Shadow Of The Colossus- Taming The Beasts

Chapter 20- Cenobia

Celosia barreled towards the ruins, tearing apart dead shrubs and kicking up dirt in the face of Kuromori, who was following behind. She usually would've spat up the dirt and joke with Celosia, but now wasn't the time for jokes. Cenobia was one of, if not the most aggressive and reckless of the colossi and she had a reputation for not being the brightest bulb in the shed. Given the events of the slaying of their kind at the hands of the Wanderer, and the increasingly brutal ways he did his deeds, it was no doubt that Cenobia had suffered tremendous wounds while she tried to kill her attacker. And it was her sister, Celosia, who was worried the most. Aiko wouldn't be able to interact with Cenobia, at least for a little bit, due to trauma and the wounds alongside them. 

As she progressed towards the temple, kicking up more sands and swimming through ponds, Cenobia stumbled upon a horrifying sight. Cenobia's armor was shattered and crumbling. Her legs were bleeding and broken. The metallic mane she pridefully wore like a trophy was now gone. Every single movement was punished with a seizing pain. She was alive, but she didn't want to be. Immediately upon seeing this, Celosia jumped down and ran towards her sister, stopping in front of Cenobia so she didn't try to move more.

"Are you okay?!" Celosia cried, "Hold on, hold on, don't move!" 

"C-Celo...sia?" Cenobia managed to wheeze out before collapsing, exhausted. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, it was too painful.

Kuromori soon arrived, soaked in water. That wasn't a bad thing. The flames on her back would've scorched Cenobia when she needed to carry her, and that when was now. Cenobia's breath was shaky and faint, so they needed to hurry. Using her tail, Kuromori lifted her up and placed the injured beast on her back as Celosia climbed up, pinning Cenobia down so she didn't fall off during transportation. Kuro rushed to Basaran's area, as the geysers would've helped clean her wounds and the warm steam would calm her down. 

"Is she doin' okay?" Kuro said with a tinge of worry in her voice. Celosia only nodded. Cenobia seemed to be adjusting to the pain, since she wasn't wincing as much. 

They were almost there. The steam from the geysers was in view, and they could hear Basaran walking around. The dead trees around them started to bloom life, but that wasn't important to them at the moment. Just a small note to tell Gaius.

Arriving upon the cracked sand of the geyser field, Kuro skittered to a halt. Genty, Celosia managed to nudge and roll Cenobia off of the lizard's back and onto the dirt below. Cenobia groaned upon impact, alerting Basaran. 

"Ceno?!"

He dropped his usual flamboyant outside and immediately rushed over. His sore hooves didn't matter right now, his friend was injured. Cenobia didn't move much, but her orange eyes switched to blue for a soft moment. Basaran was her friend, and they had a lot in common. Gaius complained that they were both too loud and bombastic, but that's what made them get along. Celosia checked the wounds on her back. They were much deeper than her own, and touching her back made Cenobia flinch. Kuro filled her mouth chamber with warm geyser water and brought it over to the hurt colossus, dumping it on her wounds and washing off most of the dirt and muck. The warmth of the water was comforting as well, making Cenobia losen up her muscles.

"Will she be okay?" Celosia whimpered.

"She will," Kuro reassured, placing a cooled paw on her back. "She has been through worse. The stone will regenerate overtime, just...Accompany her. Make her feel comfortable."

"O-okay."

"I...I have to go find and tell Gaius about this. Also Phalanx, she is the healer after all. Just don't let her find Aiko, we don't want another injured friend."

Basaran and Celosia nodded, understanding her warning. They knew that everyone was busy, so they needed to keep Cenobia in Basaran's territory for a while until Phalanx or Gaius could arrive.

And just like that, Argus' light shot down.