Gawain moves once more; this time, he lays down on the ground. stomach to the stone below, and suddenly elijah does not have to look up at him. he still trembles, still threatens to come apart at the seams, but at least this feels — better. he feels in control, or at least, the illusion is good enough to trick him. no trap he’d ever experienced went quite this far, but he would not put it past them; he remembers their cruelty and the creativeness that came along with it.

they did not often pull the same trick twice, unless it was a good one.

the story he tells… is an upsetting one. three times, @Gawain says. three times his life had been bartered for, three times he could have been… saved. spared the worst of the pits, of the lions who dwelt there. three times he could have been rescued, before his companions had finally managed to get out. immediately other questions follow. when were these three times? were they before, or after, the pits had ruined him? were they before, or after, he’d suffered the worst pain imaginable again and again? those questions and more itch on the tip of his tongue but elijah pauses, shakes his head quietly in a non-answer. deciding that… if he did want to know, he didn’t want to know now.

doesn’t think he could stomach it.

there’s something in Gawain’s tone that gives him pause, even above his own pain. there’s a bitterness there that he hears and understands; it reverberates in his chest until it sticks. you… you’re telling the truth, aren’t you? elijah asks in a quiet voice. upset, visceral and ruinous, still sits upon his features and colors his words, but there’s a deeper sense of… something there. the beginnings of belief, and everything else that might come with it.

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Gawain watched the expressions flash across @Elijah's face as he spoke. He studied the smaller lion, the first he'd found who had escaped after he'd failed to save them. The first he'd been able to speak to. Maybe others that he'd failed had been able to escape as well.

He noticed he shook his head, but didn't question it. Didn't want to push him.

Then, the white lion piped up. You're telling the truth, aren't you?

Gawain simply nodded quietly, not looking Elijah in the eyes. He couldn't. The lion he failed. The representation of every time he had failed, or slipped up. He studied his paws instead, his huge paws that had carried so many to freedom, and had failed so many more. He would answer any questions Elijah had, but he wasn't sure what else to say now.

he…. he still isn’t sure he believes gawain. but there’s something that itches in the back of his mind. @Gawain knows more than he should ( how else would he know about the raid that’d provided the perfect cover for their daring escape? how else would he know about the inner workings of those bastards and their operation? ), and that in itself is telling. but, it’s more than that. it’s in the way he doesn’t look at him anymore: his piece has been said, and he averts his eyes as if waiting for judgement. elijah wants to be judge, jury and executioner; he wants to hurt this lion for all the hurt that he had suffered. but… that wasn’t the way he did things. that wasn’t the way he wanted to be.

a shaky exhale blows from his nostrils and with it, all the biting fight he’d bolstered himself with. he feels weak and shaky; his world has been turned on its head, and he feels as though he’s been through the wringer a time or two. i suppose i… should thank you. he says after a long moment, toes flexing into the stone — his claws scraping harmlessly against it. the movement is short-lived as his gaze drops down to his paws, brows furrowed so tightly he can feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. i did not know that anyone was willing to help me in that place. i… i had no idea that’s what you were doing. that was the point, of course; if gawain’s plan had been common knowledge, surely he wouldn’t be allowed to use those same resources or walk those same paths. but knowing that someone was trying to help him, even in the bleakest times… well.

it doesn’t change much, and certainly can’t change the past.

but he feels… better. maybe. it’s hard to tell through the pain, but finally his gaze rises to gawain’s, hoping to catch his gaze and hold it.

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A tiny part of Gawain expected @Elijah to yell or scream or even attack him. He wouldn't have fought back, or even blamed him. But he didn't. To his utter surprise, he... thanked him? He heard the lion's claws scrape against the stone, but the other lion sounded genuinely grateful. He looked up in surprise and the lions locked eyes for a moment. He wanted to look the smaller lion over, check him for injuries, but he was worried it would look more like an appraisal than a caring movement.

He cleared his throat abruptly. He hadn't anticipated any of this, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it all. It felt like there was a toad in his throat. He pawed at his face, then licked his paw- a nervous gesture. "I'm still going back regularly, to help others. I'm working on creating alliances with the prides of this land to create a safe place for them. I have... strong suspicions that Alex ran off here as well, though I haven't run across them yet. If you catch...familiar scents, try not to panic. If He shows up... he will not survive the encounter." The lion he was referring to was clear, and his voice took on a strong tone of menace before dropping it again. "And if you need anything... don't hesitate to ask."

@Elijah

their eyes lock and elijah freezes, letting out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding. he holds the larger man’s gaze, brows raised high and ears tilted forward. an open expression, offering more than he ever could with words. true gratitude would come later once he’s had a chance to digest this news, once he’s had a chance to put himself back together. but for now, he hopes ( oh, he hopes ) that this is enough. that this is a good start. and then, suddenly, the moment is over. elijah lets it go, sand through his fingers, but his ears angle forward as the brown-pelted beast speaks. try not to panic. an easier thing said than done. but he takes the advice to heart, and tries not to let his breathing stall out as @Gawain continues. he swallows thickly but nods finally, showing an understanding. he… he hoped it never came to that. he hoped he never showed his face on this island.

gawain’s offer of assistance isn’t easily accepted, but accepted nonetheless. it’s still a strange thing, to put these warm feelings to this man; one who’s past was so intertwined in the worst times of elijah’s life. i am the medic of a pride here. obsidian hollows. elijah says, slowly. he isn’t keen on giving much more than that away, not right now. not so close to obsidian. i keep my cache stocked in case of emergencies, and we always have extra food to spare. if you… if you need anything, too… elijah did not have much to offer and could never make it up to gawain for trying in the past. but moving forward, he could... he could do this. an attempt to make things right, and an attempt to help others.

he swallows thickly then, gaze skittering away before returning. my name is elijah, by the way. and his was gawain, not preston. never preston.

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"He won't take you," Gawain promised, perhaps slightly more aggressive than he needed to. Gawain finally smiled when @Elijah said he was a medic. Of course he was. The soft little lion tossed into the ring, the little lion who wouldn't fight. It all made sense. "A medic. That's... a noble cause. I'm proud of you... Elijah."

Now that they were a bit more comfortable with each other, Gawain pushed himself back up to a sitting position. The cold of the stone felt nice, but he knew his joints would not be thanking him later.

He considered this new information. Obsidian Hollow... he wasn't entirely sure where it was, but due to Elijah's nervous disposition, he assumed it was close by. "This is a tall order, and I won't blame you for saying no. But do you think your leader would be willing to meet with me sometime, to discuss an alliance?"

it feels strange to much so much stock in a stranger’s words, but… gawain wasn’t a stranger, was he? they were meeting for the first time, yes, but their past intertwined so much that it simply felt like… fate. so when gawain says that he does not need to worry, that he will not be taken again, elijah is quieted by the confidence in those words. what’s more than that, he understands it to be true, and the relief that rushes in is… indescribable.

the answering smile that comes is small and shaky, but grateful.

@Gawain sits up and elijah pauses for a moment, before mimicking him. lightened haunches lower to the floor slowly; an obvious show of trust, equivalent to baring his throat to the brute. his request is a tall order, elijah can’t help but agree, but still he nods. once, firmly; no hesitation in his frame. i’m sure they will, and i’m sure they will help you. if magnus ( or even nadia ) would not help gawain and his mission, then they were not the lions he thought they were. and — i will, too. i'd like to. however he could, even if it was just supplying gawain with provisions for these trips or patching him up along the process.

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A feeling of relief flooded over Gawain when @Elijah sat. He wasn't afraid of him. This, more than any words he could offer, made it clear, and that brought Gawain some long-lost peace.

"I will visit soon then. And I'll call for you at the border." Tension he didn't know he had been holding released in his shoulders and face, so much so that he almost slouched. He was on his way to finding a new ally, one of the lions he'd thought lost was safe, and even beyond that, forgave him. This conversation only strengthened his resolve. Perhaps soon, Darkstone would be taken down. Once and for all. "Thank you, Elijah. If there's anyone you believe is still there that you know... just give me a name and description."

He knew he couldn't free everyone. The king, the elites, and many of the warriors would have to be taken out for that to be possible. So his methods had been to pull those that wouldn't make it much longer, those who were set to be killed or worse. Usually, that meant taking whoever had been there the longest. He wished he had an inside man, but he would never put anyone through that hell. He just needed to go back more.

he's quietly relieved that gawain doesn't want to have this conversation today. elijah isn't sure if he could take rehashing all this again, espesically for his sovereigns of all people. that was bound to be an awkward, skin-crawling conversation but... but. it was important. it needed to happen. after all, the brown-pelted brute was doing good and he'd need all the help he could get.

i... i'm not sure. half-remembered faces drift in, blurred together by time and trauma. his brows furrow, thinking. any of the ones that were there when he left were surely already gone; either dead or shipped off, or in such a sorry state that they'd be better off dead. yet he thinks of his companions, the ones he'd barely seen since that terrible place. when i escaped, there were a few others who made it out, too. one was a lioness with black fur and a scar over her eye. he gestures to his own face, marking where eden's disfigurement would lay. i know she made it out, and made it here, but... i haven't seen her in a few months. she might have just moved on, but.... he hopes, spirits how he hopes!, that eden just got tired of this island and moved on to greener pastures. but with a past like theirs, it's hard not to assume the worst.

clearing his throat, he rises back to his feet -- no longer a defensive move. he looks to @Gawain, a small smile playing at his lips; he is tired and hurt, but... standing here, unafraid. i should be getting back now, but... thank you. for everything. it doesn't seem like enough, but it's all he has for now. besides, of course, adding quietly: i look forward to talking with you again. an extended hand, an offer. maybe they could be... friends? share the weight of their shared trauma, of the horrible situation that fate bonded them with. he'd like to get to know gawain, and leave preston behind.

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Gawain thouht back, the mental catalogue of every lion he knew of in that pride flipping though his mind as @Elijah spoke. A black lioness with a scar, that could be a handful, but the white lion had pointed out the precise scar. He dipped his head to the smaller lion. "She wasn't there last time I went, but I will be making another trip very soon. I'll check then."

When the smaller lion stood, Gawain nodded and smiled back at him. This conversation had been deeply healing for both lions. And now he had a vow to protect someone else on this island, making the prospect of staying here feel so much easier. "Safe travels, Elijah. We'll meet again soon. And... thank you, for listening." The larger lion hoped to check in regularly, if for nothing else, to make sure the medic was still safe.