Blood Moon

by The_Darker_Fonts

Chapter 21: The Return

Argon came to a slow stop as he and Hemorrhage turned around the bend and onto the dirt road that led to the castle. From here, he could see the tips of the brick that he himself had made and mortared together. This home was his pride and legacy for his child, and hopefully when this was all over, his children. He let out a soft sigh in between puffs of breath, his muscles burning softly due to the consistent running required to traverse the world in one day. He was impressed with himself, as he had suspected that he would have to come to a stop several times to regain his strength. Luckily, he had a good deal of motivation for himself in that castle he stared at now, and that push had given him all the energy he had needed.

“Back home already,” Hemorrhage muttered as he landed beside the lycan. The two shared a brief glance before both turning back to the castle tips. They shared a moment of rest, staring at their work.

Slowly, Argon took his gaze off the structure and took it down to the ground, the slightest nag of doubt in the back of his head. Knowing it was better to resolve the issue now, rather than wait for a worse moment to ask questions, he inquired, “Why did we return to the castle?”

There was a brief pause, almost as if the question had shocked Hemorrhage, but looking over at the mordigan, he saw his friend frowning at the landscape behind them. The silence prevailed a moment longer before Hemorrhage turned sharply to stare at him. The stallion exhaled as he collected his wings into himself, a moment of release in his face as he silently took the pain of melding the limbs into his body. As soon as the process was over, he answered, “There was something off about Halven and Omen back there, something that had them almost too eager to agree.”

Remembering the hesitation of the ompyre they had negotiated with, Argon questioned, “Hesitation?”

“Well, yes, you see, in times past, it has taken Halven days to come to decisions with us,” Hemorrhage responded, rolling his hoof in the air for emphasis. “It took him a whole month to finally come to terms with our treaty, and only after he had altered it several times. While I knew he would accept the call to war, I had expected it to take at least a few days, in which time we would be able to establish ourselves a small camp and rules for nocturnals out in Grandshire. He took only a few minutes to accept, however, and even seemed pleased by the idea of sending several nocturnals off with us. There’s something behind all of this, and I believe it has to do with the lycan he said he killed last night.”

“Do you think he may be attempting to pull a coup on us,” Argon asked, realizing the possibility as Hemorrhage laid out the details. “Using our own request to send his most dangerous members to betray us? It seems fitting for an ompyre, actually.”

“Yes, I worry it might be something like that, or at the very least he’s sending us his troublesome members while he reestablishes control over his coven. All in all, though, it may truly just be him eager to get his coven out and killing to prevent them from turning to any of the nearby villages,” the stallion stated truthfully. “Whatever the case, we don’t want to be outnumbered by them too much. While I don’t doubt your expertise in combat, I myself have gone long out of practice in fighting nocturnals.” A mischievous smile crossed his face as he cleverly added, “Though considering those three nocturnals that attacked us, we might not have much to worry about after all.”

Argon chuckled at the slight to the overconfident trio that had confronted them. Letting the joke slide, he saw there was still the slightest uncertainty on Hemorrhage’s face. Reaching out a paw and resting it on his friend’s shoulder, he told the stallion, “This is the smart choice, my friend. We can’t trust and can’t ever be trusted as nocturnals, so best to be safe.”

“Yes,” Hemorrhage agreed sadly, his gaze returning to the castle. A wind softly blew through the trees, rustling the budding leaves and bringing the faint smell of grass and wet rain.

“Cheer up, Hemorrhage,” Argon told his companion with a smile, beginning to walk towards the castle. “Spring’s almost here.”

Even though he didn’t look back to check on the stallion, he could tell he was nodding in agreement. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. Hopefully those warm showers will wash away my worry like they’ve done so many times in the past.”

Wanting to improve his friend’s spirits, the lycan turned and grinned slyly at the mordigan, saying, “Is it too early to say that you may have someone else washing away those woes?”

Argon laughed heartily as he saw his old friend’s face redden ever so slightly, an indignant frown crossing his face even as he attempted not to laugh at the jab. “Hey, now, you be careful, little one,” Hemorrhage threatened, his own mischievous smile overtaking his frown. “Respect your elders.”

“I keep forgetting that you're older than me,” Argon replied jokingly. “After all, I’m a father before you’re even married! You’re gonna have to get married by summer if you hope to catch up with Seer and I.”

“Well, Ailade won’t have it any other way,” Hemorrhage related, a laugh in his voice. “That mare will have us married before I can even propose. In her head, Joint and I already are a couple set in stone.”

“Well, if she’s so willing to get the two of you together, than she should be the one to help Joint with the transitory night,” Argon jested, not thinking about what he had said. Pausing, he heard Hemorrhage’s steps crunch to a stop. Argon mentally hit himself for saying something so sensitive as casually as he had, and biting his inner cheek, he turned to find the mordigan once again staring at the castle with a one-thousand-mile stare. “I-I-I’m sorry, Hemorrhage. I didn’t mean to come off like that. You shouldn’t be worrying about something so far from now.”

Shaking off the stare, Hemorrhage began to walk swiftly, passing Argon as he agreed, “You’re right, I shouldn’t worry about that.” Even as he continued to move on, however, Argon heard the stallion mutter under his breath, “I shouldn’t worry about something that will never happen.”

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“You’re back!”

Even as he embraced Seer and kissed her softly, his heart pounding as they embraced, Argon couldn’t help but feel the nagging guilt that had built during the rest of their short walk to the castle. Pulling away from Seer slightly, he smiled at her, his gaze dropping even further to his beautiful little daughter.

“Ebony, your father is back,” Seer cheerfully told the baby, rubbing a hoof against the fur of her belly. Looking back up at her husband with a bright smile, she leaned in for another kiss. Allowing his worry to melt away, he locked lips with her gently, raising his own hooves to take Ebony from her mother. Pulling back enough for her to talk, Seer asked, “Why are you back so soon? I thought you guys weren’t gonna be back until the war was over.”

“Small change of plans,” Argon replied, resting his forehead against hers as he looked down at the bright green eyes of his daughter. Moons, if Hemorrhage hadn’t been so quick, he might not have returned to see her or Seer again. “Hemorrhage and I delivered the message and then visited with the other coven to ask if Halven would be willing to help. Considering his ompyre condition, he wasn’t able to go, so instead he’s going to send a number of his coven with Hemorrhage and I.”

“And what’s wrong with that,” Seer questioned, twisting her head so she could make eye contact with him.

“Something was off with the offer,” Argon replied, a serious frown coming over him. “Last time we had any negotiation with the coven was for the pact we were using as a de jure claim to join us. It took Halven almost a week to accept that treaty. However, in the matter of just a few minutes, he accepted our request and even offered us to stay in his cavern for the night while he prepared his nocturnals for war. It was a nice idea and all, but when it comes down to it, Hemorrhage saw some dangers.”

“It could be a trap,” Seer concluded, tapping a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. Looking up at him with a worried look, she inquired, “Is that what you’re so anxious about?”

The lycan looked down at his chest, only then becoming aware of how heavily his heart was beating. With a sad chuckle and shake of his head, he replied, “No, no, I’m sorry to say not. I hadn’t even realized the possibility of that until after Hemorrhage spoke to me about it on our way here. It was during that exchange that I overstepped my bounds?”

“Oh,” Seer questioned, concerned.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he shook his head again as he admitted hushly, “I mentioned the transitory night, by the moon, I joked about Joint having to go through it.” Argon bit his inner cheek at his own foolishness, continuing to shake his head. “It was a careless thing for me to remind Hemorrhage of, especially the day after he discovered his other half! Luna, I can’t stop thinking that I may have scared him away from the only chance he had at happiness, eternal life even.”

A hoof came to rest on his shoulder from behind even as he was pulled into a hug by Seer, her face pressing into his neck. Argon opened his eyes, looking down at her violet mane as a rush of things he still couldn’t understand flowed through him, a swarm of fire rushing through his veins at their closeness. They had been married for years and still, he couldn’t seem to control that feeling, but with the warmth it brought, he didn’t want to. Sighing away his worry, he focused now on the hoof that rested on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he gasped as he saw Joint standing right behind him, a half-smile gracing her young face. There was something strangely understanding about the expression, as if she herself was with them in their pain. Seer looked up from his neck with his movement, her own soft gasp echoing his own.

“I heard what you were saying,” the pony muttered quietly, her smile remaining. In her other hoof her own young daughter writhed around slightly, a soft squeak escaping her. Noticing where his gaze had passed, she smiled genuinely, looking down at her own child. “She really is something. And so is your daughter, whatever she may be. I can’t wait to raise them together.”

“They’ll make great friends when they grow up,” Seer responded encouragingly, subtly taking Ebony as the little filly reached for her. Her face fell slightly as she thought about what Joint had said. “You said you heard what we were saying about…?”

“The transitory night, and everything about Hemorrhage and I,” the mare said, her words airy like she was having trouble getting past her tongue. “I went back up to Hemorrhage’s study and began reading through any of his lengthier segments from a few hundred years back. I came across a bit about your transitory night, how he found you during it, and, well, the results.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about something like that happening ever again,” Seer encouraged her, the urgency and strain in her voice causing Argon to look back over at his wife. Her eyes were shining even as she attempted to smile past the horrid memories she retained from that night. His heart twinged and he instantly pulled her into a soft, secure hug. “And you don’t have to worry about that happening to you, not until you want to.”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Joint said, rubbing the back of her head almost sheepishly. “I’m ready. I want to be transfigured.”

Author's Note:

This was the most difficult chapter to write characterwise, trying to capture all the different aspects of the three main characters of this chapter's relationships. Any tips on how to write a predatory-prey but soon-to-not-be with a taste of shared trials while also same-age but one has more experience but the same age children? A bit specific, but I've found more specific things here...