I was heading back toward the forests again. It made sense to me, really, that now that I had the ability of sight, perhaps I could understand just what had ripped me of that connection. But, the trek was a bit longer than I had expected. My muscles were burning from the distance it took until I had reached the vibrations what were a cause of a headache every time I had dared to come near here.

All of the times it had been to investigate, but I had felt the same thing. Perhaps I would find something different with the use of my eyes. However, the closer I got to the forest the darker it got. At least, the darker it got with the light. The colours were so vibrant. The deep hues of greens as they faded into some oranges and red with the turn of the fall into an almost winter-like state. and the young squirrels as they chittered and chased each other around. They seemed to be having so much fun, to be so care free. It was strange, and something I wished I had been able to experience in the past at least a few times. Reds and blues, hues of the birds as they flew through the trees.

One in particular caught my attention, though. A hawk. A red-tailed hawk. Like my hawk, it's call was so familiar, so comforting. Just like the one who I had lost. But, it was young. Very young. Probably only a year old, and definitely not mine - but it was still a hawk. I could feel the tears, but I tried to follow it as it took to the sky. My sight locked on the creature as it flew through the trees, weaving and ducking. It was by following this beautiful creature that I stumbled across someone whom I had met before. His build and movements familiar to my mind's memory of the vibrations.

I wasn't used to the sight, though. And my judgements on distance were a little off. As I tried to stop my entire body slammed into his haunches from the gallop I had been in to keep up with the hawk. Instantaneously, I stumbled backwards, ears flickering backwards for a second in shock at my lack of ability to truly discern my surroundings with my sight. My mouth opens, to apologize but while air comes out the sound seems to not form. I shake my head, pinning my ears in distaste. It would help me, in the future, but now it seemed as though I could not form any manners, any real way to apologize.

My head bows, eyes closing as I feel the vibrations around me. It is only then which I place just who it is that is before me. Alleo. Quickly, my audits are alert and forward again, a whicker escaping my mouth in some sort of an apology. Then, I turn my gaze to the pool of red and the wide tree not too far from our sides...

I had run right into him. Apparently I needed to work on my depth perception with the actual additive of colour and the ability to focus in on objects now. As I closed my eyes and stumbled backwards, prepared for some sort of kick to come towards my chest or face I made sense of the looming figure before me. It was definitely Alleo, but he was bunching his muscles and seeming to fall straight into the pool of water before the tree.

A whinny escaped my maw, almost like a laugh, but definitely sounding sorrowful, as if it were an apology. I allowed my eyes to open again, taking in his pale form as his black locks stuck to his face and his neck. He seemed to turn around carefully, muscled tensed just enough to seem irritated, or so the vibrations around me told me. I still couldn't figure out the actual appearance when the colour and the vibrancy of the world was added in. It seemed as though I had a lot to get used to now.

I shuddered, shaking out my body as I glanced back up toward the sky, hoping to see the baby hawk flying around. Alas, I was not that lucky. It was the sound of my name that pulled my attention back toward the reality in front of me. No more memories of the hawk that had once been my other half. He's gone. Accept it. I kept telling myself that. But, I didn't feel whole anymore, and I wanted to break something for the creation that had ripped him from me and killed him. But, I didn't know what to attack, what to shatter.

It was strange, how now it seemed as though I was angry. Angry at the world. But, perhaps it had been the sight of the hawk that had changed that all. I shook my head, forcing my attention back on Alleo as I heard more word fall from his mouth. He seemed to be leaning off to the side, as if to peer around me - which I must say was completely unnecessary considering just how tall he was in comparison to me - and his brows were furrowing in confusion. He asked if I was okay, and I nodded my head, right as he asked if I was running from something.

Instantly I shook my head. No. No. Not running from something. Running after something... But I couldn't explain. I couldn't form the words. And he was walking now, his large body splashing the water out of his way as he came back onto the land. He stood only a few steps away from my frame as he continued to look toward the forest, and I continued to shake my head. For some reason, though, I doubted that he was actually paying attention to the shaking of my head, telling him that I was not running away from anything. I open my jaw, my throat tightening as I go to actually speak only to feel like I was being choked. I supposed that just because I desired to speak more that the desire to keep me mute was stronger. Instantly I shut my jaw, ears pinning in disdain before I coughed a little, inhaling quickly to gather back the air that had not been allowed to enter my lungs.

When he seemed to find nothing he moved a few steps past me, continuing to look at the forest from whence I had come to see if there was something, anything, that would explain why I had crashed into his frame so distastefully.

I couldn't stand to watch him look around like a lost puppy anymore, trying to find something to protect the damsel from when there was absolutely no need for it. I snorted once and stamped my right fore hoof against the harsh dirt. Alleo. Dammit. Nothing is out there. I thought to myself, grumbling in my head about how it seemed that being mute was not having any advantages. However, had I honestly expected there to be? Maybe... Perhaps I thought I'd not have to explain to anyone what was going on... Oh, I was an idiot. It seemed that when I just needed that shoulder to cry on, to mourn this loss I would not be able to gain any of it. For how was I to explain the tightness in my heart - the crushing suffocating feeling of being alone and lost when the one who had known me the best was gone - if I was unable to speak?

I shook my head before closing the distance between us, stopping beside his drenched frame, a smirk upon my mouth at how silly he looked. Definitely edging towards a lost puppy. But he was strong, and his pelt being matted down by the water only continued to show the muscles that had been hidden before I had run into his hind end. Another stomp of my hoof to get his attention before I reached up and snagged a lock of his mane. Gently, I tugged on the wet piece of hair to try and get his attention completely onto me. My eyes actually locked on his, the orbs focusing for once, and then I bumped his shoulder, allowing my warm breath to brush against his pelt if he would allow it for a few moments before I took a step back.

My audits were perked up, and I turned my head, resting my maw against the glowing hawk on my haunches for a few moments before tossing my head up to the sky as if I were looking for one of them. I don't know how long I stood like that. Maybe it was only but thirty seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. My chest tightening as my eyes watered, begging for something to crack, for something to pay for the death of my companion. And, when I looked back at him my nostrils were flared, trying to take in all the oxygen possible to keep my throat from burning as the tears slid down my face.

I was alone, even if the protector who had told me about this hawk marking was right in front of me. I couldn't explain. And so I was alone...

He seemed so lost in thought. His muscles tense, head raised. Strong. Like nothing was going to harm me - if there had been anything there that would have, at least. But, for the life of me I could not find a way to get his attention. His tail was sticking to the curves of his haunches, flinching as his muscles twitched in nerves. Then, one flick and some of the water drops hit my flesh in a manner that only made me want to gain his attention again.

A sigh escaped my maw. He had to think I was too afraid to speak. Idiot! But I supposed it was a logical train to follow when they had held a conversation not that long ago. I stomped, feeling the dirt envelope my hoof with a hard "thump" and then a "squish" as I raised it out of the gush I had accidentally placed it in. The only response given to me, though, was a flick of his ear. Not a turn of his head, no eyes, not even his frame inching in closer to mine. What if I'd stomped to try and kill a snake? Huh? Want me dead? I grumbled to myself, before almost laughing at the thought. Of course he would think it was worse. If I came in that fast then there couldn't be a snake that I'd be running away from.

And then his eyes, they were focusing on the tree tops. Cougar? He thinks it's some sort of wild cat? Also logical, I supposed, but still not the point. He was getting tenser every second though, and the last thing I wanted was for him to have a heart attack because I had tried to answer his first question a little bit too late. A slight turn of his frame, and I have stomped the ground again, feeling the mud from the pond cling to my pelt and I attempted to shake it off in agitation. He ignored it again, and so this time I took it upon myself to inch forward. Dammit. Alleo. PAY ATTENTION! I wanted to scream at him, but I knew the words would not come, not when I had nearly choked myself not that long ago while trying to say his name - only so that he didn't try and find whatever the boogieman he thought was following, the nonexistent boogieman.

So I tugged on his hair, trying to get him to look at me. and, when he finally did I managed to meet his gaze completely, orbs focusing upon his unmatched pair. And, then he seems to only stare, his jaw dropping ever so slightly. I tilt my head, eyebrows furrowing before I his voice hit my ears. Can I see him, an emphasis on the word see. I nod my head, lifting my maw to try and brush his own eyes to make certain he knew i was agreeing with the sight. Yes. I can see. But I can't talk. I thought to myself, watching as he continued to stare at me, as if there was something wrong. My audits flicked backwards, hurt sliding into my eyes, into the features of my face. There will always be something wrong with me. Something that will push everyone away from me, deem me broken and unusable. It seems the gift of sight... I shouldn't have gained for Alleo almost looks like he wishes I hadn't been given it... I thought to myself, my legs shuffling me back a few steps as I squeezed my orbs shut and shook my head.

I should have expected nothing less. No one would understand. I would be shunned away again. And this time, with a form of anger and depression suffocating me with no way to get rid of it. And then his voice again, seeming to have broken out of the trance. He realized I had lost my voice. Good job. Now can you read my mind? I plead in my cranium, ears falling back not in anger but in weakness, my head nodding slowly before I placed my maw upon my marking.

He spoke of how he had told me that I had it. But, it was when I lifted my head to the sky that he seemed to have fallen silent. And that silence had my throat burning and breaking. Oh. How deeply alone. The hawk was gone. He was not circling around. He named the bird upon my haunch and then asked if I was looking for one. Again, I nodded my head a little before shaking my head as I saw the young bird fly across the opening between the trees only to disappear a second later. I'm looking for mine... I'm looking for what killed mine... I thought to myself and as I looked back toward him everything was blurry. I could feel the salty tears as they slid down my cheeks, dripping off of my face and to the ground. He said not to cry, but I couldn't stop it. I could feel him coming closer though, because my sight was completely hindered by the tears that were swarming around my orbs. And, as he reaches out toward my face I simply close my eyes, allowing him to brush away the tears that I'm trying to stop from continuing.

The more air that I drink in the easier it is to breathe without a burning in my throat making my eyes water. A gentle nod of my head as I take in two quick breaths in succession and try and bury my face against his shoulder for a moment, as if it would stem the flow of the salty liquid that continued to fall from my eyes.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes, and finally the heaves in my chest had subsided, and the tears were no longer falling. Slowly, I pulled my head back from his shoulder and tugged on a piece of his hair again, trying to ensure that I had his attention again as I attempted to find a way to explain just what I had been doing, just why I was crying, just why I was broken.

I waited a few seconds, trying to meet his gaze before I, once again, touched my maw to the hawk marking, lipping at it's wings a couple of times before resting my maw against my beating heart. A couple of seconds there, a few deep breaths, and then I am reaching toward where his heart is, where the soul is kept. Companion. Alleo. Companion. I don't know how to explain... I thought to myself, my orbs peering up towards him, distress in my eyes as I wonder if he'll understand. How do I explain the loss without words? How do I explain the flood of memories that I just cannot escape...

He closes his eyes and lowers his head so that I can brush my maw over his eyes, to confirm that I had gained my sight. But, when he continued to stare at me I felt as though there was something wrong. Like I was being judged for my lack of voice, just as when I had been judged for the lack of sight. I'm stumbling backwards a few steps, closing my eyes and shaking my head, not even seeing him as he furrows his brow and pins his ears.

What did he say? Nothing. You said nothing. That look... I thought to myself. He didn't mean to upset her, I understand. I'm not something one would want to be around. I'm like the plague - only get near if its your job... He took a step forward only to stop, and when I opened my eyes I saw him looking as if he were in thought, as if he were hurt as well. No. I didn't mean. Dammit. I grumbled to myself, broken eyes peering up toward his mismatched ones as he seemed to try and work through what I was saying. Shaking and nodding my head. I wasn't looking for a hawk. No. I was chasing one. But there's no way to explain that. I nodded again.

I thought I would be able to continue on in the conversation. But, instead the tears came back. And he brushed them away with his muzzle, gently, carefully, as if if it were too strong I might break. He tried to shh me, as if it would calm, and instead I simply pressed my head up against his shoulder, unable to work through all the emotions that were spinning through my skull.

He seemed to freeze there, as I pressed up against him, but then he allowed his maw to rest against my shoulder. Still, he was careful, acting as if I were made of some kind of porcelain. Don't cry. Rasta. It trailed off of his deep voice gently, sweetly, like a form of comfort. And, then the one thing I hadn't expected. He said he would help, whatever it was that was going on. More tears filled my eyes, choking me up as I pressed my skull even harder into his shoulder, as if it would stem the falling tears. And, at that same moment, his neck wrapped around mine and pulled me in closer. My body was pulled up against his chest, and I allowed it to be moved. My chest heaving against his hold as I fought to make the tears stop, if only for him, if only so that he didn't have to feel awkward as I continued to cry for a reason that wasn't really known to anyone except I.

He didn't move, he allowed me to break down right there. A stag I'd only met once could actually show affection to someone he didn't truly know... He's one of the good ones. Like Taj... I connected the two in my mind, and suddenly the comfort was just enough to stop the crying.

It took me a few minutes, still, but it was much sooner than it would have been in the beginning. For, Taj would have wanted me to be strong - he would have wanted me to be happy, and maybe now was when I would start to find it again. After I was through with the grief, maybe I had gained someone I could be happy around.

I tried once more, face soaked from the tears, to explain the real meaning behind my hawk and what I had been doing. He was lost, obviously, and I didn't know how to explain it. I touched my maw to the marking again, and then to his chest. I held my maw there, feeling the beating of his heart, continuing to peer up at the confused stag. And then, suddenly, he seemed to light up. Companion. He repeated words I forgot I had even told him when we had met upon the beach. Instantly my head is nodding. Yes. Yes. Companion. That hawk. I thought to myself, stopping the head movement the second I saw his jaw move. Alive?

I shook my head. No. Dead. Don't know how... I thought to myself, closing my eyes and lowering my cranium as I forced myself to keep from crying. He didn't need tears falling every few minutes. He didn't need that. And so I would try and not cry that often.

An explanation, as to why I was mute. I had to find a way to explain this. I stamped my feet against the dirt, placed my maw on the earth below us, trying to say that it was the Earth God. And then, back up to the sky, where I had been told the Gods lived in my old lands. I repeated this a couple more times, and then waited.

Two stomps, just two. Chance. How do I portray chance? I wondered to myself, body freezing a little bit as I contemplated it all. It'll be my second companion... I bobbed my head before resting my maw against the hawk marking. Companion.

Would he understand? Or would it be in vain again? It was so hard, to find new ways to explain. But... at least I knew I had a shoulder to cry on, someone else who would be strong for me when I just didn't have the strength to...

I answered quickly, and tried to keep the tears from coming. I didn't want to bother him with more tears. It seemed useless, but it seemed as if the emotions just were too strong for what was left of my broken soul. He asked if I knew how, and I could only shake my head. No. No clue. I wish... then I could kill whatever it was that had done this... I thought to myself, shifting my weight a little bit.

More charades. More information. It was time to try and explain why I was mute. It was with the stomp that he looked down immediately, but he found nothing there. There wasn't a snake, there wasn't anything, just the earth. He flicked his ears forward and then looked back to my gaze. Earth? Instantly I nodded my head yes, before looking to the sky. Each additive to earth had me shaking my head. No. No. The Gods. Please... just understand... I need someone to understand. I was pleading to no one, but hoping that it would change something. I looked back towards him for a second, seeing his eyes narrow and his head tilt up slightly. Again, I pointed at the sky, at the outline of the moon. And suddenly, he seemed to have an epiphany. Earth God! I nickered once. Yes! Yes! That was it. That was it!

Onto the second portion. Two stomps and then my hawk. Second companion. Second chance. Earth God. Two. Hawk. Close. So close. Make it coherent... I thought to myself, watching as he stood there in concentration, trying to understand all that was going on. He flicked his tail back and forth as he thought and Rasta watched as the water dripped off of it.

It seemed that after a period of time he had managed to connect something. His gaze met mine, and his ears strained forward, as if he were intrigued by the idea that had fallen upon his cranium. Another hawk. Quest. I nodded my head instantly. Yes. Exactly! I thought, still nodding my head.

I flared my nostrils a little, feeling the pain in my chest again. Hearing the words said out loud hurt somehow. That twisted and torn part of my soul knowing that nothing could actually replace my hawk, my beautiful hawk. And there was a caw, as the hawk I had been chasing dropped down between the two of us, feathers mere inches from my face. I didn't flinch, I couldn't - I'd known that dive too well to flinch at it. But it was with that dive of the young hawk so amused with the equines surrounding it, that the tears began to fall from my eyes again.

It wouldn't be the same, but I needed something that would understand me unconditionally. I open my mouth to speak, to try and symbolize the muteness. But how to symbolize the seasons? TallSun. I was mute until TallSun. I snorted once, heading over towards the tall, and thick, tree that we had been standing beside. Wading into the pool I pressed my maw against it, before moving my gaze up the height of it. It's a tall tree. Maybe he'll get it. Please understand it... I thought to myself, and then I was looking back up a the sky, at the sliver of the sun still trying to shine down upon us. The Sky. The sun. Please connect the dots... please... I pleaded, repeating the motions a few times as the tears continued to well in my eyes.

I couldn't stop the burning feeling, and I couldn't squelch the pain in my heart. But I needed to continue to get the message across. I needed someone to know. I needed someone to be there for me while I tried to find a way to grieve a loss that really stole a part of myself...

I stopped, though. I forced myself to stop the motions and instead left the water that had soaked me up to bottom of my barrel, the pond deeper than I had expected. Cold. Not smart... I chastised myself and then slid up beside him, hoping he would accept me as I pressed my frame against his, trying to warm myself up - trying to warm him up as he was the one who was truly drenched. Night was falling, the weather would only get colder, and it was not smart to be drenched in this weather. It was the least I could do, when I was too weak to hold myself together. At least I could try and offer warmth to the one thing that was keeping me from the deep depths of a depression without even knowing he was doing it...

"You shouldn't stay with him! He's bad news!" screeched my hawk as he came down for a nose dive. "Scathashoun doesn't care that you're pregnant! He'd kill the baby if it ever came! Why do you think he's still pounding you in the stomach?!" I didn't flinch, I didn't cower. I didn't move. The talons scratched against the flesh of my face, wings smashing into my poll as if to knock some sense into me. It was true, I could suppose, that Scathashoun didn't care about the fact that I was with child, but I was, and it deserved a father. It was the same old situation. Abusive relationship, telling myself he loved me. Not accepting the fact that the stag of massive height only had a lust for my frame, and to use me as his toy. I hadn't been able to accept that I was worth more than that. No one had ever given me a chance to be more than that. And so I screamed back, my jaw trying to clamp onto my hawk's wings to get back at him for smashing me in the face and making my forehead sting. "He loves me! He has too!"

And I was crying. The hawk didn't stop swirling around my face, taking every chance it was given to smack me, to try and get me to realize what was going on. "For living thousands of years, you are so dumb. You know that Rasta. Do I have to be your conscience the entire time?!" He hissed, hovering over my face as I felt the world around me. I was trying to feel the vibrations. I was trying to feel Scathashoun's return. But, before he could my body was seizing. So much pain, and with a nearly broken back I couldn't stand it. I couldn't keep my frame upright as the contractions that were coming far too early for a live child came in waves. I screamed, pain filling my chords as I pleaded with the heavens. Not my baby! Please. Not the baby!

And Scathashoun came. He attempted to comfort me. His maw resting on the fractured portion of my spine - the portion that was to be healed later by someone who cared, but I couldn't accept did - and with each contraction he would pull on my flesh, agitating my spine even more than what the contractions were doing. I was sobbing. I was begging for the pain to stop, and my hawk was trying to attack Scathashoun's face, but each time he came close the stag would pin his ears, as if he were going to murder him.

When the pain finally stopped, the mangled form of a foal, not fully grown, was laying bloody on the ground behind me. I was staggering to my feet, needing to rest against the tree, and unable to look at the fifth miscarriage I had lived through in my years - the product of what had been, at the least, my twelfth rape. I couldn't see the tiny form. I couldn't bare to look at what had been a piece of hope for my mind. I was trying to feel the vibrations of everything around me except the dead, not grown foal at my feet. But all I felt, instead, was the crushing of bone as he stomped all over what would have been his child. "I told you he would do it" the hawk told me and I turned my head toward the built stallion. "STOP! That's your child, Scathashoun! That could have been your son!" But he doesn't listen, and he continues to stamp on the child until it is only blood and shattered bones, too weak and unformed to last through it. I'm crying. Crying and sobbing, my back screaming in pain with each heave of my chest. And Scathashoun leaves. He gallops away. He doesn't say goodbye.

I slide down the tree, keeping my back pressed up against the bark to try and support it against the pain, and my hawk curls up on my withers. He's trying to comfort me, but nothing can. I am radiating pain and grief. I am alone. But my hawk understands...

I hadn't realized it, but I truly was crying in real life. I was so enveloped in the memory of my hawk chastising me, trying to get me to understand that the life I had been living wasn't a good one - that I deserved better. It wasn't until I felt his muzzle against my forehead, moving the tears away from my face as they fell that I slowly came back into reality. Explanation. He needs an explanation as to why I'm mute. I decided then and there that even through the tears I would give him that much. And so, with a gentle brush of my maw against his cheek I headed back over toward the tree, to try and explain why, and how long, I was mute.

It took him a while, and I repeated the motion multiple times. But, slowly he began to piece it together. My legs trembling as the cold water seemed to ripple around my limbs. He says Tallsun and I'm instantly nodding my head through the tears. And, hesitantly, he connected the two pieces together. No voice until Tallsun. I nodded my head, wading my way out of the water and instantly shivering as the air seems to get colder and colder. Carefully, I pull up beside him knowing that he has to be as cold as I and wanting to offer him some semblance of warmth as the sun falls away. He sidesteps in closer to me, pressing his side up against mine before he starts to look around, stating that it was getting late. A frown falls upon his face as well. And, he then says we should find a place to rest before he took me back to the Throat. I shook my head. No. No Throat. Too much of an outsider. No one understands. I thought to myself, before realizing I would have to clarify this no that I was giving him. Pressing my maw against his throat, and letting out a few warm puffs of air I shook my head again. I repeated the process one more time before giving a few seconds pause to try and signify that I was changing clues. Another shake of my head, and then one stamp of my hoof. I'm reaching for his cranium, trying to signify understands, and then I'm pressing my maw back against his Throat. No one understands me at the Throat... I'm too different... I think to myself, the tears flooding my eyes again.

Again, I'm burying my face in the crook behind his shoulder, allowing the tears to rack my frame until I can bring myself to stop. It takes a few minutes, but I'm able to slowly collect myself. The heaving of my chest has stopped, though the shivering has not. So, as I pull my face away I close my eyes and give a light swish of my tail. A vibration ripples out around me, and I can clearly see the forest layout now. A grove of trees, to the North, and not too far. I memorize the distance in my mind before opening my eyes and giving a tug on his mane. One toss of my maw to the North and I start to trot off in that direction, hoping that he'll follow. Safety, for the night. But I can't say that. Don't know how... A snort, a glance back to ensure he's following me, and I can feel bark scrape against my shoulder. My audits pin backwards in pain, as I glance down to my right side, noticing the light speckling of blood against my pale pelt. Perhaps I should keep my attention on the world around me... until I get used to feeling vibrations and seeing at the same time...

One wince, and I'm off again, letting out a small whinny to be sure he knows where I am. After all, I have no urge to run into an other tree simply because I wasn't looking that direction. And, a few minutes later I have run across the grove of trees. I stop, waiting for him for a second before sliding between two trees and looking in. It was a circle, maybe twenty feet across. But, the trees would make it slightly difficult to get into, and most would probably walk past it without a second thought. So I wiggled the rest of the way in before collapsing in a ball at the center of this grove. My body shivering as I tried to find a way to keep as much body heat as possible. It was difficult, though, when my pelt was so thin from living in the Throat during these past seasons.

Alleo will need warmth too... I thought, before snorting and pressing my maw to the ground in front of me, my eyes peering up at him as if I was asking for him to join me. We need to stay warm tonight. No one is going to die...

I felt something touching my face. Something nudging at my neck as the images flashed through my skull, the pain and horror taking over my body. I could even hear my name, but the images were too strong in their hold and I was unable to break free. I was so lost in those images I didn't even pay too much heed to the tugging of my mane. But, when I was finally able to start to rip myself free from them all I saw was Alleo there, waiting patiently for me.

Somehow I managed to explain how I was mute until Tallsun, and I was back at his side. Of course, I was trembling a little bit from the cold air as it clung to my wet coat. At the mention of going back to the Throat I shook my head before pressing my maw to his throat. He asked, saying the words out loud and I bobbed my head. Yes. I don't want to go to the Throat. He said okay, and after a small pause asked if I wanted to go the Foothills. I shrugged, eyes flickering a little bit before I tossed my head at him. With you, sure... You understand... I stepped my way closer to him, lipping at his side in an attempt to try and phrase the idea of "with you, only" without the use of words to aid.

With the struggle still radiating in my brain I tried to find somewhere to stay for the night. After all, I was the one who was accustomed to reaching out to the lands around me in order to get to safety plenty of times before. When I found it, I tried to gain his attention, stumbling forward. Trees scraping up against my shoulder as I fought with my depth perception. But, it seemed only one scrape was required for him to be right behind her, reaching out above her in order to push the branches away that were clawing for my sides like hungry beasts. If words would have left my maw, a thank you would have been provided, but alas, that would not happen yet. In Tallsun, though, if he really was still helping me, he would get far more than a thanks considering how he seemed to be my lifeline at the moment.

Upon entering the grove it seemed that the giant would not be content until he had searched every single nook and cranny of the place. I had felt no danger, and it hadn't changed yet, so I went to the center and laid down, my body shivering uncontrollably with no light left in the sky to keep me warm and the cold air grasping at my pelt. He moved toward me as I touched my maw to the ground, looking up at him pointedly, trying to get the stag to join me. But, before he joined he was circling again, one last time.

When he finally came to lay down beside me, he lowered his muscled frame behind mine and then stretched his neck out so that it hooked over my side. With a small yank he had me pressed up against his side, the warmth of our too bodies working hard to try and keep the other just as warm. He said to rest, and so I carefully placed my cranium against his forelegs, allowing my eyes to shut. Scars of the back injury pressed against his side and the shivering slowing down for the moment. Soon my breathing evened out and I was in a deep sleep beside the one thing that I was actually trusting to keep me safe, to understand me when it seemed that I was going to have to be alone.