Save the Last Dance For Me // Rasta and Taj

[Snowflake Smoky]

The journey to the caves was not long, yet every step managed to be agony for all parties involved. The one that suffered wanted nothing more than to collapse into the snow and move no further, and the one that walked on fine wanted nothing more than to lift her up onto his shoulders and do whatever he could to support her. The roles they were cast into were nothing like the ones they were originally designed to play. Hadn't he started out the bad-boy with the taste for women and she the strong and courageous leader who seemed to have nothing but strong bones in her body? Winter had brought ill tidings on all fronts then it seemed, for neither of them was getting what could exactly be described as their way. She led them on, her spectral hawk guiding hooves in the snow until they reached the cave. It seemed like hours, though it was likely only minutes later, that they broke out of the storm and into the caves. They were near completely blocked off from the weather, and he had to admit that the hawk had done a good job of finding somewhere to pass some time. If anything the awful storm was picking up, and he'd hate to be out in it much longer than this. There weren't shivers running down his spine from just the cold though. His imagination had run away from him in the silence. and he had already fast forwarded the days to the point of blood, gore, and warfare. It would come soon enough, despite the fact that he was relieved that he wasn't going to be called upon to defend the territory itself, he had a hesitation about not doing his duty. He wanted to be nowhere near the place of bloodshed, where crows would come down later to feast on the entrails of beasts that deserved not to die.

Then again, he had a hard time believing that any spirits existed in the skies far above or the Earth far below if they would let the situation reach this level of being out of hand. To neglect your children for such a length of time was criminal, and so he had begun to lack faith somewhere along the road. Fate, it seemed, was in their own hands to rule and to determine. So, he would take into his own metaphorical hands and solve everything by the power of his own will. You've grown up remarkably in the last half-hour. You should try this more often... shaddap.... Really. This is good for you. Minus the noble knight complex. That's a little freaky. So perhaps there was some debate deep in his mind about whether or not this was the right choice. Underground as it was though, he had little faith in it. "It wouldn't just be some crackpot healer found down along the border Rasta. It would be a true one, a shaman if we're lucky, who's resided inside these borders long enough to owe you allegiance. Perhaps you even have one you know already that you don't know that side of. I find it hard to believe that the North isn't home to at least one of the type we need. You're important Rasta. We need you too. Rest now though, there's no ground left to cover with your feet. It's your mind that's got to make the journey now. I'll be with you the whole time."

He walked over to stand by the mouth of the cave. He could feel a bit of the breeze there, but unless she asked specifically for him to come back and share body warmth with her this seemed more important. There was reason to be worried, though he wouldn't tell her that, and more than anything he wanted to make sure she was safe. For the second time that day he kicked himself for not knowing the secret behind fire, though the walls of this cave would make a probable place to try when the snow passed and he could get something for the flames to eat. Perhaps, with that, winters wouldn't be so harsh up here in the North. You can't save everyone though Taj. Some of them, well the just have to fend for themselves. Leave it to Rasta. As she heals, she will be the same powerful individual you know.

[Abba]

And even if you listened
I never had much to say
cause it's the same old song I've written for the day...

The journey to the cave seemed to take forever. She wasn't sure she was even going to make it there. But, her hawk continued to remind her that she was almost there and that nothing was going to happen. As soon as they had reached the cave though she slid to the back of the cave, allowing her legs to give out as she curled up in an attempt to keep warm. She could feel her whole body trembling in the cold as she wished for everything to reach the height of spring again - not too hot and not too cold.

As she pulled herself tighter in her mind began to wander. She could feel the tiny breaks in her spine where it dipped in, folding under just the basic pressure of her back muscles. It was slightly disturbing at how easily it would be to drop a hoof there and break it with barely any reason. She closed her eyes, her life flashing in front of her mind - the thought of her mother, lying dead on the ground next to a river. Her blood, trailing down into the river, against all along her body. She doesn't know what she was supposed to do. She wanted to save her, save her mother. Her mother couldn't die. She really was but too young to be out here alone. But she didn't know a way to find it all.

She started slinking back into a place where fear had taken hold of her - where she wasn't sure she would get out of alive. She shouldn't be thinking like that. But she was and she didn't know how to go about breaking it. It was such an odd thing, the way she reverted back into her old self. The way her horrible memories seemed to take over at times like these. Though, they always pushed her towards her stronger self. They made her who she was and she was glad for that, very very glad for that.

But, while she lay there she felt him moving back towards the mouth of the cave and she was immediately worried he would leave - the way Scathashoun had. The way Scath had that had caused her to injure her back...

Attempting to shudder away the thought she took in his words, deciding it was better to concentrate upon his speech rather than an old memory. "It wouldn't just be some crackpot healer found down along the border Rasta. It would be a true one, a shaman if we're lucky, who's resided inside these borders long enough to owe you allegiance. Perhaps you even have one you know already that you don't know that side of. I find it hard to believe that the North isn't home to at least one of the type we need. You're important Rasta. We need you too. Rest now though, there's no ground left to over with your feet. It's your mind that's got to make the journey now. I'll be with you the whole time." he said and she closed her eyes. Was he really going to stay the whole time though? She couldn't be totally sure, but then again - who ever could?

Stuttering a little she called out to him - her voice in a whisper though, "Taj." she said, shakily rising to her feet again as she reached his side and nudged his flank, not pulling out any farther into the cold than she needed to be. "Can you please come join me in the back..." she whispered gently shaking her head in the direction. "It's still unbearably cold..." she finished, shivering once and feeling her back pull under the strain of the quick movement that rotated her spinal cord. She let out a tiny whine of protest of the sudden movement before she payed attention to the ground outside. She could feel quite a few bits of broken branches around the edge of the cave.

With what was left of her will power she forced her way outside, digging into the snow and dropping her maw down, grasping a huge mouthful of tiny sticks of wood before trotting back into the cave and shaking off the snow that was freezing her down to the bone again. Resting them up against the wall before kicking out at it with her hind legs where she got a tiny spark igniting the kindling she had found. With a snort she cocked her head at Taj before curling up in the corner again, shivering once more and waiting for the heat to attempt to get to her body again. It was but a small fire, but it was still a fire all the same. Now, if only she had the definite reassurance that she wasn't going to have Taj leave her right now. Please, not at this moment. She needed to keep him. She needed to know she wasn't alone. And most importantly she needed her heart to be able to heal...

[/blockquote]

==Into the Mind
. 838 words
. Got muse babyyy[/size]

[Snowflake Smoky]

Save the last dance for me
If the painted stag dug back deep enough into his memory, there were snippets of things that he couldn't exactly explain. He didn't know in which of the four provinces he had been born, or from what kind of blood he sprang. His mother had been wandering for as long as he'd been alive, which he supposed didn't really give him any native nationality, but it still would have been nice to know. As for his father, if he didn't know how these things worked he would have said he didn't have one. He never saw his mother with a stallion, and even after he lost her he didn't know if she'd ever really been with one before he'd been born. Despite however many people he talked to, he never seemed to be able to find someone who had known her before she'd run afoul of whatever illness it had been that killed her. His father was a perplexing problem though, because he had to come from somewhere. There was no such thing as divine conception among equines, and he hadn't really been raised with a concept of the divine anyway. There had to be a stag out there, or one drifting around in someone's memories, who looked like him and who had the same mannerisms. There was someone out there who could tell him about the half of himself he'd never met. Truly, what it made him wonder is if he had been born in this Northern land, and if his father had treated his mother like Scath had treated Rasta. Was the pretty palomino mare alive when he was born? After all, was it really true that the alpha creatures didn't age? There were so many questions in his mind.

He didn't really know where they were coming from either, considering that they were fairly uninspired. It was a distraction from the matter at hand, the mess he had vowed to solve with Rasta and her estranged mate. How differently could his life have gone if he hadn't walked down the paths he had? If he hadn't met this golden mare and found that she was in her moment of need? He really oughtn't be asking himself these questions, but what else was he to ponder? It came down to another moment where he wanted to physically shake the thoughts away, but he was saved from the embarrassment of it by a flash back to the present. Rasta was doing exactly what he'd pondered doing, and starting a fire off of the wall of the cave.

Dumbfounded would be a very accurate word, or perhaps stunned to explain Taj's expression when Rasta started a fire. Awed, impressed, confused, and behind-the-times would also be up there for descriptive words of how he felt at the moment. He had to admit, it was a little pathetic to have thought about it only to find out that someone else already could. It was fascinating though, the little orange sparks turning to a growing flame. He supposed that Rasta had been around long enough to pick up some tricks, even if she didn't show it. It didn't change that it was a fantastic tool, and if he spent time thinking on it, maybe he could come up with a way to use it in the battle that was sure to come. If he was lucky, maybe it would even be before someone else came up with it as well. He knew that Rasta was calling him, but he was near entranced by the licking little orange flame. He snorted at it, and the warmth, though meager, was welcome. He blinked back in the direction of the opening, but Rasta would know when the fire needed more wood and how to go about finding it in this sort of weather. There was nothing he could do but help comfort her. He walked over to where she was, and curled himself up against her backside. The fire could warm her front and he'd be responsible for this side. Things were better outside of the fall of snow and wind, though he wasn't exactly fond of the way the stone seemed to be sucking heat out of his body with how cold it was. He couldn't have everything though, so maybe it was time he learned to be content with everything that he had. "Sleep Rasta. You need the rest, and I'm not going anywhere." Perhaps, in times of trial, the best policy to follow was honesty. He would've felt more comfortable at the head of the cave, looking over the landscape, but if she needed him, this was where he was going to stay. Noble little idiot....

~800. I think

Oh won't you please?
Save the last dance for me

[Abba]

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
everything that I keep missing, give me your love for humanity

The golden mare allowed herself to to lean back into him slowly as allowed her eyes to close, falling asleep rather quickly. But her dreams were plagued with horrible images - soon becoming nightmares. Her body trembled occasionally as she remembered the pain which had occurred from such experiences.

The war, rampaging around the land and blowing through the deepest edges of it. It was strange and it caused every nerve in her body to become alert. Others were dying in front of her for either Rama's side or for Oser's side. They were all there fighting for who they believed in. But they were dying on her land. And she couldn't do anything to help them. Why? Why must they be like that?! The feeling of horses as they collapsed to the ground, bones breaking through the skin and the feeling of a warm liquid seeping into her ground.

And then the images broke - black space taking over for some time before more images ame into her mind.

A black friesan bounded into view. He was standing beside her, leading her into a cave. The rain was falling down with horrid uncertainty as to when it would end. Then, he left her and she went out. She knew why - because she didn't want to be alone in this storm and he was trying to leave her. As she called out for him, walking blindly forwards in the rain she could hear the distinct snapping of a tree. It fell down exactly on her back, nearly snapping it as she fought to move out from under. Bon helping to shove it off of her with Scath.

Tears slowly began to fall from her eyes as she shifted a little, burying her head under her hooves as her Hawk settled down in front of the fire, flexing out it's wings and then curling into itself just as Rasta was. The same scene was soon added onto her nearly drowning. Being dragged down the stream without being able to stop. Her whole body twisted a little as she 'pulled herself out of the stream' and then she curled back up again. She continued like this for a while, twitching a little and tears sliding down her face. She just couldn't seem to get out of this cycle - out of these dreams.

And as the dawn arose a pack of wolves emerged their body starving from the lack of food and becoming drawn towards the only pieces of food anywhere near them. Her hawk ruffled its wings a little and flew out of the cave. It circled the area once before letting out a piercing cry of warning to Taj. The wolves grew in closer and closer to the cave, not taking any heed to the cry of the bird in the dawn air...

[/blockquote]

==Into the Mind
.576 words
.Give me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath[/size]

[Snowflake Smoky]

There's a certain feeling you get when you awake to a situation that feels wrong. Taj was not unfamiliar with the feeling- he'd had an absolutely awful taste in his mouth and a deep pit in his stomach the morning that his mother died. When he awoke this morning however, it was disgruntlement rather than true worry over something. He awoke only seconds before Rasta's spectral hawk, who had seemingly been and gone while she slept, cried out in warning of something. Rasta was leaning up against him, but something told him not to disregard the warning of the ghostly bird. He gently pushed away from her, and hurriedly got to his feet. He couldn't see the bird anywhere, presumably it was out of the cave. He moved quickly towards the entrance, not really caring about being stealthy. It was near impossible for an equid to move silently, so he didn't let it bother him too badly. Outside in the clearing was a pack of wolves, either rabid or near starving. He shook his head and bared his teeth, irritated that this should happen now. "Rasta, Rasta you need to wake up. There's trouble." The testosterone in his body made him want to take care of the trouble on his own, but even he wasn't foolish enough to think that he could take on this bunch all on his own. They had a glimmer of hatred and hunger in their golden eyes, and a tinge of fear. Perhaps they'd already lost pack members into this winter already, maybe even to other horses. It made a little voice in the back of his mind wonder if Rasta had ever had to fight off wolves with Scath, whether he'd ever protected her from danger. That thought made his blood boil just a little. You've got no right you foolish little prig. Rasta is a friend, and she needs you to lean on right now. Don't go doing anything stupid.

In total there were seven wolves, though one was hiding in the bushes as if it was younger and not so well adapted to either the weather or the fight. The six others though were well built, if ill fed, and driven a bit mad by it. Taj wasn't sure where to begin, so he waited for one of them to make the first move. It wasn't exactly intelligent to wait, considering that they had the potential to act in a group, but he wasn't eager to attempt to take them on and get attacked from the sides either. He thought that the entrance of the cave would provide a narrow enough place to make a reasonable stand. He wasn't about to admit aloud that the wolves scared him, but there was just something about them that put his teeth on edge and made him want to skitter back into the cave and away. Perhaps it was their violent personas or simply that he wasn't the strong white knight that some stallions could be. There was no time left for pondering or backing down though, as the first wolf lunged at him, from the right. There was no time left for thought.

words ~529

[Abba]

back off ill take you on
head strong ill take on anyone
i know that you are wrong and this is not where you belong.

Rasta slowly came to, her mind sliding out of the nightmares which had encased her so over the night. She could feel the bare warmth gently reaching for the back of the cave, and she welcomed it -though of course it wasnt much to go off of. Her audits perked as she fully became aware of her surroundings to realize Taj was no longer behind her. Panic filled her system.and she pulled herself to her feet in time to hear her hawk cry out in warning. Grumbling some incoherent words Tajs voice reached her ears and she simply bobbed her head, taking his side and swirling around just soon enough to smash the lunging wolf in the skull. A sickening crunch filled the air as the skull broke and the neck fractured. Rasta felt a chill run up her apine but another wolf jumped into the air. She backed up one step, lowering her head so the claws missed her before charging forwards and knocking the wolf off of its feet and back into two others taking them to the ground.

But at that exact moment two others took to the air - both aiming their claws at her. She couldnt evade both and she felt the sickening feeling of the wolved claws digging into her back. She fought to get it off but it hung tight and agfrivated her back more than anything. Her hawk continued to caw at the other wolves still in the ground causing them to pull back a bit after every advance when it got in their path. The wolf that was attatched to her back sunk its teeth in and Rasta let out a screech of pain - her voice echoing down the cave as she fought from collapsing the pain surging through her body. "Im sorry Taj." she choked out - feeling as if this was her fault for getting them trapped in this cave while fighting the wolves. The fire almost completely burnt out.

If either of them died it was her fault...

[/blockquote]

==Into the mind
.341 words
.poor rasta baby. At least she showed she could fight. XD[/size]

[Snowflake Smoky]

The attack was swift, and for the most part short, an adrenaline rush that came to the opposite of a junky with bizarre ease. Rasta took care of the majority of them, apparently having experience of her own with the devilish creatures. Two lunged at her at the same time though, unsettling him and leaving him unable to help her quickly enough. Without thinking, when the wolf latched on to Rasta, Taj lashed out with both front feet. It had been a long time since he'd risen to two feet in more than play and jest, and the movement felt familiar but not practiced. His right hoof caught the wolf square in the muzzle, breaking the bones but doing nothing to remove its claws and teeth from Rasta's back. He was faced with a devastating choice- attack the remaining wolves in the hope of protecting them both or trying to rid Rasta of the wolf right now in the hopes that no one attacked in the meantime. He went with the former, though he knew that Rasta would suffer longer for his choice. He only hoped that she wouldn't give out on him. He could hear her whispering, barely catching the words. Her apology hurt him more than anything. This situation wasn't her fault. He was supposed to be alert and watchful, taking care of her. Here he was failing in his duty, making himself a disgrace to the idea of protection. He raced towards the remaining wolves, lashing out at the second wolf that had made for Rasta first. He swung his head into the side of the animal and threw it off into the bushes with a powerful movement. He hoped that it wouldn't come back. For the two that had been knocked off their feet, there had been enough time to regain footing. He didn't waste time trying to play games with them.

He knocked them into one another again, these two perhaps not being the most intelligent of the pack, and one fell back onto its haunches while the other tumbled over completely. Rearing up would have its disadantages, he didn't really want to bare his belly to the enemy, but it was what he had. Taj hefted himself up off the ground again, and brought his forefeet down on the side of the wolf that had fallen. He near froze at the sickening crunch as his legs passed through the rib cage. The one on its haunches lunged at his leg and caught him near the shoulder. He didn't feel it, but he knew that he would later. This wolf he turned around and caught by the throat and yanked. The others hightailed it back into the woods fairly quickly, no longer considering food to be more important than survival, but Taj felt dirty anyway. He had killed, and not only that he had the gore of several wolves wrapped around his body and in particular his lower legs. His muzzle felt wet too, which made him want to wash it away in the hottest water he could find. He rushed over to Rasta though, whose wolf hadn't left yet thanks to having teeth in a fresh meal. He grabbed it around the scruff, and gently as he could removed it from Rasta's back before tossing the sorry creature off across the clearing. The good shape she'd mentioned earlier was paying off it seemed, even if he did feel dastardly. There were bigger things to pay attention to at the moment though. "Rasta? Rasta, are you alright? The creatures are gone, though I measure they did a fair bit of damage."

That seemed to be the truth, because he was starting to feel his shoulder again. It was dripping, which was also rather disgusting, and the blood was staining his tan pelt with an evil red. It stung as well, creating a tension in the muscle that didn't seem to be be helping. "I don't suppose a healer could conjure themselves up so easily at a moment when they're needed, eh? Goodness I feel absolutely horrid. I'm sorry I let you down so Rasta. I'm not really fit for your company." His leg was starting to hurt to walk on too, which made the situation all the more complex. Having the adrenaline back right now would be fantastic, or so it seemed. All he wanted was to feel it stop.

[Abba]

I will break into your thoughts
with what's written on my heart
I will break, break. I'm so sick...

Pain slid through her body as she pulled herself back up against the cave wall. She couldn't really concentrate on anything at the moment except for the fact that the wolf was not getting off of her and that it was awfully close to that ditch in her back. She shuddered, only to feel it tear more of skin open and immediately she forced her body to become stark still. It was no longer safe to move.

She stood like that for what seemed like hours. Every muscle in her body complaining as she tried not to cramp up. Her tail swished slightly from the tiny amount of wind which had ventured into the cave. She felt the wolf being pried from her back and finally she managed to allow her tiny body to move again. "Rasta? Rasta, are you alright? The creatures are gone, though I measure they did a fair bit of damage." he spoke and she turned to face him, immediately feeling his wound and the blood dripping from it. She backed up a step. "Taj. Your.... your shoulder..." she whispered, fear locking over her body as she snorted once and shook her head. This was her fault, for not being strong enough to survive these winters without constant shelter the sanctuary from the storms. Locking them in a cave was the worst form, and she hadn't been able to fight them off. He was not a fighter - and he was tossed into the position. "I don't suppose a healer could conjure themselves up so easily at a moment when they're needed, eh? Goodness, I feel absolutely horrid. I'm sorry I let you down so Rasta. I'm not really fit for your company." he said and she shook her head drastically. He needed to stop thinking like this.

"I want you to stop with that mindset." she said, pinning her ears slightly in annoyance. As much as she wanted to blame herself she knew he would merely fight her back if she claimed it was - so she would use another approach. "This is not your fault. This is no one's fault. You aren't a fighter. I knew that from the start. My darling. Everyone is fit for my company. I am but no different than any other mare that is out there wandering these lands right now." she snorted, kicking some dirt up over the fire to cause it to die out so she didn't accidentally step upon it and burn herself in the process. "Putting me up on a pedestal does no one any good." she said before reaching out and touching her maw against his shoulder. Slowly - ever so slowly - the auroras seemed to mesh together and they rose to a calmer demeanor. Then, before Rasta had a chance to heck and see if what she was feeling was really true the wound was slowly stitching itself back together - muscles perfectly fine again and his shoulder as if nothing had ever happen.

She stumbled backwards, her maw and his pelt still stained in the crimson liquid and a pool of it was still on the bottom of the cave - but there was absolutely no sign of the wound. What had just happened? Her wound was still there and it was still stinging and throbbing beyond any levels of comfort. Everything was strained in her movements - but he was completely healed. She could feel the trickling of the blood running down her back and her hawk was still flying around in concern. She swished her tail, dying the ends of it in maroon also before she finished it all.

What had she done...

[/blockquote]

==Into the Mind
.621 words
.I'm so sick - Flyleaf[/size]

[Snowflake Smoky]

Taj felt golden, absolutely sparkling shining, more powerful than a wildfire, and brighter than a supernova. Not quite accurate, but he felt like his skin was tingling with the imprint of a touch he didn't really know. His entire body felt like it was vibrating, ready to move to another plane of existence, which was a little unsettling and surreal. It wasn't really going to happen of course, and he had no idea what was going on. It was rather like feeling an endorphin hit, he wanted to go back and experience the moment again and again. The experience of the muscles in his shoulder putting themselves back together like they'd never been torn in the first place was the oddest of them. It wasn't numb exactly, though it didn't throb with pain like it had before. The edges just tugged at one another until they stuck again, missing chunks seeming to flow up and out as extensions of the muscle that had been there before. The ripple of grey skin covering the wound and golden hair sprouting up from the pores sealing the deal. He wasn't even sure what had happened until he looked down at where Rasta touched his side and saw that the wound was gone. He skittered sideways in surprise, nosing at the spot himself several times. It was solid, as unblemished and fresh as it had been hours ago. "You know, you really ought to have mentioned the part where you were a healer yourself. That would've made this whole situation simpler. And you should've used it on yourself. You're still bleeding like water from soggy moss, and I haven't the same talent you're apparently apt for." He was talking too fast, and he knew it. He was agitated, and bothered that she hadn't told him about this before. Not only that, he felt as if he was going to faint.

In all of this he hadn't really thought too long and hard about Rasta's words, but somewhere in there had been a highly unexpected phrase. What had it been? 'My darling' was what he'd heard, though he'd probably have to scrub his ears out to be sure. He blinked rapidly a few times in succession, then addressed the problem. "Go back a few ideas there. What was it you said, somewhere in there? An endearment of some sort? Could it be that you're finally joining my fan club?" It was nice to know that he felt good enough to make a joke again, worried as he was about Rasta. Plus the rejection he was expecting would be easier to take if it came as retribution for a joke. He walked back over to her, recovered from his panic attack, and pressed his nose up against her cheek. He felt bad for having shuffled away when he was surprised, hoping that she hadn't taken offense. "Thank you for that. It's you we've got to worry about right now though. Are you certain you can't pull the same trick again?"

[Abba]

You were young
and so am I and this is wrong
but who am I to judge? I feel like heaven when we touch...

Rasta backed up until she hit the wall of the cave. Her mind was running at a hundred miles an hour and she couldn't concentrate long enough to process anything. He had moved away from her, allowing his voice to echo throughout the walls of the cave, hitting her ears enough time for it to finally form the sentence which she was attempting to understand. "You know, you really ought to have mentioned the part where you are a healer yourself. That would've made this whole situation simpler. And you should've used it on yourself. You're still bleeding like water from soggy moss, and I haven't the same talent you're apparently apt for." his voice ran-off and she was silent for quite a few minutes as she stood there taking it all in. "I-I did-didn't know..." she whispered, her legs shaking drastically under her own body weight. It was odd and she no longer felt safe in her own little world. She let out a tiny snort, leaning against the cave wall and taking in her surroundings again. "What's wrong?!" she questioned the minute he began to blink rapidly, causing her to step forwards and nearly fall down as she lost her balance. Of course, the minute she did she caught herself again. "Go back a few ideas there. What was it you said, somewhere in there? An endearment of some sort? Could it be that you're finally joining my fan club?" he said and she let out a tiny laugh.

She fell back against the wall again, this time sliding to the ground as her now grimed up pet was falling down on to her body and causing it to soak slightly. At that moment she forced herself back up onto her feet just in time to have his maw up against her cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment, her audits flicking upward and towards him as much as she could. "Thank you again for that. It's you we've got to worry about right now though. Are you certain you can't pull the same trick again?" he mumbled into her cheek. She shook her head slightly. No. She didn't know she was even capable of doing it in the first place. She had just been trying to inspect it a bit better.

"Taj. I've always been part of your fan club, silly. I just prefer not to broadcast it to the world and become a stalker. Aren't those just horrible?" she snorted, nudging his chest slightly as she shifted her weight to get a better balance rather than against the wall. Her back was really bothering her now. And she didn't know how exactly she was supposed to get over it. But he had been right, a healer appearing wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the world right now. "But, as far as pulling that trick I believe it would be yet another miracle and I'm rather incapable of pulling those out of my hat." she paused, closing her eyes and dropping her head down slightly as her hawk flew in, circled around the cave twice and then sat upon Taj or rather hovered in a sitting position upon his back as he would actually just slide through him - not that it made much difference. "And stop worrying about me. I've gone through worse..." she whispered, fighting back tears as the memory threatened to surface again.

And at that exact moment her hawk lifted to the sky and Taj fell to the ground beside her. "TAJ! TAJ!" she screeched, doubling back as fear took over. "No. No. NO! This can't be happening. Taj, come back to me." she pleaded, dropping down to her knees beside him and nudging at his shoulder incessantly. Tears streaming down her face as she feared the worst. She had just healed him - per say - but how did one know it hadn't done more harm then good. After all, she wasn't actually a real healer. Dropping her head down she rested it against his withers allowing the tears to fall. "God. I can't lose you too..." she whispered.

She stayed there, just like that, concentrating on his beating heart...

[/blockquote]

==Into the mind
.722 words
.Seventeen Forever - Metro Station[/size]