"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
Luma walked through the forest,looking for her fields.The leaves of the trees blocked out a lot of sunlight.It was not too bright,but not too dark either.Luma bent her head down,taking a bite of the cool grass.She picked her head back up and continued walking.After a few minuted of walking,she saw a break in the trees,and light.Luma sped up to a trot,her mane flowing.She made it out of the forest.Before her lay a sprawl of fields,groups of horses here and there.Luma continued trotting until she reached a sunny patch of grass.She whinnied quietly,trying not to draw attention to herself.Luma bent her head down and began to graze.
Spring mornings, so fresh, so new. A time of hope, a time of growing warmth, and of course....birthing season. Naga's all time favorite time of the year. Though she has not had another child since her twins, of whom are now grown, kidlets still tugged at Naga's mother instinct. Maybe someday she would have another, but right now, as a new queen with many duties and a new kingdom to tend to, she definitely did not have time for another child. So, the best she could do would be to wander, wander and watch all the new mothers, their spindly newborns bobbling about at their side.
Her mind is not as cloudy as it usually is, for right now she was also on the look out for her fellow sisters, or potential sisters. Being a new uprising of the old Amazons, Naga knows they need more bodies...right now, the small group seemed almost sad compared to how they used to be. She remembers the jungle being full of strong and wise mares coming in and out, and new sisters appearing by twos almost every day. She hopes she can help orchestrate that once again.
With her goal in mind, our dark woman scans the field with bright green eyes, that glimmer brighter now in the warm sun. She spotted group after group, though no luck on any sisters or lone women of potential. Though, a few slow strides ladu, our panther queen finds her sisterly prey. A blood bay mare, tall and with a muscled compact body. Naga couldn't help but think that this woman had the body of a warrior. She watches as the woman trots gracefully across the new grass and lets out a soft whinny of what seemed to be contentment before settling into a new patch of green grass. Naga gives herself a good shake and then starts the bay woman's way. She lets out a deep welcoming nicker before stopping a respectful distance from the woman.
"Good morning. Tis a fine day, you are lucky to have found such a nice patch of grass, most of the maes with foals have snached all of them up! Good find. My name is Naga, queen of The Coast, might I ask of yours? If you are here in search of a home, might I offer you to come stay at The Coast? We are a kingdom made only of women. We take no orders from men, nor do we allow them to feel like they are our owners or protectors. We are a tight knit family almost, we are a sisterhood. If that might sound appealing to you??"
She waits a moment for the mare to reply, black ears perked eagerly forward, almost wanting to devour the coming words. She was always a very intent listener, she loved initiating conversations. If only she had back when she was half her age now. She wonders if she spoke too much, but since the shift of the lands, it has been a long time since she has recruited, especially now that she has a home, and not just that, she was the queen of that home. Still boggles her mind. Though, she hopes this fine woman would take her offer, she would be a good addition, and would probably be a fine warrior, or even a peacekeeper. Anything...for they need to become more established as a kingdom, they need numbers...
Luma continued grazing contently.She heard a set of hooves approaching her and a nicker..Luma raised her head to see a slightly smaller,older black mare trotting up to her.The mare began to speak,complimenting the patch of grass Luma had found.Luma smiled slightly,and listed patiently as the mare continued.The mare asked for her name,and spoke of her land by the coast.Luma thought about joining this herd."My name is Luma.Your herd sounds...respectable.I have plans for having children in the future,and I am not quite sure this life would suit me.I like that you are close,and obviously you care for each other.Might I ask if I could stay with you awhile,see how life with you is,and see if I would like to stay?"Luma finished.
Luma wondered for a moment if her request was selfish,as Naga was being kind in inviting her to join her herd.The life of a herd sounded nice,after all,that's what she came here for.However,Luma wasn't fond of the thought of life without any stallions.
Our dark queen is a reasonable one, a kind one. Having been one of the higher ranked diplomats in the Amazons for so long, she was pretty much used to dealing with all types of personalities. Her mind analyzed the woman called Luma's words. Though she sounds a bit stuck up, Naga wonders if this is just how she is until she warms up to her conversational partners. Naga knew a few women like that. But, she understood the woman's concern. Though, as usual, she had the answers.
She nodded her head, her smile was soft, green eyes looking to Luma with understanding glowing within them. Her voice was silky as always, that wonderful sultry deep tone that was almost signature for her.
"Well, we are more of a Kingdom than a herd. It is not that we do not allow men, we are just the majority. In our previous home we had male residents, and they are always welcome. The women of the sisterhood are allowed to mate outside the kingdom or even bring their mate to live with us."
She paused a moment, letting her words soak in before continuing.
"As for raising children, our kingdom is actually a great one to raise children. I, a mother of twins, raised both within the sisterhood, and I was raised by them. I must say, every child to have lived in the old Amazon Jungle came out to be strong, brave, and quite wise and accepting. And all the colts that grow within the sisterhood actually become the most respectful gentleman when they are grown. Plus the sisters would have children too, so there would be many children running around and playing. We are quite family oriented, but we still honor our warrior roots."
With that she hopes the woman will consider her offer. Naga knows how wonderful growing up in the sisterhood can be. She turned out well, heck, she became the queen! And her daughters were wonderful, and even Simeon, the stallion that Naga knew as the Amazon queen's first born son, had been raised in the jungle. He was the most respectful stallion she had ever met. But, it may be her pride in her home that made her more intent on making it seem more desirable for Luma...especially since they needed more women...she hoped her explaining would help. With ears perked and smile still soft and never fading, she awaited Luma's response, hoping for the best.
Luma listened to the older woman's words.She seemed wise.Luma dipped her head respectfully.
"I shall join your kingdom.But,may we stop by where the abandoned fillies and colts play?I would like to look around."Luma requested,raising her head back up.She looked into the green eyes of her new queen.Luma felt herself begin to trust Naga.Luma barley knew the woman,but she already felt like this would be her queen,until the end.Then again,Luma thought she'd be alone forever,but look at her now.She was seeking a home with a kingdom.Luma smiled kindly.
