Heirot

Telanis almost pulled his foot away, but he wound up staring in silent disbelief at the girl's actions. For him, it was the first time he'd ever been tended by a human, as opposed to the other way around. The bandage feelt constricting and sore against his wound, but oddly enough, he allowed it to stay. It certainly helped kill the scent of blood from his senses.

~Good,~ he said quietly as she agreed to go, not sure how to respond to her help, though he knew he was probably supposed to thank her. ~Can you walk properly?~ he asked quietly, leading her down the beach as he spoke. The dying man's suffering slowly faded from his mind, though in truth he was still rather shaken by the incident. Violence was so far against his nature that it threw him into an almost sickening anxiety to engage in it.

Laya looked at him as she walked. "I think I can..." It was sore though to walk. The burns were infected and the dress that rubbed against them hurt. Her arms had burns on them too, but she had short sleeves so they didn't hurt quite as bad.

She felt bad, but not physically. She had heard stories about unicorns... and she knew that killing was not something they did.

"You didn't have to do that," she said softly. "It would have been alright... I... I am used to it. He would have got what he wanted and left, I'm sure. But, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. Really... thank you.... I just don't want you to... I don't know... hurt yourself or do something you don't believe in to save me."

She brushed a strand of tangled brown hair from her face.

~I have no reason to regret a human's death. And no reason to forgive what that man intended to do,~ Adonis said without a trace of warmth. In truth, he longed for his horn more keenly at the moment than he had since he'd forsworn it in favor of the stone, but that was not something the human needed to know.

Laya sighed. It was hard to hold a conversation with Adonis when she felt one thing and he told her another. "Alright," she said softly and continued on, hiking up a steep sand dune.

Her knees buckled under her and she fell down into the sand. She forced herself up and continued to walk at his side. She covered her mouth and coughed. Her eyes looked bloodshot from the salt water that had filled them from that night. Her hair was a mass of tangles and she had bruises and burns all over her. Yet, she was still pretty. Though, not as pretty as usual.

"Adonis... where is your horn... if you don't mind me asking," she said and stared at him.

Adonis stiffened. He had been trying to ignore her, even when she stumbled in the sand, but her question caught him off guard. ~ I have no need for it. I no longer exist simply to serve humans. Why would an emancipated slave still wear his shackles? ~ he retorted, all the while contemplating whether or not to offer to carry her.

Laya looked down. "Alright..." she thought again. "Why haven't you healed me yet... Like Telanis does... Do you not want to heal me?" her gray eyes looked sad. She was still trying to be friends with him, though he didn't seem to want to be.

~ That....requires a horn, ~ Adonis said tensely, feeling a surge of regret and not wanting to. ~ Telanis will help you, when we find him. ~

"Oka-" she stumbled as one of her legs refused to catch her and she hit her knees in the sand again. This time she didn't get up, she just sat there staring at the sand.

She glanced at Adonis and sighed. She didn't want to make him feel the need to carry her. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. She used to be a strong person. She wanted to be one again. She was determined to be a strong person.

"Well, I guess you don't need a horn... You don't want to help people anyway do you?" she asked as she walked, trying to pretend that she was tired and her body burned like acid dripped onto it. "At least not us selfish humans?"

~ ...Correct, ~ Adonis said carefully, eyeing her as she struggled to move forward. After a few more yards he stopped. ~ Get up. It's alright, ~ he encouraged her gently, kneeling on his long legs. When she seemed to be hesitating, he said ~ I can't heal, but I can still feel you. You're in no condition to walk. ~

"Do you realize you contradict yourself?" she asked him softly as she climbed onto his back. "You talk about not wanting to help humans, yet you keep saving my life, you killed for me, and you help me when I struggle... Not that I mind. I like you when you're not snapping my head off because I'm human."

Adonis eyed her in his peripheral vision, standing up again. ~ That is because your death will no longer serve my interests. I am cursed with the conscience of my kind, even as I renounce it. Whether you like me bears little importance, nor does it mean anything to me, coming from you. Human affection is too fickle to have meaning. ~

"I like you," she confessed to Adonis. "I like you because deep down inside I know you're good. Even if you don't want to except it." She twirled strands of his mane in her finger tips.

"Even if you tried to kill me, I like you. You chose not to... that shows you have some goodness."

Adonis frowned and began walking, favoring his front foot slightly, but avoiding a real limp because it would jostle his wounded rider. Besides, his leg was already improving; in a few minutes it would heal completely. But none of this meant he liked the girl, he reminded himself. He would not be taken in by this human's charm. ~Your affection is ill-placed, though I care little how you invest it.~ he said quietly, following the beach and searching the shoreline yearningly for his brother. Hopefully the fool was clever enough to stay by the shore and not wander inland. He didn't want to be stuck with this human all day.

Laya smirked slightly. "Try and act tough. I know you like me," she said in a humorous way. It was joke, though she didn't know if he would take her seriously or not. Maybe he would ignore her like he usually did.

She faded into another fit of coughs, ones that had her doubled over and clutching her stomach.

"Hmm... Telanis should be close by... unless they swam to the other side of the island."

Adonis walked in silence, offering no response to the girl. Far ahead, he finally spotted a silver form on the beach, two dark bodies lying next to it. Good, he thought to himself, picking up his pace.

Telanis raised his head as the morning light drifted across his back, warm breeze blowing through his mane. He'd heard something over the lapping ocean waves, further down the beach. Turning to look, he saw a girl on a large black horse. A few moments later, there was no doubt that it was Laya and Adonis. Relief flooded through him, and nudged Neko and Kratos eagerly with his nose. ~She's back!~ he called to them happily.