Eclipse yawned as he started to awaken, whining softly as he curled further into himself.
The Prince and the Assassin (closed o/o)
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Felix looked back into the cart. He was about to ask if Eclipse was okay, but held his tongue, afraid that he would startle the other.
Eclipse looked up at the other after another moment, "How far have we come?" he asked sleepily, his hood falling back as he sat up.
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"Fairly far. We're pretty close to the next major town. We couldn't get there tonight, but perhaps a bit into tomorrow," Felix replied, "The horses need to rest for the night."
Eclipse nodded, "Understandable…" he said softly.
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"I wish we could… You know, actually sleep in a bed. That'd be nice," Felix said softly, "but it's alright. I have enough things to do makeshift bedding for us in the back of the cart. Although I don't think I'll be sleeping for a while. Or maybe I'm will. I'm still feeling a bit off-kilter if I'm being honest."
Eclipse nodded quietly as a response, "Sounds good" he murmured.
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"Alright… would you like to take turns on watch?" Felix suggested, "You can pick whether you want to go first or second. Should be a pretty quiet night, but you can never be too careful."
Eclipse hummed, "I can go first.." he said softly, surprised the other trusted him so.
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"Alright, thanks. I'll try to get some more rest in. Then you can wake me when your watch is over, and I can get the cart moving again in the morning, as soon as the horses are ready to go," Felix explained.
He began to unpack a few things from his bag, including an old, ragged bedroll, and some of his extra clothes.
"Just let me know what you want to use to rest on," he said.
"I-I'll be fine.." he mumbled, not used to being offered anything.
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"At least a little something to rest your head on," Felix insisted, "I don't use all of this when I'm out alone, so the least I could do it offer some to you."
"I-I can't…" said Eclipse, lost for any reason as to why Felix did anything anymore.
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Felix's brow furrowed a little bit with sympathy. He laid aside a few of the things he didn't intend to use. It was up to Eclipse whether or not to use them.
"Oh… okay," he muttered, more surprised than anything.
The cart came to a halt, and Felix looked over the side to see the lake. He unhitched the two horses, and they went along to drink and graze. He leaned up against the side of the cart and watched them, then went to go take some water to drink himself. Felix bent down on the rocky shore and brought his cupped hands up to his mouth to take a sip.
Eclipse figured it was time to get up, and followed him. He kept his distance from the horses as he went to the water to drink, cupping it with his own hands and sipping at it. He stood and looked to the trees quietly, something inside him, just…. calling to them. He needed to shift and explore his wolf half, a side he'd suppressed growing up, a side that he was told was unnatural, weak. But now… Now it couldn't be denied much longer.
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Felix saw a few fireflies light up over the lake and smiled. He dipped his hand into the water and a few small fish approached, lovingly nibbling at his fingertips. Felix laughed.
He cast a gaze over to Eclipse and his expression dropped slightly. There was something wrong. Well, of course there was something wrong. A couple of days of freedom wouldn't fix years of torment. But Felix wanted so desperately to help.
Eclipse sighed, resisting the urge to shift, knowing he would spook the horses, but he knew he had to eventually. But not yet.
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Once Felix was ready, he climbed back up into the wagon and set up his bedding.
"I'm going to sleep," he said, "Wake me when it's my turn."
Eclipse nodded, "I will.." he said softly, settling on the edge of the lake to think, staring up at the moon as it rose high into the sky as the hours passed.
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Felix fell asleep quickly again, completely out in a dreamless slumber. Gods, he was so tired, despite all of the rest he'd been doing. He fell almost completely still as he slept, save for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. A peaceful look fell over his face.
Eclipse kept watch until midnight, staring up at the moon, feeling it's light, as well as the shadows all around him calling to his wolf side. He knew with certanty the was growing every second that he had to let loose, soon.
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Felix rolled over on his injured side and jolted awake. He let out a soft hiss in pain and started to sit up, pulling his cloak tighter around his shoulders.
Eclipse heard the small sound from th other, and got to his feet, heading over to the wagon. "You okay?" he asked quietly, watching the other.
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“Yeah, just was laying weird,” Felix replied, “Is it about time to switch out?”
Eclipse nodded, "Yeah, about.." he said softly, looking down at the ground as he tried to figure out how to approach the other about his small problem. He still needed to let loose on his wolf side, and now was the best time, but he needed Felix to be okay with it.
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Felix tilted his head.
"You alright?" he asked.
Felix had some serious bedhead, he still looked tired and was yawning, but he figured he could take a few hours of watch and sleep on the road the following day.
"I-If you need more sleep I'm good to stay up…" he said finally, unable to find the words to ask, not willing to risk getting hurt again, the way he always did when he asked for anything.
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“You need rest too, don’t you?” Felix insisted, “It’s alright. I’m aching really badly so I don’t think I can go back to sleep anyway.”
Eclipse shook his head, "I… I don't think I could sleep right now either.." he said softly, not wanting to explain, much less even being able to.
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“We can stay up together then,” Felix said, “Or you could at least try to doze for a bit.”