Spirits of the Earth

They weren't very far into their trip, but Faolán was already bouncing along the trail, full of excess energy. Sure, it was just an easy beginner mission, make sure the trails were clear and all that, but it sounded like an important mission, too, because they were helping out the soldiers and stuff! For their country! It made him feel all responsible and everything, not to mention this mission involved traveling and no--as far as he could see, at least--forests!

Which was good, because he wasn't a fan of forests.

Adjusting his traveling pack on his shoulders, Faolán trotted alongside Killian and beamed up at his partner, bursting with excitement both nervous and genuine.

"Have ya ever done this before?" he asked. "Gone on a long trip like this? 'Cause I never have! Never even been as far as we're goin' and, gosh, last time they sent me on a mission, my partner and I got attacked by a monster! And that was just a mile away in the woods. But this sounds easy and, uh...promise I won't get us attacked or nothin'! Hey, are there bandits out here?"

Killian was excited too, for this chance at their first real mission as soldiers. Albeit, the pair was to trek it alone, which that in itself made him feel vulnerable, but also a trustworthy asset to the army. So as they walked along, Killian was more reserved in his exuberance as his long legs continued to carry him forward down the trail.

"Well, I guess there could be, but our mission is to ensure this road is safe and clear so that the soldiers can use it to march much more easily north." North for what, he wasn't quite certain, except apparently North had a solution to their mage problems, so if it would help the cause and help his country, he was more than happy to oblige. Though the valley was rather.. boring, yet beautiful in it's own right, as Killian's eyes began to move around, observing the tall grasses stretching about as far as the eye could see.

"I guess that's why they sent us in pairs," Killian mused. "In case we were to run into trouble. Though," he gave a shrug. "I can't say that I've done anything like this before. At least not really." He gave a shake of his head, then looked over at  Faolán  with a smile.
"I came from a farm, so the only real traveling we had done was to get the apples into town. Though I suppose this sort of work is different."

"An apple farm, huh?" Faolán said, trotting ahead of Killian now. He walked backwards so he could face the other soldier and talk at the same time, glancing over his shoulder every now and then to make sure he wasn't about to run into something--even though the road was empty as far as the eye could see.

"That's lucky. My family's a bunch of bakers, but we mostly sold local so we didn't really travel or nothin'."

Stretching his arms over his head, Faolán beamed a wide grin up at Killian. Any nerves he might have had over the idea of bandits and monsters and being alone out here was quickly evaporating under his partner's smile; since he looked relaxed, there was no real reason for him to be nervous.

"Do ya miss home, Killian?" he asked, deciding to find out a little more about his partner. Faolán had seen him around, of course, and even done drills with him, but come to think of it they hadn't really gotten a chance to talk. And since they were going to be together for quite some time, seemed like a good chance to correct that!

Killian smiled warmly at Faolán.
"Yes, at times, I do." He stared up at the sky, still smiling before glancing back over at his partner. "We had so many acres of trees that, even on quiet, windless days like this, you could still smell the sweetness of the apples in the air. But then again, working with apples all day, you eventually ended up smelling like them." he gave a laugh, recalling that even the soap they used had been fragranced with apples.. "But man, what I wouldn't give for some of my mother's home made apple bread." He shook his head, rubbed his belly and was still smiling at that but then turned his blue yes back to Faolán.
"What sort of things did your family bake? Were you into pastries and things, or just breads?"

"That don't seem like a bad thing to smell like," Faolán said with a bright grin. "I wouldn't mind smelling like apples. Though I guess you'd probably get sick of it after long if that was like all the time," he added, lips pursed in thought.

"My family, oh, we just did breads, mostly, but sometimes savory fritters and pies if there was time. Didn't really have the money for sugar, 'cept as a surprise now and then and holidays, then we'd get a treat! Ma always baked sweetbread and honey loaves for All Soul's Night--it was the best! Though your apple bread sounds pretty amazing..."

He trailed off with a dreamy sigh, the thought of sweets making his stomach rumble and sweet tooth ache.

"If we're ever by your town, we'll have to pay that bread a visit! Well, and your family, too, of course," he with a teasing wink.

Killian smiled. He was glad he got assigned with someone his age, and someone like Faolán. He seemed like a nice boy- much like himself, so it made the journey all the more enjoyable.

"Well, I hope we won't ever be stationed by my home. As soldiers, it can't be a good sign for us to carry out missions so close to home. I'd be too afraid that us being assigned near there would mean my family is in danger." he shook his head. "Though it's a small little town, so nothing exciting ever happens around there. Except well.. the usual festivals." He thought with a whimsical smile. "And I doubt we'll ever get a chance to, but if we're near enough at some point when they let us go on break, perhaps I can have you over. THe bread really is amazing. Maybe my mother could even share her recipe and you could sell some in your shop."

"Oh." Faolán have Killian a startled look. He hadn't thought about that, about the fact that carrying out a mission near home generally meant bad things for your home. He quickly corrected himself.

"Well, in that case, yeah, let's go with what you said!" he said with a grin. "If we're close enough, here's hoping we can visit! Your ma, though, think she'd part with the recipe?" He laughed. "I know mine can be awful particular about her recipes! I think she's afraid someone'll take it and go off to serve a king with 'em and get all rich while she'll be left scrapin' by--and get blamed for theft in the end! It's awful risky, ya see, being a baker."

Faolán paused, then let out another laugh. "That's an exaggeration, of course, but ya get what I mean. Anyway, I'd love to meet your folks!"

Killian gave a gentle laugh.
"I wonder if a baker's life is more dangerous than a soldier's," he mused over the joke, then laughed easily again as they continued to walk, he, momentarily forgetting their purpose to be scouting and securing the road.
"And I don't think my mother would mind sharing the recipe. What good would it do for just our family to enjoy it and not any others? And who knows," he gave a shrug. "It could be a business proposition- your family buys our apples and your family bakes the bread. Seems like a win-win situation to me. And who knows, you might actually make money out of it!" And he laughed easily again.

Faolán laughed. "Lookit ya! Playin' match-maker with our families!" he said, then let out a yelp when his heel hit a rock and he stumbled.

He caught himself and decided it was time to turn around instead of walking backwards, and he fell into stride with Killian and continued on like nothing had happened, hoping he hadn't noticed. "Don't sound like a half bad idea, though! If your parents end up liking it, I'm sure mine would, too! Both sides get what they want, everyone's happy, and both sides can get more famous and stuff!"

He frowned, a sudden thought hitting him through the cheer. "Course, may be a while 'fore I can see my folks again...things are a bit strained at the moment."

Killian smiled at the idea of fame, pretending to not notice Faolán's stumble.
"Well, it would be a rather interesting story behind it, if the bread were to become famous. To think, an idea could come to fruition from a pair of soldiers," Killian said with a grin. But then flattened his expression and nodded sagely when Faolán commented about the way things were.

"Yes, it's unfortunate we live in a time where our own Grand Duke was murdered." He frowned, thinking over it. "I don't think I could have ever imagined such a thing could ever happen. Especially in Connlaoth. It's just baffling, and a bit irksome that there are rumors stating the mordecai's power might be waning, and they blame it on a possibly rise in the mage population." He shook his head. "I'm not sure how much of that is true, er.. as I've really never fully understood what a mage really was but.. well, it doesn't sound like a good thing at all."

Faolán blinked in surprise as he looked over sat Killian. That hadn't been what he meant when he mentioned things being strained, but he welcomed the misunderstanding and subject change it brought. It was less awkward--and less guilt-inducing--than the other.

He smiled. "Oh, mages? They're like witches!" he explained with a wave of his hand. "Why, where I com from, there was a forest everyone said was haunted by an old witch got hanged locally way back when. Ya could hear odd noises coming from it every now and then, a strange howling."

He laughed. "Some folks said it was just the wind, but...ya never know. Anyway, that old witch? She turned people into animals and ate them! Uhm..." With a sheepish grin, he looked away. "Caught a rabbit there once but couldn't keep it. It just looked at me, and those stories, and just...I dunno...kinda silly, but I got to wonderin', how can ya tell the difference between an animal and a person-animal?"

Killian thought the story over. Though it was superstitious, he was a bit superstitious himself, and very naive towards the idea of magic.
"I don't know." And trully he didn't and the idea that that could happen certainly bothered him. Did mages really posses that sort of power? He shuddered to think about turning into an animal and being eaten. That seemed like a rotten fate.
"Though it's all just stories, right?" he said, hoping the other boy would agree, though by now the winds had picked up, drawing his eyes out towards the wilderness, an easiness showing within his eyes.

The winds picked up, and Faolán shivered and drew closer to Killian. That was uncanny timing, and it made him a bit uneasy, especially as the wind whistled through nearby trees.

He rubbed at his arms. "Stories come from somewhere," he said, looking up at Killian. "I've  heard other ones, scary ones, of mages calling fire from the sky and burning villages to the ground. Awful stuff. If they can call fire, what's stopping them from turning people into pigs and rabbits?"

With a shudder, he looked away and added, "All I know is, I know what I saw. I got a big ol' scar on my leg now from somethin' that was in the woods, and it was no creature I ever heard of. They say magic...twists things. It sure looked twisted."

Killian drew in a breath and held it, his eyes still scanning the tall grasses that swayed in a secondary wind, though one that was far less ominous than the last.

"Yeah, at least there aren't many woods around here. Just some scatterings of trees out here in the plains." he held a hand up to his eyes, shielding them from the sun as she stared down the way. Though forests held many creatures... the tall stretches of grass lands were bound to have their own share of animals and beasts.

He turned to Faolán.
"Are you sure you didn't recognize it?" He certainly wouldn't like having run into some creature he knew not what it was. He supposed buzzards and bats and boards and the likes might roam this sorts of hillside, but even still...
He adjusted the weight of his equipment, already finding himself sweating beneath his armor as he wipe a hand at his brow.

"Do you recall how long they said this journey would be?" he stared back at the supply pack on his back. "Hopefully we've got enough supplies."

Faolán shook his head. "I'm telling ya, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before, or even heard of. It was way bigger than a grown man, with huge teeth and claws and stank horribly." He shuddered again at the memory. "It hardly reacted at all when I stabbed it. Leon, my scouting partner at the time, said the forest was a spelled wood."

This subject was getting uncomfortable, though, and was leaving him feeling nervous and vulnerable with so much wide open space around them. But at least they could actually see all around them, except for whatever was lurking in the tall grass. He was happy for the subject change.

"Umm...not sure," he admitted sheepishly. He adjusted his pack. "But I'm sure we'll be fine! If not, we can always hunt things! Er, from woods that aren't haunted, I mean. Or maybe find villages along the way and resupply!" He smiled up at Killian. "They wouldn't pick us if they didn't think we could handle it, right? Oh! Hey! Look! Our first obstacle!"

Grinning, Faolán darted ahead of Killian, running a bit up the road where a thin tree had fallen across the path. Setting his pack aside on the road, he bent to try and lift it. "Hurry up, Killian! Help me move this!" And then, with a laugh, he added, "For the Grand Duke!"

Killian laughed, a clear sound that rung across the air and followed after Faolán, dropping his own pack aside. He observed the tree for a minute with some stipulation.
"I'm not sure we'll be able to lift it, but we might as well try. If not, we could chop it out of the way with our hatchets." And he turned to Faolán. "On three?"

Faolán nodded and got his hands under the tree, making a face as they got all sticky with sap. Ew. "No harm in trying! Just gotta put some muscle into it!" he laughed, which meant they would be doomed. His muscle was still depressingly sparse.

He took a deep breath and squatted down, remembering to use his legs instead of his back. "Alright! On three! One...two...three!" And then, with a grunt, he strained against it.

Killian gave a grunt as the pair tried to lift it, and felt it giving, only somewhat before his muscles began to strain. He halted, panted then wiped at his brow.
"I think, if we get a better hold on it, we might have a better chance," he said between breaths. And he re positioned his arms and nodded over to Faolan. "On six?" he said with a smirk. "One.. two...."

Panting, Faolán nodded and gave a light laugh. "C'mon, Killian! We've got a long journey ahead! Let's not let a tree defeat us so soon!"

With a deep breath, he counted up with Killian. "Four...five...six!"

He readjusted his grip and lifted, straining and huffing, and after a moment he had to give up and let it thump back down.  Exhaling in a whoosh, he flopped onto the ground and leaned his back against it to catch his breath.

"...I like your hatchet idea."

Out of breath and laughing, Killian nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, seems this will be our first real duty with weapons," he playfully lamented with a roll o fhis eyes. Moving to his pack of supplies, he slipped the hatchet out and went to work, grunting as he swung the blade into the log. Thankfully it wasn't too thick, but the tree had been rather tall,a nd al of the weight was in it's length, rather than girth, and the pair of them had their work cut out for them. They'd need to cut it into four sections to properly move it aside, and once that was completed, Killian wiped the back of his gloved hand against his sweaty brow.

"Phew, well.. now that that's taken care of, perhaps we should make a report? Or do you think clearing a tree from the path isn't so important?" ANd he used his gloves to wipe more sweat from his face, smearin ga bit of wood chippings that now stuck to his cheek.

Faolán was exhausted by the time it was done, and his clothes were gross and sweaty. That was certainly more strenuous than sword practice! With a satisfied sigh, he let the hatchet drop to the ground and peeled off his gloves to let his palms dry out.

He chuckled at Killian's talk of a report. "Why, of course it's important enough to report on! We just slayed our first tree! Man against wood! That's worth notin'." Then, with another laugh, he moved closer to Killian and brushed at his cheek.

"Ya had something there."

Killian looked down and blushed.
"Yeah, man versus tree, and I ended up wearing half of it," he said with a good natured laugh, brushing the extra wood chips off of his shoulder, then more sweat from his brow. Then with a sigh, he turned to his pack.
"Guess I can get the coal and paper out and start writing. Though my hand writing isn't very good."
So wtih a sigh, he took perch upon the ground, sitting indian style and began to scribble out what they had seen.

"There, I wrote it.About a mile outside the city, tree was down. The brave men of our squadron defeated it." ANd Killian gave a look. "I guess that's all there is to report!" and as he wiped at his face agian and began to put the supplies away, he got charcoal on his other cheek.

OOC: lol

Faolán tapped his lips and tilted his head, pretending to study the paper even though he couldn't read or write much more than his name. "It's lackin' a certain..." He waved a hand in the air, groping for the word. "Dramatic tension," he said, and grinned.

"Needs more blood 'n' guts! Or sap, at least," he said, regarding his gloved hands, all sticky with the stuff. "More danger! It was awfully risky, after all. There could've been spiders."

And then he peered up at Killian, who had smeared charcoal across his cheek, and let out a surprised giggle before he slapped a hand to his mouth--and got sap all over it. Eugh! Peeling his gloved hand away, he grimaced and let out a sigh. "We are so smooth. Ah, guess we better keep goin', huh? See if we can't find ourselves a ferocious fern!"

Killian put the report away with a laugh.
"Ferocious, right. If anything, we should look out for thorns!" and with a shake o fhis head, he began to pick up his sack and slung it across his back. "Come on, there's a lot more miles to cover and if we want to get back on time, we should keep going."

"Oh, don't say that. A rose bush might jump us!" Faolán said with a snicker, putting his hatchet away and slinging his pack over his shoulder.

Miles to go, and this was the most excitement they'd had.

With a bounce in his step, he started to lead the way. He hadn't stopped to think of what might happen if they were late. "Would they leave us?" he asked. "If we didn't show up in time? Would we get in trouble?"

Killian thought the words over carefully before he shrugged.
"I sure hope not," and he smiled easily over at his new friend, taking him before he cleared his throat. "The orders were to go as far north as the city of Tamus, then clear to the mage camps." He rubbed at the light sweat on his brow and sighed. "Gods.. to think they make people march this road. Though I guess it's not so bad." Though he scratched lightly at his chin at the thought. "I just wonder how long it ought to take us. We only have provisions to last for so long.... so hopefully it's no more than  a few weeks."
Though then again, at least he was doing the knightly thing, right? Helping out his country and all that. Truthfully, he thought he'd be doing.... well.. more than this.

"The mage camps..." Faolán mused out loud, and gave a little shudder. He'd gotten hung up on those words as soon as Killian had uttered them. "Whatcha think those are like? I mean...like..."

He glanced up at the other soldier. "Have you ever met a mage?"

Killian blinked at the question, but shook his head.
"No, I can't say that I have. Though I imagine they must be sort of like you or I. I've only ever seen a few people with the mark, and well, they just seemed like normal people to me. Then again, I don't even fully understand magic, and I think that's what makes it so dangerous."

"I don't really get what it is, either. Except like...that they can call fire from the sky and command lightning and turn people to animals and stuff," Faolán said, scratching his chin. "I met a mage once, though. Marked one. She actually helped me after I got torn up, lived in a church and whatnot. She was real scary lookin', horns and scales and all, but she was pretty nice."

"Course," he added, "that was a church mage. I'd reckon that lot's different."

"Horns and scales!?" Killian visibly paled. "I've never seen such a person before." he said, swallowing down the knot in his throat. "I don't think I'd ever believe it, even if I saw it!" He shook his head. "So you said at the church? Angsar's soul... that is.. really something." For he knew not what else to say. Did such people really exist!? She sounded awfully scary, and he hoped they didn't run into scaled people out here!

"Oh, but she was nice!" Faolán said quickly. "She worked for the Father, and she patched me up after I got attacked! Gosh, to be honest, I might not be here if not for her. I was bleedin' awfully bad."

He scratched the back of his ear and shrugged. Thinking about how close he'd come to death was really uncomfortable, and also surreal.

"But just goes to show, they come in all forms. I mean, she was nice, but just think if someone like her wasn't! Ya wouldn't wanna make a dragon lady angry."

Killian, still pale, tugged at the collar of his shirt as he suddenly felt almost suffocatingly hot. Swallowing the knot in his throat, he nodded in agreement.
"Yes, well, perhaps we best press on more quickly to our out post. I'd hate to be caught by anything so cruel out here." And that was the truth!

Flicking a finger at an intch at the tip of his nose, he moved forward again, the pair back on the trail when it began to get dark. They'd hav eto make camp soon, and well, if they were lucky, this is the only time they'd have to do it before the next out post was reached.

Killian knew this road would be tiresome, and volunteered to help set up the fire and asked if Faolan would set up their tent. And as the night came upon them, the sounds of croaking frogsa nd crickets stirred, and a low wind began to howla nd shake the trees over head. The wind made it only slightly difficult for him to start a fire, but he was able to with no trouble at all, and soon a crackling flame had begun. Sitting nearby, he gestured for Faolan to join him in a seat beside the fire.

Rubbing his hands together, he held them over the flames.
"Man, I'm famished. Too bad all we have are stale rolls for dinner." he said, pulling out one of the dried cakes from his inventory and examined it before beginning to gobble it down. It was dry as a bone, and it took many gulps of his water to get it down- but at least it was food.

Night was both welcomed and...not so much!

Welcomed, because Faolán was exhausted and his feet were throbbing something awful. He couldn't wait to sit down, strip his boots off, and get his toes some air! But first, he had to set up their tent, which he managed well enough. The wind made it tricky, blowing the canvas from his hands and making it flap around, but before long he had the posts dug into the ground and the canvas secured, roughly around the same time that Killian got a fire going.

Tiredly, Faolán trudged over to the fire and plopped onto his bottom next to Killian, and he wasted no time in stripping off his boots, wiggling his toes happily, and warming his feet by the fire.

Following Killian's example, he dug out a roll, wrinkled his nose at it, and took a nibble. Blech. This wasn't going to go down easy. It was dry enough to suck away all the moisture in his mouth, like eating sand. Making a face, he swallowed it down and looked at Killian.

"Well, we got a fire...guess we could always try hunting?" He shrugged, glanced around the area. "Maybe not tonight but um...I sorta know how to make snares! Could maybe catch some breakfast and--"

The wind picked up then, howling ominously through the trees and sending a low branch scraping over the top of their tent. With a yelp of surprise, Faolán jumped and scrambled closer to Killian until their shoulders were touching. Then his cheeks reddened and, looking at Killian, he scooted away a bit.

"Er...sorry...heh. That was just the wind, yeah? Just the wind..."

Killian too, was jumping clean out of his skin at the sudden spooky noises of the wind, and afterwards, turned to Faolán with a laugh.

"Don't be sorry. I was startled too." And he shook his head. "All those talks about witches and monsters and things... well, on nights like these, you'd rather forget about 'em!" But he smiled anyway and gave a nod the other soldier's way.

"So why did you join the army? I always wanted to be a knight, to defend the lords and ladies of the land. It always seemed heroic, to think how skilled they were and honorable. It's something I believe my family would be proud of. Though.." he gave a soft laugh and looked down tot he remaining parts of his stale bread roll. "I never realized politics coincided with such a position. It's rare for someone not wealthy to get their foot int he door. You have to be really good with a sword..." And he bit in he roll, chewing the hard bread with a shrug, before speaking through his food. "You have to know just the right people."

Or so it was said. It made him a bit crestfallen to think of it, and the young soldier went silent as he thought it over, blue eyes drifting towards the sky.

That was really disappointing to hear, and it brought a sad sigh to Faolán's lips. Shoulders hunched, he swallowed a bite of bread and picked absently at the roll as he spoke.

"I guess kinda the same reasons as you. Being a knight sounded great! Defending people from horrible things, making a difference in the world, protecting my home...that sounds awfully noble. Plus it sounded like fun! A lot more fun than baking." He paused, grimaced, and shot a glance at Killian.

"Er, not that I'd really have to worry about that, I guess, huh? 'Cause that's woman's work and stuff, but ah...yeah! Anyway, sounded nice to get away from home and all that and kinda live my own life away from all that." Scratching the back of his neck, he shrugged.

"Even if I can't be a knight, this is still pretty fun. A lot more work and scarier than I thought, but...it's different. And hey!" Perking up, he smiled at Killian. "Isn't it true ya can become a knight if you do something like super notable? Something that gets you a lot of attention? So there's hope, right? We just have to do something wild!"

Killian blinked.
"I... I suppose some rare act of true heroism could inspire reasons to grant one an apprenticeship beneath another knight. Nobles.. it seems are quite picky on who they choose so yes," he gave a nod before shaking his head as he smiled. "I suppose you're right."

He stared from the fire back to the wilds, the winds rustling over head. But this time the noise didn't frighten him as much, but still, he shivered. Whatever was out there, waiting for them- he hoped was just the winds.

"That's the spirit!" Faolán said with a grin and a light punch to Killian's shoulder. "So we just gotta be heroes. That can't be that hard. I mean, we're fighting against witches and stuff! So there's gotta be someone out there we can selflessly save."

Then, blinking at his words, he snorted a laugh. "Though I guess it's not really that selfless if you're thinking about how ya can be selfless so you can get something outta it, huh?"

Killian smiled, but tiredly so. He stifled a yawn and nodded his head at the other boy's enthusiasm.
"I suppose you're right.I just hope we don't fight any witches tonight. I'm beat."
And he threw himself back into the soft grasses and stared up at the stares, letting his feet and legs become warmed by the nearby fire.

And he grew quiet a moment, his mind thinking over his dreams-
But just before he had a second to ask Faolán anything else, a soft growl was heard coming from the brush. The sound sent a chill up his spine as he tensed and turned his blue eyes to the other soldier.

"Did.. did you hear that?" he asked, in barely a whisper.

Faolán had ignored the earlier rustling, because he wanted to be brave, and Killian hadn't reacted to the sound. But when a growl started up, his blood turned to ice and his throat tightened. He met Killian's gaze, his own blue eyes wide.

Why did Killian have to mention fighting and witches?!

Hand shaking, he grabbed for his sword. "I-it might just be a wolf. Probably could smell our food," he said, even as he drew his sword with a soft metallic hiss. "It's probably nothing. Why I'll bet it's just--"

And then came the smell, a thick, awful, rancid smell, like rotting meat left too long in the sun. Faolán gagged, his eyes stinging from the smell's intensity. "God, Killian, what is that?"

And that was when the bushes rustled and a dark, wedge-shaped head thrust out, big as a small bear's skull with matted, mangy fur in the places that still had fur.

Faolán let out a frightened yell and grabbed the other boy's arm.

It was no wolf. And it was staring straight at them with luminous golden eyes and jaws dripping thick, putrid saliva; its sharp yellow fangs were stained with fresh blood, bits of flesh still wedged between its teeth. And when it growled it was a low, rumbling growl that vibrated deep in Faolán's chest. It was like nothing he'd ever seen--

And it might be the last thing either of them saw.

Killian didn't have a chance to draw his weapon when the creature revealed it's ugly face, and the boy could have pissed himself. Unlike Faolán, Killian hadn't the wits to draw his sword as his blue eyes shrunk in size and nearly disappeared into the whites of his eyes.

"By Angsar's name!" the boy exclaimed. "It's a rabid beast! Run!"

And before he knew what he was doing, he was abandoning the camp and taking off into taller grasses, having no idea that would invoke the ire of the beast as it let out a chomping bark as the large beast suddenly leaped towards the pair of them with snapping, slobbering jaws.

"Killian! No!" But it was too late. The boy was already running, leaving Faolán alone and face to face with the beast--the beast who leaped from the bushes, its predatory instincts triggered by what it viewed as fleeing prey. And Faolán certainly felt like prey then, because his instinct was then to leap to his feet with a shriek and run, bolting after Killian with his sword still in hand.

The creature was close behind him.

"Killian! Your sword!" Faolán yelled, running for all he was worth with his heart in his throat. "Draw your sword! Hurry!" Because there was no way they were going to outrun the thing. Already it was gaining on them, and it wouldn't be long before it overtook them.

With a hiss, his sword was drawn, but his foot falls became stumbling, and as he felt the hackles on the back of his neck raise, he knew they could run no longer. Panic set in, and adrenaline kicked into his heels as he spun around swiftly to face this beast. Though he was awe struck as he found it still charging for them- just a few paces away, and as the beast saw them pause, it leaped into the air-
and that's when Killian was broken from his spell and slashed heavily at it's underbelly before dropping to the ground and tumbling away.

The creature roared its pain and fury as Killian struck it, deep, bloody gashes opening up along its belly and staining the grass red. It swiped at the boy with its clawed paw and missed his flesh by a hair's breadth, catching the edge of his trousers and ripping a tear in the leg. With teeth bared and saliva bubbling at its lips, it whirled on him and stalked after him, death in its eyes.

Faolán could barely breath, for his heart had taken up residence in his throat. He had watched it unfold like a nightmare and for one terrifying moment, he thought Killian was done for. But he might still be, for the wounded beast was soon upon him. It leaped for him and was soon upon him, planting its massive paws on his shoulders and rearing back, ready to tear off his face as thick drool splashed onto the boy's chest, along with the blood of its injuries.

It was enough to jerk Faolán out of his own brief paralysis.

With a loud yell to get the creature's attention, he ran at the thing and thrust his sword into its flank, then gave the blade a sharp twist.

In that instant, when the beasts eyes looked into his, pinning him against the ground, he knew he was done for. His heart was pounding inside his throat and ears, and the world seemed to already bleed away to black. But then the beast let out a roar of pain and in that moment, Killian jerked back to reality, gripped onto a dagger on his belt and thrust it into the beasts gut.

The beast let out a roar and pawed Killian away and the boy hit the dirt and rolled from the force, but the dagger was now wedged into it's breast, and with another angered scream, it tore blindly after Faolán, fangs and teeth frothy and snapping about wildly, aiming to kill.

The beast was on Faolán then, and he let out a terrified scream and thrust his sword out at it as it snapped at him. He couldn't see Killian past the beast, didn't know if the boy was even still alive, but he right then it was all he could do to save himself. He could smell the monster's rancid breath as it bit his sword and swiped a clawed paw out at him, ripping through his breeches and into his thigh, but Faolán hardly felt it with the adrenaline pumping through his blood.

He stumbled backwards, wrenching his sword free, and the beast, bleeding from its wounds and obviously weakened, gave one final lunge for him.

With another yell, Faolán closed his eyes and thrust his sword outward, felt the beast land on him and shove him down, his breath leaving him in a gasp as his back hit the earth--

And then he heard a choking gurgle, felt the creature jerk spasmodically, and then go still.

When Faolán finally found the courage to open his eyes, he found the creature on top of him, its wild eyes still open, saliva still dripping down onto him. But he also saw that the beast had managed to skewer itself on his sword. It had swallowed his blade, which had gone down its throat and into the back of its head.

Shaking uncontrollably from a combination of fear and adrenaline, Faolán froze in place. He couldn't move to push it off of him. He could only stare, transfixed, at those dead, wild eyes that were slowly starting to glaze over.

"Faolán!" Killian's voice broke through the heavy reverie that the dead beast had created. But it seemed the other boy did not stir. "Faolán!" He cried again, shaking him harder before using the rest of his energy to shove the beast away. Now with the best gone, the cold of the night air swept down upon Faolán before Killian moved over top of him, offering a hand.
"Faolán, are you okay!?" and as his blue eyes searched the other boys, he saw the blood, and wasn't sure who's it was. Was it the remains from the dead beast he had pushed away, or that of Faolán's?

Not waiting to get an answer as it seemed the other boy was stunned, Killian scooped up his companion and dragged him away from the bloodied scene. He knew there was a stream nearby. Perhaps if he was injured, or in shock, he could use the cold, night's waters to revitalize the other soldier.

Muscles were straining, aching as he carried Faolán away, and he nearly dropped the poor boy twice before they came upon the stream,a nd unceremoniously he placed Faolán onto the ground, and once he was there, he wasted no time in helping to remove his shirt,  in hopes to inspect the wounds better. But it was a tedious process, for armor was quite the pain to remove, and it took a lot of dexterity that he was all but lacking in the moment from his shaking fingers. But he was able to get that first layer off, and then fingers were finding the ties that laced down the front of the boy's jerkin, and swiftly, he began to undo his jerkin until the front of his chest was all but exposed.


OOC: Hope it's okay to imply some of these actions to move the scene along. If not, let me know and I can edit!

[ooc: totally okay! 8DD]

Faolán only half-registered what was happening. Shock had taken hold of him, and exhaustion hit him like a punch to the gut as the adrenaline seeped out of his system, leaving him trembling. Vaguely, he was aware that he was injured, that his thigh hurt and that his leg was hot and wet, but it felt oddly distant. Weird how that worked, how fear should seize him now when the battle was over and he was finally safe!

He let Killian carry him, too dazed to be embarrassed and too scared to move. He'd killed it. He'd actually killed it. And it had come so, so close to killing them both, and there might still be others, and--and--!

Killian set him down, and he blinked, starting to come back to himself again as the sound of rushing water filled his ears. He looked blearily up as Killian's face swam into his view, and he closed his eyes again with a groan. Now that he was relaxed, he started to feel the pain. His thigh was aching something fierce, and his body felt bruised. Probably had some other scratches, too, though none hurt so bad as--

Wait.

What was Killian doing?

His eyes snapped open and he sucked in a breath, suddenly aware that Killian was taking off his clothes! Already his armor was removed, and now Killian was working on his jerkin, and Faolán's heart shot straight into his throat. With a gasp, he acted without thinking, slapping Killian's hands away and pulling his jerkin closed.

"Stop!"

Killian remained over Faolán, gaping and confused. What had just happened? Why did Faolán just slap him?
"You're injured," he tried to explain. "I can't address the wounds unless I... I.... remove your clothes."
Really, was it so much of a shock?

Faolán's heart was racing with a new kind of terror, because he was trapped. Killian was right. He was injured. He needed to be treated. And the only way his wounds could get treatment was if his clothes were removed. If  they weren't treated...God, who knew where that beast's claws and teeth had been? His wounds could fester. He could die.

But he might die anyway, if he let Killian do this.

Shakily, he sat up, and bit the inside of his cheek so he didn't make a sound of pain. He didn't want to give Killian any more reason to insist on this. "I-I'm okay. Really. Heh! Just a couple scratches, nothin' big!"

But even as he said it, blood was spreading in a bright blossom on the thigh of his breeches, and his side felt hot and wet--he hadn't even realized he'd gotten clawed there. Blinking in surprise, he pressed his hand to his side, and it came back red. His stomach churned at the sight. It didn't even hurt yet, the shock of the fight numbing him.

"I-I can take care of it."

Killian frowned and told him sternly.
"No, you can't." And then his blue eyes pleaded with him.
"Come on, Faolán, the longer we dawdle the more blood you'll lose!"

Faolán was shaking at that point, half from nerves, the other half no doubt from his injury. Killian was right. Of course he was right. But...God. What was he supposed to do? Just bleed out? His head swam and he swayed a little, pressing a hand to the ground to steady himself. Oh God...

There was no way he could justify this. No way he could justify not letting Killian help him. His refusal would be just as suspicious, and if he passed out, wouldn't he just figure it out anyway? He was trapped and realized, right then and there, that this was it. He wasn't getting out of this.

Might as well do it while he was conscious. Do it while he still had a chance to explain.

"Okay..." he whispered, throat tight, and let his jerkin fall open. There was nothing to see, not yet. The binding wrapped around his chest kept him decent and flat, though it was bloody on his right side, covering his injury, and with the jerkin still covering him, it might have been easy to mistake it as just another shirt. But as he shrugged out of the jerkin and let it fall to the ground, it soon became obvious what it was--not a shirt, but fabric wrapped tightly around his chest.

He stared up at Killian, silent, tense. Maybe Killian wouldn't guess the significance. Maybe they wouldn't have to remove it to treat his injury. But his breeches had to come off, too, to get at his leg--but maybe with his men's smallclothes, Killian wouldn't notice there was nothing between his legs, either.

For a moment, Killian just blinked. To see the wraps exposed around his chest, the first thing that came to Killian's mind came out of his mouth just the same.
"Were you already injured?"
How else could one explain those extra wraps?

Oh thank God.

"Um...yeah," Faolán said, and relaxed a little. "Yeah, um...old injury! Nothin' bad. It's, uh, it's pretty much healed."

Killian bit his lip.
"Should we use these bandages then for your new wound? It would be best. That way, we won't have to rip your other clothes."

...Shit.

Faolán's relief was short-lived, and Killian's words had his stomach clenching. "O-oh! It's not, ah, it's not that healed yet!"

Killian almost wilted.
"Well do you have a knife? We could cut off what you don't need. But we have to do this quick!"
Fear gripped him. They were wasting too much time! Those wounds needed tended to, and tended to now!

Okay. Good. Good. This was going way better than expected. Except all this talking was taking a toll on him, and his head was starting to feel...funny. Harder to think.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes against his blurring vision. "Uh...I think? Somewhere..." he muttered, and pressed his hand to his side, harder. "Probably."

It was a dumb question and Killian knew it. So he prodded his own self down until he found his knife and retrieved it, and quietly, he set to work.
"Try not to move." He frowned and played with the bindings to find a place to start. "I don't want to cut you."

Faolán held absolutely still,and silently prayed Killian was good with a knife. He wasn't worried about getting nicked, but he was worried about Killian taking off too much, or accidentally cutting it off him.

Really, he probably should have been more concerned about blood loss, and the dizziness that was starting to make him sway.

Killian was good enough with a knife. Having grown up on a farm, he had to learn that sort of tool well, amongst others, but that didn't mean he still wasn't nervous, and as he was cutting away at the pieces, he kept tugging them loose. He got one strand free and moved swiftly to press it over the wound on his side, then worked to cut and loosen more of the bindings without realizing much else- that there was suddenly cleavage before him. But his mind was in a whirl, he needed to get Faolán out of his pants.
"Here, hold still. I'm going to help you out of those pants. Just keep your hand on this other wound so we can clot the blood, okay?"

"Okay," Faolán muttered, oblivious to the fact that he was a bit exposed--because he was starting to feel light-headed, either from blood loss or the combination of stress and adrenaline, he couldn't really tell which. He kept his hand pressed to his side and leaned back on his other hand, legs stretched out in front of him and eyes hooded as he watched Killian work.

Alright. So far, so good. Killian thought nothing of anything. Maybe this would be okay after all.

It was only when the pants were off and Killian went to get more binding for the leg that he began to notice something was odd..
For as he loosened more bindings soft mounds of flesh began to appear. Blinkingly, he found himself staring at Faolán's chest, and that's when he realized he cut too much of the bindings and the strips of clothe fell completely away, and Killian was now staring in wide eyed shocked...


That Faolán had boobs!

Faolán didn't notice at first, for he was watching Killian work in a sort of daze--because the world was spinning a little, even when he wasn't moving. It was only when Killian stopped working, abruptly, and took to staring at him that he blinked out of his daze and tried to focus his eyes--with little success. Killian was staring. Why was he staring? Was he staring at him or...?

"What...?"

And that was when he realized that he felt a bit chillier than he should have.

Following Killian's gaze, he glanced down--and blanched.

"Oh!"

Stupidly, he let go of his side and threw his arm over his chest, as though that would help him now when Killian had already seen. Then, realizing the cloth had fallen free of his side, he swore and grabbed for it again and pressed it back to his side, then used the other hand to snatch up his fallen bindings and cover himself with it.

"Killian, I-I can explain..."

Killian gaped. His eyes as wide as saucers.

And he blinked.



And blinked again.

His eyes just remained terribly, terribly large as he pointed.
"You're.. you're a girl!?"

Faolán winced at the words, a tight, stricken look crossing his face. His heart raced and he pressed the cloth tighter to his wound until it hurt. "No, I--" He cut off and swallowed past the lump in his throat. God. How did he even answer that?

"I'm still me, Killian! I'm still me. Faolán. I...God." He clutched the bindings closer to his chest. "You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?"

Killian blinked. Then blinked again, and it was only then did he realize the severity of the situation Faolán was in. His blue eyes widened as a flush consumed his cheek and ears. He promptly shook his head.
"N-no! I wouldn't dream of it! I wouldn't want to get you in trouble!" And it was said in earnest, but now.. his eyes strayed to his chest and...
Oh boy...

It was the same Faolán alright, but .... but the boy had had... boobs!

If Killian thought he was confused and nervous around women before, now he was just... well... defeated? Realizing he was gaping, he forced his mouth shut.

"I... err.." And lowered his head, shamefully. "I.. I'm sorry I.. I er.. looked."
Cause you know, that was TOTALLY rude and inappropriate of him. But..
But they were just..
Just THERE and...

Oh boy, this was going to be one long journey...
Assuming, you know, the two boys survived!

A lot of the tension left Faolán then and he exhaled a long, slow breath that left his shoulders slouching. It didn't even occur to him that he should be embarrassed that Killian had seen his breasts; he had been far too panicked to register embarrassment, far too panicked to see things as Killian was no doubt seeing them and too scared to make the connection between breasts and sexuality. He had spent so long being careful for reasons other than modesty--fear of death, his own discomfort with having them, the way people saw them and thought "girl"--that it just...didn't even occur to him.

All he knew was that Killian understood, and that he said he wouldn't tell. Thank God. He'd been sincerely hoping he could trust the other boy as the friend he'd come to view him as.

Feeling like he could cry with relief and kind of wanting to hug Killian for that--if he hadn't been too injured to do so, that is!--Faolán started to open his mouth to thank Killian, but that was when Killian apologized.

And that was when it hit Faolán.

That was when he realized how this must look from Killian's point of view.

Which was that the other boy was seeing him as an almost-naked girl, clothed only in his smallclothes. And that he'd just seen the first pair of breasts he'd likely seen in a long time.

Color flooded Faolán's cheeks abruptly and he jerked in surprise, which jostled his injury and had him gasping. He curled forward a little, trying to shield himself better.

"Uh...it's, uh...it's okay," he said, but even as the embarrassment washed over him, he realized just how damned lucky he was--because Killian was a genuinely good person. Keeping his secret and apologizing for looking. God...

"It was an accident. Wasn't like you would've known." Gratitude soon replaced embarrassment and he smiled sheepishly through the pain. "I care more about the part where you're not gonna tell. I...thank you. Seriously. I was always scared of this and--" He took a deep breath.

"I can't thank you enough, Killian."

Killian couldn't believe he was apologizing to him. What did he have to apologize for? He wasn't going to question the why or how, because those reasons belonged solely to Faolán, but he did realize what this meant for the pair of them- and it would be hard for him to look at the other boy the same. Though his eyes saw girl, Killian still just saw Faolán, a boy he had been just getting to know and becoming friends with. And though this was weird, it felt even more weird to try to ditch whatever it was they were establishing.

Killian shook his head.
"Don't apologize. I'm sure you've got your reasons." He paused, biting his lip. "I'm not here to judge. We're both here for the same reason. So don't you worry." And it was here he released a sigh of his own and smiled, a warm, sheepish smile of his own.

"But this is going to make bathing a heck of a lot weirder."

Cause yeah.
Boobs.

Bathing.

Oh dear.

Faolán started to laugh at that, but cut off with a groan when it hurt his side and doubled over in pain. "Oh...ow...don't make me laugh, Killian, it hurts," he said and drew a deep, careful breath. "Ow...well...if it makes you uncomfortable, we can just...not bathe in the same area."

At the other boy's laughter, Killian couldn't help but offer a smile in return.
"Sorry, I just..." and he turned away, blushing even more. "I just was never good with you know..." he shrugged. "Girls."

Faolán frowned. "Well, don't think of me as a girl," he said, and shifted the bindings a little higher, wincing at his own words. God, this was awkward. Never before had he voiced all this out loud--but then again, no one else had found out, either. How was he supposed to explain this, when he didn't even have the words to do so?

When he'd never heard of anyone else who'd felt the way he did. "I...I know what I look like, but I--I don't...feel like a girl."

Killian digested those words carefully. A girl who wanted to be a soldier, and also wanted to be treated as a man....
The more he thought on it, the more it made sense- kind of, to him, but he also didn't want to think too much into it. Or his head might hurt. He wasn't exactly a scholar, after all. Just an apple farmer-
and wanna be soldier.

He gave a nervous rub to his head.

"Oh, okay. So I'm guessing you still want to be treated like the Faolán I had met back in training?" And during this whole trip so far too...
He supposed he could just try to keep thinking of it that way.
But it would be hard to not think about...
you know

The boy having lady parts.

Ugh, life was so complicated. He could only begin to imagine how his friend must feel.

Relief flooded Faolán then, and even though he was pale from pain and blood loss, his expression brightened with a smile. "Yeah, just like that. The same Faolán you've always known," he said, and thanked his lucky stars that Killian was his friend. Maybe they hadn't known each other long, but today Killian had truly shown his character--

And Faolán felt blessed to have him in his life.

He swayed a little where he sat, his vision getting oddly blurry, and he reached up and rubbed at an eye--and found it damp. Jeez. This was a terrible mix, this mix of crazy emotions (because God had he been so stressed about this very issue, and Killian just kept being touching) and, well...the whole part where he was injured and felt kind of emotional from pain. He wiped his eyes. "Jeez. Stop being so amazing."

"Amazing?" Killian blushed and shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. But you should get some rest. You're injured. You'll need most of your strength if we're to continue on our mission."
Because in the army, there wasn't much room for failure- but he could only hope that Faolán would be able to heal fast.

"Yeah...probably," Faolán muttered with a grimace. The mission. Ugh. Hopefully they wouldn't lose too many days over this!

Looking back at Killian, he cracked a tired smile. "Uhm, so...I guess in that case you should probably finish patching me up?" he said, and flushed a little. "Er. I'm sorry I've made this all awkward."

Killian's cheeks burned at the idea but he gave a nod.
"Y-yeah, I probably should. We don't need you to bleed out everywhere."
He then gave the boy a lopsided grin at his apology and told him with sincerity, "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure if I was in your place, well... I'd just hope you'd do the same for me."

Faolán's smile softened at that, though his expression was exhausted from pain, and he placed a hand on Killian's shoulder and have it a squeeze. "Of course I would."

Killian gave the other boy a lop sided grin. But then after a moment of doing that, he then realized- right.... he had to bandage him up! So with a blush, he cleared his throat and gestured, "So uh.. should you turn around so that I can uh... you know.." And here he sheepishly added, "Bandage you up while still keeping you uh, modest?"

"Oh! Uh..." Faolán's face warmed, and he quickly put his hands over his chest.

"That work? Ugh...sorry...I know it's kinda...gonna take some getting used to. If I had it my way, I wouldn't have these things at all," he said with a tired, sheepish smile.

Killian nodded with a blush.
"Well, sometimes Angsar tries us in many ways." But he gave a nod. "That should do." But he was still blushing as he worked at finishing the bandages. He had cleaned up some of the blood, and once he thought it was acceptable, he released a sigh and sat back to admire his work.

"There." And he paused awkwardly. "Er... I guess you can get dressed now. Those bandages should hold pretty good."

Faolán waited patiently as Killian bandaged him, biting his lip to hold in gasps of pain here and there as Killian cleaned away blood and tightened the bindings. It was done soon enough, though, and when Killian announced he was finished, Faolán snapped out of the daze he had gone into. He was still feeling pretty woozy from the fight, and from the injuries themselves, and it showed in his delayed reaction.

"Huh? Oh. Oh, thanks!" he said with a tired smile as he lowered his hands so he could grab for his clothes--and then it was his turn to blush when he remembered he was bare-chested. Erk! He grabbed his shirt and threw it over his head, yanking it down before he could stay exposed too long.

And it was also then that another problem presented itself.

"I'm gonna need more bindings..."

Killian, who had bashfully looked away when he recalled the fact her.. no his breasts were exposed, only turned to curiously look back at him when he was certain he was decent.
"More bindings?" he blinked. "Did I miss some of your wounds?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no...I mean, yeah! Yeah, ya got everything, it's just..."

Faolán cleared his throat and motioned awkwardly toward his chest. He'd been blessed with a small bust, and prayed to Ansgar every night that he was done growing there, but small or not, they were still there, their shape obvious without the bindings.

His cheeks turned pink.


Oh. And for a moment, he just stared. But when he regained his senses, he cleared his throat and looked away.
"Yes... well, er, just wait a moment." And he procured what he could and handed it over to Faolán, but he didn't look him in the eye, afraid he might accidentally catch sight of something he should not.

Taking the cloth from Killian, Faolán turned his back and quickly began to wrap himself, adjusting himself here and there until the bindings pressed him flat again. Then, once it was done and they were tied off, he fixed his clothes and made sure he was decent before looking back to Killian.

"That'll work well enough for now," he said, and then let out a great sigh, of relief and exhaustion. "I should be alright now."

He felt along his bound wounds, tentatively, and winced. "I might need a bit of rest before I'm ready to travel more, though..."

Killian gave a nod.
"I understand." And he continued to frown as he thought it over, examining her- er, him.
"Let's camp nearer to the roads. That way, it'll at least be a bit safer."
Or so he hoped.

"Good plan," Faolán agreed, and struggled to rise. But his side ached horribly, and his thigh, and he heaved breathlessly with the effort. Finally, he sat back down and clutched at his side.

"Ugh. Sorry to be a pain, again, but gimme a hand?"

"Oh, right!" he said, offering her a hand and arm as he carefully pulled her to her feet, leaning her - er HIM into him. "Just lean against me if you have to. And don't worry," he said, flashing the boy a small smile. "It's no trouble at all. You'd do the same for me."

"Of course I would," Faolán agreed as he leaned into Killian with an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"Wow. Our first big kill..." he got out between pained breaths as they headed for the road. "Think we should carve up a piece of it to take back? No one's gonna believe we did this!"

Killian breathed through a smile.
"You're probably right.. but do you really want to drag that thing with us? I mean... it would get smelly and the thing is rather large.."

"Hrm...maybe just like...the teeth or some claws?" Faolán said, looking back at it. But even as he said it, he wasn't so sure he'd be brave enough to cut those things out!

Because, you know, what if it suddenly decided to come back to life?

Killian actually digested the idea.
"You know.. we could," he went on. "And perhaps some of it for meat. For supplies you know?"
He licked his dry lips nervously, but didn't get any closer to the dead beast than he thought was safe. Perhaps if they waited to ensure it really was dead.. he'd feel a bit more at ease.

"I dunno about eatin' it," Faolán said, following Killian's gaze toward the dead beast and wrinkling his nose.

"It kinda smelled...rancid. But maybe that was just its breath. The meat might be okay..."

He looked at Killian then and half grinned. "I'll try it if you do."

At that, Killian smirked.
"Only if you try it first. But you know you're right," he went on, sighing as he folded his arms.over his chest. "It had smelled pretty foul."

Once they were off the road, Faolán stopped Killian. "Help me down? Sorry. I just...I think I need to catch a breather." For as much as he was holding it together, he was truthfully in a lot of pain, and he felt a bit dizzy from blood loss.

"I'll probably be fine once I've rested some. Uh. Anyway...hrm...maybe, I dunno, go check it out? We could always see if any parts of it look...eatable. And by we I mean you," he added with a small grin. "I'm an invalid!"

Killian rolled his eyes and replied, "Alright, lady." Just to playfully rub in that he knew his secret! After helping him get comfortable, he moved to observe the dead beast. And cringed.

"I think it smells worse dead." And as he pulled out a hunting knife, he examined a good place to cut into the beast, and a pillow of yellow smoke came out, and the smell was even more foul than he could have imagined. And soon Killian was choking and scrambling away from the beast, and promptly hurled into the bushes.

After vomiting at least twice more, he groaned and wiped what stuck to his lips before peering back to Faolan.
"Change of plans. We let the beast carcass just rot where it is!"

Faolán flinched at that. Lady. So this had changed the way Killian viewed him, just as he had feared.

He couldn't fault Killian for it, really. Killian was already responding to this better than he'd hoped, and...well...Faolán didn't know. His own identity was still a confusing mess in his head--how did you explain to someone that you didn't feel like a girl even if you had a feminine body? That you didn't want to be a girl, because it wasn't what you were, and it was all wrong? He couldn't expect Killian to get it, just like that, when he still struggled with it himself.

Didn't mean it still didn't hurt, though. Didn't mean that simple word still didn't cut straight to his heart and stab him right through all his worst insecurities and anxieties.

He fell quiet, lost in his own thoughts and worries, and it took a moment before he realized Killian had spoken. "Huh?" he said, looking up and blinking. "Oh. Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds good to me."

Killian didn't miss the sudden inattentiveness of his partner.
"Something wrong?" he asked, not realizing his jest could hurt the other so deep, for if he had known, he'd be profusely sorry and probably groveling for forgiveness as they spoke! But for now, he was all smiles, nervous smiles, but smiles none the less, as he examined the situation and simply nodded.

"Let's... let's just move on. I think staying around here... having to smell that," he went on with a gesture to the dead beast. "Will just make us ill. And we've got an out post to get to, besides."

Turning to Faolán, he inquired, "Do you need any help? I mean, with walking or anything before we move on?"

The smell of the beast reached Faolán a few seconds later, and he looked up when Killian spoke, dragged out of his soured mood by the stench--and the realization that those noises he'd been hearing had been Killian's vomiting!

He knew that because the smell soon had him retching dryly, and he covered his nose with an arm to try to ward off the aroma.

"Oh, God!" he choked, the smell driving his negative thoughts away and his wracking coughs making his side hurt horribly enough to forget all else. It was hard to focus on anything else when you were fighting to keep your food down and your wounds from twinging! "Ugh, that's vile! Um, if you could help me up, that'd be great. Sorry, I just..." He paused long enough to choke back a gag.

"Hard to get up like this," he continued, motioning to his wounds.

Killian nodded.
"Y-yeah, no worries," he gave the other boy a lop sided grin and gently put his arm around him.
"On three and i'll help lift you, okay? One, two... three!"

Three came, and Faolán used his legs to help as much as he could, rising to his feet with a pained groan. It was easier once he was upright, but his body still complained!

He sucked in a breath, steadying himself both mentally and physically, and released Killian so he could try out standing on his own. He still felt a bit woozy, and his body was sore all over--especially his side and thigh--but he could stand. It just hurt.

"I'll probably be better in the morning," he said, and took a deep breath. "Ugh. I just had to go and get my ass kicked."

Killian sighed through a nervous laugh.
"You might be twice as worse come morning. But don't worry. At least you're not alone."

"What? Twice as worse?" Faolán said, and let out a groan. "Aw man, don't tell me stuff like that! You're supposed to lie to me and make me feel better!"

"What? Lie? N-no! But what would that accomplish? I just mean.. normally if you hurt yourself, the initial pain is the worst, but as your body, you know, starts to recover.. you just.... ugh, I don't know. I just know when I broke my arm it hurt a lot the first week, because it was getting stiff and sore as it healed."

"Well, yeah, I know it's true but..." Faolán poked lightly at his bandaged side and then elbowed Killian lightly. "It's not exactly the sort of thing that boosts morale, soldier."

Killian sighed, wilting a little.
"I guess you could say we need a little morale boost after that attack. But hey, we survived and you know what?" and he turned and gestured in front of them, "We have to travel the same distance we came here to report back to the Captain. Only this time with your injury.... And some battle experience!"

"That's right!" Faolán said, perking up at that. "I mean, we did battle a horrific beast, so...that's impressive, right? We killed it! Not every green leaf can say they've done that!"

And then a thought struck, and Faolán froze. "Wait. Think the captain will believe us, though? I know that thing, er, stinks and...you know...but...think we should at least chop somethin' off it? Like a trophy or something?"

Killian blinked and then looked down at the beast.
"What if we took a fang.. or claw?" But he sounded doubtful. Would that be enough to prove this even happened?

Faolán broke out into a tired smile. "A claw, yeah! Then the captain can see how big it was! You can tell somethin's big from the size of its paws, right?"

As he thought it over, he nodded.
"You're right... growing up I'd hear all the time about the pups and how big they'd grow based on their paws. And what if what we killed was just a pup?"
But his enthusiasm stopped there.

The color drained from Faolán's face, his grin slipping into wide-eyed horror.

"If that was a pup, then its mama's gonna still be around," he whispered, and shamelessly clutched tighter to Killian. "Let's snag the paw and go!"

Killian nodded numbly and nodded, and was quick to work at sawing off the paw.
"Quick, fetch the bag and open it!" He wasn't about to carry the damn thing back in his hands! Besides.. the quicker they did this the further they could get from more potential dangers-
which was ironic because they were both soldiers and no matter their directions now...
War was all around them.

Trusting in the older boy, Faolán nodded and limped over to grab their bag, then returned to Killian's side, pale-faced from pain. Thankfully, his wounds weren't too severe or deep, all things considered, but they still hurt, and he was bruised on top of it all. He'd gotten very, very lucky today.

"Sooo, I'm just the bag-holder, right?" he said, eying Killian shiftily. "You're the paw-sawer, right?"

He did not want to touch that thing.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just keep the bag open!" And with haste, he dropped the bloodied paw inside and made a face as he looked at his hand.
"Ansgar's sake...." he moved to try to wipe it off. But the smell....
"Ugh... if I have to smell this the whole time we travel....."
He tried to hold back any vomit threatening to eject from him. It wasn't very manly to become so squeemish, was it?


Sighing, he turned to her.
Him.
Her.. him? Ugh, this would drive him nuts! He blushed at the thought but shook his head to try to shake out any of his doubt. They were still soldiers.. friends...



But Faolán had boobs....
And this entire time he didn't think about it too lewdly until for some reason, he thought about squeezing them, wondering how they'd feel. And instantly his face went scarlet as he cleared his throat and looked away.


"You'll be the best bag holder ever!"

He hoped he said bag and not boob. Gods.. what was wrong with him?

[brb, dying of lolz. xD]

Faolán was blessedly oblivious to the internal dilemma Killian was having, and figured his red face was just from the effort it took not to be sick. Because Faolán knew he was fighting hard not to breathe too deeply or upchuck everything he'd eaten in the last few weeks.

It was even more difficult when that paw flopped into the bag with a wet, disgusting plop.

Hurk.

His throat convulsed with the effort it took to hold back the rising bile and he quickly closed the bag. "I think all things considered, I deserve an award of some sort for this! Maybe a promotion! A bump up in rank! 'Cause this is awful!" he whined, and glanced down again at the bag with a wrinkle of his nose.

"Maybe we could use this as a weapon," he said. "Anyone tries to bother us, we just open this up and unleash the stink."

The joke was enough to break Killian from his other distracted thoughts and he tossed a smile the other 'boy's' way.

"Or just throw it at them. It's gruesome enough without the smell to scare off even a boar!"

"Oh, or that! But if you throw it at 'em, you might not get it back!"

Faolán pat the bag. "Either way, I think it was a good choice to snag it. I feel safer already," he added with a snort.

Killian nodded and almost raked his blood soaked hand through his hair. The stench stopped him just before. He grimaced and looked away.

"Gods. I could go for a bath. I wonder if there's a river nearby to wash all this grime off."

"Hrm...I've never been here before, so I dunno, but I'd say there's a good chance there is. Big animal like this one? They don't usually go far from water."

Faolán looked down at himself, covered in a mixture of his own blood and the beast's foul blood, and swallowed again to keep from gagging. God, he couldn't agree with Killian more; he wouldn't be able to sleep with this gunk on him. "But um, if there was one, I'd say we'd have a good chance of finding it thattaway," he said, pointing toward a line of trees in the near distance. "Trees like water, too."

Killian craned his neck up at the sky line.
"You're right." He nodded. "Come on, bag boy," he went on, giving the boy's shoulder a playful pat as he moved along, hurriedly infront of him.

Pffft. Bag boy. That was going to haunt him, wasn't it? Why had he agreed to be called the Bag Boy and not something fabulous like the Beast Slayer?

With a wry shake of his head, Faolán limped after Killian, sore and aching but now on a mission, and that mission, and the promise of getting the monster's stench off of him, let him focus on something other than the pain for the time being. The water would be cold, but right then cold water didn't sound so bad; it would feel nice on his injuries and maybe even numb them.

Still, by the time they reached the little river, he was panting, and he let the bag drop with a plop to the ground as he staggered to the water's edge. The river was calm there, and not very wide, but it was deep enough to serve. From what he could see, it might at least reach their waists.

Killian's waist, at least. It would probably be a bit deeper for him.

"Fiiinally," he breathed, and started to remove his sticky shirt. "That felt like the longest walk in the history of--"

And then he froze, shirt lifted just high enough to expose his belly and the edge of his chest binding, before he brought it back down with a blush.

...Oh. Right.

Bathing.

Killian was already peeling off his own clothing when he too, paused in mid-peel and realized...
His face went immediately beet red and his back was to the other.

"Er.. I won't look. Promise," he told him, stumbling over his words, and removing of his shirt.
"But er. you have to promise not to look at me too." Afte all, he didn't want to stay in his pants in water. That was never comfortable...

But then again.. no pants with a girl in the river....


Great. Now his pants felt tighter. And were giving him more reasons not to take them off.

And Faolán's face went even redder at Killian's words, voicing the very thoughts he'd been struggling with. Ack!

And it was...kind of silly, right? Like, Killian had dressed his wounds and already seen, but Faolán couldn't ignore the wave of shyness, embarrassment, and shame creeping over him and turning his skin pink clear to his ears. He was a boy. He felt like Ansgar had given him the wrong parts, even though it was said Ansgar didn't make mistakes. But he knew anyone looking at him wouldn't see a boy, and even the sight of his own naked body was sometimes like viewing a stranger when he expected to see a flat chest and instead saw...well...those. Add that to the embarrassment that was socialized into him by his parents and society, knowing any guy looking at him naked would be seeing a woman's body and thinking those sorts of thoughts, well...

It was a little terrifying, especially now that he was more lucid and less delirious.

Worse yet were the jumbling, fumbling thoughts and realizations that Killian would be undressing. Killian, who added more confusing feelings to the mix because...because...ulp.

He stared at Killian, a classic deer in torchlight look, completely frozen as Killian removed his shirt. Even covered in muck, he was...he was easy on the eyes...

With a start, Faolán jerked his eyes away and turned his back.

"I-I won't look," he said, voice a little higher than intended, before he started to peel off his shirt, which stuck uncomfortably to his skin. He winced, for lifting his arms hurt, but finally dropped the shirt aside and worked his chest binding free--letting himself breathe, for as necessary as it was, it still felt good to take it off after a long day. The bandage around his side remained, for that was holding his wound together, and then came his boots and breeches.

He wasted no time after that splashing into the water and dunking himself up to his chest, teeth chattering in the water and back still turned. "Remember, no looking!"

His heart was pounding, his hands slick with sweat. He felt an awkward heat all over his body. Even his toes felt flushed. The splashing drew his eyes.

Well, too late for not looking. He got an eyeful, and kept on staring. That was, until he heard  Faolán's voice and reminder...

He snapped his head away and knew he was turning even redder.

"R-right." He nearly tripped out of the rest of his clothes and stumbled into the waters. He sunk down as far as he could, hoping the chill would reduce some of the... swelling. And heat.
He sighed and looked down at his marred reflection int he river before cupping his hands into it and splashing his face. But itw asn't enough, and he just let his entire face submerge a moment before tossing his head back, water droplets flying as he slicked back his white-blonde hair with a gasp.

Water dripped down his face and he wiped at it where it tickled and paused as he caught sight of something-
the other 'boy's' reflection in the water...

Then he awkwardly looked away, eyes movign as if reading something, averting to just about anywhere but the other.

"S-sure wish we.. we had soap," he tried to jest, but his words sounded clumsy.

"Y-yeah, soap would be nice!" Faolán agreed with a forced laugh as he worked at scrubbing away the dried blood and guts. But even as he worked, his heart hammered away because he could think of little else but how crazy this was.

He was naked!

Killian knew!

And they were naked together!

Killian wasn't the only one who needed a good dunk. Faolán let himself sink under the surface, water bubbling up in a frustrated, long exhalation.

Killian wasn't the first naked guy he'd ever seen. He'd seen plenty here, since the men around camp weren't very shy around other men, and he often got teased for his own prudery. He claimed a religious upbringing and awkward scarring from an accident. Still, even though he'd seen his share of naked man butt and...other things...and grown mostly desensitized to it, why was he getting so flustered at the thought of seeing Killian specifically?

He resurfaced, spitting water, and scrubbed furiously at his hair. He could feel his own feverish body heat even through his hair, his blush covering his entire body. "I'll just be happy so long's I don't smell like monster guts," he said, and shivered. "God, it's cold! Um...say...we got anything to dry off with after this?"

The thought hit him like a punch as he looked at is clothes, left behind at the water's edge. He couldn't put those back on. He'd have to wash them, and then they would have to dry, which meant building a fire and...

His heart stopped. Would they just have to sit around the fire naked together?!

Killian's heart stopped too at the realization of what was to come.

"Er.. nothin' like that in my bag. But our clothes w-will need washed and... er..."

He was probably clean enough, right? He stumbled towards shore.

"I'll make us a fire."

At least he was no longer stiff, but he felt no less awkward as he moved around hastily to pick up wood and rummage through their bags to find items to start a fire.

OhGodohGodohGodohGodohGod...

"Okay!" Faolán said, proud his voice didn't come out a squeak, and though he was shivering like mad by then (yup, the cold water had numbed his wounds--and everything else) he was in no hurry to get out! His hair had fallen free of its loose tail in the water, so his strawberry blonde hair fell around his shoulders, and Faolán wrapped the tie around his wrist so as not to lose it.

And though he tried to keep his eyes away, curiosity made them stray as Killian reached the shore--and he went several shade redder when he got an eyeful of Killian, wet and naked with nothing left to the imagination.

OHGOD.

Nope, bad thoughts.

Really bad thoughts! He shouldn't like the sight of him! It was bad! And wrong! And he sank down into the water again until bubbles came from his nose, trying to cool his blood--and shivering even more violently as the cold seeped into his bones.

Why was it taking so long to get this fire going? He was gonna freeze his ass off before it got anywhere, and faolan would be able to hear his friend's plight. Of course, he wouldn't think to ask for help....

Faolán was freezing his ass off, too, and it wasn't long before he could take no more. And where was the fire?! What was taking Killian so long? God help him, he was going to turn to ice at this rate!

The cold won their little standoff. With a whimpering shiver, Faolán crossed one arm over his breasts and covered his crotch with his other hand as he rose from the water, so numb he barely even felt the difference in temperature, and shuffled his way back to shore. He was hardly concerned about modesty at that point! He just wanted a fire! Warmth! To stop feeling like an icicle!

"Y-y-ya got it yet?" he asked through chattering teeth as he made his way to what would be their fire pit, bouncing on his toes to try and get his blood flowing. "W-want me t-to try?"

Killian turned and with a squeak, looked away.
"What... What are you doing?"

OH GOD.

"You're not supposed to LOOK! Remember?!" Faolán yelped and dropped down to a crouch when Killian turned and saw him, and a little heat worked its way through the cold, at least enough to warm his cheeks. He folded his knees to his chest and stayed squatted awkwardly like that, trying to hide as much as he could.

Of course, telling Killian not to look was nooot helpful when he still had a good view of Killian!

He snapped his eyes skyward, blushing even harder, his heart pounding with a weird combination of nerves and...excitement? What the hell?

"You can't get the fire started and it's been foreeever and I'm cold so gimme the flint and don't look!"

Killian froze up, but once he got the nerve, he clumsily tossed the flint.... Almost in the wrong direction.
"Th.. There. Maybe you'll... You'll h-have -b-better luck."

Faolán missed catching the flint, his fingers cold and stiff, and it went skittering across the ground.

Biting his lip, Faolán crouch-shuffled his way to retrieve it, watching Killian the whole time to make sure he wasn't looking (which was violating his end of the deal, ack!), he snatched the flint back up and returned to the fire. Then, because his position was awkward, he slid onto his knees and leaned down to start striking the flint, as quickly as he could since his chest was bared to the world now. But of course he was extra fumbly with his trembling fingers and nerves and he nearly dropped the flint several times before, finally, he got some sparks going.

"A-ah...er...gonna need you to hold that kindling steady..." he said, keeping his eyes down and on his work.

Killian was shivering, freezing his own ass off while Faolán continued to fumble. And it took a moment for his inquiry to reach him.

"Ah! You.. you n-need.. my help?" he tried not to gaze his way, and licked his cold dry lips before averting them. "Are.. are you sure?" Cause Ansgar... he knew that just put them both in an awkward position, ten fold.

But they were soldiers! Ugh! He supposed it was this very reason women weren't allowed in the army.... 'cause as far as he could tell, Faolán could fight wth the best of them...
Well, the best of the green horn's, anyway.

"Y-yes, just hold the k-kindling steady!" Faolán said, and his cheeks were about the only warm thing on his body, burning hot enough to melt ice. "I need ya to bring it in c-close when it starts to sp-spark, to catch 'em on the twigs."

He was still focusing furiously on his worm, not daring to see Killian's expression.

He had all but forgotten his shivering, as he agreed and leaned forward to hold the kindling, trying to use his arms and hand to shield the winds....
and found himself unable to keep his eyes averted from Faolán's chest...
Oh man, oh man. That just made something on his own body grow awkward!

And it was about this time the kindling did catch fire, the sparks growing and...

"Yee-ouch!" Killian yanked his hand away, inadvertently elbowing Faolán in the process.

"OW!" Faolán howled and curled in on himself, clutching at his chest as his eyes watered, because Killian had elbowed him right in the boob. The embarrassment of it all didn't even register right then, only the pain of having a sensitive area hit hard.

That was going to leave a bruise--and really make chest-binding awkward.

"You hit me!" he whined, rocking in place.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I- I didn't notice the fire and-" Killian gasped. "No! The fire's starting to go out!" ANd he dropped to his belly and began to lightly blow on it, cupping his hand on the other side of the puckering flames.

"Crap!" Faolán gasped, pain quickly forgotten, because warmth was the higher priority in his mind. Grabbing another bundle of dry twigs, he fed them to the little spark Killian nursed, biting his lip in concentration.

"There, there, ya got it," he said, careful not to breathe on the flame. "Just like that..."

The fire continued to struggle, but their efforts were not in vain. However the fire was small and weak. Killian shivered and continued to look at the flames.

"I'm going to collect more wood. You stay here, k-keep the fire going."
And with a nod, he moved as quickly as he could. Ansgar's name, he was going to freeze his balls off, literally! But he kept pressing forward. They needed enough wood for the fire or it could produce even more dire consequences for them both.

He returned with an armful of wood, most of it rather thin, as he wasn't about to tempt using an axe right then.

He dropped the lwood beside the fire and began to break the longer sticks in half, and slowly placed them over the flames. And soon enough, the fire was breathing healthy flames.

As the fire grew, so did the heat, and soon Faolán's wild shivering eased. He drew as close to the fire as he safely could with his knees tucked to his chest and arms wrapped around his knees in a vain effort at preserving his modesty.

Not that it particularly mattered anymore, he supposed. Killian had seen basically...everything. Just as he'd seen basically all of Killian.

...And liked what he saw.

And the thought made his skin burn hotter than the flames as he pressed his face against his knees so he wouldn't be tempted to look some more.

Even with the growing fire, Killian was shaking something fierce.
"The... The fire's not enough." He paused, blushing when he realized the only other solution. "We'll... We'll need to share body heat."

"WHAT?" Faolán's head snapped up at that and he shot Killian a classic deer in torchlight look. "Y-you're jokin'!"

Even though he was still icy and teeth chattery, too, even if his shivering was at least not so violent as before.

Killian stiffened, but shot a glare his way.
"I'm.. I'm.. I'm not lying! Don't you remember in our training? Con.. Connlaoth's winters can be terr-terrible." It was embarrassing to stutter, let alone over such an uncomfortable subject. But uncomfortableness aside, he really didn't want to die, and he was so cold.
"I can't.. can't feel my toes.. and moving my hands.." he winced. "It hurts.." It burned really, felt as if they might break clean off if he moved them more than he already was.
"We don't have a choice."

And he paused, holding a breath before turning to Faolán and grabbing the boy suddenly and yanking him close so their bodies were flush.

ANSGAR'S NUTS!

Surprisingly to Faolán, the first thing he registered wasn't Killian's nakedness, but his cold. His hands were ice, his body was ice, and Faolán let out an undignified squeal when Killian grabbed him and tried to squirm away from him. COLD! He was cold! But Faolán was cold, too, and too lethargic to struggle much, though he whined enough to make up for it.

"A-ah, you're so cold!" he gasped--but a split second later he remembered he was also naked, and heat rose to his cheeks and cut through the ice. His eyes went wide, and he went very still, not daring to move. Oh God. Oh god.

His heart beat fast, thundering in his ears to a deafening degree, and only beat faster when he awkwardly laid his hands on Killian's shoulders and realized their chests were touching. Oh God. Oh Ansgar. Why was it suddenly hard to breathe?

"U-um. Okay," he finally said, scrambling for something, anything to break the silence. "So...this is happenin'..."

It was so awkwardly awful he wante dto die. But he'd rather not actually die, for if he had, he wouldn't have put himself int his position. Instead, he couldn't help himself. At Faolan's words, he laughed.

"Ansgar's name, we're the worst soldiers in history."

"N-not the worst," Faolán stammered out, trying to think of something, anything that could take his mind off of this! "W-we did kill a thing..."

He swallowed hard, and despite his own internal screaming, he pressed a little closer. Now that the initial cold shock had faded, he could actually begin to feel a little body heat building between them. Modesty be damned!

Killian was still shaking something fierce, but at least he was beginning to feel the warmth spread. he closed his eyes, trying to focus on that, just that, because it was hard not to think about how damned cold he felt and how painful his toes and fingers had become.

"By-by the w-way... Thank you, for this," he told the other boy. "I know.. know it's awkward b-but.. I.. I'd hate to just d-d-die this way." he went on, giving the other boy an uneven grin inspite of himself.

"U-um, it's no p-problem," Faolán said between chattering teeth, wincing when he squeezed a little too hard and hurt his side as a result. "We're way t-too young to die."