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This is something
All or nothing
RIFT
The grin that perched so carefully upon his lips grew wider, settling there upon his face in a declaration of his comfort and care. Eyes remaining focused upon the bandaged lass for a moment before switching back toward the lovely cyan pools of Naerys, the scarlet lad almost didn't notice the arrival of yet another mare. Carmine eyes tracking her movement, Rift noted that the charcoal femme sported wings and a horn dipped in gold, a combination of appendages that the lad had yet to see in Helovia. Tilting his head to the side, curiosity apparent, the gangly stallion couldn't help but notice how the nightshade miss' demeanor was awash in confidence, a trait that Rift immediately found himself wishing for.
The newest stranger spoke a greeting to the bandaged lass and moved to stand at her side, the pair existing in striking contrast in both color and demeanor. As his lips parted to issue a greeting of his own, she turned her face to address Rift directly and the stallion found himself awash in a violent tide of emotion. Her eyes. His eyes. The eyes of his father and of his siblings.
The jewelled eyes that existed only in tandem with death.
His heart fluttered spastically, a lone sparrow desperately attempting to flee the bonds of it's cage. His breathing sputtered to a stop and the earth seemed to shift beneath his hooves, tilting precariously toward the unknown. Spindly legs began to tremble ever so slightly as visions from his childhood assaulted his senses; who was this woman with the garnet eyes? Where did she come from? Was she even real?
Questions and panic flooded the brute's mind and he was forced to close his eyes, forced to take control of his existence and refuse the weakness that threatened to consume him in that moment. The chestnut stag focused on the even sound of the newest mare's voice, consciously hooking onto the comfortable timbre as if it were the only thing anchoring him to the earth.
After a few breaths, Rift was able to open his eyes, though he avoided the gaze of the mare - Ranjiri, if he had heard correctly - as he replied, focusing upon the less familiar face of Laedere, "Thank you for your welcome, Ranjiri, it is well received." His strangled voice fell from his lips like so many prayers for deliverance, the tone and tenor only barely masking the confusion that he felt, "I guess I'm from a few lands, if I am being honest. I was born in a vast canyon upon the continent of Unbridled, though that realm is no more." He did his best to hide the pain in his face, but knew that he had never been very skilled at stoicism.
Just as the silence was becoming thick, the first mare to approach him, Brisa, spoke. Her voice was as sweet as the grin she offered, causing Rift's lips to curl upward in return; he would forever feel indebted to the angelic mare for breaking whatever spell he had been under. Her offer of rest and discovery was very tempting, for he was near exhaustion from his travels and the blue-eyed mare seemed just the sort of gentle to help him heal. But the reply died on his lips as Laedere's lilting vocals rang out tentatively over the emerald waters.
Another offer of rest and discovery, this time with the possibility of being accompanied by Ranjiri and her eyes that echoed his own. The proposal was not lost upon the rogue, as his head was nearly overflowing with questions that he intended to ask the multicolored mare, but his attentions were suddenly drawn to his side where the winged child stood with her head tucked carefully against her neck. He scanned her small frame, noting the tension in her muscles, how her bonding was preening at her short mane, and the flowers that had sprung up beneath her tiny hooves.
Pain. She had been in pain and he hadn't even noticed, too wrapped up in his own pathetic concerns for the past.
He stepped toward her then, nodding attentively as she spoke with a voice that hid what pain she had experienced; a sort of internal torture that the scarlet lad knew all too well. Her offer of receiving him in her home faded into the sounds of the forest and he didn't reply, instead moving to gently drape a wing over her thin figure; the action all at once protective and nurturing. Dipping his head toward Naerys, Rift bumped his velvet nose against her cheek ever so softly, hoping with all of his heart that she would understand that she was not alone in her experiences.
He let the silence hang between the company, he let it become thick and tangible, like a beast hovering in the atmosphere waiting to pounce. His mind was racing and he felt the weight of his decisions pushing down upon his spine. At length, he straightened, wing still draped assuringly over Naery's shoulders, and when he spoke, his voice had taken on a certain sense of stubbornness while still retaining it's careful courtesy.
"I thank you for your offer, Brisa, and while I do wish to spend time within your Falls and learn about you, I must respectfully decline. I do hope that we may be able to continue contact in the near future." He nodded toward the lovely mare and prayed that she wouldn't be hurt by his rejection. Turning his gaze toward that of the Dragon's Throat pair, Rift forced himself to meet Ranjiri's ruby stare, "And I thank you, Laedere and Ranjiri. I would be more than glad to accompany you to the Dragon's Throat, as I have many questions for you. Yet..." He trailed off, his attention pulled once again to the chocolate painted child tucked at his side, "Naerys..." his voice was but a murmur, but the way he uttered her name seemed to hold his heart within it. He stared unwaveringly, almost challengingly into the gazes of Laedere and Ranjiri for a moment before breaking the silence yet again.
"I will not leave her." There was a steel to his manor that he had never truly experienced and found himself almost surprised at his actions, "I wish to escort her back to her World's Edge, to her mother and her herd. I will find whatever entrance there is to the Dragon's Throat and there I will wait for you, but I will not leave Naerys until I know she is safe within her borders."
He had not protected Avarice, and he had paid that price as she took her life.
He refused to take that chance now.
Sorry for how long this is! definitely feel free to reply with like 250 words if that's what you get out! There was just a lot of stuff going on. Sorry!! dont feel pressure!!
