Private Tales The Space Between

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Volker diligently inspected her work. He crouched in front of her pile and picked out wood to show her. "This is good wood. It is dry." he indicated, snapping it in half. "It makes a loud and crisp sound. Not like this..." he picked up a piece of wood, old and rotten from being at the bottom of the pile, and snapped it. It weakly crumbled in his fingers. "...if you burn this, you will get sick. Mold has taken ahold in it, and it will collect in your lungs. This is too green. See how it doesn't break? It only bends, and fragments. Keep green wood, as it will turn into good kindling on the road, but if you burn it now it will smoke enough to be a signal." He separated out her piles, covered the green wood with more oilcloth. He tied the bundle with twine and set it aside, putting the dry wood on the fire. The rotten wood he picked up, and gestured for her to come closer. He peeled away fragments of the rot, picking out tiny worms and grubs hidden deep in the wood. "Game is getting scarce, both human and animal. The deer and bear have either slept or moved south. Ducks and geese have long since flown. Insects will save your life."

Volker took her hand firmly, and tipped a small mouthful of the squirming creatures into her palm. "Eat." he said simply, and turned the meat on the grill. "Nothing brightly colored. White or grey only. If you are fortunate to catch yourself in a locust swarm, collect as many as you can carry."

When he made the observation about her pregnancy, her fear shone through bright as day. He snorted the scent out of his nose. "Your scent changes, and will change further still. You are broadcasting it. Any fae with a nose half as sensitive as mine will know it when the wind changes." he said dismissively. "I do not have to tell anyone. You might as well wear a sign on your person. Boil pine boughs in your bathing water, and rub the needles on your skin."

He stared at her for a moment when she admitted more ignorance. How had she survived as long as she had? By the grace of her two pets? Oor needn't have sent him. The winter itself would have destroyed her. He stood up and withdrew the long knife that had been in Joseph's leg. "Come." he said sharply. He led her into the trees, looking at pine boughs weighted down with snow. "You need strong boughs. See how this one tapers too quickly? Useless. This is better. Strong and thick throughout. It is frozen; the tree sleeps in winter."

Volker put his hand on a long, thick branch and hacked it off with a combination of long sweeps of his blade, and shouldering the bough downward. The pine cracked, and he was able to separate it. He gathered three more of the same, then went back for the thinner, skinnier boughs he had discounted earlier. He set the three large ones together, and went in search of a sapling. He made sure she was on his heels the entire time, and that he explained why he did things. "Twine is heavy and annoying to carry. Young trees have flexible armor. Not like old trees, where it is thick and crumbles. This is rope." He cut ever so slightly into the bark. "Strip downward. Be patient, or it will rip." He gathered a long strip, then three more. "Braid together." He did so as they walked back to the collection of boughs, and lashed the three together.

"Leave a long loop." he held it up for her to look. "This way, you may tie it to your horse, or pull it without gving yourself splinters. Weave the thinner branches in to the larger ones. It looks like a net. Make sure to jam them firmly, and tie off with smaller strips of bark. If you fail, he will be simply scooted off and the sled will come apart."
It took a while, but Volker didn't stop unless it was to correct her. He made her do as much work as he, helping her tie knots or telling her she needed to push up a branch firmer. By the end of an hour or so, they had a workable sled. It looked like a small, wide-mouthed dish. The final step was to lash the ends of the sled together, making a boat-like shape. "Moss makes it more comfortable." Volker explained. "And will soak up blood, so you do not leave a trail for wolves."

He peeled off frozen moss from trees, showing her the different fluffy sponge-like clusters. Lichens he gathered as well, offering her a little of the grey-green, moldy-smelling fibers. "Eat. It tastes bad, but you have no fresh fruit and vegetables have long since died. This will help." He tol her, and dragged the newly-made sled back to camp. By then, the meat was done, and Volker offered her some on a flat stone. Trahaearn's portion he took to him.
 
Trahaearn did little to nothing after the deal was made, content to move about as Mal did. Volker did the majority of the work, and he was content with this. It wasn't everyday that one got to enjoy Oor's host, and the man was not a threat in the immediate sense. Anger was in his veins still, not because he had to give up one of his descendants, but simply because Mal had looked at him to confirm that it was okay. It had ultimately come down to him, and he loathed her for making him do this.

His thoughts were dark as he tried to relax, tried to rationalize all of this. He knew better though, and knew that Malice would have some kind of backlash for all of this. Malice had appointed herself the protector of the family line he had made. With that came the discretion of making choices to protect them, and herself.

It was a hard lump to swallow, but with his past transgressions, it was hardly something he would have been able to argue if Malice had truly been in their company.

When it was clear that Volker was intent on teaching her a few lessons, Trahaearn quietly changed back into his dog form after finding his bag. He settled it between his paws and watched them work. It was interesting watching Oor's host work, the simple and clean cut of his words and actions a stark contrast to everything else in the world that always seemed to get muddled in the talk of
others.

He wanted to go get the horses, and break down their other camp, but Mal had wanted them to stay. So stay they shall.

He had nearly dozed off when the meat had been presented to him. While human was not a new taste to him, it was not a preferred meal by any means. "I am happy this is here. Satisfied with your new terms?" Trahaearn asked quietly, the first part still a throwback to his fae hospitality, even towards other mortals.

Falling out of practice could spell disaster if even one slip happened.
 
She drew a long, careful breath at his revelation. Perhaps because she spent so many years alone or because she'd never seen a pregnant fae, she'd not thought it would be so obvious. Human scents changed a little, however, so it should have occurred to her sooner.

But it was something she would have to consider later. Watching and listening, she patiently took up his lessons. She ate the grubs without complaint, felt the wood with her hands, and inspected not only the trees he chose but also the ones he discredited. Her hands quickly took up the lessons, her mind oddly vacant and hungry for the new knowledge. Though she'd not forgotten that he'd been a tool in placing them in this predicament, as she worked she realized she was just as much at fault. She worked beside the quiet man in greater silence, only asking to be shown what she didn't understand and devoting her energy to getting it right.

Nibbling on the bitter moss as they returned, she sat by the fire to warm her hands. She stared down at the meat on the stone he'd given her, but her eyes drifted toward the bottle that was resting near the fire, close enough to be kept warm. Shuck didn't look back at the man. She was a bit weary from their evening, and it was pushing late into the night. Her energy was quickly waning as she sat still at last. Picking at the meat, she tried not to consider what she was eating and stared into the fire while her thoughts wandered in Volker's absence.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Volker looked at Trahaearn. "No." He said simply, without explanation. It would require opening up to the other man, which he wasn't inclined to do. Volker's predicament went far further than deals. With that arrangement, Mal had sealed his death warrant, for Oor could only possess one creature at a time. Oor drifted from man to man in Volker's family line, and there was no telling how long the spirit would wait to inhabit a babe. It would mean Volker's death if he did, and Volker wasn't quite ready to die yet. He had every intention of killing the girl the moment Oor wasn't paying attention. It would ensure his own survival. His father had been foolish enough to get worked up by Oor and commit a rape; Volker wasn't so stupid. The spirit had raised him from a small child. He knew Oor about as well as he knew himself. Volker wasn't happy with the arrangement Mal had made, and he was already plotting to destroy it.

He could tell none of this to Trahaearn. Volker had seen memories of Malice, through the eyes of men before him. Oor collected what they'd learned and showed them to Volker. Malice might be weak now, but she would use everything she learned now later. Whether that meant destroying him, or lifting him up, was impossible to tell. The less the pair knew about him the better. He returned to Malice and silently plunked the container of blood in front of her. He ate his own meal quickly, bolting it and using his knife to crack the bone to get at the marrow. Eating made someone vulnerable and distracted, and he wasn't about to stay in that position long next to a black shuck.

Unfortunately, their peace was over. Joseph woke and immediately changed. The curse broken, a coyote streamed out of the tent on three legs. Volker had to admit, he was a bit impressed the human with stolen magic knew how to manage on three, especially bolting as fast as he was. He left a trail of blood behind him, straight back to their camp. Volker sighed and used snow to wash grease out of his fingers, getting up and trailing behind the man. His shoulder would give out soon, the stitches would rip, and he'd go down. It might have been a good escape attempt if Volker was truly intent on keeping him there. Right now, he was just irritated at the waste of good stitchwork.

Joseph got farther than he would have thought. Coyote tracks changed to bear, and Volker slowed. Ah, so the human recognized he was injured and outclassed. He was going to try and take Volker down with brute strength.
 
When Volker gave a simple response, Trahaearn only eyed him a moment. It seemed that puppet and master had two very different opinions. Not that he could tell when Oor was paying attention, nor did he truly care since Volker didn't seem keen on saying anything else. Oor had already made himself a subject that Trahaearn would investigate later since the spirit had tried to find Selmi.

It was an old wound, but considering how much it had been picked at lately, it still bled like a fresh wound.

When a coyote came sailing out of the tent, Trahaearn had nearly called after Joseph, but changed his mind quickly. The fool would tear open stitched wounds, and would likely die due to blood loss now that his body wasn't so frostbitten and sluggish. When Mal moved, Trahaearn was within her arms length of her. Intent on seeing Joseph make a fool of himself this time.
 
Volker returned momentarily, setting the object of her fixation in front of her. She'd been waiting patiently, thinking she'd needed to earn it and, apparently, she had. She set the cooked meat aside, not incredibly interested in it in the first place, and lifted the bottle to her lips. The blood of various creatures she'd consumed in the last week had each had their own unique flavor, and this one was no different. It seemed to sate her better than anything she'd had yet, and this singular small bottle would likely last her for a full day rather than a portion of one.

That wasn't settling well, and she had just lowered the bottle to wipe her mouth when there was a streak of fur out of the tent. Shuck blinked, thinking it was Trahaearn at first, but soon realized it hadn't been black but brown.

"Trahaearn?" She looked back toward the tent, hoping she'd been mistaken, but saw the warlock's long black canine face peer out after the other, then at her.

She'd hardly set down the bottle before she'd bolted to her feet, and by the time she put her feet toward Joseph, Volker had already washed his hands in the snow and was charging after Joseph. Foolish man! What was he thinking? She could see the smattering of blood on the snow, bright and pungent on the pure white fluff. His tracks shifted after a while, and her alarm rose. She stayed on Volker's heels, grateful she'd had the blood when she did, or else she'd never have been able to keep up at their pace. As they neared the fresh tracks, she doubled down trying to overtake Volker, but she simply wasn't well suited to the snow.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
The trail Joseph was leaving was easy to follow, and Volker was hardly surprised seeing a grizzly standing up at the end of the blood trail. Joseph roared at him, baring long fangs. It would have been a fantastic bluff for someone more easily intimidated. As it stood, Volker simply looked at him, and glanced behind him to Shuck. "He has lost a lot of blood." he told her. "Look." he gestured. The bear promptly fell to all fours and looked at them, shivering. He wouldn't be cold in that form; Volker counted it as muscle strain.

He would be right. Joseph was in extraordinary pain. He couldn't remember anything other than getting stabbed through the leg by the man in front of him, presumeably to lure in his Shuck. However, she was standing right next to him looking more frustrated at him than with the killer at her side. What exactly had transpired? It was all so confusing. He grunted and ambled carefully up to Shuck, one small ursine eye on Volker.

Volker examined his shoulder, lifting up the shaggy fur and pursing his lips. "You've torn your shoulder stitches. Your leg has held. If it had not, you would be bleeding out. I will need to repair it." he said. "Then you may leave. She has prepared a sled for you, that should work to pull you back to your camp. I have done what was promised. It is up to him to keep it intact."

Joseph scowled and shifted back, grabbing ahold of Shuck for balance. "You aren't fucking touching me, you butcher." he said through a ragged and swollen throat. He gingerly touched the wound on his shoulder. It was deep, and barely held together by a thin layer of stitches. He'd popped a fair number of them bolting like that.

"I have already touched you." Volker pointed out. He'd had enough. He simply grabbed Joseph by the scruff of his neck like an impudent kitten, and lifted him off of his feet. Joseph yelped, and Volker shook him to get his attention. "Shift and I will snap your neck. I have told Malice I will fix you. Stop making this difficult."

With that, he marched back to camp. Joseph hadn't gotten far, and it was easy to essentially frogmarch him into the tent and pull out the needle and thread again. "How have you not torn his throat out?" Volker asked Trahaearn as he pinned Joseph onto his back and began repairing the damaged stitches. Joseph, to his credit, didn't struggle once he had an arm across his throat and Volker's rear pinning his hips down.
 
They had found Joseph quickly enough, and after a brief exchange, Volker had returned them to camp. It tickled Trahaearn that Volker was so agitated by Joseph, since he had only spent a few minutes in the conscious man's presence.

"Mal likes him, and she likes his snark as she is. Sides, he isn't the worst thing in the realm, just one of the loudest." Trahaearn informed the other man, not willing to go any further with details. He couldn't wait for the return of her name for the man to truly experience, the love of his life. Trahaearn laid down near Mal, content to be at her side as he watched the man work.
 
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She was rounding Volker when Joseph rose up on his hind legs and roared. Stumbling only momentarily in the thick snow, she scowled at Joseph.

"I can see that," she replied curtly to Volker, wading through the snow toward Joseph slowly. "Come here," she instructed him, knowing damn well it was petty and unfair to use their pact against him. She met him halfway, agonizing over the painful way he walked. Though her face was set in a hard frown, her blackened hands were gentle as they cradled his face to her chest.

"Let him help," she said softly. Shuck could explain later. For now, she did her best to keep him calm as Volker inspected his shoulder. When Joseph shifted she put her arms around his middle to steady him, but couldn't do much when Volker picked him up by the neck and gave him a firm shake before marching him back to the tent. They didn't have far to go, but she knew it was going to make him miserable. She hovered behind them and continued to hover inside the tent when Volker literally sat on Joseph to hold him down while he began to stitch his shoulder anew.

She wasn't, however, going to take any of Trahaearn's catty remarks. "Go get the horses," she barked, kicking a foot toward him to get him on his feet. If they were going back to their camp tonight, they certainly wouldn't be walking there. With Trahaearn sufficiently kicked out, she turned her ire toward Volker.

"Ease up on his throat. He'll be good." To back up her claim, she knelt beside Joseph and put her hand on his opposite shoulder. She didn't press, though her touch was firm. Shuck loosed a long sigh and closed her eyes for a moment but couldn't look at him when she opened them again.

"I know you're confused, but I'll explain when we get back to our camp," she said softly. She watched Volker work instead. She could still taste the blood in her mouth and her throat worked as she swallowed down the fresh rise of guilt. The truth was too much, and she would fight to keep it from him. The deception hurt her already, but it was necessary. If he knew... No. He couldn't know.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Volker clearly didn't believe her when she sat next to him...but he recognized a leash when he saw one. He let up on Joseph's throat, and he coughed, but let himself be stitched up. Volker bit off the thread, and bandaged Joseph's shoulder a little tighter than he might have otherwise. "No. Shifting." He growled at him. "Your mistress does not use your pact often. But she has power over you. She can order you to cut your own balls off and you would do it. That is the strength of the magic. Don't disrespect it again." He got off of him, and looked at Mal. "Sixty days. I will delay it where I can."

He knelt and picked up Joseph, carrying him outside to the sled. He put a fur over him, making sure the sled was together. He experimentally pulled him in a circle around the fire. Satisfied that they'd made something that wouldn't dump Joseph onto the road, he handed the loop of cord to Mal. "Sixty days. Use what I've taught you, and think about what you leave behind as much as what you take. Do not make it easy." he told her. That done, it might as well have been like she didn't exist. He began to cut the larger portions of the man he'd killed into strips to dry over the fire. Joseph didn't take his eyes off of him, rubbing his throat. He did not like being incapacitated around a man like that....especially after what he'd said.

When she'd commanded him to come close he had. Without questioning. Just obedience. It scared him that Volker knew about it. The man would have helped them tie up the sled, but the minute he got near the horses they began dancing around and whickering. Joseph's mare even attempted a side-kick at him. "Animals do not like me. Tie two ropes to either side of the saddle where the game loops are. Drag him carefully and evenly." Volker told them in parting, and went back to his work.

"Get us the hell out of here..." he told Mal quietly.
 
Shuck said nothing, simply watched the process be repeated on Joseph's shoulder in silence. There as only the sound of the fire crackling, the hiss of snow being blown against the canvas wall of the tent, and the pull of thread through flesh as Volker neatly sewed up his arm once more. She felt the lash of her guilt anew hearing Volker say it out loud, and her face was one of regret when she finally looked down at Joseph. Her jaw was tight and her silvery eyes shimmered slightly. She ached to apologize but knew this wasn't the time or the place for it, not with Volker still hovering over her shoulder.

Sixty days, he reminded her, and she looked up at him for a long moment before nodding silently. She couldn't look at Joseph and was grateful when Volker bent to bundle him up and carry him out to the sled. Putting on her coat and grabbing her cloak, she followed them outside. Her eyes were fixed on Joseph as the older man tested the sled in a pass around the fire before returning him to her and handing her the loop.

"I won't forget them." She nodded soberly, obediently. Shuck lifted her eyes after a moment's silence, measuring the man in front of her. "I won't forget this," she stressed. She would have to speak to Trahaearn of the nature of Volker and Oor's agreement, but his warnings and lessons didn't make sense -- unless it was some twisted way of ensuring the future chase was more interesting.

Trahaearn returned with the horses and she did as Volker instructed, testing her knots before she was satisfied and crouched beside Joseph. She put her cloak over the fur, needing to fuss for a moment. She struggled to meet his eyes as she pushed the hair out of his face. Opening her mouth to say something, she was cut off when he requested they leave, and she simply nodded, tucking him in one last time and mounting up to follow Trahaearn toward their camp. She only looked back at Volker once before they rode into the night.

Their camp was undisturbed, though the fire was but a bed of coals. Shuck dismounted and went ahead of Trahaearn to prepare Joseph's bedroll for him, stepping out to let the man carry him in and lie him down. Giving Joseph a brief kiss, she adjusted the blankets and furs around him and propped her pillow under his head (as well as his) to make sure he was comfortable before asking him to wait patiently for her to return. Her energy was flagging, but she went out and rummaged for some wood as she'd learned from Volker and within a half hour had a meager fire going again. It was a small, but it was something.

She had just shaken the moisture out of her cloak when she remembered Trahaearn. He had finished tying up the horses, and was simply lying on the other side of the fire with his head on his paws -- a dog once more rather than the human who had ridden back with her from Volker's camp. Shuck didn't know what to say to him, or even how to begin the conversation, but she walked over and crouched down beside him.

"Tomorrow," she said softly, reaching out to pet his dark furred head. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Because right now, she had another conversation to prepare for. It was, arguably, going to be the harder of the two. Shuck stood for a moment holding her hands out in front of the little fire before she returned to their tent. She fastened the door and laid her coat across the bottom of the door flaps to prevent any cold air from sneaking its way in. Leaning over Joseph, she gave his forehead a chaste kiss.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, using her hand to brush his hair out of his face.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph hated being useless, but he was exhausted and in pain. He fell asleep with the rumbling of the road, curling up in the sled. He couldn't do much, other than sleep, and he was so...so tired. Sleep was the only refuge from pain, and he drifted off. His leg...he still couldn't feel it. When he woke up from Trahaearn carrying him into the tent, he couldn't feel it. A small gnawing terror was beginning at the back of his head. Had Volker damaged the nerves? Would he ever be able to walk again? He felt Shuck put pillows under his head. He should be taking care of her! She was the one pregnant and fading. Because of that stupid leg, because he was so small and couldn't fight the insane man off, he was lying here.

He reached up and touched her cheek when she kissed him. He couldn't tell her. Not about his leg. The only thing worse than being a cripple was being paralyzed. He took her hand and kissed her palm. "I'll be okay." he said quietly. "I'm more worried about you. Did Trahaearn fight those things off? The shade, and the old man? What happened?" He took a moment to look at her. She didn't look injured. The opposite, in fact. She looked alright. Trahaearn couldn't have been injured or he wouldn't have been carried. So much about the last day didn't make sense. "We have to put some distance between us and that thing.."
 
She placed her hand over his. The strain of worry was as plain in his expression as her own, but she tried to offer him a small smile. She shook her head when he asked if Trahaearn fought off Volker and Oor. He looked her over and she sat up for his inspection, her smile softening and becoming a bit more genuine. But he urged, worrying over their proximity, and she held up their hands to kiss the back of his fingers.

"Trahaearn... He knew them from before," she said carefully. "They knew me -- or Malice, that is." Thinking carefully on how to phrase the explanation, looked down at his hands. She fought against the burn of tears. They were dark and bruised, but he was using them. That surely meant he wasn't going to lose them, right? She noticed that her own hands were still black, the same way Trahaearn had shown Joseph to make his when he'd mimicked her form.

"They have a contract with someone in the Unseelie Court to kill me. And you and Trahaearn. If I agreed to help them with something when I got my name back and they'd betray that contract, but they'd only give us sixty days. At that time our deal dissolves and they'll come after us again. " She folded his hands back into his blanket. "I've half again that long before the babe comes, and gods only know how long it will be after before I get my name."

Shuck turned away with a sigh. She angrily pulled off her coat and vest, and bent to begin unlacing her boots.

"I'll have to break the deal. But it was either accept their terms or..." Or he died -- they all died. Shuck knew how badly she wanted him, wanted to get her heart back so she could love him. To lose him now would be worse than if she'd never had him at all. She yanked off her boots at last and sat quietly, staring at the tent door for several moments. She finally shook her head and sighed before turning back to him.

"It's been a long night. Are you cold?" she asked. She drew her cloak over his piles of blankets and furs, then peeled off her breeches and shirt before wriggling under the covers with him. Shuck rolled up her shirt to use as a pillow and gently pulled him close. He was so cool against her, but she held back from cuddling him too close. She was careful not to bump his leg or his shoulder, but she let her dark fingers drift over his face. His nose and ears were dark and bruised, and they would likely suffer the same as his fingers and toes.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, cupping his jaw and reaching up to very gently kiss the bridge of his nose. "You ran yourself ragged to take care of me, and now this..." Shuck withdrew her hand, lying it on his chest to feel that steady beat. "I won't let anything like this happen ever again."

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph blinked at her. "Why does that not surprise me that Trahaearn knows a psychotic killer for hire and his....whatever the hell that thing was. I thought it was a nightmare at first. Burned and blackened. Sixty days...we can give them the slip in sixty days and never see them again." he reassured her. He pulled her close next to him in the tent, sighing and kissing her. He smiled and nuzzled into her hand, looking at her with those big dark eyes.

"The rain, I said, is kind to come,
And speak to me in my new home.
I would were I alive again,
to kiss the fingers of the rain,
to drink into my eyes the shine,
of every slanting silver line." He recited softly, touching her cheek at the last few words and giving her a soft kiss, leaving no doubt as to who possessed the silver lines he was adoring. He put his arm around her, tugging one of the pillows from under his head to settle under hers. His hand dipped under the covers and his palm spread across her belly protectively. Everything he did now, he did for them. He watched her adoringly, until sleep took him again.
 
Relief and guilt mingled as he took her words as the whole truth, letting them go with his usual confidence. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent when he kissed her, following him when he began to withdraw to kiss him once more before allowing him to retreat. Holding his gaze, the worried lines of her face turned to ones of confusion as he began to recite something.

Poetry, she realized. Had she ever heard a poem? She was certain she must have, because she knew it was one, but her mind had no such memories. By the time he finished, a smile softened her features and her eyes were glassy as she stroked her thumb over his cheek. It was beautiful, and there were no words fit for a response, so she lay silently beside him.

Though she was a bit annoyed that he sacrificed a pillow, she allowed him the gesture and compensated by slinking her arm under his pillow, offering him more support but also allowing him to lie closer to her. He'd need her warmth tonight, and with so many layers he was certainly going to get it; she'd be hot and uncomfortable, but it was something she'd gladly suffer for his sake.

His hand slid over her belly and she smiled with a little sniffle, stubbornly wiping away a stray tear that made its way down her cheek. Shuck idly brushed her fingers through his hair, lulling him to sleep long before she would follow after. Oor had promised nightmares for them both, and she was reluctant to sleep -- not for fear of her own, but because it was inevitable that she'd be awakened by his. But knowing the nightmares were coming, that they'd both be awakened, and now knowing that what precious little time they had to get beyond Allira was now made more precious still, she soon closed her eyes and let the steady rhythm of his heart and the assurance of his even breathing draw her towards sleep.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Nightmares did come, for them both. Joseph's was Malice, cruel and warlike, abandoning him and mocking him. Thrown away like something worse than useless. It echoed Joseph's own fears about feeling coming back to his leg. At this point he wanted the pain. At least the pain let him know the stupid limb still worked. He woke up several times, nuzzling into Shuck to assuage his fears. He carefully stripped some of the covers from her so she wouldn't overheat, and kept her protected from the cold with his own body. The last time he woke, he sighed and gave up. He put his hand on Shuck's stomach. "Your mother and I are doing everything we can to get you to a safe place. Don't come before then, okay?" he whispered. "I love you and your mother very much. I can't wait to hold you."

Though they were a few day's distance from Heinrich's compound, it felt like weeks. Joseph still couldn't ride and being dragged along was beginning to irritate him. Even with the layer of moss and fur, he still felt every damn rock and branch hidden under the thick layer of snow in the road. Days went by and Joseph's wounds blistered and began to peel. The pain came back in a rush the third day, like a rolling thunderstorm, thick and heavy. It was only when he woke up from the blackout did he realize his leg was spasming. Though the pain was bad, it was familiar, and it chased away his fears that he wouldn't be able to walk. That didn't make it any easier to deal with. He bit down on one of the pine branches, and muscled through the pain.

The road soon leveled out, and the trees thinned from heavy forests into glades. They were getting close. Joseph sat up a bit and looked at their surroundings. Close. Very close. He pointed out one of the forest marks on a passing tree. "We're getting close...you remember the way?" he asked Shuck. Everything looked different in the snow. He hoped she'd be able to navigate them. He watched carefully, sitting up, wrapping the fur around his shoulders. Gods, he wanted to walk into Heinrich's compound...or at least be sleeping. The men would never let him get away with it. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair to shake off snow, looking at the stitches in his shoulder. They'd heal in a few more weeks.

When he heard hooves approaching, he sat up a little straighter and looked for the source. A familiar dark bay form was rushing at them. "Hey. There's your old friend." Joseph pointed the unicorn out to Shuck....and noticed he wasn't stopping. He blinked. That was a bit close....too close. The stallion lifted his head and slammed his chest into the forequarters of Shuck's gelding. The other horse stumbled, completely caught off guard. The unicorn's ears were pinned back and he delivered a vicious bite to the gelding's nose, his hindquarters kicking violently at the gelding's underbelly. Joseph swore and twisted away from the flailing hooves.

"For fuck's sake Shuck get off of him!" he shouted. Something clicked. The unicorn was a stallion, and they'd brought a gelding into his territory. Not knowing the emasculated state of the other horse, the unicorn had identified a threat. The gelding, to his credit, was not battle ready but panicked, taking off down the road at a gallop whether Shuck was on him or not. What had been a boring slow dragging motion was now the worst sledding ride Joseph had ever been on. He glanced back at Trahaearn. The unicorn was biting the mare's hindquarters, trying to herd her into the forest. No doubt toward the rest of the mares the unicorn tended.

"If Heinrich doesn't fucking castrate that old bastard I will!" Joseph roared over the snow.
 
She didn't have dreams, and over the course of a week, she'd be grateful that she didn't. No dreams also meant no nightmares, after all. Shuck could finally understand why Joseph had been sleeping so poorly since Lindow, if this was what he had been dealing with.

It was the same dream every night: she awakened as a dog in her cemetery and when she tried to leave its confines she was barred by some magical boundary, leashing her to the church property. The town was silent, abandoned and dilapidated. Even the church roof had caved in, and the lead skeletons of her stained glass windows broken and bent. Nobody came, and she was alone, alone, alone. It sank into her bones slowly as she frantically ran the boundary. She'd been somewhere else, had someone else, but she couldn't remember them. And when she found them, someone stood down by the creek with their back to her staring into the water. They never turned, but she stood at that impassible boundary barking and barking, begging them to turn around. She couldn't remember their face, needed to remember their face, but they never did. She'd forgotten what he should look like, had forgotten even who he was, but she was so sure that all she needed was for him to look at her. He never looked at her, though, even when she called for him until her voice was raw.

Startling awake every night, clinging to Joseph. She'd forgotten him briefly only once, but the fear of doing so again... It was with a measure of desperation to make the days she woke up from that dream pleasant, as well as a means to combat her guilt, that she cared for him. Their nights were miserable, but their days didn't have to be. Shuck was a patient caretaker, combatting his sulking with an excess of smiling and kisses. She tended to his hands and feet twice daily, and kept a close eye on his healing wounds, changing the dressings every evening. Making herself useful around camp was both fulfilling and tiring, and she was glad to be nearing Heinrich's compound a full week later.

Joseph recognized how close they were before she did, and when he queried, she gave the place a look. She didn't recognize these woods at all and felt that cold finger down her back at that realization.

"No..." she confessed, looking around. She remembered the jog with Heinrich, recalled their conversation just fine, though there was something missing from before it -- something that seemed important. What had she forgotten?

She'd been too distracted with grasping for the answer to see the unicorn sooner, and when she did at Joseph's remark, she had only a moment to yank her foot out of the stirrup. Her gelding teetered, raising his head sharply and squealing sharply as the unicorn attacked it. Joseph called for her to get off, but she used her foot to push the unicorn back.

"Like hell!" she yelled, yanking the gelding's reins mercilessly to the side. He bolted away from the stallion, and though she felt bad for Joseph, it got them out of the unicorn's immediate attention. Reining him in, she grasped the back of the saddle and turned to look back at Trahaearn.

"Cut the girth and--" Her horse veered hard to the left, following a path she might have otherwise missed if he hadn't taken it. Shuck teetered, her arms flailing wildly for a moment as she grasped for the horse's mane. She managed to hang on -- barely -- and took several steadying breaths to calm the tingling rush of adrenaline in her arms.

Unfortunately, the gelding carried them a fair distance down the trail in that time, and getting him to stop was no small matter. When she did, she looked back up toward where they'd come. In the hills and trees, Trahaearn was well out of sight. But that was a secondary concern; Shuck swung her leg over the horn and knelt beside Joseph. She was smiling in spite of the chaos and worry.

"An interesting greeting," she laughed. "Are you alright?"

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph was half-covered in snow. Ye gods, the ride was finally over. He shook off snow and swept his hair back, looking at her. Surprisingly...he joined her in laughter. It had been dangerous, and fast, but he had to admit it was a little bit of fun. It reminded him of careening down icy slopes on a shovel as a boy with his brothers. He smirked and kissed her. "I'm sorry, I should have realized that sooner. That unicorn was only a friend to you when he thought you were untouched. They're pretty violent with everyone else....I think you riding that poor gelding made him see us as a threat. I saw he stole my goddamn horse, the lion-tailed brute." He kissed her. "Are you okay?"

He glanced around them. Trahaearn riding his mare meant he had been carried off. "Let's just hope Trahaearn has the forethought to get off the mare before the unicorn covers her." he smirked. "We need to find Heinrich, ask him where the herd is. I bet we'll find my horse....and Trahaearn." He slowly attempted to get up. His leg buckled, and he sank back down into the sled with a wince. He wasn't walking anywhere. Not only that, but through the blinding wild ride he hadn't seen where the gelding had run off the road. He had no idea where they were. He sighed.

"Only thing for it is to keep going, hope we find a patrol." he said. "I don't know where Trahaearn is and I dont think your poor gelding is going to do anything but bolt if we get close to that unicorn." He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "You didn't get too knocked around did you? Everything alright?" He pointedly looked at her belly.

Continuing down the paths was...frustrating. Everything seemed to bring them in circles. If it didn't, they were strange dead ends like a half-frozen pond, or a wall of downed trees. No wonder it was so difficult to find Heinrich's place. Any decent bounty hunter would have eaten his boots out of frustration with this nonsense. Joseph had to lay down and nap, but they were still lost when he woke. He was about to suggest they try to find a familiar meadow when an arrow thunked next to the gelding. "Fuck!" Joseph swore. "Stop! It's me you stupid bastards! On the sled! That's Shuck you fucking idiots, she was with me last time!" He struggled to stand, grabbing the gelding's hindquarters so he could support himself.

"Meier? Fuck's sake. You're lucky that was a warning shot." The archer shook off a coating of snow, throwing back the hood of his cloak and looking down at them from a frozen maple tree. "I thought Heinrich showed you the paths?" He climbed down, slinging his bow over one shoulder and walking over to them to grab the arrow out of the ground.
Joseph sighed. "Everything looks the same in the snow." he explained, sparing Shuck having to admit her memory problems.
The archer smirked, and looked at Shuck. "I'll be. This is the black dog you dragged into camp?" he uttered a low whistle. "Ma'am I have to say this is a much better view."

"We're together." Joseph bristled.
The archer held up his hands. "Easy. Didn't mean anything by it. Follow me, I'll set you straight."
 
She cupped his face in her hands and gave him not one, but two kisses. "I'm fine," she laughed.

Her smile faded when he tried to stand. Careful to put her hands to his other shoulder and his chest, she urged him back down into the sled.

"Hey, it's alright. Maybe we just need to get somewhere I can recognize," she offered. When he expressed his concern for her once more, she sat back on her heels and made a sweeping gesture over her front. "I got my leg out of the way in time. I almost took a spill when the gelding took that sharp left, but I kept my seat. We're a little jostled but just fine."

It was strange to say it that way, but it made her smile like an idiot. Shuck tucked him in, wiping the snow off of him with a bit of laughter that helped her shake off the last of her nerves before she kissed him one last time and mounted the skittish gelding once more.

Riding further only frustrated her. She was grateful that Joseph dozed off after a while, and more than once she stopped to close her eyes and press her temples with the heel of her palm. She was so stupid! How could she have forgotten this? No amount of looking at the trees or trying to recall anything from that run would muster more than a few of Heinrich's words -- ghosts from what felt like another lifetime. The lingering fears from her nightmares left her feeling raw and far more conscious of the lapse. She'd not told Joseph, nor had she asked after his. It was hard enough to experience them for herself, she wasn't ready to divulge them to Joseph and relive them in the real world.

The familiar thwang of an arrow whizzing past her made her draw the gelding up short. Her keen eyes followed the line of the arrow's path into the tree, even as her gelding pranced nervously, and spotted the silhouette of the archer. Her lips curled back to bare her teeth, and she felt the corners of her mouth widening. She'd already swung a leg over the horse's neck and was descending into the snow when Joseph called out to them.

Shuck looked at him, needing the caution likely more than the scout who shook off the snow. But with the man unarmed, she moved to support Joseph by the elbow and pressed her mouth firmly shut. The scout's face wasn't one she recognized. She frowned and shifted closer to Joseph at his remark.

The scout turned away, beginning to lead them in what she assumed was the way toward the camp, and Shuck breathed a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and hugged Joseph momentarily. With another sigh, she helped him back into his sled, covered him up, and swung back into the saddle to follow the man's lead.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph hesitated getting back in the sled, but he was already feeling woozy being vertical. He settled back down in it, laying his head in the furs and rubbing his forehead. Much as he wanted the strength to walk into Heinrich's camp, he simply didn't have it. Instead he decided to lay and pay attention to the route. Pay attention to certain trees and curves in the road. If he remembered they could always find their way back here. It might be critical later when they were heading back toward the faelands, especially if anything worse befell them. The snows were bad enough, and they might need somewhere to hide during a blizzard.

Relief swept over him when they trotted through the gates. The place was well-kept as ever. Heinrich had erected several bonfires and shelters to keep the snow away, and the stable had a new roof. How long had it been since they stopped there? It felt like months. Joseph sat up, refusing to look any weaker than he had to.

Heinrich was coming toward them, dressed in a thick wool coat with a fur hood. Unlike them, he was actually kitted for the weather. Leather boots with steel teeth strapped to the bottom of them, and a scarf around his neck. He peeked behind the horse and laughed. "You should know better than to travel in the winter with that crow's cage on your leg!" Heinrich chuckled. He frowned at the bruises on the gelding's neck and shoulders.

"Ran into your fucking pincushion on hooves." Joseph muttered. Heinrich shook his head and looked up at Shuck.
"Is that really you?" he asked, offering his hand to help her down from her horse. "The little shade he was carrying into camp? It's good to see you...and I've got to say I prefer this form over the dog."
 
Shuck paid attention to the path they took, though none of it shook any memories loose. She'd almost forgotten the camp itself, only parts of it seeming vaguely familiar. But when they entered the stables, a familiar face stepped out from behind a horse. Heinrich's greeting was humored, and Shuck smiled warmly back at Joseph, who (as always) had a grumpy remark. Their friend approached her, and she took his offered hand as she slid her leg over the gelding's neck to dismount.

"It truly is. It's good to see you again as well," she said with a smile. She laughed at his remark; even if it was essentially the same as the scout's, it came off a bit easier from a friend who hadn't shot at her.

Not recently, anyway.

"I keep hearing that," she said with a wry smile. "Although, it makes looking out for this one a bit easier."

As she spoke, Shuck bent to help Joseph rise. Her tone might have been playful, but her eyes and smile were warm. Gentle with her hands, she kept her arm around his back to keep him steady on his feet. It had been a week, but it would be a few more days yet before he should be walking independently. She knew it was likely rubbing his pride raw to have to depend on her, but she was as stubborn as he was.

"We got into a little trouble on our way here," she said softly, finally looking away from Joseph. He'd been right -- she was indeed slightly taller than Heinrich, her eyes at his hairline. Her warm expression became more sober, the lines of her face hardening slightly. "And we've a companion -- a tall human man named Trahaearn -- but the Lord separated us."

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Heinrich embraced her for a moment, holding her out at arm's length to look at her. "I think you'll be hearing it a lot more when Joseph's in no state to get drunk and turn to entertain the boys." he joked. "Now, what sort of scrap did you get into?" He let her go to help Joseph up, taking a moment to look at exactly what their situation was. Heinrich touched the sled, raising an eyebrow. He was impressed. Joseph was a capable farmboy, but he wasn't exactly the innovative type when it came to survival situations. Nor would he be in the condition to try and make something like this if he was ill. He took a look at Joseph. He was favoring his leg a lot more than usual, and he had a stiffness in one shoulder.

"Right, you shouldn't be walking at all much less hopping. If the Lord stopped you, must've been on account of that gelding you were riding. He doesn't suffer any other males. We all ride mares. I'm guessing your companion was on such a mare. Long as he lets the Lord does what nature's given him a right to, he should be back by tonight. I'll have the men out looking for him." Heinrich told her.

"Fuck's sake." Joseph growled in disgust. "Just get me inside and give me some god damn poppy."

Heinrich tutted. "There's a bathing stall inside, water's been boiling on all day so it should be nice and hot for you. We use a gravity system. Water's boiled or kept warm in the watch tower, filters down through to the bathing stalls. All you have to do is get in a stall, pull the lever, water comes out." He told Shuck. "And uh...not the last one from the left no matter how many times they try and get you in it. It's got a peekhole at tit height. I'll get your horse rubbed down and take a good look at those bites." With that, Heinrich walked over to Joseph and yanked him up into his arms. Joseph yelped and punched Heinrich in the shoulder.

"Fuck you!" Joseph snarled. "Easy!"

"Yeah you are, but let's not discuss that in the snow."
 
Shuck thought a moment of how to explain their predicament. Looking at Joseph briefly, she figured a small measure of transparency would be alright with his friend -- their friend.

"Assassins, of a sort," she began. "It is becoming apparent that Malice is not popular at Court. Or that I'm not." Shuck frowned. "It is a long story."

Much longer than she wanted Joseph standing in the snow, and thankfully Heinrich understood. She bit back a laugh at their banter when he scooped Joseph, who protested as to be expected. He had been so surly and quiet the last few days, and it was good to see his feisty temper returning in the company of his friend.

Following Heinrich's instruction, she grabbed her pack and went into the showers. Choosing a middle stall, she washed away two weeks of grime. The scent of pine was amplified by the hot water, and after she was clean she rubbed her person down again with a fistful of needles she had dried in her pocket. Unsure what she would be doing, as it was hardly past noon, she opted to slip back into the same traveling ensemble.

Wandering back outside, she stood at the edge of the awning to look out at the courtyard. A soft smile played on her lips, memories of that other lifetime resurfacing. She'd been so jealous of Joseph parading around, giggling in the laps of Heinrich's men. From the distance of time and a more worldly perspective, it now seemed so childish and naive.

Sighing, she picked up her pack and headed toward the mess hall. Of all the things to remember her way toward, of course it would be the food. Greeting the surprised men, introducing herself at least a dozen times, and dancing around their remarks with pink cheeks, it was likely that the entire camp knew she was there by the time she found the kitchen and requested hot water for tea.

Doing her best to ignore Heinrich's men, she sat with her steeping tea and combed her long damp hair with her fingers. Joseph was hopefully filling the man in on their misadventures and she smiled to herself, stirring the tea clockwise. Heinrich's company was likely a pleasant change from that which they'd kept on this journey. Shuck was in no hurry to interrupt, but also looked up at everyone who passed by.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph's temper was not improving in the shower stalls. He bristled at Heinrich's every attempt to help, and only after the other man let him stand on his own and he nearly crashed to the floor did he realize that yes, he did need help. Privately. And with as little fanfare as possible. Heinrich gave a low whistle when Joseph removed his brace and unwrapped the bandages to wash them properly in the steaming water. "What in hell gave you that? Looks like a knife cut...edges are too clean. Or a sword." Heinrich observed, gently touching the stitches. "Both sides? How the fuck did you piss someone off enough to- don't answer that."

Joseph was giving him a look that could have set his hair on fire. The highwayman shook his head and rubbed water out of his glasses, helping to wash Joseph's cuts properly. "I didn't know she was so skilled with a needle." Heinrich commented. "She'd make a good war medic."

"Wasn't her." Joseph grumbled, washing dirt out of his hair. "Though if you see an old man built like a brick shithouse and armed to the teeth, shoot him in the dick for me." He pushed the lever up. The second the hot water stopped running, cold rushed in, and he eagerly wrapped himself in the blankets Heinrich provided. Heinrich gathered up his clothes to wash them, helped him strap himself back in, and led him to the mess hall. Joseph glared when he saw the men whispering at one another and looking at Shuck. Several of them gave her welcoming grins, or offered her their share of food. Heinrich read the room. Joseph would be in a fist fight with ten of them by the evening.

Heinrich gave a sharp whistle. "Alright you lot. Listen up. They had one more in their party, mounted on a mare. The Lord's probably added her to his harem and took the poor bastard along for the ride. I need you to find him, bring him here in one piece."
The men grumbled, putting down their utensils and half-heartedly finishing mugs of coffee and tea.
"Now!"
The sharp bark put force behind their leader's words, and they scrambled out of the mess hall.

Joseph sat next to Shuck and sighed, stealing one of the five or six sausage rolls the men had left on a plate in front of her (quite possibly as a ribald joke), and bit into it. Heinrich sat down across from them, sighing. He set a familiar canister down in front of her. "One of my men found this on the horses. Said it looked like some sort of curse. There's blood in there, and when you've been killing as long as we have you know the difference between the blood of a man and that of a cow or pig. Mind explaining this?" he asked.
Joseph pushed it away in disgust. "That's not fucking ours. Must've been left by the assassin." he said in disgust. "Fucking sick bastard. Get rid of it."
 
Ignoring the men was easier said than done, but she did so with a cool reservation and a blank face that conveyed her disinterest well enough. Though, she didn't quite understand the sausages, or why they elbowed one another like they were privy to some joke she wasn't.

The moment Joseph returned, she flashed him (and him alone) a bright smile. It turned into a smirk that she hid behind her tea as Heinrich sent the room out to find Trahaearn. Joseph looked like he could have ripped throats out with her teeth, and she might have let him if he was wasn't healing.

She hastily made room beside her on the bench, and pushed her plate of sausage rolls toward him.

"Feeling better?" she asked, cradling her tea. She wat her him with an easy smile as she drank her tea, and turned that smile toward Heinrich when he walked over.

The smile faded when she saw the bottle he set in front of her. Her expression went blank as he explained, but twisted into a grimace as Joseph pushed it away. She couldn't lie, but she could dance around ththe truth.

"It smells human," she confirmed, and didn't have to dig deep to feign her disgust. "But not magical. It's a terrible curse, if it is one."

Her mouth tingled, toeing too close to a lie. Shuck hadn't really found a good time to ditch the bottle, and had been nursing its contents for as long as possible. With as much work she had been doing, the blood had likely been all that kept her going. It was a terrible thing that had preyed upon her in her weakened state, true enough.

None of which she was going to confess. Shuck looked from Joseph to Heinrich, set down her tea, and frowned at the bottle.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
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