Chapter Text
He doesn't wake up for a long time.
At least, he's fairly sure it's a long time. He can't see the light level enough to figure out what time of day it is, and he can't stay awake long enough to sniff and listen and try to figure it out, so he doesn't have any real idea of what's happening. He's... not afraid, though. Well- not when he's awake. When he's sleeping, absolutely, there- there are still monsters stalking his dreams, but-
Every time he wakes up, Milu is touching him. And normally that would scare him, but it doesn't hurt. It... it feels good. Soft touches, gentle strokes, a bowl of broth pressed to his mouth as soon as he's awake enough to not choke... nothing he can bring himself to even be remotely nervous about. Just things that feel... oh. Incredible.
And he's finally getting enough sleep. He's exhausted, absolutely exhausted, probably from being sick, but he can sleep until he wakes up on his own and then he can go back to sleep again as soon as he wants. His pain is easing, he never wakes up to anyone trying to hurt him, and he's actually starting to feel good the second-to-last time he wakes.
And then, instead of just waking up for a couple of minutes and being half-asleep the entire time, he stirs his way awake, stays conscious, and slowly, slowly, pulls himself to his knees.
He's thirsty. That's the only thing he can think. He's so very thirsty.
Somehow getting to his hooves, he staggers in the direction he's fairly certain the river is in for as long as he can manage, then collapses after just a few faltering steps. Choking back a snarl of dismay, he scrabbles weakly at the long grass, then stills when two gentle hands settle onto his shoulder. Oh. Milu. Maybe- maybe Milu can get him some water? Yes? Please? Whining, he turns his head towards the tiny medic and chokes out a raspy groan, pleading for something to drink.
"Easy, easy- it's okay. You're thirsty, huh? Here, just- just be still, sweetie, Avalon's coming with some water. We have you. You're okay, I promise. Just relax... it's okay." the medic coos, gently stroking his head and neck until he settles down, then places a bowl in front of him and nudges his snout very gently into the water. "Here... drink. Slowly, okay? I'm not gonna take it away, you can have more as often as you want, but it'll make you feel kinda nasty if you drink too much right now. Steady, steady... deep breaths, but not with your face in the water. You're gonna be really weak for awhile, I'm afraid, but you're gonna be okay. Here, I'm- 'm gonna help you get your head out of the water a bit, okay? Ah- there. Breathe. Deep breaths. Nice, deep breaths. Let me hear your lungs, okay? And you need more air, probably. Big breaths. That's it... just like that. Good job."
Milu leans on his ribcage for a moment or two, listening to his breathing, then lightly pats his shoulder and coos softly. "Good! Your breathing is still a little bit off, but it's much better, and you'll heal just fine. Now... I bet you're hungry. You want some fish? I know your mouth probably hurts, but fish is easy to chew. C'mon now... think you can get up?" he coaxes, then takes Vachel's head gently in both hands, trying to get him to his feet. "Come on- I know it's hard, but you'be been in pretty much this one spot for awhile. You gotta move."
Okay. If it means he gets something to eat, then yes, he- he can try. And it takes some effort, he doesn't make it to his hooves on the first try, but he manages it- and he actually manages to stay upright, which he's slightly proud of. And then he actually manages to start walking. His head is low and he can hear his heartbeat thudding, but he's not collapsing, and- and he actually knows where to go, because there are delicate little hands on his arm, very gently coaxing, and everything is still long, soft grass and there's nothing for him to trip over. It's still hard, though, he's tired and he really just wants to collapse but oh that's a very interesting new smell. What... what is that?
Intrigued, Vachel manages to walk just a bit further, then settles down near the source of the intriguing scent. Hm. Smells like cooked something, but he's not quite certain what it-
Oh, is this what fish smells like when it's cooked? It's interesting.
"Hey- you look a bit confused. Are you- oh, right, minotaurs don't really cook stuff very much, do you? Here- there are more precise ways to cook fish, but this should taste pretty decent. And, uh... would you be more comfortable eating with your hands, or just straight off a plate? Either one is fine." Milu hums, gently taking his hands and pressing a plate into them. "Go ahead... whatever feels safest. Promise it's okay." he croons, and to Vachel's surprise, he keeps that promise.
Cringing slightly just in case he's about to be yelled at, Vachel hunches into himself and holds his meal very close, then just lowers his head and picks up a small piece of fish between his front teeth. He's... not sure it would end well if he tried to use his hands. He'd probably bite his fingers. This- this is an acceptable way to eat. He's half-expecting to be struck for it, or maybe referred to as an animal- but no, that doesn't happen.
In fact, Milu sets a hand between his ears and rubs softly, making an approving sound. "Good! That's it, just- just eat. Not too fast, but eat. All of that. You need food." he coos, rubbing gently, then giggles when Vachel (cautiously) leans onto him for a moment and rumbles. "Aw. You're welcome! Now... you eat up, I'm gonna go sit with Avalon. He's... right over there, across the fire and just a bit to your left. Let me know if you'd like anything else to eat, okay? Or- actually, I guess you're basically sitting in a salad, aren't you? That's probably a better idea than giving you more fish, I'm guessing meadow grass is more towards what you'd usually eat."
Yes, grass is probably more natural, but fish tastes good and he is not giving this up. Growling very softly at the idea of his meal being taken away, Vachel curls into a tighter ball and stares in Avalon's general direction, then continues eating- without chewing. At all. He's just going to finish his food as fast as possible before anyone can try to take it away, gulp it down in a few big bites. And then lick the plate. And then almost immediately shove his face into the grass and start eating, because he's hungry. He's incredibly, painfully hungry, and he's going to eat as much as he can before anyone can try to haul him away from his meal.
Once he's sure Vachel is comfortable and isn't choking on the meal he's just eaten in about ten seconds, Milu settles himself into Avalon's lap and leans back, sighing softly and watching the minotaur rip up grass like he's expecting to be dragged away from his meal at any moment. "Poor thing. He's so thin, I- I wouldn't have thought that a minotaur could even look like that. And he's all cut up, still, he's- he should be healing faster, but I guess he's just too tired. And his tail, his horns, his ears- those aren't gonna grow back, that- that isn't something anyone can fix. And I- I understand the horns, I guess, but- but the rest is just... cruel. There's no reason for that. I... I wanna hold him, but he's- well, he's a lot bigger than me, and he's so scared, I- I don't want to upset him, I- eeh."
Avalon nuzzles carefully into messy brown hair, huffing air through his mask, then rumbles approvingly when Milu giggles. There, that's- that's a bit better. He doesn't like seeing Milu sad, and it doesn't help anything, it just- just spreads the sad, that makes things worse.
Carefully hugging the medic close against his chest, he settles his dragon's-hide cloak tighter around them both and attempts to distract Milu with a fish on a plate, then turns his attention to the minotaur again. That... is not a healthy being. Minotaurs ought to be powerful creatures with thick, shaggy fur, or at least thick fur if they're from the plains, but this poor thing has thin fur and clearly visible ribs. What had looked like a tannish-grey coloration had rinsed out under the waterfall, leaving what had probably once been a rich brown but was now faded and still looked a bit dirty, and his hide is covered in both old and new wounds. Minotaurs are usually large and loud and intimidating, Avalon doesn't usually like them, but this being cringes and stares blindly in his general direction whenever he moves and just looks so helpless. It makes Avalon just want to hold the poor thing as close as possible and tuck his face in close and keep him safe from everything, but that- that seems like a good way to panic the poor thing even more. Partly because Avalon's lack of a proper voice and the minotaur's inability to see his gestures are not a good combination when it comes to communication. It's probably a good thing they have Milu to translate for them.
"We gotta help. More, I-I mean. Are- are you sure there isn't anything else you can do? What about his eyes?" Milu questions, setting the fish aside, then pulls the side of Avalon's coat away from his frame and ducks into a space the size of a small closet. Avalon's coat is enchanted, somehow, Milu's really not sure how, and this part is full of books. Pulling a small, glowing crystal out of a pocket, Milu runs it along the rows of books for a moment to read the titles, then pulls something out and ducks back out into the real world. "Here, this- didn't you tell me you can't figure out what a lot of these are? Let's see if there's anything good in here."
Avalon hums softly in agreement, then returns his attention to the minotaur in front of him, not even bothering to try to read the book. He's trying to learn, and Milu is helping him, but he still can't read. In the past, he's translated recipes by comparing the words to the ones in a very detailed ingredient book (complete with pictures), and he remembers most of the techniques and roughly how the words look, but he's still not sure what the recipes in this particular book actually do. Some of them say "Eye ______", but for all he knows, one of them might be "Eye Melter" or something of the sort. He's not willing to test it on anyone he doesn't hate, let alone someone who looks so defeated. Those sightless eyes are closed now, and the lack of movable ears means that the unfortunate minotaur essentially doesn't have facial expressions, but even Avalon can tell that every bit of his body language is screaming (or, really, more like groaning) of pain and fear and silent desperation.
After awhile, Milu grins and looks up at Avalon, lightly tapping a page of the book. "Look! I think this- this should- hang on, I better check." he mutters, slipping out of Avalon's back and approaching the minotaur as loudly as he can without it being threatening. "Hey there, sweetie. I'm not- not gonna make you stop eating, okay? Well, actually, you... uh... okay, I'll be honest." he sighs, sitting down right next to the minotaur and placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "I think you should stop now. You can keep eating later, but it won't be good for your stomach if you eat much more. Nobody's gonna take the meadow away, just... stop for awhile. Okay? I need to look at your face anyway." he croons, then smiles when the minotaur (slowly) obliges. "There we go, good. Now... can I see your eyes? I think we might have something we can do to help you. It might take a little while to put together the ingredients, but... at the very least, we should be able to make you more comfortable. Can I see?"
Very slowly, he coaxes the now-trembling being's head around towards him, rubbing softly between maimed ears and trying to help him calm down. "It's okay, sweetie, it's- it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you, I- I just need to look at your eyes for a minute. I'm not gonna do anything, I- I promise, I just want to see if I can tell what's wrong with your eyes." he explains, accepting a small device when Avalon carefully hands it to him, then unfolds the thing near what's left of one of the minotaur's ears. "Hear that? It's a little folding thing with a couple of lenses, and I'm gonna use it to get a close look at your eyes and try to find out why you can't see. I'm gonna try to check if you have any scratches or anything across your eyes. I don't have to touch your eyes, I just... just have to hold your eyelids open for a few seconds. It might feel weird, but it doesn't hurt, I promise. Let me see?"
Clearly, the minotaur doesn't want to, but he very slowly settles his head against Milu's stomach. Shoulders hunched, clearly bracing himself, he shakily opens his eyes- and flinches the instant Milu touches him. Flinches even more as soon as a hand gets anywhere near his eyes.
Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. "Hey, sweetie... I promise I'm not gonna hurt you. I just can't see anything properly if you keep blinking. I know it's hard, and I know you're scared, but I won't hurt you." Milu whispers, then very, very gently holds one of the minotaur's eyes open for just long enough to get a look through the lenses. After a few seconds, he's done, and he rubs softly at what seems to be a good spot on the minotaur's head before moving to the other eye. "Just a second or two more... aaand... there. That's it, sweetie, I'm done. See? That- that wasn't so bad, was it? You're okay. You can back up if you want, now, or- oufh."
He's cut off when the minotaur just about knocks him over, but he doesn't bother trying to resist- for one thing, he's not anywhere near strong enough. So he ends up sprawled on his back in the grass with a minotaur halfway on top of him, and-
"Sweetie, no, are- are you- are you crying? Oh, sweetie, I'm- I'm sorry, did I- did I scare you? Or- or were you- oh. I... oh dear. Some- some of that damage looks like scratches or rub marks, but some of it is- it looks like you got something in your eyes that was bad for you. And you're... oh. Oh, no, did- did someone- someone did that on purpose, didn't they? Is- is that why you were scared of- of what I was doing? I'm- I'm sorry, sweetie, I- I didn't mean to upset you, I just- I thought maybe you'd calm down a bit if- if you realized that it wasn't going to hurt, but- oh, no, I-I made it worse, didn't I? Oh, sweetie, I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Milu has had some practice hugging people who are far too large to really fit in his lap, and so he sits up as much as possible and tries very hard to gently hug the minotaur without seeming like he might pose a threat. "Okay, I- I'm gonna just... hold you for a minute, if- if that's alright. If it isn't, lemme know, okay? I won't be mad, I promise. You're allowed to tell me if you don't like things."
Doing his absolute best to not be scary, Avalon creeps over and sits right behind Milu in order to support him a bit so he doesn't end up flat on his back again, slowly setting a hand on the minotaur's shoulder in an effort to help calm him. It doesn't seem to do much, so after a moment, he edges over and sits up against the minotaur's upper back, shielding him from anything that could possibly try to come after them. In an effort to explain that, he leans forwards and does his best to just tuck the minotaur's entire frame under his coat, which doesn't entirely work. He does come fairly close, though- much to the dismay of the person he's trying to protect, unfortunately.
"Hey, hey, easy- it's okay. That's just Avalon, and he's- he's trying to help you, I promise. He has an enchantment or- or something of the sort on his coat, so he can fit way more into it than should really be possible. Including, possibly, you. Since you don't seem to like that, though, we're- we're not gonna try to fit you. It's alright, I promise! Just- just relax. Here... be still for a moment. Just breathe. Big breaths... try to calm down. I promise it's okay." Milu whispers, rubbing very, very gently behind the base of one sliced-off ear until the minotaur's panting and whining eases. "There... easy. I gotcha. Now... do you think you can focus on Avalon for a moment or two? Think about what he's doing. Does that... really seem like a threat?"
Doing his absolute best to be soothing, Avalon leans forwards slightly and tucks his coat over the minotaur as much as possible, placing a hand on the scarred ribcage and essentially attempting to emulate a mother hen. He can't say anything to calm the poor thing, so he settles for humming softly and then trilling, though it... sounds very odd. It might not be as soothing as he'd like.
At the sudden increase in contact, Vachel twitches slightly and makes a noise that could have been a frightened bellow if not for how quiet it is. It comes out as a strange noise something along the lines of a groan. He doesn't like this, he's-
Oh. Wait a second, this- this feels-
There... had been a cold breeze that was starting to bother him, and it's- it's gone.
Avalon is blocking it.
Slowly, Vachel raises his head and tries for a moment to listen to Avalon, then lowers his head again when he realizes that those aren't really... any sort of actual words. Just sounds. Weird, weird sounds, but... they seem like they're... intended to be soothing.
Avalon is scary, but that's- that's not a threat, it's...
Slowly, Vachel tucks himself into a smaller ball, head in MIlu's lap and back pressed against the (surprisingly pleasant) warmth of Avalon's frame. This... this actually feels... nice. Really, really nice. And...
Once he gets past his initial impression of power so close to him when he's feeling so vulnerable, Avalon's gentle touches are surprisingly pleasant. It... oh, this- this actually feels-
Vachel shifts abruptly, carefully wrapping both arms around Milu, and very gently pushes his face into the medic's stomach. He tries to make some sort of a grateful noise, but it comes out embarrassingly close to a calf's cry- and then, much to his dismay, the sound turns into a painful keening noise and he has to choke back a sob. Then another. And then he can't, not any more, and he-
He can't stop.
Well.
This is... embarrassing.
But... nobody is laughing at him, nobody is lashing out or- or trying to do anything to him, or-
Or, really, anything he's expecting.
Instead, Avalon carefully begins to pet his chest, and Milu-
Milu hugs him close and nuzzles into the back of his neck and croons to him, hugging him tight and whispering that it's okay, that he- he's safe, that it's okay for him to cry if it makes him feel better. And that just makes him cry harder, and he's not even sure why, and he-
Suddenly bucking away from Milu with an indistinct bawling noise, Vachel pushes himself up onto his knees and raises his head as much as possible. Mouth falling open, he gives a soft, half-audible cry, then goes completely quiet at the feeling of a cool breeze across his face. The stumps of his ears perk up slightly, then he tilts his head back a bit further and sniffs the air, taking a few deep breaths of cool... clean... fresh air. Granted, it makes him cough a few times, but it's... good. There's no hood over his face, no rough hands on his muzzle, no metal ring wedged through his nose and being yanked around. His lungs are misbehaving a bit, but he can actually breathe.
Pointing his snout into the wind, he just slowly breathes for a few minutes, listening carefully to the sounds around him. No... no harsh cursing, no painful screech of weapons being sharpened or sounds of orcs doing who knows what, just... crickets. And some kind of... frog? Bird? Something. It sounds... nice. Must be dusk, then. And... long meadow grass rustling in the breeze, swishing past him in waves, and- oh, wait, what- what is that?
Attention caught by a rustling noise, he turns in what he hopes is the right direction, then looks back over his shoulder at where he thinks Avalon and Milu are. That- that's a noise. It sounds like it's... hm, it must be a small animal. Fox, maybe? Doesn't sound like it's too close, at least. He's not sure quite where it is, but... no, it's leaving. He's fine.
He's... something a bit more than fine, isn't he?
He's free. Whatever Milu and Avalon have planned for him (and he's genuinely starting to wonder if he that might not be so unpleasant), for the moment, he's free. No one is holding him down or trapping him anywhere, there are no ropes or halters or bindings of any kind on him, there's nothing over his face- in fact, the only things he's wearing are the bandages protecting his ankles.
One deep breath in...
Hold for a moment...
And then, slowly, breathe out.
He's surrounded by what sounds like quite a large field of deep grass, and since it's dusk, there's no sun to hurt his eyes when they ease open. Nothing is holding him, nothing is restricting him, he's... free.
Slowly, very slowly, he pushes himself to his feet. Rumbling softly, he glances back at where he thinks Milu and Avalon are, then takes one careful step forwards. He doesn't think he can move very fast right now, but he wants to go somewhere, please. He's actually free to go wherever he'd like, and right now he wants to go... that way. He can't hear trees rustling in that direction, so it's probably open meadow.
"Hey, hey, where- oh, you wanna go somewhere? Alright, then, just- here. Avalon's gotta pack up, but I'm gonna come with you, alright? Right behind ya, don't spook, I'm just catching up." Milu calls, then gently touches his arm before carefully taking his hand. "There we go. Avalon is gonna get everything gathered up, and then he'll catch up. You keep going, but... slowly, okay? I don't know how fast minotaurs recover from things, but you definitely aren't in good shape. I'd help you if you weren't twice my size, so... walk carefully, okay? I won't be able to catch you if you trip."
Okay. Huffing softly in acknowledgement, Vachel very gently squeezes Milu's hand, then keeps going- slowly, yes, but steadily. He's had to walk when he's exhausted, starving, and absolutely does not want to, but now, he actually wants to. Still doesn't feel great, but at least he has a full stomach and he's had some rest. And now, he actually wants to move. So it's hard, yes, but he can do this.
And he's impressed with how far he manages to get. There are different sounds when he finally stops, different animals and a soft noise of water nearby, and there's moss under his hooves when he stops. Tilting his head back slightly, he scents the air for any signs of anything dangerous, then rumbles quietly and carefully kneels again. Slowly lowering himself, he scents at the moss for a few seconds, then carefully lies down and nuzzles into the wet ferns he can smell near his face. Delicately nipping the tips from a few ferns, he gathers a mouthful of soft leaves to chew on, then lowers his head and relaxes. There. This- this is a good spot to rest.
"You done? I'm impressed... you got really far, I thought you'd get tired sooner. Now... if you're okay with it, I'm gonna check you over and be sure you didn't reopen anything. I think now is a good time to rest for awhile, maybe sleep, and then... well, I think we should find someone to get a look at your hooves. I don't know what to do about that nail or how to tell if your hooves are in good shape at all, so I wanna find an expert. Avalon's map says there's a town near here, so we can see if there's a farrier. I know you probably don't like that idea, but..." Milu sighs, settling right near him, then very gently places a hand on his arm as he continues, "really, I'm worried. I promise I'll find someone nice... I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, and I'm- I'm not gonna let anyone try to put any sort of shoe on you, I know you wouldn't like that. I just wanna help you."