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Featuring Saria and Demetrius

With mentions of Uma , Icarus and Aldora

Fall 328, Hissing Sands

Words of Sour Honey <-- Previous || Next --> At Long Last

The battle flashed before her eyes and seemed to finally shake the fog from her mind. Saria whined and took a step back as the spell seemed to lift from her mind only to be replaced with a throbbing headache. She only opened her eyes when she heard the mare give a shout after Demetris initial charge.

"You and your cow aren't worth my time! I hope you choke on the sand!" The mare shouted before tearing off into the desert. Demetri stood tall and stomped a hoof before turning to look back at Saria. His face softened as he approached her, concern filling his eyes.

"Saria...? Are you alright?" He asked, eyes flickering over her body to double check that that Blight hadn't bitten or infected her somehow. He didn't think she had been speaking with her long but he wouldn't know without asking. Of course, he couldn't just launch into a million questions. Judging by the look on Saria's face, she was beginning to realize what had happened. As the seconds ticked by it grew more and more horrified as her eyes moved to the scuffed up mud where the pair had fought. They followed Uma's tracks back out into the sand and then finally looked at Demetri.

Her mouth opened but words failed her as she felt her chest tighten and her eyes sting. It was all catching up to her. That she had abandoned the herd just to prove herself. That not only had she failed in finding her shrine but she had also wandered right into the maw of a Blight. She would have likely died, or worse, been infected and then led the mare right to her friends. It was only because Demetri had found her that she was in one piece.

The weight of her failure came crashing down as her eyes spilled over in big runny tears. Demetri just offered a smile, the stallion beginning to reassure her when she turned tail and bolted away. Demetri blinked in shock, unable to register why she would flee from him but it didn't matter. After a beat he rushed after her, calling out for her to stop.

"Saira!! SARIA!! Where are you going!? Stop!" He gasped, galloping after her as the mare rushed over the nearest dune.

She didn't stop, she couldn't. Facing him would mean facing all of her failures, all of her screw ups and she just...she couldn't handle it right now. She choked back her sobs as he hurried over the dune, not wanting to inhale any of the sand she was kicking up but really, what did it matter? She was going to lose precious water with her stupid tears yet she couldn't stop them. She just pushed herself to hurry, the mare stumbling and slipping in the deep sand as she crested the dune and began sliding down the other side. Demetri did his best to keep up but it wasn't like either of them were used to running in sand. Then it hit him, why was he struggling? Sand was still earth right? He smirked to himself and focused a little more on his steps. He channeled his magic to harden the sand under hoof and to his delight it worked!

His speed increased and with a bit of cockiness the stallion leapt ahead of Saria entirely. He came to a stop a few feet ahead of her at the bottom of the dune and watched as he put on the breaks to stop before crashing into him. She made a face at him and sniffed through the tears as she glared.

"C-cheater." She huffed, turning her head away as she hid behind her forelock. She shifted to rub her cheek against her shoulder as Demetri sighed and watched her.

"Saria, why did you run like that? I'm not mad you know...for anything." He explained as Saria's frown grew angrier. "I'm just glad you're alright..."

"Look, I get it Demetri. I should be grateful and all that. But I just...just go away. Please." She snipped, avoiding making direct eye contact with him. The sharpness of her words surprised the bay who's head raised in shock.

"Go away? You want me to go away?!" He laughed and tried not take it too personally. This had to be a residual effect of that Blight. Surely.

"Yes Demetri. Go away. I left for a reason. If I had wanted your help then I would have asked for it!" She barked, not appreciating his laughter.

"Oh yeah, I should have guessed that. Not like my feelings matter. You said we were going to discuss this Saria. But you just left us!! All of us! Do you have any idea how upset Aldora was when she woke up and you were gone?"

"Don't bring her into this!! I don't need a guilt trip from you." Saria hissed as she snapped her head around to glare at him. She knew he was mad too but he just...he didn't understand.

"Well you should know! We care about you and to wake up to you having vanished into the desert!? That was terrifying!"

"You left us too you know. You took off to find your temple!" Saria accused as Demetri rolled his eyes.

"I TOLD you where I was going or did you forget!? We talked that morning, we made a plan and came to a decision together. I didn't just abandon everyone." He reminded with a swish of his tail.

"I didn't abandon the herd. You're just being ridiculous." Saria snapped again, throwing her head a little as her horn stabbed at the sky. She really didn't appreciate how guilty he was making her feel. She felt bad enough as it was! Why did he have to rub it in? This was more along the lines of Icarus' type of behavior, not Demetri.

"Well it's a good thing I found your trail, otherwise there is no telling where you would have been carted off to-"

"Oh there it is. Is that what you want Demetri!? Some big gushy thank you?" Saria barked, stepping up as the tears flowed a new. That was it, she wasn't going to stand there and take this. Not from him.

"Well THANK YOU sooooo much Demetrius! Thank you for saving my sorry hide yet again. I would be soooo lost and helpless without you. Thank you for reminding me how weak and useless I AM!" Her voice echoed over the empty dunes as those last words rang out. Demetri stood there stunned, face having dropped more and more as the mare shouted at him. He hadn't...meant it like that. Not in the slightest. But had he...given her that impression?

He gave them both a moment to think and for Saria to catch her breath. He looked at his hooves, licked his lips and sighed as he looked at her again.

"Do you really think I believe that Saria? You're not weak or useless. That's not what I meant..." He offered gently as the mare shuffled her hooves a little.

"Well...I dunno why you don't. It's true." She sighed, hanging her head as he made a face.

"Why on earth do you think that?"

"Well...I was doing poorly on my own when I you found me... You saved me from those wolves. Then I tried to prove myself with those goblins and you had to save me again then too...I just...I thought if I could do this on my own I could prove that I wasn't useless. That I'm not a burden to everyone. That I can add something to the herd instead of constantly bring about problems." She explained softly. Surprisingly, talking about it helped her eyes to dry though her voice did crack a little as she spoke. It wasn't exactly easy admitting to your faults. "Besides...you found your temple and reconnected to your magic all on your own. I should be able to at least do that. Otherwise do I really deserve it?" She pointed out, glancing at him briefly. She couldn't stand to hold his gaze at the moment, even if it was soft and kind. He was entirely too understanding and she didn't deserve it.

"First of all, my temple was in a lush, shady forest with easily accessible water and plenty of food. This is an entirely different beast." He explained. "If I was in your situation, I would would have asked for help. Honest. I agree that this is no place for Aldora but I would have tried to convince Icarus to come along. I doubt he would have but that's an entirely different situation." He chuckled weakly. "Second of all, just because you've had bad luck with your battles doesn't mean you, as a whole, are weak. That's ridiculous. You've still walked away from each of those fights alive and that's what matters. If I recall correctly you killed two of those goblins. It's not like they just wailed on you and you let it happen." He snorted. "You should give yourself some credit." He carefully stepped up a little closer to her, the stallion tilting his head to try and meet her eyes.

"If you want to do this on your own I'll let you...I'm just glad you're okay." He explained. "But I could also just trail behind you and offer some back up if you happen to need it again. Besides, I think even in this sand I could grow a little something to eat. I could at least feed you." He teased which got the smallest of laughs from her.

"I hope you realize how strange that sounds." She hummed as he nodded.

"Yeah I do." He assured, pausing again before sighing. "Sorry...for raising my voice and making it seem like you owed me a thank you for before."

"It's okay...you deserve one. I just stood there like an idiot and told her all my secrets. Gods...that was.." She shook her head and sighed again. "It was so strange. Like my mouth and brain were completely separated. I knew I needed to run, to get away from her but I just kept talking..."

"They're terrifying those Blights..." He nodded, frowning again as he looked her over. "And she didn't hurt you?"

"No...she just wanted to keep talking. Wanted me to take her back to the herd." Her expression fell a little as she looked to Demetri concerned. "She wanted to meet Aldora...she kept trying to get me to talk about her." Demetri frowned as well and sighed, eyes moving out over the endless dunes.

"Let's get going then...that temple has to be close by. She seemed to know what you were looking for. That or she was just lying." He growled as Saria rolled her eyes.

"I think she was lying...but maybe not? It's so hard to tell with their types." She watched as Demetri turned, starting to walk away but paused when he noticed she wasn't following.

"Sorry for yelling at you..." She hummed, needing to apologize as well. "I just...you didn't deserve it. I should be more honest next time. I just...wanted to come off strong." She explained, peeking at him shyly as Demetri smiled.

"You're plenty strong to me Saria. Like I said...you took on a whole pack of goblins, you put up with Icarus on the daily..." He grinned when he got her to laugh. "...and you still attempted this all on your own. You stood down a Blight, charmed or not by her." He reminded, giving her a small bump with his shoulder. "You're crazy brave."

"Yeah well...I'd like to be brave and have some magic to wield. I saw you with those vines." She smiled, turning to take the lead as they started off into the desert once more. "That was some move...sure did scare her off in a hurry too." She grinned as Demetri shrugged. He knew she was feeling pretty low and the last thing he wanted was to flaunt his ego.

"Ahh well...I had a feeling she might have been all talk. As much as she was running her mouth." He reasoned, looking ahead at the sandy hills. Truthfully he had acted rather impulsively and, honestly, foolishly. That Blight could have easily walloped him, one bite and there was no telling what she could have done to him. Those teeth couldn't have been only for show and he wasn't sure what would have been worse. Being left the bleed out in the desert or being corrupted and slowly loosing his mind.

As relieved as Saria is to be free of Uma's charm, it quickly hits her how much danger she was actually in.

Demetri pursues her as she makes a break for it, only to find out the mare is struggling with feeling like a burden and like the weak link in the herd. The two air out their concerns; Demetri not happy that she left without a word and Saria explaining that she hates that he has to keep saving her.

In the end, they clear the air and are, arguably, closer for it x3x

Demetri reflects on how reckless his own actions were for attempting to fight the Blight and silently decides that awakening everyone's magic is in all of their best interest.

Word Count: 2,090

Description

Featuring Saria and Demetrius

With mentions of Uma , Icarus and Aldora

Fall 328, Hissing Sands

Words of Sour Honey <-- Previous || Next --> At Long Last

The battle flashed before her eyes and seemed to finally shake the fog from her mind. Saria whined and took a step back as the spell seemed to lift from her mind only to be replaced with a throbbing headache. She only opened her eyes when she heard the mare give a shout after Demetris initial charge.

"You and your cow aren't worth my time! I hope you choke on the sand!" The mare shouted before tearing off into the desert. Demetri stood tall and stomped a hoof before turning to look back at Saria. His face softened as he approached her, concern filling his eyes.

"Saria...? Are you alright?" He asked, eyes flickering over her body to double check that that Blight hadn't bitten or infected her somehow. He didn't think she had been speaking with her long but he wouldn't know without asking. Of course, he couldn't just launch into a million questions. Judging by the look on Saria's face, she was beginning to realize what had happened. As the seconds ticked by it grew more and more horrified as her eyes moved to the scuffed up mud where the pair had fought. They followed Uma's tracks back out into the sand and then finally looked at Demetri.

Her mouth opened but words failed her as she felt her chest tighten and her eyes sting. It was all catching up to her. That she had abandoned the herd just to prove herself. That not only had she failed in finding her shrine but she had also wandered right into the maw of a Blight. She would have likely died, or worse, been infected and then led the mare right to her friends. It was only because Demetri had found her that she was in one piece.

The weight of her failure came crashing down as her eyes spilled over in big runny tears. Demetri just offered a smile, the stallion beginning to reassure her when she turned tail and bolted away. Demetri blinked in shock, unable to register why she would flee from him but it didn't matter. After a beat he rushed after her, calling out for her to stop.

"Saira!! SARIA!! Where are you going!? Stop!" He gasped, galloping after her as the mare rushed over the nearest dune.

She didn't stop, she couldn't. Facing him would mean facing all of her failures, all of her screw ups and she just...she couldn't handle it right now. She choked back her sobs as he hurried over the dune, not wanting to inhale any of the sand she was kicking up but really, what did it matter? She was going to lose precious water with her stupid tears yet she couldn't stop them. She just pushed herself to hurry, the mare stumbling and slipping in the deep sand as she crested the dune and began sliding down the other side. Demetri did his best to keep up but it wasn't like either of them were used to running in sand. Then it hit him, why was he struggling? Sand was still earth right? He smirked to himself and focused a little more on his steps. He channeled his magic to harden the sand under hoof and to his delight it worked!

His speed increased and with a bit of cockiness the stallion leapt ahead of Saria entirely. He came to a stop a few feet ahead of her at the bottom of the dune and watched as he put on the breaks to stop before crashing into him. She made a face at him and sniffed through the tears as she glared.

"C-cheater." She huffed, turning her head away as she hid behind her forelock. She shifted to rub her cheek against her shoulder as Demetri sighed and watched her.

"Saria, why did you run like that? I'm not mad you know...for anything." He explained as Saria's frown grew angrier. "I'm just glad you're alright..."

"Look, I get it Demetri. I should be grateful and all that. But I just...just go away. Please." She snipped, avoiding making direct eye contact with him. The sharpness of her words surprised the bay who's head raised in shock.

"Go away? You want me to go away?!" He laughed and tried not take it too personally. This had to be a residual effect of that Blight. Surely.

"Yes Demetri. Go away. I left for a reason. If I had wanted your help then I would have asked for it!" She barked, not appreciating his laughter.

"Oh yeah, I should have guessed that. Not like my feelings matter. You said we were going to discuss this Saria. But you just left us!! All of us! Do you have any idea how upset Aldora was when she woke up and you were gone?"

"Don't bring her into this!! I don't need a guilt trip from you." Saria hissed as she snapped her head around to glare at him. She knew he was mad too but he just...he didn't understand.

"Well you should know! We care about you and to wake up to you having vanished into the desert!? That was terrifying!"

"You left us too you know. You took off to find your temple!" Saria accused as Demetri rolled his eyes.

"I TOLD you where I was going or did you forget!? We talked that morning, we made a plan and came to a decision together. I didn't just abandon everyone." He reminded with a swish of his tail.

"I didn't abandon the herd. You're just being ridiculous." Saria snapped again, throwing her head a little as her horn stabbed at the sky. She really didn't appreciate how guilty he was making her feel. She felt bad enough as it was! Why did he have to rub it in? This was more along the lines of Icarus' type of behavior, not Demetri.

"Well it's a good thing I found your trail, otherwise there is no telling where you would have been carted off to-"

"Oh there it is. Is that what you want Demetri!? Some big gushy thank you?" Saria barked, stepping up as the tears flowed a new. That was it, she wasn't going to stand there and take this. Not from him.

"Well THANK YOU sooooo much Demetrius! Thank you for saving my sorry hide yet again. I would be soooo lost and helpless without you. Thank you for reminding me how weak and useless I AM!" Her voice echoed over the empty dunes as those last words rang out. Demetri stood there stunned, face having dropped more and more as the mare shouted at him. He hadn't...meant it like that. Not in the slightest. But had he...given her that impression?

He gave them both a moment to think and for Saria to catch her breath. He looked at his hooves, licked his lips and sighed as he looked at her again.

"Do you really think I believe that Saria? You're not weak or useless. That's not what I meant..." He offered gently as the mare shuffled her hooves a little.

"Well...I dunno why you don't. It's true." She sighed, hanging her head as he made a face.

"Why on earth do you think that?"

"Well...I was doing poorly on my own when I you found me... You saved me from those wolves. Then I tried to prove myself with those goblins and you had to save me again then too...I just...I thought if I could do this on my own I could prove that I wasn't useless. That I'm not a burden to everyone. That I can add something to the herd instead of constantly bring about problems." She explained softly. Surprisingly, talking about it helped her eyes to dry though her voice did crack a little as she spoke. It wasn't exactly easy admitting to your faults. "Besides...you found your temple and reconnected to your magic all on your own. I should be able to at least do that. Otherwise do I really deserve it?" She pointed out, glancing at him briefly. She couldn't stand to hold his gaze at the moment, even if it was soft and kind. He was entirely too understanding and she didn't deserve it.

"First of all, my temple was in a lush, shady forest with easily accessible water and plenty of food. This is an entirely different beast." He explained. "If I was in your situation, I would would have asked for help. Honest. I agree that this is no place for Aldora but I would have tried to convince Icarus to come along. I doubt he would have but that's an entirely different situation." He chuckled weakly. "Second of all, just because you've had bad luck with your battles doesn't mean you, as a whole, are weak. That's ridiculous. You've still walked away from each of those fights alive and that's what matters. If I recall correctly you killed two of those goblins. It's not like they just wailed on you and you let it happen." He snorted. "You should give yourself some credit." He carefully stepped up a little closer to her, the stallion tilting his head to try and meet her eyes.

"If you want to do this on your own I'll let you...I'm just glad you're okay." He explained. "But I could also just trail behind you and offer some back up if you happen to need it again. Besides, I think even in this sand I could grow a little something to eat. I could at least feed you." He teased which got the smallest of laughs from her.

"I hope you realize how strange that sounds." She hummed as he nodded.

"Yeah I do." He assured, pausing again before sighing. "Sorry...for raising my voice and making it seem like you owed me a thank you for before."

"It's okay...you deserve one. I just stood there like an idiot and told her all my secrets. Gods...that was.." She shook her head and sighed again. "It was so strange. Like my mouth and brain were completely separated. I knew I needed to run, to get away from her but I just kept talking..."

"They're terrifying those Blights..." He nodded, frowning again as he looked her over. "And she didn't hurt you?"

"No...she just wanted to keep talking. Wanted me to take her back to the herd." Her expression fell a little as she looked to Demetri concerned. "She wanted to meet Aldora...she kept trying to get me to talk about her." Demetri frowned as well and sighed, eyes moving out over the endless dunes.

"Let's get going then...that temple has to be close by. She seemed to know what you were looking for. That or she was just lying." He growled as Saria rolled her eyes.

"I think she was lying...but maybe not? It's so hard to tell with their types." She watched as Demetri turned, starting to walk away but paused when he noticed she wasn't following.

"Sorry for yelling at you..." She hummed, needing to apologize as well. "I just...you didn't deserve it. I should be more honest next time. I just...wanted to come off strong." She explained, peeking at him shyly as Demetri smiled.

"You're plenty strong to me Saria. Like I said...you took on a whole pack of goblins, you put up with Icarus on the daily..." He grinned when he got her to laugh. "...and you still attempted this all on your own. You stood down a Blight, charmed or not by her." He reminded, giving her a small bump with his shoulder. "You're crazy brave."

"Yeah well...I'd like to be brave and have some magic to wield. I saw you with those vines." She smiled, turning to take the lead as they started off into the desert once more. "That was some move...sure did scare her off in a hurry too." She grinned as Demetri shrugged. He knew she was feeling pretty low and the last thing he wanted was to flaunt his ego.

"Ahh well...I had a feeling she might have been all talk. As much as she was running her mouth." He reasoned, looking ahead at the sandy hills. Truthfully he had acted rather impulsively and, honestly, foolishly. That Blight could have easily walloped him, one bite and there was no telling what she could have done to him. Those teeth couldn't have been only for show and he wasn't sure what would have been worse. Being left the bleed out in the desert or being corrupted and slowly loosing his mind.

As relieved as Saria is to be free of Uma's charm, it quickly hits her how much danger she was actually in.

Demetri pursues her as she makes a break for it, only to find out the mare is struggling with feeling like a burden and like the weak link in the herd. The two air out their concerns; Demetri not happy that she left without a word and Saria explaining that she hates that he has to keep saving her.

In the end, they clear the air and are, arguably, closer for it x3x

Demetri reflects on how reckless his own actions were for attempting to fight the Blight and silently decides that awakening everyone's magic is in all of their best interest.

Word Count: 2,090