Welcome back, gang. Not much to say this time. Enjoy.
A Talk Between Brothers
Gard had brought Procyon to a small cave. He had made a fire and found a large melon nearby. As the two talked over their pieces of fruit, Gard tried to make sense of everything.
"So, you say you don't know your name?" Gard was unsure if Procyon was to be believed or if his bloodlust had truly caused him to forget.
"I remember the name Antaeus but I know that's not my name." Procyon looked down at the piece of the melon he had. "Antaeus, Gryphon, Donnchad, Gard, none of those are my names." Procyon chuckled. "I have a younger brother named Gard, if only I could remember what he looked like."
"Why?" Gard had found out many interesting things. The bloodlust had caused much memory loss. It would seem that Procyon had been in the grip of his bloodlust for a few hours at least. Very interesting.
"I haven't seen him for nearly twelve years." Gard blinked. Procyon was mentioning the time he had been away at war with another clan. "His grey skin is most fascinating like yours." Gard started to wonder. How had Procyon not realized that it was he? "He should be thirty-one right now since I'm fifty." That explained so much. Procyon thought he was young not the age he was now. It explained why Procyon did not recognize his own brother but not why or even how he had forgotten his own name. "I never told him this but even though we've had our differences I've always been proud of him. My leader has been filling my mind with strange thoughts, saying that there is a darkness within me and that Gard means to murder me and that I must break his spirit. I don't know what to think. It is true I killed my grandfather in a fit of madness but I simply don't know what to think of myself." Gard listened and learned. He now understood his brother. He now knew that Procyon did not kill his son Procyon was strongly loyal to his family but could be manipulated as well.
"It's sad isn't it?" Gard spoke slowly. "The more our kind are oppressed and persecuted by the other races the more we keep fighting amongst ourselves. The war against that other clan is just an example. I've been a slave, gladiator, friend and ally to members of other races and I've seen that no matter the race, good and evil are everywhere."
"That is very wise." Procyon nodded in agreement. This was a rare moment for them. The last good moment between them had been when Gard was ten. "I always had trouble with listening to shamans and their religious babbling, maybe I should find more philosophers to talk with." Procyon groaned. "Now I'm starting to think of my cousin, younger than Gard." Gard knew what Procyon was talking about. Gard and Procyon's cousin had been someone that was violent for the sheer sake of it. Thomeheb was his name, not cursed with bloodlust like Procyon which had caused him to think of conquest Thomeheb fought because he loved to do it, he fought for sport. "He never thought much about philosophy. But tell me what is your philosophy on life and death? We are warriors and we must wonder about things like that."
"I stopped wondering about that long ago." Gard placed a hand on the cave floor. "Life and death are two halves of another ending circle, out of life comes death and out of death comes life, there is no end and no beginning." Procyon, still not recognizing Gard, nodded.
"Makes me feel better." Procyon sighed and looked out of the cave. "Ever since I killed my grandfather, I've been worrying about what will happen to me when I die, be it in battle or from an illness. What you said makes me think about who I am, who will come from my death, whose death did I come from? Life, death and rebirth, I like the sound of that." Gard smiled, happy to see Procyon as he was truly meant to be, not at war with others or with himself, just as himself.