(Hey guys! Part 2 is up!

Leroy: He sized up the room. After Aiden was sated, who would eat next?

Uriah: He grimaced. "Yeah. I haven't eaten anything since I got here." he muttered cagily. Was Forest going to offer something? Could he even accept it, if he was? Sharing food meant sharing communion.

forets: "any way are you hungry?"

Aiden:

He nodded his head in thanks and took a small sip of it, feeling the warm broth hit his stomach.

Simona:

She handed the bowl to Aiden first, if being cool enough to sip from now.

Leroy: He realized the very obvious problem that there was only one bowl and no spoons. "Pass it around, then?"

Aiden:

He didn't want to be a burden or have them pity him so he kept a brave face. The only one he felt semi comfortable talking to about it was Leroy. He felt that on some level, he understood, and he trusted him to tell him the full and honest truth, even if it was going to hurt.

Leroy: He felt awkward; a little song wouldn't make death feel better. He didn't want Aiden to think it would. "We should eat, then."

Aiden:

He smiled at them in a sort of thanks. "I would like that very much."

Victoria:

She glanced at Leroy and nodded. "Ya. I can do that."

Uriah: "Yeah." he murmured, looking at Forest. He was handsome and masculine, there was no external signs that he was gay.

Leroy: He frowned. Soldiers did not have such entertaining, pleasing talents. That was the women's sphere. But he would do his best.

(Both characters have antiquated notions of homosexuality and femininity.)

Simona:

She bit her lip. She hadn’t known that Aiden was going to die. She took the bowl off the fire and let it cool a bit. “Then we should make use of the time you have left. We can have a feast of our delectable soup, I could perform one of the ensemble dances…maybe Victoria could recite a few poems?”

Aiden;

He looked at him. "Leroy. It's fine. I can take it. I just know that there is nothing I can do to stop it. There is no medical help here to even hope to correct it and we are stranded in less than comfortable conditions. There are things I wanted to do that I'll never get to...but it's ok. I'll be ok."

Forest:

"yes i know. and i understand but that's just me"

Uriah: "I'm not like that. I can't trust people so different from me hours after I first met them." He tapped the dark skin of his arm. "That could get me killed."

And yet he was already acting as if he trusted Forest by opening up to him in this way.

Leroy: He gasped gently. "Oh, Aiden, I did not mean it like that..." He was not sure what to say anymore. The man, boy really, needed comforting that Leroy could not give. There was no comfort that was not a lie. No chances of survival, no heavenly kingdom above, certainly no deeper meaning to a enlisted man's life.

Aiden;

"True." he looked at his legs. "But it doesn't mean it doesn't suck when it's going to kill you."

forest:

"i know when i can trust people, and i can trust you."

Uriah: He smiled and looked down, running a hand through his dark hair. "I don't really understand that... all I've done is run away from you. You literally come from centuries before me and you live as a man who is constantly villainized."

Leroy: He felt a brief flash of disgust, but didn't say anything. How selfish, to exaggerate injury for pity... Some men died from spinal injuries, like Aiden would be soon here!

"Well, a wound is a wound when sustained defending one's country." he said after a pause.

Aiden:

"Well...He say's it's the waist down, but I think it is more like one leg, or part of both. he can still go to the bathroom and move around a bit even without a wheelchair. I think he does it to say he got some big battle wound, because he doesn't use the chair as much behind closed doors as he does with his buddies, unless he is trying to get out of work."

Forest:

'thank you, and i want to tell you that i trust you even if you don't trust me"

Leroy: "Surely not from the waist down?" he asked. Perhaps there had been medical advances in the century after his time, but he doubted that they were that advanced.

Aiden:

He nodded and smirked coming to a sudden realization. "My father was also paralyzed...guess it runs in the family..."

Leroy: He sat down and rocked on his heels. "So. You said your father was a soldier too?"

Uriah: "No!" he blurted. "Well, yes, I... I don't know..." he shook his head.

"The truth is, I should apologize for how I treated you earlier. It shouldn't matter to me who you love."

forest:

"true. so does that mean you don't trust me?"

Aiden:

After that he clamped his mouth shut. He wouldn't argue against food his stomach telling him he needed it.

Leroy: He shook his head. "Starving hurts a lot too... and it increases your chances of infection. We are all eating."

Uriah: He shrugged. "We're in a strange land. Who knows who we can trust?" Could he even trust someone like Forest?

Forest:

"but didn't you say the leader of mountain herd would leave us alone?"

Aiden:

He looked up then whispered to Leroy. "If we don't have enough, you really don't have to feed me...maybe starving hurts less then dying of infection." He tried for a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Simona:

”Nearly.“ She called back, poking at the meat with a clean twig. “I need a few more minutes for the meat to cook.”

Leroy: His lips twisted up into a small smile. Of course Aiden was already a goner, but the sentiment was nice.

"Is the soup done yet, Simona?" he asked.

Aiden:

He laughed and shook his head, wincing slightly at the thought. "What a fun way to die." he looked at Leroy. "And glad you did, I would be a goner without you."

Leroy: "Ah, well, if you got yourself dysentery you would be able to go. For a couple hours. Then you would probably die. It is not fun - I had it once - but as you can tell I recovered." What lovely memories- the whole battalion gathered around the latrine pits groaning at the smell and the pain of the flux.

Simona:

She tried not to listen to the men talking, focusing on the stew. It was starting to smell better, and there was a slight crackle from the fire.

Aiden:

He watched him. "You don't have to bite your tongue with me. Might as well entertain me while I'm alive right?" he gave a light smile.

Uriah: "That's probably the best idea." he responded, then added. "Frondfeather said that the Mountain Herd is not trustworthy." It was a piece of information he had not felt obligated to tell Leroy's contingent.

Leroy: He pursed his lips and shook his head. Then he almost made a joke about dysentery, but refrained.

Aiden:

He bit his lip and looked at his hands. "Uh...ya. You have a plan for that?"

Victoria:

She scowled.

Forest:

"mountain is in the name so i think i know where it is. how about we stay away from all flying horses?"

Leroy: He turned in Victoria's direction and made a silly face.

His face fell as he turned back to Aiden. "I was thinking... you will probably need to poop soon, right?"

Uriah: He made a sympathetic face. "The problem with that is most of the herds will kill us on sight. The leader of Mountain Herd, Tigerwing, said that she would leave us be. The others went to Mountain Herd. That's in the mountains."

Lucas:

"then it's settled we all go!"

Forest

"much like humans...how about we just chill"

Nora

She smiled slightly, and knelt down to his level, "That's good," she murmured kindly.

Griffon:

”Yes, Nora.” When his mother was alive he had received affection, but he rarely remembered those days. His father had not been so loving, but he still loved him. As a chimney sweeper he had none. “When I was young.”

Nora

"Ave you ever had affection? Like hugs of anything?" She murmured softly.

Griffon

”Yes, Nora.” He felt uncomfortable being so close to her.

Nora

She smiled and walked over to Griffon, "I have a question for you.." she murmured softly.

Griffon:

”Yes, Nora.”

Nora

"You can,still explore with us Griffon!" She smiled getting up

Griffon:

He stood up silently, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

Aiden:

He laughed, his hand moving to his middle.

Victoria:

She paled and looked back at him. "Shut up Musket! You stupid soldiers are nothing but men in uniform! You don't scare me!"

Leroy: He shrugged. "Given that she ran away earlier, I decided not to. Besides, she is only a girl - we need adults that can make the right judgements."

In case Victoria was listening, he decided to slip in a small insult. "I am French, and I am sure you know how we treat royalty."

Aiden:

He nodded. "Works for me." he smirked. "I noticed you didn't put our little princess on the list."

Aiden:

He nodded. "Works for me." he smirked. "I noticed you didn't put our little princess on the list."

Leroy: "As for keeping watch tonight, how about you go first, then me, and then we will give Simona the morning shift?" he suggested.

Simona:

Finally she was starting to get a nice but of water in the pot. She took the skinned leveret and tore the meat into smaller chunks, then added it to the bowl.

Aiden:

He smirked and said, "if I tried, I'd embarrass myself thoroughly. I'll save my dignity punching for urinating." he said it all lightly and with a dismissive air, like it wasn't as big of a deal as he knew it truly was.

Victoria:

She shook her head.

Leroy: "She is jealous that she cannot catch blueberries in her mouth and I can." he said, easily.

Victoria:

She raised a brow.

Aiden:

he leaned towards Leroy and whispered. "what do you think she's thinking?"

Leroy: He eyed Victoria back, and tossed a blueberry up and caught it in his mouth.

Aiden:

He popped one in his mouth, and slowly bit into it, tasting the sweet juices of the berry. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "You're right."

Victoria:

She eyed the two soldiers.

Leroy: "These are really good." he said, dropping half into Aiden's lap.

Uriah: "She went back to her herd- see, there are several different herds, and they don't get along well." he hurried to explain.

Forest:

"may i meet them?"

Aiden:

He smiled softly as Leroy came over.

Leroy: He rolled the blueberry into his mouth and held it on his tongue for a few seconds before smashing it. It was one of those smaller, sour blueberries that gave way to a sweet taste... the taste of summer afternoons in the country, picking berries with his friends. For a moment he felt like crying - after everything, this is what made him emotional - but he didn't.

He picked up a handful and took them over to Aiden.

Uriah: His face was still very solemn. "I've already befriended one. Her name is Frondfeather." There was a smirk in his eyes, a rare spark of humor.

lucas:

he stod up "lets go"

Nora

She nodded "yeah I'm ready.

Lucas:

"you ready to go now? i can wait"

Nora

She blushed slightly. "Thank you.

.: she murmured.

Lucas:

"ok but if you need to talk about anything i'm heer" then he cuddled up next to her

Nora

"Yeah..." she murmured.

Forest:

'what!? then we stay away don't interfere, then if we can make friends or allys with one"

Simona:

The snow started to melt, but it was a slow process. “A watched pot never boils.“ Looking away for a second, she stuffed a blueberry into her mouth to hold her over.

(I didn't! I'll go look! I'm excited!)

Aiden;

He was a bit too far away from the food and watched....he didn't know why, but after Victoria's outburst, he felt reluctant to eat his share.

Victoria:

She felt no pause to take and eat.

@Firesong (DId you see Ashsong did out commissions? They look great!)

Leroy: He picked one up and stared at it intently. The chasseur had not had fruit in... god knows when.

Uriah: "They aren't humans, Forest." he said, voice still soft. "They're winged horses."

Suddenly, meeting a gay Irish soldier was not so odd.

Forest:

"hmm...then we follow their rules because they were here first."

Simona:

”Opps.” She muttered, then took the makeshift bowl and poured some of the snow into it, then set it up over the fire. “This is going to take a while.” She warned. “There are more blueberries, so take your pick.”

Frondfeather:

She started to trot back into the direction of Snow Herd, taking one last backwards glance before breaking into a canter.

Leroy: "Do not eat the pointy leaves. They would make you sick." he said, dusting off his hands.

Victoria:

"Musket...What did you say?"

Leroy: He dropped the fist full of leaves into the fire.

Uriah: He looked up, at Forest's face. Despite the man's sins, he was one of the three people he met that he felt comfortable making eye contact with.

"I came to warn you." he said shallowly. "This is not friendly land that we are stranded in... the natives don't approve of invaders."

Forest:

"hello?"

Aiden:

He laughed lightly and watched. He knew he could help, if only he had the ability to do so.

Victoria:

She heard her name mentioned, but what was said didn't click and she looked between them searching for answers. "huh?"

Leroy: He took the bowl and handed it to Simona, then looked through what she had collected. Most of it was for taste, didn't have much nutritional value from what he could tell. Of course he would eat it anyway.

He picked up a handful of triangle shaped leaves from the pile. "Not these." he warned. "They will make us sick. Maybe we should sneak one into Victoria's food."

Uriah: "Forest." he said, voice so silent it was almost inaudible.

Forest:

he rested on the tree aand saw a man walked toward him

Aiden:

He pushed it towards him and sat back, rubbing his hands.

@Embermoon (Uriah is now looking for Forest!)

Uriah: He smiled. "You too." he patted her shoulder before dashing off in the direction he had last seen Forest. Sure the Irishman was a sinner, but he did not deserve to come to danger by the pegasi.

Leroy: He immediately hushed his gossip when Simona entered. "I think we have to use the rock. What you have done is good for now."

Hmmm...is it too late for me to join this???

(summary)

(XD! I didn't notice until it was too late.)

Victoria:

She waited for instruction.

(Kira? XD!)

Simona:

She entered the cave and set the plants down, then took out her two gloves of snow.

Kira:

She nodded, holding her jacket of snow.

Simona:

”Blueberries…rosemary…I think this is basil…and the other stuff looks edible?” She started to walk back. “At least it is something.”

Victoria:

"Do you know all those plants are?"

Frondfeather:

She wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. “Thank you. I…uh…hope we meet again under better circumstances.”

Simona:

She looked around, searching for any plants that they could eat. She found some blueberries and rosemary, and then pulled a few things that seemed edible.

Aiden:

He nodded. "Correct. I've fancied a few."

(And I can't remember if I answered it XD)

Leroy: "Oh, I do not know about that." he chuckled. "I am not desperate, yet. You said you never been with a girl, right?"

(Can't remember if Leroy has asked that yet...?)

Uriah: He nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality." he said. "You are the kindest person I have met out here. I would say I hope to see you again, but that may not be the case if I find a way to leave."

Victoria:

She nodded and took off her jacket and piled snow into it.

Simona:

”We need to gather as much snow as we can.” She explained. “We can boil it to make water.”

Victoria:

"Do you need any help?" she whispered to Simona.

Simona:

She found some snow that looked clean enough and removed her gloves, stuffing as much as she could in. Knowing that it probably wouldn’t be enough, she looked around for something larger, unaware of the topic that Leroy had just broached.

Frondfeather:

She ducked her head. “I think you might be right. The medicine mare is going to be worried as to where I have gone. If you have people to warn, do it quickly. The sooner you find your way back, the better.”

Aiden:

He smiled and nodded, "She is," he knew that he was tarnished, not a man a woman would want. "I wish you luck if you wish to pursue her."

Aiden:

He nodded. "Thankfully, we seem to have food, but you do know she will never part with that rabbit right? She would sooner cook us up for diner."

Aiden:

He nodded. "I could see the temptation." He smiled sadly, "I mean...how long before our small band of people turn on each other? Victoria already proposed killing me to save food."

Leroy: In the silence that followed, he finished with the leverets. "I have seriously considered eating other humans before, you know. Dead ones. But I could not bring myself to."