"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
Uncle Ruan had been right, the forest somehow resembled the Jungle a little. More than the Taiga at least. The density of the trees and other vegetation gave her a feeling of security, of being sheltered. She felt comfortable here, or well, more than in other places. It still wasn’t the Jungle, but the Taiga was home now. Because home was where family was. And aunt Reagan and uncle Ruan lived in the Taiga.
Ever since she had been brought to the Taiga she had never been far away from either Reagan or Ruan’s side, afraid to be left alone again. In her short life Jinju had been left alone two times already, first by her biological dam and the second time had been when Lexa had been ripped away from her during the change. But slowly the black girl had become to realise that she should learn how to be on her own again, how to venture out and had have fun, without panicking whenever Ruan or Reagan wasn’t near. It had brought her to the forest, which she had visited before with uncle Ruan.
Even though sheltered by the vegetation – even in winter it was better than being out in the field – her steps were hesitant, unsure. Jinju felt uncomfortable, and most of all, alone and lost. So little in the big forest. She pushes through, knowing deep down in her heart that she had never felt this way whenever she had enjoyed a stroll in the Jungle on her own. She was a big girl, so she could do this, right?
The rustling sound somewhere on her left, snapping of branches and crackling of snow, makes her body to freeze. Ears are twisting, one moment pointing forward, to catch the sounds again, but then turning to her neck to express her distressed state. Her throat is dry, needing to sallow a lump before she manages to clear her voice. ”H-hello?” she calls out, and then pause for a moment. ”Is.. Is someone there?”
Winter feels like forever. It’s officially my least favorite season, even if I’ve only experienced it the once. I didn’t mind it so much when it began, back before the world changed so dramatically. Back when my fire friend would wrap itself around me and keep me cozy and warm despite the ice and the snow and the wind. I think without my fire I’ll probably even be cold in the middle of summer, so winter is really kind of the worst.
On the bright side, my wings are really starting to grow on me. I’ve come to love the freedom and the fierce joy that comes with stretching them open and taking to the sky, flying high above the trees and the snow and just going wherever the wind takes me. I’ve even spied on the Taiga a few times from far away, catching glimpses of familiar colors and shapes, never close enough to say hello or even really see what was going on, just...just to see my family. Just for a moment. Even if it hurts, knowing I can’t go there, knowing I can’t join them in exploring their lovely new home.
And it is lovely, too, a lot like the forest I’ve spent most of my time in but...but bigger, somehow. Huge, towering trees dominate the landscape, and it looks like so much fun to run around and play in. But watching for long makes my heart hurt, so I never do more than just sneaking a quick peek, hoping to catch a glimpse of my dad just to see that he’s home and happy.
Still, even knowing it’s dumb to torture myself with might-have-been, I can’t quite seem to stop myself from stealing another look of the paradise I’ve been banished from by the land herself. And this time when I do, there’s someone creeping carefully out, looking extremely nervous about the prospect. Curiosity floods through me, and I follow her progress, coming closer as the stranger makes her way to the forest I’m starting to know so well. As she disappears into the familiar woods, I land and sneak after her, watching her progress as she creeps through the trees.
There’s anxiety in her every movement, every step, every swivel of her ears and darting glance at the shadows. I take a deep breath and steel myself to approach and say hello, but she beats me to the greeting. Or well, fine, so I maybe blew my cover tripping on a branch and scared her with the snap of my big dumb foot breaking the branch and the grunt I can’t quite prevent as I catch myself. At least I didn’t fall this time, which I guess is progress. Snorting with disgust, I shake off the embarrassment and step out from behind a few trees that had been serving as camouflage.
“Hi there,” I reply with a friendly smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Lilitha.” No need to explain I was following her. I’d rather not come off like a stalker as well as a klutz. Somehow I doubt that would be the best first impression to make.
Jinju too had never experienced cold before. The Jungle had kept her coat thin and the fire had kept her warm from within – although she had only learned of this power after aunt Reagan had pointed it out. Even though the winter was coming to an end, which was clearly displayed by the layer of snow that kept thinner and thinner and it also snowed less and less, the black girl’s coat was still thin as ever. She simply didn’t need it to keep herself warm. The magical scarf around her neck would do it for her. Created by Reagan’s magic the moss green thing never dropped from her neck, loosely wrapped around her, but never suffocating her.
The said scarf swayed gently from the left to the right with every step she made, or when she stood still, due to the wind’s breeze. It somehow blended with the forest winter land too, but her ruby orb stood out. Just as the golden eyes and the red mane and tail of the young mare – or actually she was just a girl like Jinju herself – that revealed herself. Relief clearly washed over her, not only because her ‘creeper’ turned out to be what looked like a friendly girl, but also because she was no longer alone. Being alone was the worst thing that could possible happen.
Curiosity sparkles in her eyes as she studies her new companion. They were somewhat alike, both inky black with a red detail, probably around the same age too. Jinju returned the friendly smile she was offered, taking a few steps close towards the other girl, footing a bit slippery on the melting icy ground. ”My name is Jinju” she introduces herself, giving her own name in return. That was how aunt Reagan had done it whenever she had met a new horse, and she had naturally started to copy the adults around her. Especially the mother figure in her life, although she could not yet copy the fire fairies her aunt Reagan had made for her. Nonetheless, the gray magician had promised to learn her once she got her powers back. Yes, both girls were more alike than they both would probably realise.
”What brought you to the forest? Do you live here?” Talking about almost random stuff helped her to get her mind off things, to not get caught in scary thoughts. Uncle Ruan had effectively kept her busy when her aunt had suddenly gone ‘missing’, so maybe if she started talking with this girl about whatever they wanted to talk about, she slowly would be able to let her anxiety flow away.
OOC: Clearly sleepy again, sorry for the rubbish <3
Oh, thank goodness. When the other girl sees me, she looks relieved. Tension eases from her body, black just like mine except the girl’s mane is black too. She’s got red too though, in her eyes, which is pretty neat. Kind of like Spear and Spark, my very best cuddly friends who are twins and have one red eye each. Except this girl has both. Cool!
Oh hey. She’s also got this pretty green thing around her neck. I’m not sure if it’s like, some kind of plant or moss growing there, or something else, but it hangs and swings a little when she moves, the swaying motion a little bit mesmerizing. Her coat is summer thin, and I don’t know how she’s not freezing, but she seems to not mind the cold somehow. Lucky. I’m barely managing to not be shivering and teeth-chattery, even with my great, shaggy winter coat that’s a little dull and ragged but it covers the way my ribs show just a little too much and my hip bone jut out a bit more than they should.
Winter’s been rough, okay?
Anyhow, the girl smiles back at me and steps closer, and my smile grows wider when she introduces herself. “Cool name! Jinju, I like it.” Ah, but that smile fades some when she asks me if I live here. “Not exactly. I mean, I guess as much as I live anywhere. I just...sort of wander around.” I shrug, acting casual about it even if it’s kind of the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me, being made to wander instead of settling in what was going to be my home. With my family. And Jinju, as it happens. “I do spend a lot of time here in the forest, though. It’s pretty nice, I guess. I like the trees, though they do make flying kind of hard.”
When the other girl doesn’t object her coming closer – or if she did, she at least didn’t show it – the smile upon her lips grows wider. Another few steps closes more of the distance between them and Lilitha’s shivering make her want to step even closer, to shield the other girl from the cold. Like Reagan had done for her. However, the almost excited reply, the compliment, that she gets, flusters her. For a moment Jinju’s eyes are cast down, a shy smile pulling on her lips, before she carefully dares to meet Lilitha’s golden gaze again. ”Eh, thanks.. Your name is pretty too.” After all, it was polite to give a compliment back when you received one. And it wasn’t a lie at all. Lilitha’s name was elegant, but bold at the same time.
When Lilitha’s smile falters, her own does too. Had she said something wrong? Jinju tries to study the other girl’s face, but she doesn’t have enough experience to understand that what she sees. Her own face shows her worry for the other girl and the conflict she’s struggling with. ”You don’t have a home?” she asks, voice soft and careful, as if she’s afraid to anger or upset her new found friend. So in an attempt to show that she meant well, Jinju steps forward, pushing herself across her own boundary of what she’s comfortable with, to gently brush her nose across Lilitha’s shoulder, trying to offer the red haired girl some comfort. ”I’m sorry.. I .. I shouldn’t have asked.” She pauses, hesitantly looking for Lilitha’s gaze, as she nibbles her own lip somewhat worriedly. ”What is it like? To fly, I mean.” Just like that she changes the subject, not able to keep the silence between them drag on, as Jinju felt somewhat uncomfortable by it herself. She didn’t want to scare the other girl away, knowing that she then would be alone again.
Aww, she’s shy! I don’t know if shy is a thing I’ve ever quite been, but it sure is cute. Just like with Mo, it makes me want to cuddle up close and snuggle her ‘til she’s happy and smiling and cuddling right back. Oh but she is smiling a little, and I grin back and reach forward to brush her forelock out of her eyes. “Thanks. I’m pretty fond of it. My daddy Romek gave it to me when he found me and I didn’t have one. He calls me Lily, but ‘most everybody else calls me Litha most of the time. Or well, you’re welcome to use the whole thing if you like. I’m not fussy.”
I’m a little too caught up in making a new friend to think about the fact that she might recognize the name and wonder why I don’t live with my daddy, and ask all sorts of questions with answers that are kind of a bummer. When she asks about my home, I shrug. Maybe it’s best to just tell her. “It’s okay. You didn’t know, and it was a perfectly normal question to ask. I’m s’posed to have a home. With my daddy. Or I was going to have a home, at least, I don’t know about supposed to. I guess maybe I wasn’t supposed to, since I don’t. But anyhow. I got mad when Beqanna made my daddy beg for somewhere safe to raise his family. And I said some things Beqanna didn’t much appreciate, and now I can’t go. They can still live somewhere nice, and have peaceful, happy lives there.
“I can’t.”
And that’s really all there is to it, isn’t it? So I seize upon the subject change my new friend offers and flare out my wings, glancing at the lovely red-framed black and smiling. “Oh, it’s fantastic!” I answer, losing my eyes and remembering the feel of the wind in my hair, the world falling away far below. “I really, really miss my fire, but flying is maybe my favorite thing ever. These wings have really grown on me, and I love climbing high into the sky and soaring around, seeing the whole world from so high up! Oh, it’s perfect.” It’s even worth the cold, and the lonely ache of being without my fire.
Her eyes widen when the other girl leans forward, even touching her pol as she brushes Jinju’s forelock away. Now she’s no longer able to hide underneath it, and she would have, because the act had left her somewhat flustered. Nonetheless she couldn’t say that she had disliked it, as she felt strangely comfortable around this girl. Tilting her head a little to the side she meets Lilitha’s golden gaze shyly. ”You prefer Lily?” she almost innocently asks, genuinely interested in how her new friend preferred to be called.
She had heard how Lilitha had spoken about the origin of her name, and the nickname her father had given her. Yet she had been more focussed on the girl’s story about her name, than realising that she spoke about her father but didn’t live with him. Even less was Jinju aware of the fact that shé did live with her new friend’s father. She would probably feel even worse if she had known, next to bad feeling of asking about something that was obviously a sensitive topic for Litha. ”I.. I’m sorry.. That must be hard..” she eventually answers, voice soft and full of remorse. It is only after another small pause that Jinju steps forward, hesitantly reaching out to brush her muzzle across L’tha's shoulder, in what she hoped would be soothing for the other girl.
The air around them changes easily with the change of the topic. Her gaze follows Litha’s to the wings on her back, which obviously suited the other black and red girl. But what really sparks her interests are Lilitha’s words. ”Fire? You have fire too?” she asks, having already forgotten about what the other girl told about her wings. Apparently not only the black and red was something the two girls shared, they were both fire wielders too. Yet, Jinju had no experience in actually using her powers. She had only learned through her adoptive mother Reagan that she had fire, as she had always thought that she was just a simply girl.
