In the Steps of Giants (DrummyXAroro)

Despite being thankful for her brother’s efforts, Morganna frowned at her brother’s retreating back. She could breathe easier, sure, but her ribs strained with the movement. Her legs pulsed and throbbed, angrily sending blood through bruises. He rarely had difficulty healing her. His fatigue was apparent.

She watched him with pursed lips and furrowed brows. Ever the steady tower, silent and long-suffering, he refused to utter a word of complaint as he brought back their food. Really, he needn’t do that. It was her training that made them stop, and her training that made him heal her. After being healed, she was more sore than anything. He just went to and from missions without rest. She was better suited to feed the livestock.

She considered insisting that he drop his grain and rest. There were two outcomes. One, Tristan being overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and pride with his thoughtful sister. Or two, Tristan being offended by her bossing him around and noticing his tiredness. While his ego wasn’t as fragile as other men’s, she thought hinting at “weakness” might hurt Tristan’s feelings.

And so, she arrived at the middle ground. She compromised and fed the flock without pointing out the obvious. The obvious being that the rams were a bunch of bastards and she hated serving the same assholes who busted her body just minutes prior. She didn’t even complain when one ram came back for vengeance and head-butted her from behind. Her lips stayed sealed, but she took solace in cursing the beast in her mind. Being silent and long-suffering sucked, and she didn’t know why Tristan did it.

“I’ll feed Tilly and Gwendolyn,” Morganna said after dumping the sack of grain in the feeder, “I know you normally feed Gwen. But if we’re gonna spend time together, she needs to trust me too.” She hoped the small lie was convincing.

She made her way back to the fence and waved the empty bag at a rammy male, shooing him away. He bleated indignantly, and she hissed under her breath. One slip up wouldn’t kill her, she decided with a sneer.

The horses were all too happy to eat. Tilly huffed and scratched at the ground, throwing her head back as Morganna fed Gwendolyn first. Morganna laughed at her horse’s impatience, “Don’t worry, I’ll get to you too.”

She brushed dust off the horses’ body, rushed and unthorough, but it didn’t need to be. They weren’t making camp, only taking a break. Then, she brushed the dirt off her pants and grabbed a basket of food. She picked through what she thought was nutrient dense and put it in her brother’s basket. Her stomach didn’t agree with her heart’s decision and growled in protest. She gave it a quick slap and mumbled something about toughening up.

Her legs, though, were quite happy with their situation. As soon as she sat down, she felt pleasure spread through her body. She sighed and leaned back in bliss. Then, her stomach made another noise of disapproval and she caved. She munched on bread and watched for her brother.