"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
An outlier is like a thread fraying loose from one’s sweater. Obviously out of place, begging to be pulled back into the weave, and snagging on anything it brushes against. Wolfbane, having found himself nearby the one winding river Pampas had to offer, feels that @[Titus] was the thread beginning to unravel. Lately the young stallion was hooking himself onto every passing thought, (since he’d already planned to nail down the spotted youth before the magical outbreak of plague) and only recently had the other horse surpassed those idle reflections to put himself squarely at the forefront of Bane’s mind.
Twice now his eager resident had proven to be an invaluable member. It was high time the two of them got to know one another better.
After leaning in for a crisp drink from the still-flowing water, their leader stepped away from the banks to unsheathe his expansive, white wings before cantering off and flying up into the sky. For the sake of keeping the peace, along with waiting to see who else might come along, Wolfbane hadn’t left the confines of their new territory or ventured to the northern regions of Loess. There wasn’t a reward in his mind equal to the risk of exposure, and thus far no one (except Arthas) had threatened his few remaining citizens and their quiet existence.
That wasn’t to say it couldn’t be done and today of all days, the once Lord feels that the weather and circumstances are good enough for both a trip and some company. Normally he’d think to take Lepis but his paramour was inhibited by pregnancy. He wouldn’t dare to put her in a position that would test her own life or the life of their unborn, but he thinks that a flight with a hint of danger could be the thing a restless young pegasus might enjoy. Not too long ago he’d been in those shoes himself, wanting nothing more than to flee the shadow of Tephra’s volcano and his father’s misguided abuse. At the time it seemed his homeland had nothing to offer him and looking back on that now, the mercenary brute fears Titus might be inclined towards leaving Loess altogether.
These unfounded fears drift away in the breeze once Bane spies his target below, calling out in a throaty whinny as he drops lower and circles just above where Titus is poised. With little effort and much practice beforehand, the bristle-maned drake lands near him easily enough and clips from a wide trot down to a stiff legged halt, chest lightly heaving and a flat-toothed smile at the ready. “Want to get out of here for a little while?” He asks, “I haven’t seen the ‘new’ Beqanna yet, and two sets of eyes are better than one.”
one day it's here and then it's gone,
how are you still holding on?
Restless.
Perhaps that is what he is now.
He finds himself idle within the chaos that storms in the world around him. There has never been a reason for him to stay where he is now. But for some reason, he was loyal. Loyal to a land that had taken him, kidnapped him from his homeland.
Every time Loess needed someone, he was an able body. But for what?
Titus could be loyal to anyone or anything. It was within him to do so, full-heartedly to be that someone. Or maybe not. Maybe he was just trying to always grab onto something that was there. Something solid, something functionable. Something that would never disappoint him.
Maybe Loess was his home for that reason.
A family that could give him what he needed, what he deserved.
Nerine had never been that way. It never would have, he thinks now. He cannot help but feel bitter about the way things ended up happening in his life. How can he not come to terms with accepting that? Everything was supposed to be okay now that he reunited with his parents. But he cannot. He will not.
The call within the cold winter breeze draws him away from his thoughts he is drowning in. His nutmeg eyes instantly catch the stripped palomino—Wolfbane. The winged stallion’s ears perk curiously at the Loess leader. It wasn’t every day that Wolfbane came looking for him, so he cannot help but wonder what sort of matter the pirate would want with him.
Titus instantly puts a friendly smile on when he is greeted by the other Loessian. His question sounds strange and completely out of the blue, but the young stallion doesn’t see himself denying such a request. “It sounds better than being here right now,” he says with chuckle. He was bored out of his mind staying confined within Pampas. It almost seemed worth the risk of getting the plague then standing idle within this new place. “I’d like to go,” he says more officially. “Do you have a place in mind?” Because anywhere was better than here. Well, except going to Nerine, but he doesn’t say that. There was no need, especially when Wolfbane came asking for him specifically.
son of rome and porcia male, classic champagne appaloosa ocelot-shifting, wings, immortality
To Wolfbane’s faint surprise, his acolyte seems equal parts business and adventurous about the proposed trip.
Good.
It wasn’t too small of a matter when you thought about it. Leaving the Pampas meant leaving the certainty of protection, facing an undetectable enemy. With Noah here they at least had the promise of healing, should either of them encounter the plague, but a journey was still risky no matter which angle you viewed it from. If worse came to worse, it could cost them their lives.
Bane snorts agreeably at first, glad that they both seem to be of the same mind on the issue of how suffocatingly perfect their little prison-home was. He highly doubted that this place could be contested for its natural beauty during the springtime or gentle summer, and even in the late throes of a bitter winter the land gave off an air of “idyllic eden”, but that’s what made it such a hard pill to swallow every now and then. Intrinsically, the elder stallion was a flawed character. He needed the imperfection and oddity of Loess, missed it … the craggy hills and cross-cross streams just fit him better.
“I have all the places in mind.” Wolfbane replies casually, displacing his neatly tucked wings with the roll of his hindquarters in order to find a comfortable stance. “I’m more interested in getting a clear idea of what each area looks like, since I doubt we’re the only kingdom affected by a new … growth.” He smirks. This seems a good enough explanation to him, so he shuffles once more and ambles past @[Titus], taking the lead. It isn’t until he launches himself skyward in a few, powerful swipes that he’s struck by a sudden realization: they’ll have to adjust to one another’s speed.
What he figured would be a day-long excursion could tip into a possible overnight stay, in one of the new territories.
Straining, his pale wings arc in wide, oval gusts of motion, helping the gold-and-blue horse to gain altitude before they flare apart and hold, steadfast. The action levels him out, allowing Bane to coast at (what he believes to be) an appropriate height. Just high enough to not be suspicious, and just close enough to get a general idea of what they were looking at. He leaves Titus to manage on his own in the meantime, glancing back over one outstretched appendage to pinpoint the male as he himself glides across the eastern shore of Pampas, out over the wide bay of seawater. “Is there any place in particular you’d like to stop at?” The drake calls out, hoping he won’t have to shout over the wind the entire trip, “Anyone you’d like to look for or meet up with while we’re out?”
one day it's here and then it's gone,
how are you still holding on?
He wasn’t that depressed to say the least.
At the words of Wolfbane, it seemed they were not up for more than a day trip to one place. There are several places they would need to visit to gage exactly what sort of changes the plague has brought. Titus knows for sure they are not the only ones that have established themselves in the four safe havens the faeries created for them because of the plague taking over.
He nods his head at the pirate lord’s words. The young stallion was up for anything instead of standing idly within their own Eden. Loess was not completely forgotten within the plague, and so he can understand why Wolfbane is eager to see what has happened. Wolfbane was set on ensuring Beqanna did not forget about Loess. They were still strong despite the plague after all.
“Oh, I am positive we are not.” Titus replies as he unfolds his wings and takes after Wolfbane into the sky. It has been a while since the spotted stallion has felt the wind beneath his wings, but he has not forgotten how to fly.
Titus easily finds himself gaining altitude within the air. It was not hard to get up to the same level Wolfbane was thanks to the eastern coast winds that came in to give him some height into the air. The spotted boy keeps himself at a comfortable distance from Wolfbane as he leads them across the eastern shore of Pampas.
His vision carefully glances below, taking in the land and water below them as they fly. Titus catches the words of Wolfbane on the wind, finding that their current position of flying is perfect for him to hear them. He isn’t particularly excited about the question, and he didn’t feel like mentioning anyone or any place to go. But Titus knows he cannot be a stubborn child anymore, he must eventually grow up and get a grip on the way his life has turned out.
“Maybe if we have time we can go to Nerine.” He offers, though if they didn’t go there, he wouldn’t have really cared much. At least maybe he should see if his family is there. “I should at least see if my family is okay.” But that was all he could ever muster to care to see. Titus didn’t really have anyone besides those in Nerine and the few he spoke to in Loess. Was he truly that alone?
son of rome and porcia male, classic champagne appaloosa ocelot-shifting, wings, immortality
Despite his concern over Titus’ ability to keep pace on this little journey, it turns out that the other pegasus is just as adept at flying and matching speed. He’s not worried in the least about the height or timing, coasting easily alongside Wolfbane with something of a keen eye pointed at the ground. Glancing over toward him, the striped palomino is only reassured by what he sees and likewise takes to scanning the world below for any anomalies or perhaps a flash of dusky-colored fur. Meanwhile, he listens with mild interest when the younger stallion mentions Nerine.
In truth he’d like to avoid that area altogether as well, given that a specific haunt still reigned there and the memory of his last visit had a bit of a ragged edge to it, but he does his best to grind out a stiff smile and nod in agreement, his bristling mane ribboning like a wild snake in the battering winds. “My guess is they’re alright. Might’ve migrated to a safe zone, if they’re the smart type, but probably alright.” He comments, surging ahead with a swooping dip of his wings. “Good of you to check on them anyways. Is that where you’re from then? Nerine?” He presses a little further, honestly curious.
The way his eyes flick up and stick to the muddy champagne male shows just how curious, given that this surprising development was similar to peeling back the cover of a yet unopened novel. To be fair, he’d understand if his companion roughly told him to shove off and mind his own. It was his habit to be inquisitive and to try and connect with the horses who looked up to him (in a sense,) not to offend one of the few who still had hope in Loess and Bane’s leadership.
Below them the area known as the Den was blending into the Playground, and from where they curved aside to follow the arch of Beqanna’s shores, far to their left Wolfbane could strain his eyes and just see the shadows of a great woodland to the north, much taller and much more imposing than the Forest common area before the world shifted. Something about those treetops seems familiar, he muses to himself as they float through the overcast blue, Taiga. It’s Taiga.
Turns out Titus made a great suggestion after all. They’ll be able to kill multiple birds with one stone, because the way those redwoods adjoin Loess and … Hyaline, that kingdom to the side would be Hyaline, makes the white-winged stallion very interested to see who lurked among the shadows...
one day it's here and then it's gone,
how are you still holding on?
Titus agreed with Wolfbane on his comments about what Nerine might have done once the news of the plague arrived. Nerine was a strong kingdom, and with that came preparing and ensuring the safety of those that lived there. His father, Rome, would have also made sure his mother and siblings were out of harm’s way too. Nothing would have ever stopped his father from protecting his family, and even their home. The winged stallion admired his father’s sense of loyalty to family and home. Perhaps one of the few things he openly would say he did admire.
“Yeah, that’s right,” he replies, “I’m sure they have found a safe place stay to keep the plague away.”
With his nutmeg gaze, he follows Wolfbane dipping down to fly just a bit below of him. He silently shrugs it off, but bites his tongue quickly at the question from Wolfbane. The muddy stallion forces a smile on his hard-chiseled features. “Yeah, Nerine was my home,” he says quickly, trying to push the topic off.
He turns his gaze away from Wolfbane and leaves it at. Not another word falls from the lips of the winged stallion. Instead, he finds himself trying to occupy the silence that grows between them by looking down at the area where they are flying over now. He notices the great redwood forest neighbored by the common grounds of the Forest and the various other areas that are bordering the forest. Turning his eyes to the east, he spots another familiar land (though he has never been there before) but the mountains mark it as Hyaline
Titus turns his gaze back to Wolfbane after looking over the land. The silence grows awkward. Well, at least for the muddy champagne it does. “I should have grown up in Nerine,” he states flatly. There is a hint of his bitterness in his words. “But my sister and I were kidnapped by a mare named Despayr to Loess.” A name he wishes he could forget all together, but part of him wishes he could find her. God knows what he would do to her if he did ever see her again. “I’m not even sure what the point of us being taken was. We were left alone for a long time. I could have gone back to Nerine, but there was just something in me that didn’t want to go.” He shakes his head slightly at recalling his childhood. There was no point in him unraveling the emotions he experienced and the bitterness he tucked away not long ago.
“I guess there was something for me in Loess than Nerine,” he says as a soft smile crosses his lips, his eyes glance over to Wolfbane and then returning ahead of him.
son of rome and porcia male, classic champagne appaloosa ocelot-shifting, wings, immortality
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