Fallen Honor

Safety In Numbers

EYY!!! YES I'M WRITING MORE OF TO WALK OK??
VOTE AND COMMENT!! (plz)

READ AND ENJOY!!!

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RECAP

          She was going to die.

          She scanned the narrow ravine, sharp rocks like the teeth of demons drawing evil shadows about her, tricking her eyes and doubling her already-frantic heartbeat.

          A sharp pain blossomed in her side, growing and growing, faster than she could register. She let out a choked scream and crumpled to the ground, face plowing into the sharp gravel lining the bottom of the canyon. She hardly registered the pain it caused her face, the agony digging deep into her ribs was too much to bear. She felt life slip from her as her vision blurred.

          A blue-clad figure with blank eyes moved into her deterioration field of vision. His wicked smile was the last thing to fade from sight.

END RECAP

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          Breathing hard, his legs trembling, Steve finally allowed himself a break. He spotted an overhanging rock that provided some concealment and huddled beneath it. As he lowered himself down, his legs gave out and he hit the rough stones hard, stifling a yelp. Wrapping his arms about himself, he rubbed his arms vigorously, trying to retain what little warmth he could. His breath clouded in the air; it was a bad night to be out without a warm cloak.

          Steve had been walking at a steady pace for at least three hours. Constantly dodging behind rocks and looking over his shoulder had exhausted him, not to mention his lack of food and water and the fearful battle he'd barely survived.

           Gritting his teeth, Steve held back tears. The young soldier refused to drift back into the horrible memories of the battle, the deaths. He could cry when he was safe.

          If he made it to safety.

          The soft glow of the moon deceived the eye, making it seem like a calm night. The steady dripping of raindrops on stone helped Steve relax. He pressed harder against the rock and, without realizing it, drifted off into a fitful slumber.

          Steve came awake with a jerk, falling onto his left side with a yelp. He scrambled to his feet, pressing his back against the dark rocks he'd sheltered under, looking about wildly.

          All was quiet.

          Too quiet.

          The sun was still rising, though it was halfway to noon. Steve bit his lip. He'd lost precious time. He should never have nodded off. His eyes still shifted around wildly as he stretched and groaned softly. He'd always hated sleeping on the ground. Stepping from the cool shade of the overhang, Steve let his eyes rove over the barren, rocky landscape one last time before stepping into the warm sunlight and continuing his trek towards the place he'd fled from. He was in a large ravine and going steadily uphill. It didn't look all too familiar, but he hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings as he tore madly through to get away from the horrid slaughter.

          A light breeze swept through the ravine, ruffling his brown, longish hair and drying his cyan tunic. The tunic was torn and stained with mud, and still slightly damp. His indigo pants were worn thin on the knees and very dirty as well. The gray boots he'd chosen to bring to the army with him were scuffed and old now. Steve glanced down at himself sadly before jerking his head back up to focus on the treacherous rocks. These clothes were strangely special to him in some way.

          He'd been found in them, after all.

          A small rustle of moving gravel snapped Steve's attention from his thoughts. The man whirled, heartbeat racing, crouched and prepared to run. Eyes darting wildly, probing the jutting rocks surrounding him, he demanded in a shakier voice than he meant to, "Wh-o's there? Friend o-or foe, show y-yourself!"

            A low moan caused him to jump back a half-block. Wary and yet concerned, he gulped and took a hesitant step towards the sound of heavy panting. A pained voice answered his challenge, "Help...m-me...please..."

           The voice was male, and it groaned again. The sound came from behind a tall, sharp rock that resembled a miniature mountain. Steve, throwing caution to the light breeze, straightened and placed a hand on the large stone, peering around it.

          Steve saw blond hair whisking in the light breeze. A man was slumped against the rock, head dipping slightly with each breath. He tilted his head back, small sounds of pain escaping him. Steve gasped and ran around the stone, kneeling beside the downed man, "Ezan! You, you're alive?"

          The young blond opened tightly shut eyes of pure sky blue. They were full of pain, but a slight hope shone from within. Ezan's forehead was drenched in sweat and his jaw trembled, a line of red traveled down his chin from the corner of his mouth, staining his white tunic. His face was pale, and his bloody hands gripped at his tunic, covering a large wound on his stomach, "S-Steve..." The wounded man smiled, then grimaced.

          Steve felt hope rise up in himself once again. He held back tears as he grinned in relief, "Shh, let me tend your wound, it looks nasty."

           Steve began tearing away the bloody tunic as gently as he could, absentmindedly noticing the nearly-gone trail of dried blood leading to his downed friend. Ezan let his hands fall away from the ugly gash on his stomach, gritting his teeth at the pain and acting as a lookout for Steve. Steve tore the tunic into strips, leaned over a puddle beside him, one of many remaining from the storm, and washed them as well as he could. Soon, Steve had Ezan's wounds washed, and his inspection revealed another jagged cut on the man's right arm. Steve wrapped Ezan's stomach and arm as swiftly and securely as possible, continuously looking over his shoulder as time waned on.

          Ezan had been an old friend of Steve's. The two had met when the Valkyrie captains of lord Notch's army had come to recruit all able-bodied men to help serve in the god's army. A terrifying time when villages were being burnt randomly to the ground by a demon with godlike qualities, Ezan and Steve had bonded over their shared hobbies and lack of fathers. Ezan's had died of some sort of plague years back, and Steve had never known his father.

          Ezran grunted as Steve tied the final knot. He flexed his fingers, winced, and reached his left arm out to Steve, "Help...me up..."

            Steve nodded, got to his feet, and gingerly pulled Ezan up. The injured man staggered and hissed, leaning heavily on Steve. They both knew they were too exposed here. They needed to find shelter, fast, and being wounded was no excuse.

          Steve gently moved under his friend's left arm, laying it over his shoulder and supporting Ezan, matching his gait with the other man's. Ezan gave him a shaky grin, "G-good to see you a-again..."

          Steve smiled, "And you, friend."

          Together, they slowly made their way through the steadily rising ravine. Neither man talked, saving their strength and both looking about for any sign of danger.

         Or, more precisely, of him.

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:DDD

OK SO I NEED YOUR OPINIONS!!! I WANT TO ADD ANOTHER POV HERE!!! OK?? TELL ME IF I SHOULD DO THE NEXT CHAPTER ON ANOTHER POV OR STICK WITH STEVE FOR RIGHT NOW!!! ALRIGHT?! THANKS!!

So Steve finds another friend! I NEED to mention that Rand was a father-figure to Steve, and his death really hit the poor guy hard...

Sorry about that.

oh yes plz comment and vote XD

(I'm gonna shut up before I spoil anything)