Unrelenting
The campsite was oddly silent for this time of the night, but this was not unwelcome to the Horseman War— Having his intuition remind him to be cautious, especially on this night, caused him to take the first watch of the evening.
There was once a time when he would have traveled from day to night and back again— Rain, sleet or sunshine would not harry him from his objective, even if simple travel were his only goal. But, at the expense of efficacy, his experience was knitted with the fulfillment of a partner at his side.
So, he now took his vigil over the prone form of a blanketed girl, occasionally poking at a fire with a stick. It wasn't as if he minded; It was one thing if he was on a mission of import, and he would feel mildly impatient with the slow pace of travel. But he refused to begrudge her the things that kept her safe and well, and the basis of their journey was nothing more than his mundane restlessness. A restlessness she had accommodated to, he yet again reminded himself.
She had been astonished almost to the point of insult, when he'd asked of her presence for the trip. Then again, he knew he only ever gave her the option of joining, every other time; This time, he had unwittingly given her a taste of his wishes, which had turned that speechlessness into a delight he hadn't expected any more than the first reaction.
Inhale, exhale— He heard her breathing, the heartbeat, then those of his own. The crackling sputter of the fire as it flared briefly in the breeze. A bird ruffling its feathers in its sleep, head tucked under a wing. A cry of distress from a mouse, clenching of talons, and then nothing.
All of this he heard, and he took note of. His sight could only serve him in the area where he himself resided, but his other senses could be extended much farther. He could hear more, feel more, sense more even in the darkness such as this, even through the undying clamor of wildlife.
Then, an anomalous sound struck his eardrums, and he stiffened for a fraction of a second before he understood it was merely the shifting of his companion. He frowned.
"Go back to sleep." He rumbled quietly, resting an elbow on his knee as he drew it up.
A muffled complaint wafted up at him from across the fire. "I wish I could, but I can't." There was more stirring under the voluminous cloth, before a pair of eyes peeked over the edge. "I could take watch from here. You can get some sleep, then."
The urge to scoff was strong, but he refrained. "That is not needed." He denied firmly, feeling a faint wave of heat roll over his face from yet another breeze, meeting that gaze across the flames. "You must try. It is not as if you hadn't exerted yourself today. Take your rest while you can." He was met with nothing but a sigh and silence, so he took that as acceptance.
War was curious, however— Was this how Death felt, when wrangling his various younger siblings into obedience? Did he do so because of the innate need to see them kept? As youngest of the brood, he hadn't thought of it at all. It had never occurred to him that the weight of responsibility became heavy with those he added to it willingly, and it strained when he was found wanting.
Another disturbance broke him from his musings, and he let out an irritated breath without thinking. "What is it?"
A guilty air followed. "…I just can't fall asleep." Suddenly, she let out a breath the same as he and sat up, hair sticking in all directions and surly expression comical.
If the Red Rider had been irked by the issue, it was less so now. "Is the ground too firm?" He prodded promptly, attempting to find the problem. She shook her head. "Are you too chilled, or too close to the fire?" He continued without pause, and again she shook her head. Once the trivial matters had been counted out, his face clouded over briefly. "Are you hurting somewhere?"
A drowsy, rueful smile was sent his way. "Of course not. It's just… My body is tired, but my mind won't stop going. It does that sometimes." She pulled her fingers through her hair, straightening it. Then she exhaled. "I really should just take watch now. I'm going to be up anyway." A shrug was made.
"No, you aren't." He disagreed bluntly. Then he glanced off to the side. "I have been on edge myself, though. Something tells me this is a night to be wary. So perhaps the both of us remaining aware would be for the best." There it was— That slight inch he'd given her, so she gleefully took her mile by throwing her blanket around her shoulders and waddling to his side of the fire. He watched flatly as she flopped onto the ground beside him, giving a sigh seemingly of relief and squirming under the blanket to get comfortable. Even he could see that her amount of enthusiasm was too much. "What?" He uttered, narrowing his eyes with a suspicious frown.
She laughed, giving the Horseman his confirmation before even speaking. "No, no, nothing." She chortled, voice quietly matching the glow cast on them. "If I told you, that would ruin it. So just trust me when I say it isn't bad." A sidelong smile was sent at him.
He took a second to damn it all to hell, and then replied in blatant doubt, "When one tells me to trust them, it means there is a reason why I shouldn't." There was a period of time where she rubbed the back of her neck in sheepishness and insincere guilt, but other than that, she did not refute him.
"Fine, fine." She sighed in dramatic, reluctant defeat. "You've been more… How should I say it? Open? You've been telling me your thoughts without me asking, recently. You've been seeking my counsel, and it's strange, but that makes me happy. I want to help bear the burden too, you know." Her swathed form gave a jump that may have been a shrug, but he wasn't too sure. The only thing he knew at the moment was that her small head poking out of the top of such a bulky blanket was slightly ridiculous-looking.
Yet, his brows lifted from their heavy droop in appraisal. "Whatever burden there is, is not for you to bear." He spoke stonily, making his thoughts on the matter very clear. "You ride with us, but nothing more. Our responsibilities will not fall to you." His expression darkened again, and he saw her own face become crestfallen.
"…Yeah, I know." She mumbled, looking into the fire glumly. "I'm not saying I'll go eternally pledge myself to an ancient power so I won't spend the rest of my short life being hunted or anything. The upkeep of the Balance is your duty, I know that. But…" Then her smile returned, tentatively peeking at him from over a fold of the grey cloth surrounding her. "I can at least do my honor and duty to the universe by seeing to the upkeep of the Horsemen, can't I?" With a stretch, her arms raised into the air, then delicately folded themselves upon his straightened leg to be used as a makeshift pillow. A single eye looked at him from over them. "Having such a big job should mean having a little support, shouldn't it?"
War said nothing, keeping his prophet-eyed gaze upon the cooling fire, and it was an indeterminate amount of time before he actually noticed the fact. He was about to nudge the flames back to life with the stick again, briefly berating himself for letting them get so low— But then he remembered the weight still rested upon his thigh, oddly comfortable in spite of the metal of his armor being less than plush. …not that the ground had been much better, he admitted.
But place something soft to something hard, and it will adjust, conform to its shape. Being someone far from brutal enough to live their life, she did it against all odds. She slept on the ground, fought in their battles, spilled her blood and shared their victories with them. And now she did the same, but in a more literal sense…
Quelling his thoughts before they could betray him— and her, his honor added defiantly— War frowned at the slowly-ousting flames. Then, he decided that it was too cold, and yet too dark to go without it. Unfolding his other leg from supporting his arm, he gave an outer log a push, freeing embers to consume their oxygen and renew the vigor with which the flames now danced.
Pulling his leg back up, satisfied, he glanced back down at his companion to find her fast asleep, and let out a sighed growl of an irked nature. He may be larger than her in every possible way, but her ability to somehow fall asleep on his person was remarkable in its own right.
…And, perhaps, it wasn't in every single way.
Her talent for sowing the seeds of chaos far exceeded his.
For the first time that night, War cast his eyes above, and looked at the stars for but a moment. Everything he heard earlier was still in occurrence, hadn't stopped nor paused in the wake of his partner. She affected little, left no trace.
There was profound silence, though— Not outside, within their camp, but within him. He is rage, a killing blade, destruction incarnate. But now, there was silence, and there was no flinch when his prosthetic hand gently alighted upon a covered back.
Never before had he found defeat, and yet… Why was it that, right now, it was she that rested upon his laurels?
War did not know.
Author's Note: Holy moley, deep and introspective War is easy to get lost in. e.e
Take that as you will.
