"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
She stood in the meadow, exposed for all eyes to see. Though she still preferred the shelter the trees offered, she was no longer affected by the lack of it being around. It had taken her a while since she last had been out here. But she also couldn’t say she had visited the meadow many times. The first time had probably been when she had met Fox. The second when she had allowed herself to go on a rampage. Today she was only out to explore.
With the things changing at home she had grown curious to explore the world. The Taiga would be her home, she couldn’t picture herself living elsewhere. Not even the Jungle, which she once had liked very much. Yet Jinju wanted to see what else was out there in Beqanna. And secretly, also who was out there. All she knew was the Taiga and her residents. And she had made some pretty good friends. Heda, Circinae, Aten. She cared for all three of them, but do you know that feeling of wanting something else for once?
It was that very same feeling that had driven her out. The spicy scent of the pine trees still clung to her skin, but lush grass gently caressed her lightly feathered legs. She had left the forest far behind her and the slight hill she stood upon gave her a quite a view across the meadow. Green as far as the eye could see.
I’m older. Older than her, at least. I can tell that when my amber eyes stray from the dirt beneath my mouth and rise upwards, bringing my pale head with them. I can also tell that she seems to have some sort of purpose here just by watching her. It’s written in the sharp edges of her shoulders, painted into the way she seems to be tipping forward on that grassy pedestal of hers, even brings a sharp glimmer to her feral eyes when the sun glances out from the cloud cover to bath her in light. But the age difference and the excitement about her isn’t what draws my attention.
In fact, I’m not really sure what does.
Somehow, though, I find that I’m moving and my golden hooves are making wide crescents into the trodden ground with each step, pressing the dry grass to the earth so that I can make a path directly to her. Even though my winter coat is long gone (leaving behind an inky color that matches hers in uniformity) there’s still a wild itch between my shoulders that bothers me, keeps me restless when all I want is to remain still. “Maybe she’ll get your mind off things.” I tell myself. Hopeless, really, but anything is worth a try once. I meet her at the bottom of the knoll, neck bulging as it folds inward so that I can force my head up to glance at her with bright eyes.
“Come down, entertain me for a bit, yea?” I offer, which is unlike me in so many ways but the words have already been said. A quirk of a smile, pale pink on my bleached lips, and then I motion with a sideways jerk of my head for encouragement. She doesn’t look like the type to be afraid of much anyways, so I’m the least of her worries.
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold
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Though she’s not uncomfortable to stand out in the open, not in the way that it makes her nervous and uneasy, it still is strange. She simply is not used to this, but there had to be a first of everything, right? Like the meadow was her first visit on her trip away from the Taiga. Jinju would return home, she always had, but it had been time to follow Circy’s advice and just venture out. Or like her friend had told her, now she still could. The inky damsel – not a girl anymore and not yet a woman – does not know what to expect, but she does not have to ponder any longer about it.
Gold. His hooves are gold. Gold like Lilitha’s eyes and Jinn’s points. She should not be this amazed by the sight of it, as more rainbow colored horses lived in the Taiga than normal colored ones. She herself was part of that group too. Her lips curl up in an amused smile, her head swaying to the side to take him in. It is the dirt on his lips that catches her attention next. ”That’s quite a.. demanding pickup line, I’d say” she offers him in reply, not at all rushing herself as she makes her way down towards him. It was not as if she followed his command, but she was young and curious, and perhaps a little lonely too.
”I suggest you to turn it around next time. It would be much more alluring if you would offer to entertain another.” A quirky smile lies on her lips as she comes to a halt, taking the liberty to take him in up close. He’s tall, taller than her, but she’s close to rival him. Coat dark as hers, but his head is completely white, quite a strange sight, but a pleasant change from her own small star. She had to conclude that the most special thing about him were the shiny hooves, like dazzling gold in the sunlight. ”But perhaps you don’t need a fancy pickup line.”
04-09-2017, 03:09 PM (This post was last modified: 04-13-2017, 12:14 PM by Terran.)
.Terran.
“Or maybe I wasn’t trying to be alluring at all.” I retort, smirking as she descends anyways to appraise me. I retract a half-step, not imposed by her boldness but not exactly willing to relinquish all my goods in one go for for this girl. Besides, I can tell now when her disturbing eyes flash from my face down to my hooves. “The same place strangers always end up looking.” I think, used to the attraction of the metal sheen by now. My sire had been gold, well … gilded really. Technically an angel.
And here I was, all black and boring. Thanks pops.
It still surprises me that I’ve ended up as sort of a useless creature, given that both my parents were afflicted with heavy magic. “My name is Terran.” I begin, the muscles along my back shivering to dispel the likes of insects and other unwanted creatures, “And I don’t need a fancy anything.” I chuckle, ears tilting backwards as I raise my head (and my brow) in curiosity. She’s not exactly graceful and I can appreciate that. It was always the slender, awkwardly beautiful ones that got on my nerves the quickest.
There’s a strength to her, still a softness though that distinguishes her as a young woman and not some tank of a horse. Those eyes, however, were hard for me to meet and appreciate. They would give any creature reason to be on their way. “What’s up with the blinkers?” I tease lightly, hoping she would find the joke and not the offense in my tone, “You shoot lasers or something from them?” I ask, thick tail lashing out to bat restlessly at my sides. Damn Summer.
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold
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She chuckles, how could she not? He was as direct as it could be. ”Then what were you trying?” she asks, her own smirk mirroring his. She stops to respect his personal space, and to keep hers. Much like she would appreciate too when another approached her, though, he had been the one to call her down.
Her gaze meets his again. She does not mention the gold. She had, with Lilitha and Jinn. When she had first met the red haired and golden eyed Litha she had been only a child. How could their conversation not be about their strange physical appearance. When she had met Jinn she had almost been an adult. Before she had been able to stop it she had muttered ‘beautiful’ out loud. And the way his golden points had shimmered in the light of her fire was surely beautiful. Terran didn’t need that. The sun was doing a marvellous job already. ”I’m Jinju” she answers, a light dip from her head. ”But then, they did give you something fancy. Quite hard to miss if I may say so.”
This time it was his turn to tease her. Though Jinju was only able to see her eyes in her reflection in the water, she could kind of understand that not everybody liked the view. It wasn’t hard to imagine that it would spook one or two. ”If I have to believe my dam, it’s all because of my father’s genes” she answers, with a light shrug of her shoulders and a grin. ”Can’t confirm it though.” She simply did not know who her sire was, nor did she really remember her dam.
When her gaze meets his this time, she’s grinning. She stays silent for a moment, her head tilting as if she was trying to decide if he was man enough to take it. ”Not quite” she honestly tells him, her grin growing wider and a few moments later she moves her gaze towards the flies that seemed to irritate him so much. Jinju narrows her eyes slightly, and then all the buzzing creatures burn up and into ashes. He might have felt the heat on his skin, maybe did she even scorch some of his coat, but he shouldn’t be injured. ”But I have some other tricks up my sleeve.”
Yes, my hooves are hard to miss. Glimmering, golden things that they are, I’m still sort of proud of them. They’d make any magpie proud and that’s exactly what I consider myself - a magpie, hoarder of shiny things but just as black and white as common sense. If Jinju liked them she should’ve seen Tiphon. Her entire mouth would be sucking in air. She reminds me that I’m still sort of an anomaly, knowing both of my parents and living among them, and I like that. It’s not often that I meet someone who causes me to feel positive things, much less anything at all. The red-eyed mare is sharp, something I haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying in a while.
Her eyes narrow in response to my question and there’s an uneasiness that settles into my bones. I can’t tell exactly what she’s focusing on until the singed smell of hair meets my nostrils and I jump forward with a start; a delayed reaction to the heat that’s warming my shoulderblades. My chest brushes against her shoulder, tail swatting at the air to rid myself of ash and as an instinctual sort of thing while I slide past her and trot a few feet away. “Good GOD!” I call out to her, throwing my bald head around to pin her with an angry glare, “A little warning next time, eh?”
But I can’t disguise my anger for long. I’m chuckling, a sound that builds into a strong laughter before I turn about to face her again. “Remind me to never piss you off.” I chortle, easing back to where she stands before slowing to a stop before her. “I think you burnt some hair off between my shoulders … take a look, tell me if I’m bald.” I exaggerate, edging closer to her so she might have a good stare.
I have no idea that her trick had actually exposed a hidden trait. What I can’t see that she soon will is four tiny, golden wings, budding out from my spine like a hatchlings new pride.
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold
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Her dam had been a hoarder of her own army. Or had planned for such a thing. If she only knew what lied underneath the surface, then she probably never would’ve given her away. But perhaps it was better. Not that Jinju remembers much, she had only been a couple of weeks old when her dam had abandoned her. After that she had gained and lost parents. Not something she would like to go through again, nor wised upon anybody. Who knew what kind of monster she would’ve become if she still had been bound to Esileif’s side.
One that could do more damage than accidentally burn some hair on another’s body. Jinju had not expected that Terran’s reaction would be this severe. For a moment her eyes widen, but she cannot help it but to chuckle softly. She could understand his anger, or annoyance, but she had not meant any harm. Nor did he get hurt. ”What would be the fun in that?” she asks, but only once he starts chuckling too. Jinju grins, widely too, taking a step closer to his side to playfully bump his shoulder with her muzzle. ”Nothing that will last” she says, without really doing what he asked. She’s curious enough to look though, as there had not been a fly near that part of his body.
This time it’s her time to be amazed, or surprised. She does not move, ruby eyes the spectacle in, without knowing what was actually happening. Four tiny wings spout from his shoulders, not ordinary ones. These four golden wings aren’t even close to the wings Ruan used to have. ”I.. what?” she murmurs, taking a step backwards to see the whole picture. ”If you like it or not..” she starts, pausing to let her red eyes move to his for a short moment. ”You definitely have another fancy thing now.”
Getting older usually means losing something, you know? Hair, energy, sex drive, whatever - you name it, it just goes away. I’d already lost my boyish innocence, had clearly grown out of my desire to make something of myself, and I had certainly lost any hopes of ever procuring something along the lines of useful when it came to traits. So when her glittering red eyes rise to meet mine and her mouth quirks before she tells me what I’ve always wanted to hear of course I don’t exactly believe her. Who the f*ck would.
“Very funny.” I tell her, my mouth drawing itself into an unimpressed line. “Har-dee-har-har” I think, stretching my neck around to its fullest extend to try and disprove her proclamation. I’d been fooled before but I won’t let this sapling of a woman drag sheep's wool over my eyes for her personal entertainment. The effort of bending my aging body in half has my hind legs shifting around and the movement sends the god’s eye of the sky glancing across my dark back to strike the new additions with a glow. The resulting light nearly blinds me.
“Holy … oh my Go … holy shit.” I exclaim, snapping back to face her once again with eyes as round as dinner plates. “Are those … ?” I ask, my words dropping an octave in disbelief while my heart pounds against my dark chest. “Impossible.” I think - I’m certain of it. But in this new world I should know better. Nothing is impossible anymore. Even with the gentle flex of my shoulder blades I can substantiate their abilities. They wiggle, happy to obey the bend of muscle and to be free of my thick coat.
No wonder I’d been mad with itch.
“Jinju,” I start, pinning her with a completely mad stare while a wild grin breaks out over my usually serene face, “you wonderful, crazy fire chick you!” I shout, closing the distance between us in seconds to plant my lips firmly against her soft nose. I don’t even care to think about personal space in a time like this. They linger, only for a moment, before breaking away to allow the burst of deep laughter to fill the empty air. “This is incredible! YOU are incredible!”
I can't ever remember being this excited.
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He didn’t seem to believe her, but honestly, she would’ve replied in the very same way. He had just sprouted wings. Four tiny golden wings that matched perfectly with the golden hooves. It would hard to deny that both were quite fancy and Terran had them now, if he liked it or not.
She would guess his reaction is quite similar to hers back then when her mother had asked the fairies for permission to give her daughter wings. But he has nobody who wished to give him such gift, not a magician to give them to him, or fairies to punish them for even thinking about it.
Her gaze stays serious and she wouldn’t be surprised if her eyes had widened, not replying to his dry unimpressed reply. She just watches him when he turns to look for himself, she watches how surprise sets in, then followed by realisation and last a sprout of happiness. ”Yes” is all she says, her ruby gaze meeting his.
She had not realised how tense she had grown. His enthusiasm is contagious and she soon finds herself grinning back at him, one that rivals Terran’s. Though she does not know why she deserved that well, crazy but somehow flattering praise. She hadn’t done a thing, other than teasing him by a simple display of her powers. Not that she has time to think it over, he’s close to her right an instant later. Jinju feels the heat in her stomach, almost fluttering and making her warm, making her flustered.
He’s gone before she can react and she can only stare at him with her ruby eyes. Then her soft laugher joins him and this time it’s Jinju who closes the distance between them. ”Fancy” she mumbles, only looking at him with a teasing grin out of the corner of her eye. She does not ask for permission as she reaches out, with the intention to have the velvet of her nose brush over one of the golden wings.
They’re not physically metallic, just visually, which actually surprises me. My mother had been made of the stuff, gleaming silver and hard as stone. Talulah had told me stories of her falling into a slumber once, her body hardening to lock her into an eternal cage, like some gilded statue. That was one of the only times I’d ever been glad I was traitless. My twin, on the other hand, had been born dangerous. Titanya had been gifted with the ability to make anything heavier, solid. She could turn water into blades of death, make grass like needles, turn a horse’s heart into a weight that ripped free from the chest like lead… For now, these wings would suit me fine.
Jinju’s gentle touch draws me back into a semblance of repose, my grin dulling as I reach forward to bump her gently against the shoulder. She could touch them all she liked, I would do the deed myself if I could. “You think they’ll grow?” I ask offhandedly, knowing the black mare probably wasn’t any more informed on situations like this one than I was, “What crap luck that would be if they stayed this size.” I chuckle, praying silently that it wouldn’t be the case.
I’d be the laughing stock of Beqanna.
But, as if in response to my thoughts the wings shudder, flex, and expand. I cringe, closing my eyes as the muscles in my back spasm with the effort of the sudden growth. “Ahhh,” The groan slips from my mouth, along with the realization that this gift would be a literal pain in my back for the next few days to come. What about flying? I’d never been farther than a few feet off the ground and not much longer than a few seconds at that. Navigating the skies … what a whirlwind that was going to be. “Jinju, I’m sorry, I don’t think I can stay here for much longer. I need to find someone who can help me manage this.” I explain while my teeth graze against her ribs gently.
“Can I come look for you later?” I ask, neck twisting so that I can train a single, amber eye on her.
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