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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


    do you feel like a young god? tang, warrick & twins
    #1
    if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes

    Amet travels to Tephra at a much leisurely pace than the last time he'd visited, panicked and defeated after the Lost Boys' invasion (and Tang's injury). It's been nearly a year now as spring turns to summer, and Amet is excited to see Tang. He's even excited to see Warrick, the blue-pointed stallion he had grown to consider a friend... and the pair's twins.

    The dragon King has spent a little too much time doting on the idea of Tang as a mother. Or, more precisely, Tang as a mother to Warrick's children. He is fond of the Tephran diplomat and finds it difficult to feel any sort of disdain for the situation - in fact, he's happy for the new parents, especially his beloved mahal - but it still feels odd to journey over the whole of Tephra to see a mare he's in love with and the father of her children.

    Amet sighs, ridding his mind of the strangeness so that he can concentrate on focusing on happiness. Tang would be able to read him, no matter whether or not he tried to hide how he felt, and so the easiest route would be to express his genuine happiness for them.

    The leather-plated stallion halts just inside the invisible border of Tephra, where the grasses open into a wide field, just a few yards from where he'd found Warrick last autumn. The heat is think here, heavy against Amet's lithe body, but his gilded scales soak up the heat comfortably. He admires the view of Tephra before him, the vast field a very vibrant green with the volcanic focal point in the backdrop. The dragon King briefly considers venturing farther into the territory, but decides against it since he has not made his way here yet to cement a relationship with Offspring, nor does he wish to stumble upon Levi.

    Instead, the golden boy calls loudly, content to linger at the border until Tang and Warrick find him.
    Amet


    @[Tangerine] @[Warrick]
    Lav - I know Tang hasn't officially told Amet yet in their old thread but I really wanted him to meet them so I'm just gunna assume he worked through any jealousy/etc over the spring lmao. ♥
    #2
    like the sun swallowed up by the earth
    The days were growing shorter as the warmth of spring and summer fades into autumn; it is the only sign in Tephra of the true season, for the tropical and humid land still remains hot and sweltering. Time is going by quickly (far too quickly), and his children were growing even quicker. When the blue-bay stallion is not with Offspring or Nymphetamine he is with Tang and the twins, either near the salty spray of the sea or deep within the humidity of the trees, chasing streams of lava and water, exploring and teaching them their surroundings. Solace has taken to understanding the world around her much better than Svedka has – his daughter is so much like him, curious and thoughtful, a brilliant mind forming before his very eyes. Svedka, though no doubt just as brilliant as his sister, did not care for understanding rules of the kingdoms or learning why or how things worked – he only cared to simply be, and more often than not Warrick would find him in the far reaches of Tephra, closer and closer to the border each time he explored, knowing that his son only wishes to venture beyond the borders and into the depths far outside the world of Tephra.

    For this reason, Warrick keeps Svedka closely under his watchful eye. Solace easily could be left to her own devices (she is logical and plainly obedient), for Svedka was most likely the one to cause trouble or to become lost. Warrick is thankful for the brilliant navy wings that he had been gifted nearly a year ago, for to his relief (and to Tang’s), he was able to keep watch over his adventurous and spontaneous son.

    It has been quiet in Tephra (for that, Warrick is thankful), so he is surprised when a familiar yet long since heard voice rings throughout his home. Svedka throws his head up in delight, his pale and honey-golden ears pricking forward curiously. His eyes, as blue as his father’s, shift to Warrick with a gentle gleam. Judging by his father’s reaction, the voice is looking for him. Long and spindly legs bring him to his father’s side, lipping at the navy feathers until Warrick extends his wing to allow his son’s back to be covered by the soft, downy touch. It is a gesture that Warrick uses often, for both Solace and Svedka, a gesture of endearment and love.

    “Come, Svedka,” Warrick says gently, his baritone rumbling deep in his chest as his blue muzzle gently kisses the pale forehead of his son.

    They find Amet quickly, and though Svedka has seen wings and knew of his mother’s clairvoyant dreams, and even the embodiment of fire that is Offspring, his blue eyes widen excitedly as he sees a glittering golden figure in the distance. Still young and shy, though unabashedly staring at the scaled stallion (upon closer investigation, Svedka realizes that he is not made of true gold, but of scales), he presses in close to the auburn skin of his father’s side.

    “Amet,” Warrick greets him, his voice genuine as a smile turns at the corner of his blue lips. Tang would be along soon with Solace (his daughter is probably riddled with anxiousness; Solace knew to immediately seek out a visitor at their borders, whereas Tang would come when she felt it – so different, were the two). “It’s great to see you,” He speaks truth. He had not seen the dragon-king since their diplomatic conversation in Hyaline, which was before Tang had given birth. It is a strange dynamic but a cordial one – Tang’s wayward heart does not allow her to stay with either of them for too long, though the idea of it has slowly become easily understood by the three of them. He is thankful that Amet cares for Tang as much as he does, and does not have to wonder if she is safe and protected when she visits him. It might be different when the twins were older and if they decide to travel with their mother (Warrick quells the thought – they are still so very young and very much Tephrans until they are much older).

    Svedka now steps out from beneath the shadow of his father’s wing, lifting his small head as his nostrils flare to inhale the scent of this new and curious looking stranger. In the Tephran sun, Amet’s scales glitter like a thousand jewels, reflecting brilliant flecks of golden light in Svedka’s blazing blue eyes. “Are you the sun?” He asks without hesitation, his question overlapping his father’s statement, nearly interrupting the two older stallions. Warrick clears his throat and snorts sharply, and though Svedka’s ears flick backwards at the sound of his father’s disapproval, the colt still continues to stare at Amet, fully expecting his question to be answered.

    “Svedka, it’s rude not to introduce yourself to a stranger.” His father’s voice, rumbling and deep with discipline, reaches Svedka’s ears and the small colt sighs. “You just introduced me,” he announces, taking a single step forwards to close the gap between him and the dragon king. Now it is Warrick’s turn to sigh and he cannot help but send a look of comical exasperation to Amet. “This is Svedka,” he says to Amet, properly introducing Tang’s second born. He wonders if it is obvious who his son takes after. Tang would have loved to have seen this interaction.
    Warrick


    @[Amet] @[Tangerine]

    <3333
    #3

    Solace


    Solace was growing. She was a child of summer and warmth surrounded by love and she was blossoming. She loved the structure of Tepra, the way she saw the same faces day in and day out, each like a friend even if she had never summoned the courage to actually speak with them.

    But as summer turned to fall she was beginning to realize that she was very different from her mother and brother. Those two had many similarities - both were restless, both didn't always think out the consequences of their actions. Occasionally her natural thoughtful carefulness left her feeling more like the mother than the daughter. 

    One night Tangerine (it made her feel very grown-up to call her mother by her name in her mind) had even slipped off and crossed the channel which protected Tephra from the outside world. That night Solace had been filled with a creeping dread which made her limbs turn cold - but she had stayed put, curled up next to her brother, unable sleep. Tremors had passed over her little body and her eyes had stayed fixed on the horizon for hours. But she was not afraid for their safety - what terrified her was to think Svedka had the same roaming soul. 

    She didn't admit it to him, or anyone, but she loved her brother with the ferocity of a mother and the easy friendship of a sister. 

    But today found the two of them apart. Her mother said it was good for both of them to spend one on one time with their father and today Tangerine and Solace are alone near the border. 

    When mother is with father she seems content and happy, but other times (when she doesn't have to chase Svedka and she had time to be still), Solace sees Tang draw into her thoughts. When she gets in one of these moods they often wander to the Ocean. Her mother's gaze seems to look beyond the waves and the void look on Tang's face makes Solace uncomfortable. 

    Their silence is broken by a call. To Solace's surprise, Tang reacts with more interest than she has to anything else that day, turning swiftly in the direction of the sound. "Solace, come with me, there is someone I would like you to meet." And the daughter dutifully follows. 

    you are my sunshine



    I'm going to put up a Tang reply in a few
    #4
    tangerine
    face to the sun

    Tangerine gazes wistfully past the oceans waves. The gull's float and caw, dive and flirt, but her eyes watch them without seeing. Her mind is roaming over moments from the summer past, watching her children grow under the shadow of the volcano with feathers and salt in their hair. Warrick too weaves in and out of her thoughts - the way he had come into his own. It is fitting, she thinks, how his wing appeared so near the birth of their children. They had changed him (the wings and the twins), he had become a new man in her eyes, he had learned to fly. 

    Tang rarely has time to daydream anymore, the weanlings keep her busy, and she is enjoying her quiet morning with Solace. But her reflection is broken by a call which stirs new feelings in her chest. Even though her peace is broken she is the opposite of disappointed. 

    She summons Solace quickly before picking up a rocking canter, trusting the girl to follow. 

    When she sees them, the three of them, her characteristic smile is bright on her face. She arrives just in time to hear Svedka make his less than respectful remark to Warrick, but instead of a rebuke Tang gives her son a nuzzle behind the ear,  sending his father a knowing glance.

    Her honey eyes find those of Amet, part of her had expected him to make a visit but she hadn't dared to hope he would. "And this is Solace." She says with a touch of pride as the delicate girl tucks herself between her father and her brother, her blue eyes shy and hooded in the presence of a strange adult who smells of strange places. "Hello." She murmurs to her hooves before turning to look up to her Father. 

    Solace was not usually timid, but she had never before seen a stranger from across the channel - much less a handsome stranger with glowing scales. 

    Tang inhales the scents of Hyaline as she stretches out her muzzle to her friend. The scent he brings whispers of her mountain peaks and crisp wild air; she can detect not even a hint of smoke.
    "How has Hyaline fared this summer? How are you, Amet?" She can never keep her eyes off her twins for long and she turns her head to take in the way they stand, Solace pressing her side into Svedka. "These two have been keeping us busy." she chuckles with another glance to Warrick before returning her attention to Amet.  
    >
    @[Amet] @[Warrick]
    [Image: tzang]




    #5
    if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes

    It's impossible not to take a few moments to appreciate the beauty that is Tephra while Amet awaits the arrival of his friends. His amber eyes drift lazily over the open field and its lush verdant waves, over the meandering lava streams and the bouts of steam that billow upward from spots where Tephra's creek meets the tendrils of plasma, and finally to the daunting volcano that sits in the distance, a silent sentinel watching over Offspring's congregation. Tephra is pregnant and heavy with the intermingling scents of its residents, making the Dragon King imagine what it will be like to finally have an impressive gathering in Hyaline after the Educators are chosen and training is underway.

    Amet is pulled from his daydream as a blue-tinged pair (one considerably smaller than the other) pulls from the denser part of Tephra's forest and starts their approach. The gilded stallion recognizes the winged frame of Warrick instantly and a smile curls its way across Amet's lips as he pivots slightly to face the pair. "Warrick," he responds pleasantly, with a respectful nod of his head (he is, after all, in their home), just as the young colt steps forward to inspect his bronze and gold scales.

    Are you the sun? the young boy asks and it reminds Amet instantly of Kali, who had called him 'fire and sunshine' the first time she'd ventured into Hyaline with Kerberos to explore. He chuckles quietly and is nearly ready to respond but gives Warrick a moment to teach Svedka proper conversation etiquette just as Tang and their other blue-accented child, a filly this time, join them. Amet's amber eyes crave to turn towards Tang but first he grins at Svedka and shakes rocks his head back and forth so the scales along his head and neck will shimmer in the sunlight. "I'm not the sun, but I do like to carry it with me," the Dragon King offers to the young boy before he finally turns his gaze to Tang and the young filly, who she has introduced as Solace. "Hello, Solace, it's nice to meet you and your brother," he offers gently to the overo filly, who seems slightly more nervous than her sibling counterpart.

    Amet returns Tang's friendly gesture, his muzzle meeting her cheek gently so that he may inhale her scent. He notes that she smells more of Tephra and its volcano than she does of Hyaline's mountain peaks, and while this realization creates a small twinge of sadness, it's overshadowed by the golden stallion's excitement to see her. "Hyaline is doing well. You'd be excited to see how quickly most of it has regrown," he says with a pleased smile, "And we've had Chemdog join us, as an Educator for those interested in learning about battle." He pauses and lets his gaze move to Warrick, and then to the children once more.

    "You know," he tells Svedka and Solace, "my little brother and sister are twins, too. They're very best friends, even if they do get on each others nerves," he adds with amusement at the thought of Iset and Sakir and the way they'd both grown.
    Amet


    @[Warrick] @[Tangerine]
    #6
    like the sun swallowed up by the earth
    Warrick’s heart swells as he turns to see Tang and his sweet Solace coming up to join them, his blue eyes sparkling radiantly with pride. Tang’s knowing gaze meets the bay stallion’s eyes and he returns it with a gentle smirk, his lips pressing together firmly as he did so. Solace instinctively places herself between her brother and himself, bringing her delicate frame into the hollow of Warrick’s barrel and perhaps seeks the security of the navy feathers that reside there. He does not move his wings to cover her, but instead rustles his wings in gentle whispers against her soft, golden hide in encouragement. She greets Amet shyly, her voice thin and fragile in the humid air. Warrick smiles down at for her a moment, silently praising her for greeting a stranger.

    Svedka, though completely bewildered by Amet’s reply, tilts his head excitedly and flutters his nostrils. “One day, I’m going to carry the sun too!” the colt replies happily with a decisive snort, throwing his gaze over his soft gold and ivory shoulder to see if Solace would too join him in that endeavor.

    The winged stallion lifts his gaze to Amet and Tang, watching their interaction carefully yet understandably. He twitches his tail absentmindedly against his legs as Tang greets the bronze stallion, knowing that he is equally as curious to know how Hyaline had recovered in the recent months. “I haven’t seen you since our last meeting.” A pause as he reflects on the moment briefly. It had been a fleeting, tension-filled gathering; one that Warrick knows both he and Amet himself did not enjoy having. The diplomatics and politics of kingdoms were murky and blurred, but the winged stallion is glad to see that his scaled friend still found it comfortable to enter Tephra as a friend. “From the ashes,” Warrick says warmly and knowingly, dipping his head respectfully to Amet once he has heard that the small kingdom is now flourishing with regrowth and new life. Warrick’s eyes flicker to Svedka and Solace. New life.

    Svedka snorts softly, a tiny hoof stamping impatiently into the soft ground. He says nothing, but he has already grown quite bored with all of this adult talk. He begins to sidle closer to his sister, set on picking at her short mane with his teeth until it annoyed her enough to bother mom or dad, and to get their attention once again. He did not have to cause a scene (not yet, anyway), for Amet is now speaking to him once again and this time, to Solace too. The colt pricks his ears, his brilliant blue gaze slowly shifting to Solace. He grins, knowing fully what Amet spoke of. Svedka wrinkles his nose and stretches his neck to huff gently into the soft hairs of his sister’s nearest ear, a delicate and boyish laugh leaving his lips.
    Warrick


    @[Tangerine] @[Amet]
    #7
    tangerine
    face to the sun

    The world is round - as her mother would say. 
    And so it is. 

    The irony of their situation is not lost on Tangerine as the small group stands to look each member over in turn. This moment, which reflects another over a year past, brings fresh joy and old nostalgia simultaneously. The memory of a day in Hyaline when Warrick had come to find her echoes in her mind. A sweet September past when they and meet as friends and parted as lovers - the tears she had shed sparkle in hindsight. 

    Tears and confessions had brought Solace and Svedka to life that day, and now, here they stood to partake in her reunion with another friend too long gone. 

    Her honey eyes rest on Amet as he banters with her children, the sight of him stirring the familiar glow of longing she felt so often by the Dragon King's side. The feeling, although not new, disturbs and excites her. She is close enough to feel the current of air created by the movement of Warrick's wings, sweet Warrick, and the wings which had sheltered her when she had no one else to confide in. Warrick was the only one who knew how deeply the awful night in Hyaline had affected her. She had not dared to tell Amet the extent of the fear she had carried for months after, in fear of heightening his guilt.
    "From the ashes," The navy and rust stallion says. That was history now.

    She grows a little more somber under the weight of her memories, finally breaking her gaze to turn to her son. Momentarily, Tang buries her muzzle in the blue and white of his mane as he speaks to the golden stallion before it is her turn to reply. 

    "Oh, Chemdog, that's a name I've never heard. But such a teacher will help Hyaline grow." Her mind is drifting and she absentmindedly plays with the feather in Svedka's short mane. "I will happy to see the new faces soon." 

    Wayward, uncertain, undependable - words which had never entered her mind before. 
    But words once whispered are hard to un-hear. And those were the words on repeat in her mind since she had touched the stars and meet the dark god. 

    But she refuses to think of the Carnage when two of the noblest stallions she had ever meet stand before her.

    Oh, my wandering soul
    Stay here, with the four beings you love more than any others. 

    >

    @[Amet] She is a space cadet tonight :|
    #8
    Solace decides that she likes her parent's friend when she sees the way he talks to her twin. She leans hard on her father's side before taking an emboldened step to get a better look at his strange yet beautiful dragon scales. She tilts her delicate skull to see better how they sparkle as she listens to the adult's conversation intently. A name passes between the adults that she has never heard before and she shoots Svedka an impatient glance over her shoulder as he stomps restlessly. 

    But when Amet speaks to her and her brother Solace's blue eyes widen and she smiles. Svedka chuffs in her ear and she takes a hop-buck-step backwards to place herself side-by-side with her twin again. With a happy toss of her head, she looks again to her father, waiting to absorb anything he may say to the newcomer.




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