( set after the challenge )

Icarus did trip before he fell. Aquila had sustained losses a plenty in his years. They happened, hunts came up with nothing and you did not win every shouting match with young siblings or cousins. He had not expected the pain that came with such a real loss with more on the line than fake titles and a hostile rough land that held no more sentimentality to him than any others. Icarus did scrape his knee before he drowned. The wounds and cuts were well doctored, pain managed and infection kept away. His ear still laid collapsed against his mane- he could maneuver the muscles through memory that would usually move his ear back and forth but the cartilage cup still lay awkwardly to the side. Nothing hurt. It all hurt.

Aquila lay holed up in the shadows of a den. His head was resting along his arms. Most of his body was curled close together and he was huddled against a wall. The cooling sensation of the stone ran down along his pale spine. A security. His eyes were open wandering outwards absently. They watched a leaf roll quietly by and come to rest beside his paw. Crisp, crinkly and orange.

@Nymeria

immediately following the challenge for the bluffs, nymeira had followed @aquila’s lead in returning to vermeda. her mind focused only on him, dutiful and instinctively determined to help him through the aftermath in whatever way that she could. and so, long, nimble limbs carried the druid through the depths of the wilds, stopping briefly by her herbal inventory to gather a few things, before moving in the direction of her cousin’s den, following the fresh trail of his scent along the way.

the woman stalled slightly, if only to give the man time to settle into his solitude, to rest and to have a quiet moment to breath, before facing the presence of his kin. finally arriving upon his doorstep, nymeria would take pause for a moment or two, dropping the bundle of herbs to the earth before speaking out upon even, tender tones. "aquila?" she called softly from the mouth of the chasm, having no intentions of overstepping her boundaries, should her cousin not desire company. "i brought a few things for you," because, undoubtedly, his injuries would need tending to in oder to avoid infection — if not now, he would still require some medical assistance later in the day.

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She seemed to be brought in by a warm breeze. He felt in the breeze what he thought to be Maua's kiss against his cheek and down the lengths of his mane the smallest way of comfort. They'd seen, they'd had to. Was this part of this strange plan they had in the works? It already had made so little sense to the angry Aquila that if this was a piece of it all he was only further conflicted. @Nymeria. His voice rose up from his throat with a sudden but short lived burst of life and energy. Aquila's head perked up and was picked up from its resting spot across his limbs. The ear that had not sustained damage turned around into the direction of his cousin's comforting presence. Is Caeso ok? He had a great deal of complicated emotions to work through, a weight of them he didn't expect to ask anyone else to bare. He had one great concern though and one lion he could not stand to fail any further than he already had. Hopefully Nymeria could put Aquila's mind to rest on that for now, a salve to one mental wound and wondering. It was healing more important to him than the physical ones.

she waits nearly on baited breath, that lump resting heavy in her throat as she takes pause, listening for the familiar lull of her cousin's voice. and, oh, there he was, instantly melting away the rigid lines of nymeria's concern as she slowly moves into the breadths of the cave, eyes falling quickly upon @Aquila's resting form. whether he had optained the crown or not, in her eyes, he was still victorious, a showcase of their family's strength, and of their prowess. she had no doubt that he would have his day -- but still, there were many things to be questioned about maua's infinite plans and scheming lessons.

"caeso is fine, i just think he is just worried about you. i'm sure he'll be along soon." she answered, dropping the herbs between them as her lips twisted into a smile, hoping that she could ease at least some of his worries. it would take time to process what had happened, as it seemed to have shaken some of the family's certainty, including that of nymeria's -- but, nonetheless, they would always have each other. "you fought very bravely, aquila." the woman added on after a brief moment, tones dropping, genuine and quietly prideful, as her haunches fell to the earth. and it was then that she would take a moment to properly assess his wounds, gaze slipping purposefully across the scattered wounds, withholding the downturn of her expression at seeing him in such a way. "the good news is that i can help keep you handsome, if you don't mind letting me treat your wounds." scars were respectable, of course -- but infections? not so much.

Caeso was fine. He let loose a held breath and felt his chest swell on the following inhale. He was excited to see his husband to be, to hold him and find comfort in the wiser and kinder man. But he was glad it was Nymeria here instead, for now, that there was time to compose himself a little bit. Bravely. He said the word aloud but absently and thought on it. Brave was not what he'd felt in the moment.

Those moments. So fresh and so black and cloudy all at once. And how heavy his heart felt. A wound no healer could touch upon. But those upon his flesh needed help. He waved her closer with a tilt of his muzzle and then stretched so the worst feeling area was well accessible and visible for @Nymeria. Bravery wasn't enough. He confessed with some heaviness in his voice and along the lines of his face. He wasn't enough. Day after day was wandering along, Maua's plans and plays were moving along and Aquila did not understand them anymore the longer they went about. He felt forsaken, he hurt, and more than Nymeria healing his wounds he needed to know his cousin was there for him while he doubted so much. He struggled to find the pieces of this new puzzle Maua had laid out before them. And where did his fit in amongst it? I thought, I thought we'd be safer with more influence... that I could... He didn't know. His heavy low voice faded away and his silver eyes shut. Angry, hot, sad, cold.

the druid took pause, watching her cousin with a careful stare, the edges of her complexion smooth and demure, as she wondered what was transpiring beneath that façade of his, and all the words that he might not think to share with her. "you are enough. your bravery was enough, to show your honor and your devotion to the family. victory is not the only thing that matters." nymeria assured, a certain vigor to the phrase, and a hardness that did not usually taint the soft sopranos of her voice. @Aquila was a good man, an honest one, and though he had been plagued by the arrival of these foreigners more strongly than some of their other kin, he was righteous all-the-same. nymeria would be damned before she ever lost faith in him, even for a moment.

"i would by lying if i said that i understood why maua did what they did, but, in time --" and it was then that her words trailed off, the woman clearly torn on the verge of confusion, frustration, and the vast breadth of the unknown. in time, there had to be peace, and prosperity, and fortitude for them -- there just had to be. the only explanation was that now, this time, had not been a moment forged for aquila's fate. and though nymeria did not understand why that may be, it was the only logical explanation that she could come to terms with in that moment.

idly, while the silence would hover momentarily between them, the woman would begin her work, hoping that it might help serve as a nice distraction from the absent trailing thoughts. and so, grasping a few bundles of aloe from her pile, the druid would begin tearing slices along the edges of their rind, preparing them for application, in due time.

Nym was a true and able-bodied leader, her support was infectious. She bolstered some of what was left of his confidence and Aquila nodded while swallowing a thick breath back down into his throat. He felt a strain across the bruise in his chest while his muscles rolled and shifted. Lightly he grunted and then exhaled sharply through his teeth. In time. He repeated lightly on his tongue, his own brand of frustration quite clear in the words. She was on the verge of a sea Aquila had been treading in for months- dove in at the start and been trying not to drown in it. He could not deny Maua had brought this flood in for reasons- it was their design without doubt. But would the reason ever be clear? Who would last to see it through? Gradually though his thoughts on it all began to fade and grow fuzzy while @Nymeria worked on his torn asunder flesh and bloodied body. A mixture of swelling stings, tickling nerves, and calm began to overcome and Aquila absently began to hum some tune from childhood, years ago and lifetimes away in thought. To him the melody had memory and brought him closer to a mindstate he wanted to be in for now. I remember- His tune faded away into his voice. -a time when you were young and too small to even help doctor the smallest cut. Aquila was lost in some part of the past, his voice pointedly absent and just as lost in his memories.

ever-so carefully did she tend to her cousin's wounds, taking special care of the more severe sections of torn and battered flesh. he had fought bravely, and fiercely, and the new scars that would litter his body would be a reflection of that. to be worn with pride, surely, for his bravery and the intentions that had been nothing as pure when initiating that claim. the scent of fresh aloe filled the chasm as she began her application, lathering a thick lather of the gel across his wounds, before pressing it down gingerly with bundles of baby bush, in order to lock in the moisture and keep out any dirt or grim.

she pauses instinctively, however, when she hears the light humming from @Aquila. it was only for a moment or two, but the small hesitance in her movements was noticeable, should he have been paying close enough attention to her movements. thankfully, the soft lull of his baritones bring her back, continuing her work in absent fashion, as a small, nostalgic look graces her features. "i remember always wanting to watch my parents as they tended to the family, and all i ever wanted to do was to be like them. -- it seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?" nymeria said quietly in return, a certain longing underlying the words of grief and reminiscence, swelling a small weight within her chest. there was a flurry of emotion that she seldom let show, that sweet desire for her parent's company and the stability of their judgment. "but, hopefully i've gotten pretty good at it by now." it was her only wish that she could, at least, make her family proud in that way, if nothing else.

The aloe @Nymeria pressed against his skin left a cool spot, a rolling calming sensation creeping outwards into his muscles and nerves. Inflammed skin momentarily quieted under her work and the plant's touch, red harsh and angry edges of wounds bent to her will. He inhaled the aroma with a light breath, how many times had he smelt that before? Anytime he had a scraped knee as a child, taken a battering during a hunt or spar. It was a scent connected with healing and familial love as they took care of one another. He had to do what he could in his own way to take care of Nymeria, his other cousins, the natives. No matter how hard it was.

Many lifetimes. He agreed and lobbed more years on her observation. It was so long ago she was small, at her parent's knees while they worked and loved the pride with all their heart. It was even longer ago he was a babe, carefree and loveable ball of fluff and fat. How many days he'd spent walking these woods carefree, not knowing. Fallen in love, head over heels, at last and now some days it felt like love was a hard emotion to generate even an iota of. You have. He assured, pair of silver eyes glancing down his own bronze tarnished form at the care she'd placed upon him. He felt tired, but far less achey and crushed than before. ... how are you doing? He asked with weight and purpose, meaning beyond the here and now where physically she was in good standing. With everything? It had not been easy for any of them, surely her least of all? Aquila doubted he made it any easier on her too.

meticulous and careful, nymeria hardly had to think twice about what she was doing, at this point. thankfully @Aquila's injuries were not overly severe, lest he might require a bit more poking and prodding, but given some time to rest and a few check-ups, his injuries would fade away, much like a distant memory. though, surely, the emotional scars would last much longer, as the woman was not naïve enough to think otherwise.

she could not help but smile, however, at the feeling of nostalgia that bloomed between them, and the warm feeling that enveloped her figure at the thought. she could see the days of her youth flashing before her eyes, blissful and carefree -- when it had all been simple, and kind, and thoughtless. along with the memories, however, came a pain of realization that things would never be how they were before, despite how hard they tried or how tightly they clung to it. his question only pushed that knife a little deeper into the druid's chest, her smile faltering slightly, hinting already towards her confliction. "i am sad that things aren't what they used to be, and that i feel as though i am letting everyone down. and i am frustrated that maua's intentions continue to evade us." that fear of failure was evident, shrouded behind the fluttering of her lashes, and winding tightly within her chest. she did not fault any of the natives for their emotions, no matter what they were -- but she had been entrusted to protect and guide them, into this new and foreboding chapter. it was a burden she barred upon her shoulders willingly, of course, but aquila had asked and so nymeria would answer truthfully and with candor.