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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    I'll carry you, and we will live forever; ALL MANDATORY.
    #1


    we’re on each other’s team…

     
    There is that awkward moment in time when the wolf howl calls to your soul, and you have to go…
     
    Almost as if you cannot help it.
     
    And so the alpha calls to her pack, refusing to stay in the shadows any longer. Reagan will once more take her place at the helm, and will bring her charges under heel, hoping upon all hope that the days of darkness were behind her.
     
    The memories blow through her mind, and Reagan is reminded of her days as a small girl in her homeland, chasing the wildlings in the moors. Gripping her rosary and saying her prayers, the small girl in the grey dress was always fascinated by the will o whisp, dancing between the grass blades. She closed her eyes and allowed the warmth of the sun to bathe over her, and she opens her grey eyes again, addressing them all; wondering who was left—and if Ruan would make an appearance.
     
    Time to get back to business.
     
    “To my children, and any else who are here, make yourselves known. This is a call to attention. We here make up a family; a pack. To protect and defend each other, and the forest; this is our calling. There are those who will be defenders, and those who will be peacekeepers. There are those who will be both. Stand up and be counted, if you make Taiga your home.”
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    #2
    Jinju
    The wolf calls and Jinju knows that she’s truly home. The wolves are a part of the Taiga, always had been. One of her earliest memories include the howling of a wolf and she had seen her parents in that form more than once too. First she had been afraid. But Jinju is now aware of the wolf the roams the forest, and no longer afraid. In fact, the black girl is eager to meet the wolf again. It had been too long since she had seen her mother.

    So she doesn’t need much more encouraging than the call. Autumn is in the air, but like always it does not affect the Taiga. Unlike the deciduous trees in the forest which had started to lose their leaves, the pine trees never completely lost their needles. Jinju likes the spicy and sweet smell of the needles, the smell of home.

    She’s the first to arrive. When her eyes land on the gray and emerald form of her mother she suddenly hesitates though. They hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, she hadn’t even met her youngest siblings yet. And perhaps this wasn’t the first time to come face to face with her mentor again. But it was like this, and neither of them could change it. So with a deep intake of breath she crosses the last distance. ”Hi mom” she greets the now smaller mare, reaching her nose out and offering it to the magician.
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    #3
    Tyrna

    Like a shadow dancing on the edge
    Like any other wolf, the steel girl hears the call. It is short but filled with an expectation that it will be answered, and that is not enough for Tyrna. She has spent countless days wandering among the towering redwoods that comprise the Taiga, and this is the first call for a meeting of it's occupants that she had ever heard. So she takes her time in joining the other members of her tiny home. Tyrna had never been one to play well with authority, but she would be on her best behavior this time.

    The wolfish mare was still quite curious to meet the other equines that would be drawn to living beneath the boughs of the trees. The forest wasn't for everyone with it's deep shadows and often darker secrets. Living in the perpetual twilight wasn't for the faint of heart and it brought a certain eagerness to her steps. She would not ne called like a lapdog, but she would take advantage of the meeting.

    As she enters the small clearing, her blue eyes quickly glance around for the familiar shape of Ruan. He was the not only one she actually knew, but her heart quickened when she thought of him. He seemed to see the truest version of her, and even after she had spilled her story like a tumble of tragedy he hadn't changed the way he looked at her. His solid body had been a comfort, and she couldn't wait to see him. Alas, he isn't present just yet, but her ears prick at the sight of two new faces. The first a small grey mare, and the second a delicate black mare. Although to be fair, most seemed delicate when she compared them to her own strength. She faintly scents the smell of ice and pine that is so uniquely Ruan's but can't place where it comes from causing some confusion which she quickly shrugs of as she takes in the strangers.

    Tyrna nods to both of the mares as she waits for the gathering to begin in earnest. She hears the black one refer to the smaller mare as mother, but can't see the resemblance, not that that ever means much in Beqanna. "Tyrna." she says in way of greeting and settles in to see who else shows up.

    Silver dapple sabino|Mare|Andalusian Hybrid
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    #4
    Her dreams are deep and black these days, forgotten blips of time that leave her bright and alert as soon as the first pink blushes of morning creep into the sky. It’s a sort of peace she hasn’t known for years, one that settles into her bones and begins to lull her into the idea that this could be where she belonged. But the magnetic pull that bends even her willpower this particular morning reminds Circinae that no place is ever truly as perfect as it seems. “This is what you wanted,” she reminds herself, “remember?”

    There’s no use in shifting. A simple rise and shake would do, and then Circy the umber wolf is bounding through the trees with a nimble sort of quickness to where the others wait. She’d always known the time would come when her leisurely days would see an end, but she’s still not sure if she can confront them again - the faces of her past. Without Raeanne it would seem so … eerie. She can only muster a sigh though, and turn her path sharply to follow her nose where they’ve begun to gather in a strange clearing.

    Even from afar she remembers the grey mare, the same caution coursing through her now like it did back then. The tug of her calling reminds her so much of Ruan’s command to her wolf that it makes her wary … if he had been able to skip across her mind at will, there was no telling what the grey mare could accomplish. Nothing was secret in the pack though, these were just the way things were. There’s only the four of them, so Circy comes to stand by the black-spotted mare; she flicks her mahogany tail and then she is like them: Equine, and a striking contrast of green and navy.

    “Jinju, always a pleasure to see you.” She begins, head nodding in the growing girl’s direction. “I’m Circinae, a new member,” she tells the rest, eyes lingering finally on the grey queen who’d called them together, “and I’d be interested to hear about what your plans are for each faction before I settle on a choice.” The jade mare finishes, smiling softly to them.
    Circinae
    I need the crack of a whip, I need some blood in the cut
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    #5
    Ruan
    Build it. Break it.
    The ice formed. The ice shattered. He formed another, only to obliterate it, too. And another.
    And another.

    Sometimes they took familiar shapes. Sometimes they looked like creatures; birds, foxes, rabbits, bears. Bears. Sometimes they looked like things only the darkest parts of his mind could fathom. Sometimes they were faces.

    Reagan's call rang through his mind and broke his concentration. He snarled, an instant layer of solid, hard-packed ice forming an armor along his spine and over his sides. He destroyed that too. Let it melt down him to puddle at his hooves as though this pain could slip away with it. Bitterness settled heavy in his gut and he turned his back to the direction she beckoned them. The one in his mind growled that she dared to call his pack, and he gave it a mental kick in the jaw. They were hers too, he reminded it -himself. She cared for them too. Every last one.

    It growled. Bear.
    He growled too. The bear. The demon's spy. She let him in, she kept him safe. Protected him. His scars burned, his eyes burned, his heart burned. Then froze, hardened. After a long while, he finally turned back around. He finally began walking, obeying. He smothered the burn beneath the cold, slid into his usual aloof nature. Looked no different than he always did.

    Sunlight riddled across his pale and purple back as he entered the gathering from the outer edge. Bright, glacial eyes took them in with a glance; Reagan, Jinju, Circinae, Tyrna. Where were his children? Terra would be exploring, he figured. Her heart could be as wild as his when there was adventures to be had. Iasan, Heda, Fur. Perhaps they would come soon. And dear Illae, his porcelain girl, she would not need to show. He would check on her after.

    Circinae was the closest from where he joined them, and he paused before her. She'd asked Reagan a question of ranks, but he wasn't here to answer them. This was Reagan's meet, and she would respond without his interruption. He wouldn't have ranks, himself, always seemed to shy from old traditions, so that was her thing anyway. Instead, his nose hovered near Circinae's, inhaled her scent of forest and wolf; a woodland brown, he knew. Strong and fierce. Any remaining tension in his limbs left him then, seeming to find a sense of support at her presence. A strength.

    He moved on to Tyrna, his heart warming at the brief closeness they'd shared. Her life's story of tragedy and pain and love was still so loud in his thoughts. Replayed in her storyteller voice a number of times. Perhaps one day he could return the gift with his own story, when it wasn't still so fresh and raw and complicated. And painful. To reach for her was so natural, but he held back, looking over her face instead and sensing an unease, a reluctance. His eyes flashed with amusement before it was gone again, steady again. Not used to being summoned, was she? He hoped that stiffness wouldn't be directed at him one day.

    He pulled himself away from her, keeping to the outskirts before settling evenly between them: the ruler and the people. He was completely at ease there, the heart, the connection. His eyes flickered to Reagan, then Jinju, and away again. She would conduct her meeting and he would be present in support of her. Then his eyes slid Circinae, seeing the mare, seeing the wolf. His heart smirked. And then heavy blue met blue as he met Tyrna's gaze, and held it.

    Silent. Always silent.




    in short, he walks in and chills a little apart from everyone. the end :P



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    #6

    be humble, for you are made of earth

    Fur is grazing in the thick of the trees; she keeps to herself even here, safe and home, when she first hears the howl and instinct takes over, makes her freeze so that she can only hear the loud hurried thud of her heart in her ears.

    Wolves are enemies!
    She has seen a few deer taken down in the midst of the hunt, hamstringed and set upon by the pack after the alphas have had their fill. These are things that she should never have seen and cannot unsee, even the horse blood in her harbors a natural respect and fear for the wolf. But it is the deer in her that balks at the wolfish summons, thinks to hide herself deeper in the forest.

    Still, there is a thrum of power that supersedes both horse and deer.
    She answers to it, beckoned by scent of wolf, horse, pine, and ice.

    It is a gathering of Others; they are too much horse for her and she knows none of them. Fur thinks of running before they see her, but she knows that they will have her scent by now. Her antlered head is lowered, chin to breast, as she circles them from a distance, distrustful of the way the wind blows the smell of wolf into her nostrils. Maybe some of them are like her, wolves in horses’ clothing just as she is a mystery of horse and deer. Their kinds are enemies though, predator and prey, so says the natural order of things and she cannot ignore instinct’s prompts in her to keep back and flee until she has but all of Taiga’s trees between them.

    (No, they’d just hunt her down. Sever the hamstring, go for the throat and tear it out.)
    Fur begins to shake from the fear that builds up in her small shape, until she spots the familiar spotted bulk of Ruan. Emboldened by the sight of him, she runs right to his side and presses herself there, small and trembling. She cannot disappear into his spots, or his ice, but the staunchness of his shoulder against her cheek starts to calm her wild nerves, enough so that she can say his name in a tiny broken pant - “Ru-an.” Her dark eyes look up at him, uncertain of the wolves in their midst for they are many, and she is but one. “Wolf.” she tells him, casting nervous flickers towards all the rest.

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    #7
    Heda
    In truth she had been absent.

    After the arrival of Fur, into their family. There was no need nor purpose for Heda to linger, for her to cast endless happiness across her homeland. For she knew, when there is a child bounding about within her bounds, everything will remain content, and riddled with a happiness far beyond her own power. If it was unnecessary for her to have her abilities during her childhood, then it was unnecessary to use them throughout the future childhoods of Tagians to come.

    Our sweet mix of night and day mare lingers within the thick heavy red wood thicket, her navy tinged wings out spread at her side in a rather relaxed manner. She had been wandering leisurely through the immense vegetation of Taiga, when the call of her mother reaches her blue flecked lobes. Her hazel gaze wavers, for a moment before dark cobalt tinged limbs pick up a rather graceful trot as she breaks through the heavy foliage of her country, into a clearing filled with those that were her family members. 

    She breaks to walk, brushing past Fur as the little girl spoke with rather timid words, and with elegance and grace. She reaches one golden flecked wing, and gently brushes it over the filly's back placing a pinch of courage onto the little one. A wide, and friendly smile fit smugly onto her lips. 

    Heda comes up beside Jinju, raising her muzzle to her sisters inky ear and whispering, "It's been too long sister." Lowering her cranium, the navy tinged women playfully nipped at her sister's crest before proceeding to greet her mother. "Mother." She states with sweet honey dipped words, gently pressing her cranium against her mothers shoulder, before allowing herself to come in for a nuzzling warm embrace.

    She steps aside her mother, wings tucked neatly at her buckskin sides. Her hazel gaze lingering upon her father for a moment before allowing herself to speak. "I will be a peacekeeper." Heda had never been a fighter, always diplomatic, and graceful, and forever kind like her father. For she lacked any form of stealth, and agility.
    Go ahead. Laugh at the girl who loved too easily
    [Image: dc9b5pd-da224f9b-4062-4ac8-924f-4dd26147...1Y8jmwEofM]
    Ex-Queen of Loess
    ・❥・
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    #8
    Jinju
    Ignore this post.
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    #9
    fuck all your dreams; they're not all they seem.

    He would not abandon the Taiga again and, indeed, he had been present in his own way, lurking in the shadows, moving by the starlit dusk as predators are apt to do. He was not entirely solitary, as the majority of his time was spent with his family, his dear Maribel and their son, who by now was becoming his own person, and eagerly looking to fledge his wings into the world – and now they were expecting another one, another child, and Romek found himself looking forward to this.

    And, although he has always nurtured a healthy disrespect of authority (he just did not believe in putting anyone on a pedestal just ‘because’), respecting individuals was an entirely different matter, and Reagan and Ruan were horses he admired, and held in high esteem. The forest, these days, seemed bustling with life. It probably helped that, having had his home ripped from underneath him multiple times, and had somehow ended up on both sides of past conflicts (that, fortunately he had been absent from) he found it hard to feel like the Taiga was his child, or dear and close to him, or even entirely precious, not like he had felt for the Tundra so long ago, or the Deserts even longer ago. No, these days his loyalties were to his family, both by blood and association. For as long as they all existed here, he would live and protect them all (whether they wanted it or not). So, when he heard the magician call for them all to gather, he found it easy to throw off his old, familiar striped-fur skin and slip into his horse form, with the spots along the spine and golden eyes.

    He slips into the meeting quietly, listens to them all speak. There are young ones he doesn’t recognise, and adults he doesn’t recognise, but he does recognise Ruan, Reagan and Jinju, the fire-eyed girl that reminds him so much of Maribel’s father – the once King, the once leader… vanished, like many of them. He nods to them, and, familiar with the drill of meetings, offers his name for the others; ”Romek,” and falls quiet. He has no interest in the politics of the forest and he would rather eat off his own legs than jump through hoops to gain notice, those days are long, long over. He does recognise that a connected network of warriors is always more effective however, so he supposes he ought to make an effort to join in a bit more.

    ”Defence.” he says, although he knows that Reagan probably knows this already.

    Romek


    ew but hello, romek is here.
    if you're happy to pretend that IC he's kinda just lurking about, not really talkative but there in the shadows, thats fine by me. otherwise contact me and we'll sort something out Smile
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    #10


    She woke sudden, her eyelids rapidly wide though she still viewed the world around her with a sleepy grogginess.

    Something stirred within her, beneath flesh and bone and fascia. It beckoned her to rise from within and she obeyed with no question. Upon sluggish legs she rose and stepped away from her redwood and the ring of petals she’d placed delicately in a circle around her. The magnetic resonance which pulled her forth from the core of her body bid her not to tarry, and so it was that Illae was tugged forward with a sleepy and ungainly gait towards the summoning.

    She had awoken late it seemed, for many had already gathered in the sunlight. Amongst them there were some who were familiar, and others she knew of but did not really know. She cast her eyes to Reagan, and the strong pull which had summoned her here softened. She heeded Reagan’s words, she understood. She had used this forest, had taken and grown and become stronger. Gained strength both in body and mind. It was right that there should come a time when she must give back. Illae bobbed her delicate head, but there was more than just acceptance in that motion. Taiga was her home. Ruan and the forest had been her safe haven when she’d had none. She did not know who to fight a battle, did not know how to negotiate peace, but for Taiga, for its inhabitants, those who were like her, and others who were not, she would learn.

    “I wish to help in all ways.” She spoke somewhere from behind them all. Her voice a soft trill, though let that not dissuade you from the steely determination she’d placed behind those words.
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