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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


    [open]  One foot toward the gallows || Diplomats, Any ||
    #1

    My dreams have all come true

    In flying overhead with Titus, Wolfbane has formulated everything he needs in order to try and move ahead with his kingdom and his mercenaries. These moments of lull in the plague, along with the expansion of their known world, leaves him ample time to be decisive while it seems the rest of the once-great kingdoms are busy hammering out their own problems. He doesn’t want to be caught unawares in the coming months and he knows that soon enough, new borders will be solidified and new rulers crowned. There’s the possibility of some old kingdoms being knocked off the leaderboards, but his desire (and his eternal drive) is to ensure that Loess won’t become one of the fallen.

    So he doesn’t waste any time when the sun begins to peek above Brilliant Pampas flower-strewn hills, only stretches his great wings and offers a tender goodbye to his family before working out stiff joints and leaping into a cloudy sky for the flight north. Midday comes as he breezes through Loess, the clouds gathering in thick, gray clumps before the sound of booming drums crashes in fair warning of a spring storm. Foul weather put a dampener in the pegasus’ design to speedily fly, forcing him to push up through the darkening thunderheads and make an estimated flight until he could drop lower again.

    He’s in luck it would seem, because when he breaks through the last layers of filmy mist there’s Taiga stretching out in endless rows of hunched, spiny redwood caps beneath him. The massive trees are gathered close to one another like soldiers, taking the brunt of an evening downpour which had begun to soak Wolfbane through to the bone. High time I landed, he thought as he circled lower, finding a bare plot of land where great, stony humps rose out of the ground. Lightning arched above, flashing through the heavy drops and cracking open the heavens the moment his blue hooves settled on the ground again. From where he stood and peered through the mass of trees, water streaming across his face and soaking his closing feathers, Wolfbane was certain he could spy a set of reflective eyes glaring back.

    “I come seeking diplomacy!” The exposed horse grunted, half-yelling to try and make himself known above the ensuing rumble of thunder. His ears were bent aside to keep water from clogging them up, but no hair fell across his vision so he kept both olive colored eyes trained in the direction of shadows and maze-like trunks. The rain fell relentlessly in curtains of icy, stinging beads but the oddly striped stallion refused to ingress any further into the unknown territory. He merely wound his way carefully down from the rocky perch and waited there, trying once again to grab someone’s attention by calling out, “Is Taiga claimed?”

    Like all good nightmares do

    [Image: Wolfbane2.png][Image: 3bCHvj.png]
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    #2
    Lilitha

    I watch the city burn, these dreams like ashes float away...

    Lilitha was far from surprised to learn that little Singe was terrified of thunder. The tiny filly clung tight to her side, tucked away cozy in their little sheltering cave. Lilitha loved the wild rush of a good spring storm, the crash of thunder overhead, the blinding flash of lightning striking nearby. Singe though was scared out of her wits. Lilitha tucked her closer against her side and snuggled her with a gentle brush of her velvet-soft nose against the baby’s snakeskin-patterned skin.

    “Shh, baby, it’s alright. Nothing to be scared of, sweetheart, I’m right here. I’ve got you, baby girl, it’s alright,” she crooned, keeping up a soft litany of reassurance interrupted by more flashes and crashes and rolling booms outside. Singe clung to her, tiny body shaking and completely silent, tears trailing down her face. She rubbed them off on her new momma’s side and hid her face against black fur, bat wings tucked tight to her sides and curling around herself just a little for comfort. Poor little love.

    A voice called out from somewhere outside their little cave, and Lilitha wasn’t entirely sure she’d heard him right through the fall of rain and the echo of rolling thunder. “In here!” she called, leaving it up to him to come find them and repeat himself if he was really trying to talk diplomacy right now. In the middle of a bone-rattling thunderstorm. “We can talk inside!” she shouted back again, not willing to leave her scared little girl long enough to hunt the man down and coax him to take shelter with them.

    She fussed over Singe a little more while she waited, nuzzling her gently and pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck. “It’s okay, sweetie, the thunder won’t hurt you. You’re safe here.” And if the man accepted her invitation, she watched him come in with curious gold eyes, head tilted just a little at his strange timing. Now? Really?

    “Taiga is protected,” she answered him. “And Taiga is free. She will not be claimed; she is a haven for the people who live here, and she will not bow or swear allegiance to anyone. Who are you, that you ask so boldly? If you or yours seek to make a claim on this land, know it will not go uncontested.”

    ...your voice I never heard, only silence.

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    #3

    My dreams have all come true

    Such poor timing! It really blew that the weather had turned so quickly, but even worse was that it made traveling back to Brilliant Pampas impossible. Wolfbane would just have to make do until the weather passed, and as the storm rained hell over the towering forest he silently contemplated taking shelter further inland, despite his original intention to wait for company. Moments pass, his jaw clenches with indecision, and just as the sodden horse raises a forehoof to move ahead he catches the faint cry of another inhabitant.

    Jerking suddenly to attention, Bane strains his wet, upturned ears to pinpoint wherever the call had come from. Again, the familiar sound rises above a lull in the rolling thunder and this time, the words are clear: whoever was out there wanted the pegasus to come to them. A bold type he reasons to himself, drifting away from the exposed clearing and delving into the redwoods. Every step is a sinking one, the soft cadence of his walk leaving him drenched to the knees in mud as he peers around thick roots.

    He feels so small here, so very alone, and that wariness translates itself into him taking some further precautions. The Loessian goes invisible, his colors fading away because he’s not exactly sure of this place or the animals who call it home. Up until the moment he comes face to face with a large, out-of-the way cave, Wolfbane is erring on the side of caution; he’s got a wife and son (not to mention the family he called his ‘kingdom’) to return home to, and he’d prefer not to lose a limb or get captured in the process.

    Hesitantly, with eyes trying to make out figures in the gaping, black cavern, the ghost-like newcomer raises his dark nose to scent the area. Female. He’s sure of it, so he turns off the defensive power of staying hidden and parts the curtain of rainwater over the entrance slowly, finding dual sets of glowing eyes watching his every move. “Well, that’s one way of introducing yourself.” The stallion remarks humorously, taking a stand just inside their cozy alcove. Behind him, the flare of lightning illuminates the outside world. He sees them both clearly, if only for a second, and the defensive nature of the mare smothers any further ideas of errant jokes.

    “I’m called Wolfbane.” The male speaks, thunder accentuating his deadpan voice. At his sides both pale wings curl tighter around him, their long, outer feathers trailing far over his hindquarters. Water pools around his hooves and drips freely from his upright mane, but Bane makes no move to shake it loose. In fact he hardly moves at all but for his lips. “And I wouldn’t come here alone if those were my intentions.” He relays calmly.

    Taiga is free, she says. The redwoods will not bend or make treaty, she says. That’s a shame, he thinks as he smiles gently towards the filly, thoughts of Pteron pressed close beside his mother filling up Wolfbane’s thoughts. “What will you do when Nerine comes, then?” He finds himself asking the stranger, curiosity peaking over the matter of her pride. Breckin and the Leviathans might find such a declaration laughable, but he certainly didn’t.

    Like all good nightmares do



    @[Lilitha]
    [Image: Wolfbane2.png][Image: 3bCHvj.png]
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    #4
    Lilitha

    I watch the city burn, these dreams like ashes float away...

    Lilitha raised a brow to look at the stallion who made his way into the entrance of the little cave where they’d taken shelter. “Well. You didn’t exactly ask for an introduction, did you?” she asked with a hint of humor to her voice. “Lilitha. And this is Singe.” She let a cozy little fire trail gently down her legs and pool into a glowing warmth that flickered beside her and her daughter, illuminating the cave with inviting light and letting her get a better look at their visitor. “You’ve chosen an odd time to come calling, Wolfbane. But I’m happy enough to talk if you like.”

    She lipped at Singe’s scruffy baby mane, and the filly eyed the stranger warily and stayed tucked tight to her side, bat wings wrapped around her little body for comfort. “Nerine has come and gone, and wished us well in our endeavors. A gentleman named Leilan visited already, though to be honest I’m surprised people are out making diplomatic overtures while plague still rages. Good for you, I guess. Where are you from, then?”

    Half an introduction was certainly better than no introduction, after all, but she had no earthly idea where he was from unless and until he told her. She hadn’t so much as left the forest he’d come to see in the last five years, so she was hardly up to date on the leaders of different lands. No reason to know his name. “Nerine seemed primarily interested in making sure Taiga wasn’t planning on coming after them or challenging them for the position of kingdom of the North. Since we have no interest in such things, I think they were content to leave us in peace.”

    Hopefully his land would be content to do the same.

    ...your voice I never heard, only silence.

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