[ P ] [Escape!] I'm Losing Touch

His face ached. He could taste blood in his mouth-- it had been less than a day...and now it was night. The small bit of light that came in through his cell had long since vanished, and now he was left in the pitch black, in the damp dark.
His thoughts wandered--not to his family, no. He didn't have one of those. To his friends? None of them either. His home? He wasn't sure he had one. Instead, his thoughts wandered to the past. To his books. To *him*. But he dared not linger on such a thought. What if it had been... different? What if *he* had been different?

Should he have simply cowered and given in? ...No. He couldn't. Not in good conscience. He was haunted.... and sickened. He could hear the rest of the proceedings as they went--some who were proud and defiant, others comical, and still others who were apologetic and cowed by the reality of the situation. Only one other had ended up on the chopping block with him, she who had proudly cursed them all.
He sighed, his back pressed uncomfortably against the stone to keep him upright. It was cool, and it soothed the heat in his face. The pain from it.

"...Why couldn't I have been satisfied?" ...Because it was unfair. Cruel. Hypocritical. An abomination.

I must be insane.

The thought ran through his mind like a never-ending mantra as he snakes his way through the dungeon walls. He had heard of the violent protest, and through the grapevine found out Ardis was set to be executed. Eitan tried to tell himself he didn't care, that Ardis had burned the bridge between them when he chose to push him away instead, but he knew that was a lie. Even if he was upset at the other male, the knowledge he was to be executed was almost too much to bear. His jaw set firmly as he stopped at a corner, his body leaning forward to peek around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. Once he was certain he wouldn't be caught, he crept forward in search of the keys. He'd have to work quickly, seeing as his window of opportunity was small and he didn't know where Ardis was being held exactly.

The keys had been left carelessly on a hook to his right, but perhaps that was simply because they didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to attempt what he was doing. Quietly, he reached forward to snag the ring with his canine and pulled away to begin his search for Ardis. He was quiet as he passed the cells, keeping to the shadows to avoid other inmates spotting him. The last thing he needed was for one of them to call out for the guards in a jealous rage. He wasn't here for them.

It felt like an eternity before he found his old friend sulking in his cell and he had to ignore the pang of hurt in his chest as he approached the cell. He said nothing as he tried the gold keys one after another until he finally found the right one. With a quiet chink, the lock gave way and he pushed the door open with his shoulder. "Get up. Let's move."

With that said, he turned heel to begin padding back the way he came. He wasn't feeling particularly chatty right now and he wasn't fond of the idea of running into an Imperial Guard making their rounds.

@Ardis

He'd closed his eyes, annoyed with the drying blood streaking down his face. It had practically plastered his now torn ear to the wound, black and shiny in the dim, dark light. He knew how insane it was to get in here, and thus, he knew how nearly futile it was to try to get out.
As a result, he nearly believed that the sound of keys jingling and the door swinging open was a dream. Or a hallucination? He was thirsty, and hungry, and tired, and in pain in more ways than one. His nails scraped along the floor, the stone dulling them already. His paws were practically bleeding from the pacing he'd done, and he had only slumped where he was due to exhaustion.

And then the light poured in, and his brows furrowed. Who the hell would be here? Some guard, playing a sick joke, he figured. He was content to slump back to the floor until he heard the voice.
Get up. Let's move.

What? No. He hadn't heard that voice in what felt like years. The voice that had sank into his bones. Last he had heard of him, he had left the army and vanished into the night.
And yet there he was, standing before him. Blood had seeped into his eye, blurring his vision but... there could be no mistake.

"..Eitan..?" he rose, following slowly-- almost at a limp. His whole body had become one giant bruise... but when he stepped free of the cell, it all became real and clear.

"Quiet," he almost snapped, but willed his voice to soften just a little. Ardis looked rough, like he'd spat in the death's face when he came to collect his soul. Still, he didn't want to alert anyone else to their presence. The faster they could make a quick exit the better.

He walked at a steady pace but slowed down each time another hallway intercepted the one they currently traveled down. It was almost suspicious how quickly this was going but he wasn't going to dwell on it. The last thing he needed to do was jinx them with his wildly racing thoughts.

Eitan didn't speak again until at long last he approached the small tunnel he had crept through after pushing the grate out of the way. It was too small for a large wolf to fit through, but given the fact they were both the same size, he didn't think there would be an issue. Beryl eyes washed over Ardis' injured form once more. Lips turned down into a frown as he noted the wounds he sustained but he said nothing about it yet. Instead he asked, "Can you crawl through?"

@Ardis

Good gods. He was real, and this was really happening. He had to blink away the shock and surprise as he stared at the hole, and then slowly rolled his shoulders--making an audible crack as he did so-- and then slid down to wriggle carefully through the tunnel. He had to crawl and it ached terribly-- he was sore and the tunnel was a tight fit and scraped along his back and shoulders-- but soon they had made it through and he turned to stare at him with an expression that could only be called 'incredulous'.

The air felt thick with tension, thick enough to cut with a knife and his whole body ached and yet all he could do was stare. It was as if Ardis had aged twice-fold and Eitan had somehow gotten younger and more reckless and more...

"....Wh..why did you come for me...?" he asked, trying to ignore the mixture of blood and bile in his mouth.

He had asked himself that same question countless times as he scoped the outside of the prison out to find a way in. Why had he come for him when Ardis had pushed him away? The answer was simple, really. Ardis had given up on him, not the other way around. He couldn't walk away even when Ardis had left him alone. Maybe it was a terrible flaw in his design.

"I never left. You did." The words were very matter of fact, lacking in emotion and hiding the pain he felt beneath a practiced facade. He strode forward to press his side into Ardis' to offer support whilst they made their way to a hide out in the heart of the woods. He would prefer to whisk Ardis to the highlands where it was safe, but he was skeptical over his ability to walk long distances.

"We need to move," he said, walking forward but ensuring Ardis could keep up with him. "I want to put as much space between us and this hell hole as we can. I'll tend to your wounds when we're safe to the best of my ability, but I ain't no healer." He was knowledgeable enough to administer first aid, but he didn't know if he could fix everything.

How was he supposed to explain it? Or...argue it? He *did* push him away, but not for the reasons Eitan might have thought. Already his presence was starting to stir the emotional silt from the bottom of his little heart and he was beginning to wonder why he'd even listened. Why he'd left with him. Why he'd even considered it. And why Eitan had even come for him.

What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to say it? Apologize for forging a friendship that he, himself razed to the ground? Apologize for running when he'd tried to rebuild that bridge? Apologize for burying himself so firmly into being a soldier that he'd practically lost himself? ....But no, he hadn't. That was how he'd gotten here, wasn't it? Because he'd refused to give up some small part of himself that said he should just obey.

"..I can walk." he finally muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. There was no malice in it, no anger. Just the soft, somber shame.

He could walk.

Fine.

If he wanted to walk he bloody well could do it by himself then. He offered a noncommittal shrug before stepping away to take the lead, though try as he might he couldn't go thst far ahead of him. What if the bastard hurt himself trying to keep up? Silence clung to the atmosphere like water soaked into a rag. It was heavy and suffocating, but there was nothing to be done about it.

He led the way through the surrounding trees and foliage, stopping occasionally to check over his shoulder to make sure Ardis was alright. His place was in the middle of the woods, so it wouldn't be a quick trek over there. Eventually, he slowed to allow a rest and check on him again. Damn his bloody bleeding heart.

"There's a brook nearby. Do you need water? To rest?"

@Ardis

"No... we shouldn't rest until we're far out of the highlands." his voice was soft-- not a mumble nor a whisper, but soft regardless. The warm, deep timbre of his usual tone was almost washed away with exhaustion and shame and yet he was more than capable of continuing--he could soldier on, even when he was barely awake. They had no chance of a real escape if they were going to take time to stop for him.

He shook his head,"No stopping.... we can stop when we're safe." We. Because he knew the absolute batshit insanity that must have overtaken Eitan to do such a thing as breaking him out of an imperial prison. They would never stop the hunt for the both of them now-- Eitan had signed his own death warrant with that action. And for what? For him? What a mistake.
He'd walk until his paws bled, until his tired legs could carry him no further. ...And it would be easier if Eitan was with him.

@Eitan

Eitan could only offer an annoyed huff in response to Ardis' words. He wanted to keep walking until they were safe, and in an ideal situation that would be the best course of action, but Ardis could barely walk as it was. "I didn't rescue you for you to kill yourself because of your damned pride. If you're not going to stop to get your bearings, you're going to lean on me." It wasn't usually Eitan's nature to be so demanding, but he needed Ardis to understand that it was okay to be weak.

It was okay to need help. Why he continuously insisted on fighting him was beyond him, but they were in this together now. There was no getting around it for either one of them. With his teeth grit together, he moved to come closer to Ardis in an attempt to usher him closer. "Won't be safe 'til we make it to my hideout and it's a long walk. Stop pushing me away."

For once, just let him be close.

@Ardis