//Everybody's Fool

[Black Thorns]

"No!" she choked out, tears running down her face as she pressed her maw against his ever familiar frame, "No, I- I can't leave! How can I leave if I love you? If I want you so?" She muffled her soft whimpers in his coarse mane, strands stinging her eyes as she fought for the words. "I don't know what to do anymore, Oser. I don't know. I can't know. And I'm scared, Oser, dammit I'm terrified! And I have no idea why! It just feels wrong. It seems wrong. Everything. Everyone. It's just not right and I don't know why and and and- Oh, Oser, please you can't leave me." She ran her maw up the thick, developed muscles of his neck, lipping at his ears as she reached them, tugging on them gently before nuzzling his cheek, his face.

You can have your fun, Darling lover mine, but remember- I am here. I am always here...



I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE
short and crappy. yeah. -.-

[lady shady]

OSER

She was crying now, and he pulled her closer to comfort her. "I know it's wrong, Song, I know. I'm sorry. It's...it's my fault." She lipped at his ears, and he stilled, closing his eyes, not resisting her affection. "But Song, if I stay..."

The words hung in the air, uncompleted, unspoken. She silenced him by nosing at his face, and he exhaled slowly, letting himself relax. He returned the gesture, running his muzzle down her face, brushing away the tears, softly stopping at her nose, breathing in and out in sync with her breath. The world stilled. "I love you, Song."

Oser pressed his nose to hers before gently pulling away. It was a mistake. Away from her face and the smell of salty tears, her scent surrounded him again, and he straightened, muscles coiled. And this is where you make your exit, before you get hurt, his mind whispered. But his being had other plans. "You know though, I can't bear to see you upset like this," he whispered, drawing closer again. "If everything's so wrong, is there something I can do to make it better?" His voice was playful, but with a subtle offer hidden beneath the words. As soon as he said it, he wished he could bite the words back. What are you doing?? his mind screamed, Shut up and leave! It's not playtime! Where's your sense of responsibility?! This time, he ignored it though, pressing his muzzle to her ear. "Tell me, Song. What can I do?"

--behind the post--
no comment xD

[/size]

[Black Thorns]

Song sighed, leaning up against his body. She forgot everything as she stood there, forgot Him, forgot her promises- all that mattered was Oser, and he felt so very good at that moment...

"You know though, I can't bear to see you upset like this," he whispered, pressing closer to her. She nodded, almost drowsy with the affection. "Mhmm..." she replied, waiting for him to continue.

"If everything's so wrong, is there something I can do to make it better?" he asked playfully, innocently it seemed- but she could hear it, feel it in the way he touched her that his intentions were far from innocent. She wrapped her tail around his forelegs, beginning to circle him much like a cat.

"I don't know..." she trailed off, light and flirtatious, "Is there something you can do...?" If he was going to play, she'd beat him at his own game. It was near impossible to believe herself- if, a year ago, someone had told her that she would be openly flirting and caressing a stallion, she would have laughed so hard that her ribs broke. Yet here she was, and all she wanted was to do just that.

She slowed, letting her tail trail along his body as she walked around him one final time, settling back at his side. "Now, Oser, wouldn't it just be wonderful if you could do something for me...?" she breathed into his ear, letting her lips brush against him as she lowered her head back down, her tail swishing in a supposedly innocent manner.

Oh, lover, how I adored our games...

Go away, you bastard, nobody asked for your idiotic input. He rolled his eyes, snorting and walking off. Good. She didn't want Him, didn't need Him now. Oser was here... Oser was safe. Oser was warm... and she was so very, very cold...

"Tell me, Song. What can I do?" he asked, muzzle pressing into her ear. She giggled slightly- it tickled, she couldn't help it- before reaching up to his ear and mimicing the gesture.

"You know very well what you can do, Oser. Do I really need to tell you?" she asked, almost mocking him. She brought her lips down his body, slowly turning as she moved. She shoved at his shoulder momentarily, turning to look back at him.

"Won't you help me, Oser, to ...forget... whatever is wrong?" she asked, overly innocent, teasing him. She stood facing away from him- and as she watched, two blue-white, ghostly figures came towards them. Song was quiet, almost amazed as she watched the gazelle leap, bound through the trees, almost a ballerina in movement. It landed before her, light and gentle. Its soft eyes looked into hers, Song smiling slightly.

It's alright. You don't have to be worried. This is right, Song. This is what you want. This is how you will heal.

It said no more before it suddenly disappeared, almost as mist. She should have been shocked, stunned; yet, all she felt was relief, joy. SOmething had given her this feeling- whatever it was, she wanted it with her at all times.

That is, of course, at all times in a little while.

[lady shady]

OSER

To his surprise, she didn't startle at his words. He didn't know whether or not he had expected her to, for he had nearly forgotten all but this moment. It was an even greater shock when she replied in the same, innocent, too-casual tone, "Now, Oser, wouldn't it just be wonderful if you could do something for me...?" A change had come over the mare, she was catlike as she brushed past him, claiming him with that intoxicating scent. He laughed softly, both pleased and nervous that she was playing along. And then she offered.

"You know very well what you can do, Oser. Do I really need to tell you?"

Oser inhaled sharply. So this was what it had come to. He had been so foolish, not leaving when he should have...he couldn't do this to them. His doubts from before chose that moment to come surging back, and he hesitated. She was so young, she would get hurt, he would hurt her, he knew it, and it would be his fault again...

His racing heart slowed, and he opened his mouth to tell her that he couldn't. The beating grew louder in his head, merging into some sort of rhythm, a sort of gallop. The lull of padded paws in place of hard hoof sounded in his mind, and he looked up slowly, not believing what he was seeing. A great glowing bear paced before him, not entirely unfamiliar. You came back, he thought, awestruck. You weren't gone for good! The bear nodded noiselessly before circling the clearing to stand side by side with the shimmering form of a gazelle. Oser hadn't seen the bear since...before the war, his mind reminded him. Before he'd become greedy. Before he'd hurt everyone. But the bear here again...the gazelle...surely that was a sign? A sign of peace, of renewal, of another chance and a new life with Song...

The patronuses waited, the bear seeming to nod almost imperceptibly. Song gave a soft swish of her tail, bathing him once more in the sweet scent. It would be all right. He strode forward, shoulder gently bumping her rump as he made his way up to her ear one last time. "I don't know how you do it," he murmured, smiling playfully. "You would know the best that when my mind's
set, it's set. But I suppose..." he let his voice linger in the space between them, "I suppose I'll stick around..." Oser looked into her eyes, saw that she wasn't that little broken bird anymore, saw that she was ready and knew that he was too."...for good." he finished softly, brushing her forelock out of her eyes before retreating to his former position. She twitched her tail sideways, and he rose on his hind legs. As the two horses merged in the clearing, the falling snow thickened, shielding them from the world. The cold was increasing, but Oser didn't care. He wasn't going anywhere.

--behind the post--
no graphicness for Shady
NONE.
I know that you can use your imagination very well if you must though -.-

[Black Thorns]

She sighed in joy as he pledged himself, vowing to stay. Oser was a man of his word; if he said he wasn't going to leave her, he wouldn't. She snorted as he brushed her forelock out of her eyes, shaking her head and letting them fall back into their former position. She felt him push her tail aside, ever so gently, and she willingly held it out...

-----

Song felt better than she had in ages, as if some tension had suddenly been relieved. She turned, leaning her head against Oser's warm body, lightly coated with sweat from exertion. Her breathing was labored, as was his, though it calmed as the cold air rushed through her. She let out a sound of contentment, almost unable to speak. Everything was so calm, now, even the snow around them fell slow, soft.

"I..." she began, "I... Thank... you?" it came out as more of a question than anything. She snorted at her own stupidity, shaking her head. "Wait, that's not what I meant, I meant... uh..." she struggled for the words. It wasn't like she could exactly tell him what she wanted to say- because, well, what she wanted to say wasn't quite PG rated enough for her target audiences. "Uhm. Well! It's- it's oh, I don't know!" she exclaimed, pressing against him. She just about cringed, muttering what she was saying. It was near indecipherable, and you could almost see her blushing. "I- uh, well... you're... really good at that..." She ducked her head ever further, muffling her words with his coat.

"Oser?" she asked, though it sounded more like "Mmmrrphrr?" she shook her head, drawing back in the slightest to finish her words. "T-thank you. For staying, I mean. Not what I was saying thank you for before. I mean, yeah, thanks for that kind-of, in a way, but that's not what I really meant in all entirety, and you know that I'm thankful that you're staying and- oh, I'll just be quiet." She burrowed back into his coat again, hiding her face in embarrassment.

Good show, love. If only you'd perform with me...

[lady shady]

OSER

She leaned into him, warm breath blowing into his skin, melting some of the snow that had landed on their backs. He laughed at the slight awkwardness, but they were relaxed now, comfortable together. "Oh, anything for you, Song," he joked, ducking his head and tossing his forelock into his eyes to look up at her through the messy hair. ""I- uh, well... you're... really good at that..." she muttered in embarrassment, looking off to the side. He held back a smile, feigning deafness, nudging her muzzle over to his ear. "What's that again, Song? Could you repeat that a little louder so I can be sure I heard that right? Is this a compliment I'm hearing from you? Who knew?" He could have sworn she was rolling her eyes at him as she buried her face in his mane.

""T-thank you. For staying, I mean. Not what I was saying thank you for before. I mean, yeah, thanks for that kind-of, in a way, but that's not what I really meant in all entirety, and you know that I'm thankful that you're staying and- oh, I'll just be quiet," she managed to spit out in a rush. "You'll just be quiet?" he bantered, playing lightly with the dark strands of her long mane. "All right, now what's going on? Can this be that pigheaded mare that screamed her lungs out at me not an hour ago?" He moved to her forelock, toying with the silvery hair. "That beautiful spitfire I love?" he whispered, meeting her eyes. "But for the record," he murmured softly, pressing his forehead to hers, "I should really be the one thanking that stubborn little thing for making me stay." He touched her nose gently again, before turning to stand next to her, laying his head along her back, letting her lean into him.

Gazing past her tail, he continued. "I should thank her for changing me, for breaking through this shell I've had for the past five years. For showing me that, even though I cannot leave my land in the West, her love can take me anywhere." He craned his neck to look at her, and caught her staring at him oddly. "What? Too cheesy for your taste, Song?" She shook her head slowly, and he could see the wheels turning and the confusion..."Your lands? I don't understand. Why can't you leave...?" The realization hit him like a rock. He hadn't told her; she didn't know...

"Oh, well...Song? I hadn't meant to tell you this way, in fact, um, after that...uh...that, uh, well, I kind of forgot about it. It's just, remember...before...when I said that there were other things? I...well..." He paused, suddenly worried about how she'd react when she found out.

"I'm the Alpha."

--behind the post--
Dun dun dun! DRAMAAA xD

[/size]

[Black Thorns]

Song froze, shocked at his words. "You're an Alpha? I mean, not that it's bad thing, good for you and stuff, but... Yeah. Couldn't have told me that a little earlier, could you?"

Crap, crap, crap, she thought making an impossible-to-notice glance at her stomach. What if she was carrying his child? She'd be the mother to the Alpha's heir! Oh god, what would they think of her? What would He think of her? What would He do to her, how would He make her pay?

She couldn't be pregnant. She couldn't. He would punish her horribly for carrying a child that wasn't His...


"That might have been a nice thing to know!" she exclaimed, turning to face him. "If I had known- well, I don't know what I would've done, probably tried to kill you most likely until I gave up, and- gah! Why didn't you tell me?" It wasn't necessarily anger in her voice, more frustration.

Yet hardly a moment had passed before she heard it- the thundering of dozens of hooves as they galloped towards them.

It had begun.


---behind the post---
WAAAR TIME.
goodbye EF. new thread? or no?
Probably just put it on the war thread. xD