"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
The charms of Hyaline had held him hostage far longer than he’d anticipated. Not to mention, the place was like a maze. Escaping it was damn near impossible. Still, he saw no shame in lingering a bit longer. Despite all the new bouncing babies popping up every other day, he had stumbled across a few women he thought he’d like to get to know a little bit better. In a few more months, when their little ones are nearly grown, and their exhaustion had nearly reached it’s peak, he would be there. A familiar face with a friendly smile.
Lingering a few extra days would only serve him in the future. He could put up with a few more days of lingering on the outside of society. That strange figure just close enough to tempt their interests. The breeze drifting off the snow-capped mountains, sent a sudden chill through him. This high up it was hard to escape the lingering cold of winter. The climate was unforgiving in it’s majesty. Despite his misgivings, he knew that he would miss the view.
Grassy hilltops, steepled trees and rocky alcoves, created an absolute masterpiece for his eyes. Birds who flew up high seemed larger, bolder, unafraid of the height in which they soared. It was refreshing to feel so high. In the far-off distance he could barely trace out the hint of a shoreline – his next destination. Nerine. He itched to make his way to those sandy shores. It’d been too long since he’d visited the ocean.
Breathing into the unknown below, he relished in the silence of the mountain range.
03-22-2018, 03:54 PM (This post was last modified: 03-22-2018, 03:55 PM by Ilma.)
A little breeze goes a long way
While the days have grown longer and warmer, her newborn daughter grows steadily. Shaky at first as all little foals would be, she would follow Ilma around like a shadow - indeed like a shadow, for the white winged mare had a black, winged daughter now (even if Ilma suspected the girl might grey like both her parents). Ilma loved her little shadow of course; but she'd left her sleeping in a safe spot this morning, since that was apparently the only cycle; eat-play-sleep like a dead animal. She was still within sight, should anything happen, but for the moment the white mare appeared to be alone.
Still a little tired from the birth and the sudden burden of constantly watching over the baby, to make sure she stayed safe, didn't break a leg, didn't get eaten and stuff like that - Ilma walked to the nearest creek for a refreshing drink.
The water was still cold to the touch, coming from the mountain a bit higher up. There was still snow up there, and she didn't think to travel there any time soon, no matter the view. When she's near to a brain-freeze, she stops and turns half-away from the water. It is a good resting spot, but she still wants to keep an eye on the bush where she left her little star sleeping while she enjoys the quiet to eat. She rustles her feathers to make herself more comfortable, and bows her head to take a bite of the fresh spring grass. She's too occupied with her newborn to notice the stallion who's actually, not too far away.
@[Arithmetic]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
It was hard to know how long he’d lingered there when the stray white mare entered his line of sight. Predictably she was oblivious to the gray figure waiting upon the hilltop. Black mane rolling in the breeze his brown eyes glued themselves to the snow of her coat. Oblivious to his stare, she ambled lazily into the clearing and gravitated towards the spring’s meager offering of grass. She was beautiful to look at, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she was one of Hyline’s ‘harbored’. For all the time that he’d spent there so far, he had yet to fully grasp the herd’s complex inner workings.
Leaping onto the bank below he strode confidently towards the whitewashed mare. As he neared he plastered a carefree grin upon his maw. ”Excuse me, miss,” he greeted cooly. ”I’m afraid I’ve gotten myself rather lost. Would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of Nerine?”
The lie fell easily from his lips and he knew that she would believe him. Besides, he had every intention of making his way to Nerine – just maybe not as quickly as he was letting on.
03-25-2018, 11:23 AM (This post was last modified: 03-25-2018, 11:23 AM by Ilma.)
A little breeze goes a long way
Ilma's not the brightest horse on every day. She has her genius moments, and her stupidly naieve moments - apparently this is one of the latter, as she turns out to be oblivious to the stallion, rather than on hyper-alert. For all that she knows she could have missed a predator, too - she quickly diminishes that thought; predators have a sharper tang to their smell, she would have been alerted. Or would you? a small voice bites at her - but she pushes the thought away, to focus on the newcomer.
He's a different kind of grey than she's used to; black dun and cream to dilute this further, he has peculiar stripes to his legs and now that he's closer, a dorsal stripe as well. She smiles politely at the tall and lean man, one ear however, not perked forwards but to the greenery where her baby sleeps. When he addresses her, however, he is polite enough, so she gives in to his question easily - who wouldn't?
"Oh, you've come a bit too far south for Nerine, I'm afraid. But if you follow the river or the sea, you cannot lose your way again." she offers. Should he choose the river, he would come by the lake, and following that to the north, to the point where three lands meet - the common riverland, Nerine, and Hyaline. Which reminds her. "You're in Hyaline now. I'm Ilma." she tells him naturally, expecting him to come up with his own.
@[Arithmetic]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
The mare was clearly oblivious to any potential danger as she eagerly approached him. Freely she drank in his appearance and he did his best to provide for her the best he had to offer. She was beautiful, a crisp white in a field of green. The spring flowers only added to her beauty, even if she wasn’t super bright. Ultimately, he cared little for her quality of intelligence. The more trusting she was the easier it would be when he returned next breeding season – to pass along his genes. Although, in this case, hopefully the child would take after him.
Inwardly he fought the desire to roll his eyes at her assumption that he was oblivious to where he was. He’d been in Hyaline for several days, scouting out the area and its mares. Though most were too caught up with birthing to pay him any mind. Still, he figured it was in his best interest to play along with her assumption.
I thought so, he said with an easy-going smile. Playfully, he glanced around at the mountains surrounding them. I’ve heard about these ranges, I guess I should have known.
He frowned now, allowing feigned concern to play across his features as he mumbled in a tone so soft he knew she would barely be able to decipher his words, However will I explain to Hestia my tardiness?
Of course, the bitch queen was not expecting him, and Arithmetic had been dancing around his budding curiosity for months. Some day he figured he would finally make his way to Nerine, but so long as he had ample entertainment elsewhere he felt no need to rush.
Do forgive me, love. I’ve been terribly rude, he apologized as he snapped himself out of his imaginary stupor. My name is Arithmetic, and I am pleased to have found myself so fortunate to have stumbled upon a beauty such as yourself. What do they call you, madam?
As they near each other into talking distance, the white pegasus is not near to any thoughts of beauty or reproduction; he's offered her a question, and she's happy to help. Perhaps it's for the best that she's not into anything like breeding at the moment; her oxytocin levels high, she's more concerned for her baby daughter right now. Still, if she had to give him points or grades, he would rank high enough for her to consider him - come fall, that is.
However, just like the stallion thinks she's not too bright, she doesn't think of him being extremely clever either. He's searching for Nerine, but apparently does not know or care enough about the rest of the landscape to pinpoint his current location - how could anyone get lost on their way to the utmost north-western part of the land? He tries to safe himself, it seems, by telling her that he thought so, and had just wanted confirmation. Well, she's too tired to give it much thought, literally being drained daily of her resources by a baby that just uses her mother's energy to grow. "You're welcome to explore, of course. Now, or on your way back from Nerine." she adds, again, just trying to be helpful. She has no idea where the conversation is or should be going right now, and it's clear on her features that she wants to help him get on his way. Unless he has something else to discuss.
He mesmerizes about his tardiness, how to explain to Hestia or at least that's what she makes of it. Ilma tilts her head and shrugs a little; it's not likely it's her business, Solace had dealt with Hestia when she came here, but honestly, she thinks that the grullo male could just have sent a messenger or move his ass up there and be gone. She doubts Hestia would bother with anything else, or appreciate that one might take longer considering how to explain, than just explain. But that's about all Ilma really knows of the black queen; she knows her from stories that Kagerus or Solace might tell her and that's really all there is to it.
He finally does snap out of his rude way of conversing, turning back to the topic, or rather horse, in front of him. At least he has the politeness to ask to be excused. His name is Arithmetic and then follows a load of flattery. Quite surprised at this, she raises her brows and blinks for a second; truth is it's not the first time she's heard herself be called beautiful, although she doesn't often give it that much thought; it's more that he's late with this flattery in comparison to others as if he hadn't noticed her in the first place, and that he asks for her name while she's just told him that. "Ilma. Like I just told you?" she narrows her eyes and tilts her head in a studying manner. He hasn't been paying attention much, has he?
The wind turns a little then, the scent of her baby filly slowly drifting towards her. It might be time for the filly to wake soon; then, she will come crying for attention and the conversation would probably be over. She of course, loves the little one, and loves that she inherited her wings; someday she will take to the skies with her and show her what Beqanna looks like from a relatively safe distance. Tähti will never be as lost as Arithmetic. And perhaps, by next year, she may also learn to be a warrior in Nerine - depending on how things develop and if Ilma will ever feel ready to let her baby go. But that is all speculation for now; there's still a man here attempting to talk to her.
Trying to steer the conversation a bit further and possibly distract the black dun from the filly scent, Ilma nods to the gross of Hyaline behind them, in a gesture that is to pinpoint the rest of the kingdom in a general way. "I've been here since summer. Do you have a home in Beqanna, or are you just visiting Nerine to acquaint yourself with all the kingdoms?" she wonders. He doesn't seem like he wants to stay in Hyaline for long, at least not to her - not when the first thing he's told her is that his travelling goal is Nerine.
@[Arithmetic] lol that's fine, they would try to kill eachother if they knew the other's thoughts at this point haha
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
Arithmetic was not ignorant towards the alabaster mare’s constant glances towards the black lump asleep in the shade below. Her inattention was a common occurrence in new mothers, and though he found the constant flickering of her eyes distracting he kept his mind focused on the conversation at hand. As her eyes openly searched his gray and black frame, he caught sight of their poorly disguised criticism. He smirked slightly and shifted his weight, despite whatever thoughts she held against him he could see the spark of something slowly rising to the surface.
She was interested in what he could offer her come fall. Her thoughts tumbled around just behind her eyes and, though he had no interest in becoming a father, she very clearly would jump at the chance to bring forth another child. His child. It was important, in the world in which they lived, to pass on one’s blood to another. Fathering children ensured a survival that surpassed immortality. Lineage.
You are too kind, Ilma, he smiled. I suppose I have the beautiful mountain ranges to blame for my getting turned ‘round.
Truthfully, he was completely aware of his whereabouts. He’d spent the majority of his time in Hyaline treating with Solace and, though he’d enjoyed her company thoroughly, he’d begun to grow bored. That is, until he’d stumbled upon Ilma. She’d given him reason to linger – if not for a brief moment longer. A wanderer at heart, he’d grown restless. From his earliest memories, he never stayed in one place too long. The stallions he’d often ran with were ever changing and searching for new women to woe. He’d followed them and learned. Traveling was a hard habit to break. A lifetime in Beqanna had given him time to learn the land better than most, which made lying about being lost almost cause him pain. He’d spent time in every kingdom, every outlying territory and could not favor one over the other. So he continued on in his life as a nomad.
There were times that he wondered what life would be like as a contributing member of a kingdom. He could see himself as being an impressive warrior and fitting in quite nicely with the others and as Ilma posed her next question he found himself impressed by her timing.
I was born in Beqanna, he explained to her. I’ve never appointed myself a permanent home. I find more happiness enjoying the whole of the land rather than just one part of it. He smiled at her widely. Though, I’ve never been quite so tempted by a kingdom as Hyaline. His eyes sparkled at her as he took one step toward her.
The winged mare doesn't take overly long to decide that perhaps this man is likeable after all. They might have started a bit roughly, but when he talks a bit more about his travels, she finds that he does have some kind of passion - besides his insane amount of somewhat mistimed flattery just earlier. She smiles as the conversation takes a turn to his wanderlust and being distracted by the mountain ranges; well, now there's actually something for him to talk about.
His eyes take on a sparkle when he mentions being tempted by Hyaline; he makes it sound like he's tempted by her although she has no illusions that he means to say that instead (or does he? She's rightly confused). She takes in his form without shying away though, then smiles a little. "Hyaline is certainly beautiful, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do." she offers, a smile creeping up on her face when she thinks about her first flight here, taking in the view of mountains and lake sparkling in the summer sun, seen from above. He might have had a similar view from above the mountain just earlier, and it certainly is an attractive view. For Ilma, the prospect of having a family here, a home, and a bunch of younger horses to help babysit or teach, made the idea of staying in the sanctuary even more attractive.
She wonders about the stallion, he might have different ideas, but is still attracted by the sanctuary, he says. "Will you tell me a bit about the other lands? I haven't seen a lot of them. Flying is quicker than walking, but maybe it takes away the experience of the land." she asks of him. Perhaps he can explain the differences better.
@[Arithmetic]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
She was searching for something, that much was obvious in the depth of her gaze. As she openly studied him he knew that she was his for the taking. He could play the part, make her believe that he was whatever it was that she was searching for, then, when the time came, he would plant his seed and be on his way. Even though she didn’t appear to harbor the brightest of minds, she was nothing but a vessel to him. A way to secure that his legacy would remain even after his death.
He stepped closer towards her, arching his neck as he met her gaze. Within the depths of her voice he could hear the love she held for Hyaline. The mountains were her home and she had no desire to leave them. Perhaps that too would work to his benefit.
Ever curious, Ilma inquired after his travels and the lands that he’d visited. In many ways, the different kingdoms were all alike. They all built kingdoms, created alliances, fought within themselves and fought with each other. The constant droll of uncertainty as king after king ascended the throne -. He could not imagine pledging his loyalty to a leader whose roll was as changing as the seasons. Out on his own, he was the ruler of his own fate. It preferred it that way.
But those were all thoughts he knew were better kept to himself. “There is nothing better than seeing the land from the ground,” he confirmed her thoughts politely and angled himself ever nearer to her. “Although I’ve never flown before, I can imagine that it could be difficult to appreciate the true beauty of Beqanna from above. However, there must also be beauty in flight as well.”
He gently touched her shoulder, right at the base of her beautiful wings. Smiling light heartedly he trotted a half-step, his nearly black mane bouncing playfully. “The journey may be longer, but I quite enjoy the peace of it all. To get to see places such as Hyaline – “ His voice dropped away as his gaze was captured by the expanse before them. Acting as if he’d forgotten she was there beside him, he shook himself and beamed at her.
Ilma agrees with the grullo male on one thing; by land, it is that one experiences a place more than by wing. Still, she’s not sure about his saying that one cannot appreciate it as much as on foot, from above. ”Did you not enjoy the sight from up the mountain just now? It is much like that, by view. But in flight such a thing quickly passes. It is landing that I enjoy the most; touching the ground you’ve gazed upon from afar to get a feel of it.” she muses. ”It is like touching something that I’ve dreamed of earlier.” Yes, perhaps a dreamlike state is more similar to flight. She smiles a little, thinking of how Kagerus had enjoyed it back when she’d brought her here.
He steps within her confort zone then, seemingly without thinking. He’s as close as only one has been before, and again, she is easily overtaken by the scent that is so near, a masculine musky scent. She keeps her wits about her this time, perhaps because of a difference in hormonal levels, but still she shivers once when he touched her on the soft spot, the base of her wing that he is talking about. Not from desire perhaps, but he knows exactly where to go when he wants her weak.
He ends mid-sentence but her brain is mush. She barely notices, then, that his voice trails away, her thoughts elsewhere. Another place and time, another stallion, but just as forward as this one, resulting...
She jerks her head. Is Tähti still okay? She checks on the little heap under the bush, notices the movement there that indicate she is waking up. ”I... I’m sorry, I have to check...” she begins, but stops herself from saying she needs to nurse a baby. ”Perhaps we can meet up later? If you want.” she mentions. She may be able to show him a cave, a small valley, the lakeside and the wisteria’s... but not right now. Her daughter is barely a week old and she will need to be fed.
@[Arithmetic] Phone post, so maybe shorter than could be, sorry
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
