(Fantasy worlds are amazing. What are drakes capable of? Feel free to PM me a guide to them.)

Cormac managed to get the carriage up right by rigging the horses to help him. "I...I'm going to sleep. Or at least try."

"Please... Please help me to my feet."

Astien leaned on Cormac while walking back to the carriage, still in shock. He picked up his blankets and pillows, and tucked himself in. He tried to sleep, but tears refuses to stop pouring from his eyes.

Cormac laid in his bunk, staring at the dark cieling. His sleep was little and broken as he would jump awake at the slightest noise.

Morning came, and Astien hasn't really slept. His eyes were red, both from exhaustion and crying the whole night. He was still cradling his belly, as though if he let it go, something would steal his baby from him.

Astien could not recall ever feeling so miserable and scared.

Cormac managed to get the carriage out of the woods by noon, but decided to spend the rest of the day regrouping. He didn't eat much, but shoved food to Astien. He barely spoke as he spent his time tending to the horses and his weapons.

As long as he had been pregnant, Astien hadn't been able to turn down any kind of food. But now, he had no appetite at all. Not even when Cormac gave him meat with chocolate cause and hot sauce. He poked and shook his belly, trying to coax his baby into moving for him, hoping that would ease his mind at least a little bit. But either the baby was sleeping, or... No, he wouldn't think of that.

Cormac sat outside the carriage with his eyes peeled and Fraea at the ready. Though now he was hesitant to use it.

"Cormac," Astien weakly called. "Could you come in here, please?"

"Coming," Cormac hoisted his heavy body off the ground as the lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll. He stepped into the carriage. "Yes?"

Astien kept staring at his belly. "Would you say something? Just... Talk to me? About anything? I-I just really need... To talk."

Cormac nodded and took a shaking breath his eyes stung with tears. "I'm sorry..." he croaked. "I-I didn't...I just..."

Astien hushed him. "Shh, you didn't do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry about. You protected someone. You did what you thought was right. It ended unfortunately, but you saved someone's life. That's nothing to be sorry for. Sometimes..." Astien took a deep breath to try and ward off his own tears. "Sometimes doing what's right means doing something wrong. Means hurting someone, or, or doing something dangerous. Means risking your life. We can't see what effects our actions will have. We can only do what we think is right."


(Gotta go sleep. Kisses!)[/font]

Cormac nodded and wiped away his tears the best he could. "I'm...I'm just so used to looking out for myself... I didn't even think about how my action could effect you...You..you could have died last night..."

Astien held back his tears. He needed to be strong for the younger man. "What was there to think about? That the harpies might lay an ambush? How could you have known that?" Astien swung his legs out and satin his bed. "Wild harpies are crazy. They probably would have captured us anyway for some other reason."

Cormac nodded and sat beside Astien on the bed. "I guess... I guess we just got lucky last night."

Astien winced as his baby kicked, but smiled. It was finally moving again. Astien took Cormac's hands and placed them on his belly, where the baby's kicks could best be felt. "Do you feel that? The baby's alright. I'm alright. You're alright. We're all alright. We're all safe now."

Cormac nodded. "Yeah..."

Astien took Cormac's face in his hands and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Don't blame yourself. Everything's going to be alright."

"Ok," Cormac said with a yawn.

Astien scooted over on his bed and patted the vacant space. "Come have a nap. Maybe you'll sleep better if I'm here; I don't know."