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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 14, 2015 1:02:02 GMT -8
Managing to hold on tight, the monkey leaned back and said, "Highness? Highness of what? This ruined rock we're living on?"
"Excuse me," Evariste said quietly, "but what is your name, my lady?"
"Please," the monkey snorted. "I'm not your lady. My name is Tonina. So, what? You're that weirdo prince?"
Weirdo? Deciding not to answer, Evariste asked, "Lady Tonina, would you know somewhere we could go? Away from towns? A safe place?"
"Oh, yes!" Tonina pointed so Garron could see the direction. "Go that way! Mmhmm! At least, I hope it is safe." Tonina began to address her fur, and wounds.
Holding in a sigh, Evariste gave Garron an apologetic look, and then gave him another look, asking on what he thought. Evariste tried to conjure up a map in his head, to figure out where they were, and what might be safe, but his paws were sore, and so whete his legs. He wanted to lay down and sleep for a few days. Taking in a breath, Evariste forced himself to stand and to keep his head held high.
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Post by Dina Doo on Jun 14, 2015 11:27:46 GMT -8
"We should head away from towns and travel as far as we can before nightfall," Garron announced, glancing over at Evariste, perhaps answering his questions out loud. "After that, I'm not so sure, but staying away from populated areas seems like the best right now until we can figure out what has happened, if that's possible." Agitation burned through him as that pest continued to ride him like a mount, but he wouldn't fight it. Not now. Garron turned and began padding along what remained of the road. Likely, the road would lead to another small town, he thought to himself. If they made their way off the road when they exited town, where would they be? But perhaps that was the safest.
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 14, 2015 14:51:59 GMT -8
Tonina began making cooing sounds, her eyes falling onto wounds that she hadn't even began to feel yet because of the fear and adrenaline. Deciding there was nothing to be done, Tonina made herself comfortable on top of Garron and said, "Who else is alive?" She glanced over at Evariste. "The queen?"
Shaking his head, Evariste said quietly, "I have no idea. You are the first..." His breath came to an end.
Taking in a breath, Tonina said, "Sir Bear, do you know where you are going?"
"His name is Garron," Evariste suggested, quietly.
"Can I call you Garry~?"
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Post by Dina Doo on Jun 14, 2015 17:39:19 GMT -8
"No, you may not," Garron growled lightly as he continued on his path forward. "You may call me Garron and nothing more. You may come with us but if you must, then you must listen to what I tell you and keep quiet, lest you attract unwanted attention. If you must come with us, then you will stop asking questions. No. I don't know where we are going. All I know is that we have to get away from towns and off the road. Unless you have a better idea than by all means, please do share." Poor Garron, his responsibility was to the prince, not to every stranger they were to pick up. He had no idea who Tonina was, or where she had come from. And not knowing was the worst.
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 14, 2015 19:47:22 GMT -8
"Wow, okay, so, I'll call you 'Bossy'," laughing, Tonina reached up to pat Garron's head again. "Hey, calm down, would you?" Her eyes flickered over to Evariste. "So, your highass, does Garron usually act as if there's a horse's penis stuck up his ass?"
Evariste looked up at Tonina, his eyes widened slightly. "I am sure that Garron is stressed at the moment, my--er, lady." Pausing, Evariste looked up at. "You're very lucky, Lady Tonina."
"Thank you, your highness," Tonina said softly, her small face saddening for a moment. "I suppose it's too much to think my family was as lucky as me, huh?"
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Post by Dina Doo on Jun 15, 2015 11:30:13 GMT -8
"I'd consider them the lucky ones," Garron muttered under his breath, very much so regretting to help rescue Tonina. She was nothing but a foul-mouthed creature with little respect for either of her rescuers. Highass? That was no way to address the prince! "We don't have time to search for them, either." Perhaps, if Cloudy wants, they had reached the edge of the town and stood on the road that led them to an unknown fate.
[optional part for Cloudy]
And just before Garron could take that step, he paused. From behind them, he could hear the sound of metal clanking, the sound of armor as someone ran, a familiar sound to him. "Someone's coming," he growled lowly, quietly, perhaps stepping in front of the prince in an attempt to shield him from whatever approached.
"Your highness!" Came the call, and while Garron did not recognize it, it sounded feminine and panicked. From across the town and hurdling over rubble, came another tiger, a white one adorned in armor that shone brighter than Garron's and carried with it a much different crest.
The tigress came to a skidded halt in front of Garron and began to pant heavily. It was apparent she had been running for quite some time. "Y-your highness," she breathed out between pants, having already caught sight of Evariste. "I-I'm relieved to see you safe."
"Who are you?" Garron pressed, as wary as ever. "Speak."
The newcomer flinched, her ears lowering. "My name is Aria," she announced. "I am-was an elite guard from the castle, tasked with the protection of the royal family.." Her ears heated and her gaze lowered as she lacked the confidence and courage to retain eye contact. Oh, the bear was so intimidating.. and so was the prince and the stranger with them. Everyone was intimidating.
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 15, 2015 23:59:26 GMT -8
Evariste was about to tell Garron that the least of their problems was other animals, but his voice got caught. Maybe the numbness had been tactical on his part, without really knowing why he had done it. But now the walls his mind had built up came crashing down, and he felt his mouth dry. "Her highness, Princess Reian, was on her way-" Gods, she was going to visit him.
Letting out a breath, Evariste looked down at the ground. His claws tried digging into the ground, as if to remind him that he wasn't floating. He was standing. Grounded. Alive. His cousin, his friend...
Her sweet laughter, boundless energy... she...
"Well," Evariste said, his voice full of defeat and felt raw. "Garron, I suppose having an elite guard with us might be more beneficial than not. I think... perhaps we should stop worrying about who is dangerous, and start worrying about who is left." Swallowing, Evariste couldn't look at Aria. She failed. She was supposed to keep the princess alive, and she failed.
It might be selfish to think, but if an elita guard failed to keep the princess safe, then there's only a matter of time before Garron failed.
Tonina paused and glanced over at Aria. Quietly, Tonina said, "What happened? To the princess? And everyone else with you?"
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Post by Dina Doo on Jun 16, 2015 8:52:10 GMT -8
Evariste wasn't the only one thinking, knowingshe had failed. It weighed heavily over her own head, that she had failed even the simplest task, that it was her fault another member of the royal family had been lost. Her fault. My fault. "We... we had been on our way to his highness' home- I mean, there were several other guards. And suddenly there was so much chaos and I was separated from the other guards and her highness. I.. I tried searching for her highness as best as I could but I couldn't pick up her scent." Her ears were so hot, she couldn't help but wonder dully if they were on fire. "We were close enough to his highness' home, so I decided to search for survivors. I-I couldn't find you there so I.. followed the road, figuring you had run to the next town."
She had failed her own duties.
The other guards and the princess were likely all dead.
Slaughtered and devoured like all of the other corpses around them.
Her parents, her brother-
Aria continued to breathe heavily out of exhaustion and the anxious panic that had began to settle.
"Your highness," Garron finally spoke, glancing over at Evariste. "We should go. She can follow if she wants."
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 16, 2015 9:46:57 GMT -8
"Very well," Evariste said, and it was the last of what he said as he continued down the path Garron had headed towards. He stared at the ground before them, trying to block at the thoughts again, to pull on the numbness. He couldn't help but want to be back on his bed, young again so he could unabashedly ask Garron to curl up with him for the night. Nights that his father got drunk, among others.
This heavy mood wasn't sitting well with Tonina, but she had a feeling that if she tried lightening it, one of the three carnivores would love to bite her head off. Instead, she let out a soft coo, hoping it would comfort them just a bit, and she settled back down.
But the silence didn't last long.
"I forgot the prince's name. Wasn't it something girly and weird? Evan? Evana? Evelyn?" Tonina hummed in thought. "I couldn't imagine dedicating my life to people who deem themselves important because of some bloodline." Deciding that Garron wouldn't answer any of her questions, Tonina looked at Aria. "Aria, why did you join the guards?"
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Post by Dina Doo on Jun 16, 2015 16:25:02 GMT -8
"His highness' name is Evariste," the bear muttered back at Tonina, though his gaze fell forward once more after he followed after the prince. His calculating and critical gaze honed in on Evariste for a moment, wondering what the prince was thinking, what he was feeling. But as they headed towards the edge of town, perhaps he made sure they headed off the road, which seemed like the safest option at the moment.
Aria followed them at a distance, unsure and feeling small. She had decided it would be best to watch the ground, but she glanced up when Tonina addressed her. "My parents thought it would help make me more confident and strong." And not afraid. "I.. almost backed out until my brother decided he would come to the castle with me." Her ears flickered nervously. "I'm-I'm sorry. I don't think I caught your name."
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