Patrol.

A simple word, and a simple but highly important task. The markers are renewed, soft words of greeting and inquiries exchanged between passing workers, and the day toils on. At least, it does for Kaj. Until now. A young Protector had come to him, worry upon his brow as he softly confessed to a strange sight. A doe that smelled of them, but covered in blood and unresponsive. Kaj had queried further, and the moment the poor youth had described the mare he didn’t know, the massive stallion had set out at a dead run. Silence was not important, and he could not take to the skies with Resplendence so terrified of his wings. The trees would shelter her form anyways, and she was only going to be found on foot. With the directions of the last seen checkmark from the young protector still ringing in his head, Kaj thundered down the length of the border until he reached the marker the messenger had informed him of. Swiveling, nostrils flaring to display hot pink, Kaj caught the barest hint of her scent mingled with the thick iron of blood, and his path was swiftly changed.

All the while, questions ran rampant through his head.

Why does she have blood on her?

Is she hurt?

Is it hers?

Who hurt her?

Rage was boiling inside of his chest, snarling and thrashing, demanding freedom, howling for a target to unleash itself upon. Whoever had harmed his little sister was going to pay in blood and in life the moment Kaj received a name from her trembling lips. The fact that somebody wished to harm someone so scarred and nervous in the first place only amped up his fury, fueling the adrenaline that surged through his powerful body as he raced to find the fragile femme he had sworn to protect and cherish.

He doesn’t see her first.

An obsidian form and a pale face greet him, and he slams his hooves to the earth, scoring and marking it up into deep ruts. He must look a sight, nostrils wide and ears pinned, muscles tensed to nearly double their size and wings flared. In time, as he shudders to a full stop, Kaj recognizes her. Antheia. He had been the one to accept her so long ago, receiving her from Apollo’s kind guidance. And in stopping, Resplendence is revealed to him. Locking azures upon her form, he brushes past Antheia in a whirl, pale muzzle immediately going to the blood caked onto her neck and chest. It is dry, and as he frantically searches her body he finds no wound. ”Oh aardbei, zusje what happened? Who hurt you? Who did this?” His voice is a combination of worry, love, and anger.

Covering her in tiny kisses of his muzzle to her skin, Kaj stood at her side and tentatively moved his wing to cover her. She was covered in muck, and it was likely only cooling her further in the chill of Frostfall. ”It’s okay,” he crooned quietly, ”I’m here, I promise.” Words she may or may not hear in her shock, but he draped himself around and over her, spreading his warmth and love, wing protectively shielding her from any trace of wind that wished to cut across her canvas. How thankful he was now for having been born with such large wings.

Icy blue eyes turned to Antheia. He knew she would never harm a living creature, he’d been the one to judge her after all when she’d been at the borders. But if he shifted more to shield Resplendence from view of Antheia, well at least it was subtle. ”Do you know what happened to her? Where she came from?” The rumble of his voice took on the tone he rarely used, the one he reserved for giving orders to the Protectors, or in dire situations like battle. It was militaristic, sharp, commanding. Nothing like the tone he’d employed for Resplendence, but not cold either. The blazing look upon his features suggested to anyone who saw that if anything or anyone tried to get to the shattered girl beneath his wing, he’d kill them where they stood.

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Notes: So very late I’m sorry!
Tag: @[Resplendence] @[Antheia]
Translation: aardbei- strawberry :: zusje- baby sister