• Logout
  • 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


    and you came crashing - any
    #1



    and you came crashing through the garden:

    Rich, she thought, eyeing the rolling carpet around her. It lived and breathed with a timelessness only afforded certain places left in this world, unkempt but well-traversed. So too were the subtle whispers of life- hoofprints in the mud, lingering aromas of blood and territory. She took comfort in the notion that each of these were unfamiliar and often appeared weathered, like it had been some time since their owners sighed at the stickiness of it all and kept moving. It was this idea that left her body stranded on a small hill while her imagination painted a world of these strangers. Each would come and go, just as she would, forever parallel on their own paths. More comforting still was the idea that despite uniting under common grounds and common agendas, each of these pathways never collided. That’s how Traton wanted her own orbit to proceed: a thousand years’ ellipse, spinning into nothingness, always drawn to those larger than herself- but never quite touching them. After all, the results would be profoundly destructive, just as they were before. The universe is quite predictable, you see, particularly when one travels a million miles away from everyone.
     
    Overhead, the lazy drift of puffy white clouds from earlier had morphed into a dull gray blanket, muting the afternoon sun and threatening an eventual shower. This was perfectly acceptable to the lone mare; perhaps it would finally wash away the sweat that clung to her now in sheets. How long it had been since she’d felt safe enough to douse herself was difficult to calculate, and thoughts that lead down the dark road behind her were met with a monstrous darkness, an abyss so infinite that it swallowed all the stars. She shook her head, as if such a simple physical action could clear an impeding black hole, and moved forward at a trot from her hilltop post. Motion was the only thing that had kept her alive, truth be told, always running from the monsters in both form and fabrication. As much as she’d like to forget that, her weathered hooves had kept moving, even when her lungs and limbs had cried out for mercy.
     
    This time, though, she had barely begun to sweat by the time she paused again, now on a new hilltop somewhat smaller than the first. Still, the sound of her own heartbeat strumming in her ears was familiar and soothing. Satisfied, the mare dropped her head to rip up a few mouthfuls of the lush grass at her feet, pleasantly surprising in its sweet, rich flavor. It was as she grazed that the leanness of her body was perhaps most visible, skin strung tight over muscle with little margin of error. Perhaps, therefore, it is a little less surprising that she became rather enthralled with her latest activity, distracted in a way uncharacteristic of a truly wild creature. Yet, it was those wild ones that kept her alive.

    Alive, and free.

    (there is more than the universe in your own head)
    Reply
    #2
    Arthas

    Arthas trekked to the meadow in hopes to recruit new members for his kingdom. He usually looks in the river, as that is closest to his home, but today he ventures out to he meadow. It was humid even though clouds covered the sky, it was gloomy and looked like there was a good chance of rain. He did not mind a nice rain shower every now and then, it is a bath for the earth.

    He is in a casual canter as he scans the horizon, his hooves leave an imprint in the fresh ground with every step. It was not long before he finds another, it was a young appaloosa. Her white and black spots gave away her cover in the green scenery. He slows to a halt and watches her for a moment, she was running up the hills, but eventually she stopped and settle for a leisurely graze. He decided to near her, approaching in a casual trot.

    Looks like it is about to rain he states as he halts a few paces from her. She was shorter than he, but just barely, she was young but slightly older than Lepis. My name is Arthas, King of Loess, what brings you out to the meadow? She did not carry the scent of another kingdom, she was new to beqanna. A grin tugs at his lips, he only hopes that he is able to persuade her to join Loess, she will be apart of the new chapter, the building of the kingdom.

    A Product Of Your Despair


    @[traton]
    Reply
    #3

    WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

    Some things changed, but many stayed the same. In truth, the changes were bringing Beqanna closer to sameness than to reconstruction: the brotherhood and sisterhood were now completely formed, the lights were established, and in the wake of a mutiny, evil had been borne. As timeless as the earth she trod upon was the war between good and evil, as well as the solidarity of one's kindred. Yes - they were returning to something normal. But for them, normal always meant chaos.

    And oh, how she thrived in it.

    She rarely visited the rolling hills that sat just beyond the meadow, but when she strode into that place, a chilling silence greeted her. When she snorted in derision at its emptiness, it was the only sound she could hear; usually this place was bustling. With all the political tension lately, the emptiness was shocking.

    Figuring that she oughtn't waste trip all the way from Nerine to the meadow, she pushed past the usual borders of the land and was quickly rewarded. The nubs of her ears pressed forward at the sound of fast hooffalls, her dragon eyes seeing far past what any horse could until she spotted the creature making the noise: a mare, black and white; skinnier than perhaps she ought to be, but filled with a life that Scorch found enthralling.

    More than appeased for the emptiness by the sight of such a promising creature, the charred mare kicked into a trot and climbed upon the hill to meet with the now-grazing mare. Internally, she groaned at the sight of a familiar face also approaching her; Arthas. Scorch had been less than impressed with the stallion during their first meeting - but as she caught the tail end of what he had to say to the woman, her interest peaked. King?!

    Stuffing down the confusion she felt, Scorch settled near to the pair, her molten red-yellow eyes finding the true source of her intrigue. "And I am Scorch." She did not offer her title nor her kingdom, despite how much more weight it held compared to Arthas' meaningless crown - he'd grabbed it and he had no contest, whereas Scorch was second in command to Beqanna's most powerful kingdom; or one of them, anyhow. But she had to admire the dapple stallion for his earnest effort to refill Loess; but that admiration would never stop her from trying to outdo him in every single way.

    She focused in on the mare, tucking away the information about Arthas to later report to her queen, Hestia. "There are many reasons to come here, but the newness of your face is the reason why we have come. Forgive us if you'd rather be left alone."

    Scorch

    Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle



    @[traton]
    [Image: scorch2.png]
    Reply
    #4





    Her mouth was stuffed full when she realized, too late, that she wasn’t alone. Her world of bright colors and fascinating strangers dissipated in an instant, replaced by that dark, fearful place where she was on the misfortunate receiving end of existence. She whirled to face the intruder of her imagination with a mix of revulsion and terror so potent that it was nauseating, dropping a wad of grass as she did. The surprised gasp that escaped her lips was soft, though not inaudible. Here she was, having walked run from you for miles upon miles, where nobody was supposed to be to a place that felt, for that fleeting instant, like freedom. But yet here she was, and here he was, wild and rippling and devastatingly handsome. Alas, this was little consolation as her world began crumbling.

    His voice was so thick, intoxicating. So powerful was her surprise at encountering another equine, despite the evidence of their recent presence all around her, that she barely understood his words for a moment. She simply stood looking at him, wide-eyed and agasp, struggling to slow the dizzying sensation in her head. It wasn’t until he began speaking a second time that she finally processed his first comment. She jerked her head awkwardly in agreement, breaking away her fixed gaze only long enough to feign interest in the vague grey canopy overhead. “Heh. Yea,” she chuckled awkwardly, detachedly observing within the confines of her mind that neither weather or time or existence were of any significance at the moment. She then blinked for the first time in a possible eternity, internally scrambling to recover some semblance of stability.

    “I- I’m surprised-“ she had almost established a coherent thought when she caught the smile on his face, and her heart immediately escaped her taut chest and dove someplace far underneath her dainty hooves. Vaguely, she registered that this was an incredibly embarrassing thing for a heart to do, and was about to make an attempt to scold and recover the damned thing when her attention was drawn to the newcomer. So distracted was the little dreamer that she hadn’t even realized the naked mare was approaching, and the shock shone a light of clarity through the murkiness in her head. Even the allure of tracing the outlines of his lovely dapples was no match for the fascination with which this stranger was met, for she was the strangest creature Traton had ever seen. Immediately, she suppressed (with effort) the urge to reach out and touch the mare, to understand her curious skin. But this too would in turn be surpassed by the eyes she found looking back at her, fiery and strange, absolutely transfixing. These eyes terrified her, but in equal measure spoke of an inferno that the spotted mare was drawn to like a moth. Perhaps this was why, even after the new mare had spoken, the appaloosa simply stood blankly for a few seconds before she understood a word that had been spoken. “No, it’s- you’re- it’s fine,” she finally managed, taking an unconscious step back as if that would somehow ease the static.

    And perhaps it was that small step, or enough time had finally passed for her to get somewhat of a grip on her own speech, but neither helped her remember to introduce herself properly. “What is this place?”


    you’d probably be angry, i'm already sorry
    i'm sorry



    Reply
    #5
    Arthas
    The black spotted mare was thrown off by his presence, so deep in her own thoughts she struggled to come back to reality. Grass fell from her mouth and he refrains from laughing, he spoke but she stared at him almost like she heard nothing he said. It takes a few breaths before she mutters a response, her gaze tells im she is still trying to come back to reality. He takes the time to scan her over, petite and shorter than he. I'm suprised she says and a laugh finally escapes his maw. He nods his head Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you

    Before he could spit out another word the pair was a trio, his gaze flicks to the burnt mare whom he has met previously. Scorch, so nice of you to join us did she come this way on purpose? A friendly competition? We have got to stop running into each other this way a smirk tugged at his lips.

    Scorch asks the mare if they had both intruded on her, if she would prefer silence. But she is quick to accept the company of them, What is this place? She asks, Arthas' gaze flicks from Scorch back to the stranger This is Beqanna, there are plenty of kingdoms amongst it, each kingdom with a different goal in mind. He flicks a glance to scorch, still unaware of the kingdom she belongs to. What is your name? She had forgotten to introduce herself, probably slipped her mind with all the commotion.

    A Product Of Your Despair


    @[Scorch]@[traton] sorry this is terrible, just wanted to get something up.
     
    Reply
    #6

    WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

    The dappled Andalusian quirked upon Scorch's arrival, smirking a greeting that even the self-proclaimed rat of a woman couldn't resist smirking back at. Rivalry was good for Beqanna, it left everyone trying harder and working to make themselves the best - in turn making the land itself more alive and rejuvenated. Despite how the competition did make her a little irritable, the mare would take this over the stagnation that she'd found upon her return to life from the world of the dead not so many years ago.

    "I'll make a point of traveling to Loess then just to run into you again, sir King," came her quipped response, friendlier than perhaps she'd expected herself to be or sound. But their rivalry was not the center of attention in this exchange, and so Scorch turned her eyes and ears towards the newcomer, giving her the benefit of the doubt as a single blade of grass still hung to her whiskered bottom lip.

    She looked baffled, or perhaps wonderous; Scorch caught the way her eyes roamed across the worn paths of her scars and smiled a little. Ah, that would never get old. A lifetime of looking like half-cooked meat would get you this reaction from time to time. After a moment of silence in wake of Scorch's inquiry, the black appaloosa offered a stuttered reassurance, though her hooves moved as if to dislodge herself from this uncomfortable social situation.

    Arthas then went on to answer her final question, with a glance to Scorch to assure that he'd be allowed to speak - and of course, she bent her head to encourage him to do so. No point in wasting time trying to talk over each other; then their company really would back up far enough to never be found again, and that'd be pretty, well, dumb of them to do. As the king made his explanation, Scorch's eyes went again to the newcomer, admiring her colouring, and the way her eyes - brighter than they were fearful - seemed not to miss a thing that happened.

    "A kingdom is like a herd, to help you understand," Scorch continued in her brusque, charred voice, figuring that this doe of a mare wouldn't understand their terminology. "Except that the leader can be male or female, and there are castes within the kingdom that go beyond the duties of a herd mare." One mightn't have the hardest time which caste Scorch belonged in by body: war. But by tongue? Diplomacy; a master of all trades.

    "I hail from the sisterhood kingdom of Nerine," she said at last, looking pointedly at Arthas, who had yet to know her allegiance - though for a king, he ought to have known the names of his rivals. At least the important ones; but he's new to this. She shifted her gaze back to the black one. "We are at the northernmost coast of Beqanna."

    Scorch

    Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle



    @[traton]
    [Image: scorch2.png]
    Reply
    #7





    That handsome stallion’s laugh shook her, and she emerged from the other side mildly indignant and a bit embarrassed, though she managed to hide those emotions with surprising efficiency. Here they were, in the middle of who-knows-where, the spotted mare bumbling like an idiot while these two strangers appeared. Had she always been so tragic? Certainly, it was an odd scenario, this handsome fellow and the burnt woman, but far be it from everyday oddities to send her spinning into the stars. “You’ll never make it out there, girl, they’ll eat you alive.” Still, there lingered a nagging thought at the back of her mind, where it didn’t make much sense for a nameless young woman to be so quickly ragdolled between competing entities. It was a little too reminiscent of that world she had run away from chosen to leave behind, complete with beautifully carved figurines of brave knights, haughty lords, and elegant queens. All entirely useless, of course, to a peasant girl, however often her dreams told her she was a princess.

    Don’t tell them your real name, he’ll kn- “My apologies. Traton is my name.” The only symptom of the internal debate she underwent was a fleeting instant of discomfort that graced her features, perhaps wrought with the shackles of guilt that still left open wounds where they had bitten into her skin. Certainly, she had healed quite a bit in the journey here, but still they cracked and wept. A small part of her feared that they would never truly go away.

    Perhaps, then, it was daydreams of higher politics that finally brought her attention to the odd dynamic between the pair before her. Her ears pricked with interest as the words sir king slipped the woman’s lips, artfully drenched in sarcasm in a way that Traton found rather familiar endearing. It wasn’t until the mare began to explain the concept of kingdoms that it dawned on the girl just what fortune she had discovered- dipped her toe in a mud puddle to find it cast in gold. She found instant delight in the concept that they couldn’t possibly realize what a lowly street child stood before them, feeling quite proud of her charade thus far.

    While it was difficult to set aside these revelations, (though surprisingly easily to toss aside resolutions of solitude) it could be said she was a nosy lass. “So these goals- what is it that you have in mind? For Loess,” she said, eyes fixed on the stallion before sliding eagerly to meet Scorch’s transfixing fiery gaze, “… or Nerine? And what might these castes entail?” Foolish, perhaps, to assume that every recruiter knows the soul of their project- but what can we expect from the blackest lamb of the flock?





    @[Arthas] no rush, just wanted to make sure you've seen it! also I just learned how to tag, woo~
    Reply
    #8
    Arthas
    The appaloosa looks between Arthas and Scorch, she seemed like her mind was running a thousand miles a minute. He grows intrigued, interested in her history, why did she leave? More importantly, what was she thinking of that kept pulling her in and out of reality.

    His eyes flick to Scorch when she mentions visiting Loess and a smug grin appears on his maw Oh I look forward to it. The burnt mare than began discussing all the details of a kingdom in beqanna to the opposing mare. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Scorch officially announced her kingdom. Nerine his gaze does not give away his interest. He has finally grown the knowledge, the kingdom that she lives amongst, interesting. He wonders what her ruler is, to host such a fiesty mare. He can't tell if he dislikes the naked rat, or if he enjoys her smartass remarks.

    He was lost in his own thoughts when he heard the appaloosa speak and he flicks his attention to her. She introduces herself as Traton and he gives a small nod of acknowledgement. She proceeds to ask what Loess' goals are and another smile tugs at his lips. Loess is built off of loyalty and respect. We work as a unit, and we don't put up with any shit the other kingdoms throw around. He glances at Scorch before flicking back to traton. Although he has not met another Nerine member, his words are mostly focused on the annoying Ischian members, having the audacity to come into his kingdom talking crap. Alas once he is finished his eyes rest on Scorch, awaiting her to answer Tratons question. At the end the appaloosa shall be free to choose a kingdom, or neither. 


    A Product Of Your Despair


    @[Scorch] @[traton]
    Reply
    #9

    WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

    The spotted mare introduced herself as Traton, a name unfamiliar to Scorch. She seemed to struggle momentarily with that introduction, but Scorch thought little of it - for now. If Traton decided to grace Nerine with her presence, perhaps she would delve further into this jaded mare's history; but for now, she felt a little clustered by their other company to ask a question as personal as she might want to.

    At the explanation of kingdoms, Traton's eyes seemed to gleam a little brighter - hmmm! She seemed to know more of kingdoms than others from Elsewhere did - a promising sign. She formulated a question concerning the goals and castes in the Sisterhood, but first she turned her attention to Arthas. The dappled stallion went on to explain his beliefs in loyalty and respect, a little smirk quirking her lips at the mention of not taking shit from others. Well, he might be able to say that, but doing so would be a different matter entirely.

    Setting aside her rather complicated feelings concerning Arthas and his Loess, Scorch straightened her expression as well as her posture, gazing at the black mare for just a moment before beginning her own little spiel. "Nerine is a Sisterhood. This Sisterhood entails dedication to one another above the thirst for power or ranks; we are first unto each other in acts of camaraderie, as opposed to unto ourselves. Persons of any gender who find themselves drawn to this way of life may join the Sisterhood - but the faint of heart are encouraged to make the decision carefully, for once you join the Sisterhood, it is expected that you remain. But you may partake of the kingdom and its castes for as long as you want before making that final decision."

    "Every kingdom, however, has some iteration of a Peace Caste and a War Caste. Diplomats are ones who go to kingdoms besides their own for political meetings, and warriors are those who protect the kingdom's borders and hold the front when war comes. Both diplomats and warriors are expected to recruit - as I have, you." Her gaze flickered bright yellow at the risky statement, but somehow, she knew she had.

    Stepping back, Scorch offered a smile - its ingenuity questionable - to Arthas, and then to Traton. "But, it is to Nerine that I must now return. Arthas, until we meet again; Traton, it would be my pleasure to see you upon our coasts, but as I said, it is your decision alone. Perhaps come for a visit - you can find me there at nearly any time." Nodding once more, the mare slipped off of the hilltop, headed for her salt-water home.

    Scorch

    Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle



    @[traton] Figured this could get wrapped up Smile Post in Nerine if you wish!
    [Image: scorch2.png]
    Reply




    Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)