The wind ripped through his long black hair, his dark coattails fanned out behind him. The black beast beneath him moved at a furious gallop, his long strides devouring the ground beneath them. Matthias leaned low over his neck, weaving through the forest in wild fury. The world moved past him in a blur of greens and blues, but no matter how fast they went he could still feel the nightmares on his heels, specters whispering their visions like a serpent in his ear. The weak voices of his mother and sister, their ragged laborious breathing as the sickness took them. His mother slowly, suffering and panicked as she worried for her children. His sister blissfully quicker, gone in her sleep with the fever. He could hear Amara choking on her own blood as she grew cold in his arms, his son Luca, broken and bloody, his blonde hair stained with blood. ”Stop!” he practically lashed out at the memories, shadows moving from beneath the horse to envelope them, as if he could hide within it.

The horse tossed his head, unnerved by the growing shadows around him. Matt pulled gently on the reins, easing back in the saddle, bringing him slowly to a walk. It had seemed an endless gallop, he wasn’t sure how far or how long they’d ridden, but he knew he was far from the stench of the city, blissfully away from the noise of so many bodies pressed close together. He slid down from the horses back, pressing his hand into the damp horseflesh to steady himself on his bad leg. Retrieving the cane from it’s sling he turned to walk, leading the horse along behind him to keep him from stiffening up.

It didn’t take long before he came across a strange satchel lying on the ground. He paused, vivid blue gaze darting around to see if a trap had been laid for those trying to come or go into the city beyond. His shadow twisted and changed, forming long fanning tendrils to seek out the darkest places someone may be hiding. Finding nothing he moved closer, looking down into its contents to see a gathering of various herbs. Something about it felt vaguely familiar, as if on the tip of his tongue… Before he could think of it though something sharp came down with a clunk on the top of his head. He looked down at the pecan resting innocently on the ground beside the satchel. Another followed, landing close beside it.

Taking a step back he looked up into the tree to see the figure of a woman, high up in the branches. He took the reins to move along as not to disturb her when he caught a familiar tangle of silver white hair. Surely not, he thought. He moved closer, dropping the reins and coming closer to the trunk to peer through it’s branches to see Ekosha, far too high for his liking. ”Doc?” he called up, leaning against the trunk to watch her. ”What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

A high pitched screech had him taking a cautious step back, bracing to catch her if she fell. The sound of her growing panic set him on edge, a strange sharp sensation settling in his belly. She was afraid, he thought, perhaps this was not just something she just did all the time. ”O-oh h-hey Matt! What are you doing out here?!” Her arms wrapped around the trunk of the tree, her wide blue eyes met his despite the shadows that surrounded her. A nervous jittery sort of laugh escaped her, so unlike the focused collected women he saw so frequently in her pristine offices. ”Just… hanging out, you know? The view is pretty spectacular up here!” He huffed an unbelieving sort of laugh, tilting his head to the side to study her. ”Oh, you know,” he shrugged, his characteric crooked smile touching lightly on his lips, ”Just plucking women from treetops, it seems.” He moved closer, shifting his weight back to his good limb, his cane braced in front of him.

”Hey, I’m not in office so you can call me by name too you know.” Her gaze moved around the tree, looking for an escape. She reached for another branch, missing it completely, her step faltering and landing her squarely back into the trunk. He lunged forward at the same time, dropping his cane to reach for her if she fell. ”I’ve got plenty of ideas for what to call you at this moment, none of them your name,” he snapped, watching her struggle to right herself again. ”So what brings you out here?” Was she trying to distract him or herself he wondered. ”Didn’t you know I rescued damsels in distress?” He picked up the cane, leaning it against a tree, his coat slung over the silver raven head topper. Unbuttoning his sleeves he rolled them carefully up his scarred arms, preparing to come up after her.

“Maybe they wanted to be in the trees for the view, you don’t know.” He shook his head at that, a slight smile at the curve of his mouth. ”Mm, I doubt it. What can you even see up there when you’re hugging the tree so tightly?” He laughed, looking up into the branches at her once more. He could see the slow moving wave of icey blue crystals beginning to spread out from the branches she rested amongst. Not going to make it easy, he guessed.

“Doesn’t sound very heroic like if you ask me.” She wasn’t wrong. ”I’m far from a hero, Eko.” No, not for many years had he been described as such. Dishonorably discharged from the military, pegged with crimes he never committed, a scapegoat for someone much higher than himself. A dead wife and child. Now a thriving black market tradesman. No, he’d fallen quite far it seemed in the last ten years or so.

”Pity you must be having a slow day then. I don’t see any damsel nearby.” He could see her eyeing the branch again as he prepared to come up after her, his shadows twisting and changing shape, moving up the surface of the tree to reach for her if she should slip again. ”No? We’ll fucking see then,” He started making his way up the limbs, bracing with his bad leg and hauling himself upward with his arms and good leg. “Matthias, don’t you dare—” He cut her off quickly, ”I’m coming to get you Ekosha, just hold still and don’t fall.”

”I—you— I can see plenty from here!” Her flustered voice shot back. ”Of course, of course,” he murmured, more to himself then her. He was already climbing though, doing his best with a shit leg and ice melting beneath where he touched. Dark tendrils of shadow moved as if of their own mind, slithering amongst the branches in case he did manage to slip. One wrapped around his limb like a brace, aiding in his ascent. ”You don’t need to start today.” He glances briefly up at her before continuing to choose his path. ”Call it self preservation then. Who else is going to have the patience to fix a grumpy bastard but you Ekosha?” That thought hadn’t really crossed his mind, but it was better than the real reason for coming up after her. Something that pulled at the edges of his mind.

”“N-no! I can do this I just—I just need a second!! B-besides I’m probably too heavy.” He paused, looking up to see her dangling like a kitten from her limb, her feet awkwardly looking for purchase. Suddenly his pace felt far too slow. ”Hardly, to either comment.” He murmured. He made his way up the rest of the branches in a rather quick pace, coming just beneath her. ”Stop kicking, I’m almost behind you,” he said, ducking one searching foot as it grazed his hair. He moved up behind her, reaching to wrap one arm around her waist, trying to pull her against him if she’d allow.

She clicked at him, half annoyed and sounding a little breathless from the way she was thrashing about up there. ”I’m flattered.” She sounded anything but. She tried to laugh, her feet finding purchase for a brief moment before he heard her slip again. He looked up sharply, lunging once more as though he’d have to catch her, but her arms had not failed her yet. She was still clinging to the same branch, if a bit lower than before. ”I thought you would be,” he teased, trying to keep his voice neutral, keep her from panicking anymore than she may already be.

”Wait, what?!” she shouted, trying to turn and look for him, her arms releasing too much from the branch. He reached out, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her flush against him, feeling the cool touch of her skin. Her arms wrapped around him, the edge in her vibrant gaze showing her fear that she may still fall. ”Trust me?” He spoke, a softer tone than he normally took. ”I’ve got you,” he tried to calm her down, show her that he would not let her fall, no matter what it took to keep her safe. ”But—… your leg--?!” His smile was a bit pained, a bit forced. He shrugged slightly, ”It’s fine. I can brace it with my shadows a bit, makes it almost useful.”

He helped to settle her feet on the same branch, his arm still locked around her waist, holding her against him. ”Now, let's get you down from here. I’ll step down, you follow my path. I won’t let you go, alright?” His grip on her waist eased, trailing his hand down her harm to her wrist so she still had something to hold onto. Despite her cold touch, the lack of her felt suddenly empty. Something he’d definitely shove into a deep dark corner for now. He took the first step down, a branch not too far beneath him. He looked up, still holding her wrist in one hand. He offered his other for her to hold if she wanted, ready to start their descent.