//------------------------------// // Solider With A Battle Wound // Story: The Young Warrior // by Melody Song //------------------------------// Thorax, Pharynx, and Apex, now back in their original forms, walked through the dense snow. Well, Thorax and Pharynx walked. Apex bounced through the snow, giggling and throwing it everywhere. “Pharynx, do you know where this Empire is specifically?” Thorax asked “No, but I’ve been hearing whispers and rumors on it every time I stea-er, head into towns to restock supplies. It’s surrounded by this kind of magic that makes it look like it’s spring even though it lies inside the Frozen North.” “Wow…” Thorax suddenly halted, his tongue flicking out. “Ph-Pharynx, do you taste that?” Pharynx hesitated before stiffening. “L-Love… s-so… much… love…” “We must be getting close to the Empire!” Thorax raced ahead, catching up with Apex. “Apex, Apex, taste the air!” “Thorax, wait!” Pharynx raced after him. There was a strange thing moving in the distance that he didn’t like the look of. Thorax didn’t hear him. He bounded over and scooped Apex up, nuzzling him. “Hehehe! Pater-Thorax!” Apex giggled That was when Pharynx saw the threat clearly. An Ursa. But it was a Minor. They’d have a chance. He raced forward through the snow, years of training ensuring it didn’t slow him. “Pharynx?” Thorax asked, looking up at his brother. “Thorax, get Apex and duck into the snow! That’s an order!” Pharynx barked, drawing his crossbow. Thorax operated on instinct once hearing his brother’s tone. The two respected each other as equals, but Pharynx had the most experience. His word was law in unknown territory. Thorax picked up Apex and dove under the snow a few feet away. He burrowed down deep, covering the nymph with his own body Thorax heard his brother yelling and screwed his eyes shut. Apex squirmed his way out from under Thorax and peeked out, then gasped and buried his head in Thorax’s side. “Wh-Why can’ we help?” “Pharynx has the most experience. I know nothing about the practical side to fighting and he’s not going to risk the life of a nymph.” Thorax replied, voice muffled by the snow. Apex and Thorax both heard Pharynx shouting, and at one point the snow became red. It was hard to tell who the blood belonged to. Eventually, the icy tundra grew silent. “I-It’s alright, you two can come out now.” Pharynx called out, voice shaking. Apex leapt up and ran to him. “Pharynx! You were real brave!” he hugged the older changeling, who gave him a hesitant smile back. “Just doing my job, same as you one day.” Apex stared up at him, eyes full of admiration and trust. Thorax came up to him next, noting the blood spattered everywhere. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine Thorax. I’ve been through worse.” Pharynx said, picking up the saddlebags he’d discarded when the fight began. “A-Alright…” “Come on, we’d better keep going. Why don’t you take Apex-discipulus and scout ahead?” “Okay… come on Apex.” “Coming Pater-Thorax.” Pharynx limped along behind them, hiding the trail of blood following his movements. Thorax kept looking back to check on him, but he waved a hoof to tell him to focus on what was ahead. “Wow! Looki’, Pater-Thorax!” Apex pointed A large crystal palace loomed on the horizon, and they could see even from where they were that the snow covered land gave way to rolling fields of green. “Oh wow…” Thorax looked over at Pharynx. “D-Do you think you can make it that far?” “Ugh, will you quit it?” “Sorry, I just-” “For the last time Thora-” Pharynx’s eyes closed and his legs gave out, making him land in the snow with a soft thump. “Pharynx!” Thorax yelped, rushing to his brother. Pharynx’s breathing had grown shallow, flank rising and falling weakly. He began shivering as his body attempted to warm up. A small pool of blood began to form, alerting Thorax. “H-He’s injured! Badly!” Thorax reached and stripped Pharynx’s bags off him. Apex, who had followed Thorax, took the bags, then he began digging through them for supplies. There would be no chance of finding fresh herbs on the tundras of the Frozen North, so Thorax was very glad Pharynx had insisted on them packing as many as they could find. Thorax carefully rolled Pharynx over, locking their hole infested hooves together and using all his strength. Pharynx’s body left a blood-stained indent in the place where he’d fallen. Thorax then began examining the wound. “Is i’ bad, Pater-Thorax?” Thorax gulped, not wanting to alarm the nymph. But it was bad. Large gashes narrowly missed Pharynx’s left wing, clearly left by the Ursa’s claws. They were dripping blood, and Thorax knew Pharynx must have transformed to not show the injuries, then put the saddlebags on to hide them. He probably had sent Thorax ahead so he could untransform, as it wouldn’t have held for long with his wounds. “N-Nothing that can’t be healed.” Not a lie. It could be healed. With proper supplies and someone who knew what they were doing. “But we need to get him to shelter.” Apex took up all their bags while Thorax used the last of his strength to heft Pharynx onto his back. He then began leading the nymph towards the Empire. Hopefully they’d find some shelter nearer to it. As they walked, Thorax felt the snow becoming softer, and he gestured for Apex to come closer to him. As Apex trotted up to him, Thorax saw a rock up ahead that could be used as a landmark. He headed towards it, wondering if it would be big enough to prop Pharynx up against so he could treat him. Thorax got closer to the rock, and just as he was about to lower Pharynx onto the ground to assess the injury, the snow gave way. Thorax screamed as he dropped, and his wings fluttered just in time, managing to make him hover instead. Apex came sliding in after him, squealing. He giggled as he slowed to a halt, rolling on his carapace and kicking his hooves in the air. “Tha’ was fun!” Apex squealed, laughing. Thorax shook his head with a small smile as he touched down on the snow beside the nymph, then looked at their surroundings. They were in an underground cavern, the snow opening above them where Thorax had fallen. An icy slope showed how Apex had gotten in, sliding down it at a quick speed. No wonder he had thought it was a game. Well, it would be as good a place as any to set up camp. Thorax got Pharynx off his back and laid him, wound-up, on the snow. He wanted so badly to lie down and sleep, but he had work to do. Thorax grabbed their bags and fished through them, turning up with some cobwebs and marigold. Hopefully they’d be enough. “Apex, chew up the marigold, okay?” “Okay Pater-Thorax.” As Apex began chewing the marigold into a poultice, Thorax nudged Pharynx. It was imperative that they keep him awake, especially being in the cold, where it would be hard to start a fire. He watched the elder changeling stir. “Ph-Pharynx, wake up.” “Th-Thorax…?” Pharynx asked, eyes just barely opening. “Y-Yes, I’m here.” “...W-Why is everything so cold? And why is it all white? Wh-Where’s the nest?” “Nest?” Thorax asked, confused “O-Our nest. Where are we?” Thorax realized what he meant. Pharynx didn’t remember where they were. It was from shock, most likely. He thought they were back in the Hive. “W-We… We’re not in the Hive, Pharynx.” “Wh-What?” Pharynx then seemed to remember and struggled to stand. “Where’s the grub?” “‘M o’er here, Pharynx, sir.” Apex mumbled around a mouthful of marigold petals. Thorax put a hoof on Pharynx’s shoulder and pushed him down. “Rest, Pharynx. Everything’s fine.” “N-No, I need to p-protect y-you two…” Pharynx protested weakly, before falling back into the snow. Thorax saw that Pharynx was shivering violently, and nosed him worriedly. Thorax’s eyes widened. Pharynx was burning up. “A-Apex, apply the marigold.” Thorax instructed, trying to remain calm. Apex trotted over and licked the marigold into the wound. Pharynx visibly flinched and moaned aloud. “Shh, it’s okay.” Thorax soothed, stroking his brother’s neckfin. “It’s okay, this will help.” Apex finished, and Thorax took over, wrapping the cobweb around Pharynx’s wounds. Once he was done, he managed to find some feverfew in their bags. “You remember what this does, right Apex-discipulus?” Thorax prompted, using his full title to make it clear to the nymph that he was giving him a lesson, hoping to distract him. “I-I’s fe’erfew, you use i’ to help cool someling down.” “Mhm.” Thorax nodded, knowing that the small lesson would help to distract both of them. He turned back to Pharynx. “Phar, eat this, please.” Thorax held a small portion near Pharynx’s mouth. They’d need to keep as much as possible left for the future. Pharynx reached and ate it slowly, grimacing. Thorax scooped up snow and laid a large clump of it on Pharynx’s forehead. “Ah… c-cold…” “I’m sorry Pharynx, but we need to cool your fever down before we can risk you getting warm.” Pharynx grunted and continued shivering. Thorax sighed and flopped into the snow beside him, feeling like his hooves were weighted with heavy sandbags. He might as well get some rest. It would grow dark soon and Pharynx was incapacitated. They wouldn’t be able to move him, and it would only get colder. “P-Pater-Thorax?” “Come here Apex.” Apex obeyed quietly, laying beside Thorax and snuggling against him. Pharynx moved slightly, groaning. Thorax shifted closer to him, his vision blurring from fatigue as well as tears he struggled not to shed. “Pater-Thorax, i-is Pharynx gonna be okay?” “He’ll be fine, Apex.” With that, Thorax screwed his teal eyes shut, refusing to let the tears come, wrapping a hoof tight around the little nymph. He soon fell asleep, holding Apex close and pressing against Pharynx.