He trusted Rhythm, believed in Rhythm, and wanted desperately to obey Rhythm - but he could not. Sitting for days on end was not something that had ever existed in his life, and even though he'd made it through the first day, and the second, there was no way in hell he would get through the third. He ached all over, but all his life he'd been taught to move when he was in pain, to keep his limbs and muscles limber, to work through it - rub some dirt on it. Even though he was smart enough to know that his decision was extremely reckless and stupid, it was one he couldn't avoid making. He had to move. He figured, though, that if he was going to move, he ought to at least move slowly so that he'd have some semblance of an argument if Rhythm found him disobeying her direct orders. And so, with great tumultuous effort, he had managed to drag himself to his paws and proceeded to stand, albeit awkwardly, for a few minutes. His underside felt tight and burned from the movement, but as he craned his head to catch a glimpse he saw not even one droplet of blood. Good, his vein had held.
He lifted his head back to its original position, and padded stiffly in the direction of the orchard. As he'd thought about it, he'd imagined that that was the last place Rhythm would think to look for him if and when she found him missing. The when was far more likely than the if. The orchard wasn't a long way away, but it took him quite some time given how precariously he had to walk in order to keep from ripping open his belly again. Each paw was placed carefully upon the earth, whilst his stomach was held high and taut. This wasn't so bad, he could feel the stiffness leaving his limbs. Although his underside ached badly without any pain relievers to assist him, he knew that his sanity would be much better off having endured the pain and explored just a little.
He came upon Mercy, laying in a similar position to how he'd been before he'd left - injured and apparently unable to get around very well. "Tell me the other guy looks worse than you," he chided with a sly grin upon his features. "Have you seen a healer?" There was obvious concern in his voice, as she looked positively horrible. He lowered his head down to gaze at her, determined not to sit or lay down for fear of not being able to get back up.
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