Castaway [[Appy]]

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The thicket was not as warm as Gem had hoped it would have been. The wind hissed and roared, swirling around her little hideaway, probing at all its nooks and gaps, trying to get at the trembling foal. Her location was more of a windfall really, a tangle of nature’s trash; dead branches, cracked limbs still half-attached to their parent trees and decaying leaves piled atop the whole mess. It was far from ideal, but so high up the mountain, it was the most one could expect as it was just past the tree-line. It would have been far wiser for Gem to have pressed on further down and endured the storm rather than choosing to seek shelter so soon, as the vegetation thickened dramatically not too far down the slope, offering better shelter than her little windfall afforded. But of course, a three-month old foal could not have been expected to have known that. It was a wonder that she had made this far at all. Shivering and cold, she had managed to drag herself down from the mountain’s pinnacle, some primitive instinct guiding her towards its base where she would be more sheltered from the biting winds and stinging snow. It had been all she could force herself to do, getting this far down and she had taken the opportunity in shelter in the first windfall she found.
Now she lay crouched in the little depression in the earth, dead and dying timber piled above her head. A thick blanket of snow was beginning to cover her roof, effectively insulating her from the vicious wind as it sought to cut through her baby fur and chill her to the bone. It was the first snowfall of the season, autumn’s temperate weather still lingering even atop this forlorn peak before winter truly set it. It was also the only reason that Gem had survived this long. Had she been abandoned in the dead of winter, the little filly would not have stood a chance. As it was, she did not have much longer in the land of the living unless her circumstances changed. She lacked the skills of an adult horse to find food and shelter, the hardiness that was required to make it through the cruel winter season.
She shivered again, nickering sadly as the sounds of the storm intensified. She had always been a bit scared of storms and blizzards were no different. Now that she was without her mother, she felt vulnerable to whatever nature chose to throw at her, the storm that much closer to her without her mother’s comforting presence.
As she lipped half-heartedly at a clump of dead grass, Gem knew that she had more important things to think about than just the wind’s fearsome howling - like survival. What was she to eat while the blizzard raged around her? Surely there was more to eat than just the leftover grass from summer, now brittle and brown. She thought longingly of warm milk, always abundant when mother had been around. But that was then and this was now. Of course she had seen adult horses grazing and had even imitated them, milk becoming a lesser part of her diet as she grew older, but she had yet to learn the tricks of survival as far as eating was concerned.
Eventually, she lost interest in the futile venture of trying to find food, and let her mind drift to the events of the past days. The image of her mother filled Gem’s mind, her big, yet somehow slender gray body, always there for the filly, the first face she had ever seen. So motherly and comforting, never letting her daughter stray far from her warm side. Gem tried to imagine her mother as she had been, not as she had seen her last, ravaged and bloody. She shook her head, trying to drive the ever-pervasive image out of her mind. Somehow, she knew that the sight would stay with her forever, as would everything else that had marred her young life.
A sob wracked her body, though she fought hard against it. Why? Why did life have to be so cruel as to rob her of the one being that she had ever cared about? Another howl drifted past the windfall’s barriers and she cringed, shrinking down as though she could somehow hide from its penetrating cries. It was just the wind, but the noise was far too close to the sound which would remain impressed in her memory forever. In her mind’s eye she could see her mother encircled by the beasts, grey, even as the big mare was, but that was where the resemblance ended. For they were savage and feral, snarling bundles of hate, intent on supping on a warm victim.
Go Gem, flee! The echoed in her mind and Gem sank to the earthen floor, trying to hide from memories. Run dear heart, this is your only chance! She could see herself, as though through an aerial view, slipping through a small gap in the rocks of a box canyon, too small for anything but a tiny foal while her mother took her last stand, valiantly fighting off the wolves even as she was weakening from loss of blood.
Anger bubbled up in Gem, anger and resentment again Troban, for she could not bring herself to call him Father. He should have been there. He should have protected her mother, should have protected her! Maybe then Mother would still be alive. But no, he had been conveniently gone though they had none seen him all day long. Even though they had known of the wolves’ presence since early morning, betrayed by the hungry howls atop the ridge. Not that it mattered anymore because what was done was done and it was too late to change the fact that her mother had been caught alone with only a defenseless filly far from the herd. What could have been helped was what Troban had chosen to do afterwards. That which Gem would never forgive him for.

[aPPY]

[bg=#070d13][atrb=border,0,false][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=cellspacing,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][th] text "speech" thoughts "other characters' speech" A flash of fear, a flash of weightlessness, a flash of pain. This is what he remembered, and this is what he dreamed. Quite often, recently. Though, admittedly, the last was a bit more than a flash. It had happened so quickly though. A misstep. He shifted, blinking open his eyes to a dark sky. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the air was cool. He grunted softly, his leg throbbing momentarily before settling into the constant, biting pain that this weather caused. He had heard older horses talk about how they could feel bad weather coming in their bones, and now he knew what they meant. It was not a good feeling. He had fallen down the waterfall. It was partially frozen, but the ice was more than enough to set him off balance and give that black stag the upper hand. He didn't even have a moment to voice his fear before he had slammed into the ground. The momentum had turned him so that he didn't land on his back at least. If so, he might not have survived at all. As it were, he did land on his right foreleg, shattering the bones and breaking them through his skin. He didn't remember much after that. Seraph said that she thought he was dead. Maybe he had died for a moment, only to be told to return. All that he knew was that he was still here for some reason, and he didn't know why. There had been moments before, so many, that he had wondered if it had been better to just die. Not in a suicidal way -- no. Die doing something good, something of worth, but dying nonetheless. Now, it seemed like he was needed. They kept him here for a reason, he supposed. He winced, the wind picking up for a moment and finding just the right way to chill his bones. Seraph had done the best she could, but bones were difficult with even the smallest of fractures. And this had been nothing small. He was grateful for it though, at least he could walk on it. He could tell that she felt guilty for not being able to heal it completely, though, and he hated that. She shouldn't be, it wasn't her fault. But she hardly listened to him, only watched as he limped on. He found it surprising that she found the need to stay with him. He hadn't really thought about keeping anyones company other than Kilton's for the rest of his existence, but he had to admit that it was nice to not be alone. They shared much of the same pain, after all. They understood each other, as much as two creatures who didn't know much about each other could, anyway. Though, that was slowly changing as they made their way into the West. There wasn't much to talk about on the long distance they traveled, to no destination in particular. They had come to an unspoken agreement to just continue forward. It wasn't worth it to turn back to the war. He had argued with her about it at first, surely they were needed, but now? He would definitely dis if he went out there, no doubt. He had given up trying after a few days, deciding to just go were she wanted instead of stay were they were, like sitting ducks. And then the weather started to change as winter was spurred on. There had been small snow falls here and there, but nothing too terrible just yet. Though, as he lifted his head, looking to the gray skies, he realized that maybe the sun was up, and they just couldn't see it. The wind was picking up again and pulling his mane across his neck. He pulled his legs up closer to himself, already dreading the next few months. He turned his head, looking over at Seraph where she lie just behind him, pressed against his back and facing the opposite direction. Perhaps they should start moving again, at least to find real shelter. He glanced up at the skies again, and then to the trees, noting how the wind buffeted them. Kilton wasn't in eyesight, though he knew he would be somewhere nearby. Karuk turned, nudging Seraph softly before twisting around and carefully rising to his feet. "There's a storm rolling in," he said once she had opened her eyes. "I believe we should continue on." As she stood, Kilton came gliding through, screeching loudly and landing on his perch. He squawked, turning and digging his talons into Karuk's skin, but not hard enough to draw blood before hopping and then taking flight again. Karuk eyed the bird curiously as he flew back into the patch of trees he had come from. He glanced at Seraph for a moment, shrugging slightly before deciding that they should follow the crazy eagle. He had never steered him wrong yet, so perhaps he had found something. He started forward, taking a few decent steps and then settling into his crippled rhythm. It was strange how quickly one adapted to changes like that. It had been hard at first; he had expected his leg to work and had treated it the same as always. He had ended up with a nose to the ground as he tripped, the leg not cooperating like it used to and not moving as fast as he expected it to. It was a little bit frustrating, to say the least, as anyone would imagine it would be if your limb suddenly decided to stop working. He hoped to regain regular mobility in that leg eventually, and day by day, he believed that it would get better in time, but for now anything more than a simple walk was impossible to accomplish. It didn't make him sad or angry though. He accepted it as it were. There was nothing he could do to change what had happened; he was lucky enough that Seraph was a healer and had been there to help. Anyone else wouldn't have survived. They continued walking for a while, follow the sounds of the bird rather than actually seeing him. The flying creature had left them behind long ago, not bothering to wait for them. He never had before though, so it's not like it was uncommon. He thought he had lost the bird completely though, as he stopped in the middle of the trees, looking up onto the branches and wondering where in the world the creature was leading them. He turned, about to ask Seraph if she knew which direction he had gone when the eagle screeched again, louder this time and more demanding, as if he was frustrated with the two of them. Karuk huffed, turning and continuing to walk the way the noise had come from. The bird was standing on the ground, or hopping rather, leaving his prints in the soft layer of snow. He squawked a few times, flapping his wings. "What in the world are you going on about?" Karuk asked, frustrated that the bird had led them over here for what appeared to be nothing. Kilton didn't cease in his antics though, and as Karuk walked over, his head low to nudge the bird, he froze. He turned his head, seeing the depression in the ground that Kilton was trying to point out to them. Two small orbs blinked at him, a little frightened, though harmless. He snorted softly, lifting his head and turning to find Seraph standing nearby. He turned back to the pair of eyes, wondering what in the world a foal was doing out here, alone, in weather like this. "Hello," he said quietly, a little unsure. At first he thought perhaps the mother was nearby, and had just told the young one to stay here for a moment. But what if she had abandoned the poor thing? Or what if she was here because she was alone, her family falling prey to the predators that enjoyed roaming the forests during these seasons. What ever the reason was, he had a feeling it wasn't a good one. "What are you doing out here, all alone?" ==Author's Comments . Word Count 1388 . Notes - long karuk post! i think this is my longest with him. o: . Muse - alright. (: . Tags - Gem/Seraph

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[twi]

Seraph had been fighting the tears all night long. Every time she thought that she had them beat, they were always back, pressing against her eyelids, trying to force their way down her cheeks. But she wouldn’t let them past her luxurious eyelashes, struggling to keep Karuk from seeing her pain. That was the last thing he needed was to see her distraught, since really, it was he that should be crying.
It was her fault, she knew it. It was all her fault. There were so many things she could have done to avoid this horrible incident. If she hadn’t been along for the ride, she doubted the stallion would have gone after Karuk as he had. It was her fault that Karuk had tried to shield her from the stallion, her fault that he had put himself in a vulnerable position. Events would have played out so different if she hadn’t been in the picture. Her limber frame shook once with a silent sob. Why? Why had she caused such a horrible accident to happen to the one thing she cared about? And that was only the beginning of her sorrow. A horrible, nagging guilt plagued her. You should have been able to heal him. You should have done better.
The voices whispered in her ear, the accusing voices of her mind - or was it her conscience? Either way, she had long since given up resisting them. It was true. She should have done better, should have been able to fix Karuk, even something as bad as a shattered foreleg. The bones were pulverized, splintered beyond repair. Yet beyond repair was nothing for a Healer of her powers. She had done all she could, but it wasn’t enough. She knew enough about healing to know that Karuk would be left with a severe limp all his life. And it was her fault.
Karuk nudged her, saying something about a storm. She kept her eyes shut for a moment, though she had been awake for awhile. Shut long enough that the ever-present tears had time to dissipate. Was it really morning? The sky was drab and grey, dark angry clouds covering wherever the sun was hiding. It felt more like the in-between hours, not quite day, not quite night.
She stood up, shaking a light dusting of snow off her back. She eyed the snow as it fell from her skin. It must have only just fallen, as she did not remember it snowing during the night and she had been awake for most of it.
She stiffly stretched before falling into place alongside Karuk, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Somehow, she had hoped that his limp might be miraculously better, but of course it wasn’t. If anything it was worse, probably aggravated by the cold weather.
She sometimes wondered why they were following Kilton as he led them deeper into the mountains. While they were no longer heading towards the North to serve as healers for the wounded, Petra Contrita was not a good place for Karuk. The whole reason they had chosen not to continue on their journey was because of his injury, but a trip up the mountainside could scarcely be worse than heading towards the front lines. But Kilton continued on, his apparent sense of urgency keeping Seraph from protesting. So far.
The eagle’s screeches brought Seraph back to reality and she watched him circle furiously and then land, flapping and squalking, hopping about on the snowy ground.
She caught her breath as Karuk bent down and spoke to something in a tangle of branches. Was there something alive besides themselves out here in this desolate landscape?



Gem shuddered at the approaching hoof beats. She had known Troban would hunt her down, make sure he finished what he had begun. She had thought, at first, that her luck would hold, that perhaps he really did think he dead, but with a sinking feeling, she realized that wasn’t the case.
She was so intent on listening to the muffled thud of hooves upon frozen ground that she failed to hear the rush of wings as they landed at the entrance to her little hideout. It was only when a resounding cry of an eagle split that air that she looked up in terror, seeing the enormous bird blocking her only way out. Had he been sent by Troban to find her, so that he could come and destroy her?
“Go ‘way!” she whispered harshly, though her voice wavered in her throat. “Let me alone, you nasty bird!”
She tried to crawl further back, but it was too late, she had been spotted. A stallion’s face pushed past the insistent bird and she had to muffle a scream.
“Hello. What are you doing out here, all alone?”Not Troban. Her rigid body drooped in relief. So long as it wasn’t her bloodthirsty sire, Gem knew she could deal with whatever came her way.
She crept slowly towards him, stopping about a foot away. In case he made a lunge at her, Gem decided that it would be a good idea to stay out of reach.
“Nothin’.” she said flatly.
Then she reconsidered. It was obvious that she had a reason for hiding away, so she would have to explain.
“Hiding,” she amended.

[aPPY]

[bg=#070d13][atrb=border,0,false][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=cellspacing,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][th] text "speech" thoughts "other characters' speech" Karuk chuckled softly. He looked from side to side, "Hiding from what?" He questioned softly. The filly had appeared slightly frightened when he had stepped up. He wondered what exactly she was hiding from. Kilton swooped down into the space she was in, squawking and hopping forward. "I don't see anything scary out here," he said, taking a slow step back. "And it doesn't look very comfortable in there." He smiled softly, encouraging her to emerge. He glanced over at Seraph, shrugging slightly. It was strange to see many other equines during the winter, especially in the midst of a war, let alone a foal. Where was her mother? Her father? He hoped nothing horrible had happened to the parents; the poor thing. ==Author's Comments . Word Count 125 . Notes - bleh i didn't know what to say. o.o . Muse - bad . Tags - seraph/gem

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[twi]

Seraph moved up until she was right next to Karuk. She peered past him and had to stifle a gasp of surprise. What on earth? A little roan foal, looking stubbornly up at Karuk, lay nestled beneath some branches. She was captivated the moment she laid her eyes on the little creature. It was so perfect, snowflake-shaped eyes peering at them adorably, if a bit rebelliously, chubby little legs tucked under its fluffy body. Slowly, carefully, she reached out her muzzle towards the foal, then withdrew it when it – she – laid back baby ears. Seraph’s breath caught in the throat to look at her and she straightened, looking about for the parents who were surely nearby.



Gem glared at the stallion, narrowing her eyes menacingly at him, though the effect was totally lost due her fuzzy, cute face. Patronizing grown-ups. Her life was in danger and he was telling her he didn’t see anything scary out there! She took an exaggeratedly deep breath, saying “You don’t know nothing. He’s trying to kill me. I’m hiding because he’s trying to kill me, not because it’s comfortable in here.”
Stupid, stupid, stupid. She wanted to shake her head at the naivety of these adult horses who thought they knew everything.

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[aPPY]

[bg=#070d13][atrb=border,0,false][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=cellspacing,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][th] text "speech" thoughts "other characters' speech" Trying to kill her? He pulled away, looking over at Seraph. Who would try to kill their own child? "And why is he trying to kill you?" Karuk asked softly, peering back in on her. He hadn't seen any signs of other equines nearby, but the foal seemed genuinely frightened. Surely she had enough reason to be, even if it seemed so absurd. He shifted, moving weight off of his crippled leg and making it easier to keep his head at the same level as the foal. Kilton hopped along the ground, wings fluttering in agitation. "I can assure you that I don't see anything out here, but if I did, we certainly wouldn't let anything bad happen to you." ==Author's Comments . Word Count 123 . Notes - lalala not much to work with. lol . Muse - alright . Tags - seraph/gem

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Seraph stared back at Karuk, puzzled. She ached to go to the filly and soothe the little creature, but decided to let Karuk do the talking. Too many horses would just frighten her. Instead, she moved off among the trees, trying to find any sign of life. Who would leave a little foal in the wilderness all alone? And yet, as she continued deeper and deeper into the wooded slope, she became convinced that the filly really was alone.
“Hello?” she called out cautiously. “Is anyone out there?” she called again, louder this time, having not received a reply to her first call.
Only the wind sighing in the boughs and the swish of snowflakes swirling about her feet answered her however. The mountain was deserted.



Gem looked up at the big paint, trying to decide whether his question was serious or not. She was ready to launch into an explanation, but first she had to be sure that he wouldn’t just laugh at her. He must have noticed her hesitation, because he continued, saying that he didn’t see anything and then her ears pricked up as he added that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. Could he be telling the truth? She carefully edged herself out, shivering at the biting cold. Though it had almost stopped snowing now, she could see angry clouds hovering at the edge of the horizon, ready to let loose a barrage of snow on any hapless traveler who dared traverse Petra Contrita.
“Will you really protect me?” she asked, her voice trembling a little. “Because I’m scared and cold. I’m hungry too, but I can’t find food.”
She looked up at him with pleading eyes, willing him to say yes. She need someone to look out for her until she could fend for herself.

[aPPY]

[bg=#070d13][atrb=border,0,false][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=cellspacing,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][th] text "speech" thoughts "other characters' speech" Seraph seemed just as confused as he. She turned away, leaving him to coax the filly out and decide what to do with her. He watched her walk away, hearing her call out into the trees to see if anyone was nearby. Judging by the snow and the lack of tracks, he was pretty certain the filly had been alone out here until they showed up. He turned back to look at the little creature, seeing that she was watching him as well. She seemed to sense his sincerity because she wiggled free from her burrow. "Will you really protect me?" He sucked in a breath at her expression. What else could he do? He certainly wasn't going to leave the poor thing, and definitely not let someone come along and kill her, like she claimed her father was trying to do. "Because I'm scared and cold. I'm hungry too, but I can't find food." He nodded as she spoke. The poor thing. "Yes, I promise," he said softly. He looked over at Seraph, wondering breifly if she had noticed anyone's presence but their own. He looked back down at the filly, lowering his head to be level with her own. "I'm Karuk," he said, not really knowing what to do. He had never been around foals much, and it seemed that every time he tried to have one of his own, everything fell apart. He smiled at the filly, a soft quirk of his lips. Hopefully Seraph would be okay with what he promised the little one. She seemed content to travel with him, and he knew it was partly because she felt responsible for what happened to him. He didn't mind, her company was nice. He just hoped that she didn't mind the addition of another, much more helpless companion. ==Author's Comments . Word Count 292 . Notes - finally replied! the other should be up soon too. . Muse - okay . Tags - gem/seraph

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Seraph’s heart went out to the little foal, all alone out here in these barren woods, no doubt with a tragic story behind her strange solitude. An odd smile played about her lips, as she realized how much she identified with the filly’s plight. Whether young or old, one always needed someone to care for them, someone they could turn to. For awhile, she, Seraph, hadn’t had anyone, just like the little roan. She had been solo for a time, bewildered and hurting.
She trotted up to Karuk, just in time to hear him promise to protect the filly. She looked over at him in some surprise, gratitude filling her eyes. She had been prepared to plead with him to allow them to take the foal with them, to adopt the forlorn creature. But of course, she had to remind herself, protecting the foal and making it part of their life were two different things. But maybe, just maybe, even if he didn’t want the foal as much as she did, he would allow her to raise it as her own.
After Karuk had introduced himself, she quietly stepped forward, saying “And I’m Seraph.”
Darting a quick glance at Karuk, she said, “Everything will be fine. Like Karuk said, we’ll protect you and…and you can come with us and, and I’ll” – she had quickly interjected ‘I’ll’ just in case Karuk didn’t agree – “care for you. You’ll be safe with us.”
She didn’t dare to look over at Karuk, just in case he was glaring at her, silently shaking his head. She just couldn’t bear to leave the foal behind.


Gem visibly relaxed at Karuk’s words, allowing a cautious smile to creep onto her face. Was it too good to be true? He seemed sincere enough. She decided that all she could do was trust him and hope that he meant what he said.
Another equine came up to stand right next to the brown and white one. This one was slimmer and more elegant, a pretty gold and white color.
“I’m Karuk,” he said and the other said, “And I’m Seraph.”
Gem glanced from one to the other. Finally, she said, “My name’s Gen-woo-ine-Gemst-st-one.”
Although she stumbled over the big words, she didn’t mind, for she was proud of her elaborate name.
“Call me Gem, though,” she added magnanimously.
She sucked in a breath of surprise as Seraph offered to watch out for her, and even bring her along with them! Her eyes opened wide and she could only stare for a long moment.

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