Ashrain

32. Hooves Where They Belong

The day passed before Hongjoong's body restored all of its energy. Waking up, he felt well-rested after his long sleep, though his body ached from the shoves and hits it had taken. Convinced that the others felt even worse, he set out to check on them and prepare food for their rumbling stomachs while Wooyoung still snored into his pillows. Once he had dragged his heavy limbs over to Mingi's bed, Hongjoong gingerly drew the blanket aside to peer at Mingi's shoulder.

No fresh blood, that was good.

Hongjoong covered Mingi again, since redressing the wound could wait until the man woke up and slinked down the stairs. For a moment, he stood still and listened for voices in the stables. The lack of noise alerted Hongjoong with the same dread that finding the bays empty once had triggered in him, but he brushed it aside. If the two had been attacked, Yunho's ruckus would have woken them without a doubt.

With as little noise as possible, Hongjoong prepared a warm stew to replenish their strength. He cooked a lot, spending a lot of their food on this celebrative meal. While they had lost the money for rent which had been paid twice to Yeosang, Hongjoong couldn't care less. After what Yeosang had done, he was more than willing to murder the elf in his sleep and get all the money back if he ever dared show his arrogant face to them again.

He stood at the cauldron and stirred the blubbering mixture when the door to the stables opened. Yunho peered out, his wounds cleaned and his upper body free of the restricting armour. His many swirling tattoos lay bare.

His curious eyes searched the kitchen and found Hongjoong hunched in a corner, hacking away at some meat. When their gazes met, something akin to a smile tugged on Yunho's lips. It was foreign on features as war-chilled as his, but Hongjoong liked to see the kindness in his eyes.

"It smells good. How are Mingi and Wooyoung?"

He must have trusted Mingi to survive, given he hadn't checked up on him during the day. Had Seonghwa been worried? Perhaps Hongjoong should have gone to comfort him before he went to sleep.

"Mingi and Wooyoung are doing wonderful," said Wooyoung, who just descended the stairs. His leather harness missed, too, and the strings of his dirty grey shirt were undone to let it slip over one shoulder. With his hair in disarray, he came to relieve Hongjoong of his duties. Nervously, Hongjoong wiped his hands on a rag.

"Is Seonghwa up yet?"

Yunho nodded with a glance behind him.

"He wanted to talk to you but not bother your sleep. I will take a walk and stretch in the meantime." He jostled from his spot and a moment later, four hooves left the house. He pressed the gate shut behind him to keep the cold out.

Hongjoong left Wooyoung to the food while he neared the stables. Relief flooded his heart when he saw Seonghwa there, seated in what had to be the biggest and most comfortable nest he ever had that Yunho must have built for him. When their gazes met, Hongjoong shyly fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

So much had happened between them. Hongjoong didn't know if it was possible to adore someone more than he adored Seonghwa.

"Close the door behind you, please," Seonghwa muttered. Hongjoong obeyed without wasting a thought on the why.

When he entered Seonghwa's bay, he found the centaur had prepared a honeycomb, a washcloth, a bucket of water, and a brush already.

"If you feel up for it, can you help me clean? I desperately want to wash those memories off," Seonghwa pleaded. Hongjoong reached for the items immediately. He started at Seonghwa's chest and worked his way over his legs and to his back. With every touch, mud and blood from various sources came off him. Little nicks in his skin remained, but they hid within his fur.