The bicorn watched, laying on the ground a few feet away, as the the other stranger disappeared, his smile the last to vanish, and giggled as she heard the hunter mumble about what she could guess we're curses and other profanities against magic. He reminded her of her previous beloved, both men seemed to live more precarious lives than some would be comfortable with, yet this one preferred a crossbow over a climber's rope. Her mood dampened as she thought about what happened and the utter heartbreak she felt many months afterward, she looked down at the ground and started to tear up again when she heard:
"Feeling slightly better then?"
She looked up and into his eyes were she saw a hardness to them, but compassion and concern as well. Compassion and concern for her she realized. She then remembered he asked a question.
"Just ever so slightly" she echoed him, trying to wipe away the tears threatening to spill when she felt a hand grab her arm. She looked and saw he was down on his knee in front of her, his hand holding her arm while he wipes away the tears with his other hand.
"You just spent the past five minutes, literally pouring your heart out on my shoulder, and while your lost is completely understandable, I can't allow such beauty to be marred by tears" he says, his voice soft. Her breath was taken away at the sincerity of his words. She was use to males trying to woo her, flattering her with her beauty, but it was all hallow, and she refused to accept it since she knew there was so much more to be given.
"Thank you" she said, a small smile appeared as she looked at the woodsmen.
He nodded his head and gave her a grin before taking off his crossbow, leather armor, and the bloodied shirt underneath and setting them next to his pack. She saw his well-toned body and couldn't help but revel in the sight of him.
"While he is not as big, he definitely still has the muscles, if not more, and there's no fat to take away from them, he's perfect" she thought to herself, she even pouted when he put on a clean shirt. He turned around and saw her pout.
"Like what you saw?" He said, haughtily, with a cocky grin plastered all over his face.
"Very much indeed" she responded, matching his bravado with a coy purr of her own. He kept a grin on his face as he put all the first aid equipment back in his pack, before setting it up against a tree close to them as well as his crossbow, armor and bloodied articles with it. Once he was done he turned back to her
"My name is Owen, by the way, Owen Hawk" he stated, walking up to her, bowing slight and holding out a hand before asking "And you are?"
"Glylynn, just Glylynn, I had a surname but haven't used it since...." She trailed off as she began start crying again. Why did Owen have to bring that up! She was about yell at him when she felt his arms around squeezing her tightly, she looked and saw that he was on his knees with their bodies as close as possible that her breasts are squished up tightly against his chest. His head on her right shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, Glylynn . I didn't think that you might bring that up and start crying, forgive me, please" Owen said, regretfully.
Glylynn was stunned before he returned his embrace.
"I forgive you Owen, you've been one of the very few to not see me as some way to get a group of monsters, including myself, as their wives. Don't be mistaken, I would love that, there just didn't seem to be anyone that could replace him" She replied, stroking the back of his head. Owen let go and then looked at her with a frown.
"This just goes back to my question after that stranger healed my arm.Why me then? What makes me different from the rest? What happened eventually to lead up to this moment?" He questioned.
"That would be best be explained at the very beginning, but before we do that, I suggest we make ourselves more comfortable, it'll take some time" she said with a sigh
Owen and Glylynn spent the next few minutes arranging themselves where eventually Owen was sitting up against a tree. Glylynn was laying on her side with here head resting on Owen's chest using it as a pillow, with the only clean blanket covering her human half. Owen is holding her in an embrace with one hand combing through her hair and other one around her middle. They just lay there for a moment enjoying each other's company before Owen broke the silence.
"So what happened?" He asked, patiently waiting for her and ready provide some support if need be. Glynn hesitated before beginning
"It was about six months ago when I met him, I was a unicorn at the time. His name.... was Graham Morrissey.....he was a mountain man who just like to climb mountains....no matter what the job was.....so long as he went up a mountain he was happy...and he had such a cheerful smile"
Glynn had been taking deep breaths to keep herself calm to continue the story, it helped that Owen squeezed tightly to let her know he was there. When she got to his smile she sobbed as Owen held her tightly, saying soothing words and rubbing her back. She calmed down and continued her story.
"Surprisingly enough, Graham was as pure as I was at the time, course I was happy for that and that evening we mated......I began traveling with him, we went everywhere....eventually though we wanted to find something more permanent to settle down and raise a family together. So we headed for a village at the base of a mountain range in the foothills of where we originally met.....Of course we were on the opposite side of the mountains that the village was so we took an easily traversable path. Unfortunately, there was a rock slide and we got split from each other, Graham being more closer to the village than I was......There was another way to the village that was longer than the one we were taking, so I told him continue on and we would meet each other in the village......it would take me two days to get there, Graham half that.....I galloped as fast as I could, and by the first day's end I was only a half day's travel away; but I was completely winded to do anything else, so I rested for the evening....imagine my surprise when I woke because I felt my energy become tainted...and I changed accordingly"
"He was unfaithful" Owen said, in a matter-of-fact tone, Glylynn nodded her head.
"He had a bit of a drinking problem, I always teased him that had I not been his wife it would have been a Red Oni...At first, after I realized what happened, I was heartbroken at the implications of what had happened, but that didn't last long before my new nature kicked in and I figured I would just ask if she was still interested....but Graham was utterly ashamed of himself of what occurred....seeing what happened to me made it worse.....I told him it was alright and that I forgave him and that we should move forward....but he was so upset that he threw my words back in my face along with some hurtful remarks!" She finished before breaking down for the third time that day, each time she noticed offhandedly, that Owen held her close, soothing her. He loves me, he truly loves me, even after what I inadvertently caused. The thought brought a smile to her face and she looked at him
"Thank you" the manomo said, gratefully.
"No need to thank me Glylynn, I'll do as much as I need to now....and forever afterwards" The hunter said, with a resolute tone.
"You mean....." The sentence trailed of, but the hope in her voice was still heard in those words, as she looked at her, hopefully, soon-to-be husband.
"I love you Glylynn, wholeheartedly, and while I can't truly replace Graham, though personally I wouldn't want to based on what I'm hearing; I swear to you that I'll stand by you thick and thin, for better or worst...and whatever else is spoken at an alter in a wedding. We both acted rash in all this, but we did so with what we thought were the purest of intentions, even if we're both far from 'pure'-" he was about to ramble on more when finally, after shaking her head giggling, did Glylynn quickly leaped up to where their faces met and kissed Owen. He was briefly shocked before he kissed her back and two shared a deep, passionate kiss, there tongues fighting each other for control. Neither which seemed to gain any ground before they let go and then they just stared at each other, gazing lovingly into each other's souls. They stayed like that for eternity it seemed. Eventually Owen snapped out of it and shook his head.
"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt our moment, but I would like to finish the story, and you've been so strong to keep through with this" he paused to hug her firmly "Just a little bit more, then we can go have some fun elsewhere" he finished huskily, send shivers down her spine.
"I look forward to it, now where was I?"
"Graham. upset. Big fight"
"Thank you darling, I ran off to the outskirts on the other side of town to cry, it was hours before either of us calm down to have a civil conversation, and It took another two to find our way back to each other. When we finally did, I once again forgave him for his outburst and then reassured him that I had forgiven him for what started the whole mess. He accepted both without much hassle and it looked like we're going to be able to move forward. He vowed to never have another drop of alcohol again, and he also vowed to never cheat on me again. Which infuriated me because no matter who or what crossed paths with him he managed to keep it as the two of us and it just......" She tried to find a word but couldn't and in her frustration of that and Graham's honor she slammed her hand down on her husband's chest.
"Easy there, Glynn" the crossbowman said, rubbing her back trying to calm her down once again.
"For the life of me I don't understand how our marriage could have been 'rocky' as you humans say but it was, until finally, while he about to leave to be a guide in the mountains, I stopped trying to convince him to have a harem and went back back to the original idea of a family. He agreed to that immediately saying it was the first thing we would do when he returned, in two weeks time....The time he was gone seem to drag itself it was so monotonous, until finally the morning of the day he was set to return, specifically in the afternoon is when he would arrive.......At about noon though I heard there was a rock slide in the pass and group got in it, my heart dropped when they said it was Graham's......I galloped my way to the pass and ran by several other local mountain men who yelled something but I didn't hear them, I had to know Graham was alright......h-he got caught......I-in the middle.....o-of it....t-trying to make sure.....e-everyone got out safely......s-specifically a little girl who got frightened.....h-he looked horrible......u-under all the rock....b-but what really got me was.....he-he w-was st-still smil-*hic*-ing! " Glylynn sobbed harder than any previous breakdown she had since she found out, it was just as loud as the despairing, heartbroken wails that continue to haunt the mountain men who heard her that day when she saw Graham.
For Owen, the only thing that could even come close to this is when she broke down once the stranger managed to reveal she had a previous husband that was dead. Unlike then however, he held onto her like his life depended on it. No, his life did depend on it, this beautiful and emotionally scarred Bicorn he called would call his wife, of that he had no doubt, was the most precious thing in his world now, and he be dammed if he was going to let something happen, Glylynn had suffered enough, and deserved nothing but total happiness. It was getting dark before things were silent again, Glynn's eyes had been red and puffy for so long that on the outside that's how she always looked, she been crying so much. Owen's shirt was thoroughly soaked in tears.
"I stayed for the funeral, but almost immediately after the service I ran. Just ran and ran until I couldn't run any farther. Put as much distance as I could between me and that town, it holds nothing but bad memories for me. Eventually I came to this forest and have been here ever since" she finally finished her tale, an she just fell on Owens chest with a relieved sigh, feeling like a weight she been carrying so long just went away. "Feels good doesn't it? To finally let it all out to someone?" Her beloved asked.
"Like the most wonderful thing in the world right now" she replied, he nodded in acknowledgement
"Some times you just need let it all out to move forward, it doesn't do anyone any good when they keep their emotions bottled up, it gets the better of them eventually, and usually in very bad and messy way"
"It sounds like your speaking from experience" she stated, he shook his head.
"Not first hand experience, no, I've just been on the road a long time and seen and heard it happen to others, it's made me live in way that when I die, I have no regrets and nothing unexpressed"
Glynn just laid her head in the crook of his neck and held him, and he did the same. Before she had thought, and got a saucy look on her face. She grabbed an arm that was around her middle and brought it up higher so it held her breast.
"Owen, I have been sleeping in a grove of trees that are thick enough to provide shelter from rain and what not, maybe we can move there for the evening and have a little bit more privacy" She purred, all the while slowly bring herself up while tracing her finger up his chest teasingly, her head was close to his her voice and face alluring and tender. He kissed her before saying,
"Well then, let me pack my stuff and will be on our way"