Let the shadows fall behind us || Kagerus

[Kagerus]

K

oh me oh my, i thought it was a dream...

Our dreams take turns of turbulence, riding an invisible wave of life-energy which waxes and wanes with the moon and our hearts. In other words, we fluctuate; from the grotto we found outside of Beqanna which I shaped to be just like ours in Hyaline (plus a few niceties since I can procure those with ease these days; my lady deserves the softest of bedding, after all), we ponder our realities. 

Solace and I's lives stand in brilliant contrast to the ones we led as Caretakers and the adjustment to this slower, more lackadaisical time of our lives happens, as I mentioned, in waves. Some days, we miss the chaos and excitement of leading our peoples; I know that I often dream of having amassed the largest empire in Beqanna when the plague hit. Most other days, grace enters our hearts as we bask in the sunlight and in moonlit pools, enjoying each others companies and existing purely in the moment. We always miss our family, though.

"I can always take you back with me for a visit, you know," I murmur to my wife, sleep glazing my voice. Solace murmurs her response, something about not being ready yet (we'd left in such a difficult manner; every time I think upon Oriash I feel the pang of guilt I know that Solace does, too). My lips find their way to her divine skull, a kiss pressed there just so. "Okay sweetheart," I breathe. "Whenever you are ready."

We go to dream together this night but a wild tangent calls me away from Soso's side. A waterfall and a volcano materialize in the dreamscape to the tune of this tangent; with a glance to Solace, I know I am free to go. My occasional teleportations back into Beqanna bother my solitudinal wife little to none, and she always likes hearing my stories upon return. So, I relinquish my control, allowing the scenery to surpass the dream state until a volcano-warmed pool laps at my knees.

As the haze of the dream lifts, I hang on to the thread of Solace's consciousness for as long as I can; and as my vision feeds into the final remnants of the dream, I hear my wife's joyous, laugh-filled greeting as echoes which warm my heart.

Hello, Kagerus. The mare's voice dances and cackles in the night air, almost as colourful as the tricolor of her hide. To behold the woman who birthed my wife with the May Moon lighting her hide takes my breath away; despite having met Tangerine at a distance a number of times during my stint as the East's Caretaker, she and I have yet to have the pleasure of each other's private company.

"Tangerine," I call back, my voice somewhat more subdued than her own but no less warm or inquisitive. The gloss of the pool below shatters as I wade through it, my legs carrying me to face the elder mare head on. Naked tonight (without antlers to crown me), I extend my neck and blow warm air into the other's pink and grey nostrils. My words continue as I straighten.

"What a pleasant surprise, to have been called to you this evening. I must say, Tephra has gotten more beautiful since the last time I was here." A cast of my gaze reveals the midnight horizons of this land, far off and shrouded in darkness. "But, the company suits me more than the landscape. Solace said to tell you hello." The jaunt of my grin is easy and playful; Tang reminds me in so many ways of my father Kavi that I find it difficult not to be at ease. "I'm sure I can expect to return the message?"