Here's my plan- I'm going to finish posting this, every other day as normal, and once it's done, I will be posting the Tower of Nero rewrite. That way, I can work on Lou's Past Part Two without too much time pressure AND I'm still working on the Kane Chronicles crossover trilogy, mostly needs typing up, but I'll get to that soon :P
To 8Ball3- Raijin would be an amazing Hunter XD
Storm was lost. The woods had blended around her as she ran, heart pounding, breathing laboured. The grey vapour had nipped at her heels, wriggled around her legs and blustered at her sides, steering her blindly through the trees at a full gallop. Cuts stung across her ribcage and lower legs and she had fallen, catching herself on a tree root. She limped along, chest heaving, flinching at her own shadow.
When the sun began to set, she found somewhere to hide. A dip in the earth- a pit really- concealed beneath a toppled tree. She hunkered down, licking her wounds.
Whatever had chased her, was gone. She knew that, could feel it in the air around her. But her heartrate would not settle. Her guard would not lower, she would not let it. Her ears pricked at every noise, every flap of a wing or rustle in the leaves.
Lou! She called, neighing as loudly as she dared. Admittedly, not very loud at all, but gods forbid it came back. Maybe it hadn't really gone, maybe it was just lying in wait for her. She had only felt terror like that once before- when her mother told her to run. The comparison made her feel sick. Lou!
She must have fallen asleep at some point, frightened into exhaustion. She awoke with a start, finding night had long consumed the sky. She lay in a pool of shadows beneath the tree, shivering.
Why hadn't Louisa found her yet? Was she even looking?
Of course she's looking. She said we'd stay together, said we wouldn't be alone.
But she has new friends now. Maybe she stayed with them.
No, you're lying. Shut up.
It's true though. Why would she need you when she's got friends that are like her?
Storm huffed, a prickling, uncomfortable warmth working through her chest. Louisa wouldn't leave her. That wasn't what she did, Louisa didn't just leave.
A twig snapped. Storm sat up, staring through the gap between the fallen trunk and the dirt. Stars twinkled at her, as if enjoying her predicament. The breeze whistled, crinkling leaves above her head. She ducked, whickering fearfully. What if that grey thing was back? Would it find her down here?
Footsteps on earth softened by dead leaves and moss. The grey thing didn't have feet. She listened, straining her attention, closing her eyes to focus. There was definitely more than one set of feet. Was it four separate pairs? Or would it be something else? Something with lots of feet, something that would find her under this tree and think ooh, goody. Dinner.
Another twig snapped. Storm flinched.
Lou? She thought hopefully, pushing her thoughts out. Is that you, Lou?
"Shut up!" Louisa demanded. Elation flooded through Storm- if pegasi could cry, she would be bawling her eyes out to no end.
"We weren't saying anything!" Raijin argued.
"Sssh!"
Lou! Storm called again, whinnying. I'm here! I'm here!
"Storm! Where-? Where are you?"
Tree!
"Tree?" Louisa echoed blankly.
"Tree!" Ruby confirmed. There was a scramble of footsteps, the bobbing of flashlights. Ruby appeared first, but only for a second, replaced via shoulder-shove with Louisa. She was crying, a big, relieved grin on her face, tears dripping off her chin. Storm reached for her, whickering and stretching, hooves slipping on the ground.
"Hold on, hold on." Louisa motioned. Storm tumbled back into the recesses of the dip. Louisa slid down, colliding into her with a hug and knocking her over. "Oh thank gods," she breathed, burying her face in Storm's neck, "I thought I'd lost you too."
I'm sorry I ran.
"It's not your fault, ya daftie." Louisa promised, leaning back to smile at her. She scratched the pegasus behind the ears with both hands. "Come on, let's get you out of here. Oh, you're all scratched up." Her fingers hovered over the injuries, worry tugging at her mouth. Storm nuzzled her face and she smiled again, scratching her under the chin. "Don't worry, Storm. We'll fix you up 'n' you can have all the apples you want. How's that sound?"
How long for?
"Just for tonight. I'm still not cleanin' up your sick."
"I'm glad she's OK." Ruby smiled. She sat next to Louisa, handing over a cheese toastie. The boys had gone shopping, having found a twenty-four hour mini-mart, and were now toasting cheese sandwiches over the fire. The girls had stayed behind. Louisa tended to Storm, Ruby watching in amazement as the former used water to heal the foal's injuries, leaving no trace.
Storm had eaten every single apple Louisa had, now in a food stupor and asleep with her head in her human's lap. Louisa ate her sandwich with one hand, rubbing Storm's ear with the other. The pegasus huffed contentedly, shifting to get more comfortable.
"Me too." Louisa nodded. "Got any rope?"
"Rope?"
"Long stuff."
"I know what- oooh, you've spent too much time with Huxley." Ruby pouted. Louisa smirked, wiping melted cheese from her chin. Ruby bit into her own sandwich, wrinkling her nose. "So, what? You're going to tie her to you?" Louisa hummed confirmation, nodding once, wolfing down the last of her meal. Ruby arched an eyebrow at her. "You might have to take that up with her." She nodded at the pegasus.
"She can fight me." Louisa decided around her mouthful. Ruby laughed.
"No!" Raijin wailed, staring aghast into the flames as he sunk to his knees. "My sandwich!"
"I did warn you." Huxley said, incompletely clamping down his bemusement. Raijin stared at him, heartbroken and betrayed. Huxley considered him for a grand total of three seconds and sighed. "I'll make you another one."
"Yay!" Raijin jumped to his feet, clapping and laughing.
"I will make you another one." Huxley stressed. "Go over there." He swung a point in the girls' direction.
"Wait. We must send off our fallen comrade." Raijin sniffed, standing to attention. He saluted clumsily with the wrong hand. When Huxley didn't move, Raijin snapped his fingers at him, fuming.
"Come on, Huxley." Ruby chided. She and Louisa had stood, already saluting. "All cheese sandwiches must get the proper send off."
"You guys are mad." Huxley grumbled. When the girls began to snicker at him and Raijin continued to snap his fingers, he had no choice- he stood and saluted. "It's a sandwich."
"That sandwich gave more to this team than you ever did."
"I have an axe. That sandwich is charcoal now."
"Don't you dare speak ill of the dead." Ruby demanded, layering her voice with as much emotion as she could muster. Huxley squinted at her.
"Are you… crying?"
"Dude, dude," Louisa shook her head, "it's a funeral. Show some respect."
"Oh my gods, I wish I was that sandwich right now."
"You keep that attitude up, young man, and it can be arranged." Raijin promised.
"Young man? Uh, Raij, you're like half my age and the size of my toe."
"I think a minute's silence is in order." Ruby cut in, nodding solemnly. Huxley complied with the silence, but not for the same reason as them- how had he got stuck with such idiots? Simply wrapping his mind around how they could all be so equally stupid was a feat onto itself and he, quite frankly, did not have the energy for it.
