The Long Road Home (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"I'd follow t'the ends of the Earth," he nodded, resigned to the idea. "Jus' t'see you happier than where y'were before."

He lifted her hand and kissed it like a commoner would a queen's own hand, and he rose. "You'd best get some rest. It's a long way."

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah watched as he kissed her hand so gently, carefully. No man had ever treated her like that in her life, she thought as he suggested that she get some sleep. She nodded, turning towards the little encampment as she gathered a wool blanket and her cloak to sleep beneath during the chilly, drizzly evening. Still, even as she lay there on the hard ground, the feel of his lips pressed against her skin haunted her...

 

[KieranSoares]

Ian rose to get a water-proofed canvas from his pack and he quietly erected a makeshift tent over Sarah with all care. He settled by the fire to keep it going, and remained there half-asleep under his cloak. He was still aware of his surroundings, but resting. It was in case of wild animals, and in case Sarah needed him for anything.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah tossed and turned well into the night, the sound of the crackling fire haunting her. She let out a sigh finally close to midnight and sat up, looking at Ian in the shadows.

"It's silly to sit out there in the rain, catching your death. Come in here with me." She insisted, not wanting to see him catch an illness on their journey.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ian looked up slowly, taking a moment to register her words. He was about to argue and tell her he was fine, that there wasn't enough room, that it wasn't proper... but he decided, to hell with it. Ian rose silently and came to crawl under the tarp and he settled beside Sarah. He was incredibly cold, but he was warming quickly.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah offered him her wool blanket, more than content to curl up beneath her cloak for the night as he settled in beside her. She could feel the chill on his clothes and knew that the storm outside was a brutal one. Sure enough, a few moments later, the ping of sleet could be heard against the oiled skin canvas.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Ian heard it, he rose again and went to fetch a second cloak. He used it and his own to cover both open ends of the makeshift tent. It trapped warmth inside and kept the sleet from coming in. Soon the fire faded and they were in pitch blackness, now warm. Ian's soft breathing was apparent as he listened around them alertly. Most things wouldn't be out in this weather, but he wasn't taking chances with Sarah's safety.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah had never had anyone in her life that did just what Ian was doing: protecting her. She lay there for a long moment, listening to his breathing and knowing that he wasn't asleep just yet. She let out a long sigh, settling down into her makeshift bed with a little smile on her face and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 

[KieranSoares]

In the morning, there was a heavy mist in the air, but the rain had ceased. It was ghostly still, like in ancient Scottish legends. Stories spoke of how the mist would give way to the appearance of ancient, secret villages untouched by time, hidden races of people and werecreatures, even mythical beasts.

When Sarah woke, it seemed one legend had come true.

One end of the tent was open, and she could see Ian facing a figure that was shrouded in fog, crouched down. She could see a wolf head, but human arms and hands and legs, but giant wolf paws and a tail in the silhouette. Ian was frozen in shock and fear, the beast being twice his size, even bigger than Durban. But something seemed familiar about it...

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah froze when she looked out of the tent, seeing the huge beast that was looming over Ian. Who would have followed them, she asked herself as she quickly crawled out, holding up her hands in a surrender gesture.

"I am leaving these lands. There's no need to follow us." She said quickly, wondering if she would be taken back to Inverness and put to death.

 

[KieranSoares]

The great beast drew nearer, and finally, they could see why he was crouched down and his ears were laid back. What had appeared to be streams of color in a white coat of fur was actually blood. He whimpered helplessly, and when Sarah saw his face up closer, his name came to mind.

Shia Honno, once a slave to her grandfather in Ireland. Lord Stephen had set him free, but he remained because Sarah had been born, and he became her guardian. He had been her body guard all her life, but he'd lost her after she'd told him to stay in Ireland when she brought Annie to Scotland. From what she'd heard, he'd been searching for her ever since. He was incredibly loyal and brave to a fault, once a warrior in his tribe, then a forced soldier for her grandfather, then her own personal soldier.

He was blind, caused by head trauma from the day a group of hunters jumped him when she was only eight years old, but he could move like a wolf with perfect sight. And now, he was here. He'd found her at last, her one constant friend all her life.

"Sarah...?" He asked, unsure. His sensitive nose knew her scent and he knew her voice, but he just couldn't believe he'd found her.

"Who is this, Sarah?" Ian asked without looking away from the beast that he'd been taught all his life to fear.

"I am Shia Honno, Guardian of the Eldest Daughter of Monaghan..." Shia answered softly, remaining crouched because he simply didn't have the strength to do much more than crawl.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah felt her heart clench painfully at the sight of Shia. She hadn't expected to ever see him again. It was nice to see something connected to the life that she had just left behind, but it was also heart wrenching to know that he had come all this way for her. Then she saw the blood and she was quick to his side, gasping as she touched the injured flesh on his sides.

"Ian, we have to help him." She said in a pained voice, looking at her companion with terror and fear at losing the wolf that had always been there for her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ian quickly laid down a cloak on the ground forgetting his fear to aid someone clearly beloved by the woman he sought to serve. Then he circled Shia quickly, finding most of the damage on his back. "Lay him down, on his stomach." He then ran to the horses to dig through his supplies. He knew he had bandages and a set of pliers. He would need the pliers to pull out the broken arrow shafts he'd seen in the wolf's fur.

With Sarah's guidance to find the cloak, Shia half-crawled to it and laid down, finally letting himself focus on survival rather than finding Sarah. "There is a flower, I can smell it... it will help. Last I remember, it was blue, with a red and orange center..." He was right, said flowers were just on the edge of the forest in the fog.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll find them, Shia. You just relax and I'll take care of you." Sarah murmured to the wolf that had protected her since the day she was born. In a tender moment, she leaned down and kiss his broad head, her fingers smoothing through his fur in a comforting manner.

 

[KieranSoares]

Shia had long since forgotten what it felt like for Sarah to run her fingers through his fur, but it was no less comforting. Slowly but surely, he relaxed and didn't make a sound as Ian came to begin extracting the arrow shafts.

It was painful and bloody, but Shia was silent, only tensing up now and then. He'd undergone far worse pain in his time, just not so much blood.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah kept to her feet as Ian started his work. She started her journey through the foggy highland forest, searching for the flower that Shia swore he could smell. She was frenetic with the thought that she might not be able to find it and that her dear wolf would slip away from her. In a clearing, what some would call a fairy ring, she found what she was looking for and let out a sigh of relief. Sinking to her knees in the mud, she yanked up handfuls of the odd colored flowers.

 

[KieranSoares]

A dark snarl sounded the moment she ripped the first handful of flowers from the soil, and from the mist, a proud centaur armed with an iron longsword appeared. His horse coat was dark chocolate and his skin was a weatherworn light brown, and about his neck he carried a silver leaf pendant that caught her eye.

"Away, human!" He growled, sliding to a halt before her. "You trespass in a holy place!"

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah gasp as the creature suddenly ran into the clearing, telling her to leave the sacred place. She stared up at him for a long moment before she went about her duty, not about to be run off from such an important task.

"My friend is injured and needs these flowers to heal." She said simply.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I care not for humans and their friends, now leave!" The centaur charged at her, narrowly avoiding her as a warning. His thundering hooves sounded so loud, and she felt his fur brush her arm ever so lightly. He circled back around and stamped the ground, glaring at her. "I will trample you next time, human!"

But lucky for her, there were plenty of flowers and she'd pulled up enough.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah gathered her blooms and stood, hurrying to the outskirts of the circle. She stared at the centaur as he told her that next time he would trample her. How many people wish that they could do that, she asked herself as she blew out a quick breath.

"I'll never darken your doorstep again." She said simply as she turned to hurry back towards camp.

 

[KieranSoares]

The centaur followed her a short way until she was clear of what he'd called sacred ground. He growled to himself before disappearing into the woods.

When she returned, Ian had finally managed to clean Shia up and stop most of the bleeding, and he ground the flowers he brought into a paste in his hands. They were so delicate that they were pulverized easily. Spreading the paste evenly across the wounds, he then wrapped the bandages around the werewolf's ribs and down his middle to cover all the wounds after sitting him up, and then a few more around his arms where he had bad cuts.

Finally, Ian settled, sitting against a tree. "He should be alright now," he sighed. Shia let himself relax, giving them both a smile.

"I'm very grateful to you both... Thank you."

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah sat at Shia's side, settling against him almost like he were a favorite pet. She had known him since the day that she was born and he had protected her against everything...except herself. He hadn't been there when she had tried to ruin herself to stop the ache in her heart, but he had been there to hold her afterwards when the tears never seemed to stop.

"Did you run into some hunters?" She asked him softly, her fingers playing through his soft fur idly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Hunters first... they weren't too much trouble. It was the Erygonians, they've been overstepping their bounds with the Lunars lately."

"Who are these 'Erygonians'? I've never heard of them," Ian questioned.

"Well... you may know that the Lunars are the most common people, I come from their tribes. There are other nations, but the other most common are the Erygonians. There are two types; the Kalma and the Teo. The Kalma tribes are kind monks and gentle people who spend their time defending the land. The Teo tribes are cannibals and believe in the sanctity of the land, but hold their hunting and war in higher regard. I've seen them level a forest they once protected, just to wipe out a few small Lunar tribes. They hate all but their own kind, Lunars and Kalma most."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We are going to the South of France, so I don't think that you'll have to worry about them at all." Sarah said simply as if that would help the brewing trouble that was happening around them. "I want to start a vineyard."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You're leaving the isles...?" Shia looked to her with deep concern. He knew why, but it was hard to think she'd never return to Ireland. "But you love Ireland... you always have. You might not be able to return to Monaghan, but what about Derry, or Cork?"