She nodded, all humans were connected in some way, even the outsiders. What the unicorn didn't realize was that every one of them were fools, even the greatest wise man had a fatal flaw, something that didn't work. "You should see how humans from different cultures interact for the first time, how each stumble, how neither one of them understands anything about the other side at first. They need to almost learn how to walk again, learn to see in a different way, need to relearn everything. They all feel like fools, all of them. And Humans are all part of the same species, not different species. Only young children can bridge that kind of distance effortlessly."

There really weren't any ways to completely put everything into words, humans studied cultures for their entire short lives and still did not know how to. The doe curled up, slid her cheek across the stone until the tip of one horn grazed it. "I have never belonged here." Silence gathered around them. "I lost the possibility to belong anywhere when I fell, maybe before that. But I'm still here, I don't understand much about this....place." Her words trailed of in their similarity, they had more in common then she thought. She felt threatened somehow, this was to close to before. Too close to feel safe anymore. "I can go places, anywhere really. Just not back. Never back, never home. We both have here right here now, right now. Even if this isn't home."

(Oh Reate we love you! Lil is just a fuss-bucket about trusting, she'll get over it. This song just reminded me of this rp for some reason )

Her eyes closed and she relaxed, eased her muscles, just concentrated on breathing. Each in and out breath brought a calmness that had evaded the old one for a long time. This place wasn't a home but at times like this it almost felt like she belonged. The feeling would fade away certainly but right now she finally felt settled. The rocks must have lent her their sense of what happened around them, they would be slowly worn away and yet they welcomed it because they had eternity.

And Reate was safe, Achilles and his children were safe, Aurik and his little ones were safe. All safe, all on their way to being sound. That made all the difference in the world. Her eyes opened again, a soft hum started its way out of her mouth. A stretch of the legs and like some stiff flower she unfurled. Lilith smiled, a rarity for her. She raised her head up and dipped it behind the boulder, a few seconds later a large sea shell was flipped at the unicorn. "Yes."

(I am forever thankful for my youtube suggestions <3 )

"So would I." The shell was pushed back to him, it was a gift.

"Only went far enough to see if the path continued, still pretty far up in the mountains honestly. That shell was from my old hoard." He thought that she would leave without him, made clear by the look on his face. One of her eyebrows raised into a curve, the very idea seemed almost humorous to her. A promise was a promise. "It wouldn't be right to finally go without you. I can wait, that path won't be going anywhere." She heaved herself up, grumbling as her joints popped and came closer.

"In the meantime we should do something about those cuts, looks like you ransacked a China shop."

Checkmate. Smugness welled up though her expression did not falter, if he really wished to go he would have to do something to help himself. She watched him curl up like a dried up pill bug and shook her large head. This would be difficult.

"A place that sells china, plates, cups, saucers, that kind of thing. Made out of glass, porcelain and perhaps...marble? The humans have a rather odd saying that some individuals were 'like bulls in a china shop'. Essentially means that person is or is acting clumsily, aggressively, without care or concern, without self-control. No idea how on earth they knew how a bull would act in a china shop....makes me wonder if it actually happened. Humans are indeed strange creatures."

Hopefully her ramble would distract him long enough for her to figure out what to do about his condition. She had an idea but wasn't sure if it would work, her method for fixing things like this was usually to wait it out and suffer through it. That probably wouldn't work with Reate.

She came to a stop right beside him, head lowered until her lips just touched the fur of his back. The same pose she'd taken explaining death to Leo for the first time. Her crude phrasing had made this worse, this was the reason she often stayed silent.

"People often forget that a needle may hold a thread." Her breath stirred his cream fur like wheat in the wind. "What makes holes can also sew up gaps. We all learn, change, make mistakes but forget that we posses the ability to make things as right as they can be. Whatever got you into this mess there is a possibility that you can change it, that you can fix it."

"A great human leader once said that the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here. He spoke truly, in comparison to the universe we do not matter. What is said and done between us are of no consequence and the universe will not change."

Or so she believed anyway, what did eternity care for every little soul lost? How many soap bubbles popped before it ended? It didn't. All long lived things ended up caring about the only thing that remained, themselves.

"And yet, 149 years later people still remember what that man said. He changed the course of human history for the better. If you do not try you will never know what you might improve, what you may change. The grand scheme of things simply does not exist, there is no pattern unless you make it. Not knowing what might have been will haunt you, I learned that lesson much too late."

"Exactly." She coughed, embarrassed that she was talking in circles.
"I'm afraid that I'm not making much sense anymore....mmm. I always swore that I would never end up like the old ones, spewing riddles to every question and piece of advice."
A tongue click of annoyance. "And now look at me, I apologize."

All those years determined to be as far from those stagnant beings and now she was acting like them. Or talking like them at least, the thought disturbed her for those age old creatures were always close to ending themselves. Change was inevitable.

Rather just suffer through what I deserve. She understood that sentiment, it had been a philosophy of her childhood and basically after that. Asking people for help only gave them more opportunities to harm you and displayed your weaknesses. "I understand but I will be extremely useless if those cuts become infected. At least let me clean-sterilize them, nothing else but that."

"Ordinarily I would try and stitch the bigger cuts....but using my mouth would be clumsy. I miss my hands." She squinted at the patch of dried sap on her shoulder considering options. What had that demon said? Prevent infection.

It was worth a try wasn't it? "I must hunt down some supplies, I'll be back." She tapped the water jug with a hoof. "For now you can either use this to clean out some cuts or drink it. Try to get some of that glass out as well."

(Dang, super long late post. Sorry it took me so long)

Hopefully it was the tree sap and not the demon spit that sealed out infection. She sincerely doubted that she could either track down the demon and convince it to spit on the unicorn or that Reate would comply to such a scheme. How to get the tree sap would be tricky, she knew that uprooting a tree and draining it would violate the peace that had been negotiated with this place. If only her elemental communications weren't rusty.....it was doubtful she could speak to the normal trees here so that left the old oak.

And so the doe collected the needed supplies from her ruin lair and made her way there. Leaning against the oak she closed her eyes and reached out. This act hurt much more then it would have before the fall, it seemed that her powers had been leaching out ever since then. The humming of the oak changed its tenor, building and falling like ocean waves. It was one of the most unusual conversations that she had ever had, if you could call it a conversation. The tree brought up bird's eye views of various scenes, Lilith and Nilo snuggling, Lilith with various others accompanied by different hums. Finally a hole opened in the oak's bark and sap flowed into the pot the doe had brought. She drew away feeling exhausted and drained but happy and she journeyed back to Reate.

He wasn't at the rock circle. It took a few minutes before the thought of looking around came to her and sure enough there he was. Soaking wet. "Mmmmm?" Her mouth carried the sap pot so whatever she said was reduced to a nonsensical mumble.

She nodded, trying to convey that it was alright before realizing putting down the bucket would free her mouth. She set it down swaying very slightly. "That doesn't look very good...are there any pieces left you need me to get out?" A slight grimace crept over her face thinking about what the other might be feeling. "This is tree sap, I heard that it prevents infection and it should seal even the worst of those up well."

"I'm sorry that I can't do more, I should have learned more healing." It was hard seeing him like this, much more so that he'd done this to himself. Whatever happened was probably no one's fault too. She turned her shoulder so he could see the dried sap on her shoulder. "Learned it from a rather odd acquaintance recently." She paused before picking up the bucket again. "This will sting at first...I am sorry." The doe poured the sap as evenly as possible over the many cuts, wincing at the deeper ones. This worried her more then the unicorn would probably ever know. The job was approached carefully and thoroughly, pains were taking to patch everything up as best as possible. The sap bucket was nearly drained by the time she finished.

"I think I got them all covered." Her voice softer then usual, she pushed a few herbs towards him. "Chamomile, cinquefoil, rosemary and wintergreen. These should help with the pain and a few other things."

The only way she could think of to stop him from moving would be sitting on him and that would defeat the purpose of having the unicorn stay still. With hands it would be a simple thing to stop someone from moving but she did not have hands. Several frantic half starts were made as the unicorn tried rising.

When he finally quit trying she placed her head on a uninjured spot, just enough pressure to discourage another attempt. "Easy, don't move. Let the sap set, stay still. Just breathe, concentrate on breathing." She lifted her head only long enough to bring the herbs much closer. "Wait awhile before trying to move."

The old one curled up next to him, not touching but hopefully close enough to provide some warmth. Using magic had drained a lot more energy then it was supposed to and Reate's condition had drained more energy. She thought that they were both ready to sleep for awhile now, she'd sleep with both ears open. "I'll be around for the next week or so, if you need anything just shout and I'll come." Lilith closed her eyes. "It's time for both of us to rest."

(Well that was dramatic, poor Reate. The next adventure should make him a lot happier.)

Tracking~

xD

It's all good, there's always another time. ^^

Snow. How long ago had it been since she'd seen weather like this? More than a week or more than a month anyway. Many things had happened in the time between then and now, the little ones were grown up, Tea was gone, Reate had returned. A puff of white breath stained the air around her mouth and dispersed into the cold air. Memories danced around the vapors, Nilo with his blanket, candles in the old oak, resting among tombstones. Red eyes turn towards the skyline, narrowing against the whirls of snow and a smile slides around her face. So much has happened, she remembers sitting alone on the stone circle in the guise of a dove on the last snow day.

And now, as always these days, she finds herself back again. Those four stones that she's haunted whenever their owner wasn't to be found. No matter where she goes this place will always draw her back. Stepping slow, daintily setting each hoof down after another, joints stiffer in the cool weather. Home. This was where she belonged. Yet the snow has always reminded her of ashes and burning places, bittersweet memories under her tongue. A fresh start.

The old one can see that he's been here recently, the smooth shape where his body heat melted the snow. But the circle is empty. The smile flickers and fades for a moment before coming back. Here's to hoping for a future for the unicorn, finding reasons to stay here. A brief round about the rocks and she settles in the middle. Chin resting on the biggest stone, feeling the residual warmth seep into her fur. Who knows? Maybe one day he'll have a family of his own, maybe she'd get a chance to play with his grandchildren in her time here. For once the future seems empty, empty and free.

Just thinking about her meeting his kids makes me smile <3

I second this!

Aha, why thank you.