debonaire

The sharp pinch of teeth on Debonaire's flesh should be an awakening, but instead it drives him deeper into oblivion. Memories that had been buried until this moment flood his mind, colliding with the reality of the present, distorting it. Distorting both. The acrid stench of sweat fills his nostrils as the buckskin braces himself, wide brown eyes brimming with anger and agony as they gaze at the familiar golden form standing before him. Rade. Had he, too, come seeking the last remnants of their family? Would he settle for nothing but the irrevocable destruction of Debonaire's heart? Hikea, Conquistador. Gone. And Cherish, his sweet daughter Cherish - Rade's sister - forced to carry his child. Only Xina and their child had been sheltered from harm, and now Rade would draw them down with him into ruin.

No.

"NO!" The buckskin stallion bellows, his chest swelling as it fills with the flames of his hatred, the ash of his horror. He rises up, propelled by the impetus of his rage, intending to destroy his wayward son, or to at least die in the attempt. But his injured leg buckles beneath the weight of his body, spilling him backwards onto the sand, and by the time that Debonaire rights himself, the scattered remnants of his mind have reassembled themselves. "Kasabian? The stallion pants from the exertion of pulling himself upright, and though his eyes are still brimming with agony, there is nothing but clarity swimming in their depths. Clarity, tears, and a knowledge more painful than the wounds that pucker his flesh. "It's been so long. I thought - but it is you. It's really you."

"I can't." Debonaire responds to Kasabian's offer, and his voice too has changed; it is no longer aimless but urgent, intent. "I-I have to go. I have to go home." For a brief moment confusion clouds his mind again - where was home? He has wandered for the majority of his life, and seen more places than he could possibly name. But even as Debonaire hesitates, his last glimpse of the Shore - of Xina sleeping peacefully beneath the palms - fills his thoughts, and the final piece of the puzzle falls into place. "I have to find my family. They - They're in trouble."

He cannot wait for his friend's response; even a second is too precious to waste. Hobbling into the sanctuary of the forest's shadows, Debonaire begins to claw his way determinedly up the mountain. He doesn't know what he can do to save Xina and their child, but he has to try.

Assuming he's not already too late.