[PRP] Healing Light (working title)

[Strifeling]

This is a private RP between Faolchú & Caladhiel

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[Strifeling]

Faolchú panted heavily, muscles straining with effort. He ran through the forest in smooth wolf-like movements, paws crushing the underbrush beneath with each step that landed on the forest floor and trying to ignore the branches and brambles that scratched at his side as he ran. With every leap and bound, his lantern struck against his chest -- he would have a bruise there tomorrow, if he didn't have one already -- and his sides were slick with sweat under his fur cloak. His cloth was in tatters, barely wrapped around his body now, and the meager pieces of armor on his leg didn't provide any protection in this situation.

Ugly bite wounds covered his feet and his side bled freely, staining his fur red. One of his wings was held awkwardly, bent at a strange angle with many feathers torn or missing entirely. Faolchú's legs and wounds cried out in agony, but he could not stop. He didn't dare risk a glance over his shoulder to look at his pursuer, but the snarling wasn't far behind. Faolchú thought he heard jaws snap shut on air -- not even a full neck behind his tail by the sound of it -- and was spurred to even greater motion, flattening his ears against his head as he charged forward, nearly blinded by leaves.

The beasts had followed him through river and forest. Faolchú had slain most of them, but now his weapons were gone and his flesh was broken and tired. These last few were too much for him to handle.

Then the trees seemed to grow thin, sunlight streaming down in blinding dapples through the forest, and all of a sudden he crashed through a wall of shrubs out into the bright daylight.

Faolchú continued running, his body at its limit, sweat streaming into his eyes. Behind him he heard a cacophony of predatory beasts roaring, snarling, howling, but it seemed to grow further and further away. With a great sweep of his neck he tossed his bangs out of his eyes and risked a glance backwards.

There was nothing behind him. Confused but equal parts relieved and cautious, Faolchú finally stopped, facing the forest and its protective boundary of shrubbery that stretched as far as his eyes could see. Ragged breaths tore out of his chest.

He heard a small gasp and whirled around suddenly, facing this new danger.

In front of him was a young mare half-kneeling half-lying beside a rocky brook. She looked as though she were ready to bolt away at a moment's notice, her big blue eyes as wide and startled as a deer's. Rapidly, her eyes swept over Faolchú's attire and his wounded body. He looked like a mess, unkempt and bloody. The mare's face betrayed her fear.

Faolchú Word Count: 464

 

[Strifeling]

"Uh," Faolchú said eloquently in between gasping for breath, chest heaving from exhaustion and effort, while his gleaming golden eyes met the bright blue eyes of the mare before him. She looked terrified, and he watched her hastily scramble to her feet, tripping over herself in her hurry to put distance between herself and the stallion.

"Wait," Faolchú gasped out this time, his own eyes now wide in alarm as he backed up and off to the side, trying to indicate that he was no danger to her, "Wait, hold on, I'm not dangerous, I'm not going to hurt you." Belatedly, he realized he must look very convincing, with hid chipped armor, ragged mane and tail, bitten legs, and on top of that a bloodied wound in his side. Flecks of red, now coagulating and crusting over, were splattered over his paws and fur cloak. He must be a sight. It was no wonder the young soquili in front of him was fearful.

"I mean you no harm," Faolchú repeated to her, speaking slowly and trying to make his voice smooth and soothing.

Faolchú Word Count: 183

 

[Strifeling]

Hearing his voice, Caladhiel relaxed a little bit. She felt an ease in some of the tension in her legs, but still stood poised to run as she looked over the stranger on the other side of the shallow rocky brook. It wouldn't even slow him down if he decided to pursue her, but its presence gave her mental comfort and a physical boundary. The stream wasn't much, but she was glad for the separation between them.

The brown wolfish soquili before her looked feral and crazed, but he didn't sound like a mad stallion. Caladhiel eyed him warily, her gaze flicking first toward the bloody gash in his side, still flowing, and then to the bite wounds on his pawed legs.

He looked like he was in bad shape. Caladhiel was surprised he was still standing. Admittedly, she didn't have much experience with injuries or healing, but she had never seen a soquili in such awful shape. She shuddered, unable to tear her eyes away, and yet the fear started slowly ebbing from her body. With injuries like that, Caladhiel had no doubt. She could definitely outrun him if she needed to.

Caladhiel Word Count: 193

 

[Strifeling]

Faolchú saw the mare visibly relax, and he felt relief. He began to relax as well, catching his breath as his heart began to slow to its normal pace. He still kept a cautious distance, hanging back and not daring to approach the stream. He hadn't seen anyone but shapechangers and wild beasts for days, and he had no idea where he was. Faolchú really needed help, and this mare was the least threatening sentient creature he had seen in this wilderness.

Faolchú Word Count: 82

 

[Strifeling]

Several long moments had passed in near-silence as Caladhiel cautiously kept her eyes trained on the stranger. A part of her, deep in the back of her mind, warned her to listen to her father and keep her distance. She could run away if she wanted to. She didn't need to interact with this stranger.

But he was injured.

Caladhiel Word Count: 59

 

[Strifeling]

The grass at his feet was beginning to stain red, and as Caladhiel watched, fascinated, little red rivulets continued to trace their way down over the soquili's furred ribs. She continued to watch quietly, hesitating as her curiosity, conscience, and sense of safety all fought.

He had already said he meant her no harm. Her father had said never to trust outsiders. Caladhiel didn't really understand why -- what was the worst that could happen, after all? She had never interacted much with outsiders, nor with stallions, but no one had ever hurt her, and the family herd lands were well-protected and well-hidden deep past the forest, even this far away from their ancestral home.

Caladhiel Word Count: 115

 

[Strifeling]

The mare was still quiet, but she didn't take her eyes off him. Clearly, neither of them wanted to make the first move. Faolchú attempted to reassure her again. Hopefully, she would realize he wasn't a threat. Maybe there was a herd nearby. Maybe she had family that could help him.

"It's alright. I'm only passing through," he said, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible, "I didn't mean to scare you. I was being chased back in the forest." He swallowed back his chagrin at having to admit he ran away, in front of a mare no less. If only he were stronger, like his father or brother... Faolchú suddenly felt his mood turn sour as he felt a pang of bitterness in his chest.

'What would Casimir do?' he thought to himself. Once again, he was reminded of his weakness and inadequacy compared to his elder brother. Casimir would have been able to fight them all off, and probably would have made it out without even half of the injuries he now bore on his body.

Faolchú eased the tension in his neck. He hadn't even realized how tight his muscles were, and now that the immediate danger was over and the adrenaline rush was waning, the exhaustion hit him. Faolchú suddenly began to feel faint.

His vision began to blur. Disoriented, he lost his balance, stumbling.

Faolchú Word Count: 229

 

[Strifeling]

Caladhiel couldn't stop herself. "Are you alright?" she gasped in surprise, and rushed forward, leaping over the brook with deer-like grace, her hooves sliding over the pebbles on the bank.

Inwardly, though, she cringed. What a compassionate mare she must be, for her to wait to act until this stranger was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion and possibly blood loss.

"Um," Caladhiel breathed out, hesitating again and not sure what to do now that she was next to the stallion. She didn't have paws herself, so she doubted she could effectively put pressure on his bloody wound, unless she used her face or knees. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. Then, her eyes fell on the stallion's scarf. Maybe she could use her own to help him.

She arched her neck toward her own cloth, shaking it off and pinning down one end with her leg.

Caladhiel Word Count: 150

 

[Strifeling]

Faolchu landed on his knees, hard, but somehow managed not to fall over completely.

He heard the mare's voice echoing in his ears, a little too loudly, and he tried to look up at her, but nothing was in focus anymore.

Faolchú Word Count: 40

 

[Strifeling]

Faolchu could feel sweat on his face, but it was cold, and the pounding in his head that he hadn't even noticed earlier made it difficult to maintain concentration. It contrasted with the heat he felt in his chest and legs. The golden mare remained in the center of his vision, but she was blurry, and a darkness crept in at the edges of his eyes. He swallowed, trying to keep his breath steady and his heartbeat slow and even, just like he had been taught by Casimir.

His injuries hadn't seemed that serious, even just a short while earlier. Had he actually lost a lot of blood? Or worse, were any of those creatures venomous? He had fought skinchangers, but the creatures he had come upon were mostly bears, and wolves. Were any reptiles among them? He didn't remember. Did bears have venomous claws? He wasn't sure.

Faolchu furrowed his brow. Something was strange about that situation, but he couldn't quite focus on what. For that matter, at the moment he had difficulty keeping track of his own line of thought.

Faolchú Word Count: 182

 

[Strifeling]

Caladhiel exhaled nervously, trying to work quickly. She pulled tight the cloth around one of the stranger's wounds with her teeth while the stallion swayed on his knees, clearly unwell and off-balance. She was uncomfortable with the situation, and with the proximity and contact with such a stranger, but she couldn't in good conscience turn her back on someone who could be severely ill when one had no other way of finding help in such an isolated place. The stallion's blood and sweat smeared against her as she tried to form a makeshift tourniquet, and she fought the urge to wrinkle her nose.

"Hold on," she told him, looking down while she leaned over him. She tossed her wavy mane aside, trying to avoid getting her hair in his wounds.

"You need treatment. I think we can help you," she said urgently. "Can you still walk? Can you stand? It's not far to a cave nearby." But the stallion only stared up at her blearily.

Caladhiel Word Count: 165

 

[Strifeling]

It seemed like the mare was saying something, but he couldn't hear her over the throbbing echoes he felt through his pain. Faolchu's mind raced, and he tried to keep it clear, tried to keep it calm, but as soon as thoughts formed they faded away, ephemeral, like dreams upon waking. He blinked sweat away, but his bangs still lay matted against his eyelids, and tried to speak.

"I'm sorry to trouble you," was all he was able to say.

Faolchú Word Count: 80

 

[Strifeling]

Caladhiel tried not to panic as the stallion's voice gave way and he collapsed against her, breathing quick and shallow. His face was hot.

Caladhiel had been taught for this -- she could treat him and heal him. Probably. But not here. She looked around, thinking. The medicine storage was far away and he was heavy whereas she was small and slender. There was no way she could carry or drag him that far on her own. She didn't have the strength to move a full-grown stallion such a long distance.

Caladhiel Word Count: 91


(Dec 31st 11:48pm Mountain time)