"Move it, Ero!"
Boneflower's cheerful voice pierced the stillness of the morning air and countryside as they set off from Targas. Boneflower's demeanor had changed remarkably from the night before. She had woken up her same, usual, peppy self and treated Eroket as if nothing had changed between them.
Eroket wished he could act under the same masquerade. "Yeah, yeah, Boney...I'm coming..."
Boney's voice chirped a cheerful 'good' that irritated Eroket to no end...why was she doing this?
Because she doesn't have any emotional attachment...Eroket's thoughts replied. She hides herself too much and the way she acts is just a guard from the world...physical intimacies would mean nothing emotionally, Eroket thought, reflecting upon Boneflower's words from the night before.
Eroket resolved to bring this up some other time, placing the thoughts at the back of his mind for the time being, it wouldn't do to get too caught up in this.
"Boneflower, stop and come here..." Eroket lowered the light packs he carried and sat upon the grass, motioning for Boney to sit in front of him.
Boneflower obeyed instantly, ceasing her forward pace and stalking over to her male counterpart, sitting in front of him. "Yeah, Erry?"
Eroket nodded. "We need to make some plans...about the job." He added hastily as he saw the familiar light appear in Boneflower's eyes, felt a bit guilty as her face fall after the final three words of his statement.
"Yeah, job, right...anyways, what's there t'talk about?"
"Well, for starters, how we're going to actually find Vandashira...two, how we're going to get any hint of her whereabouts and three, how we're going to take care of Jald and Davrag."
Boney looked a bit confused at the last statement. "Eroket, 'ow d'you- "
Eroket cut her off immediately. "I met Davrag last night..."
Boneflower's eyes widened instantly, her paws, paws that should have been delicate, now rough from years spent with a sword, clasped the hilt of her blade, eyes hardening. "Y'didn't think to tell me?"
"Not like you gave me a chance..." Ero replied, and regretted it instantly. Boneflower shrugged lightly, not seeming offended in the least.
"Err, yeah...I may've been chatterin' on a little too much...anyways, how'd It go? Did y'fight him?"
Eroket shook his head. "I wasn't armed...if I made a move, he'd have killed me...Boney, and I think he's honestly as good as Jald..."
Boneflower nodded slightly, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. "Yeah...and 'e's much...colder..."
"You don't know Jald as well...bastard killed Kalis...left him to die..." Eroket's amber eyes hardened, fist clenching at his side. "I'd kill him as easily as Davrag..."
Boney looked a bit saddened at that. "Then what's seperatin' ye from him, Ero?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If ye're killin' Jald or Davrag to stop them from killin' others or to stop them from killin' us, I say it's a good thing...if ye're killin' them to deny what they are, then I'm weepin' for ye."
"Speak clearly, Boneflower, I don't follow..."
"Killing Davrag and Jald won't change the color of their fur or the color o' yer own, Eroket Nightblade!" Boneflower's eyes were hard; her voice carried an honest seriousness Eroket had never before seen. "I know how ye feel, better'n most...we've been friends for years now! I see how you look...lookin' at Davrag was like lookin' inta a mirror and ye didn't like what ye saw...just a change o' circumstances, just imagine if Visla picked ye up instead o' Kalis...ye'd be everything Davrag Joris is t'day."
Eroket sat back, completely stunned that Boneflower had voiced the truth that he had been so afraid to admit. "You don't know what it's like...seeing a monster like that stepping out in front of you like that...to be reminded of what you could have become..."
"Don't I?!" Boneflower's voice hardened, her eyes narrowing sharply. "I know it just as well as you do, Eroket! Every time I see a normal girl with a normal family, I'm reminded of what I'll never be...and at the same time of what I coulda become...but that's all it is, Ero...a dream or a nightmare," Boneflower's voice softened. "He's a nightmare you gotta wake up from...he represents what you'll never be..."
Her arms reached out and she drew Eroket into an embrace, Eroket didn't protest at all, even returned her attentions somewhat as Boneflower whispered. "Ye're Eroket Nightblade, not Davrag Joris...and if ye ever have any doubt o' that, just recall the people who count on ye...ok? Just look t'me if ye ever need help...ye mean a lot to me, y'know."
Eroket smiled, reluctantly releasing himself from her embrace. "Thanks..."
"Don't ye dare think this means we're givin' up the hunt, Ero...and don't ye ever say to me Davrag won't deserve t'die...but if it ever comes time to finish it, remember why you cut him down, it's not that ye're provin' you aren't like him...there's nothing to prove there."
Boneflower smiled reassuringly, her voice softening; Eroket returned the smile, lightened considerably by just those words.
"Anyways, let's talk about how we'll do this job..."
"Right...Boney, when you said you could look on a normal girl and see what you'd never be, what did you-"
"What'd I mean?" A sad smile crossed Boneflower's face. "It's...nothing, Ero...nothing at all..."
He understood not to press her; understood somebeasts are entitled to secrets of their own. He'd let her keep hers. He just had to ask about one other creature: "What about Jald Nightson?"
"That's a choice ye'll have to make, Eroket...noone else can make it but you."
Eroket nodded. "Did you really mean I meant I lot to you?"
Boneflower laughed and pounced suddenly, throwing Eroket to the ground, grinning impishly at him. "O' course I do! Now are ye gonna be an idiot or are we gonna get on with our job!"
Eroket smiled and pushed the female ermine off him onto her back. "Enough of that already, or we won't get anything done! Anyways, our best bet may be in the north to Meridian...there's a good deal of vice there, plus it's far enough away from Calishan...I want to avoid that place at all costs, especially if the rumors're true..."
Boneflower nodded. "Meridian it is then! Umm...Ero, what's Meridian?"
"Large city in the north, it's where my father's from so there's a good military I've heard...and plenty of bandits and crime groups in the surrounding areas...if anybeast'll have knowledge of Vandashira, the beasts there will...and I'll make a million gold coin bet that we'll find something...in fact, I'm counting on it."
Boneflower's cheerful voice pierced the stillness of the morning air and countryside as they set off from Targas. Boneflower's demeanor had changed remarkably from the night before. She had woken up her same, usual, peppy self and treated Eroket as if nothing had changed between them.
Eroket wished he could act under the same masquerade. "Yeah, yeah, Boney...I'm coming..."
Boney's voice chirped a cheerful 'good' that irritated Eroket to no end...why was she doing this?
Because she doesn't have any emotional attachment...Eroket's thoughts replied. She hides herself too much and the way she acts is just a guard from the world...physical intimacies would mean nothing emotionally, Eroket thought, reflecting upon Boneflower's words from the night before.
Eroket resolved to bring this up some other time, placing the thoughts at the back of his mind for the time being, it wouldn't do to get too caught up in this.
"Boneflower, stop and come here..." Eroket lowered the light packs he carried and sat upon the grass, motioning for Boney to sit in front of him.
Boneflower obeyed instantly, ceasing her forward pace and stalking over to her male counterpart, sitting in front of him. "Yeah, Erry?"
Eroket nodded. "We need to make some plans...about the job." He added hastily as he saw the familiar light appear in Boneflower's eyes, felt a bit guilty as her face fall after the final three words of his statement.
"Yeah, job, right...anyways, what's there t'talk about?"
"Well, for starters, how we're going to actually find Vandashira...two, how we're going to get any hint of her whereabouts and three, how we're going to take care of Jald and Davrag."
Boney looked a bit confused at the last statement. "Eroket, 'ow d'you- "
Eroket cut her off immediately. "I met Davrag last night..."
Boneflower's eyes widened instantly, her paws, paws that should have been delicate, now rough from years spent with a sword, clasped the hilt of her blade, eyes hardening. "Y'didn't think to tell me?"
"Not like you gave me a chance..." Ero replied, and regretted it instantly. Boneflower shrugged lightly, not seeming offended in the least.
"Err, yeah...I may've been chatterin' on a little too much...anyways, how'd It go? Did y'fight him?"
Eroket shook his head. "I wasn't armed...if I made a move, he'd have killed me...Boney, and I think he's honestly as good as Jald..."
Boneflower nodded slightly, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. "Yeah...and 'e's much...colder..."
"You don't know Jald as well...bastard killed Kalis...left him to die..." Eroket's amber eyes hardened, fist clenching at his side. "I'd kill him as easily as Davrag..."
Boney looked a bit saddened at that. "Then what's seperatin' ye from him, Ero?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If ye're killin' Jald or Davrag to stop them from killin' others or to stop them from killin' us, I say it's a good thing...if ye're killin' them to deny what they are, then I'm weepin' for ye."
"Speak clearly, Boneflower, I don't follow..."
"Killing Davrag and Jald won't change the color of their fur or the color o' yer own, Eroket Nightblade!" Boneflower's eyes were hard; her voice carried an honest seriousness Eroket had never before seen. "I know how ye feel, better'n most...we've been friends for years now! I see how you look...lookin' at Davrag was like lookin' inta a mirror and ye didn't like what ye saw...just a change o' circumstances, just imagine if Visla picked ye up instead o' Kalis...ye'd be everything Davrag Joris is t'day."
Eroket sat back, completely stunned that Boneflower had voiced the truth that he had been so afraid to admit. "You don't know what it's like...seeing a monster like that stepping out in front of you like that...to be reminded of what you could have become..."
"Don't I?!" Boneflower's voice hardened, her eyes narrowing sharply. "I know it just as well as you do, Eroket! Every time I see a normal girl with a normal family, I'm reminded of what I'll never be...and at the same time of what I coulda become...but that's all it is, Ero...a dream or a nightmare," Boneflower's voice softened. "He's a nightmare you gotta wake up from...he represents what you'll never be..."
Her arms reached out and she drew Eroket into an embrace, Eroket didn't protest at all, even returned her attentions somewhat as Boneflower whispered. "Ye're Eroket Nightblade, not Davrag Joris...and if ye ever have any doubt o' that, just recall the people who count on ye...ok? Just look t'me if ye ever need help...ye mean a lot to me, y'know."
Eroket smiled, reluctantly releasing himself from her embrace. "Thanks..."
"Don't ye dare think this means we're givin' up the hunt, Ero...and don't ye ever say to me Davrag won't deserve t'die...but if it ever comes time to finish it, remember why you cut him down, it's not that ye're provin' you aren't like him...there's nothing to prove there."
Boneflower smiled reassuringly, her voice softening; Eroket returned the smile, lightened considerably by just those words.
"Anyways, let's talk about how we'll do this job..."
"Right...Boney, when you said you could look on a normal girl and see what you'd never be, what did you-"
"What'd I mean?" A sad smile crossed Boneflower's face. "It's...nothing, Ero...nothing at all..."
He understood not to press her; understood somebeasts are entitled to secrets of their own. He'd let her keep hers. He just had to ask about one other creature: "What about Jald Nightson?"
"That's a choice ye'll have to make, Eroket...noone else can make it but you."
Eroket nodded. "Did you really mean I meant I lot to you?"
Boneflower laughed and pounced suddenly, throwing Eroket to the ground, grinning impishly at him. "O' course I do! Now are ye gonna be an idiot or are we gonna get on with our job!"
Eroket smiled and pushed the female ermine off him onto her back. "Enough of that already, or we won't get anything done! Anyways, our best bet may be in the north to Meridian...there's a good deal of vice there, plus it's far enough away from Calishan...I want to avoid that place at all costs, especially if the rumors're true..."
Boneflower nodded. "Meridian it is then! Umm...Ero, what's Meridian?"
"Large city in the north, it's where my father's from so there's a good military I've heard...and plenty of bandits and crime groups in the surrounding areas...if anybeast'll have knowledge of Vandashira, the beasts there will...and I'll make a million gold coin bet that we'll find something...in fact, I'm counting on it."