"Oi, S'amba!" an unfamiliar voice suddenly called out to the wounded male.
"You are takin' all day with those damned bonds, how abouts you get a move on, eh?" the voice continued with an eager, even arrogant tone. It had hardly even been a couple of hours since S'imba had begun the slow and painstaking process of tearing at his binds using some of the sharpened rock that had naturally been shaved off from the cliff face, and yet the other male Sunseeker, whom had yet to say a single word toward the new captives, was already becoming anxious having eavesdropped on the conversations previous.
"Shut up."
A duly given sharp response was quickly spat toward the pompous youth in return, though it had come from his Duskwight companion, ironically, whom had mumbled it just loud enough for the other prisoners to hear. Contrary to the miqo'te next to him, the Elezen spoke with a tone of dejection. Like many of the others present, he had taken little interest in S'imba's attempts to escape his bonds. Right, like no-one here hadn't tried that already, he thought. Even so, however, his choice of words - unlike his tone and expression - did not reveal the same lack of enthusiasm.
"Unless you want him to leave you behind, then shut up."
The exchange was perhaps a bit risky, at least on the Sunseeker's part. Though most of the Ixali were a ways off, they had by no means cast a blind eye to the prisoners - and whether they could hear the exchange or not, conversing so blatantly with one another would not go unheeded.
For now, at least, no such thing had been noted by the Ixali, much to the captives' fortune - but that was not to say, however, that the group were not being watched.
---------------
On the far side of the encampment, quite a distance away, two pairs of eyes hidden low, beneath the shadow of the bordering treeline focused intently on the collection of prisoners that had been gathered below the tall cliff-face.
"This is suicide... what could we possibly hope to accomplish here alone?" the youngest of the two, a midlander, protested. The tremor in his voice betrayed the inexperience that followed his youth as his leafy-green eyes fell upon the shade-laden profile of the older whom looked on with a calm determination from a crouched position. His gaze, unlike his more experienced counterpart, was far from steady, twitching and shaking incessantly as the mere two seconds it took for him to receive a response seemed to drag out to an eternity of it's own as he hoped, even prayed for his concerns to be acknowledged for what they only could be in a rookie's eyes, fact.
"Ixali sleep just like any other creature. I find that you'll be praising our lack of presence come nightfall, when all that's left are their sentries" the elezen responded calmly without taking his gaze away from their objective.
"But.. that is not to say that not arousing attention will prove a simple task, Aubrennard..! Surely you think tha-..."
"If you want to back out now then I will not stop you, but after this there is no turning back. Even an onze of hesitation could cost lives... and I do not talk merely of our own" the elezen interrupted coolly as his sharp, mulberry gaze continued to scan over every ilm of the encampment with a habitual precision.
He paused for a moment; before carrying his eyes to the right until his younger comrade pushed into the corners of his vision. Laying low beneath the forest's shadow, the young wailer, as ever, appeared weak and submissive to the Elezen's command, though that was not to be unexpected. Though wary of both danger and risk, the youth never did shy away from duty, less so any order he had been given. It was clear that proceeding with the task the two had silently taken charge of alone was something that caused him to be swallowed by an overwhelming sense of anxiety, but refusal was simply not in his nature.
Perhaps the offer alone had not been enough.
"You will be no less of a soldier for choosing to do so. Assessing risk and reward is important after all, but no-one other than yourself can ever determine for you the true worth of any reward" the Elezen finally spoke once again as he tried to push the responsibility back into the midlander's hands. He would not deliberately sway him one way or another. After all, it had to be a personal decision; one of worth.
"He will not last much longer in that state, of that I am certain. And so I cannot waste any more time awaiting aid" the Elezen continued while returning his gaze forward once more to look upon one prisoner in particular. A distant but distinguishable form that was still visible beneath the evening's, remnants of light.
"Wilkin saved me countless times when I was still green and for that I owe him everything. For me there is no decision to be made, there is only an objective".
With that, the Elezen fell silent. The rest had been left up the young man. The midlander's green eyes slowly fell toward the ground to gaze upon the messy, litter of twigs that bedded over the soil beneath their feet. Even though he had been offered a safety line, an escape route that would allow him to return home to see his mother and friends again, he could never in good conscious leave now, as much as his sinful mind would tell him otherwise, to abandon pride and honour in favour of ensured survival and health. His heart pounded fervently against his chest, beating so loudly that it seemed to drown out all other sound as he tried to summon up the ability to formally announce his decision. Though his mind raged silently with a conflict of emotion and consequence, in his heart the decision had been decided from the moment the other wailer confirmed that he would not abandon Wilkin like this. Dyed leather creaked beneath tightening fists as the young midlander slowly raised his head once more to face the Elezen with a determined look.
"I... won't abandon Wilkin.... nor you" he spoke with a misplaced anger as the green eyes that lay at the centre of his fierce expression glistened softly from the restrained tears that testified to the persisting, inner whispers of rationality that would from this moment on, forever haunt him with that repetitive phrase...
"This was a mistake, you will die for nothing"
"You are takin' all day with those damned bonds, how abouts you get a move on, eh?" the voice continued with an eager, even arrogant tone. It had hardly even been a couple of hours since S'imba had begun the slow and painstaking process of tearing at his binds using some of the sharpened rock that had naturally been shaved off from the cliff face, and yet the other male Sunseeker, whom had yet to say a single word toward the new captives, was already becoming anxious having eavesdropped on the conversations previous.
"Shut up."
A duly given sharp response was quickly spat toward the pompous youth in return, though it had come from his Duskwight companion, ironically, whom had mumbled it just loud enough for the other prisoners to hear. Contrary to the miqo'te next to him, the Elezen spoke with a tone of dejection. Like many of the others present, he had taken little interest in S'imba's attempts to escape his bonds. Right, like no-one here hadn't tried that already, he thought. Even so, however, his choice of words - unlike his tone and expression - did not reveal the same lack of enthusiasm.
"Unless you want him to leave you behind, then shut up."
The exchange was perhaps a bit risky, at least on the Sunseeker's part. Though most of the Ixali were a ways off, they had by no means cast a blind eye to the prisoners - and whether they could hear the exchange or not, conversing so blatantly with one another would not go unheeded.
For now, at least, no such thing had been noted by the Ixali, much to the captives' fortune - but that was not to say, however, that the group were not being watched.
---------------
On the far side of the encampment, quite a distance away, two pairs of eyes hidden low, beneath the shadow of the bordering treeline focused intently on the collection of prisoners that had been gathered below the tall cliff-face.
"This is suicide... what could we possibly hope to accomplish here alone?" the youngest of the two, a midlander, protested. The tremor in his voice betrayed the inexperience that followed his youth as his leafy-green eyes fell upon the shade-laden profile of the older whom looked on with a calm determination from a crouched position. His gaze, unlike his more experienced counterpart, was far from steady, twitching and shaking incessantly as the mere two seconds it took for him to receive a response seemed to drag out to an eternity of it's own as he hoped, even prayed for his concerns to be acknowledged for what they only could be in a rookie's eyes, fact.
"Ixali sleep just like any other creature. I find that you'll be praising our lack of presence come nightfall, when all that's left are their sentries" the elezen responded calmly without taking his gaze away from their objective.
"But.. that is not to say that not arousing attention will prove a simple task, Aubrennard..! Surely you think tha-..."
"If you want to back out now then I will not stop you, but after this there is no turning back. Even an onze of hesitation could cost lives... and I do not talk merely of our own" the elezen interrupted coolly as his sharp, mulberry gaze continued to scan over every ilm of the encampment with a habitual precision.
He paused for a moment; before carrying his eyes to the right until his younger comrade pushed into the corners of his vision. Laying low beneath the forest's shadow, the young wailer, as ever, appeared weak and submissive to the Elezen's command, though that was not to be unexpected. Though wary of both danger and risk, the youth never did shy away from duty, less so any order he had been given. It was clear that proceeding with the task the two had silently taken charge of alone was something that caused him to be swallowed by an overwhelming sense of anxiety, but refusal was simply not in his nature.
Perhaps the offer alone had not been enough.
"You will be no less of a soldier for choosing to do so. Assessing risk and reward is important after all, but no-one other than yourself can ever determine for you the true worth of any reward" the Elezen finally spoke once again as he tried to push the responsibility back into the midlander's hands. He would not deliberately sway him one way or another. After all, it had to be a personal decision; one of worth.
"He will not last much longer in that state, of that I am certain. And so I cannot waste any more time awaiting aid" the Elezen continued while returning his gaze forward once more to look upon one prisoner in particular. A distant but distinguishable form that was still visible beneath the evening's, remnants of light.
"Wilkin saved me countless times when I was still green and for that I owe him everything. For me there is no decision to be made, there is only an objective".
With that, the Elezen fell silent. The rest had been left up the young man. The midlander's green eyes slowly fell toward the ground to gaze upon the messy, litter of twigs that bedded over the soil beneath their feet. Even though he had been offered a safety line, an escape route that would allow him to return home to see his mother and friends again, he could never in good conscious leave now, as much as his sinful mind would tell him otherwise, to abandon pride and honour in favour of ensured survival and health. His heart pounded fervently against his chest, beating so loudly that it seemed to drown out all other sound as he tried to summon up the ability to formally announce his decision. Though his mind raged silently with a conflict of emotion and consequence, in his heart the decision had been decided from the moment the other wailer confirmed that he would not abandon Wilkin like this. Dyed leather creaked beneath tightening fists as the young midlander slowly raised his head once more to face the Elezen with a determined look.
"I... won't abandon Wilkin.... nor you" he spoke with a misplaced anger as the green eyes that lay at the centre of his fierce expression glistened softly from the restrained tears that testified to the persisting, inner whispers of rationality that would from this moment on, forever haunt him with that repetitive phrase...
"This was a mistake, you will die for nothing"
![[Image: ecec20e41f.png]](https://puu.sh/xvMxb/ecec20e41f.png)
Characters: Andre Winter (Hy'ur) / K'nahli Yohko (Miqo'te)
