even though his words and phrasing left little room for her denial. She was headstrong enough that she could simply flit away in the morning, and strong enough where he was certainly weakened by his wound that she could outpace and outdistance him with ease.

There was no urge to flee, and it wasn't out of concern for or of him. There was a soft spot that was growing for the cantankerous stallion who may have started to turn over a new leaf in her presence. She wasn't so naïve to believe she could make someone change; she'd seen the attempts with her father over the years. Maybe in his heart of hearts, something stirred, like a daisy struggling to grow with the first breath of spring. Something small but resilient. Admirable. Maybe it would be worthwhile getting to know him, to foster that little soft spot and its accompanying whispers of intrigue while she lived and let live.

'For live and living,' She echoed in her mind, tucking her nose and part of her head beneath her wing over Persephonix's back. The buckskin mare peered out into the distance, the dark obscuring her vision but her mind alight with the possibilities that stretched out before her...and those that lay beside her.

fin

word count: 372