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Loyalty
It should have been easy, supposedly: capture the Nomad and bring him back to Don Paragon. They had been hot on his trail and finally, the Nomad was within sight.
The sudden sandstorm, however, had been…well, unforeseeable.
"You want to go…in there?!" Skout, a short girl with wild, bushy orange hair, shouted over the howling wind. Sand whirled violently before them and thunderclaps boomed in the distance. "I know you're normally not the joking type, Toth, but are you trying out jokes now?"
"It's the only place the Nomad could've gone; there's no way he gets far in there!" The other woman, tall, tanned, and gorgeous, replied. "This might be our only chance."
"Yeah, it might…but if we go after him it might as well be our tomb!" The redhead picked up a book from the saddlebag. "These Nowhere Storms are savage! They'll zap your brains right out of your head! …Assuming you don't wind up lost and buried in the sand first."
Toth scowled at her right-hand girl. "Don't let a book tell you what you can't do." Her expression softened, full lips curling into a confident smirk. "I think you can handle this."
Skout's eyes widened, her heart skipping a happy beat. "You really think so?"
The affirmative nod she received was all she needed. If Captain Toth believed in her, then she could – and would – handle this. The Y'dalian woman was a warrior with keen insight after all.
Skout hugged the book tightly to her chest, smiling with her olive-green eyes seemingly sparkling with joy. "Well then I think so, too!"
Little did they know that they would come to regret that decision.
x.o.x.o.x.o.x
Her pulse was spiking. The sand whipped and lashed against her skin, thunder rolling around her. The beast they had encountered – whatever it was – was unfazed by the weather, and not even her beloved Captain's axe proved to be enough.
Skout's heart threatened to burst as Toth was knocked to the side. She didn't move. The beast roared and prepared to charge.
"Think, you dunderhead! Think!"
Then she saw it: the axe. Her gaze shifted from it to the crystal-like protrusions on the beast's back. She put two and two together.
Frightened, the redhead grabbed the weapon and charged. She only had a few heartbeats of a window before her dear Toth would meet her maker.
And as she threw the weapon at the beast – a direct hit, not bad –, the last thing Skout could remember was the spiked tail that swung at her.
x.o.x.o.x.o.x
Consciousness crept back to the redhead. She stirred, eyes slowly opening to see darkness. She blinked, adjusting to the lack of illumination as she realized it was night time. It was a full moon tonight.
Where was she, though? The softness underneath indicated she was on a bed. Was it her room? The Infirmary? The redhead shifted but the jab of pain along her midsection had her remaining still and—
Was something next to her? There was a gentle snore that caught Skout's attention. The full moon peeked through the clouds, its light filtered through the window, revealing Toth resting at the end of the bed. The chair she sat on…Had Toth been by her side the whole time?
The thought made the redhead's eyes tear up. They could've caught the Nomad if she hadn't screwed up…and now…
"I'm sorry." Skout's voice was low, barely above a whisper and shaky. "I'm so sorry, Toth."
She took a moment to observe the warrior-woman. Even sleeping the brunette was beautiful, and the urge to reach out and stroke black tresses was slowly getting more difficult to resist.
"I'm such a dunderhead, ending up wounded like this…It cost you your chance to catch the Nomad, didn't it?" Skout's bottom-lip trembled. "…You believed in me, and I blew it, dang it. I reckon Don Paragon chewed you out for it, too, in a hissy fit."
The tanned woman remained asleep.
"You've always believed in me. I've tried to meet your expectations, even if I only am a spittoon girl…But even that was enough if I could stay by your side, Toth. Clearly it's not enough." Her eyes were watery. "I'm your right hand. I'm supposed to be of use, and you're right; I can't let books tell me what I can't do. I have to get stronger for the both of us."
The redhead didn't look away from her Captain. The tears couldn't be held back any longer and rolled down fair cheeks, glistening like silver starlight. Her voice cracked. Skout clutched at the duvet until her knuckles turned pale white. "All I've ever wanted is to stand by your side as your equal and see the world as you do, Toth. My heart is yours, now and forever if you would only but claim it, but…I need to prove myself. I need to get stronger so I can protect you for once."
This was likely the closest to a confession she would come, and the thought stabbed at her heart, twisting around.
"I'm not gonna let you down, Toth," she said through quiet sobs. Despite the pain she forced herself to sit up so she could reach black locks. The touch, while momentary, felt better than anything. "Just you wait. I'll make you proud of me."
The redhead fell limply back into bed, a small smile on her lips as fatigue finally reclaimed her. Minutes ticked away and when the girl finally began to snore, the Y'dalian woman raised her head. Somber orange eyes zoned in on the now sleeping redhead and she reached out to caress a fair cheek.
"You already have, Skout."
She laid her head back to rest. There would definitely be more reprimanding to be had from Don Paragon in the morning, but there was nothing Toth wouldn't do for her Wildflower.
All in due time.