#trackandcapture

The past few weeks have given Victor a lot to think about. Not only did he have to worry about living up to the name of his mother, a goddess of retribution and vengeance and justice, but he had to learn how to work as a team with the other demigods. For so long, he had been on his own and he had to learn to rely on no one but himself - his father taught him to trust no one, that everyone would be after him because of his skillset. Of course, Victor now knew that he told him that to keep him close, to ensure that Victor wouldn't stray from his cruel hand and turn against him. Perhaps his mother's innate sense of justice presided within him all that time, because eventually he did turn against him.

But now that he was here, it meant having to learn to be more than what his father raised him as. He was a man, a person, and not just a weapon. And yet, he still found himself having trouble getting used to that, getting used to being more than that. His days were still full of training, sharpening his skills with his sword and practicing his martial arts for hours on end, and while he had reached out to a few people... He still didn't feel quite as comfortable around people, still afraid that they'd see him for what he was - a weapon, a criminal... a monster.

Deciding to take the shift patrolling that night, wanting to keep himself busy but also wanting to be a productive member of the camp, Victor walked through the forest as the animals of the night sang their songs. Accompanied by the chirps of crickets, the croaks of frogs, and the occasional hoot of an owl, Victor walked slowly, carefully, as he followed the perimeter trail, listening to the sounds of nature - and listening in case there was something he wouldn't have heard.

Eventually he found a small creek and he moved towards the bed of it to dip his hand in the water, cupping it and bringing it up over his head to cool himself off. Just as he was about to bend down and grab another scoopful to get a sip, however, he heard an odd sound and his hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword as he looked over his shoulder.

it  was  the  smell  that  made  him  pause  —  something  warm  and  sharp  beneath  the  usual  drift  of  pine  and  late  summer  heat.  not  strong  enough  to  be  a  kitchen  scent,  but  familiar  in  a  way  that  tugged  at  memory.  cian  slowed,  boots  brushing  through  dry  grass  near  the  forest’s  edge,  where  shade  began  to  fold  gently  over  the  path.  he  looked  up,  and  there  adrian  was,  half-turned  like  he  might  disappear  into  the  trees.

just  standing  there  like  no  time  had  passed  at  all.  like  weeks  hadn’t  folded  themselves  quietly  between  them.  cian  shifted  his  weight  and  gave  a  small  wave,  fingers  brushing  back  through  his  hair.  “thought  the  woods  might’ve  swallowed  you  by  now,”  he  said,  quiet,  but  there  was  a  flicker  of  something  warm  in  it.

his  gaze  lingered  on  adrian’s  face  —  familiar  and  a  little  distant  —  before  it  dropped  again,  almost  shy.  “it’s  been  a  minute,  hasn’t  it?”  he  added.  and  then,  softer  still,  like  he  wasn’t  sure  if  it  was  the  right  thing  to  say, “you  had  one  of  those  dreams,  too,  right? how have you been?”

@trackandcapture location: hot springs notes: post thunderdome (like a day)

The  heat  soaked  deep  into  him,  slow  and  steady,  until  even  the  bruises  along  his  back  seemed  to  loosen  their  bite.

Cian  leaned  back  against  the  warm  stone,  arms  resting  on  the  edge  of  the  pool,  his  hair  damp  and  curling  at  the  edges.  The  surface  of  the  water  shivered  every  time  he  breathed,  catching  little  flecks  of  light  from  the  stars.

He  closed  his  eyes.  He  could  still  feel  the  moment  —  one  of  too  many  —  when  he’d  been  knocked  flat.  That  breathless  second  between  hitting  the  ground  and  the  world  righting  itself  again.  The  dull  throb  in  his  shoulder  wasn’t  from  that  last  hit,  not  really.  It  was  from  the  way  he’d  tensed  too  much,  second-guessed  his  strike.  Gotten  knocked  back  for  it.

Everyone  said  the  Thunderdome  wasn’t  about  winning  or  losing.  "It’s  about  learning,"  someone  had  told  him  in  the  infirmary  while  they  checked  his  pupils.  Cian  hadn’t  argued.  It  was  just  hard  not  to  feel  like  he’d  let  something  down  —  himself,  maybe.  Or  all  the  training  he’d  tried  to  convince  himself  was  enough.

He  hadn’t  been  afraid.  Maybe  a  little.  That  was  something.  But  gods,  he’d  been  slow.  His  jaw  tightened,  just  slightly.  “I  can  do  better  than  that,”  he  said  under  his  breath.  Not  sharp.  Just…  quiet.  A  promise  to  himself.  Maybe  even  a  prayer.

The  sound  drifted  up  into  the  steam  and  disappeared,  eyes  followed  up  to  the  sky  behind  him  where  —  “oh,  hi.”  Smile  wide,  a  grin  really  at  the  side  of  one  of  his  favorite  demigods. 

Adrian was still a stranger to Lochlan, the two had barely interacted but he seemed to be the other quiet guy from that initial group of demigods. It wasn't until they went on a quest together that the two of them finally started up a conversation and well, now Lochlan was curious if someone else could speak to the pegasi besides him and Skylar.

The two walked down the hill to the meadow where the Pegasi stables were found, easily the location Lochlan spent most of his free time at when he wasn't in his cabin. "I hope you can talk to them, they were excited when they discovered Skylar could understand them." he told Adrian who followed behind him as they entered.

"Mornin'," he told the Pegasi who all neighed in excitement to see Lochlan show up. "Before we do our morning flights, you guys have a guest." he said as he approached his Pegasi, Andromeda, and offered her an apple slice he had brought.

"Who did you bring, sugar?' Sirius, the rowdy one, asked farther down.