To Walk

The Past Haunts Us All

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RECAP

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          I grimaced as my wound began to throb. I could feel blood start to ooze out of the bandages and pulled my arm from Mason's shoulder, to keep him from feeling the sudden dampness. I'd have to fix it up myself later. I'd hate for Gad to know I'd messed up his careful stitching. As I passed by Lydia to continue into camp, she tsk'd herself, "Damon, sir, I think your 'playful fight' reopened your wound."

          Mason raised a brow at me, and Gad immediately turned, "Seriously, Damon!?" He muttered under his breath as he turned and shook his head, then turned back and yelled at me, "I want you at the cave in three - no, one minute, no more, you got that?" I rolled my eye and nodded to make him go away. Mason shook his head and smiled as he began to fish out the cloth he used to clean his sword, walking back to the hidden cave.

          I turned to Lydia, "Why'd you rat me out?" I muttered, the glint in my eye betraying my amusement.

          She snorted, "You scared me with all that swordplay, you deserved it."

          I sighed and started to make my way to the cave, "Very well."

END RECAP

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DAMON RIVERS' POV

The next day...

          I awoke to the sounds of muffled sobs.

          This was not unusual in the slightest. I leaned up from my bedroll, wincing at the warning throb from my shoulder. Peering through the gloom of the early morning mists, I made out a hunched figure by the shallow cave's entrance, illuminated by the dying coals of the fire. The slumped figure's features were blurred, they must have been wrapped in a blanket, and the shoulders shook slightly with every little whimper.

          Stretching and favoring my shoulder, I carefully stood and quietly made my way over to the small figure, gingerly placing my feet around quietly snoring faces and shifting legs and bodies. I made it, barely, just missing placing my boot in Jax's eye. Stepping around the dying fire, I silently slipped next to the still-crying person, crouching next to them and looking out into the fog-infused forest. 

          The person jumped, "Wh-who..."

          It was Lydia, no surprises there. I turned to look into her tear-stained face and red eyes. Her voice was muffled from the blanket she'd been using to quiet her sobs, "Shh, it's just me Lydia." I allowed a note of concern to creep into my voice, though I knew all too well what this was about, "Tell me what the problem is." 

          I had to be careful, I knew many of my followers hadn't been too keen on letting their sorrows spill out in front of me, and many had reacted in anger to my concern, "This is about...the attack, right?"

          Lydia sniffed, "Ahh-uh...uh-huh..."

          I leaned closer to her, allowing one of my arms to touch her shoulder. She flinched, then leaned against it. Good, she would not react harshly to my concern. I took another arm and wrapped it about her shoulders, allowing her to lean against my chest. She melted into my embrace. I stroked her hair with my unwounded arm, "Shh, it's natural to cry, healthy, even."