No Time for Lies and Empty Fights
It was instinct.
How the exotic ants of faraway jungles knew to defend the territory of their host tree, to bite and maim sapling invaders so that the nest they had laid in was not compromised. It was how raucous rainbow bird knew to feed off sour clay banks to counteract the residual poison their last meal imparted. It was how the lesser of one species knew to respect and uphold those fancier, larger and swifter of mind. Veci knew that his Boggart company was yet greater than he. There was no need for sympathetic eyes, desperate grovelling and impromptu serenading to herald her existence; their kind knew none of that unnecessary extravagance. Still stronger though than the will of his nature to submit to her stature above him, was the urge to defend and support his partner- the gigantic orange stallion. For that moment of time, when their bonded creatures clashed so violently together, the swirling, angry spectre ignored her- except to harass about her in swirling zephyr-like bursts if she so dared to defy Hector’s liberty again.
The great winged stallion flailed insubordinately as his words word buried helplessly beneath the overbearing roar of his assailant’s instruction; his mind buckled obediently, for the sake of safety, for the sake of those hankering so pitifully beneath the drum of unruly hooves. His body, though just barely stricken by that formidable virus felt not the same desire it once would have to conform, to yield to the ruling of its struggling owner. Already the illness had reached his veins, and it fed ravenously on the purity of his blood; the warmth, the adrenaline, all fuelling rapid incubation within. The flimsy breath of darkness had already begun to cloud his face, and vessels lining each eye began to inflate and inflame despite the frantic whirl of his skull as mind reeled unmercifully over matter- always weakening, beginning to fail.
Enormous round hooves clattered clumsily as he descended through the hole before the dark bay, they held not now that calm confidence of one stained and scarred by battle. Hector barrelled down the corridor at a wobbly, cumbersome trot, the sheer wall of lava-light; the radiating warmth from it, spilling across him to burn and sear as though the barrier of crystal had failed right then as he passed beneath. On he continued, momentum gathered and that bulk bearing down from behind not allowing his crude gait to slow for a second. He could not feel the caress of Veci’s mind any longer, though still he could think quite clearly- he felt terribly alone… and so strange, fiercely angry. The ring of hooves striking the wet cave floor echoed furiously around them, filling the relative sense of tranquillity set through the idle population of healthy souls- Midas and the wraith had fallen through the mouth also, their struggle filling up the remnants of silence with ease.
The sound of water, the gurgling fountain; liquid redemption, filled straining, swivelling ears and for a moment the ginger creature wanted to resist it. Large round knees stiffened defiantly and soiled hooves skidded roughly along the worn stone path, but there was no stopping; no hesitating, and Hector drove left when the Wall of History opened to his side. The etchings glowed fiercely upon him as he passed by them indifferently towards the bubbling water source- and with every ounce of will remaining, the stallion thrust down his maw into the sweet cool substance. Sucking greedily, he filled his stomach- but he felt little change within, perhaps only the return of his bonded’s thoughts; that his guard had rather turned into more of a naughty game in which his Kin should try to slip by. He shook his twice-horned cranium and sighed heavily in response, all the while clearing, tangerine eyes sought those who had followed him into Helovia’s Heart.
With a splash the wraith hit the pool beneath the fountain’s cool murmur, and Hector staggered backwards amidst the gush of spilled water as it puddled around his step. The mission had been a success- he recalled suddenly and quickly the reason they had been flaunting themselves above ground; and a triumphant smirk was proffered to both stallions around him. The mare’s body seemed to repair with the speed of light; it was like nothing he could have imagined or foreseen- it was a miracle. After what felt like mere minutes, she scrambled to her feet, fearful eyes searching the confines of their refuge, and the shrill sound of panic filled the tri-bred stallion’s forward-resting ears. Even before he could step across her path, the creature flung herself forward, slipping from the shimmering gaze of the inscriptions, and out towards The Sanctuary’s doorstep.
"No!" He sprang forward calling after her fleeing form, but the effort was in vain; the frenzy of her stride was already dimming as she broke from their fortress. Disappointment flooded features that were normally stiffened by stark indifference and he turned away, back towards his comrades.
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