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Post by themoonphase on Mar 7, 2015 13:11:04 GMT -5
Damsel in Distress
A Private Roleplay Between themoonphase's Salvatore and raveniice's Io
Timeline: After the Final Phase of Objective Four
*CAUTION* This thread mildly discusses the presence of blood and gore.
SUMMARY Io was wounded in the recent battle, and she was left unattended to. Salvatore, being uninjured, is scouting the fields looking for those who needs assistance. He finds Io isolated in a dire state and remains with her, comforting her and tending to her needs as she slowly but surely recovers.
The summer fields were overtaken with the shrill cries of horses left and right. The battle was over, but injuries were brutal and recoveries were uncertain. Grass that was once green was now stained with red blood, reflecting the true horror of the previous events that claimed the tranquillity of the Summer Fields. "Great Compromiser, what have you done to us?" The dunalino shouted into nothingness. It was as if he were a ghost. No one paid him any attention, and with good reason; he was unharmed in an environment ravaged with violence and shock. Salvatore felt as if he were at world's end as he snaked through the cries of each friend and foe, sobs of sorrow blinding him from a destination. He felt helpless, not knowing where he should begin.
And there she was, abandoned in the distance surrounded by naught but a pool of blood. Salvatore squinted at the body that lay in the grass, hardly recognizable until Salvatore took notice of the tiger lily pinned in her mane. It was a mare, and he knew her. She belonged to the same herd, and she lay in a critical state. Unsure of whether or not she lived, Salvatore raced to her side nonetheless. It seemingly took forever for him to reach the burning beauty that was too weak to call for help. Normally, he would feel like a hero for being the first to tend to this damsel in distress, but considering her state he knew there was no time for his ego to take over him. He knelt in front of her and pressed his forehead to her chest, away from any wounds to avoid causing her any more pain than she was undoubtedly in. He felt her chest heave for breath, telling him that yes, she was alive, and he let out a soft whinny of relief. Fiery orange orbs gazed back at him when he lifted his head to look at her. "Oh, dear one, what has happened to you?" The mare he finally recognized as Io had been through hell and back, and thoughts raced through Salvatore's mind, trying to think of what he could possibly do to help her.
[367 Words] |
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Post by raveniice on Mar 7, 2015 13:37:00 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout
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With her body aching and the last ounce of strength and energy having left her body hours ago. Io had remained lying on her side in the grass where she had fallen, as if finally coming to the decision that perhaps it was time for her to simply give up. War was no place for a mare like herself. She was a scout, not a guard, and she was far fit for a warrior. But all she had wanted to do was help, but she hadn't thought through the consequences, and now here she was; tired, upset, injured, and on the verge of simply letting go. The only thing that had snapped her out of her painful trance was the sound of approaching hoof steps. Silently and desperately she prayed to the unicorns, hoping they would listen, for the horse approaching to be a friendly face. And luckily, when she opened her eyes, that was exactly what she saw.
As the question reached her ears, Io wasn't sure how to answer. Too many emotions were occupying her mind all at one time, and she was having trouble trying to grasp the current situation she was in. "I..." She closed her eyes tightly as her head began to throb. "I d-don't remember..." She managed to say, not being able to do more than speak in a hoarse voice. "P-please..." Her sunset colored eyes looked up at Salvatore, pleading and desperate. "Can you help m-me?"
[243 Words]
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 7, 2015 14:26:58 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard
The breath was sucked from Salvatore's lungs as his wounded herdmate spoke. He nodded with her as she pleaded for his help - that's exactly what he was there for. "Shhhh..." he pleaded. "Save your sweet breath; do not waste your energy," he reassured her, pressing his face to hers. He felt broken at the sight of Io. Blood continued to drip from her wounds, colouring her white coat red. Tears swelled in her eyes as he looked her over, now beginning to feel the pain she was in. Cool remnants of raindrops from the storm trickled over the pair of horses, making them shiver in the already cold, damp grass.
Salvatore wracked his brain trying to think of anything he could do to stop her bloodloss. He didn't know much about medicine, but he certainly knew that she might succumb to the volume of blood she was losing. The rain didn't help with the clotting, and he knew that if he made any contact with her wounds, he would put her through more pain than she could likely bear. On a nearby tree he spotted a seemingly vacant honeycomb, and he remembered that his mother had once taught him when he was younger that honey facilitated in wound healing. Thanks to his clumsy foalhood play, he himself got many scrapes and gashes, and honey always helped him heal. It was sticky and uncomfortable, but it did help. "I am not leaving you," he whispered to Io as he stood and faced the tree. "I will just be a moment."
He cantered toward the tree, stopping a number of meters away from it just in case there were still bees navigating the comb. He picked up a stone and hurled it toward the nest, stepping back some in case a swarm erupted. This was probably a stupid idea, but he was willing to take the pain of a million bee stings if it meant that at least he tried. Thankfully, his initial assumption proved right when not a single bee flew out of the hive. He approached it, still being cautious, and reared up onto his hind legs, tugging at the root of the hive and pulling it off its branch. He dropped it onto the grass, breaking it into smaller combs, and he picked up the largest piece.
Honey dripped from between his lips as he ran back over to Io's side. He set the sticky honeycomb on the ground beside her and spoke softly, "I am going to do my best not to hurt you, but this should not do that much damage. This is something my mother taught me as a foal; I do not know if it will help with wounds as serious as those you possess, but for the time being, I hope this soothes you." The stallion picked up the comb between honey soaked lips and hovered it over the wounded mare's gashes, letting the liquid drizzle over her, and squeezing his eyes shut to avoid having to see her cringe.
[506 Words]
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Post by raveniice on Mar 7, 2015 15:23:45 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout
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Her sight often wavered from time to time, and the images she was seeing were slightly blurred, for she was drifting in and out of consciousness. But she was stubbornly fighting to stay awake, fearing that if she dared to close her eyes and succumb to the comforting darkness, that she would cease to wake again. But Io found comfort in his touch, and as she took a steady breath her gaze followed him curiously.
But oddly enough, when the sweet smell of honey reached her nose a sense of peace washed over her. The sweet scent reminded her very much of her mother. At the thought of her mother she saddened again. She could only imagine how worried she must be right now. Io had reassured her before the war had begun that she would be helping, but because of the unfortunate encounter that left her in her current state, she was unable to return home to her.
Now Salvatore's voice interrupted her worrisome thoughts and she then switched her focus onto him. With her ears flat against her head, mostly due to drying to keep them dry from the rain, she gave him a small nod. Io wasn't use to injuries as great as the ones she currently possessed. But pain was definitely something she wasn't a stranger to. "I'll be alright..." Her voice somewhat returned to it's gentle softness, as it usually was. Only several months ago she'd had to heal through the wounds a Bachelor stallion had given her. The beating was harsh and it definitely left her scars, but she had gotten through it with the help of a friend. But at the honeyed-touch upon her wounds she clenched her teeth and turned her head away from them. It stung terribly, but after a few moments a cool sensation replaced the sharp pain and throbbing. Now she only wished for the rain to stop. "That feels much better..." Io said in a drowsy tone of voice as her lashes gently fluttered as she fought to stay awake.
[342 Words] |
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 7, 2015 16:17:31 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard The honey was cleared from the comb within minutes of its duty. Salvatore could not speak while he worked, so as Io reassured him he pricked his ears forward and smirked with the sliver of hive between his sticky teeth. It was a relief to hear her able to speak. He tossed the empty comb aside and licked the sweet stickiness off his lips. "Well, my dear, I am not sure I can agree with that notion," he snickerd at her claim to be 'alright'. "Well, at least not at the moment." The dunalino stallion lay down and nestled himself beside the mare, honey dripping over her hide and onto his beige coat. In the distance behind them he gazed upon the other wounded and their friends tending to their needs; a few other Exiles stared back at the duo questioningly, but Salvatore convinced himself he had the situation under control, at least for now, so instead of calling for help he nestled his head on the cool grass to provide softness for Io.
Frigid rain continued to drizzle over them. At least it wasn't a torrential downpour anymore, but that didn't make things any more comfortable. He prayed for the sun to break out so the sopping wet grass could dry up. There was no way the rain was going to facilitate in this mare's healing process. And now the sun was setting; he couldn't see it through the thick cloud cover that hovered over the fields, but the sky got darker by the minute and the air gradually grew cooler. Shivers were sent up Salvatore's exposed spine and he did his best to stop himself from shaking too violently. The heat of the summer was not something Salvatore particularly enjoyed - he detested the feeling of his long mane sticking to his sweatyhide - but right now all he wanted was to feel the sun warming his goosebumped coat and soaking up the rain.
Ears swivelled backward as he heard the commotion of other horses beginning to move out of the damned field. Other guards began calling out for Salvatore, but instead of getting up to move he shouted back as softly as his voice would allow, "Io is not fit at the moment, we may have to remain overnight," he nodded at his friends, who nodded back. A few of them wandered off, trailing behind the other Exiles, and a few of them remained supervising in the distance.
[411 Words]
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Post by raveniice on Mar 7, 2015 17:51:48 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout ________________________________________________
At the setting of the sun on the horizon, Io could no longer fight the urge to close her tired eyes. She let herself relax against the softness of the grass beneath her. But before she closed her eyes she stared at the sunset and the glistening rain drops hanging from the trees and hoped that morning would bring a better day.
. . .
The next morning, Io had woke to the sound of hooves not too far from where she was. Slowly she raised her head from the grass, some of her energy finally returning, but unfortunately it still pained her greatly to move. Instead she took this time to look around, her ears flicking here and there as her eyes searched her surroundings. With the pale light of day she was finally able to see further the devastation that the war had caused. I can't stay here. She decided, turning her head towards herself in order to check on her injuries before she made the choice to try standing on her feet. Despite her body's protests she steadily pushed herself up onto her back legs first and then her front legs, and once she had balanced herself fairly well she couldn't help but smile in success. "It feels good to finally stretch." She thought aloud, closing her eyes and lifting her head up to feel a cool breeze. She had almost forgotten about Salvatore.
[234 Words] |
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 7, 2015 18:47:43 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard Salvatore slept rather poorly that night. Perhaps it was the uneven ground that gave his neck a kink, or the stress that the battle of the days before had sent upon him. Whatever it was, he did not wake into a good mood; in fact he woke up feeling rather ill. He made the choice to sleep on the freezing, soaked grass out in the open, so he would not allow himself to complain. It took a few moments for it to sink in that Io was no longer at his side - instead grass flattened where she once lay.
The sky looked much more welcoming that day. There wasn't a cloud in sight and the sun worshipped the dunalino stallion as he basked in it with delight, eyes squeezed shut and head up, allowing the treasured light to bathe him. To Salvatore, it was strange how the cloud cover that seemed so vast could vanish so quickly overnight, but he didn't questioned it and instead welcomed the light with open arms.
And then it hit him. His blue eyes shot open when he finally realized that the mare he was taking care of was no longer in his sight. He twisted his neck in every possible direction in search for her but could not see her. Where could that mare have possible gone? Her injuries were rather brutal, there was no way she could have made it that far on her own. Still quite groggy, he slowly stood on all fours and turned to search for her. There she was, facing away a few feet away from him. Frozen, he tilted his head curiously, surprised she seemed so well already. "Up already, are we?" He began softly, doing his best not to startle the fragile lady. "You look well; better than yesterday at least. Aside from -" taking notice of her wounds which were slowly scarring, he cut himself off. "Yes, you look well. How do you feel?" He smiled sweetly at her, though she still didn't look at him.
[339 Words]
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Post by raveniice on Mar 7, 2015 19:35:39 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout ________________________________________________
At the sound of a strangely familiar voice to which she couldn't seem to remember at the time, Io quickly turned her head towards it and relaxed when she recognized the dunalino stallion. Now she remembered. He was the one that had helped her last night. She owed him for that. At his words Io gave a shy smile, one of her ears flicking towards her back. "I've definitely gotten some of my strength back," she informed him, but finished with a sigh. "But my wounds still ache, I won't deny that." She frowned, turning her neck so that she could check on her injuries. The gashes on her flank were the ones that pained her the most, and she couldn't bare to look at them for too long without getting a bit disgusted. She looked around again, searching for something. "Does there happen to be a creek nearby?" Io turned towards him. She was in desperate need of a bath. Her coat was sticking out in all directions and it reeked of blood and the scent sickened her.
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 7, 2015 21:06:06 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard At the mare's shy smile Salvatore couldn't help but return the gesture. There was no stopping the wild grin that took over his face as she spoke, he found comfort in knowing and hearing how much better she felt, and what made it better was that it was because of him. His happiness was moreso for this mare than as the result of his success as a caretaker. A creek? Salvatore tilted his head at her question, and for once he actually had to think about his response. The Summer Fields was not a place he ventured often, and wasn't sure of any water source nearby. But - ah, yes! As his mind scanned the past, he lit up remembering the herd pass by a small creek on their adventure toward the Field. Salvatore nodded in a motion for her to follow him, and he moved slowly beside her, still aware that she might not be entirely fit for a long haul.
The duo walked rather awkwardly at first. Though the stallion continuously tried to make eye contact, the shy mare would not comply. Instead he looked ahead at their path and spoke quietly, at almost a whisper. "So, you would be Io? Not that I stalk you and your personal life or anything. Not that kind of guy," he made himself laugh at his remark. "At least, Io is whom I have heard you are. I do not believe we have had the pleasure of acquainting each other," that was a lie. He was certain. "My name is Salvatore. I do not usually tell others so openly; you never know what one has up their sleeve, but after everything I have done for you, I feel you deserve it." With a half smile and a wink he looked back over at her, and grazed her hock with a swish of his long blonde tail.
[316 Words]
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Post by raveniice on Mar 8, 2015 0:23:08 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout ________________________________________________
At first the mare seemed a bit hesitant in following him, but she hadn't forgotten what he had done for her just the night before, and besides, there was something about him that seemed rather charming. As she walked along side him, first at a painfully slow pace, she was awfully quiet. But she couldn't stay that way for long. Her travel companion was quite the talker...or perhaps to her he was, for compared to him, or any normal horse in fact, she barely spoke to anyone at all. She wasn't use to sharing conversations. At his question she flattened her ears in embarrassment. How could he have known her name? No one really knew her, at least to her knowledge. "Y-yes...that's me." Io answered with a bit of a sigh, as if she was disappointed.
But a gentle smile found her face and her ears immediately flicked towards him at the sound of his name. "Well," she began. "Now that I know your name I can thank you properly." Unfortunately, just as she was about to do so her front leg gave way and a sharp yelp of pain escaped her. "OW! What was..." She snapped, frowning as she lifted her leg to see what she had lodged itself in her hoof. This only caused her to lose her balance but luckily Salvatore wasn't too far from her.
Io muttered something under her breath before she sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry you're helping me." Although she had seemed to brighten a bit a few minutes before, it completely disintegrated now. "I'm sure you have better things to do than take care of me like a helpless foal..."
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 8, 2015 13:23:34 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard There was something about this mysterious mare that Salvatore was highly fond of. She was the absolute opposite of him: introverted, quiet, shy, apprehensive. Yet still it was a shock to him that she hadn't yet given into his charm. She may just be coy. What? No. He shunned himself for thinking such a boorish thing. This poor female has been through hell and back, so he would be there for her nonetheless. So desperately he wanted her to break out of her shell and speak to him openly, but one thing Salvatore knew is that not everyone was going to be as outgoing as he'd like them to be. He slowly began to realize that his constant eye contact was making Io uncomfortable, and he did his best to keep his eyes ahead instead of at her as she spoke, because the very last thing he wanted right now was to scare her off. She sounded almost annoyed at this point, so he chose to keep quiet until the time demanded his voice.
Nearly jumping out of his skin as she shrieked, he whirled around to look at her with wide eyes. It hurt him to see her wincing, and a look of concern immediately took over his face. He moved toward her and focused his eyes on the leg that she had lifted after having it give out. "What is it?" He questioned, a shocked tone in his voice. "Are you injured?" What? You fool. Clearly she is injured. With a shake of his head and a furrow of his brow he moved around her to get a look at her hoof, peering up at her as she spoke. He couldn't help but snicker quietly as the mare wobbled off balance and apologized for his care. He leaned against her to keep her standing and raised his head high, smiling. Only his eyes looked down at her as he gave his reply. "Please, an apology is not necessary. After all, it was me who made the choice to look after you, no? Yes, there are plenty of other things for me to do, but I would never forgive myself for letting you suffer." Not waiting for her response, he grinned slowly and continued; "A thorn has lodged itself in your foot. You poor thing, it seems to be one thing after the other." He paused, his grin turning into a playful evil smirk. "Should I remove it?"
[409 Words]
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Post by raveniice on Mar 8, 2015 16:11:10 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout ________________________________________________
For some reason that she couldn't seem to understand, Io's pale face nearly flushed a rosy pink, as if she just now only realized how close she was to another stallion, something she was probably too tired to have realized earlier. She immediately became flustered at the thought and grew shy, her ears pinning against her head and a worry in her sunset eyes. At his question she fell silent, not quite knowing how to respond. She was capable of removing it herself, surely. Without giving him a response she lowered her head to her hoof and tried to remove it herself, only to have nearly lost her balance again.
With a sigh Io slowly looked up at him and offered a small smile. "Um...c-could you?" She asked politely, avoiding his stunning blue eyes that seemed to make her heart skip a beat whenever she looked into them. Io had a terrible weakness for stallions with any shade of blue eyes. Blue reminded her of the ocean, which was her favorite place to be, and it captivated her. How was she only noticing all of these things now?
[189 Words] |
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 8, 2015 16:57:34 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard A laugh uncontrollably erupted from within Salvatore as the mare wobbled again. He felt so bad, not knowing what the hell was so funny about it. It really wasn't funny at all, but perhaps it was how her face flushed every time they looked at each other and the utterly adorable way she wanted to be able to care for herself. Well, she probably could, Sal wasn't the kind of stallion to think otherwise, but in a situation like this she needed help and he wouldn't deny her that.
Watching her curiously as she made eye contact only for a few seconds at a time, he smiled when she finally agreed to let him assist her again. Normally he wouldn't be this interested in being so generous - but for one, she was a mare.. a pretty one at that, and second, something about this girl called out to him, so he was more than happy. "Lift your hoof and keep it as still as you possibly can. This will likely be painful but it will only last a second." His brain went wild trying to think of something to cheer her up. "I know what I am doing, so no worrying. I learned this in coltscouts." Just as he was about to bite at the large thorn wedged in the mare's hoof, he paused. "Well, this is probably the only thing I learned in coltscouts." And with that he grabbed the thorn at the base and pulled it out as quickly as he could, wincing in preparation to hear the mare shout in pain. It was probably gross to her as well - putting his mouth to her hoof like that; but it had to be done as quickly as possible.
He spit the thorn out off to the side and looked back to check on the splashed mare. "Better?"
[308 Words]
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Post by raveniice on Mar 8, 2015 17:10:37 GMT -5
Io | Exile | Scout ________________________________________________
Io was taken completely by surprise at his laughter. She definitely didn't understand what was so funny. But she didn't dwell on it for too long. At his instruction she did exactly that, keeping it as high off of the ground as she could. She bit her lower lip lightly in preparation as he moved to remove the thorn that was lodged in her hoof. The situation was completely embarrassing for her, but there was really nothing much she could do about it. But once the thorn was removed she carefully set her hoof back to the grass, putting a little bit of weight on it at a time. It stung just a little, but it wasn't going to be that big of a bother.
"Much." She said in response, looking at him with that small, innocent smile of hers. Now they could finally be on their way to that creek she so wanted to get to. After a nice refreshing bath she knew she would feel much better. "Thank you...Salvatore." She was a bit hesitant in saying his name, and it made her voice sound foreign to her ears. I wonder if he has a nickname I can call him by instead. She wondered. "I-is the creek far?" She asked him, despite knowing that it was a stupid question. They hadn't even gotten that much of a start towards it in the first place. But the sun above them was getting warm, and if there was one thing that Io hated, it was the heat.
[257 Words] |
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Post by themoonphase on Mar 9, 2015 13:04:08 GMT -5
Salvatore | Exile | Guard "Good." The stallion nodded at the much shorter mare and began walking forward again. He was genuinely glad she felt better, but didn't want to get too excited about it. "The creek should be just around here. A rather small creek, you should know. Nothing you can swim or fully emerge yourself in, but we can stop for a drink and wash up.. a bit." The dunalino looked away with pinned ears as soon as he heard himself say we. "Well, you can. I think my condition is adequate." Now, Salvatore himself was blushing and he chuckled. Kicking at the grass as they walked, he cursed himself for acting so bashful; it wasn't like him, he normally had an ego through the clouds. Perhaps it would be best to just shake it off and get his head out of the gutter; this mare was hardly interested in him.
An awkward silence consumed the air between them as they continued to walk. He was beginning to blush, not knowing what to say, and unsure of what had gotten into him. "We should probably catch up with the rest of the herd, too. They could be anywhere."
[195 Words]
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