[META-SRP] No Farewells, No Apologies (Various)

[Epine de Rose]

 

[Epine de Rose]

[ICly, you can assume that some but not all Bahari/Vikings would have heard this exchange. Those within the immediate vicinity such as guards would have been more likely to hear the news first hand, but the news does ultimately cascade down and all hear it eventually. With this, the Bahari part of this story comes to a close and you may use this as you see fit!]

It happened quickly and came without warning; the Scourge that had fought with such ferocity had gone into retreat. Without even the slightest hesitation they had ceased in their assault and fled. Yet it hadn't felt like a retreat... Not really; there had been something in the way they had spun round and disappeared into the jungles that had indicated they hadn't retreated out of fear but because something else had gone wrong. For the briefest of moments before their collective decision to fall back, they seemed to have been in disarray, they'd lost the ability to communicate.

The Captain had watched in astonishment as the shadows had dissipated and they were left with nothing for their efforts - it had happened so quickly that neither Viking nor Bahari had had the opportunity to restrain any of them. Those that had been left behind were most assuredly dead and would have no information to bare. He could already sense the frustration of his band, but in a way, he knew that he had also done as he promised. They had finally had the opportunity to face off against the very thing that had started it all... And they'd managed to take out a fair few in the process.

It was undeniable that there were casualties though, Bahari and warband alike had suffered. There were fatalities, and there would be others that might very well join that number, but for now it seemed that whatever had sent them in to disarray had ensured that they had fallen back from these lands and for now, they were safe. Tethys couldn't have placed an estimate on how long they had fought for, but as the tides moved out and exposed the sand bars that connected the mainland to the Bahari's mist strewn islands the pride would have been able to confirm that they had managed to sustain themselves for the entirety of that night.

When the adrenaline had worn off, he would begin to feel it.

For now though...

For now he needed to gather his wits about him and assess the damage, he needed to locate the King and confirm exactly how much damage had been sustained. If necessary, he needed to know what else would need to be done to secure the beach front permanently but this couldn't be done in mere seconds and would take the better side of a day (or longer). It was best for him to start at the beginning and take stock with the very individual who had placed his faith in him and his men - Tethys's band had done very well and as had the Bahari guards, but it had been the monarch who had held faith and Tethys knew this needed to be acknowledged; just as he knew that Ram would acknowledge the efforts of those involved.

"Where is he?" he asked after a moment to catch his breath, turning to glance towards the nearest of his band.

"You'll need to be more specific," the lion stated gruffly as he limped towards him.

"The Bahari's king," he shook his head, to which he received a shrug of relative indifference. He should have known better of course, Ram had not been present on their side of the field and as a consequence, none of those on this side would have seen him. Nevertheless, someone else was bound to have seen him, he'd have been somewhere.

"He's gone," the voice said at last, drawing nearer with the softest crunch of sand.

"What?" Tethys turned in surprise to meet the gaze of his half-brother, one that held an expression that Tethys had never seen.

"How else do you think that you won?" the male asked gently. "How we won," he amended as he continued to gaze at his brother; he wasn't sure what answer he expected to hear, not really, but there was at least a part of him that wanted his brother to truly think about what his actions had led to. Solomon wouldn't dispute that his brother had done well, he'd conducted himself with honour and integrity, and so too had his band... But it had still been through them that such tragedy had befallen his home.

Did he regret it? Not particularly, there were several things he was thankful for and he was sure that there would be many Bahari'mtoto who felt the same. However at this moment in time the news had not yet spread to them all that it had been their leader's sacrifice that had secured their so-called victory.

"I'm so sorry," Tethys uttered, the grave expression that had been chiselled into his expression caving when faced with the gravity of his actions. If there had ever been one who was supposed to fall, it was always meant to have been him.

"He did this for a reason," Solomon shook his head and took a deep breath, gathering his own composure. "Your fight is not finished, but you must learn from it," he lowered his head briefly and closed his eyes. "They will come back, my father is under no illusions and neither should you be," he stated. "Now it is your duty to end it, find a way."

"Fortunately," Another voice entered the foray as Spectre closed the distance between himself and the pair. Battered, bruised and bleeding in a rather impressive number of places, the white lion seemed to be in remarkable spirits given the circumstances. "You aren't alone," he pointed out and nodded towards the horizon where the sillhouettes of several lions stood waiting; both convenient and very poor timing.

"Is that..."

"It is," Spectre confirmed and pressed his paw to his son's shoulders. "Go to your family," he ordered as he turned his gaze towards Tethys. "We all misread The Prime, and we only have one chance to redeem ourselves," he stated and narrowed his eyes. "Now you join our fight," he instructed and motioned for him to follow.

There would be no apologies or farewells today; time was of the essence and only the Bahari could rebuild themselves from here. No other pride would be able to extend the paw they so dearly needed in comfort, it would be through their own perseverence and strength that they would survive and grow.

They had done so before; and they would do it again.

Word Count: 1,063