‘I’m glad I found you too, sugar. You’re one of the good ones, you know?’

Apollo could scarce believe his ears. The words that Phaedra spoke, while inconsequential to some, meant the world to the overo. It was the closest she had ever come to speaking her true mind towards him, and honestly, he couldn’t have asked for more when they were knocking upon Death’s door. Oh, the things he wanted to say, to do… He wanted to show Phaedra so many things, to tell her about his homeland, despite how much he hated his heard, or what made him the way that he was. He even found himself wanting to tell her of his hopes, dreams, and fears; how the water terrified him, but he overcame that fear for her, or how he was also afraid of the dark, and so took to sleeping in the Thistle Meadow, thoughts of Phaedra’s very own silvery laugh and beauty lulling him into a peaceful sleep. Coming to Helovia, Apollo had been desperate for closure, for purpose, for a place to belong… And as long as Phae was with him, he had succeeded.

His tail swished lightly in the water, the ebony strands dragging across the surface and billowing out in a matted mess. Due to the water and remaining chest-deep for so long, his lithe legs were beginning to grow numb, and occasionally he would shift his weight or shuffle each leg around to try and keep the circulation flowing.

His honeyed eyes watched as Phaedra pulled herself through the water, obviously having trouble, and once more the stallion chastised himself for not being able to do more to help her. With the ocean at their back and the wolves at their front, death was imminent. Still, his gaze never left her beautiful face. He watched with a subdued sort of curiosity as she moved around, turning her elegant body to face him, and what she did next nearly took his breath away. There was a brief hesitance in the way that Phaedra moved closer to him, something that the black and white overo found strange. Never should Phaedra be hesitant about anything, especially when it came to him… For he would give everything, if she so asked. The moment that he felt her muzzle press intimately against his own, Apollo froze, mind reeling with a numbness that had nothing to do with the frigid water around them.

She was… Kissing him? It was soft at first, but as the moment progressed, it became far more intimate and special. His nostrils flared, swallowing her wonderful scent, and after he came back to himself, Apollo returned her gesture with a boldness that surprised even him. His eyes stared directly into hers, brushing his lips against her soft muzzle, soaking in the sight of her beauty and the scent she offered. It was a balm that soothed all of his worries… When she pulled away, he could only stare, immediately yearning for more of her touch.

“Phae, I…” He couldn’t speak. Not of that. “Phaedra…” The words were there, on his tongue! Why couldn’t he simply say them?! Before he got the chance to choke them out, the strangest feeling brushed across his leg, causing his eyes to dart down towards the surface of the water in surprise. Whatever touched him was colder than the water, and sleek, and it took the stag a few moments to realize that it was a fish, followed quickly by yet another one, then another. They moved frantically, as if desperately wanting to escape… Surely fish weren’t scared of wolves?

The answer to everything, however, fell into place the moment that the cracking of wood boomed across the sky behind them. The sound was horrible, and immediately the stallion’s head snapped around, legs shifting and ears flicking back. Apollo’s honey-brown eyes widened in terror, and he took a subconscious step backwards, bumping his shoulder into Phaedra by mistake. “What…. What is that?!” He exclaimed, voice raising a notch in terror. Never, in all of his days, had Apollo witnessed a creature like the one he was seeing now. It’s tentacles moved and coiled in a deadly dance of muscle and raw power, and as the splinters of wood fell from its deathly grasp, Apollo spun on his haunches. “The shore!” He cried, knowing the wolves were there but not caring. He would much rather die by the jaws of the wolves than by the crushing force of the sea-monster behind them. “Phae, we have to go to the shore!”

Lowering his head, he pushed the side of his muzzle against her shoulder, desperately wanting her to move, to follow, to run. Being ensnared and pulled under the surface by one of those tentacles was no way to die. At least with the wolves, they could attempt to fight. His eyes flicked to the shoreline, and the six wolves that were leaping over each other, gnashing their teeth in anticipation for their meal. Steeling himself, Apollo grit his teeth, lowering his head in challenge to the canine’s that awaited them. A fury was born from the fear that he felt, and Apollo tossed his head, horn poised as he began slowly sloshing through the water towards the awaiting wolves.

[OOC: Um… Long post is long. XD But, it kind’ve wrote itself, especially with the Phae-kiss. :3]

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."