Waking Up With No Clue What's Going On Is Paultin's Aesthetic [Unfinished]

Chill Wind

As the twilight broke through the skies, two horses blew through a town no one cares to remember the name of, past the tavern, the walls and into the forest surrounding it.
Diath tried not to think about his decision. It was in the past- said and done.
But Strix and Evelyn, that was the last place they had been seen, where they had seen them. Will they ever find you again? You left them behind.

A path had been agreed to by the two adventurers, an unused path around a series of ponds and lakes, to the next town on. Well, agreed, Paultin simply nodded along to Diath's rambling.

Rain fell as they rode on through the night. The rogue could barely open his eyes as the rain glossed his vision. Days with a complete lack of sleep does that to you. But, there was no rest to be had in the torrential downpour.
Besides, he wasn't going to slow Paultin.

Paultin.
You overreacted, for sure. You were fighting a band of thugs on the road, and your friends went missing. No big deal, bad situation, they're off fighting! No big deal, they'll find you.
But Paultin.
He couldn't have done anything! You beat Strahd- you won! Strix had the puppet!
Has, had?
Paultin wouldn't hurt you, like he said, it was just to save his skin, he got back, he helped you save Barovia!
Of course he did. Right?

Thunder echoed across through the trees as the wind picked up, throwing leaves and branches into the path.
This is just you, overreacting, overthinking. Paultin is fine, you're fine. Everything's fi-
Lightning strikes.
The horses reared, and Diath tumbled to the muddy earth. He stared up at the foreboding sky, as wind howled through the pass, so loud that he could hear nothing less.
He tried to push himself up, but slipped, hitting his head once again on the ground. The rain against his face was cool and clean, pricking his skin as it pierced his lips, dripping onto his teeth.
What if you just stayed here?
But my head hurts.
No more anything, just the rain.
But my friends.
Nothing could go wrong.
But Paultin.

"Diath!"
The bard ran to kneel above Diath as the wind stilled for a moment, mud and scratches covered his face and clothes.
"You okay?"
"... Yes? No? Maybe? I'm not sure."
Paultin held out his hand to Diath and pulled him up from the dirt.
Paultin would never hurt me.
"Dude, congrats to whoever finds a free horse tomorrow." The rogue followed the hand he held, across the path and onto the back of the blonde's horse.
Paultin grabbed the reins and head off down the pass.
Everything's fine.

As the forest fell by, the bard tried to stay awake. The rain had begun to die away, and the night was fading into morning. He wanted to stop, to find a dry spot under a tree, to just go to sleep.

As he sat, pondering this, he felt Diath's arms wrap around his waist. The rogue's head rested against his back.
He was cold. Paultin could feel the man shaking. There was no rest to be had.
He wasn't going to slow Diath.

The trees became sparse, and eventually the morning light shone against a new town, on a new day.
It's a new day.