"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
This change was one she was NOT happy with. No more home, no more warm blanket of humidity in every season. No more sanctuary. The Jungle was her home, her safe place. Having been taken in by Rhy and Scorch as a battered and mentally abused filly, Naga saw the Jungle and the sisterhood as her saviors. Every aspect of her life after that moment was dedicated to the Amazons.
Naga was a strong and bold sister, and one of their best diplomats. She was calm and rational, with just a little bit of that Amazonian sass and a hint of sarcasticness. She was a wonderful blend of sweet and spicey, and she had many sisters that enjoyed her company. Especially Draconis and of course Rhy, Naga's self proclaimed mother figure.
After the disappearance of the kingdoms, our dark lady noticed one other horrible thing...she could no longer shift. She panicked, she began to lose her mind. This was something that was a part of her, a huge part of her soul was cat. Though she could still feel the feline inside of her, and had her feline mannerisms, she could no longer shift into her panther form. This was just as upsetting as the loss of her home. How could she bask in the trees, how could she help protect her friends in danger, how could she do anything she loved doing?
It felt like her spirit was breaking.
How was she to go on? Her home, her special abilities, her friends and sisters....gone. She managed to find her way along some of the old paths to the forest beyond the meadow. Here she was astonished at the masses gathered here. She had never seen it this busy, ever. Her bright green eyes flickered curiously. Her mind began running.
The sisters....maybe I can find them. Draconis, Rhy, and the others. I could find them if I try....reuniting in this time of chaos will bring comfort to all of us. The loss of our age old home must be as horrid to them as it is to me...it is worth a try.
She picked up her pace, not only to find her fellow sisters faster, but also to keep warm. As her coat was sleek and short....not used to cold weather at all. She wanted nothing more than to go home to her warm jungle, but she would never see it ever again. So she would just have to deal with it. She had to. If anything, she would have to try to help find a new home for her sisters. If any of them wanted to form another kingdom like the Amazons with her that is. She hoped she would find at least a few of her previous sisters, but maybe she could find some other mares who would like the promise of a land of no males.
Being quite the feminist, our panther woman was not too keen on being pushed around or being beneath a male. She'd rather choke on rocks than have a male try to show dominance over her. Especially since she didn't like males at all....and speaking of...
She wondered where the beautiful Ashara was...the golden mare she had met in the Falls not too long ago. She had a wonderful time with her, and she hoped to spend more time with her...
Now that the lands are gone...maybe she could find her and ask for her to come stay with her and help to make a new land with Ashara by her side. The thought made our dark feline lady smile, her green eyes filled with promise and love. She hoped she would run into the beautiful golden woman here...she hoped with all her heart. She wanted to be with her for eternity. She couldn't imagine a future without her...she was practically the sun to Naga.
Now filled with a drive to keep moving on and move past the loss of her beloved home, she lets out a loud whinny, it rang throughout the forest with a passion filled boom. She was sure her sisters would recognize her voice, hoping they would find her here in the cluttered forest. She needed them now, and she hoped they would need her as well...
09-07-2016, 12:11 AM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2016, 12:11 AM by Nayl.)
She spun the stars on her fingernails
Crash.
In the blink of an eye it was as though the world ended.
They have found themselves, however, still alive and able to move. They are living, breathing, surviving, but everything they have known has broken apart. Nothing remains of the Jungle or even of the other kingdoms. Everything is reborn, risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Nayl felt the rumbling, and she took cover like most others, but she has since creeped out from the shadows to see the new display unravel before her eyes. Much to her dismay, however, there aren’t loud calls for the sisterhood like there are for the Valley members or Chamberlings. Everyone seems to have congregated except for the proud women of the Jungle. For this alone Nayl is ashamed, but not hopeless. Her eyes are trained on the treeline before shifting to the open meadow. Every breath she takes searches for the familiarity of her home, but nothing ever hooks her attention. Occasionally, her own voice rings across the cacophony, but to no avail; it’s as though the Amazons are suddenly extinct.
It's after hour after hour has ticked by until Nayl hears a call similar to her own. She hears the subtle tones that she often heard in the Jungle, a dialect and certain air of command commonly found among the women. Curious, she inches toward the source until she is standing in front of the mare, her orange-flecked eyes staring into the stranger’s green. ”Part of the sisterhood?” She asks bluntly, lacking interest in small talk. With a world so new and with so much to be done they cannot dwell on the lackluster greetings. Perhaps also it is a little of her grandmother peeking through her.
”I haven’t found anyone else. No one so far seems to want to be found, so as of right now it’s you and I.” They both stand like statues, warriors in their prime, and truly proud of who they are. ”I’m Nayl,” she finally discloses prior to glancing sideways toward the wall of trees that she thought once led to the Jungle. Her heart wrenches; the kingdom was all she had ever known, but it doesn’t matter now. It’s gone and they can’t lift it from the ashes. Instead they have to survive by other means whether that is trying to make a band of their own or unify with a group who has already established themselves.
”We can’t let the Amazons die,” there had been a silence that she splinters with that one statement, that sole command. Even if they don’t gain Beqanna’s favor to gain territory, they mustn’t let their tradition – their way of life – fade with the Jungle’s absence.
Hestia looks for her sisters. She is furious, with them, with the Valley, with the Chamber, with Jadis, with Fennick, with her son, her daughter, Pollock. She is raging mad, and ready to extract justice on them all. Not with war, not with blood, no there had been enough of that. The sisters needed to find their pride again, she needed to show them the true meaning of sisterhood once more. Her son, her daughter, they would have to live without her, they were no longer hers. Fennick, should he show his face… she pauses here a soft spot for the once king joining with the pain, and abandonment she feels from him. She shakes it off, she wouldn’t know what to do with/to him if he ever came back to her. Pollock… she could outlive him still, that would be vengeance enough, and the kingdoms, well it seemed that Beqanna had punished them for her.
Confident with renewed purpose and vigor she makes her way through the meadow picking through each group searching for the familiar scent of Amazonian jungle still clinging to the sisters. It takes her a while, but she does find them. Two of them, vomit rises in her throat, scorning the sisters and their weakness. What queens had reigned and feigned caring all these years to make them so soft. She remembered the days when they sacrificed to the jungle, when they asked the jungle for security, when blood was spilled amongst themselves to bring strength from the jungle. It would give only when they gave, it would protect only when they protected. The earth no longer swayed at her feet, the grasses no longer separated for her, kissing and greeting her with loving arms. Beqanna no longer welcomed her, even as she had been born a part of Beqanna, the land shunned her.
She does not smile, she does not frown, her eyes gleam intensely, the lush green living on in them. Even if the Jungle didn’t exist any longer, the amazons still existed in her soul. Hello sisters, Now she smiles cruel, with a cold dagger hidden in her (metaphorical) hand. She looks to Naga wondering if she would remember, she had watched the foal grow, she had watched her learn to control her tongue, and now she was watching her learn to take responsibility. She turns her attention to Nayl, a glimmer of a memory faint and distant, had she seen the sister before? Or was it a mother? A relative of some sort? Hestia isn’t sure. In any case she had been prompt to show. Thank you for coming so quickly. I’m Hestia by the way. Where are the cowards? Are they tucked somewhere in the dark? Are they waiting for mommy to come and find them? Nurse their wounds and tell them everything is going to be okay? Her anger broils some of it frothing over cold and sharp with her venom. She doesn’t yell, she doesn’t let her voice tense, she lets her words do the cutting.
She is in control once more, her emotions do not lead her, they follow her and prickle her into real action. She won’t sit back idly this time; she won’t give up on them again. Someone else could lead, but she would make them remember the truth of why the women existed in the first place. She looks back to Naga a questioning look in her eye. Who was the leader? Who would begin the work? She expects Naga to, but who knows maybe the sisters squabble for meager things such as power as well these days.
09-07-2016, 08:08 AM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2016, 10:31 AM by Lagertha.)
The smell of a Sister is enough to shake the cobwebs from her head. Once Wessex determines that Kreios isn’t a threat, she takes to lipping at the snow, marveling in its pristine taste, and pawing at the thin layer in search of something to eat. They both shiver. Winter has never been Lagertha’s favorite season, and this year is no exception. Even without a biting wind, the temperature seems to seep past a barely-there layer of fat, past her joints (at least they did not ache so much - perhaps her immortality kicked back in again) and old wounds, into her very core.
Kreios has answers. Everything else must wait.
When Lagertha is duly satisfied, she bids the spotted stallion farewell, her heart heavier than it has ever been before. If she didn’t have a child, if her soul didn’t ache to find her Sisters, if she had the luxury of a lesser will, she might have broken down and wept on the Forest floor once more. Perhaps if she hadn’t just gushed like a fountain… she would mourn them properly. Later. When.. Naga? Yes, Naga. And… oh damn, the other woman’s name is on the tip of her tongue. She hadn’t been seen in years, but Lagertha has the memory of an elephant. Nayl. Yes, Nayl. Naga’s voice echoes across the muted land, and the stern woman’s face cracks a small smile - the first in a very, very long time.
Home, the warrior woman thinks, as she calls out to Wessex. “Where are we going?” the girl demands.”To find my Sisters,” Lagertha says, and Wessex knows it is Sisters with a capital S. The Amazons.
The two of them fall into a familiar step as the silver woman leads her daughter through the maze of trees.
They hear voices now, and it is a struggle not to burst from the wood, yelling ‘Here I am! I didn’t abandon you! Please, let me be your Khaleesi again!’ For all she knows, they despise her. And who wouldn’t be a little bitter at the old Queen? Her thoughts race, and finally settle on the singular thought that it’s a good thing she wears the evidence of the Years in Hell on her skin. The silver lines overwhelm her original dull, steel-gray hide, keeping track of every time she managed to keep her life.
Three mares appear before her, and the third tugs at a strand of memory that long laid dormant, but she cannot focus enough to recall it correctly. Lagertha, with Wessex at her right side, stops before she hits the group. The girl is fidgeting, uncomfortable in an unfamiliar land, and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of horses that may or may not mean them harm. Lagertha's nose brushes against Wessex' neck. She wants to hiss and bare her teeth at the them, but her mother’s calmness quiets the wildling, until all but her eyes find some inner strength.
“That is enough from you,” she says to the mare brimming with anger. Her gaze passes to the women she does know, and says softly, "Naga. Nayl" If an apology could be uttered in a name, she would have done it then, for the years of silence and powers beyond any of their control. She swings her attention back to the black lady, and almost sighs. "If you're calling the rest of the Sisters cowards, I will be duty-bound to fight you. Which I really don't want to do, right now. I will remind you of our particular skill of wandering into the Jungle and falling asleep for many years, or living reclusively. It is as much of a survival technique as finding each other."
Typical. Nevermind that this mare was once an Amazonian. She has not been seen in the Jungle since aat least Quark's days. Lagertha has a hard time considering her a Sister.
[sorry, she's cranky :/ Also, I'm sorry, @[Aeris] I missed the Nayl post to Lag/Kreios. I can delete this or edit, or we can say they came to Naga and Hestia together?]
Snow continues to fall on our dark woman's back, making her shiver more as she continues her pacing and whinnies for her sisters. She was not going to give up....Amazons don't give up.
It is not long before a mare appears before her, as she speaks, Naga's hope returns in full. She asks if she was of the sisterhood. Naga's heart was pained but in a happy way, she was starting to lose hope. But, this stranger before her, she did not look familiar...but Naga was not going to turn away those who were not of her sisters.
Our dark feline woman nods, her stance is now more uplifted, her spirit returning in this time of the lost. Green eyes look deeply into the orange hued eyes of the other as she seeks her character. Windows to the soul.
Yes, I am. I was a devoted diplomat of the sisterhood before the...I don't even know what to call what happened.
She listens as the mare speaks once more. She too had no luck of finding any of the sisters, Naga wonders if everyone just got separated when taking cover from the...change. She knew if it weren't for the sheer quickness of the disappearance and changing of the land that the woman of the jungle would have stuck together, but of course...that is not what happened, and she was not about to dwell on that now. There were more important things to worry about. Like the future of the Amazons.
I see...well I too have yet to have any luck. But, I feel that is changing now since you have come along. Nayl? Nice to meet you. I am Naga.
She looks around. It really was just the two of them. She wondered where the others had gone to. Draconis...her dear younger friend and fellow devoted sister. Rhy...her beloved mother figure. Lagertha, Vineine, even her beloved children were lost...
She hung her head a moment, saddened by the loss of her children...but the twins were old enough to be on their own now...so she just hoped they found others to be with.
As she was about to ask Nayl of her past, another mare seemed to appear. This time it was another green eyed, jet black woman like herself, but without the white markings, and much larger in build. As she nears Naga remembers. Hestia. A much older sister than herself....emphasising much older. Naga had not spoken to her elder jungle sister before, but knows that she is to be respected. Though the sheer bitterness in her voice strikes a cord. cowards? Naga tosses the word around in her head a moment. She knows the mare is feeling upset over the loss of the jungle, she was too. But to call her fellow sisters as such....no.
Before she has a chance to say anything, the smell of someone very familiar catches her attention before she even sees her. Her spirits lift once again as the mare emerges from the wood, with a child at her side. Lagertha....the queen Naga had helped quite a bit during her reign in the jungle. She remembers quite well being the one she sent to find Rhy and Anguisette in the Deserts, as well as having her clean up the carnage from the war...Naga stayed loyal, even when others doubted her. No matter what, Naga still respected Lagertha. She did her best.
Our dark lady stepped forward, the lack of rank making her show herself more dignified and ready to take charge at a moments notice. Her smile is without sarcasm, it is sincere and welcoming. As it is for the rest of the woman she is with now...
As Lagertha greets our dark feline and Nayl, she then turns her attention to Hestia. Her words are sharp, but her voice stays level. But, Naga knows Lag well enough to know she is annoyed with the elder sister. Doing what she does best, Naga steps up before anything else is said in a sharp or condescending manner. She is bold and her deep velvet voice is as clear as the icicles dripping from the tree branches overhead. She does not add to the tension, but uses her ability to diffuse the situation.
Sisters. This is no time for this. Hestia, I know this is stressful and I know losing the jungle is devastating. But all of us are upset over the loss of our beloved home. The shift and disappearance of the land was fast, and a lot of us got separated, it could not be helped. Instead of being bitter, we must hope for our fellow sister's safety. Lagertha, it is very good to see you, we were worried about you. I know you must be as equally as upset as Hestia...
As I said. This is no time for bickering and name calling. If anything this is more a time to stand together, Nayl is right. We cannot let the Amazons die. We are strong and cunning, we will not let this new Beqanna bring us down. If you are all willing to put aside your bitterness and anger over this, will you, my fellow beloved sisters step up to the plate and join with me to start a new. A new sisterhood. A new place to call home. Are you with me? I don't want to see bitterness split us apart. The shift already did enough of that."
Blazing green eyes filled with hope and promise look to each of the women surrounding her. She is ready to take a stand, she is ready to continue the legacy of the Amazons. The jungle may be gone, but it lives within her, and it is within all of the other sisters who devoted their very lives to the jungle. Those who truly call themselves sisters would be willing to channel their emotion into creating a new place for the sisterhood. If only they will join our dark woman in this new journey without fighting. She couldn't do it alone.
She is ready...but she hopes her words get through to them. She knows both Hestia and Lagertha are strong and opinionated women. Getting them to diffuse would not be too easy, but she hoped her authoritative yet calm demeanor would be enough to show them how serious she is about needed to stand together in these trying times. She was a good diplomat, and she still is today. She had hope for the sisters to come together once again and be a strong loyal unit just as they were in the jungle.
Her world had been turned upside down in a matter of days.
All she could vaguely remember was standing beside Lexa then the rest was a gorgeous blur as the flourishing colors of her home faded into an inky black abyss. Silence tormented her, as her verdant eyes laced with a tone of worry were brought back into the world but, this world wasn't hers. She became frantic almost instantly, as an eery feeling traveled through her bones. Where was she?
The scenery was familiar and the land hailed of Beqanna but something was off. Even if Celeana couldn't quite wrap her head around it, it felt as if everything was moved an inch to the left. (You know that feeling when you become a bit clumsy and bump into a few things here and there? Well that's pretty much what she's feeling.) Her lucid emerald eyes gazed across the land all was the same except for a rigid peek of a snow topped mountain surrounding by frosted vegetation.
Her build trembles in the cold as her body yearns for the familiar air of humidity to beat down upon her skin. She follows a beaten down path that was familiar in her soul but unknown to her mind. Eventually the speckled huntress finds her self in a frozen forest placed on the outskirts of the meadow. Many kingdom equine like herself rush about weaving through the frost covered trees to gather amongst themselves.
Her ebony lobes swivel, as her limbs begin to grow faintly numb from the cold. Flurries waft about her head as the are shed from the canopies of the trees as she silently searches for her own kind. Puffs of mist are emitted from the nares of her nostrils as she begins to make her way towards a group of mares. She knew of few of her sisters, only Lexa, Joscelin, and Riva while the others were unknown.
Speckled appendages guide her towards the petite group, all of them had a stance of a warrior while she herself was smaller and more timid to speak but when she joins them. Her muscles grow less tight, "Hello, I'm Celeana." She interjects feeling in an awfully awkward state, for she knows none of the strong women before her. She is tempted to ask of them if they had seen her adoptive mother, Joscelin but she keeps her lips shut as an ebony mare(Naga) speaks with much audacity about their kind, sisters.
She knows little of what they're talking about for she seems she's come quite a bit too late to be joining in on their parade. All she caught was that we could not allow the amazons to die, and that the ebony mare was asking of the other women if they were with her to find a new home, a destination where the sisterhood would continue to grow. "I know none of you but I agree with her." She tossed her head towards the ebony mare(Naga). After that she had little to nothing to speak of except the wandering thought of where her mother was but she know it wasn't quite the time to ask that exactly.
I've been waiting to respond to this and well I'm extremely late.... Celeana is super timid in this because she feels like nothing compared to the strong women she is surrounded by... And she also wants to help. So that's pretty much why she didn't really add anything on after she agreed to Naga that and I have the worst written block ever! This is horrible :|
09-08-2016, 01:03 PM (This post was last modified: 09-08-2016, 01:05 PM by Nayl.)
She spun the stars on her fingernails
Nayl’s heart is with the Jungle and the sisterhood. She has inherited the heart and passion of countless Amazon’s that swirl in her family pool. Their blood is her blood, their devotion is hers.
When the Jungle was strong she had regretfully slipped back into the shadows, but now, when it needs her – them – the most she answers. The screams of the world reverberated through her entire core. Wisps of her magic clawed at what little she could; she felt the world tremble and roar, and felt the Jungle demolish itself as though her own soul had been destroyed with it. Only after the screams did she suddenly lose grip of what she had; suddenly, the tendrils of her strength were torn away from her. Despite her efforts she cannot bring to life what she once could.
And just like that Nayl realized.
It wasn’t Naga’s calling that drew Nayl from the crypts of the old world; it was that familiar scent that is still tightly latched to her skin. That small inhalation opened her heart and her hopes that she could round together the sisters and help to rebuild their lifelong tradition of bondage. Now that they have met with their eyes lit by the same passion there are more trickling forward. Elation initially courses through Nayl’s veins, but then her autumn eyes note the coldness in Hestia. Hello sisters, the mare says, and yet the girl’s body twinges with mistrust. She says nothing at first, her lips pursed into a tight line, but her head begins to bob until the bitterness rolls over them like a relentless tide. ”Never,” she inches toward Hestia and her gaze is ablaze, her voice venom to their ears, ”speak of our sisters like that. Ever.” A growl vibrates in the chasms of her throat and it’s almost cat-like until she settles herself and looks to the side, to Naga, then to Lagertha as she arrives. ”Hello,” she replies to their former Queen before stepping to her side with minimal regard to the child (Nayl hasn’t yet had the desire for a foal to shadow her every move. The love for the kingdom always came before a family). Then her eyes blink and glance between the others.
Their group is slowly expanding. The rustling of footsteps draws her attention to the younger Amazon, Celeana. A muttered greeting is exchanged, but it’s Naga that is steadily holding Nayl’s attention. She is the python gradually coiling them, holding them to her, but Nayl is oily in the way she squirms away from the authoritative place that Naga has adopted. ”We are with each other,” she corrects sternly, never being one to blindly follow, ”we are together in this, and I will never be a herded lamb.” The warmth of Lagertha’s body roves across Nayl and reminds her of what once was and how proud of a group they are. ”We will decide later who is fit for everyone to follow,” she doesn’t know Naga or Hestia just as they don’t know her. Time will give them the opportunity to divulge and learn more of each other, but in this moment, when Naga tries to plant the seed of her own leadership Nayl quickly tramples it in her mistrust.
There's a song in your lung and a dream in your eye.
She's not entirely sure how much time has passed. This world is new and strange, turned upside down by a powerful magic. She had been pulled from her home, from the leafy, verdant depths of the ever humid Jungle, and tossed into the unknown.
And now, she is elsewhere, somewhere cold and different and most definitely nowhere near home. For a moment, she struggles to comprehend, to accept the reality of her lost powers. Her cracked skin is dark, almost normal, for the first time in ages.
She still has flight, but it is different, awkward, clumsy. She stretches the russet wings now adorning her shoulders, peering at them with distinct mistrust.
Her next thought, the one that had been plaguing the edges of her mind since the moment they had been swept up, are her sisters. Celeana. Her family. She does not know how much time has passed, but she must find them.
Flight should be easy, especially for her. But it is not. The wings are cumbersome and difficult, so very different from the effortless glide she had grown accustomed to. But somehow she manages it, even as awkward and graceless as it is.
She finally finds them, or at least some of them, after what send an eternity of searching. In the forest of all places. No wonder it had taken her so long to locate them, considering her position in the sky.
She drops downwards, forgetting for a moment that she needs more than her will to stop. As the large wings snap out to halt her fall, a string curses escape her lips. The landing itself is clumsy and jarring, causing her teeth the clack together violently and her joints to protest.
”Fuck!” The expletive explodes unbidden from her lips. Golden eyes snapping towards the small group, she draws a deep, calming breath before stepping forward to join them. Unfortunately however, due to her late arrival and rather loud entrance, she had missed most of the previous conversation.
”About goddamned time I found you all.” Apparently calming breaths only go so far. Still, she could better try to hide her irritation. She has no doubt she is not the only one suffering from the ill effects of the sudden withdrawal of magic. ”Is this everyone?”
Glancing around, her eyes pause briefly on Celeana, gratified to see her here, to see her well, before finally coming to rest on Lagertha. A genuine, if brief, smile touches her lips at the sight of the once Queen. ”Good to see you still amongst the living Lagertha. You had us worried.”
Joscelin
Tiphon x Elysteria
html c insane | picture c mikanicole.deviantart.com
09-09-2016, 06:55 PM (This post was last modified: 09-09-2016, 08:04 PM by Lagertha.)
“It was touch and go for a couple of years,” Lagertha replies wryly, biting back a bitter edge. It gladdens her heart to see Joscelin, and so she offers her a small, tight smile. At least they were worried. The selfish part of her hoped that there were others who cared that she’d gone missing, but that was a thought she’d take with her to her grave.
Her shoulders unconsciously roll, stretching the scarred, occasionally tight skin across her shoulders. But it brings her to her next point, and one that she’s feels in the the tension of Nayl’s body. It vibrates through the tobiano sister’s body like an ill-tuned violin string. Who shall lead? It might be pure hubris that makes her speak now, but those who have known Lagertha for years also know she speaks bluntly. Firmly. And as a woman who led the Sisters for nigh on ten years, she’s earned the right to speak and be heard. Even if they disagree.
“No, We need a leader now,” she says, contradicting Nayl. “If what I’ve heard is true, bickering about who is in power all the way up the Mountain will get us nothing. Our vows are to a betterment of a collective group, and trust me, I know what it’s like to serve under someone you don’t like. It sucks, but it's doable. Hell, some of you may have even hated me.” She chuckles a bit, but continues on. “Lexa is gone, and I cannot lead you. Even if I had the energy” (isn’t her gaunt frame enough to betray her true state?) “ I am not meant for times of peace. I am aggressive - a warrior down to the tips of my hooves. Beqanna’s made it pretty fucking clear that power-mongering is not welcome right now… so someone else has to rise to the occasion.” She looks at the assembled Sisters and she considers each of them in turn.
Hestia was too recently of the Valley. Celeana was too new. Nayl, Joscelin, and Naga all had habits of disappearing, but she can’t imagine the three of them serving on a council. As fond as the former Queen is of Joscelin, she remembers her very long absence, and isn’t sure she won’t do it again. Same with Nayl, though the black and white woman also seems to spit venom, and they need unity right now. Nayl would be her logical choice, but her gut seems to make her move on. Blasted thing couldnt listen to reason. Naga seems the only option left, and Lagertha silently curses that Lexa hasn’t shown herself to give them a better option. She has her own opinions on the panther shifter… the girl is far too eager to please, loquacious enough to border on the obnoxious, and she wonders if the girl has ever told someone ‘No.’ And that is something a Queen must know how to do.
“I propose we give Naga a chance.” Her gaze turns to the panther-shifter and they narrow ever so slightly. “And if you suck, we can replace you with a vote after a year. But we will give you our full support until then.” Her gaze travels back to the women, direct and challenging. ”Yes? No?” If they disagree, they should speak now. Lagertha had always encouraged honesty during her reign, and that tradition shouldn’t fade away.
Besides, she had her own designs on a new rank: War Chief. All of the fun, none of the responsibility until they needed her.
She has felt nothing for so long, every sensation, every feeling is new and fresh. It’s all such a wonder, such a delicious new world to her, as if she were born a babe once more. She closes her eyes a moment, lifting her head to feel the flakes kiss her face, then Lagertha calls her attention. She wants to laugh, her soul is warmed by the coldness, by the hate, the lovely desire for hate. She adores the woman, adores them all, she hates the woman, she hates them all. She feels and it is much much better than the nothingness she has known for so long. Naga narrowly makes her cut, sliding into the conversation, rattling their cages, piercing through the fog of newness for them all, and again she wants to laugh. She doesn’t though she remains standing listening, watching from the distance of her mind.
She is ready to move on, ready to say the one thing she does need to say, when Nayl pipes up, dragging the conversation back to the previous topic. Her eyes narrow at the two for a moment. She says nothing to address them, not yet, she gazes at them a corner of her lip ghosts a smile for a fleeting moment before it is gone. She turns from them, nodding to the newcomers, and then more words from Nayl, this woman would not let things go would she? A low breezy chuckle echoes from Hestia’s nares, it is not loud, just under her breath. But she has pushed one to many things to far. Lagertha speaks, and she nods, no, she bows out of respect. They could disagree on some points, but they were of same mind on this. When she finishes, Hestia waits for the others to cast their votes. Only then does Hestia begin her own thoughts. Naga, sisters of the Jungle, many of you do not know me, many of you do not remember me, and those that do. Probably. Do not remember past the last two years of my life. Before I was murdered. She turns again to look at Lagertha with a ghost of a smile, before breaking the gaze and looking to those around her. This is not the first time the Amazons have experienced tragedy; this is not the first time the Jungle has been stripped from us. What is the first, is this. She gestures to the low hanging heads, the lateness of their arrivals, their lack of fire, and desire to find justice. Their submissiveness to this event. The bitter bickering that has started within moments of their arrival. I was there when the Jungle fell in on itself banning us from its heart. I was there when a demon reigned and clawed itself from our queen’s loins. I was there when the jungle cat manifested, when the spirit intertwined with our souls living, breathing life, on our skin, when the vines shriveled from our bodies, repulsed by our hearts. She stops here a sadness overcoming her. She finds her pity, she finds the age that she has become, and looks beseechingly around the group. Vulnerable, laying bare all things that she has seen. Never once has she spoken of these events, never once has she shown others the grief she bears, the crushing knowledge she holds.
Her vocals are husky with emotion, a tear sheds, only the second one to ever fall from her face in front of anyone. Only once has she let her tears overcome her, and this was not within the sight of anyone, or anything. She feels tired, she feels the heaviness of her burden. Hear me now sisters, the Jungle has always been returned to us. This time I do not feel the hope of a return. Let this be the lesson to always remember what it is we do. Let us find justice for those that cry out in pain, let us give of ourselves so that Beqanna remembers our heartache, and finds mercy in her heart for us. We were honored with the ability to be one with the land, we were honored with the blessing of Beqanna walking by our side. In taking from Beqanna we must give back to Beqanna. I have spilled my blood with the sisters led by Anarchist and Prague to remember the lessons Beqanna has taught. I have allowed the Jungle cat to slash me open to examine my soul, and it was found blessed. I have been charged to remind the sisters of their transgressions, and tell them why we follow tradition. She looks from one to the next, finally looking to Nayl and Lagertha again, the weight of her world seeping through the cracks of her stoic face. One by one they all died off, they forgot to pass on their knowledge, they forgot to pass the memories to the next generation. I kept silent watching and waiting for someone to come and ask. No one did. She pauses again, her age forcing her to slow, the pain of the dead rushing around within her. She finds her voice again, I left the sisters in peace, expecting to return to them one day. My time was cut short, but now Beqanna has blessed me with a little more time to complete the task I never finished. This will be the last time I help the sisters; She looks from one to the other grimly taking them in finally her eyes fall to Naga, Lagertha is right, you deserve a chance, I have watched you grow, I have watched you learn to control your tongue, now I will watch you learn to find your strength. Prove to us you are capable of leading. And sisters prove to me that you are worthy of the Jungles memories. Never before had Hestia thrown her weight around, never had she spoken of any of the memories she knows. Never before has she let the pain of sisters past, their screams, their deaths, the smell of their blood, the heartbreaking closeness to the land of Beqanna herself come to the surface. Never, she hated it, she hated her position, she hated the love she felt for the sisters. She hated her love for her mother, she hated the starry eyed loving of a man that drew her from her home. She hated it all, but still the love was there, and she couldn’t do anything to keep it from forcing her to do stuff. To do stuff like this, to open herself up to the scorn, doubt, and words of the sisters or anyone else. They could see her as crazy for all she cared, the words were out there. If they didn’t listen, she doubted Beqanna would grant them a home at all. The sisters fought for justice, they gathered for love, they suffered for Beqanna. Today they suffer for their sins.
OOC: Sorry this is so long x.x Hestia gets a little passionate about the Amazons lol.
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