Horus cursed as he yet again managed to scare off the herd. Lion had made it sound so easy!
His feet made practically no noise, even to his dramatically improved ears. He could most certainly hear better than them, given he could detect their heartbeats.
It wasn't like they could outrun him, but for whatever reason they always knew he was there.
He grunted in frustration and he kneeled down to inspect some tracks. They were closer to each other, which meant that the creatures were running less quickly.
Perhaps he was wearing them down.
After his last failure to catch them with his hands, he had gotten rather frustrated and punched a tree down. Thanks to some quick warp-craft and a newfound appreciation for the advantage granted by a weapon, he had ripped off one of the branches and straightened it out.
He now held a master-crafted wooden spear, sharp enough to pierce the heavens. In this case, the heavens were actually the hides of some escapist ruminants.
The sun had set roughly an hour ago, and he had sensed Felicia's return from town.
It was a gift he had forced himself to be grateful for. Despite the infinite cruelty caused by him as a servant of Chaos, he had retained a rather good portion of the power that'd come with it.
It allowed him to keep an eye on the safety of a large portion of his surroundings.
Mostly Felicia.
He refocused on his problem at hand, as he could sense that Felicia was extremely focused on…something good. Beyond that he didn't want to violate her privacy.
The creatures had avoided him for too long. Now, he would have his vengeance. He had been embarrassed one too many times, so they would feel his wrath.
'Oh, how easy it is to provoke you.' His treacherous mind whispered. 'Little wonder you turned on the greatest chance mankind ever had. Chaos didn't even need to do much convincing.'
He tuned it out as best he could, returning his mind to the hunt. He was close, now. He could see the outlines of his targets in the distance, behind the shrubbery. His mind wrapped around himself to keep his presence disguised. Sight, smell, taste, they would not sense him.
They were not psykers, after all.
The air was still. Cool, stagnant moisture settled against his bodyglove. The moon disappeared behind a cloud as he primed his throw. The stick-javelin was sharp, perfectly weighted and designed to kill with a single, perfect strike.
This time, they did not sense him. He had cheated in a way no hunter could, but in the wild there were no rules.
'That is how someone like you would justify such blatant misuse of your powers.'
He ignored himself, his eyes zeroing in on where he could hear its heartbeat. He would return with meat for Bacon, and the dog would hopefully learn to trust him.
The bark-and-wood missile sailed through the air at impossible speed, little more than a brown blur. The creature never knew what hit it, dying instantly as the weapon passed clean through its body and chest, bone and organs shattering explosively under the primarch's misjudged strength.
The other animals fled in terror as one of their number practically disappeared in a puff of red mist. Gore, bone, and nerves flew into the air and covered nearby greenery in viscera. The demolished body collapsed instantly.
Horus sighed as he approached his colossal overkill. He collected what little was left of the poor beast, tearing away the legs and snapping off the horns. He whispered a small apology and lit the beast aflame with warp fire.
'Typical of you. Unable to honor your enemies, even in their death.'
He supposed that one was true. He was…not an honorable man. That right fell to his brothers, the ones who had stayed. The ones who had seen to their father's dream, right up to the end.
He collected his 'winnings' and trekked back towards the house. At the very least, he could give its death purpose by feeding Bacon. Or Felicia.
Speaking of whom…perhaps he owed her some truth. And a few more questions answered besides. She had put up with his unexplained presence for far too many days.
Felicia hummed a happy tune. It was one she'd learned from her mama back when she'd still lived in the city with them. Where she'd grown up, little diddies like it were few and far between, so she treasured it.
Papa liked it too, anyways.
She chopped some vegetables she'd picked upon returning to the house, her well-kept knives easily passing through them with delightful crunches. Carrots, celery, and an onion were all chopped up and placed into a pot.
It sat over the stove, a small amount of broth bubbling inside it as she prepared a soup. This one, however, was a recipe of her own invention.
A little vinegar had been added to a small chicken stock base, giving her meal a good tang. It wouldn't do to make sub-par food for her spaceling guest, after all!
As she chopped, she noted that she was in an unusually good mood, even by standards of a day trip to the town. While those always cheered her up, what really had her happy was what she'd seen laying against the side of her house when she'd gotten home.
Horus's armor was stacked in a neat pile, glimmering under the last traces of sunlight. She'd admired it with much closer inspection than she usually did, as there was no Horus inside it to embarrass her.
She had to admit, it did look comfortable to wear. The padding inside the several inches of armor plating was remarkably soft. She grabbed a wooden spoon and began to stir the food, not wanting anything to settle and burn on the bottom of the pan.
But that wasn't what had her so happy. It was that she'd been right. Even the most comfortable clothes in the world had to be taken off eventually. They got stuffy and annoying if you wore them too much.
She just hoped that Horus wasn't naked under it all.
Bacon nudged his snout against her waist, looking up at her with big doe eyes. She reached down and scratched behind his ears vigorously. He closed his eyes at the action, and she kissed the top of his head.
"You're such a good boy." She said, standing back up. "How about you go to your pillow, and momma will give you a bowl?" Bacon looked at her with those same eyes, and she sighed. Her wooden spoon pointed at his pillow. "Pillow, Bacon." His head sagged and tail between his legs, Bacon trudged back to his pillow to wait.
Goodness, he was so spoiled.
She returned to adding ingredients and stirring occasionally, a few spices and herbs finding their way into her soup. As she did, she began pondering what kind of things she would try to learn first. Perhaps some simple clothes, like a pair of pants and a shirt?
Making a jacket was out of the question for now, but she hoped desperately she'd be able to make him something before winter came.
As she added a tiny bit more salt to the soup, she heard a set of feet approaching the house. Loud and heavy, she grinned as she approached the back door. What had Horus been up to? He was clearly coming from the nearby forest, and she didn't think he'd be someone to go without reason.
She opened the door to find him carrying a pair of deer shanks in one hand. The other held a rod of wood that looked like it belonged in a palisade. She then, somehow not noticing immediately, remembered that he was indeed not wearing his armor.
'Woah.'
When he'd said he wasn't small under the armor, she hadn't really been expecting…this. He probably felt like he didn't even fit!
Practically the size of his armor, he wore a skintight black bodysuit. What looked like black leather covered his entire body, exposing only his hands and face. But it also…
"Damn."
Horus raised an eyebrow. Her face exploded into a blush.
"I'm sorry!" she immediately replied. "Nice to see you back!" Hiding her face by turning around and pulling her hair down, she nearly slapped herself.
'Nice going, you moron! What if he thinks you're weird now?!'
"It is…good to be back." Horus replied in a smooth, almost relaxed tone. She looked out from behind her hair to see him holding out the venison shanks. "I brought Bacon some food. It took me longer than anticipated to acquire. The creatures were surprisingly adept at running." She took a moment to compose herself before reaching out and grabbing them. They'd have to go in a freezer, as he'd already skinned them.
Well, they'd have to go in a freezer anyways.
"Right." She flipped her hair out of the way, still trying to fight a furious blush down. "Well, you know where the freezer is. I'll prepare a bowl of my soup for you. You must be hungry after a hunt." There was no way he wasn't. Or, well, maybe it was his biological hacks again. She just hoped he was hungry.
Horus bowed his head, and turned away to store the shanks.
"Hooooooly crap." She muttered to herself as she turned back into her house. "Get it together girl." Bacon looked at her desperately, and she sighed before giving him the promised bowl of soup. As he ate with gusto, she rubbed his back. "Looks like momma might have bitten off more than she could chew, buddy."
Bacon ignored her, of course, and she returned to getting Horus a bowl of food. She met him outside, two bowls in hand as she kicked open the door.
She was met with the sight of Horus slipping his armor back on, his massive chestplate, oversized shoulders and all, slipping into place over his head.
"Oh, putting it back on already?" She asked. There was a droop to her voice she hadn't intended, and Horus clearly picked up on it. He froze as the armor came to rest on his shoulders.
"I…my lack of armor seemed to have disturbed you earlier. I had thought to replace it to put you more at ease." Yeah. Disturbed. Definitely the right word.
"Nah," she waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Even if it's comfortable, that has to get stuffy." Horus paused, thinking for a moment, then took the heavy armor back off. Even as he lowered it delicately to the ground, it thudded against the dirt with enough weight to shake her.
"Thank you." Her giant friend said delicately, before looking at the bowl in her hand. "Did…you bring me food?"
Oh! Right! She held the bowl up for him, which he took.
"I…I do not need this, though. The stew from a few days ago will suffice me for as long as I so wish." Felicia rolled her eyes dramatically and sat down, beckoning him down as well.
"Yeah, well, food is one of the best parts of life. And I don't need you missing out on it for however long you plan to stay." Hopefully forever, she kept to herself.
Chuckling, Horus brought the bowl up and took a drink from it. The entire portion disappeared in a single gulp, and Horus sighed in satisfaction. A small smile crossed his features.
"Delightful as before." He placed the bowl on the ground, crossing his legs as he sat. "Now, I think it is time I answered some questions you most likely have." Felicia paused with her spoon right outside her mouth. Where had this come from?
"You know I don't care that much, right?" She took her spoonful of food and savored the cooked vegetables. "Tell me when you want. I can stay curious."
"Better now than never."
"It's better late than never." She corrected. Horus raised an eyebrow, but chuckled.
"You are a strange mortal, Felicia. Thank you." She didn't really know what to say to that one. She decided a question would be better instead of snark.
"So, who was that 'Ferrus' guy you were talking about a couple days ago? Or Vulkan?"
His gaze suddenly got really far away, a million light years and an eon away. He drew a deep sigh, almost deflating as he seemed to ponder the answer.
"They…were my brothers." Felicia noted a heavy emphasis on were. Damn. Something managed to kill things like Horus? How did you even do that? Even out of his armor he was the size of an elephant.
"I'm sorry." She replied, placing a hand on his. The sheer difference between them did not escape her notice. Horus shook his head.
"Do not be. I deserve my misery. I am responsible for their deaths." Right. He was a general. She remembered something from papa about the effects of losing men would have on a commander.
Grandpa had told many stories, after all. Misery radiated off of Horus in great waves, so strong she wouldn't be surprised if the grass wilted around him.
"Tell me about them?" She asked in a small, gentle voice. Almost a whisper, but she knew he could hear her. Horus's smile was painful and cracked.
"Ferrus was…severe. Raised on a death world where none but the most brutal would survive. He was, of course, influenced by this to be a man who believed in nothing but strength. But despite this, he was a man who could hold the greatest passion for things."
Felicia knew the type, and knew it well. Grandpa had put her through her paces back when he'd still been around. Looking back, it probably helped shape her to be so independent these days.
"He was a craftsman. From the time he could walk to his final days, he had a love for creating machines that would terrify and inspire even the wisest of men in this time."
Felicia watched in awe as his smile grew, recalling his lost brother in his prime.
"Vulkan was no different in that regard. Both of them were artificers of no equal. Crafters of wonders which could level mountains. Vulkan, however, was a touch different." Horus picked a blade of grass, examining it.
"Where Ferrus was only slightly taller than myself, Vulkan was a colossus. Almost a meter taller than myself-"
"Wait, you guys still use meters in the future?!" Felicia interrupted. The second the words left her mouth, she clapped a hand over it. How did she manage to embarrass herself so easily?!
Horus, however, only looked amused.
"So it would seem. It pleases me to know at least one relic of Terra's golden days survived. And such an effective one, at that." Horus shook his head. "Anyways, Vulkan was the physically greatest of us all. Mighty, tall, and yet unimaginably kind."
"Where Ferrus was curt, pragmatic, and painfully utilitarian, Vulkan was eloquent, gregarious, and an appreciator of artful crafts." Horus hummed, his smile widening further.
"There were scant few who could resist a primarch's charm, fewer still who could resist Vulkan's." Felicia found it hard to believe that Horus, depressionista extraordinaire, could be found charming. "This charm extended from his personality into whatever he made. While he would craft weapons of peerless nature, he could just as well create machines to tend the masses. He was, almost entirely, the kindest of us."
His smile was radiant now, if somewhat faraway. Like he was remembering what could have been instead of what was. It made sense in a way. Survivor's guilt had hit Grandpa hard, she imagined it would only feel worse for him.
Her hand tightened on top of his to reassure him, and he met her gaze.
Ba-dump!
'Woah.'
"Thank you, Felicia." His voice rumbled in the cool night air. His red eyes shimmered with joy and mirth. "It is…nice to recall my brothers in their prime."
"I'm sorry they're gone. I would've loved to meet them. After all, they're your brothers." A small tilt of her head had her using what she considered the dirtiest move in her arsenal. A few blinks to complete the image of innocence, and she asked her question. "If you're comfortable, would you tell me about the others?" Horus chuckled.
"Hm. They are not all as pleasant a story as Vulkan and Ferrus. Ferrus's childhood was also rather abridged there." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"They're your brothers, aren't they? I want to hear more anyways."
"Very well then." Horus sat up straighter, his gaze softer than silk. She felt her heart skip a beat again as he withdrew his hand from hers, picking up another blade of grass. "Let me first knit you the tale of Sanguinius. It is a tale worth remembering."
Hey Everyone! Sorry for such a long time since the last update! I've got more chapters coming now, and hopefully they should come quick! Hope you all enjoyed this one! Can't really be super transparent on what happened, mostly because even I don't know why I stopped posting. Anyways, here's chapter 8! Hope you all enjoyed, and please leave a review!
-LennyCommie