Phalakros became a bit worried at the mention of guards, but as she finished explaining it, he smiled back. He didn’t want to cause trouble, and it was comforting to know that their purpose for going to the Fountain wouldn’t do that.
Phalakros felt Valiel’s tremble and he started to rub her back, moving his hand on her cheek to brush her hair. After listening to her warning, he gently kissed her forehead.
“‘Tis alright. I understand. And, you need not worry of it. I have seen many things while serving Lucitius, good and bad,”Phalakros reassured her softly.
Valiel sighed, a sound of obvious mixed feelings, as he began rubbing her back and calming her. She rested her face against his chest, curling into him a bit.
"I know you probably have, and I needn't treat you like a child, but… I just don't want to make things worse for you, and-…"
She really was more worried about him seeing her in the context of her home. The ugliness the Hinterlands could bring out of a person, by forcing them to survive in unpleasant ways, wasn't really something she wanted to show him, especially with what darkness did to him.
Phalakros tenderly held Valiel against him. It was actually rather strange for him to be the comforting one. For most of his life, he’d been the one that was comforted. It was basically second nature to him. But, despite that, it was… nice to be the comforter for a change. He was finally starting to break out of that ‘hide from everything’ shell of his.
Valiel’s mentioning of treating him like a child reminded him of Lucitius. That’s exactly what he used to do with Phalakros. It was subtle, but Lucitius would avoid doing or talking about certain things to Phalakros until everything was already settled, if he ever spoke of them. Lucitius also was one of the first folk to try comforting him, even though half the time Lucitius would start regressing and calling him by his dead son’s name.
Considering all that, Phalakros honestly didn’t mind. It had its downsides, yes, but it was easier on his paranoid mind. Though… maybe it was time that he finally got out of that as well.
“I understand, and truly appreciate that, Valiel. Yet, I insist that I will be alright. ‘Tis about time I learn to face all of mine fears, old and new, directly, instead of passively,”Phalakros said gently.
That was a very brave endeavor he was pledging himself to, and Valiel kissed his chest in appreciation. "If you feel you can, and it will not break who you are…"
She wouldn't want to see that, not for any cause. Phalakros needed to be protected, cherished… and she didn't want her cure to be worse than his problem.
"Do you have a way to keep warm?" She wanted to know if they would need to procure him different clothing, or make some from furs or something. "The Hinterlands get very cold, especially in the far North where we're going."
“I hope I can. It would certainly free me from many things,”Phalakros replied, smiling a bit at her kiss. He avoided thinking about what would happen if he ‘broke’. That line of thought would only terrify him into not wanting to face his fears, which was the exact opposite of what he was trying to do.
Phalakros contemplated her question for a moment. He had only ever worn robes like the one he was wearing now, which wasn’t a very thick material. Would he need other clothing? Would it be that cold? He wasn’t sure.
“I have only this robe, yet I am naturally more tolerant of extreme temperatures. Yet, I honestly do not know if I could stand that much cold. Lucitius always used magic to protect us from the weather, thus ‘tis a bit more difficult to tell,”Phalakros explained.
Valiel nodded. "It would indeed free you from many things. I think your quality of life would improve a lot."
She rubbed the material of the robe between her fingers, checking its thickness and warmth.
"Better safe than sorry. We'll hunt a lot the first few days of our travel, bulk up, and also collect the furs. If we clean them well and let them dry, they'll make good cloaks for you." She had grown up in the Hinterlands, she knew how to keep warm, but she didn't want to lose him to freezing.
"Perhaps… we start out tomorrow?" Already a chunk of their day was gone, and Valiel wanted to start fresh in the morning.
“A lot, indeed,”Phalakros replied with a chuckle.
His robe was a loose, smooth, cloth-like material perfect for temperate climates, but it otherwise wouldn’t help at all in an artic environment, particularly if it was windy.
“That makes sense. And, I could try to help with the furs, if you wish. Though, I am not very familiar with making clothes, of any sort,”Phalakros offered.
Phalakros glanced around, having not realized how much of the day had passed. It seemed like they had woken up only a short time ago, but it had apparently been a lot longer than he’d thought.
“I am fine with that,”he said, nuzzling into her hair.
(sorry friend. Been really down. Will get a response up soon, my bad)
It wasn't even noon yet, but they'd woken up well after the sun was up, and it had been a little while.
We've been cuddling longer than I realized… Valiel smiled to herself.
She leaned into him again as he nuzzled her hair, and took a deep breath. The idea of going back to the Hinterlands had her feeling anxious now, but… he helped her. Just the closeness helped.
"Do… do you want to hunt more today? We could get started on a cloak for you?" She said tentatively. A part of her just wanted to stay like this all day, but if they were going to get moving at dawn tomorrow, they'd need to be ready.
Part of her rationale for leaving only when the sun came up was the climate they were heading to. Night in the Hinterlands was miserable, and she wouldn't want to travel then. Only in the slightly warmer daylight would they move more easily, and if they set the habit now, it would be easier later.
Phalakros wasn’t sure when they had woken up, but his mind was saying dawn. Though, it was conflicting with some of his memories, and just utterly confusing him, so he had no idea how long they had been cuddling. Not that Phalakros was necessarily worried about it. He loved being cuddled.
He heard her deep breath and started to gently rub her back. He understood anxiety quite well. Far more than he had ever liked.
“We can. I do not mind, either way,”he replied softly.
Part of him didn’t want to move at all actually. He was quite content with Valiel against him, her soothing presence all around him. But, he understood the necessity of hunting and making a cloak for him. If the Hinterlands was as cold as Valiel said, then Phalakros would definitely need that cloak.
Valiel nodded slowly. She didn't want to make the first move, but…
Well, somebody had to move, or they'd stay rght here, just like this. Which wouldn't be bad, actually…
She harrumphed and pulled away from him gently. "Ok. So we're looking for anything with thick fur, preferably bigger… I've not seen many bears in these woods, but they would be our best candidate. Beyond that, layered deer skin would work, or, if we really had to, we could catch and kill a bunch of smaller game and stitch the pelts together."
Valiel stood and shook herself. Her body had been through some highs and lows this morning, and she felt off, somehow.
(Sorry for the delayed response. It’s been chaotic IRL)
Phalakros released her at her noise, chuckling in slight embarrassment. He listened closely, nodding.
“I will help however I can, even with all of my limitations,”he said sincerely.
He stood with her, then fluffed out his hair. His fingers lingered on some of his feathers, petting them a bit. It always calmed him to rub the feathers in his hair, or, when he was already calm, like now, it kept him happy.
He lowered his hand, his eyes glancing off into the distance. Within seconds, they locked on a familiar sight. A serpent, just one, watching Valiel. The creature, the Fiend, seemed curious, maybe even triumphant. Phalakros wasn’t sure, but he hoped that the foul beast was just pondering possible futures, and not celebrating a reality that Phalakros wasn’t aware of yet.
(Absolutely not a problem, you know me and long delays. Hope everything's ok for you)
Valiel noted his feather-petting, hoping it was a good sign.
She also noted his glance into the distance, and the expression that crossed his face.
"Hey. Right here." She got his attention and held eye contact.
"The only thing you need to be looking out for is fur. We're ok, I'm alright, you're good, there's nothing to worry about." She stepped forward and stretched up to kiss his forehead, before turning and walking into the woods.
"Now keep up." Her tone turned playful at the end. She began running, not a dead sprint, but a decent clip through the woods.
(Lol. Yeah, I’m fine, just a lot going on all at once IRL, plus annoying drama. And, my current obsession with De’Tearion, lol [Can you tell, considering that I’ve been answering his rp faster than this one, lmao?])
Valiel’s voice startled him a bit, but her gaze captured his before he could truly react. He listened to her, nodding in acknowledgment and thanks.
As Valiel turned away, Phalakros couldn’t help glancing toward the serpent again. It was gone, as if it had never been there. And, in a way, it hadn’t, but to him, that spot was corrupted, and a place to avoid at all costs.
Pushing aside all of the nagging thoughts, Phalakros checked again that the serpent was still gone. It was, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief just as Valiel spoke. He then chuckled and ran after her, catching up easily, then keeping pace with her. He kept a lookout for signs of ‘fur’, but he also focused on Valiel’s scent, using it as a source of comfort and stability while they were hunting.
(Focus on your life when you need to, friend. [And yes, I kinda wondered XD ])
Valiel kept moving. She thought if she gave him something to focus on, and kept herself at the center of that focus, that maybe the snakes and shadows and the oozing, inky blackness he was feeling and seeing would recede.
She could only hope.
They moved through the woods quickly, with Phalakros keeping up with her relatively easily.
They ran past small game, and a part of Valiel wondered if they should be taking advantage of what they could get.
Until they came upon 3 deer.
Perfect.
(Thumbs-up. Thank you for being understanding. [Lol! De’Tearion’s definitely a favorite of mine, and is also likely my most developed character. So yeah, lol])
Valiel’s plan to keep Phalakros focused was actually working quite well, and he wasn’t even aware of it. His attention was solely focused on both her and their hunting mission. If any serpents were following him, he wasn’t paying attention, and, thus, was unbothered by them.
As they moved, Phalakros didn’t pay the smaller game any heed. His eyes were searching for bigger prey, to better serve their needs to make his cloak. The lack of bigger game was actually starting to confuse him until they finally encountered three deer. He then immediately hid behind a tree, silently spying on the creatures and glancing at Valiel periodically, waiting for her lead.
(My turn to apologize for the radio silence. My bad)
Valiel froze. She could feel him go still behind her. Taking a small step back, she lifted her head to whisper in his ear.
"Buck and 2 does. You take one of the does, I'll handle the buck, and whoever gets done first goes after the third doe. Sound good?" Her lips were close enough to brush his ear, and she was trying to be super quiet so she was barely whispering.
(You’re good, considering that it’s taken me an entire week to reply, lol)
Phalakros listened close to her words. Though, he became a bit distracted by the way her lips brushed against his ear. Was his ear that sensitive before? Or was it just Valiel’s lovely presence? He quickly pushed those questions aside. This was the wrong time to get off track.
He gave a small ‘Mhm’, then moved around the edge of the area with the deer, inching closer to one of the does. He found a good spot to launch from, pausing for a second to calculate, then rushed forward and tackled the doe.
He fought the doe for a moment, then managed to break its neck, killing it. He glanced up at Valiel, checking her progress and looking for the other doe.
Valiel had shifted to bear form and lunged out of the woods when Phalakros did. She slapped the buck twice, once across the head to snap its neck sideways, and once to the back of the head to make sure it was dead. The second doe started to take off into the woods, and Valiel shifted to the red-furred wolf, trying to follow it.
Phalakros saw Valiel take off after the second doe and hesitated, wondering if he should stay with the two dead deer or follow. Valiel would likely catch the deer pretty fast, considering that she was in wolf form, but there could be any number of things that could go wrong. Just like there was so many things that could go wrong where he was. Did he dare stay? Did he dare follow? Oh, why was he being indecisive now?
(…. sorry about the long silence)
Valiel sprinted after the doe, planning on tackling it and killing it easily. She noted that Phalakros stayed behind, and nodded to herself. Good plan. She could handle the doe.
Right up until the doe kicked backwards with both hind feet and connected solidly with her chest. The hooves cracked several ribs, and Valiel collapsed with a loud yelp.
The doe kept running and disappeared out of view.
(You’re alright)
Phalakros leaned against a tree, waiting as he brooded on his indecision. Then, a yelp tore him from his thoughts and he gasped in horror. He morphed into his bird form, rushing in the direction Valiel had gone. When he reached her, he morphed back to his true form and kneeled next to her.
“By the skies, why am I such a harbinger of foul things?”he moaned under his breath.
“Valiel, how can… Is there any way I can help?”he asked, whimpering a bit.
