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SA | Blindsided | Muiris and Ezmeralda RP | Part 1

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Muiris:

The mission was supposed to be easy. Muiris, alongside a few other Raiders, were told to slip into a Vagabond camp, take what was valuable, and get out. No fighting, no complications, just a quick in-and-out job. Of course, it never worked out in their favor. Muiris had entered it first, his ears on a constant swivel and muscles twitching at every little sound that surrounded them. His gaze found a fire pit, its flames long since put out. He opened his mouth, turning to call the others after him, but then they attacked. The Vagabonds had been waiting for them, hiding in the shadows and behind trees, leaving their camp seemingly open for the taking.

Battle cries from the group of Vagabonds sounded as they charged the small group of Raiders, weapons drawn and coats painted to make them blend in with their surroundings. Muiris found himself frozen in time for a moment, hearing the shouts of his warrior brothers as they accepted the challenge and fought back, leaving him in the midst of deciding what course of action he wanted to take.

Being older now, Muiris was better able to contain his.. “gift.” He was able to fight his bloodlust, his want to kill, his blinding rage that followed the start of war. It was tiring, but he was able to do it.

He was pulled out of his phase by a shout to the right of him, one of his warrior partners calling him back into reality. A bloodcurdling grin played across the roan’s lips, his blood pumping harder with every racing heartbeat as he made his decision.

He gave in.

The fight hadnt lasted very long after Muiris gave into the feel for battle. Blood splattered his dark coat, most of it was not his own. His trusty war hammer hung at its side, the feel of it crushing bone still rattled through his own. His breath heaved, teeth clenched as he stood over the body of the last Vagabond, its skull crushed under his spiked shoe. His ears pinned against his head as one of the other raiders approached him, asking him if he was ready to go.

Muiris snapped his teeth, his nostrils flaring as he lunged at the other raider, stopping just before tearing into his neck. He knew who the good guy was- but the urge to attack was still unbearable. The other raider stumbled back, giving him space as the rest of them collected what they could from the camp and left, giving Muiris time to cool off.

This was how it always went.

Muiris would win the battle, they would collect the bounty, he would be left alone.

With a snort, blood splattering at his hooves, Muiris took on a trot away from the camp, his hooves angrily slamming into the ground with each step. His vision was dark, his pulse sounding in his ears. He was just so.. mad. The stench of blood lingered in his nostrils as he let out a shout of frustration, slamming his hoof into a nearby small tree, nearly snapping it with the sheer, uncontained power of his hoof. He felt the hit run through his body, his lips twitching.

It didnt make him feel better, but it sure helped him blow off some unwanted steam.(552)

Ezmeralda:

    It had been a rather peaceful day of herding alongside her sister, Roselia, in the mountains of Onea. The soft sounds of their bighorn sheep could be heard occasionally on their way down the mountainside. They were on their way to their summer grazing grounds in the Farmlands where the sheep would get their yearly shave of their wool, and they would then be released to roam their family’s land and fatten up after the long, hard winter months.

    The painted mare’s ears swiveled back and forth as she took up the front of the herd, using her blessing to make the flock follow after her without having any of them stray away and set their travel time back. The mountains were quiet aside from the whistle of the wind that pulled at the long mane and tail. There were no signs of movement or any other equines which was a blessing in itself. Cultists had been hanging around Onea a little more frequently than Ezmeralda was comfortable with, and she wasn’t much of a fighter if it came down to her having to fight them off of her and her sister.

    Hours seemed to pass by slowly in the boredom that was traveling the path today, and as time went on, Ezmeralda allowed her mind to wander slightly. She wondered what she would do during this summer when they didn’t need to watch their flock’s every single move. Maybe she’d visit some friends… if she really had any that is. Of course, she had a few herder friends, but she didn’t want to bother them if they were busy with their own herds.

    Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a loud thud and angry shouting, and Ezmeralda froze in her path, her muscles tensing in case they had to run. Roselia came to the front of the herd, standing beside her older sister as they stared down the path to watch for any signs of danger.

    Ezmeralda’s heart pounded in her chest, and she could have sworn that Roselia could hear it as she opened her mouth to speak. “I-I want you to stay here. I’m going to s-see what’s happening up ahead.” She could see the protect about to leave her sister’s lips, but Ezmeralda was already gone. If it was something dangerous, she didn’t want her sister to get hurt.

    The unicorn mare walked slowly down the path toward the sound of pounding hooves and shouting. Her heart felt as though it would jump right out of her chest, but as she poked her head around a bend in the mountain path, she saw something that she certainly hadn’t expected. “Muiris?” Ezmeralda muttered slightly louder than she had intended, and she quickly ducked back behind the rock wall before he noticed her. Her green eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head as she thought of what she had seen. Had it really been him? It certainly looked like the seal bay Raider that she knew, but had she seen…. blood all over his pelt? Was he hurt? She wished desperately to check on him, to make sure he was alright. Surely, he’d be okay with her just checking on him and then leaving him to deal with whatever it was he was dealing with if he didn’t want her there in the end, right?

    Walking slowly around the bend in the path, her stomach twisted into knots of nervousness at the sight of him. She looked at the small tree that he was kicking to see it nearly shattered, and with each frustrated snort or shout he gave, she flinched slightly. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Ezmeralda hesitantly took a step backwards, and nearly jumped out of her skin as she placed her weight on a twig that made a loud snap as it broke beneath her. Well, if he hadn’t heard her before, he certainly had now.

    She looked up from the ground fearfully to his blood-spattered coat, seeing the anger that curled up his lips. Well, there was no leaving now, and worry for him planted her feet to the ground. It was obvious that something was wrong, and she wanted to help him even if he didn’t want her there. “M-m-muiris? Is that you?” Ezmeralda asked, a worried expression painted on her face. “Are you hurt?” // (Word Count: 707)

Muiris:

His ears flicked back, his eyes flashing momentarily as he thought he heard a voice on the breeze, his head whipping around with a snap of his teeth to find the culprit; but all he saw was a wall made of rock. The wing was to his disadvantage, blowing at him rather than up behind him. He didnt know that he wasnt alone. He snorted again, flicking his mess of a tied tail that had caught on branches and bushes along the way, pulling it partly from its binds.

With a low grumble, he turned away from where he thought he heard the voice, pressing himself further into the tree line in an attempt to find a more secluded area. Sure, the older he got, the easier it was for him to control himself.. Well.. control when his rages began. Snapping out of it however? That was the more difficult task. Each time, his mind felt more and more clouded. His vision blurred in and out more consistently. His heart was still racing, even after the battle had been over nearly a half hour before.

Sucking in a deep breath, the stallion’s wild gaze found a shadow among the trees; a part where the tops had gathered and darkened the ground beneath them. He pointed himself toward the secluded area, taking a step.

Snap!

His nostrils flared as he tipped his head down to check his hoof. He hadnt stepped on anything.. Whipping his head around, blurred eyes searched for the culprit. If he hadnt broken the branch, then someone did, which meant he was no longer alone. He gritted his teeth together as he heard his name float through the air, pulling his attention back to the figure who had apparently followed him. At first, he assumed it belonged to a surviving Vagabond. His muscles tensed, his nerves skyrocketed. With a subconscious snap, his shod hooves dug into the soft forest ground beneath him and he lunged, teeth ready to tear skin.

Though he had been slow to recognise the owner of the voice, he was able to catch himself just in time, his eyes widening as he dug his hooves back into the earth they had just left, sliding to a stop just before his teeth hit their target. “E-ezmeralda?” His voice was hoarse, his mind distracted briefly by the familiar face before it triggered him again, a snarl passing his lips.

He fought his twitching muscles, shoving himself away from the mare as quickly as he could before bumping into the trunk of a tree. She couldnt see him like this. He didnt want to lose his friend that he had grown so attached to. Not even Fox knew of his secret, as he was sure anyone who found out would push him away like the other Raiders had.

“Y-you need to go. You c-cant..” Stumbling over his words, his voice got louder, anger flashing in his eyes before he bit his tongue. A growl emitted from his throat as his mind hazed over again. I have to get out of there. Run.. run now!

His legs were moving before he had time to process his thoughts, his hooves carrying him as fast as they could toward the shaded trees. He shoved his way past the bushes and foliage, branches breaking against his legs and scraping his stomach. He didnt know where he was going, he just had to get away. Not only for his own safety, but for Ezmeralda’s as well. Frustration built up through his veins, causing him to lash out once more; this time his teeth digging into a low hanging branch, ripping the leaves from their stems and dropping them at his blood-splashed hooves.(621)

Ezmeralda:

    Ezmeralda watched worriedly as Muiris swung his head to look at his own hooves as if they were the culprit for the sudden snap of the branch before looking up at her. She half expected for there to be some kind of recognition in his eyes. Maybe after being startled for a moment, he’d offer her that smile of his that she liked so much, but what she got instead was him barrelling toward her, his mouth open to fight.

    Her emerald eyes widened in fear, and she fought for her legs to carry her out of the way of his attack to no avail. The unexpectedness of the situation and the look of absolute volatile anger of his face seemed to have frozen her still. Ezmeralda squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for impact. The sound of his metal shoes on the ground reached her ears, and she opened one of her eyes to inspect what was going on. Muiris had stopped dangerously close to her, and it was then that she was truly able to get a good look at his condition. His brown eyes were wild, as if his body didn’t belong to him any longer. The blood on his pelt didn’t appear to be coming from any wounds of his own which led her to assume that it was someone else’s. She recalled all the times that her Raider uncles had come home from a successful, or rather unsuccessful, raid with blood on their pelt that they had worn like trophies. They had come home with bright smiles on their faces, telling the kids about the dangerous tales of their journeys. Maybe that was what had happened to Muiris: a raid gone wrong.

    The hoarseness of his voice when he spoke her name broke her heart, and she almost reached out to him, to comfort him and keep away whatever was going on in his mind that was making him this way, but before she got the chance, the large stallion let out a loud growl, his lips pulling back in a snarl.

    Ezmeralda fell back with a look of fear and confusion on her face, unsure what Muiris would do or what exactly was wrong. All she knew was that this Muiris that stood before her wasn’t the Muiris who had rescued her from spending the night on the cold, relentless mountain. “Y-you need to go. You c-cant..” She heard him say as he threw himself away from her as if trying to protect her from himself. The anger in his voice was still there, and she heard another deep growl erupt from him, but if he were trying to protect her and not tear her throat out, the Muiris she knew was there somewhere.

    Fear and nervousness enveloped her, and her long tail curled around her body as it normally did when she was feeling insecure or afraid, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not when he was like this. “Muiris, i-it’s alright. It’ll be okay. I-I want to help…” She muttered, taking a small step toward him. She could see the inner turmoil in his demeanor and the way he seemed to be fighting with himself to stay in control.

    Before she got the chance to get closer to him, he was gone. His blood-stained hooves were carrying him toward the forest at a dangerously fast speed. The painted mare whipped her head back down the path where her sister was waiting with their flock before turning back to follow the direction Muiris had went as she fought with herself whether or not to follow him. He had said that he wanted her to leave… but he wasn’t himself. Plus, in the condition he was in right now, he could very likely hurt himself, and Ezmeralda wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she knew that could have at least tried to bring him out of… whatever this may be.

    The unicorn took a deep breath to calm her nerves before diving into the forest after him, careful to keep her head low enough for her pink horns not to be get caught in the low-hanging branches as she galloped after him. “Muiris! Wait!” Ezmeralda called after him. She didn’t have a clue what her plan was to help him nor did she know what she would do if he ended up accidentally attacking or hurting her in his current state of mind, but she tried her hardest not to worry about it as her hooves carried her through the path in the forest that Muiris had taken. All Ezmeralda knew for sure was that she was going to help a friend in need just like he had helped her all those nights ago when she had needed someone. // (Word Count: 797)

Muiris:

His heart pounded harder than before, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He needed to calm down if he ever wanted to return to normal, but fear for his friend had caused him to backtrack. She didnt understand- hell, he didnt fully understand. All he knew was that he had to find a way to regain control.  His hooves stumbled as the forest grew tighter around him, overgrown roots and fallen branches threatening to trip him up. He slowed as he rounded the bend in the path, his breath heaving in burning lungs. His ears stayed flat against his neck, eyes wide against the shadow of the trees.

His gaze flickered as he heard her call after him again, grinding his teeth together to keep himself from swirling around to attack again. It was just the fact that she was a living being that drove his senses up the wall, his conditioning telling him that he needed to fight. Grinding a hoof into the ground, the stallion weighed his options. She would soon be upon him again, and he would not be able to live with himself if he couldnt stop himself from attacking her this time. His wild amber eyes swept the trees around him, finding a cluster of large thickets, large enough for him to possibly hide in.

He stumbled toward them, his knees protesting from the sudden stop after his sprint, his legs aching from the strain they had already gone through. Sweat dabbed his neck and shoulders, his coat seeming to shine in the low light. He used his small horns to move bits of the thicket out of the way, though when a branch poked him, he lashed out and simply snapped it with his teeth. He didnt have the patience to deal with delicacy.

Once there was a gap big enough for him, he crawled in.

Branches stabbed at his back, but he welcomed it, the discomfort actually providing a worthy distraction. Muiris pulled part of the thicket back, hoping to hide himself. His eyes were wide with a mix of fear and confliction. His head pounded, his lungs ached. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Holding his breath, he kept an eye on the path, his ears pressed back and nose tucked to his chin in hoped that the shadow from the thicket would hide his dark coat.

He pressed his hoof into the soft soil beneath him, grinding it into the ground as flashes of rage and bloodlust still coursed through his body. It didnt take long for his hoof to dig a small hole, tearing roots from the grass below from their resting spot. He bit his tongue to keep himself from growling. He had to stay quiet. He felt bad for running, but he knew his painted friend couldnt help him. No one had been able to help him in all the years he had been battling this.. disease, why would that change now? He wanted to tell her, to explain to her, why that just wouldnt work, but he couldnt. Not in this frame of mind, anyways.

For now, he would just focus on making sure he didnt hurt her.(532)

Ezmeralda:

    She darted through the trees, weaving through the thickets of brambles that threatened to poke and prod at her skin as she galloped through the forest. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her eyes darted around at the landscape around her, seeing if she could spot Muiris’s dark coat amongst the trees.

    What was she doing? He had said that she needed to leave, and he had almost attacked her and had almost not realized it was even her. Normally the sight of someone so obviously angry and violent would send her running for the hills, but this was different. Her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of the charming, kind stallion that had offered to share his tent with her, a total stranger. How could someone so obviously caring and compassionate change so dramatically. When they had first met, it had surprised her a little that a stallion as friendly as he was had it in him to do the things that Raiders had to do: kill, pillage, and defend the herd from whatever intruders or dangers might arise, but maybe this was how he was able to do those things. He was able to lose himself in whatever emotions the job provoked.

     Doubt clouded her thoughts, and she soon ran blindly in the dark forest, letting her subconscious guide her. She didn’t know if she would be able to help him out of this state he was in, but she felt compelled to at least try. He would do the same for her after all if their situation was the other way around… or at least she thought he would. It would probably be less intimidating to quell the emotions of a defenseless herder such as herself than a skilled Raider like him, but she’d like to think that he would try calming her.

    Ezmeralda came to a stop in a small clearing, her breath coming out in small pants as she slowly recovered. Searching for any signs that Muiris had been through the area, her eyes scanned the clearing. Everything was eerily quiet, as if even the birds that would have normally been tweeting their happy tunes on the evening wind knew the gravity of the situation and had silenced themselves to save them from Muiris’s rage. ‘Kaia, let him be alright.’ She prayed silently, her long tail flicking behind her. With all the protruding branches, roots, and sharp thorns, it wouldn’t surprise her if he hurt himself on something.

    Something about the clearing made her feel like she wasn’t alone, and her ears swiveled in several directions to see if she could catch any sounds in the silence that enveloped the forest. Her brows made worried creases on her face, and her tail instinctively wrapped around her hind legs. There was no movement or sounds, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of something watching. “M-muiris? Are you there?” She called quietly, unsure whether or not to call out to him. “I want to help you, but I-I don’t know how.” Ezmeralda admitted, her ears flattening against her neck.

    She waited in silence for some kind of response, but the only sounds that could be heard were her own. Casting a look up at the sky through the tree limbs, she noticed that it had darkened considerably, and the moons could be seen floating above the trees. Ezmeralda let out a gentle sigh, turning to walk back to the mountain path she had been on. It was obvious that he wanted to be alone, and she stood no chance finding him with it getting dark out. Pausing for a brief moment, she fought with herself. Should she leave him out here all alone? “My sister and I will be camping near the forest tonight. F-feel free to join us. I’m there for y-you... whenever you’re ready.” Ezmeralda offered even though she wasn’t sure if he were even there to hear it. It felt like the only thing she could do to help him, but at least he knew that someone was there for him.

    With that, Ezmeralda set off to find her sister and set up camp, the bushes rattling as she walked through them to leave the darkening forest. // (Word Count: 706) 

Muiris:

His breath caught in his throat as she entered the clearing, his deep brown eyes watching her every movement. His hooves pressed harder into the ground as he leaned away from the edge of the thicket, the darkness fulling engulfing him. His ears flicked as she called for him again, the want to answer burning in the back of his mind, but his mouth stayed shut. She claimed she didnt know how to help him, but he didnt either. Dipping his muzzle down, he watched her with a careful gaze, his ears flicking back once more as she invited him to join her and her sister later.

He wasnt sure if he wanted to do that, even after he had calmed down. Then he would have to explain something that he didnt know how to explain. His eyes closed softly as she turned to leave, his ears twisting to follow to the sound of the rattling bushes as she made her way back down the worn path. He sucked in a deep breath of relief, his nostrils flaring as he finally exhaled his pent up breath.

A few minutes after she had left, he was finally managing to calm down. His breath was still ragged, his mind fuzzy, but his heart rate had decelerated. His vision was now blurry due to exhaustion and not rage. He could finally feel the pain in his muscles and skin from the raid, which is adrenaline otherwise blocked out. He slowly crawled out of his hiding place, wincing as the thicket poked his hide again. Branches snapped under his weight, causing him to flinch as if it meant someone was behind him. Once he managed to get himself to his hooves, his gaze turned to the sky. The bright blue of the afternoon had turned to a dark midnight, the moon hung high in the sky and shone through the small gaps in the trees above. The stallion’s knees shook from the strain of the hours before, but he ignored it as he turned back down the path.

There was a gash on his shoulder that he hadnt noticed before. He assumed it was from one of the Vagabond’s weapons, and it had struck him while he was on his high. Though he hadnt felt it before, he sure as hell did now. The pain ripped through his muscles and even up his neck and down his leg with every step, causing him to falter when he placed a hoof wrong. His muzzle twitched as he stared down the path, catching glimpses of Onea’s mountain’s from the gaps in the trees. There was no way he would be able to make it back to his camp in his condition, and it would be incredibly unsafe for him to stay alone..

He let out a shaky sigh, his eyes turning to the ground and messy tail flicking behind him. The bun in his mane had also started to pull loose, putting strands of his dark hair over his eyes and tickling in his ears. He had no choice; he had to find Ezmeralda and her sister. His chest clenched at the thought, flashes of him trying to attack her flashing in the back of his mind. He could now see how terrified she had been, heard the worry in her voice. Biting his lip, he pressed on, guilt weighing him down.

He scanned the horizon as he made his way down the path, the trees slowly clearing and making way for his stumbling form. The night held a cold breeze, actually making the stallion shiver as tired eyes looked for the camp of his friend. The scent of livestock brushed his nose, directing him where they might be. It didnt take long for a small fire to catch his attention, and he could hear the soft voices of the girls talking, but he didnt want to get too close. Slowly, he limped along the treeline, pausing behind a tall oak. He could clearly see the two girls, their sheep scattered around them, looking for feed. Licking his lips, he leaned against the tree with a soft grunt, protest ripping through his shoulder.

He hoped Ezmeralda would notice him- he didnt want to have to explain in front of her sister.. not yet. His ears flicked back, his head dropping in defeat. Just in case, he pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth and gave a sharp, quick whistle, in attempt to catch his friend’s attention.(752)

Ezmeralda:

    Troubling thoughts swirled around in her mind the entire way back to the path that she had left her sister on. Had she done the right thing? Should she had left? What would have happened if she had stayed? She bit her lip nervously, her gut knotting up with anxiety to the point that she felt sick. She felt awful about leaving Muiris in the forest alone at night to deal with whatever he was going through by himself, and she felt ridiculously stupid for not knowing what to do to help him. Weren’t friends supposed to know what to say to one another when one was hurting?

    Ezmeralda made the fire while her sister counted the sheep to make sure they were all accounted for. A deep frown set on her face, and her silence was enough to cause even her free-spirited sister to worry about her. “What is it, Ezmeralda? What happened on the path? Was it something bad?” Roselia asked what seemed like a thousand questions about what was wrong, but the only answer Ezmeralda gave her was a shake of her head and a worried expression. “I… let’s talk about something else. What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get to the summer house?” She asked as chipper as she could possibly be despite the thoughts of Muiris that floated in the back of her mind.

    As the night grew darker and darker, the more she found herself scanning the tree line for any signs of movement. All she could do now was wait and hope that he would eventually appear unharmed and … a little less angry hopefully.

    They spoke softly over the crackling of the fire in front of them, and her sister roasted some of the marshmallows that she insisted they kept in their supplies. Distracted by the sweet treats, she almost missed the sharp sound of a whistle from the trees. Her head snapped in the direction of the noise, and as she squinted into the darkness, she spotted a dark shape amongst the trees. ‘Muiris.’ “I-I’ll be back.” Ezmeralda managed to stutter out on her way out of camp after her sister’s confused protest.

    The unicorn mare walked slowly toward him, seeing his drooped head as he leaned against a large tree. Coming to a stop a few feet in front of him, she paused and scanned him up and down as if expecting him to lunge out at her again at any moment. The second the thought crossed her mind, Ezmeralda shook her head guiltily. “Muiris, a-are you okay? You… weren’t yourself earlier.” She said and looked at him with concern as she noticed the darker splash of color on his shoulder that she could only guess was blood from the metallic scent in the air. “You’re hurt.” Ezmeralda stepped closer to him to inspect the deep gash on his shoulder, fighting the urge to hug him after all he had been through that day. “It looks pretty deep. I have some medical supplies in my bag that can hold you over until you can get more serious medical attention.” // (Word Count: 523)

Muiris:

His ears flicked back as she started to walk toward him, his head picking up slowly, amber eyes scanning her carefully as she did the same to him. He felt his weight shift to his back hooves, his eyes darting to the ground in order to keep himself from making eye contact. He felt terrible. An ear twitched in her direction as she spoke, remaining quiet as he tried to work out a response. She hadnt seemed to notice at first, her attention grabbed by the gash in his shoulder. His gaze flicked to the wound as he shrugged softly, gritting his teeth together as just that small movement had pinched his skin.

He caught himself leaning away as she took a step forward, his ears pressed against his neck and eyes widened in shock that she would want to be so close to him after he had almost hurt her. “No, really, its fine.” He replied, offering a soft smile, though it didnt reach his tired eyes. “It looks worse than it is, trust me.” He didnt actually know if that was true, but he didnt want her fussing over him. He didnt deserve it.

Silence fell over the stallion as he struggled to think of what to say, his mind spinning, but nothing coherent enough for him to say. He took in a deep breath, forcing himself to meet her bright green gaze. “Ezmeralda.. I-Im sorry.” He said softly, his voice barely audible as he struggled over the words. “I.. hope i didnt.. hurt you.” His eyes narrowed against the darkness of the night, his gaze flickering across her painted pelt once more. He didnt always remember every detail while in his crazed state, and the memories he retained were hazy. That didnt stop her frightened expression from being burned into his mind, however, causing his stomach to clench when he finally made eye contact.

“I.. dont know how to explain this, but..” He paused, his ears flopping to the side in defeat as his eyes drifted from hers once more. He shifted against the tree, his muzzle twitching from the twinge of pain touching his shoulder once more. “I-if you remember.. i told you how i used to be a herder. Before then, i was a scout. I had to leave because i was getting.. dangerous.” He flinched at the word, his gaze darting back to his friend to catch her reaction. “I became a herder to get away from the bulk of the herd. I couldnt trust myself not to hurt anyone. I dont.. I dont know how to explain it, but i become someone i dont recognize. A vicious, aggressive monster.” His voice hitched as he looked to his hooves, the blood seeped into his coat proof enough of his claim.

“This is why i make such a good raider. Its not because of my training.. or personality, obviously. Its...” He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence as he pressed his lips together and rose his gaze back to the mare, hurt in his eyes and guilt weighing down his shoulders. He had hoped he would have been able to get through their friendship without her ever finding out, but he had failed. “I-I can control it now.. or, control it better, b-but im still not.. safe.” His head was starting to ache with worry, worry that she would push him away.(568)

Ezmeralda:

    Her ears flicked back at the saddened expression on Muiris’s face as he looked up at her. She noticed his gaze travel over her just the same as she had done to him, but her heart clenched in her chest when she thought of the reason he would be studying her with such a worried look: he didn’t remember everything that had happened. Obviously he remembered enough to recall that she had been there, but how many details did he remember while he was not himself?

    Part of her thought that she should run and get the heck out of Dodge as quickly as she could, but she found her hooves planted firmly in the ground. He hadn’t hurt her, and when she had seen him, he had seemed to have enough control over himself not to hurt anyone that he knew. Not to mention that it seemed that he was himself again. She couldn’t imagine how difficult and scary it would be if she lost control of herself every time she did her job. It would make it even worse if she had to deal with it alone. Maybe that was the reason why she found herself drawn to him rather than running away after earlier, she knew what it felt like it deal with something about herself with no one to lean on for help if she needed it, and she didn’t want him, or anyone else for that matter, to have to do that as well.

    When his soft voice reached her ears, she felt a pang of sympathy for him. The wound on his shoulder was no surface wound, but perhaps he didn’t want medical attention right now. From the dark look in his eyes, it looked as though he were fighting with himself on how to explain what had happened earlier or if he should explain it to her at all.

    His whispered apology fell over her ears, and Ezmeralda quickly shook her head, wanting to assure him that he hadn’t done anything to hurt her. “N-no, no. You didn’t hurt me. Scare me a little, yes, but you didn’t hurt me.” Her eyes met his warm brown ones as they traveled over her pelt once more to confirm that there were no wounds on her. She felt awful that he felt so terrible about this, and she wished that she could offer some kind of comfort to him, but with his mind struggling for words to make some kind of explanation, now might not be the time to offer him a hug or something.

    Her ears swiveled toward him to catch his quiet tone as he spoke to her with a defeated gaze. She listened intently, nodding every so often when she recalled details of his past that he had shared with her before. It was all coming together with each new detail that he told. He lost control of himself in the emotions that arose during a dangerous raid or whatever his job pertained, or rather his emotions took control of him by force, creating a part of himself that was almost unrecognizable. Her eyes filled with sympathy as they looked at his tired, worried eyes. He didn’t deserve to have this happen to him. He didn’t deserve to have to be afraid of part of himself.

    ‘A vicious, aggressive monster.’ She heard his voice catch in his throat on the last word, and the herder flinched at the obvious hurt in his tone. “You’re not a monster, Muiris. When I saw you, you were able to recognize me and stop yourself. A monster wouldn’t have been able to do that.” Ezmeralda tried to reassure him as he looked down at his bloody hooves guiltily. She didn’t want to think of him as a monster, and she certainly didn’t want him to think of himself that way.

    A frown formed on her face as she looked over to where her sister sat beside the campfire before looking back at him. “I-I’m not trying to compare myself with what you’re going through by any means, b-but do you remember when I told you I was born blessed?” Ezmeralda asked in a quiet tone. “Kaia gave me the gift of Beast Summoning which allows me to call forth any animal that’s nearby. As a child, I had little control over it and was constantly attracting animals to me: birds, rabbits, sheep. But occasionally, I would bring something more dangerous into my family’s camp, something that, if they weren’t prepared, could hurt or kill them. My brothers and sisters called me a monster because of it, and I hated myself for a long time because I was a danger to anyone that was around me… and still am sometimes.” She paused for a moment, looking down at her hooves for a moment as she thought of how horrible her half-siblings had made her feel about her dangerous blessing. It had been a terrible experience and one that still haunted her to this day, and she didn’t wish for anyone else to feel that way if she could help it. Before she spoke again, Ezmeralda glanced back up at Muiris’s face. “What I’m trying to say is, I know what it feels like to be called a monster, but that doesn’t mean you are one. Y-you’re one of the nicest horses I know, and I-I trust you.” She admitted sheepishly, thanking the gods that it was dark enough outside that he wouldn’t be able to see the blush on her cheeks. // (Word Count: 924)

Muiris:

Relief washed over his features when she claimed he hadnt hurt her, though the pain of guilt still remained in his chest. He pulled his weight off the tree he had been leaning on, flecks of bark clinging to his blood-dampened coat. He smiled softly, though it didnt reach his eyes. His ears remained flicked back, but more in a tired, defeated sort of way.

He listened carefully as she tried to recant what he had said, telling him he wasnt a monster like he thought he was. His ears flicked as she mentioned that he had stopped himself from hurting her. He had stopped himself. This made his eyes light up ever so slightly, but it wasnt enough to remove the terrible feeling in the back of his mind. His eyes followed hers as she glanced back to check on her sister, almost as if he was doing the same. His attention was pulled back as the mare started talking once more, his features dropping more solemn as she shared her own troubles.

His ears once again twitched back as she spoke of her brothers and sisters picking on her because of something she couldnt control. Though she said she wasnt comparing her blessing with his episodes, they seemed to parallel almost perfectly. He didnt care how trained or tough a horse was, if a wild predator attacked without warning, even the strongest could fall with the wrong choices. It made him think back to his father, and how the cultist had killed him before Muiris had a chance to intervene. A shiver ran through the stallion, causing him to grit his teeth and wince again at the gash through his shoulder. Maybe he should have thought about medical attention after all…

He pushed the thoughts away and pulled his eyes up just as she did, for once his gaze wavering with a flood of different emotions. He wasnt a stallion who showed his emotions on a regular basis, but he did around those he trusted- especially Ezmeralda. She had seen him at several of his weakest points; there was no sense in hiding anything from her now. Frowning, he opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to reply. After a moment of processing his thoughts, he actually smiled. It wasnt his half-hearted, ‘everything is fine even though it isnt’ smile, but an actual happy, amused grin. Despite his shoulder’s protest, he took a step forward and wrapped his friend in a light hug, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Well, i guess we’re both just a mess.” He finally replied, a soft chuckle escaping his lips before he pulled away, flicking his messy forelock from his eyes. His form pulled back a little more serious, his eyes forming sturdy as he locked his gaze with hers.

“Your blessing is just that- a blessing. Dont let anyone ever tell you different.” He assured her, his tone soft but deliberate. He never thought he’d hear those words come out of his mouth.. and him meaning it, too. His view on the higher beings- or at least Kaia for the time being- had started to shift. He held a higher respect for the Earth goddess, and now could no longer deny her existence due to her literally being before him and speaking to him at his mother's grave. His muzzle twitched as he once again pushed away his wandering thoughts; not was not the time to think of Aodh.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

“And.. please.. i know you trust me but..” He paused, shuffling his hoof against the ground as he carefully changed the subject. “I dont fully trust myself. The episode you saw was surely not my worst and i just..” He shrugged, though instantly regretted that decision due to the feeling of fire shooting through his torn muscle. “Be careful.” He grimaced, returning to his position against the tree and letting out a breath he didnt know he was holding. Not exactly a happy thought, but it would do.(670)

Ezmeralda:

    She hoped that he wouldn’t get offended by her trying to show him that she had been through a similar situation (and to be frank, still was in that situation) and understood how hard it could be. She wasn’t trying to disregard his emotions and turmoils by comparing them with her own but rather make him aware that she might comprehend what was going through his head right then slightly more than someone else might be able to, and maybe knowing that would offer some kind of comfort to him. Because, remembering all the times she had run away from home to keep her family safe from herself and feeling as though she were some kind of fiend, she wouldn’t wish that to happen even to her worst enemy let alone someone that she cared for.

    Ezmeralda fell silent, watching as Muiris opened his mouth to speak after her little speech only to close it again while he pondered for a bit longer. Moments passed by, and she began to expect the worse, but when she saw his amused grin, she tilted her head slightly in confusion before a smile of her own turned up the corners of her lips. As Muiris wrapped her in a small hug, Ezmeralda hugged him back lightly, careful not to disturb his hurt shoulder. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she took in his warm embrace, thanking Kaia that nothing terrible had happened to him during his episode. As he pulled away from her, she chuckled at his words. “It does seem like we are both a mess, but messes have to stick together.” She muttered sheepishly, glancing away from his face for a moment before her eyes returned to look at him. Oh gods, she could have cringed from how terrible that one was, but it also seemed that her words were always a little odd around him. 

    Her ears flicked forward when she noticed the seriousness on his face and the purposefulness in his words, and she nodded her head with a guilty grin. “I-I’ll try my best to do that.” Believing in herself wasn’t something that came easily to her, and she often doubted her abilities to do even the simplest of things. She had to admit though that she had gotten better at it recently. It wasn’t just his kindness that brought a smile to her face though; she remembered on the mountain how confidently he had spoken of the gods and how it rung again in his voice as he spoke of blessings. “You speak of the gods a lot differently than you did when we first met.” Ezmeralda pointed out with a crooked smirk. Hopefully whatever had changed his mind about their existence had been a good experience and not a bad one.

    Her brows knitted together worriedly, listening to him warn her about himself. Oh gods, if he only knew that she felt the same way about herself. She felt like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment and hurt whoever was unfortunate enough to be around her at the time. It was only a matter of time before her blessing caused a serious accident. Perhaps it would be cougars or wolves or even dragons that would be drawn to her if she so much as lost control for a second. Ezmeralda let out a deep sigh, wondering what to say before a small grin returned to her features. “I’ll be careful... as long as you do the same around me. I-I don’t want to see you get hurt if I lose control of my blessing.” The unicorn mare paused, glancing over to her sister who still sat by the campfire. “And if my sister is around, I want you to get her as far away from me as possible. I know she’ll try to help, and she’ll only end up getting hurt.” Her words were as heavy as her heart with the words that she spoke, but she knew that she would much rather have her friends and family mad at her for making them leave if she ever lost control of herself than to never have them around again.

    Her green eyes wandered back to his face, seeing him grimace as he leaned against the tree once more. “Can I please at least put some ointment on that gash on your shoulder? You’re killing me with all those faces you’re making whenever you move.” Ezmeralda added with a soft chuckle, knowing very well how others, especially Raiders, liked to hide how much pain they were truly in. // (Word Count: 767)  

Muiris:

He chuckled lightly at her reply, giving her a brief quirky grin. Even though she thought it was terrible, he thought quite the opposite. If anything, it was cute; and even somewhat relieving to know he wasnt the only one who fumbled their words. His muzzle twitched as she mentioned his growing view of the gods, his head dipping in a nod, but he didnt respond. That would be a discussion for another time; maybe a time when he wasnt exhausted and already feeling the effects of his mild blood loss. His eye twitched at the thought of it, his vision slightly blurring as he tried to focus back on his friend.

His ears twitched forward as she spoke up again, following her gaze back to her sister who still remained at the fire. He gave a solemn smile and then nodded, finding her gaze again when she looked back toward him. “Deal.” He finally spoke, his voice soft as he tried to snuff out a yawn.

His eyes widened ever so slightly as she mentioned his shoulder, his eye twitching as he glanced back toward the gash. The edges of the wound seemed to be torn to shreds, though it was still mostly clean. Luckily the bleeding had stopped, but now it was starting to dry against his coat. The pain seemed to throb more now that he was looking at it, so he quickly swiveled his head away to look back at his friend. He sighed at her persistent tone, raising his brow as he pushed himself off the tree with a sharp inhale.

“Fine, fix me up.” He replied with a lopsided grin, flicking his forelock from his eyes. He hated showing how much pain it was causing him, and probably wouldnt if he was still with his Raider group from before; but something about Ezmeralda allowed him to loosen up and not feel so worried about how he came across. For now, he just wanted his damn shoulder to cooperate and get some rest.

His eyes turned back to the fire, his ear twitching as a sheep called off to the side of them, the night otherwise peaceful. The cool breeze rustled the leaves in the trees behind them as he turned his gaze back to the painted mare. He noticed their supplies neatly set up around their makeshift camp, which is where he assumed her supplies were. He opened his mouth to say something again, but a yawn took over. With a stubborn snort, he flicked his messy tail and waited for her to show him the way over. He didnt want to intrude, despite her saying earlier that he was welcome at their camp.

Thinking back to it now, it had actually been a while since he had seen her sister. He already felt a little bad for their second meeting including him showing up, covered in blood and stumbling over himself. Thank gods he had made a good first impression several years ago.(500)

Ezmeralda:

    Ezmeralda gave him a grateful nod of his head as he agreed with a solemn smile. In other circumstances with another horse, she would have never in a million years even brought up something like this. There weren’t many horses that she trusted enough to even know about her blessing, let alone be trusted enough for her to want them to protect themselves and her sister if the worst case scenario did arise. “Thank you.”

    It seemed every time the two of them met, something dangerous happened that brought them a little closer together. From that first night that they had met all those years ago to just recently during the trip through the mountains that had ended in a fight for their lives against an avalanche, it seemed fate seemed to throw them together. Ezmeralda was certainly grateful for it. Her stomach fluttered with what felt like dozens of butterflies as her eyes wandered over his face in the dim lighting. It wasn’t just her growing crush on him though that made her thankful to have met him. Muiris had become one of the few that was close enough to her to make her comfortable enough to be herself (no matter how quirky and awkward she was). She didn’t feel the need to cover up her emotions or personality to pretend to be the classic, tough War-Forged herder.

    She offered him a small smile in return as he agreed to let her dress his wound and tilted her head toward her camp before walking toward the small campfire. Walking a little bit ahead of him, she ushered sheep out of their way, gently pushing them to either side of their path toward camp. Her sister, Roselia, lifted her head from sticking another set of marshmallows on a stick and her eyes widened a little in surprise before a smirk settled across her face as she recognized who was with her sister. “Is that your boyfriend I see, Ezzie?” The young mare said playfully, and Ezmeralda felt her cheeks turn bright red. Roselia,” Ezmeralda hissed under her breath, giving her sister a glare. Oh gods, please let her behave herself.

    The paint mare turned toward Muiris, hoping that he hadn’t heard any of her sister’s remarks. “P-please have a seat. I’ll be right back with the medical supplies.” She muttered and gave him a friendly smile before walking a short distance to where they were keeping their supplies. She shuffled around until she finally found the leather satchel that held their small medical stockpile.

    Ezmeralda returned with the bag and a pot of water that she sat on the fire to boil. Setting the bag down near Muiris, she ruffled through it before she found gauze to clean his wound. She carefully placed them in the boiling water, allowing them to sit for a few minutes before she wrung them out of excess moisture. “Sorry, this might sting a little.” She warned him before placing the gauze on his shoulder, wiping away the blood that sat on his pelt and in the gash. // (Word Count: 513)

Muiris:

He followed after her slowly, his limp still present in his leg. His ears flicked to the side, his teeth gritting together from the pain, but he tried to not make it obvious in his face. An ear twitched forward as they made their way through a small patch of sheep, his amber eyes watching them curiously as Ezmeralda nudged them off the path. He felt the air grow warmer as they approached the camp, his ears catching the crackling and popping from the fire. A voice off to his side caught his attention, his head dipping down and cheeks warming at Roselia’s comment.

“Hi, Roselia, its been a while.” He offered a soft greeting, giving her a smile before settling down next to the fire. He propped his leg up before him, hoping to take most of the strain off his shoulder and make it easy for his friend to get to. His eyes wandered to the fire, getting lost in watching it dance before him. His eyes were starting to sting just from the fact of them being open, so he narrowed them against the light. He had gotten so lost in watching the fire, he didnt even notice Ezmeralda walking up beside him until he felt the sting of the hot gauze against his shoulder.

He yelped, mostly from surprise and also a little bit from the sting of the cloth. His eyes tore from the fire and he looked down to the gauze, his skin flinching each time she touched the wound. Despite the pain that shot through every nerve in his shoulder, cleaning the area actually made him feel a little better. He was used to getting his wounds cleaned, but normally in a more harsher manner. Many medics he had visited were normally in a hurry and didnt care much about comfort.

Pulling his attention away from his shoulder with a sharp breath, he looked back toward the fire and tried to relax. Another sheep call off to the side caught his attention once more, causing him to glance in its direction with a soft grunt as the warm cloth touched his skin again.

“Where are you two headed?” He finally spoke up, exhaustion in his tone, but curiosity in his gaze as he turned back to look at Ezmeralda. He was never good at small talk, but sitting here listening to nothing but the crackling of the fire was surely going to put him to sleep after not very long.(417)

Ezmeralda:

    Ezmeralda paused for a moment, flinching as Muiris yelped as she placed the warm gauze on his wound. She knew it probably didn’t feel fantastic to have warm gauze placed into an open gash in your shoulder, but it had to be done to keep infection at bay.

    In the light of the fire, it was much easier to see how deep it really was, and her mouth twisted as she thought of how painful it probably was and how he had gotten it in the first place. It had been scary seeing Muiris during his episode earlier, but she couldn’t imagine seeing him actually on a raid (which she guessed this wound was from). She’d seen and cleaned plenty of her uncles’ wounds to know when it came from the sharp end of a blade.

    Ezmeralda fell silent and continued cleaning his injury after waiting a few seconds for him to settle down. She tossed blood saturated gauze to the ground as she worked, gritting her teeth each time Muiris’s skin flinched under her touch. Every time she had cleaned her uncles’ wounds, they had always joked with her about how rough she was when in fact, she was probably a little on the gentle side when it came to this. That was probably why her family came to her when it wasn’t something incredibly serious. That didn’t stop her doubts and worries over accidently hurting him more than he already was.

    Her ears tilted toward Muiris, hearing his soft, tired tone over the crackle of the fire. “We’re taking our flock to the Farmlands to graze and fatten up during the warmer months. Our family has a small cottage there and enough land for the sheep to graze until winter comes.” Ezmeralda explained, biting her lip as her brain whirled to think of something else to say in order to keep the conversation going. Oh why hadn’t Kaia blessed her with the ability of small talk instead of Beast Summoning?

    Tossing another piece of gauze to the ground, she spoke, “W-where are you on your way to? Are there any other Raiders that might be looking for you?” She asked hesitantly, not wanting to awaken any thoughts of what had happened hours ago. As for his Raider party, she wasn’t even quite sure if he could talk about them in too much depth. She would imagine that since they were on the job many of their actions and plans needed to be kept secret, but she didn’t want his group to worry about him if they thought he was still out in the wilderness in one of his angered states. // (Word Count: 442)

Muiris:

He smiled softly as she told of where she was headed, remembering she had mentioned her family’s cottage in the Farmlands before. With all the travelling he did, he could only imagine how exhausting it was to herd sheep like that year after year. It was thoughts like this that seperated him from the majority of his herd’s beliefs. Herdering was a far more difficult and taxing job than others thought.

His ear flicked as she asked where he was off to, and he found himself shrugging out of habit. His shoulder bit back at him for the movement, a sharp pain nestling deep into his muscles. Biting his lip, he breathed through the pain before answering. “I was just headed home. Maybe hit the pub before hand, but..” He stopped himself from shrugging again. He never noticed how much of a habit he had gotten himself into until he could no longer do it. “They dont wait up for me. They know better. I doubt half of them even like me.” He chuckled, the smile still present on his lips. Truth be told, he didnt like most of them either. The hell-bent traditial Raider scene wasnt really up the stallion’s alley.

Not only that, but most were cold to him due to him having not trained his whole life for the role, yet he was still just as good, sometimes better, as the others. He had a gift, according to them, but he considered it more of a curse. He hated it when they brought up his time as a herder or a scout, or even when he worked as the tanner’s assistant- apparently that didnt make him a real Raider.

He rolled his eyes at the thought.

“Thank you though.. for all your help.” He added softly, his hooves scraping the ground in a nervous fashion as his gaze drifted away. “I really appreciate it.” Despite how stubborn i was. He added with an amused tone in his mind. The stars twinkling above his head caught his attention, tired amber eyes glancing up to watch them briefly before turning back to the crackling fire. His brow narrowed against the bright flame.

“Do you mind if i stay here for the night? J-just so i dont strain my shoulder too much trying to get home..” He asked suddenly, the words leaving his lips before he had time to process it. “I wont be much of a bother- probably up and gone before the sun wakes up.” He added with a soft mumble, his eyes half closing. He was an early riser anyways, always in competition with the sun, and he didnt want to be more of a burden than he already had been. (454)
+15 AP for Ezmeralda and Muiris

Word Count: 10,445

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Muiris belongs to and RPed by War-Colt
Ezmeralda belongs to and RPed by BlueUnicornJ13 
© 2016 - 2024 BlueUnicornJ13
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