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Sunlight In Dark Places

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Featuring Magno and Éilias - with Calliope and Virgil
Winter, Year 760 of the New Age
Gumtree Hollow, Windborne


Magno

A few hours after the war had ended Magno slowly makes his way into what once was a battlefield full of fawnlings fighting for their lives and ideals. Battle cries, angry shouts and others had filled the place. Right now only the moans of the dying and wounded,  words of comfort and whispers were heard. He does his best to help those that were wounded to survive and those that were dying to die without pain. He takes a moment to take a deep breath and stretch his aching muscles. At least the bleeding on his shoulder had stopped, though he knows that while he heals he will have a limp. He is lucky that Eilias rack didn’t reach his bone, and probably he can heal without having a limp forever. But there will be several new scars all over him. He longs to reunite with his family but he had to complete his duty first. Giving a tired sigh he continues limping as he walks scanning the area like other healers were doing, in search of those with need of his services.

He can’t also help it but his thought go along the line of iif those fawnlings that he didn’t kill did they survived. Ruan the pale buck he knocked out with a blow to the head. And Eilias the soldier that almost killed him. And of course the fawn and mother he helped escape, Io and her mother whom’s name he couldn’t remember, or maybe she didn’t give it to him.

Éilias

The silence is heavy; a burden resting on his shoulders, a load weighing on his heart. The truth is revealed. Nothing is left that still could be hidden - his failure is unveiled, his sins brought out, his weakness discovered. He’s laid out his heart in front of Calliope, secretly hoping for forgiveness - but no word is to be heard. The silence carves a hole into his soul, scrapes it out until his body is a mere shell, fragile and broken in the dirt.

Éilias chokes, battling against the tears welling in his eyes.
Silently begging her to say something.
But she doesn’t. A part of him is ready to give up, ready for retreat, unable to live with the knowledge of having brought this unimaginable sadness to her; the sweet, cheerful Calliope, the center and reason of all his youthful bliss. Now he feels like he has destroyed everything once and for all. His very own fight, his search for revenge that has ought to bring both of his most beloved ones both back to him, has failed - has, in the end, caused the very opposite of what he has been striving for. The mortification about his failure knows no words.

Footfalls sound above his head once more, but Éilias only faintly recognises the Alliance member who is entering the scene - a sudden gentle touch makes him wince. Realising that it is Calliope pressing her head to his forehead as some wordless reassurance of her support, a whimper escapes Éilias’ throat. Finally, he releases all of the never cried tears. Can it be true? Can he really expect forgiveness?

Magno

As Magno keeps on walking offering his help, in the distance he spots a couple of fawnlings , a light bay doe and a liver chestnut stag on the ground. He started at the stag… was that… Eilias? Silently he approaches the pair and observes the stag better, there is no doubt that this is Eilias. And he is in a worse shape that he had left Magno in, when they had fought, probably Aave the stag that had saved Magno’s life had defeated him. But the war is already over and Magno holds no hatred towards Eilias, both had been fighting for what they thought it was right and had payed the price. What worries him most is the wound on Eilias chest and neck.

Reaching into his herb pouch Magno takes some herbs out, but first he begins to clean Eilias wounds of dirt and any foreign object in them. “I hold no ill towards you”. Magno finally speaks to Eilias and he continues his work. Using his teeth after he had cleaned the liver chestnut’s wounds he grinds some aloe vera and arrownettle, he spreads the mixture over Eilias wounds gently before placing some of the mixture near his mouth so he would eat it, adding some saltbush to that to hydrate him. Then he takes some Ghostfeather and places it over the mixture, so it would be a wall between the healing poultice and the dressing. Finally he wraps everything in some Willowreed bark.

Magno let’s out a tired sigh, his body aching badly and he lays down, well almost collapses near Eilias, he needed to rest badly.

Éilias

“...Yes, please. He badly needs help. No. No, I found him like this, just a little while...”
Voices reaching his ears, drifting away once more. “...he’s been struggling, but it seems he’s better. ...Yes. … - Yes… Maybe.” Éilias faintly realises it is Calliope speaking, hardly notices the other fawnling reaching down to him, until she pulls her nose away from his forehead and the pleasant warmth makes room for piercing cold. He feels her moving, shifting her position. Éilias groans, he doesn’t want to miss her comfort.

Pain once more. His eyes still closed, he huffs as someone else starts to dig their nose deep into his wounds, flinches at the twinge that tells him a healer has arrived.
Éilias strongly hopes that the herbalist will still find some life in him that’s worth being preserved - now, he isn’t willing to leave this world anymore. All he wants is the things he’s long deemed lost, things he knows to be so close now.
And so, he tries not to shudder too much at the sharp pain of his wounds being cleaned, the slight relief of herbs being applied and covered with bark. Then, eventually, he opens his eyes to cast a glance at his carer.

And recognises the stag he’s been so close to killing.

His ears twitch, hear the white one speak of his forgiveness, but his mind isn’t ready to believe. Holding no ill? After all he’s been about to do this little while ago? Hasn’t the other realised how determined he has been to end what had been started? Éilias can’t say anything, lacks the power to, but he steadily watches the stag - Magno, the name will be inscribed into his mind forever - who has now become his conqueror.
Eventually, the light coloured fawnling sinks to the ground across him. The battle has visibly taken its toll on him as well, yet he has somehow found the energy and readiness to care for his opponent before resting. Such a noble disposition… Éilias is bewildered, yet deeply filled with respect at the sudden realisation.
“Thank you” he finally brings himself to say, but not without a certain difficulty.

Magno

Magno’s body shakes with pain and he noses around his herb bag to see what is left to use on himself. He sees his has some spearmint left, he removes the padding he has applied on his own injuries and begins to treat himself again, he could see that some had begun to bleed again, so he focusses on cleaning those bleeding again and covers the others, he applies some of the spearmint over the wounds before making a paste with aloe vera and covering everything with ghostfeather and willowreed bark.

When Eilias thanks him and Magno nods at him. “You should recover”. He let’s out a tired sigh and let’s his head down to rest.

Éilias

Exhausted to the bone, Éilias follows suit and rests his chin on the half-frozen ground again. He barely feels the cold, his whole body is throbbing and burning with pain, but he’s aware of the hardness - his skin prickles as his sensation returns and he can feel tiny stones cut into his wounds. Calliope shuffles closer, offering her knees for his head to rest upon, which he readily accepts.

The wounded chestnut lies still. He doesn’t know how to handle this sudden silence, doesn’t know what to feel, what to think. Of course he has imagined the battle’s outcome countless times - most times it has ended with his own success, but almost as often he has pictured himself losing, dying gloriously on the battlefield. But never has it ended quite like that. Éilias sighs, gazing up to Calliope once more, as if he wants to make sure she is still there and real - and not just a product of his wishful thinking. His thoughts stray to his youth… their youth. How he and the other young soldiers would enjoy being tended to by the young herbalist does after their spars… Calliope has never been the most adept healer, but she’d been always there, teasing him when he acted too dramatic about his wounds for her taste. The happy thought pulls his lips into a wistful smile.

Eventually, he focuses on the white stag again. “Magno,” he rasps, barely lifting his head from the ground, “why don’t you hate me for what I did? I’ve been… so sure. So ready.”

Magno

Magno has almost managed to doze off, when he hears Eilias voice he shifts his head to look at the darker stag before talking. “ We both fought for what we believed in…. if I had won you might had died…”. He takes a moment to take a deep breath before he continues. “ But now the fight is over… there is no more need for bloodshed, nor hatred”.  He hopes that peace takes over now and there are no more wars and lose of life. If everyone cooperates there will be no more need for wars is what he believes. Then his thoughts go back to his family. He hopes Mana and Virgil managed to keep safe, he wants to see them again. How his body feels right now he knows he won’t be able to walk far to find them, maybe he won’t be able to do it tomorrow either. But he hopes he can go to them soon.  

Éilias

Éilias finds himself nodding slowly. “No more need for bloodshed…,” he repeats dimly, his tongue lame with exhaustion.

How difficult it will be to adapt to that. Peace, at last… After years of nerve-racking anticipation of a rebel attack, constantly fearing to fail in providing safety for the herd, there’s still this restlessness inside of him that hasn’t died, despite everything. Maybe the herd has found peace now - the rebel leaders are going to make sure of that - but how long will it take him to find peace in his own heart as well? He already knows that it is shattered. Eli’s death has ripped the biggest piece out of it, and his pitiful attempts to fix what has been left have only brought even more pain to his beloved ones.  

But he hears it pounding. The rhythm is steady, pulsing through his battered body and deep into the muddy ground. Maybe it is a scarred heart, damaged beyond repair, but it is alive; and it fills him with new life. Suddenly, the chestnut wonders if that means he’s gotten a second chance, if he still clings to his life because it isn’t supposed to be over yet - if there’s still a purpose for him.

No hatred, the white stag has said. No hatred.
And yet he knows only too well how much he has hated them, how fervently he has blamed his son’s death on them… a sad leftover struggles, doesn’t want to return Magno’s forgiveness, but deep in his heart his voice of honour speaks and puts him into the lowly place he’s supposed to be in. And then, he gathers his strength - mentally and physically - and says: “Neither… neither do I hold anything against you. Something... new is dawning. A new morning. Time for a fresh start.”

Finally, he allows sleep to get the better of him; and soon he’s drifting away from the battlefield and into deep and dreamless blackness.

Magno

When he notices that Eilias had fallen asleep he speaks to Calliope explaining why they know each other, he points to the liver chestnut’s wounds. “We were foes in the battle… he almost killed me… hadn’t been for another stag…. Elias would had ended me”.With his explanation given he could feel his eyelids feeling very heavy, he snorts and can’t help but to let sleep take him too, unconsciously getting nearer Eilias, his body needing some warmth, a blood loss effect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Magno stays close to Eilias and Calliope the following days, tending to his and Eilias wounds and several others that are nearby. He is still not fit to walk much, the adrenaline having gone away and exhaustion taking over. Thought he feels glad that he has managed to get Eilias in a better shape and away from death’s doors.

Éilias

The following days are some of the hardest the stag has ever faced. Even though his health and spirits return, it is a slow process - and a strenuous one. Pain is robbing him of his sleep. His wounds might be healing, but he still can’t breathe or get up without a sharp pang flashing through his whole chest. Yet, he’s immensely grateful for Magno’s help. He knows that the white stag’s condition isn’t better than his, and still he helps where he can to make sure Éilias heals up as soon as possible.

While his body is healing, his mind is taking a lot longer. Gumtree Hollow is past all recognition - the sheltered winter grazing grounds have turned into a bustle of both known and foreign fawnlings busy to clear the Hollow of all last signs of the war. While herbalists are tending to wounds and help the fighters recover, the new figureheads declare the new Allied Herds and its new society structure. The demand for a Queen and King is raised. The guard is getting an overhaul. Freshness and optimism is in the air - like a new day is dawning after a long night, and everyone is just too eager to leave this dark chapter behind and move on to something new and better.

Éilias, however, doesn’t quite know what to make of all that. Watching all that he has tried to protect and keep secure in its usual state being thrown over so thoroughly confuses him; makes him resent the new structures. Yet he knows too well that he is not in the position to judge. And so, he tries to accept.  

At least Calliope is there. There is so much to catch up on, and while he isn’t sure yet if he can hope to see their love rekindled, Éilias is beyond thankful for her company. In a way, he is thankful for Magno’s support as well - and once again puzzled by the fact that his former enemy and himself get along so well now.

About two weeks after the last battle, Calliope joins the two stags with a surprisingly cheerful expression. Éilias knows how deeply the war has affected her, and so he is glad to see her in good spirits again.
“Oh, Magno -,” she says silently, turning towards the white stag, “your… your son’s name is Virgil, right? He is with Mana. I’ve just spoken to her... They’re here. They’re alright.”

Magno

Magno juggles between his need to rest and his job as a healer during the next days, he is successful in making Eilias much better, and several other. And also heal himself, but as each day pass he wants to see his family badly. And things have changed a lot, there is voting to see who will be the queen and who the king, so far he had kept himself out of it too busy to care about it.

Magno is grazing nearby Eilias when he notices that Calliope is back and she seems very happy. He wonders if she had found out that her and Eilias son is alive and well. However she tells him that she had found his family, he gives a smiles of joy, that gave him a lot of peace to know they are alright. As he is about to ask her where he is surprised to find little Virgil apparently having followed her, immediately he moves limping some to greet his young son, and the colt does the same, burying his face on his father’s chest as Magno licks his head over and over.

Éilias

The chestnut feels his chest tighten in sudden pain as he watches Magno embrace his son Virgil. His throat is dry; in vain he swallows several times to get rid of the feeling.

Oh, how he has deceived himself by thinking he could forget Éilot that easily. Everything in him longs to be in the white stag’s place now, longs to embrace his own son like the stag in front of him does with his. Éilias can almost hear Eli’s laughter in his mind; from a remote place it frees itself and struggles towards the front, teasing him with its elusiveness. The moment makes him realise how much he misses these happier times, from his son’s silly shenanigans to every moment they spent together.

Éilias’ eyes flash to Calliope, who’s, just like him, froze on the spot while watching father and son in their moment of reunion. He can see her face, that has just been so full of cheer about being a bearer of good news, fall and become hard, like stone. He can see her shutting herself away mentally, trying to uphold her facade, but Éilias feels like she’s reached a point where she just can’t pretend to be strong anymore. With a heavy heart, the stag realises what he’s done to her by failing to make sure their son was safe.

He wants to embrace her, to comfort her in this moment of grief they both share, but he is unsure. He doesn’t know how distant they have grown from each other over the years - he doubts he’s allowed to be her consoler now. Not after all he’s done. And yet he deeply wants to fill that position with everything that’s left of his heart.

His smile seems rather forced as he turns around to Magno and his son again, but he can’t help it. He is delighted for them, so much is sure, but it’s obvious he’s too lost in his own grief to be genuinely happy.

Magno

The feelings washing over him are indescribable, he really thought he would never see his son ever again. That he would die in battle, or be unable to rescue him. The feelings he had bottled in, he let’s them out finally and silently he weeps, his tears falling over his son’s mane. Virgil gets worried about his father since he had never seen the stag cry, but Magno assures him, that he is alright and very happy to see him. Magno buries his muzzle on Virgil’s mane and takes in the scent wanting to compose himself. A few minutes later Magno is back to being himself and he knows that both Eilias and Calliope are murning. He moves his head close to Virgil’s ear before asking him for a favor. The colt looks at him surprised but he obeys his father’s request. His father told him that those two fawnlings lost their son, and they probably need a big hug. Shyli the colt approaches the doe first and does as he is told and gives her a big hug, before he moves to Eilias and does the same. Magno knows that those two would rather hug their deceased son…. but that’s not possible, so he hopes Virgil’s hug helps them some to deal with the pain. He knew the pain of losing  child was terrible… he remembers when he saw Minko, his beloved Mana’s son being killed by his father Chukwu, he wasn’t the colt father, but in the short time he knew the little colt, he had come to love him like a son.

Éilias

The chestnut staggers as he watches Magno’s son offering Calliope a hug before approaching him, smiling the smile of an innocent child. Swiftly, the buck presses his nose into the wiry fur at the wounded stag’s chest. Éilias notices that he seems reluctant, even a bit shy about it; but like a good son, he obeys his father’s request and doesn’t draw back.

Éilias sighs, returns the embrace - and for a moment, pretends that it is Éliot. It’s right, Magno knows of their grief… this gesture, a gentle assurance that their son will always be with them, even if everybody thinks him gone, is probably his way of caring for his newfound friends. Éilias doesn’t hide his smile as he tastes the sweetness of these few words. Friends. He’s indeed come to think of Magno as that.  
The buck at his chest, though grown, seems familiar; as if Éilias has seen him before, somewhere, sometime.

Forgiveness by Shotechi


Suddenly, he realises. The recognition makes him draw back abruptly - of course! This buck has been one of the Splinter fawns they have taken away from their parents all these seasons ago… Éilias feels his stomach churn. He doesn’t deserve this, not an ounce of Magno’s compassion or care, not the buck’s generous offer, nothing of this. Has the little one recognised him was well? Yet obeyed his father without a word? Almost horrified, Éilias stumbles backwards, uttering countless excuses.

His ears burn with shame as he brings some distance between father, son and himself. The guilt he’s facing feels like a wall, an indestructible something that’s keeping him from all these pleasant memories of Éliot. It’s like he doesn’t deserve them anymore.

“Thank you, Magno,” he stutters, his voice fading with every word he says. “I… gotta go. My wounds are acting up again... I better get some rest.”

Magno

Magno quickly notices what is going on with Eilias and steps in to try to calm him down. Virgil however has recognized who Eilias was, and surprisingly he wags his little tail, and he goes closer to the ex-main herd member placing his knees delicately on his chest avoiding the wound and bumps his head against Eilias chin. “Papa this is one of the nice guards, this one didn’t scolded us for playing, or treated us bad”, Virgil said excitedly. Magno attention turns back from Eilias to Virgil for  moment then to Eilias again. “Eilias my son nor I hold any ill towards you, your intentions weren’t evil”, said the greying stag.

Éilias

Every breath is nothing but a struggle right now. Éilias backs further away as Magno’s son playfully rears at him and nudges the stag’s chin with his forehead. He knows, he should appreciate the friendly gesture... but he can’t. He sees no one but Éliot in the buck. His son, the beloved he’s lost, here in front of his eyes.

And suddenly, he realises it’s that kind of forgiveness he craves. They have parted in an argument… and he will never know if Éliot has forgiven him or not. The guilt is a heavy weight on his shoulders, and without his son to redeem him - he knows, he’ll never get rid of it. Magno assures him once more that he doesn’t bear him ill will, as his intentions were genuine…
Can’t he see that what’s done is done? Good intentions put aside; his deeds have spoken much louder, and they tell of nothing but great debt.

Blood rushing in his ears, Éilias turns around. “Thank you, you both”, he mutters once more, strangely bereft of all words. He can’t withstand the urge to flee the scene, to give in to the humiliation of backing away from a confrontation. True, he once has been a honourable soldier who has stood up to everything… but it feels like honour has died on the battlefield, alongside his fallen brothers. Now, he’s a broken nothing, a weak image of his old self.

And he flees.

Magno

Magno sighs sadly as he sees Eilias flee, the stag needs time to heal. Virgil looks at his father as if he did something wrong. Magno assures him he didn’t, and together father and son say their goodbyes to Calliope before they begin making their way back home.

Featuring Magno and Éilias - with Calliope and Virgil
Winter, Year 760 of the New Age
Gumtree Hollow, Windborne
- AFTERMATH OF THE WINDBORNE CIVIL WAR OF 759/760 -


"How difficult it will be to adapt to that. Peace, at last… After years of nerve-racking anticipation of a rebel attack, constantly fearing to fail in providing safety for the herd, there’s still this restlessness inside of him that hasn’t died, despite everything. Maybe the herd has found peace now - the rebel leaders are going to make sure of that - but how long will it take him to find peace in his own heart as well?"

Suggested music for reading: Outlander - The Wedding (Bear McCreary)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hooooraay, finally it's going on!! This is a suuuuuper super amazing RP with the wonderful Ookamigirl00 and her boy Magno. After their first meeting on the battlefield, here's their second. Right after the war has ended. Read it yourself. ;D
Warning: FEELS. All of them. *hands out chocolate*

To recap Éilias' battle stories:
Part I (Nopharia)
Part II (Magno)
Part III (Aave)
Aftermath (Éilias)
Reunion (Calliope)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Ookamigirl00, I surely had a blast (even if I took so long, sorry for that :hug:) - also to LeakyTrain for giving us permission to use Cally as a NPC. Shower all of 'em in bacon! :thumbsup:
I try to get back on track with my fawnlings haha -after all that application crazyness (and the Outlaw Trail doesn't make it better) xD

Magno, Virgil, lit (c) by Ookamigirl00
Calliope (c) by LeakyTrain
Éilias, lit (c) by me
:iconfawnlings:

I love to visualise things, and so I've devided to put sketches for RP things in my scraps, to add them to the lit and make it a bit less boring to look at - so if you want to have these thingies in your inbox as well, feel free to watch my scraps! :la:
© 2016 - 2024 Shotechi
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