Ok, I'm sick of saying sorry. Can we just say that its a given if its been too long between updates? I mean, I seriously feel guilty when I leave you guys hanging. BUT this time has a legitimate excuse: I got sick.
And in other news, I hear it was Courage of Awesome's birthday a few days ago soooooo...
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Courage of Awesome *whew*
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Honey & Wool
The horses only came to a stop when Jack was sure that the shadows could not reach them. He pulled Cerus to a stuttering halt, hands tangling in the stallion's jet-black mane. The stallion's muscles tensed beneath him as he dug his agile hooves into the moist, mossy ground to slow from the reckless gallop. Not prepared for the sudden stop, Epona let loose a soft, disgruntled whinny as she fought to stop herself.
Her shoulder butted into the smaller stallion's rump, and she threw back her head, mane flipping side-to-side as she scolded the horse before her in the tongue they shared, ears turning and lowering to lay flat against the back of her neck.
Waiting impatiently, Jack finally slid from Cerus' back when the two horses had worked out their differences through a series of whinnies, nips and glares. After making sure the mare would allow him to approach, he walked carefully over to her side, and helped both McKenna and Malon dismount, constantly stealing glances in the direction in which they had come, his green eyes narrow, suspicion conveyed quite strongly in the way his eyebrows were arched, low and furrowed.
He wordlessly took up the guard position, staring vigilantly into the dark, foreboding forest that surrounded them. He watched as the horses slowly meandered toward a patch of grass, lowering their heads and cropping at the lush blades of foliage, each occasionally swatting playfully at the other with their tails, and as Malon took up a place not far from them, leaning up against the trunk of a tree and hugging her knees.
He wondered what had happened to her. Her cheeks were tearstained, a few leftover droplets clinging to the corners of her dull blue eyes. Her complexion, once a healthy, milky cream color, had now turned pale, sickly and white as a sheet, as if she had seen a ghost. If he thought about it, he had never really seen her seen her like that. There had been times when she was depressed before, of course. But never so deeply.
It troubled him.
"Jack?" McKenna's voice whispered softly as he sank down to sit upon a fallen log. He looked up, and saw that she was still standing where she had dismounted Epona. Her hands were clasped in front of her, pressed softly against the silky fabric of her skirt. A glimmer of worry rested deep in the pools of her brown eyes.
"Yeah?"
She stepped closer, looking intently at his right shoulder.
"You're injured."
"What?" His head subtly jerked toward her, away from the section of forest he had been staring into, and as discreetly as he could, covered his shoulder with his left hand.
"You heard me."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine."
"Fine my ass."
"Well, yes, it is fine, but is this really the place to talk about that?"
Before he could stop her, she had lunged toward him with a frustrated growl, grabbing the collar of his simple white shirt, yanking the buttons loose and exposing his chest and shoulders as she pulled the shirt from his body. Against the pale moonlight, and his gently tanned skin, a long, jagged gash ripped from collarbone to bicep. It was relatively narrow, but despite this, blood still dribbled freely, staining his chest red.
He winced as McKenna gave a small squeak of shock, and he watched as she clapped both hands over her mouth, eyes widening dramatically. After she was allowed the time to take in the situation, her expression changed, formerly fear, it turned to frustration and anger.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" She barked, leaning closer and looking at the wound. He winced again as she brushed her fingers against the skin near to the gash, tender muscles shuddering beneath her touch.
He looked at her as she sunk to her knees, opening the embroidered leather satchel she had brought with her and digging through its contents in search of something. She pulled out several smaller pouches and jars. Neither spoke as she systematically opened each pouch, and leaned each against the base of the fallen log he was seated on, making sure they stayed open so that she could easily reach the contents.
The first thing she did was take a piece of clean linen, wiping it across his chest and mopping up the thick red liquid. He winced as her touch came closer wound, and hissed through his clenched teeth as she cleaned even the interior of the gash, dabbing at the jagged edges.
"Where did you get this?" She asked softly, pulling the linen away, and after placing it beside her knees, reached toward one of the jars. The only sounds were the horses as they cropped at the grass nearby, making soft munching noises, and the sound of the jar lid being unscrewed, scratching softly as metal rubbed against metal.
The soft, sweet-smelling fragrance of honey wafted from the jar as the lid was removed completely. Inside the small bottle, a thick, semi-transparent golden liquid slowly dribbled toward the glass lip as she gently tipped the jar, holding her other palm underneath where it would drain.
The liquid poured thickly, slow and sticky, and pooled in the cup of McKenna's palm in a soft glob, dull moonlight making it glisten. When she seemed satisfied, she pulled the jar back, cutting off the thick flow and placing the jar aside.
"Answer." She said in a soft hum, leaning up and pressing the thick honey to his wound. He winced again, but after a moment, allowed one of his eyes to crack open, and he looked at her as she tenderly rubbed the cooling substance into his gash.
He remained silent as she finished with the honey, wiping her hands on the bloody linen rag and this time opening one of the small leather pouches. From inside, she pulled a large swatch of grayish-white fluff. She stretched it to size in her hands, her lips overturned in a gentle frown as she refused to meet his eyes. She held it there for a moment, slender fingers pressing it over the gash, looking at his shoulder.
"What is that?" He asked, breaking the silence. She glanced toward his eyes.
"Wool that I soaked in some blue spruce needle and willow bark water a while back."
"Hold that over it," she whispered, waiting until his own hand held it in place before finally taking out a thick bundle of unused bandaging. She rose to her feet, bandages in hand, and took his wrist in her hand, pulling him to stretch out his arm so that she could wrap his wound more securely. "Who did this to you?"
He grunted as she pulled the bandaging tight, and then tied it closed.
"One of those damned shadows did it when they kidnapped Mal.
McKenna looked at him for a moment, and was about to turn away when he stopped her with a hand gently clasping around her wrist. He pulled her down, and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.
"Thank you." He murmured against her lips. After a moment passed, and she stayed still, as if frozen, he pulled away, a look of confusion and concern playing across his face. She backed away, turning her head to one side. Even in the dull moonlight, he could see a faint, rosy pink blush adorn her cheeks. She fidgeted nervously for a moment, and then suddenly turned completely, heading toward the far side of the clearing they had come to.
"I-I'm going to get a drink from the river," she said in a shuttering voice, practically running toward where the river could be heard beyond the veiling of thick, exotic foliage. "I'll be right back."
He started to stand, groaning as he exercised the wounded shoulder, but she shot him a warning glance just as she was about to pass through the underbrush.
"I'll be fine."
"But-!"
"Someone has to watch Malon. I'll be right back, promise."
And with that, she was gone, disappearing beyond the thick green.
What was that all about? He wondered. She hadn't reacted to a kiss like that in years. Of course the first few times had been awkward, but that had quickly faded. Now she was acting as if she barely knew him, or wished she didn't. Had he done something wrong? Had the wound bothered her that much? Or was there something else wrong? Something she hadn't told him about…
The river turned out to be only a few minutes walk from where they had stopped. The water bubbled and sloshed in its slow travel, steady motion smoothing the stones that made up its bed. The ground along either side of the river's bed was soft, and mossy, and her gentle steps made impressions as she walked, approaching the water.
McKenna knelt at the waters' edge, simply sitting there for a moment. She closed her eyes, breath soft and shadow. Her shoulders suddenly trembled as her breath hitched, and the thick, painful lump in her throat overtook her, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Quietly, she sobbed to herself, holding her head in her hands.
Life just wasn't fair! She thought bitterly to herself, letting her sadness consume her. She had led a somewhat privileged life. Her adoptive father had made sure she was well taken care of, and that she had things that she wanted. Some might even go so far as to say that she was spoiled, although her friends assured her that she didn't act it. But the one thing she wanted more than anything, the one thing she had truly looked forward to, she couldn't have.
What did she do to deserve this? What did I do? Did I do something to anger you, O Mighty Goddesses? Please, it's the only thing I want! If you are benevolent in any way shape or form, I beg you! I promise I'll be good forevermore! She screamed in her mind, tipping her head back and crying to the full moon that loomed hauntingly overhead, to the uncaring stars.
Something moved not more than ten feet away, and she stiffened, tears stopping altogether. She wiped her tears away, sniffling, and willed her eyes to come into focus, tears blurring her vision as she looked for what had moved, fearing that Jack had come to find her, and had witnessed her breakdown.
But it was not Jack. Nor was it Malon, or anyone she had ever seen before.
A woman was standing across the river from her. Her hair was as black as a moonless night, and cascaded down past her shoulder blades in tight, beautiful ringlets. A dark mauve dress clung low to her shoulders, leaving a large expanse of flesh exposed across her chest. The tight sheath of the dress's skirt had a long, narrow slit up one side, allowing the woman more flexibility in the otherwise confining outfit.
A few minutes of staring unsurely at the woman and McKenna noticed two details she did not like.
A jeweled rapier was attached to the black leather belt that was fastened around the woman's narrow waist, thin, double-sided blade glinting as the moon's rippling reflection on the water hit it, making the silver metal shine. Her eyes, curved and almond shaped, were a crimson the shade of blood, glistening like two unpolished rubies freshly unearthed from the side of a mountain.
Although McKenna had never personally seen a shadow before, Link, Malon and Jack had all regaled her with the frightening details of their mirror opposites. Although there were shadows that were kind, Link's shadow Dark and Malon's shadow Nola were perfect examples of this, meeting an unknown shadow was definitely cause for alarm. On a whole, they were a fiercer race, most of them being raised from young ages to cultivate deadly skills and almost inhuman attributes.
They were dangerous, and not to be trusted.
"W-who are you?" She managed to choke out, standing up straight. The shadow woman merely let her head tilt to one side in what would normally be seen as a sympathetic gesture.
She backed a few feet away, glancing once over her shoulder to search for the easiest route of escape. She could scream for Jack, but then the shadow might attack, and what's more, if this was a fluke, and she called Jack for nothing, he would see that she had cried.
Pride prevented her from crying out, but reaching one hand back to touch the trunk of the nearest tree, she braced herself for anything.
"It's still alive." The shadow woman finally said. Her voice was as smooth as freshly melted butter, and as melodious as the gentle cooing of a dove.
"What?"
"I said it's still alive."
"Still alive? What?"
The shadow woman chuckled softly, and with a sudden, graceful leap, she cleared the river in a single bound with an inhuman amount of agility. McKenna shivered as the woman sauntered in her direction.
"Who are you?" McKenna demanded, a little more boldly this time.
"My name's Lorelei."
"What do you want? Why can't you just leave me alone?"
The shadow placed a cold hand on the smaller girl's shoulder, and leered down at her with a sickening grin.
"You're my ticket in…"
Not as action-y as normal. I had to plant some seeds, ok? I had to show that there are some internal things going on in what I call MJM...(Malon, Jack, McKenna)
And I also decided that Jack and McKenna need some love character wise too. I've been focusing on Malon recently, so they deserve some attention too. Plus there're some major twisty thingies comin' up soon!