11-03-2019, 02:38 PM
The day continued to surprise, as Raul laid eyes on the piebald stallion who emerged from the brush. Mistrust seeped into the scene, already volatile with the emotions running through it. As much as it off balanced the buckskin stallion to see his sire here and now, he had far more pressing things on his mind.
He nodded curtly in the elder stallion's direction, acknowledging his presence, then returned his gaze to the little one at the heart of things. His mismatched eyes drank in every detail, every shadow and plain that made up the boy. Buried beneath the neglect and the hardship, a strength pushed through the youngster's bones. The inherent courage of one forced to face things far larger than himself at far too young an age.
The painted boy spoke again, his voice as soft as Raul's own. The words that reach him are not the ones he wanted to hear, but they are not altogether unexpected. Gone. Yes, she was gone. And if the boy's condition were anything to go by, it had been a long while since. Warlight, his beautiful Warlight. She had been full of life once, even when sickness dogged her. A warrior who loved her home and her family. And him. He'd thought so, anyway.
There were deep layers there, things done wrong on all sides. It had been an era of fear and judgement, and maybe that was why they had clung to each other so strongly. Why they had burned bright, then burned out. And he had thought himself alone again. But she had not been alone, had she? Not if what he saw was truth. She'd carried him with her, beside her, until her unknown fate caught up.
What could be say to make sense of any of this? To begin to patch up the tattered remains of a history he knew only one side of. An uneasy glance towards the looming figure of Castile reminded him of how tenuous this all was. Blood did not mean everything. Sometimes all it managed to do was burn the ones it joined.
His throat constricted, felt as raw as it had the day he'd made his sacrifice. It would not surprise him in the least of blood spilled from his lips instead of words. Sometimes it was good to be wrong. The gravely rasp of his voice forced its way past the choking point, out into the space between them. "I am sorry to hear that. Your mother was very dear to me..." The words cracked between his teeth. They may well be blood, as this was his heart on display.
He shook with emotion, held it tight to his chest as he pondered where they could go from here. He could not abandon the child, it was out of the question. Nor was he certain where they could go. To stay by the river might do for a while, but it was not a permanent solution. He shook his heavy head, too weary to unravel the jumble of thoughts fighting for dominance.
"Did she ever... do you know your father?" He could. be wrong, after all. The resemblance was striking, but it was no promise of relation. If Warlight was the child's mother, she may well have found herself in other company when they had parted ways. It didn't matter though. Not to him. His or not, the boy needed help. Needed care. And if the bone-crowned mare had birthed him, Raul couldn't give a damn who else's blood he carried. Not if it meant he got to hold a piece of her once more.
@[Clegane] @[Castile]
He nodded curtly in the elder stallion's direction, acknowledging his presence, then returned his gaze to the little one at the heart of things. His mismatched eyes drank in every detail, every shadow and plain that made up the boy. Buried beneath the neglect and the hardship, a strength pushed through the youngster's bones. The inherent courage of one forced to face things far larger than himself at far too young an age.
The painted boy spoke again, his voice as soft as Raul's own. The words that reach him are not the ones he wanted to hear, but they are not altogether unexpected. Gone. Yes, she was gone. And if the boy's condition were anything to go by, it had been a long while since. Warlight, his beautiful Warlight. She had been full of life once, even when sickness dogged her. A warrior who loved her home and her family. And him. He'd thought so, anyway.
There were deep layers there, things done wrong on all sides. It had been an era of fear and judgement, and maybe that was why they had clung to each other so strongly. Why they had burned bright, then burned out. And he had thought himself alone again. But she had not been alone, had she? Not if what he saw was truth. She'd carried him with her, beside her, until her unknown fate caught up.
What could be say to make sense of any of this? To begin to patch up the tattered remains of a history he knew only one side of. An uneasy glance towards the looming figure of Castile reminded him of how tenuous this all was. Blood did not mean everything. Sometimes all it managed to do was burn the ones it joined.
His throat constricted, felt as raw as it had the day he'd made his sacrifice. It would not surprise him in the least of blood spilled from his lips instead of words. Sometimes it was good to be wrong. The gravely rasp of his voice forced its way past the choking point, out into the space between them. "I am sorry to hear that. Your mother was very dear to me..." The words cracked between his teeth. They may well be blood, as this was his heart on display.
He shook with emotion, held it tight to his chest as he pondered where they could go from here. He could not abandon the child, it was out of the question. Nor was he certain where they could go. To stay by the river might do for a while, but it was not a permanent solution. He shook his heavy head, too weary to unravel the jumble of thoughts fighting for dominance.
"Did she ever... do you know your father?" He could. be wrong, after all. The resemblance was striking, but it was no promise of relation. If Warlight was the child's mother, she may well have found herself in other company when they had parted ways. It didn't matter though. Not to him. His or not, the boy needed help. Needed care. And if the bone-crowned mare had birthed him, Raul couldn't give a damn who else's blood he carried. Not if it meant he got to hold a piece of her once more.
@[Clegane] @[Castile]