Hooves and Horns

"Hooves and Horns" is a BOTGD 2 thread written on [IRL DATE].
== Summary ==
Milae finds Dario and tells him to go after Vox and Kendra, citing being worried for his safety.
== Full Text ==
Treepelt Halfpaw: “Dario?”
Tree hovered outside Dario’s temporary room, not wanting to knock and disturb or scare him, but needing his attention. She kept her eye on the closed front door as she called out, “I think there’s someone here to see you? He says he needs to talk?”
Dario Hjort: “Yeah? Thank you, Tree… uh, I’ll just be a second.”
The deer sat at the edge of a bed that was never truly his, still apprehensive at the idea of ever getting out of this room. His life had revolved around the scout for so long that he found himself unable to reconcile his existence without him, even if this might only be temporary. Even entertaining the prospect that he was codependent made Dario feel worse.
He pushed himself to his feet, begrudgingly. He hadn’t known what it was like to be this devoid of feeling since he was a young buck, hiding out from men attempting to exile him. He pushed the door to his room open and slowly maneuvered his way to the front enterance of the Arnason dwelling, where the guest in question awaited him.
Yun Milae: The door creaked open, and in front of the house, a very short goat half-breed with a dark hood jumped as he pulled back his hoof from where he was about to hesitantly knock, after Treepelt left him hanging for so long. His eyes widened as he looked up at Dario, and he tightened his hands to keep himself from trembling with the adrenaline rushing through him. This was him, this was the real one.
“D-Dario! I…uh…” He tucked his hooves into his cloak and gave a short bow. “Hello again.”
Dario: He instantly remembered the half-breed before him. Dario couldn’t explain the sudden comfort that he felt; the goat provided a familiarity he hadn’t felt since Vox had left. Though unexpected, the visit shifted the deer’s mindset into a more positive one.
“H-hey Milae!” he felt inexplicably nervous as he spoke, “It’s good to see you. I hope you’ve been well.”
He moved away from the entrance of his temporary home, motioning for the goat to enter.
“Please, come in, if you would like.”
Milae: Milae tapped his hooves together, looking over Dario’s shoulder at Tree’s waiting silhouette. “If it would not be too much, I would rather speak just out here.”
Dario: The apprehension was clear. Dario turned to look at Tree, who looked on with concern.
“Tree, I’ll be back. Thank you for calling for me.”
He stepped out of the doorway, closing the door behind him. Turning back to Milae, he gave him a smile and his full attention.
“I can’t say I was expecting you today. What can I do for you, my friend?”
Milae: “I know you weren’t.” Milae gestured them back into the side alley of the houses. When they were in the shade, the goat half-breed lowered his hood and looked up at Dario, feeling a pang in his heart at seeing the familiar features. He was lost and scared, behind his cheerful expression. There were faint circles under his eyes and he seemed thin. Milae cut to the chase.
“Dario…why are you still here?”
Dario: “…I’m sorry, what do you mean?”
Dario gazed upon the goat, reading the looks of concern and adopting them into his own thoughts. This wasn’t a friendly visit after all.
“The Arnasons- you met Vox before, that was his wife in there, Tree… they are the only family I have right now.” He sighed, pushing back against the negative images that fought to implant themselves firmly into his head from his past. “Vox isn’t here right now, so I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Milae: Milae shook his head and tried to brighten his own visage. He put a hoof on the Cervidae’s arm and shook it gently, meeting Dario’s gaze. “Then go after him. What are you waiting for?”
Dario: Dario felt his face heat up at the unexpected contact from Milae. He couldn’t explain what caused him to react this way, but having someone in his corner at a time like this was certainly welcomed.
“You know, I considered it… but, I have no idea where he went, and he left with Kendra. They haven’t seen each other in such a long time, and I shouldn’t try to get involved with that right now.”
He instantly felt guilt. He knew that he was the reason Vox wanted to leave in the first place, and the reason that two children grew up without their father.
“I don’t want to burden them at a time like this.”
Milae: Milae pressed his lips together, staring at the point where his hoof wrinkled Dario’s sleeve. “I know where they are,” he started, “I can point you there, but…that seems to no longer be the problem with you, does it?”
Vox laughed, and Milae chuckled, as Dario dipped his head, the light of the campfire throwing the shadows of his antlers over his flushing face. “You were always quite sensitive,” the goat noted playfully, and it only further intensified Dario’s blush.
“Oh, lay off.” He nudged Milae with an elbow.
“Needing someone to be there for you when you are broken does not make you a burden, Dario,” he said quietly, lifting his gaze to meet the deer’s. “In fact, I could tell you quite easily that I imagine Vox left without you for the same reason.”
“Will you not speak to each other?” Milae stomped after Vox in frustration and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcefully turning him around. “You’re both tired, and angry. But we cannot stall here, we don’t have time. Go talk to him, now.”
“Do you know why beasts of burden carry two baskets across their back, rather than one? The weight cancels out.” He held out his hooves to demonstrate the balancing harness on an animal’s back. “The beast needs equal weight, or it will falter.”
“Capable of magick!“ Vox stood up, nearly hitting his head on the ceiling in excitement. "Do you know what this means? The mages aren’t the only ones who can scare us with their tricks!” 
“Vox, you need to understand that just because I have the ability to do these things, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best course of action. You realize what they’ll do to us if they find out, right?”
Vox’s expression fell from his face.
“Yeah, I get it. It would be selfish of me to expect you to risk your wellbeing on some spells.” 
“It’ll be alright, Vox. You and I, we’ll keep his secret, and bide our time.”
“If you say so, Milae.”  Vox sat again, emotionally deflated. He had a moment of hope that this would solve things for them. 
“It’s not that I don’t want to help. I just can’t see my craft being of any real aid when it hasn’t been mastered. There’s only so much I’m able to do at this point.” 
“Well, at least let us help you to get to that point, okay? You know your secret is safe with us, and I can at least do what I can.” 
“I don’t pretend to know magick so well as young Vox, but I will assist as well.”
Dario couldn’t help but smile, picking up the rejuvenated fruit at his feet. He lobbed it in the air a few times, before tossing it to Milae, who in turn, handed it to Vox.
“Works for me. Here’s to the future, buddy.”
“Hear, hear.”
“You need each other.” Milae’s stare was piercing. Haunting, almost. “Does that make sense?”
Dario: Dario tried desperately to comprehend what he was hearing. The dichotomy of wanting to be with Vox and not wanting to impede on his relationship with his daughter tore at his essence.
“If we’re talking balance, there is already the two of them. Throwing me into the mix would bring this… imbalance… you speak of.”
He felt a sudden uneasiness; Milae knew things before, when they first met, that he couldn’t have. There must have been a purpose to this meeting.
“Milae, tell me – why are you here? Should I be worried about Vox?”
Milae: “Kendra…has her place, in the balance of things. But that’s not important.”
Milae looked nervous again. His heart thudded in his throat. His scars began to itch and he couldn’t help scratching at them, though he tried to keep the movement discreet. There was a slight green flare from the dark, sealed wounds as his forearm drifted too close to his chest. “I’m not worried for Vox.”
from the sea is the eagle drenched in blood 
“I’m worried for you.” 
Milae kept his eyes downturned, afraid of revealing even more secrets with his gaze than he’d already hinted at. “I don’t think you should stay here. Vox and Kendra are headed for Haligan Island, on the west coast. Find them. Please.” 
Dario: The deer felt chills radiate throughout his entire body; the last words Milae spoke fell from the goat’s lips with certain desperation. The imminence of danger lingered as Dario watched the half-breed struggle to speak.
“I will, I… Milae, I have so many questions. How can you know this? How can I get to them quickly?”
Milae: “Tell him.”
The tips of Milae’s hooves dug deep into the ridges of his scars; it felt like slivers were crawling under his skin. He feared they might tear and bleed afresh, but he couldn’t let go. He wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to tell him about Duri, the looms, Ragnarok, Kezia, about his deals. Everything.
“You care for this stupid deer so well, do you not? Tell him. Tell him everything.”
The shadow of two broad, feathered wings stretched across the ground below him, falling across the pair of them as they huddled in the alley. The sun shone bright around her silhouette. Dario’s concerned face was draped in shadow that the deer himself couldn’t see. Milae thought he might be sick.
“Tell him about how you let him die.”
A sickening thud of an axe. A chorus of screams, the sobbing cries of a teenage boy. A hooded half-breed, a hoof pressed to his mouth and tears streaming down his cheeks, shuddering in a hidden passage beneath the streets of High Central, listening to the tragedy unfold. It had to happen. He couldn’t interfere. He had to let it happen, so that later…
“So you could let my father later drag him upright by puppet strings that cannot be broken? You foolish, selfish boy. What kind of life is he living now? Look at him.”
“Dario!” Milae blurted, clutching the deer’s forearms with both hooves. The shadows vanished suddenly from around them. “I’ll explain in time, I swear.” He fumbled a folded-up map to the Stormcutter hatchery out of his belt and pressed it into Dario’s hands, closing them around the smudged paper. “They went this way. Talk to the farmhands; they will assist you.” He squeezed Dario’s hands and looked up at him with a new fervor. “It’s going to be alright.”
Dario: The deer felt absolutely sick. The fear emanating off of Milae caused him to shake as he held the map tightly in his hands. His decision had been made for him.
“O-okay. I will go, but please Milae, be safe. You say that you worry about me, but I’m scared for you.”
He pulled the goat in for a quick hug; he knew not why he was doing this. It just felt necessary in the moment. Having only known this half-breed for mere days, he could not explain the closeness he felt, but yet clung to it like a young fawn to a love one. He pulled away quickly, returning his gaze to Milae’s eyes.
“Take care of yourself. Promise me this.”
Milae: Milae’s breath caught in his chest as he was engulfed in a hug, and his eyes immediately watered and he couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping as he buried his muzzle in Dario’s chest. Get it together. Stop. Get it together. He’s already going to be reeling from what I’ve told him.
He hurriedly mopped the fur under his eyes as Dario leaned back, and he gave a single nod to Dario’s request. “I’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid to tell Treepelt where you’ve gone. I get the feeling she wouldn’t appreciate being abandoned again.”
Dario: “I will, believe me. I have seen her scorned once and have no intention of seeing it again.”
He nodded to Milae, thankful for the second encounter. Though bringing uncertainty, he and the goat had fostered what almost felt to be a genuine friendship.
I wish I could have known you earlier, friend. I feel like you could have helped me through a lot.
Milae: I wish I could’ve been there for you, friend. I’m so sorry I had to abandon you this time around. At least you had Vox.
Milae stepped backwards. “Travel safely.” He activated his seal, and then vanished from in front of Dario and when he blinked, he was back in his home.
He slowly sunk to his hocks, the stress of the encounter manifesting in an intense trembling. He let a few more tears escape, but somehow, they weren’t born of despair. He was happy. So, so happy. He was scared for Dario’s life, but he finally had a handle on things, and got to visit his friend for real this time.
After a minute of composing himself, he jumped to his hooves and ran off to make a lengthy addition to his notes.
Category:Events
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Treepelt Halfpaw
Category:Yun Milae
Category:Skuld
Category:Act I