something less extraordinary | p, samriel

[justify][size=11px]Samriel often thought of the demon. It was one of the reasons he woke up in cold sweats at night. He often had it out of his mind during the day, wide eyed and smiling tentatively and in generally high spirits, but alone at night with nothing to do but dwell, his mind wandered back to that day. Why she had brought it to the clan he'd never know — and it had not just been a rage demon or a sloth demon, no, it had been a pride demon, the strongest, the smartest. He recalled running to help stop it, recalled walking straight into the path of claws, clenched by a giant hand, struggling and writhing, and discovering that he could, in fact, create fire.

He'd known of nature and ice but never sparked a flame, and that had been the first time he had ever done so. And, untrained, it had blazed past the demon and eaten the shades it had brought with him. Sam had lived, though his ribs had been fractured and two of his legs broken, and he'd been cut up and bruised severely. He still had nightmares about the day.

He'd fallen asleep in the evening and awoken during the night, panting with a paw clapped over his mouth to muffle his panicked whimpers, eyes blown wide and body shaking. It's not real, he told himself. It's not real. The wingless dragon clamoured to his feet and headed to the water, because it was a point in the territory he now knew well, wishing for a drink and maybe something to wake him, because he was not in the right mind to try and sleep again. Pushing through the gloom to the bank, however, he saw his sister and stole towards her, stopping beside her and lightly touching her leg. " Hello, Minai. Are you alright? " he asked, blinking tired eyes.
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]Unlike his sister, Samriel did not pretend to have a false bravado. With her, he believed he could be honest, even if she did not feel the same way, and that would not change. It had never changed. When she was a small child, perhaps, he would have twisted the truth a little. But, despite it hurting to admit it, she was no longer that young girl. She was old enough to understand the truth.

" Nightmares, " he replied to her inquiry, eyes wide to take in as much light as possible in the dark. " they only started a few days ago, though. When I joined BoneClan. " most were about the demon, but not all. Some were ... About recent things he didn't want to talk about. " But I don't matter. What's wrong, Minai? You never told me about your dreams. "
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]' You matter, to me especially. '
Was that the Minai-version of an I love you? Sam smiled tenderly at her, eyes almost closing with the weight of his expression, and he touched his nose to her leg, because it was as high as he could reach, what with his current position.

He turned as she began to speak of her nightmares, and he exhaled, softly, the sound tugged from his lips before he could halt its escape. As always, she downplayed her problems; it would not do her well, he knew. Reaching out, he aimed to wrap his arms around her leg, rearing onto his tiptoes so he could rub his muzzle against her shoulder for a moment, before drawing back. " Oh, Minai ... " he sighed, shaking his head. " I know you believe it was your fault, but you couldn't have predicted the situation getting out of hand. Pride demons are clever; they know how to play to your confidence, and they know how to lure even the most strong-willed of people into their traps. You couldn't have anticipated the events that followed. I just want you to know that I do not blame you, and neither did our Keeper. " he frowned fondly at her, lacing his own toes.
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]" You couldn't have anticipated it, Minai. " he countered gently, huddling close to her and blinking his eyes. She could not have done better, because if she could have, then she would have. Samriel had known his sister for her entire life; he knew her better than she did. It had not been her fault; that, he was certain of.

" I'm alright, of course I am. A few bad dreams, none on the same topic; it isn't as serious as you may think it is. " it kept him up at night, but then again, before BoneClan, other things had kept him up at night, and the memories were far better than the reality. Anything was, really. Samriel's recent life had taken its toll on him.

Catching her whisper, Sam's features softened further, if such a thing was possible, and he leaned in to press his forehead against her temple, long tail encircling her shoulders in a comforting manner. " I missed you too, Minai. " there had been a time when he'd believed he'd never see her again, and the thought had almost driven him mad. It was only apparent how much you loved someone when they were taken from your grasp.
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]She wanted to know? Samriel shrugged thoughtfully, not entirely sure how to progress. " Well ... There's the one I had most recently- the demon, that is, though it wasn't anything dramatic- I was just back in the moment. " it had been an accurate reenactment of the day, nothing like Minaiben's dreams. " Then there are the ... Other dreams. Nothing bad, though. " he assured in a hurried lie. " It's mainly just the demon. "

Smooth. The dragon settled down, pondering her rather intrusive question. How had he found her? " I ... Wandered around until I caught wind of your scent. There was a minor delay in between- " three or four months of utter hell- " but it was just a matter of trying to locate your scent. I honestly came across BoneClan by chance. "

Lies, lies, but she'd never know. Samriel smiled, a quiet laugh escaping him. " I guess I was just lucky. "
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]It was not a matter of trust or love that jammed his throat when he tried to form his lips around the words he wished to utter, filled up his mouth with tar and prevented him from explaining what ravaged his sleep patterns. He wasn't entirely sure what it was; a mental block to try and repress the pain, perhaps? Either way, it was worse than the demon, for he would gladly share that with anybody that prodded him, even if his expression would be something pained as he recited his version of the events that had unfolded.

Samriel rubbed at his eyes as she yielded to his dishonesty, flashing her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He wasn't entirely sure how she would see the expression, but he hoped it would set her mind at ease. The last thing he needed was her fretting, both over herself and him. The past was the past, he believed; there was no point in mourning it excessively. Perhaps, in the dark, a few thoughts could be spared, but aside from that ... All history did was point a person to wherever they were in the present, and for Minaiben, that was in BoneClan, with him. And she was happy here, was she not? He hoped so.

" That's alright, Minai. " he replied to her last words, shaking his head. " I understand. I never felt welcome there myself, so I was almost relieved to depart, even if leaving behind everything I knew was difficult. " Samriel curled his toes in against the pads, frowning at his forepaws. " You certainly left your mark, though. I imagine they will have moved on again. After you left, we left camp, but I imagine they will have transferred again. " Lavellans didn't stay in one place long; Sam hoped he'd be able to break that stigma.

He lifted his head, exhaling in a small cloud. " Maybe, one day, they'll forgive us. I took as much blame I could when you fled; a few of the hunters, they ... Weren't happy that you left without much punishment. " so he blamed himself. It had been impulsive, stepping forwards and taking their minds from his sister, but he would never let it be said that he did not do all he could to protect her.
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]( This is so rushed, I'm so sorry! )

What did he do? Samriel forced a gentle laugh and shook his head, rubbing at his muzzle thoughtfully. " I didn't say much, only tried to convince them that I had pushed you into doing it. " and they had believed him quite quickly; he had always been the ' odd ' one, and so it had not been difficult for them to imagine his lies as truth. " That doesn't matter though, Minai. What matters is they didn't come after you, and by the time I left they were mostly content with moving on. They seemed to be, at least. " and he'd grown accustomed to guessing their behaviours. The dragon exhaled, then, leaning against her. " Hey. I love you, you know. " and it had been that love that had kept him there, then forced him to flee, then encouraged him to find her. He may have been bruised, but he was alive.
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]Technically, it was partially his fault. After the deaths of their parents, he'd believed it was his job to keep Minaiben safe, and if his influence had not been strong enough to keep her from bring home a demon, then he had failed her in some way, meaning that it was partially his fault. With five months between them, he'd had enough experience in the world to understand how to behave; when he'd been ten months, she'd been a mere five, and she had only just reached clan apprentice age by the time he was nearing a year. She wasn't even a year and a half, and he was nearly two years old; he was, as odd as he could get, an adult, and more of an adult than her, whom still was, at times, capable of acting like an unruly teenager.

So if he had failed to teach her not to resist demons, then it was his fault that the day had occurred. That was how he saw it, and he had used his (once) silver tongue to convince the others that that was the case. " If it kept you safe, " he said tentatively, gripping his feet and yawning tiredly. " besides, you're always the centre of attention. I figured I'd steal some of the credit, for once. I couldn't let you have all the limelight, could I? " now he was only joking, but that was one thing they had in common -- making light of situations they wished to avoid in order to protect themselves. Perhaps it was a downfall, but it came to Samriel without him thinking, and he shook off the negativity with a gloomy jest and a shrug of the shoulders.

Then, as she nosed him, Sam laughed quietly, and spoke with mirth in his tone. " Hurt me? Lethallan, they were flies in common to the demon. It was more words and spits than physical beatings, which were, luckily for me, sparse. I never spent time around the others, remember? I was safe enough for the month I lingered there. " he shook his head. " Let them come after you? I bet you would have liked the challenge, but ... No, I couldn't have let that happen. "
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan

[justify][size=11px]Samriel shook his head again, chuckling quietly. " You didn't cause me pain, Minai. Did you physically hurt me, ridicule me? You weren't there to harm me. " she had been far, far away by the time he succeeded in pulling the wool over their eyes. It had been for the best, anyhow. Samriel was glad she had been gone; had she stuck around, she would not have coped well. There was only so much one could take before cruel words got to them, after all. He thought of his own state back then and was infinitely relieved it had been him taking the blame and not her; he was comforted in the thought that she would have done the same for him, and happy enough to leave her dedication as unproved words, lest she kill herself helping him save face.

" My journey was ... Eventful, also. I can't say I had a mundane trip to find you, Minai. " he'd leave it at that, too. Samriel nodded. " But I wasn't expecting normal; nothing is when it comes to you, is it? "

/rushed and busy
I don't mind! Whatever suits you.
[size=2px][color=transparent] #samlavellan