Please Follow Me (Sam)

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen could wait for the closeness until dinner was seen to and they had both had time to recover from the overwhelming excitement. He kissed Sam again, unable to have enough of his kisses. Sam had been dead. His heart had already begun to grieve. Now, though, he had his friend returned. He had his horse. His world could piece itself together again. He pressed his face into Sam's shoulder, breathing in his scent. His entire body trembled, overjoyed and exhausted. He brought his hand around, signing against Sam's chest. "What about you?" he asked. "Did they hurt you? They told me they killed you. That they tortured you. Oh, gods, Sam. They didn't hurt you, did they?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

'Only by making me believe that you were dead,' he signed back. Or hurt, but he knew Denen must have been hurt, could feel it through the shaking leaf fragility of that familiar body close to his. If only those men weren't dead, Sama'el would have been able to kill them one by one. He laughed, though, putting that all aside for now. 'Come. Durno needs grooming and we need food. Do you want to pet the horse or make the meal?'

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen made a small sound of relief, kissing Sam's shoulder in reverent gratitude. He offered silent prayers to the gods, and made a note to give a full, signed prayer before he fell asleep. His gratitude overwhelmed him, and he kissed Sam once more. "If I die before you, Sam, I will come back to you. I promise." His smile was wide as Sam spoke, and he nodded, gently pushing him up, though not before offering a good smack to his rump. He was beyond happy, and it showed. "I want to groom my horse!" He replied, signing vigorously. He rolled onto his stomach, his cropped hair sticking up from static in the back for a moment as he groped about for his scarf. "Help me put this on?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Grinning, Sama'el took the scarf and tied it around Denen's head, trying not to let his smile falter at the mess the monsters made of his scalp and the hair that had been his pride. Once it was secure and straight, he gave Denen's shoulders a squeeze, slipped his arms around him from behind for another squeeze, and then nudged him toward Durno, who was understandably put out that he was not getting the bulk of his bonded's attention. Sama'el set about digging through things to prepare them a meal. He squinted at the nanny goat, wondering if there were milk to be had, but settled for setting water to boil over the cook fire and tossing in bits of salted meat, cutting up vegetables. "I'm going to have to buy some food," he mumbled to himself, ashamed at how poorly Denen had been eating.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen smiled as he hugged Sam's arms. It felt better than he could say to feel Sam near him again. Sam didn't say anything about his hair, bless him, and Denen gave a sigh of relief. He felt the scarf tighten in place, and smiled as he was nudged toward his horse. "Oh, you big baby," he teased. "You know how Sam gets if he doesn't get his sugar first." Durno lumbered to his feet expectantly and Denen wrapped his arms about his neck in an embrace. He fumbled about for a brush, and set to work on removing Durno's yvas. He began grooming him, kissing his powerful neck, breathing in the scent that was familiar and comfortable. Durno's ears remained turned to his bonded at all times, and his neck craned so that he could have a constant visual on him. He glanced over the horse's back to Sam, and his smile became tender, grateful. There were so many things to tell him. Once Durno was groomed, Denen hoisted himself up onto his back, and lay there, nudging the horse towards Sam with his thighs. He lounged across his back and smiled to Sam. Durno didn't seem bothered by this, as it meant, at least, that he had his boy close. From his back, Denen reached out to touch Sam's hair. "I love you," he signed.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el was always very aware of the horses around him, and of course he was now quite aware of Denen's movements after so long spent seeking him out. He wasn't surprised when Durno ambled over and Denen's hand found his hair. He tossed the barest, unusable edges of a gourd off into some bushes where either some herbivore would eat them or the scraps would rot and enrich the soil. The usable, chopped bits went into the pot. He smiled at Denen. "I know," he said and signed, "I love you too." His love now took the form of a stew; nothing special except that he poured love into it as he crushed some peppercorns with his bare hands, took a pinch of this and a pinch of that herb, some gathered in Cyphrus, other things requiring trade. Nudging Durno with his forehead, he offered the great beast a carrot. He had done his best to keep the stallion healthy, but the soul of the horse had pined for Denen. All would be well now.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen watched Sam cook quietly, braiding a strand of Durno's hair. He was glad the horse had been spared, that he'd been with Sama'el this whole time. He knew then, at least, that Durno had had the finest care that he might get. Of that, Denen was sure. He hugged Durno's neck adoringly, nuzzled into his man, and felt, for the first time in countless days, hungry. His stomach rumbled, and he laughed at the sensation. His hand lowered to his stomach, simply so that he could feel it again. "Sam!" He signed eagerly. "I'm hungry!" His expression was lit up in a grin. He breathed in the scent of the peppercorns, his eyes closing as he savored each moment. He would eat his fill tonight, and when the fire had dimmed and night's dark cloak covered the sky, he would give Sam a proper greeting. The thought alone caused him to open a single eye, grinning at him. Durno munched the offered carrot greedily, snorting his thanks, and Denen slid down off his back to stand alongside Sam. He watched him with a sort of stunned, disbelieving wonder, as though awed that such a thing could be true. Durno's large head rested on his thin shoulder, and Denen's hand sought out Sam's hip. He was safe again. Surrounded by those who were important to him. Dinner was simple enough, as Denen hadn't had any coin or motivation to speak of when it came to feeding himself before this. Denen watched Sam the entire time, delighted by the simplest of gestures. Overjoyed by the way he chewed his food, the way the fire illuminated his features. When they had finished their meal and Denen was quite full, he gathered up the bowls and set them in a bucket of water. "They can wait," he signed. He took both of Sam's hands, seeking to guide them to his hips. "My Sam."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam made a mental note to make some goat cheese for the road, as the nanny goat, the rabbit, Jyn and his daughter, would have to stay behind again. It didn't seem right to remind Denen that their journey still had to take place. They needed one night of peace, at least. Goat cheese, leaving livestock and servants with the Sunkiss pavilion, purchasing another Strider to get him to Riverfall, perhaps from Hek Fleetrunner if his pavilion was still in Endrykas. But he was planning again. He shook his head as if to banish all the responsible thoughts. Durno was cared for, the dishes could wait. Dawn would come too soon anyway.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen took several careful steps backwards, smiling up to Sam eagerly. His own hands rose to hold his face, so that he could lean to kiss him properly. They slid, though, down to his shoulders, and then to his arms, though his lips lingered. One hand drifted to his chest so that he could sign. "Come. The night is ours." He did not know how long they would have to be alone, nor how long it would be before Sam told him that they had to go back. He dreaded that, but he would not be taken from Sam's side again. Not until Lady Death came for him. He would hold fast to him until the last breath left his body. He guided him to the tent, and sank, there, upon their bed of furs, whispering praises of thanks to the gods, and surrendering himself wholly to the man he loved.

[Lariat]

Denen Brokensong

Experience:

Observation: 1 xp
Rhetoric: 1 xp
Riding (Horse): 1 xp
Horsemanship: 1 xp

Lores:

Intuition: Finding more than security in the company one keeps

Sama'el

Experience:

Cooking: 2 xp
Rhetoric: 1 xp
Observations: 1xp
Leadership: 1 xp

Lores:

Possessing tact in the face of joy and anger

Comments

A beautiful thread, and as always it is a joy to have you in my domain. If you have any questions about how I graded or think I missed something be sure to send me a pm.