rise and rise again Posted on August 20, 2021 at 08:07:15 AM by Rade
rade
I don’t want to be anywhere other than with you. There was a part of Rade that could not believe the words murmured into his skin; a part that whispered doubts into one frayed golden ear. Because it’d been too long since anyone wanted him like this— in a way that had nothing to do with what they could gain from him, nothing to do with what he could become. Jaws seemed content to accept him as whoever he was, and without expectation. It was both strange and liberating, and loosened the tight ache of his chest. Not a lot; not until it was absent. But enough.
She wasn’t his daughter, and he wasn’t her father— but they were enough for each other regardless.
Of course, there was a danger in bringing the young mare with him to the Lagoon— particularly if his brothers should discover the depth of his need for her. Show no weakness. It was a primitive law, but one that every herdless stallion learned to live by. He was already past his prime and buckling beneath the weight of leadership’s burdens. To have one of the younger bachelors witness him this way— tearful and twined together with Jaws— could spell the end of his reign and the fragile peace he’d won. Nipping lightly at the point of her ear, the old stallion pulled himself gently away, his voice gruff again. The shutters falling closed over his expression, but not before he met her gaze beseechingly, hoping she’d understand.
"Then come on, little fool. It’s a long enough walk to the Lagoon, and I won’t have you slowing me down." There was a twist of wry humor to these syllables, and the reason for it was revealed within the first few steps he took. Limping heavily on one foreleg, it was Rade who was the liability, Rade who would turn their short journey south into a trial. But there was a benefit to the extra time it would cost them to clamber over or veer around the worst of the obstacles. Tilting his head towards the black-furred girl, he spoke again. The words still curt, but also curious.
"What was it that you hoped to find here on the islands?" He asked, stumbling and then catching himself with a soft hiss of pain. Given that she’d agreed to come with him, perhaps the answer didn’t matter much to Jaws anymore. But it mattered to him all the more because she was coming. Her willingness to stay with him— even if it was only for a short time— was a gift. And in return, he wanted to give her everything she could ever want; he wanted to give her the world. Maybe— if he managed to keep her happy enough— Jaws would stay with him longer.