Gaucho was ever watchful, even now, despite the fact that the things he watched were no longer always real. Hallucinations danced before his eyes, stealing precious hours of his time in mere seconds. Days flew by in the blink of an eye, and Gaucho was left desperately grasping at the last semblance of his sanity. Mara and Vorsa were no help. They felt the blackness begin to colour their bond to Gaucho and tried to keep their minds free and clear of the muck that had already taken over him. They pair remained mentally distant from their bonded, as if any interaction with his brain would infect their own minds, but they remained physically close, guiding him to water and nourishment and alerting him as best they could when something external to him required his attention.

As it did now.

Vorsa hooted urgently as she watched Rak approach their borders. She pulled on Gaucho's mane with her talons, trying to force his blocky skull to rise. Gaucho, who was watching an imaginary shark in the waters below (was it imaginary?), did not move. The phoenix looked to Mara with a worried expression, before turning back to the bull-headed boy who was now running towards the open waters. Her bright golden eyes widened and she trilled and ear-piercing alarm. Taking matters into her own hands, metaphorically speaking, Mara hissed loudly and sank her long fangs into the soft spot behind Gaucho's ear. Blood immediately began to flow as the snake peeled back part of his skin, opening the wound to the salty and hot air. At this, Gaucho grunted loudly, ears pinning and his head immediately rising. His black lip rose in a snarl, but before he could think of retaliating against the snake, both of their voices flooded his mind at the same time.

SSSSON. NOT. FLY.

Immediately Gaucho was on the move. His body was thrown off of the sandy cliffs of the Throat, but unlike young Rak, his fiery wings were more than capable of carrying his weight above the frothy waves. An imaginary shark leaped from the water to try and grab his tail, but the dun neatly avoided it. 

"HEAD UP." Gaucho bellowed across the gulf, instructing the boy to keep his head up and above the waves whatever the cost. All it would take was one lung-full of the salty brine to put an end to his young life. 

Gaucho angled his inferno of a body (both inside and out now, thanks to the parasite), towards the drowning boy. His black hooves skimmed the water as he roared across the water's choppy surface. As he neared Rak, Gaucho allowed his wings to slow which caused his body to sink under the waves. The dun's larger body angled to try and act as a shelf for the boy to stand on. Gaucho's wings continued to beat even under the water, trying to force the boy forward towards the shore, propelled by Gaucho's large body. The fire from his wings continued to burn under the water, illuminating Gaucho's heavily barred legs as they tried to pull the pair into shore.