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    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


    dark side of the morning; Kylin
    #1


    i know i'm not the center of the universe
    -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same



    Ivar is unable to shake thoughts of Ischia from his mind.

    Ever since his meeting with Kylin, when the tobiano filly had described a land entirely surrounded by water, he has dreamed of it. The black colt had returned to the Lake a few weeks ago, but there was no sign of Kylin. There were horses, but they did not look like relatives of the lavender girl, so he had left quietly – disappointed.

    He’s channeled that into determination though, and this morning he pulls himself onto the sandy shore of Ischia. It is high tide and the sandbars are deeply submerged, but Ivar had made his way from the mainland to the island with little difficulty. Though he’s barely six months old, the tobiano colt is at home in the water as much as he is on land. The buoyancy of the salt water had been difficult to contend with at first, but he is a quick learner.

    After shaking his long white legs one at a time, the young colt shakes his entire body, which makes the long hairs of his white tail stick to his black rump and his dark mane to stand at odd angles along his neck. He’s oblivious to this, of course, as he’s busy taking in the tropical paradise he’s just arrived in. Mother had said that it was warm here year round because of the same underground vents that heat Tephra, and Ivar believes her. He is still at the age when adults are endless fonts of unimpeachable knowledge, but is inching closer and closer to teenage rebellion.

    Narrowing his brown eyes he tries to see through the shadowy foliage that covers the island, but he sees only darkness.

    “Kylin?” He calls hesitantly, craning his neck to see. “Hey Kylin, are you here?”

    -------------------i v a r
    ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------

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    #2

    He tells her "ooh love".

    They had moved back from the Lake back to Ischia as suddenly as father had collected them and guided them to the Lake. She had truly liked it’s clear waters, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t glad to be back home again. After all, that was exactly what Ischia was.

    Reilly had also joined them, but Kylin considered him part of the family anyway. It were Kharon and Reilly that had never turned their backs on her. Father and mother had. More than once too.

    But this, this was the first time someone came for her. Or at least, that was what the white and lavender girl liked to believe. Maybe he had just gotten curious to see Ischia, after she had told him about it, and it was not like she could blame him for it. He looked as much intrigued by water as she and Kharon were. But most surprising, he seemed to be able to reach the isle even though the sandbars that lead to it are hidden under the sea.

    ”Ivar!” she calls out, appearing at the edge of the forest. Her hazel eyes light up and by the time she comes to a stop of him, hooves sliding through the sand, there is a wide smile that curls up her lips. ”Why are you here? Did, did you come for the land?” Or?


    image © brenda del rio photography
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    #3


    i know i'm not the center of the universe
    -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same

    He has thought of Kylin as frequently as he's thought of Ischia; the two are inexplicably tied in Ivar's mind. She had been the one to first tell the tobiano colt about the place, after all. He's learned more about the secluded kingdom since they parted ways by the lake shore, but nothing that would compare to seeing it himself. Finding Ischia is equivalent to finding Kylin again, so when the lavender filly appears from the shadowy forest, young Ivar feels the last bit of satisfaction settle into place inside his chest.

    The smoky black colt is still too much of a child to know love, but he does know that seeing Kylin again is making him happier than he was, and that he would not want to explore this island without her.

    “I missed you,” he says honestly, easily. Just as comfortable with physical touch as his mother, the colt stretches out his pale muzzle to tap her gently on the cheek. It's a friendly gesture and the warmth in his brown eyes as he pulls back is much the same.

    “And I wanted to see Ischia too, of course.” He winks, the motion and his flashing grin illuminating his otherwise plain face. Ivar will never be handsome, but his natural charisma is more than enough to make up for it. “Will you show me around?”

    -------------------i v a r
    ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------

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    #4

    He tells her "ooh love".

    OOC: I’m so so sorry for only replying this late. Especially after my short words : (.


    Saying she was glad to see him would not do it justice. She was almost – almost – as happy and excited to see Ivar again as that she was to be around Kharon. They were almost conjoined at the hip, so it was pretty rare for her to leave his side to set her own path. For Ivar she would. Though it wouldn’t surprise her if her brother would show up sooner or later too.

    She giggles softly and dips her head slightly before she reaches out to brush her own muzzle across his cheek in a friendly gesture. ”I’m happy to see you too.” Hazel eyes shine and twinkle at the silent promise to explore the land together. Like they had once with the Lake’s lake. This time most of the exploring would be on the land. Though Kylin could stroll along the seaside for hours.

    She liked him. She liked her home. So how could she say no? ”Of course! Though, how did you get here? The sandbars will be hidden for another couple of hours” she questions him curiously, her gaze tearing away from his to look in the direction of where the would appear. Not even the adults would dare to swim and the only ones able to walk on water next to her were Kharon and Father.

    With a slight shake of the head her gaze turns back to Ivar, her smile sweet and modest next to his. Though, like him, she’s too young to have other feelings that just liking him and spending time with him. A little jump shows her enthusiasm and with it she turns around, so she’s now facing the dense vegetation that’s all over the isle. ”What would you like to see first?”


    image © brenda del rio photography
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    #5
    it is totally fine! no need to apologize Smile


    i know i'm not the center of the universe
    -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same

    She reaches out to brush his cheek and Ivar takes the opportunity to playfully tug at a lock of her lavender mane. He’s ever-so-gentle, smiling as he pulls away. Kylin agrees, but without a pause questions his method of arrival. He follows her gaze with her brown eyes, looking out at the turquoise water that he swam through so easily. Ivar looks back at Kylin, as though to be sure she is asking a serious question. It takes him a moment (just a breath longer than it should have) to remember that not everyone is like his family.

    While it is with his father that he spends the most time underwater, Ivar’s mother has never hesitated to take him swimming. They are his main reference for the world, and the young colt had momentarily forgotten what he has been repeatedly told: You are different.

    (Not better, not worse – just different. Different is good – everyone is different. Don’t hold them underwater.)

    His mother’s words echo briefly in his mind, but the tobiano colt pushes them aside.

    “I swam.” He tells her truthfully, “I can breathe underwater. The salt water isn’t as easy as the lake was, though.”

    Kylin jumps into the air excitedly, and Ivar easily succumbs to the contagious bliss of childhood. He kicks out his back hooks, flinging a shower of pale sand behind them.

    “I heard there’s a jungle. I’ve never seen a Jungle before.”

    He has only heard of them. Heard of one, really, the one where the Nerinians had lived before they were Nerenian. It is a place of legends, now lost beneath the sea. Ivar will never see it, but it is more than enough for him to see the jungle of Ischia.

    -------------------i v a r
    ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------

    Reply
    #6

    He tells her "ooh love".

    Her soft laugh fills the silence around them. She nips at the side of his muzzle in a reply to his playful tug. Though the tug hadn’t been hard, she shakes her neck, tangling her white and lavender mane slightly. She has to wait a little while before she get her answer, but when she does it baffles her. ”You swam?” she repeats after him, batting her hazel eyes a bit surprised. Swimming was something she had never done, instead opting to walk over the water.

    Things click then. At the lake Ivar had dipped his head under the water, to look at the very bottom of it. Kylin had followed his example, but she had been forced to resurface long before he did. Back then she hadn’t thought anything strange of it, her young mind not realising it was impossible. Not impossible, but another ability. A wide smile appears on her lips ”Then, have you been to the bottom of the lake?” she asks, for now forgotten that they were supposed to explore Ischia and not talk about the Lake they already enjoyed together.

    ”Ischia is like a jungle” she confirms with a nod of her head, her hazel gaze travelling to the dense vegetation that starts there where the beach ends. ”You want to see it?”

    Her gaze travels back to Ivar and with a small smile she reaches out to bump his shoulder. With that she takes off, trotting through the heavy sand. Her ears twist in his direction as she bends her neck to see if he’s following her. Kylin does not stop until she reaches the first vegetation. Turning ninety degrees she turns towards Ivar, smiling widely and ears pinned forward.


    image © brenda del rio photography
    Reply
    #7


    i know i'm not the center of the universe
    -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same

    The surprise in her eyes solicits a laugh from the dark colt, but it’s clear that he’s laughing at her disbelief and not at her. “Yes, swam.” He repeats, “and yes, I made it to the bottom.” He pauses for a moment, wants to be sure that she is really interested in the answer and not simply humoring him. Ivar is always – without thought – being the picture of politeness.

    Then she turns away, looking out over the sands to where the jungle begins.

    The air that plays with the ends of his black mane is warm, and he can already feel the water beginning to dry on his dark coat. The swim hadn’t tired him excessively, but the yearling is still happy for an adventure that will stress different muscles.

    He follows her, picking through the sand on his long pale legs. Standing in the shade offered by the trees is no cooler than being out in the sun on the sand, and Ivar realizes that the reason his neck had stayed halfway between horse and water horse is because the humidity in the air had thrown off his senses. He is used to dry air and wet water, but the air here in the jungle is something in between. It is rather thrilling, he finds, and his dark eyes seek out Kylin’s accompanied by a bright smile.

    “C’mon,” he says with a bit of a high stepping prance, the enthusiasm clear, “Let’s go!” The tobiano colt throws his head excitedly, gesturing to mean that he will follow her where she leads.

    -------------------i v a r
    ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------

    Reply
    #8

    He tells her "ooh love".

    Of course she was interested. Ivar just told her he swam all the way down to the bottom of the lake! So Kylin’s interest is naturally sparked. Her hazel eyes lit up as she looks at him, eager for him to continue. ”How was it?” she asks in awe. Her short tail sways for the left to the right and she’s almost jumping up and down in excitement like a little kid.

    Sand kicks up behind them and it does not stop until they reach the end of the beach. Her sides heave slightly and some patches of sweat show on her coat. Tough she is not bothered by the heat. She’s simply used to it. Ischia was where she was born and aside from their little trip to the Lake it was where she had lived all her life.

    Kylin nods and he doesn’t have to ask again. She dips her head a bit as to dive past some big leaves, opening their way into the jungle. There are so many spots she wants to show him. So many paths to explore and things to see. Due to the isolation of the isle they don’t need to worry about predators or dangers, but perhaps they were a little too young for that too. ”You’ll find it beautiful.”

    Very different from the bottom of a lake or the sea that would be. But still very much beautiful. Kylin stays silent for a while, moving through the jungle while she creates their own path. She stops in front of a bunch of flowers. A smile curls up the corners of her lips and she looks a little back to look at Ivar. ”Does this equal the beauty you found on the bottom of the lake?” she asks him, pointing her nose to all the flowers around them.


    image © brenda del rio photography
    Reply
    #9


    i know i'm not the center of the universe
    -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same

    “Cold,” he replies truthfully, “but not winter cold. More like…something else.” He cannot find the words, cannot think of a sensation that is exactly like being at the bottom of the lake. There was pressure and cold and sunlight and fish in the water and he felt a thrill inside his chest that was like the thrill of his crescent pond but ten thousand times bigger.

    “I wish you could see it too.” is what he says instead, and hopes that the delight of the experience is conveyed enough. “It was wonderful.”

    They race across the sand, though Ivar does’nt care about being the victor. He only enjoys the exertion and the feel of the warm sun on his back. He waits with bated breath as she pushes aside the wide leaves, unveiling the path into the heart of the jungle. The green sights, raucous parrots, and humid air fill and nearly overwhelm his senses. He is left dumbstruck for a while, and simply follows her without a word.

    When Kylin stops, Ivar is too busy looking around to notice.

    He bumps into her (gently, he was only ambling along), his dark chest pressing awkwardly against her rump for a moment before he steps back with a murmured apology and lowered eyes. Embarrassment doesn’t quell his natural curiosity for long though, and he looks up as Kylin asks after the beauty of the Ischian jungle.

    “Well…” He says pensively, head tilting side to side as though he must really consider the answer.

    “I suppose it’s rather nice here.” He finally says, but there’s a curl at the edge of his pink lips that suggest he’s only a breath away from laughter. Trying to hold it in, the piebald colt turns to look more closely at the hibiscus flowers that they have paused beside. He lowers his nose a bit, inhaling softly.

    Well, he’d tried to inhale softly. But now there is pollen in his nose and he’s sneezing, which only shakes the other flowers and puts more pollen in the air, and he sneezes again. One, two, three more sneezes and he’s finally able to catch his breath.

    “I take that back,” he says with a good-natured scowl that melts into a smile even with his watering eyes. “I like the lake much better. There’s no flowers there.”

    -------------------i v a r
    ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------

    Reply
    #10

    He tells her "ooh love".

    Her lips turn a little pouty. She, too, wished to see it. The coldness was something she would take with it, an easy sacrifice to make. ”I’d love to..” she answers him, forcing a smile on her lips. ”I’m not a good swimmer though, and I don’t think I can hold my breath as long as you can.” There is no jealousy in her voice, nor does she blame him for her incapability, just disappointment.

    Which she has soon forgotten as they are making their way through the forest. At the little bump she turns around to playfully nip his shoulder, grinning at him and forgiving him. Who wouldn’t get distracted by all the amazing things their jungle had to show? Kylin could only hope that he would like it, she would hate to disappoint him if Ischia was less than what he had been expecting. So when he says he thinks it is rather nice, an enthusiastic smile curls up her lips. ”It is!” she easily agrees with him.

    ”Don’t-“ Too late, her warning comes too late. She shouldn’t laugh, and yet, she can’t help it. The look upon Ivar’s face as he had breathed in the pollen, it simply was too hilarious. It is soft and sweet. Tears appear in her eyes and Kylin can only grin at him a bit apologetic. ”It’s better to just admire how they look” she tells him softly. Taking a step closer towards the black and white boy she brushes her muzzle gentle across his cheek, then down to his nose to brush some of the last pollen way from his skin. ”Sorry” she murmurs. ”I should’ve warned you sooner..”

    She wants him to like Ischia. To make his trip worth it. But thus far she hadn’t been really doing a good job. Kylin steps back a little, her dished head tilting to the side as she carefully watches him for a moment. ”There is a spring nearby” she then says, speaking her thoughts out loud. ”I planned to show it later, but maybe now is a right time.”


    image © brenda del rio photography
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