Yes, I had taken a beating, I had been humiliated in one of the worst ways possible on top of being unable to do anything about it. Somehow hearing her point it out only managed to amplify the dismay growing steadily in my chest, pressing against the soft folds of my heart, making it difficult to breathe. "I-" I do not think that she meant to hurt my feelings, or make me feel worse than I already did. If anything she seemed hell-bent on giving me aide since realizing that I was in fact, injured. Injured, such a querulous term, the word itself was a hard-earned fact that left me hanging high and dry in a situation I was desperate to find some good in. Erthë was not unkind, moving ever closer, close enough to reach out a tentative muzzle to brush against my cheek. The action may have seemed irrelevant to anyone looking in and not knowing, but I could see the willful hope bubbling behind those pale blue eyes as they stared down at me. Help, I needed to accept her help instead of putting up such a fight and acting the fool.

Yet... is that what Sialia would have wanted? Erthë claimed to be from somewhere else, maybe another herd, wouldn't that warrant some level of distrust? Mother always warned me against talking to strangers and more-so, following them around. It was her way of keeping me safe, keeping me holed away from danger where I could not defend myself as normal foals could. Which is precisely how I managed to get myself into this whole mess! But this girl did not seem to wish me any harm, actually it was almost unnerving just how worried she was over my well-being, considering she knew nothing about me. Maybe if I had taken the time to look at the filly that did this to me I would have sensed the peril that would come, like I could look at Erthë here and recognize that she meant no harm.

Against my better judgement I caved, perhaps too easily did I take down my walls and let her see my honest to God feelings. A young, chiseled face painted in every shade of pain and discomfort you could imagine, my body jerking with every breath as days of travel and sleepless nights caught up with me. I hurt so much, so badly, even if the bruises really were superficial they still caused me so much pain. My legs trembled, struggling to support my weight under all of the stress pressing down all around me. "I don't know where I'm going, I don't know where I am, I'm scared and I haven't seen my mother in days - she's lost!" surely my helpless bleating would turn her head, make her think twice as the child that I was came pouring out in lieu of the soldier I tried to be.

"Talk."




@Erthe