For Love and Glory | Your own Worst Enemy

Challenges were different for everyone. One person might say that the beasts were the biggest challenge, others might say that it was the aggressive foliage somewhere up the mountain, and the rare few would say that it was the pale aqualox that wandered the mountains that became their biggest challenge, forced them to turn back.

That pale aqualox looked over next to him, where a few meters away stood the same large male that he met before, right here, on the path to the summit. And now that they were here again, something in Aegis felt wrong. It wasn't that he felt scared of the mountain itself, he had treated it like a safe haven until he met Rorqual, until the last Ether Hunt. He was scared of what would happen should he make it up there. He would have to... talk to people. He would have to get close. The only people he could get close to without panicking was Rorqual and Molt, for two very different reasons.

Rorqual had been his first friend, and seemed to slowly become more immune to his abilities the closer they got... the power of love, Aegis might call it. And Molt... well, Molt had lived under the earth for so long that he became one with the molten core of the world, so he was an outlier of sorts... but if he made it... he could... hurt people. A worry that he remembered having the first time he went up the mountain.

"Aegis?" Rorqual asked, watching as Aegis snapped out os his thoughts to look towards him. His eyes were wide, frightened. He shuffled his paws, the grass under his toes wilting into dust as he moved. "Hey, it's okay. What's wrong?" That voice... he was always so understanding and kind with Aegis.

"I'm... scared." He admitted, unable to continue the statement until Rorqual started talking. "Scared? Of what? There's nothing on this mountain that could harm you, everything around here is afraid of you- well- except for me, obviously."

"No, not scared like that... I... just really hope we're not there first." Rorqual tilted his head in confusion at Aegis' words, a cue for the other lox to continue speaking. "If I win... I'll have to be around others to claim my title and be cheered on. If I get there first... I'll have to potentially hurt people. I haven't felt afraid of that for a while, mostly because whenever I'm with you that either seems to... leave my mind or you do your best to make sure I'm around others as little as possible for both of our sakes... I just..." He teared up a little, looking away.

A soft paw ran across his face, wiping away his tears. "It's okay, Aegis. I'm going to be there too. Whatever you need me to do to make you feel better, I'll do it. Whether that's talking to people for you, or making sure you're only around others for a little bit of time, or- if you're really that scared, we can tell them that I got to the top of the summit first, so that you don't have to have all those people hounding you."

That last part made Aegis giggle slightly, leaning into the paw wiping tears from his face. "I'm... so glad that you're more immune to my abilities now." Rorqual smiled. "And why is that, huh?" More giggling. "So I can do this." Aegis wrapped his front arms around Rorqual, hugging him softly. It wasn't a long hug, but it was a nice one. "Now, let's continue on. I am feeling a lot better, and I think it'd be rather silly if we ended up being the last ones to the top of the mountain because I was too busy hugging you."

That, Rorqual could agree with, moving back to his spot a little bit away from Aegis as they continued their way across the paths and unmarked roads up the mountain. Sometimes the biggest challenges can be your own thoughts, your own self doubt, and your own worries. Though, when you have someone that cares about you by your side, giving you support and care, it bcecomes a lot easier to face those challenges and come out on top. Aegis would certainly be one of the first to tell you that much. After all, without Rorqual, he would probably still be hiding in a bush, unable to get near anything that walks and talks- much less so participate in an event like this.

Having someone love you really makes the summit feel like more than a place to hide.