G A R E T H
Pangaea had been asking him questions while he had been speaking with Noor, and while the information had been filtered in through his audits, it hadn’t registered until they started on the trail. Gareth didn’t want to worry her with tales about these mountains, how the Arma could so easily take lives and keep them for herself, as if lost souls sustained her through the harsh winters so that she could thrive come spring.
The stallion pushed another handful of sharp rocks out of the way as she brushed off the gesture. “No,” he said, casting his gaze back over his shoulder to look at her. “I’m not worried about that at all.” His tone was genuine, though she still might not believe him.
That had been the nature of their relationship so far- confusion and suspicion. He couldn’t exactly blame her, either. They certainly didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, and any other sane person would have either killed her or left her for dead. But Gareth had been raised differently, and he knew the kind of isolation that bred such distrust in others. It was difficult to take someone at face value once those instincts had been formed, especially if they were at odds with everything that you had come to expect from those around you. Even in this strange land, the rules still applied and the stallion had this habit of dancing around just outside of them, much to the discomfort of those who lived by strict guidelines, such as Pangaea did. Gareth’s world was full of gray, very few matters had ever been black and white to him; nothing was ever as simple as kill or be killed, no matter how much he sometimes wished it were.
“I was more concerned about your legs. Things will get steep as we start to crest various sections of this trail, and I’d rather you save your energy and strength for the things that I can’t help you navigate as readily.” He kicked a particularly large, thorny branch out of the path. “It’s not a trouble, either,” he said, turning his head back to her once more.
“Though it would be easier to answer your questions and carry conversation if you came up off my flank.” The stallion gave her a broad, inviting smile. “I can’t throw my voice the way you seem to, and I’ll snap my neck if I keep looking back like this. Besides,” he slowed his pace to allow her to adjust her position if she chose to do so, which he very much hoped she did. “I like to be able to see those I’m conversing with and this trail is wide enough for the time being to allow that.” He chuckled, the sound rumbling high in his chest. “Indulge me a little?”
Regardless of her choice, he would keep them moving, clearing some of the more troublesome bits of debris, but otherwise allowing her to step over or around others at her discretion. He picked up with her line of inquiries, starting with Noor. He really didn’t want to upset her with stories about old winter storms that swallowed whole herds and empty chasms that seemed like walking on air until it wasn’t.
“Noor is my Bonded,” Gareth explained. “Back when I was a wee lad, me and…” he paused, regret and sorrow piercing his chest, white hot. He swallowed it down and continued. “A childhood friend were out here, on the other side of the mountains, searching for herbs. A particular genus of mushroom, actually. We wont see any this late in the season, since it’s a summer fungus, but it sparkles like it holds the night sky, and is an excellent remedy for anything related to sleep. Anyways, the easiest way to identify it is at night, and while we were out hunting, I found Noor. He’d gotten caught up in a snare of some kind. Likely something a hunter had forgotten about, given how tangled and messy it was. I’m not sure how long he had been trapped there, since I never really bothered to ask. It didn’t seem like a very polite thing to probe about, you know?” He cast his gaze to Pangaea again to make sure that his walking pace was still amicable to her.
“We managed to free him, but his legs were a sight. Not unlike your own, really. I brought him to safety and took care of him. During this time we forged a connection.” He dipped his head. “I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure why some interactions forge the special relationship that comes with two bonded souls and others do not. From what I gather, it’s akin to companionship that transcends the mortal boundaries of this world. If either of us had been born a species other than what we are, we would have still found each other, and would have still formed this bond.” He cast his gaze skyward, watching the clouds looming overhead. “It’s as if somewhere within the fabric of the universe, the gods knew we would balance each other, and made it so.”
Gareth continued walking, taking them slowly upwards. The incline was delicate enough that if one was unfamiliar with the terrain like Pangaea was, she might not even notice that they were rising. That would change the further into the mountains they climbed, but that was a concern for later. He didn’t want to waste energy thinking about things that had not yet come to pass, and might not ever. He had a far better things to be doing with his time than to stew over infinite possibilities with no concrete evidence.
“We didn’t start out being able to communicate in this way,” the stallion paused, trying to pick the best words to explain to her. “The first time Noor spoke to me, I thought that I was still dreaming, or hallucinating, maybe. He didn’t say much, a handful of words, maybe. They were simple thoughts. Gratitude for my aiding him, for healing him. Understanding that I was doing so to be kind. But as you noticed, his mouth does not move as ours need to. He….” Gareth rolled the words over his tongue slowly. “He speaks with his mind. Much like how I imagine the gods speak to seers or prophets. As we’ve come to know each other and have spent years together, the easier it is for him to do so. His vocabulary is as wide as any intelligent beast, though if that is of his nature already or from conversing over time I wouldn’t be able to tell you.” He smiled softly.
“We’ve been friends for a very long time, Noor and I. Stubborn git he is, sometimes, but he’s generally got a solid head on his shoulders.” He spoke about his companion good naturedly, “Even if sometimes we rub each other like porcupine quills.”
Gareth lead them around a bend in the trail, the width of their path slowly narrowing in. They would still be able to walk side by side if she so chose, though it would eventually force her quite close, or behind him if she intended to keep the distance. If she moved behind his flank he’d have to make sure that he didn’t lose her. It was easy to get turned around in these mountains, with game trails branching off in different directions, all seeming to go to the place you want to be, all easy traps for the less vigilant.
“Others in Novus are known to have bonded companions, though it’s not what I would call ‘common’. Most consider them gifts from the gods themselves, and while some go in search of their companions through long trials, others, like myself, seem to stumble upon them. I would almost call it arbitrary, if not for my own experience.” He shook his hide, muscles rippling under his dark earthen coat. “Noor is the closest companion I’ve had save for my grandmother, and she had never been one to believe in pure coincidence.” He smiled, somewhat sad as he continued fondly. “I suppose that is one of the many ways I take after her.”
The stallion shook his head, heavy woven locks loosening from their messy buns. “But I’ve been monologuing long enough. Please, let me know if you would rather travel in silence and I will happily grant you that.” His warm amber pools turned to her then, searching her face for answers. While it was true, he had been speaking a long time, there was a glimmer of hope that she might choose to carry on the next part of their conversation. Pangaea had mentioned living within the mountains herself, and while he didn’t think that she would share much about her own life, he believed that perhaps this act of opening up about himself might leave room for her to do some of the same. They did have a long walk ahead of them, and the sky seemed to be settling in over the Arma, the clouds above them caught in the grasp of her highest peaks.
"Speech" || @Pangaea | jeebus that was an exposition dump, I'm sorry ; 3;
