G A R E T H
She hadn’t shown, and that had bothered the stallion more than he had wanted to let on. Not that he could hide his feelings from his bonded companion. Noor had watched with concern as the brute had brought himself down from the mountains and back home, only to start packing bags full of herbs, salves, items to help him build fire and shelter, and start out again early that morning. Gareth had always been a stubborn man, so long as Noor had known him, which was perhaps longer and more deeply than others could hope for. But this… This bordered dangerously close to insanity. The mountains were going to start facing the chill of winter long before snow reached down into the valley that was the home of Denocte.
“Gareth… If she was going to come, she would have in the week you were already there. What good does it do for you and those who would need your help to go hide yourself away in hopes she may return?” The thought was firmly pressed against the mind of the stallion, just shy of pleading. Noor had found that reason was usually easy enough to instill with his companion if only he brought it to light.
The dappled stallion busied himself, shuffling things in his bags. A small bag had appeared on his doorstep one day, and while it was small, he thought that it might be good to have on his person, just in case. He’d discovered that he was able to carry far more items in it than first it would seem, and that most of those items would find their way mysteriously onto the proper shelves in his home without him ever needing to remove them from the satchel. He had tied it to his other bags and left it empty, just in case he found anything he needed to collect while he was staying in the mountains. He’d emptied his usual raw item bag and had cleaned it as best he could muster, choosing to instead fill it with the various expendable items he would need for the prolonged trip.
The mushroom-festooned elk grew tired of this quickly, and not one to be ignored so easily, moved to stand in front of the stallion and pressed his thoughts more aggressively to his companion, determined to get through to him.
“Gareth. This is madness. What good will this do? You are going to leave the safety of your home, and leave people who need you, for what, exactly?” He stared hard at the man, bright green eyes searching for any sign of compliance within the amber pools that gazed back at him. Slowly, the elk softened, extending his thoughts more gently. “I missed her, too. But there’s… something not right. About how she was sneaking around, about…” he almost didn’t want to say it, had avoided saying it, in the hopes that he could avoid hurting his friend. “About how she smelled of death. You could sense it, couldn’t you? There has to be a reason that she’s disappeared again, Gareth. And a damn good one.” The elk shuffled, shifting his weight. He didn’t like being so exposed, here, in the middle of the prairie. Behind him, the Arma mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks already beginning to frost. “Gareth, please. Let’s just be done with it. Save yourself the further heartbreak.” The thought was nearly a whisper against the stallion’s mind, and for a moment, the elk thought that perhaps he had finally broken through to his companion.
Then, the large stallion stepped to the side and moved around him, speaking aloud. “I can’t do that, Noor. You know that if there’s even a chance…” his voice broke suddenly, and it took a moment for the man to compose himself and begin again once more. “If there’s even a small chance that I can finally tell her what she means to me…” He tossed his head over his shoulder to watch his friend. “I have to follow it.”
He paused, watching as the elk dipped his head in defeat, but said no more. After what felt like years, he righted himself and continued forward once more, large feathered pistons moving the grass around him, determined to make his trek. “So are you coming with me, or not?” The question was moot. Noor would follow him, always. If nothing else than to be the one there to help him pick up the pieces when things inevitably fell apart.
The pair had been so wrapped up in their own discussion that they had not noticed the petite frame in their path, set against the horizon atop the next hill.
"Speech" | Noor | @Caelum | Sorry this took seven million years, but I hope this works well for you!
