We Were Brave like Soldiers

[Skoll]

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It's all good man. I'll keep on writing longish just cause I've got mad-inspiration. As long as you keep on giving me stuff to reply to, we're good to go. Skoll's eyes widened fractionally at what Phoenix said next. He had assumed, too soon, that Phoenix's telepathy had seen what images he had seen, nothing more. It would appear that with those flashes of old events came knowledge surrounding them, and relevant names, as well. He felt the urge to step away, but did not. He felt the urge to look away, but did not. So his friend had found out some ancient history, it wasn't any cause to act any differently. Sure, he had regrets, but he had survived them up to now. It wouldn't be any different here. "So, that trick of yours reads into things, more than just the shallow images, eh? Well, I guess you really won't have much to worry about if someone tries lying to you." He paused for a few moments, thoughts racing, though now in private. "It's probably best that you don't. People like me aren't well understood here, and those who are willing to let Inferni run their lives will use whatever scraps they can get their hands on against me, as we've already seen." Was that the end of it, then? Were they going to never speak of it again, forget this had ever happened? "Art..." he sighed, unsure of why he was going on. "Art was my responsibility, his fate was my fault. His future in his pack was an unhappy one, so I tried to take him away from it. He was appointed to be the next pack hunter, a position for which he had no affection, nor any particular talent. He couldn't back out of it, though, without facing the scorn of his pack-mates. He had been enthralled by my stories, and wanted to experience adventures of his own a hundredfold more than becoming an underappreciated hunter of a well-fed pack. He asked if he could join me, learn my trade, and I said yes." While there was remorse in his voice, there was anger and rue in his eyes, which had wandered about as he spoke. "I'd never fought in a war before then, I thought I would be able to watch after him, but in the chaos... he paused, a deep and old anger rekindled in his heart by his thoughts, I could not." His eyes rose back up to Phoenix. "Galdra was a different story, altogether. From what you saw, you know that she meant a great deal to me, despite our short time together. I thought that she felt the same way for me, but..." the flame of his anger guttered out, leaving him looking tired, almost as much as Phoenix. "When it came to choosing between one of her students and I, she would have sooner taken my life. And when it came to saving my own life or sparing hers, I would have sooner kept my own." He hadn't even thought in those last few moments of her life. There had been a brief flare of confusion and anger, as well as a touch of sadness that she had been wrong about the 'experts' having to fight one another. In the end, though, his instincts had moved him before his thoughts could--as was the nature of all fighting--and she had died, and he had lived. ~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.

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