"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
say you'll see me again, even if it's just in your W I L D E S T D R E A M S...
tag:
She was staring at the lake.
The solid, frozen lake. Her earthtone eyes were fixed on the sheet of ice, pondering the thickness for a moment or two before she began to study it. She’d been travelling for days, only coming upon this land early in the morning when the sun was barely risen into the sky and darkness was still trying to hold tightly to the land. Although the snow beneath her hooves was a suitable source of water, she longed for just a little taste of flowing, real water. Not packed, chilly snow or solid, tooth-breaking ice. She wouldn’t have minded the temperature, even if it froze her throat on the way down or turned her insides into frozen pieces of meat. She’d been walking for a long, long while and she wanted a drink.
Needless to say, it had to be a bit comical to watch the fawn-colored mare approach the edge of the frozen water, her hooves dancing against the slight slope of the solid ground surrounding the body of water. Steadying herself a bit, she paused; poised, gathering a bit of energy for her next trick. Quickly did one of her forelimbs lash out, pawing the ice to maybe break it and open up a small hole where flowing water resided beneath. Then she could get herself a drink, and then worry about her real situation – she was unsure of where she was. But alas, her grand plan backfired; her hoof rebounded off the ice, barely making a dent in the thick sheet of frozen lake water. Obviously annoyed, she backed up hastily and shook her head to and fro in a fit of agitation. "Stupid ice," she muttered to herself, snorting angrily at the lake before she whirled about away from the lake. Slightly embarrassed at her foolish spectacle, not to mention she was probably a source of entertainment to some nearby spectators, she headed a bit of a ways away into a little more of a secluded area.
"Guess this’ll have to do for now," she uttered again, her maw lowered to the ground as she started to nibble on the snow. She also tried nosing some of it about, piling it up and exposing the frozen grass beneath it. Maybe she could pick at that a little too, to satiate that subtle growl in her tummy.
From above, the wicked shall receive their just reward
Kronk was under the impression that what didn’t kill you made you stronger. He was parading back and forth in the snow, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. He had been tempted to give into laziness just this one day. The snow was so thick and the ice so cold. Once, just once, couldn’t he stay curled up beneath his tree and preserve the little bit of warmth he still maintained?
No, no he could not. His conscience would not allow it, not after what happened to his home.
The next time an attack came he would be ready. This, Kronk had promised himself. So everyday without fail, Kronk made himself walk the borders of the Gates. He wanted to know he kingdom he had pledged to serve. He wanted its perimeters, its ridges and falls, to be as familiar to him as his own front hooves.
He was having limited success.
Kronk realized he had strayed too far east when he began to come across horses he had never seen before. The Field then. If he didn’t turn around soon he would hit the Falls, and he had no intention of embarking on an impromptu mission of diplomacy. Better leave the smooth talking to the diplomats, Kronk just hit things that needed hitting.
But, for once, his skills would come in good use.
She caught his eye because of the amusing little dance she was doing. Kronk’s serious expression twitched into a smile as she skittered in front of the frozen lake. The doe like mare went in for the killing blow and Kronk buried his face in his shoulder to keep from laughing. That had been pretty cute. Slowly, but with bouncing enthusiasm Kronk approached her, trying to his best to keep his chuckles at bay.
“No! No! You can’t do it that way.” Kronk grinned at her when he appeared at her side.
“You have to put your weight in to it, you have to really mean it.” With a grunt he slammed a mighty front hoof into the ice and grinned triumphantly when a good chunk shattered around his foot, bits of ice bobbing on the exposed water.
He tried not to wince when he put his hoof back on the bank, though it did sting a bit. Still, it was worth it, to give the girl a drink of water. When he thought she wasn’t looking he rotated his fetlock, and made a face, trying to ease the kinks.
“I’m Kronk.” He said after a pause. He felt rather chivalrous, and it went a long way to putting him in a good mood. Maybe it was silly, but it felt good to be useful for a change.
say you'll see me again, even if it's just in your W I L D E S T D R E A M S...
tag: kronk
Needless to say, she was startled as she had been approached rather quickly and without what seemed to be any measure of hesitation by the stallion. Her face reflected her surprise, eyes slightly wider and simply trying to catch up with what was happening. So he was one of those in her audience, she gathered that much; her past experiences told her that he was coming over to mock her, tease her or merely thank her for the laugh. She was used to the teasing, she’d been subjected to it enough in the harem she’d been born into. So at first, her guard was up expecting such tomfoolery. But no no, it was not what she’d expected at all. He instead was helping her, giving her a lesson in dealing with this terrain.
’You can’t do it that way...you have to really mean it.’ Her ears perked, that bewildered look upon her face softening just a tad as her focus shifted a bit to what was happening before her eyes. She watched his forehoof slam down hard onto the solid lake water, the intent much more clear than her ill thought out attempt to get herself a drink of fresh water. She was quite pleased to see the ice falter and splinter around his hoof, breaking through the layer and exposing the chilly water below for her to sip from finally. Her jaw was slightly slack, actually a bit impressed at the stranger’s strength and willingness to help. He did not know her, so why help? He was not obligated to do so (though she was quite thankful!) and it was obvious that she was not used to the hospitality. Out in the wilds for so long by herself was to blame for that.
"Thank you," she started to say, approaching him slowly. "I thought I’d hit it pretty hard, maybe my angle was wrong or something," she then added with a bit of a nod. She was pretty self-sufficient already; she wanted to subtly stress that. Not sure why, but she did. She then approached the newly made hole in the ice, her hoof digging through and pushing the pieces of ice aside just enough for her to get a quick drink. My my, it was so cold! It made her body shiver as it went down her throat. But at the same time, it was invigorating. Her head quickly shot up and she whirled about rather happily, turning to face him now just as he’d introduced himself.
"My name is Maeko," she began, pausing just a moment. "Thank you again for that. Fresh water’s better than chewing snow."
From above, the wicked shall receive their just reward
Kronk beamed, and for a moment, he looked like a little boy. He had been too serious recently, bogged down in a tumult of useless, self castigating thoughts. In every aspect, he was trying to do better, trying to be better. Right now, as he chuckled happily, he felt the weight of responsibility lift. He hadn’t realized how heavy the burden had been until it was gone. He smiled at the mare, suddenly a little shy now that the excitement of the moment had faded. He looked at her from beneath hooded, chocolate eyes and cleared his throat a little self consciously.
“Ah well, you loosened it up for me.” He smiled again, self consciousness lifting beneath the pleasure of easy banter. He decided then that the sting in his fetlock was definitely worth it, and he stood up a light straighter. No it wasn’t much, but at least he had helped a little in the small way he could.
She commented on the snow, and Kronk chuckled again. He tended to eat anything he could get his lips around in winter. It took a lot of energy, to keep his chunky body going. But, slushy ice did leave something to be desired.
“You’ve got to be careful about that snow, you never know where it’s been.” He winked conspiratorially and grinned. He wasn’t entirely sure if girls found jokes like that funny. He hoped so, because most his jokes were like that. Army boys tended to acquire a certain type of humor, and unfortunately, Kronk was no exception. But still, from beneath his goofy grin manners began to appear. His expression turned a little more serious as he came back to himself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Maeko.” And it was, if only to stop and laugh a little. He continued, a little hesitantly, for he didn’t want to seem too forward.
“Are you hungry too? We have fantastic grass, in the Gates, clover too, and a beautiful garden —“ Kronk abruptly cut off, his expression turning tragic. They had a beautiful garden. But, no longer. It was a wreckage now, a burning mass of regret and disappointment. He tried to wipe the stricken look from his face.
“Ah well, never mind, but there is grass, and clover.” The Gates still had greenery, even in the deepest of winter. Kronk, himself, had been recruited the promise of delicious clover. It had not disappointed. Granted, Kronk would never admit that this loyalty began with the promise of of food.
say you'll see me again, even if it's just in your W I L D E S T D R E A M S...
tag: KRONK
Maeko took another quick, but refreshing drink from the small hole in the frozen lake. She figured she would have to enjoy it while she could, for eventually the hole would freeze once more and well, she might not be so lucky as to have a bit of help to break through the ice next time. She’d been tempted to chew on some of the bits of ice still lingering in the opening to the water below, but after getting a small shard in her mouth and feeling like a popsicle trying to chew it seemed to deter her. She’d suffice with nibbling on snow if she needed to. Snow melted quicker than ice.
As her head then rose up from the water, she was keen enough to notice that he’d been babying his one limb, favoring the other just slightly. Ears perked, recalling that he’d used the same hoof to break the ice. "You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” she asked out right. She’d of course feel a bit bad if he had done a number on himself for her, a stranger to him. He could take the high road and lie, say it was nothing and that he was fine; as long as he didn’t mind lying to her. But since when did a little white lie hurt anyone?
The lass then made a bit of a chuckle at his words, his joke being well received remarkably enough. Although she didn’t consider herself a lady who had her mind two steps into the gutter on anything, she could appreciate the jape well enough. Thank her brothers, wherever they may be. ”Yellow snow’s the thing to look out for,” she replied while a grin turned up the sides of her muzzle. "I pity the fool who takes a bite out of that by accident.” She winced internally at the thought; she could only imagine what it would’ve tasted like, and the only thing that came to mind was gross.
The topic of food piqued her interest a bit, though not surprisingly his words were met with a face of bewilderment. "Grass, clover? Growing in the dead of winter? How’ve you managed that?” she asked, genuinely curious. Needless to say, the idea of lush grass and sweet clover to nibble on in the middle of winter was a welcome dream. For it couldn’t be true, now could it?
From above, the wicked shall receive their just reward
Kronk took a drink after Maeko, and he could have sworn that it tasted better because they had earned it. It was more refreshing somehow. Perhaps a chance of failure made success more thirst quenching? The chunky stallion shook his head. He was being silly. Silly enough that he colored a little beneath his hair, his exposed pink muzzle turned a little pinker. He picked up his foot experimentally.
“Oh this? He asked, perhaps a little sheepishly.
“It’s nothing, and worth it certainly.” A little sting was worth it, to get at water. Besides, he would do better next time, and eventually he would be the best ice breaker in the land. Then, at least, he would be good at something, even if his home was a charred mess. Kronk’s face darkened a little, and he realized his sunny mood may be another form of compensation. He had been so glum recently, that he jumped at the chance to feel anything else. To smile and laugh. Maeko gave him another opportunity and he barked out a surprised laugh. He looked down at her appreciatively. Did that really pass through her delicate, feminine lips? He grinned. There was no rule that you couldn’t be delicate, feminine and make yellow snow jokes.
“My brother did that one year, when we were little. Our sister wouldn’t shut up about it for years.” Truth be told, they still often told that story whenever the opportunity presented itself. What else were siblings for? Kronk missed his suddenly, then shook it off, glad they were living their own busy lives, even if they weren’t doing it in tandem with him. Kronk returned from his walk down memory lane to nod at Maeko.
“I almost didn’t believe it myself. Granted it’s a little chilly…” Kronk considered this. The grass was certainly snow tipped, and crunched a little, if you didn’t let the ice melt in your mouth first. Still, it was grass. He continued, trying and probably failing to tempt her.
“And, sometimes, you have to dig a little.” This was true, most of the grass had at least a thin layer of snow covering it. Though there were parts that were covered by the trees and thus saved this humiliation. The pickings weren’t as lush as they were in the warmer months, but the Gates had a way of making everything seem gentler and kinder then it would have been anywhere else. It was just like that. He finished his thought triumphantly.
“But, it’s there! I promise.” He grinned at her and the expression was open and honest. Kronk joked about a lot of things, but the quest for food was something he took seriously, and pursued with the greatest enthusiasm.
