literature

Discovery

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Days faded into weeks. Weeks flowed into months. The anger underwent no such transformation. Rohan kept his distance from humans and horses alike, though they refused to do the same for him. He was the cause of no less than four new urban legends, and if he’d been merely a visitor to this cursed planet, he might’ve found it almost amusing. Now it was insulting. He’d belonged to the Gods, to Zeus himself, and these pale, magicless imitations were nothing more than annoyances. Now he belonged to no one. And no amount of human scheming, rope and pathetic attempts at strategically trapping a creature far more intelligent than all of them combined would make a difference. The massive stallion drifted onward almost as if without a destination in mind. Oh, he had one. Olympus. Where he could spit fire and lightning in Zeus’s direction, turn his back and leave him as he’d left so many others.  None of whom he’d discovered in his travels, which was incredibly disheartening. Rohan was not a loner by nature. It gave him too much time to think, and his thoughts were furious. Dwelling on that rage wasn’t going to help him get where he wanted to go.

 

But what was? “Damn you, Baroch,” he muttered, picking his way over long spindly reeds and logs as he moved through a darkened forest. “Was it worth it?” Oh, how he’d love to stare that particular Cavitto in the face and get an answer to the question. Was it? We have lost everything because of you. Then again, they’d thought the love of their Gods unconditional. And for many, it was true. Zeus had proven otherwise in himself, but Rohan couldn’t find it in him to hate the rest of them, too. Ever a jealous God, Zeus was, but surely they were exceptions? Cavittos were their creation and had become part of life, part of themselves. Ah. How bitter to be proven so wrong and in such a harsh way. He needed to find others like him, and make a plan. Prove myself worthy, he thought, that fury coloring each word. Pure of heart. Hah! Hah. Hah. Hahahaha. Yes, Rohan, you were perfectly worthy to live in my stables before, but now that I’ve had myself a little tantrum, you need to prove it a few hundred times more before I’ll be happy again. I’ll tell you just what you can do with that happiness, you overpowered son of a—his hoof caught on a stray branch and he stumbled, jarring the thoughts out of order. It was just as well. He’d had the same mental conversation with Zeus at least a hundred times over.

 

The God never responded. He knew it was petty and most certainly not going to help him on his journey back home, but it made him feel a little better. Until the anger gave way to that mind-numbing emptiness. Yes, he needed to find companions. One in particular. Another set of footsteps alerted him to Saegir’s approach.

>>Rohan. I haven’t been able to locate any other Cavittos in this area.<<

The massive stag’s voice was a calm and welcome intrusion. He sighed and came to a halt, looking for the Guardian. Though he’d been the one to ask Saegir to go and roam separately from him, searching for the fallen stars of Olympus, he couldn’t help the relief each time he returned.

<<It figures,>> he replied.

>>Flying might help.<<

<<No.>> Stubbornness filtered through his voice. The otherworldly stag stepped delicately toward him, long thin legs belying the iron strength in them. He shook his head, the enormous antlers Rohan was glad weren’t currently resting on his head shedding leaves and bits of bark they’d picked up along the way. Little glowing jewels matching Rohan’s own hung from the tines, giving him the look of a rather stunning chandelier, though he wouldn’t have been amused to know it. With the light of the moon filtering down through clouds and leaves, Saegir’s gray coat practically glowed.

>>You still have them,<< the stag pointed out, blue eyes with their bottomless patience focused on his face. >>Use them.<< Rohan knew it was silly to refuse the use of his wings. He didn’t mind the fact that he’d retained his power, his jewels, and his Guardian, but the wings? They took him closer to the sky. Closer to a home he could no longer find. Something he once loved so dearly was now a reminder of what he’d been torn away from, and he hated that.

 

As if tromping around on earth wasn’t reminder enough. Clouds drifted over the sky, their darkened underbellies swelling with the promise of a storm. The stallion heaved a sigh.

<<Fine. Keep up then, will you? Traveling apart is doing us no good.>> Saegir knew what he wouldn’t say. Loneliness wasn’t something proud stallions would admit to. Especially ones who’d fought wars under the hand of the lightning God. Rohan broke into an easy canter, his size making the grace of it seem unearthly. Well. It was. The stag kept pace easily as they broke from the tree line. His long ears swept forward as thunder echoed over the open space. Rain would soon be on its way. Rohan could fly in the wet, at least. He would’ve been annoyed to have finally urged his friend into getting off the ground only to be thwarted by a damn storm. Magic shimmered as the wings in question came into view. White markings reminiscent of Rohan’s own slashed down through the feathers. The Cavitto shot him a sour look over his shoulder as the large muscles bunched, propelling him into the air. His wings caught wind, and Saegir sprang forward to keep pace.

 

Tuck your legs. Not like that, idiot. There you go. Much better, no? Rohan could clearly recall that first flying lesson. Shaking his head to ward off old memories, he propelled himself higher, keeping one eye on the stag below him. Just because Saegir was his Guardian didn’t mean he ceased to watch out for him, too. And, damn him to tiny little stag pieces, he was right. The view of the land was much better from up here. Of course it was. He was busy grumbling to himself about that when a cry drifted to his ears.

>>Do you hear it?<<

<< I do. Where? >> The wind was pushing at him and each time he thought he had the sound pinpointed, it was snatched away again. Saegir slid to a halt, long legs and sharp hooves carving furrows into the soft earth. Rohan pivoted in midair, drawing one wing close as he searched the terrain. A river, far off to the left, ribboned in sparks of wet silver toward the forest. When he glanced down, he saw the stag’s ears swivel in that direction. The two of them moved in unison. Finally, something to do other than brood on dark thoughts.

 

Not a joy for whoever it was having trouble, though. The first raindrops began to fall as the clouds coughed and sputtered. Again, he heard that faint call for help. A horse. Not a human. Thank god. He wouldn’t turn away anyone who truly needed assistance, but after all the stalking and the rope-tossing and general irritating nature of their species, it certainly would’ve been mildly grudging. Catching a flash of movement as they drew closer to the water, he narrowed his eyes and swooped down to get a better look. Not a horse. Cavitto. And not just any Cavitto. Was that…? His blood ran cold as Saegir came to a stop at the riverbank.

<<Tell me it’s not her.>>

>>Would you like me to lie?<<

“Dammit,” he cursed aloud, and banked on the strengthening winds. The banks were slick with mud and wet, which explained the deep gouges in them where she’d tried to break free of the deep water. But the currents were strong, and it didn’t get much shallower from what he could see, which meant hauling oneself straight up or down. Not a problem in good weather, most likely. The miles of silver hair weren’t helping her with that venture either. “Ellastacia!”

 

Her nose broke the surface of the water and she coughed, tired muscles responding to the sound of her name. “…Rohan?” Ah, not a wise idea to waste valuable air on speaking. Spotting his Guardian, the ever steady Saegir, the mare turned toward him, working hard for that simple movement. With the rain falling in earnest, it was easier to see the glow of the jewels hanging from his antlers than it was anything else. They didn’t have the connection to speak mind-to-mind as he did with Rohan, and his voice was lost to the wind and raging water around her ears. She felt rather than heard the stallion plunge into the river. Great. She thought resignedly. Now he was going to have to get them both out, and…hey, wait a minute. How was Saegir trotting along the bank when her own Guardian had been missing since the Fall? No time to think about it. Her body collided with his, warm despite the frigid temperature of the water.

 

Light popped and bloomed overhead in silken flowers as he drew on his magic, another thing that still evaded her aside from her birthright. It took some wrangling, but the stallion managed to get her legs over his back, out of the way of his wings. “Ready?” he asked her, though he didn’t wait for a response. Even with his height, his feet didn’t touch the bottom either, and Ella felt the massive effort he made to thrust them both upward, wings beating fiercely against the surface of the river as he surged toward the bank. Saegir dipped his head, and Rohan reached out with one hoof, catching the tine offered. Between the stag’s strength and his own, they managed to each make it onto semi-solid ground once again, though getting dry was apparently not in their future as the skies continued to dump rain down over their backs. His chest heaved as he caught his breath, and Rohan turned to the disgruntled mare beside him. Her hair hung down over her face, and…he blinked. Were those…stars? And…did she have…clouds lingering around her feet? That was new.

 

And where was her Guardian? For a moment, all three of them stood in utter silence, staring at each other. Then she erupted into movement, shaking herself vigorously and sending flying hair back into position. “Where’ve you been?” she demanded, looking between the two of them. “And why is Saegir here? I’m glad you are, don’t get me wrong, but…” Rohan looked her over more carefully. Aside from the addition of the glittering stars and bits of mist, her horn was missing, and so were her jewels. She paused, considering the implications, and glared at him. “If you make a joke about being unworthy, I’ll kick your ass right back into that river.” Rohan snorted and shook his head.

“No, thank you,” he said dryly.

“We’re not sure ourselves,” Saegir said, long ears flicking away raindrops determined to cling to the delicate hair. His voice was an easy baritone, rumbling with just a hint of something that didn’t belong on Earth. It was strange to hear it aloud, as he was used to the silent conversation now.

“What about you? What’s with the…” He angled his head and gestured with his nose at her back and sparkling hair.

“The sky likes me better than you,” she said in response. Rohan heaved a sigh and stepped close, dropping his head over her neck and pulling her against his chest. Ella hesitated only a moment before she leaned against him. He wouldn’t ever tell her in words how worried he’d been just then. The gesture was enough.

“What the hell were you doing in the water?” he asked. Annnd moment ruined, she thought, giving him an irritated glance as she stepped away and tossed rain out of her eyes.

“Clearly, I was angling for classic damsel-in-distress and hoping my knight would come along,” she said, annoyance high in her voice.

“And what if I hadn’t?”

“Well then we wouldn’t be standing here arguing, would we?”

“Let’s not,” Saegir suggested, his tail flicking as if to punctuate his words. Rohan glared at his Guardian, who gave him a placid stare in return.

“Fine,” he said grudgingly. It wasn’t something he really wanted to do. Finding another Cavitto was what he’d wanted, after all, and that it was her…he should be rejoicing, not berating her for being in a bad situation in the first place. His tail swished in frustration. Females. Always right.

 

“Well?” her voice broke into his thoughts. Standing there, with the water dripping from their coats from river and storm alike, he wondered if she could be more beautiful. Stop that, he ordered himself. The stars only accented her coloring. Not helping! “What’s your plan?” He always had a plan, didn’t he? Blinking away rogue musings, Rohan opened one wing to shelter her from the rain. He would’ve done the same for Saegir, but the stag was both taller than him, and well…antlers.

                                       

“Right now?” he responded finally as she looked at him from under the damp feathers. “Find somewhere dry.” Everything else could come after. And for the first time since the Fall, he felt a flicker of hope. 

> Feels like ick
> What do
> Write things

:stare: Haven't visited my Cavitto bbies in a while. I skimmed for proofreading but if I missed something feel free to point it out. <3

The ick persists. *slinks back to covers and tissues* 


2241 words. Featuring Rohan and Ellastacia.
:iconcavitto:
© 2015 - 2024 Cloudrunner64
Comments1
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TheMs0kitty's avatar
Love it! :dummy:
But I have a question!
Is there an actual Baroch lying around? And the mare he was with? o-o Like are there designs for them or something? I didn't even know their names until you mentioned them here xD