"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
Wandering. Cold seeping into my blood. Love and past lost in a pit of blank memories. No known family, and no legacy to continue my life. I realize I have stumbled upon the outer boundaries of the Tundra, a kingdom with small population.
"No wonder I'm cold. Where did they all go, it's mid-day!" I mumble to myself very quietly, trying to stay below radar. I shake my mane slightly, snorting at the cold.
"I'll have to get used to colder climates if I wish to be here, I guess." I mumble, looking around for what could be the leader of the Kingdom. I stand near the boundary, just in, just out; I am looking for the leader of the kingdom.
Where is the leader? Can anybody hear my thoughts and/or help me? I wish to join the Tundra. I think loudly, hoping somebody would hear my thoughts and come help me.
"Hopefully, they aren't too hostile to a new horse at their boundary." I say somewhat clearly, I was starting to not care about the cold.
It was generally said that old habits die hard. For Brynmor things weren’t any different. Although the times he gave in to chatting with himself – or actually with the imaginary voice in his head – were getting less and less, he sometimes still wandered off to talk with his first friend ever. Since the graying male had gotten his sight back, and thus had learned that his friend didn’t exist, he had stopped replying to the non-existed voice when others were around. But now was one of those moments he spent alone.
Well, that was until the unfamiliar scent of a female reaches him. Because he had been blind for years his other senses were better than average. He follows his nose towards the border, where she apparently was waiting for somebody to come to her. That was something Brynmor appreciated. They didn’t have the wall of ice for nothing, the whole southern border was one big ice wall, except for one gate that those who cannot fly could use to enter.
The formerly blind man sees her as he nears the gate. His eyes take her graying Arabian frame in as he calmly closes the last distance between them. ”Hello there. What brought you to the Tundra?” he asks as he is near enough to be heard. Now he is standing closer Brynmor can see that she has some trouble adjusting to the Tundra’s low temperatures, her coat has not yet thickened to withstand the Tundra’s cold. And it wasn’t even winter yet.
I never did expect a horse to smell or hear me and come to me; but somebody did. A grey stallion did indeed come to me; and he called out once within earshot of me asking what brought me here.
Calmly, I call back with a slight chatter in my teeth, "For a new start. I am G'ren, and I do not belong to any Kingdom currently. I wish to join the Tundra, if I can stand this cold. And yes, I know it's not even winter yet." I shift my legs, an odd numbness starting to come over my legs and body, but at least it removed the cold and my shiver.
I start to walk towards the stallion, and enjoyed how I was able to stabilize easily on the ice-covered terrain. "But at least I can walk safely on this ice." I mumble, maybe he'd hear it, maybe not. Who knows, other than him, if he could hear me mumble blankly to myself?
Burning brands against my ears and hooves. One scorching especially hot against my withers, leaving a permanent white scar from it. Then only blackness for what seems decades, and then I am here.
Unlike her surprise about him being there, it was quite normal for the graying male to lurk around the border. During the time he had been blind he had used the thick ice wall, that covered the whole southern border, to shield himself from harsh weather. So it was only natural for Brynmor to still be at the place he knew best. On top of that it was probably the best way to keep an eye on strangers that walked into the kingdom without notice or invitation.
She, however, did patiently wait for someone to come to her. And that was something the blue eyed male appreciated. Borders weren’t there for nothing and although the Tundra needed more warriors to join the brotherhood, he liked to see the borders being respected. That she waited automatically gave her an advantage.
Brynmor watches her silently as she speaks. She is obviously bothered by the cold, but that isn’t something that surprises the formerly blind stallion. All those who didn’t live in the Tundra wouldn’t be prepared for the icy temperatures during the autumn. ”And what kind of new start do you think to find in the Tundra?” he asks after a short pause. After all, they were a man’s kingdom, a bunch of testosterone living together, with a few mares to accompany them. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t welcome, but it was kind of rare for females to come to their border and express their wish to join them.
Seeing how she starts shifting, moving to warm her body a little, he offers her a small smile. ”Shall we go for a walk? We can talk on while doing so?” he offers. He would be able to show her a little around and at the same time she would be able to get the numbness out of her body.
Little did I expect him, or any horse here, to be calm or knowing at all. This one, however, had the wisdom and control that can come through age.
"I'd be glad to walk, and I wish to be here to start a new life, and to try and forget my past. We can certainly talk." I say briskly, wishing we were all simply done with this "ritual" as I called it. I understood he needed to assure himself I am worth bringing into this small kingdom; it is why I chose this one, because it is small and separated from the world. Waiting was likely to help me become a better horse, it showed I could wait until it was time to act. Shadows creeped in, the stars blotted out by thick storm clouds. Lightning crashed with thunder in the heavens above us. "Why?" I asked, a small filly, wishing to be better capable of defending against nature or against predators. "Why a foal, with no skills, to be given out?" I ask, knowing nothing could answer this question.
"Anything in particular you wish to know about me? Or for me to know about this Kingdom?" I ask, having brought myself out of the flashback which happened every so often - a grim reminder of why I was how I am - with a shaking body. "Just... a flashback." I add quickly, hoping he knew why I'd want such a new start in my destiny, to be away from my past's location. this would help me, I supposed, to get a hold on my nightmares and flashbacks. I'd be away from the source of my scarring, my anger, my losses.
Even though she does answer his question, he hadn’t gotten an answer that makes her reasoning clear to him. Not that he objects to the fact that she wanted to join their kingdom, but something didn’t feel quite right yet. Almost like she wasn’t aware of the fact what the Tundra meant. Something like that keeps nagging in Brynmor’s mind, as he walk further into the snowy kingdom with the mare at his side.
”Are you aware of the fact that the Tundra is a bachelor kingdom? Men rule these lands and, although mares are welcome, females don’t hold any other role here than birthing children.” He speaks after a short pause, turning his head a little to the side to study her reaction. ”Don’t get me wrong, we would love to have you around, but I’m worried that you might not know what you are committing yourself too..” Brynmor isn’t afraid to voice out his thoughts, his genuine worries, because he doesn’t want to disappoint her once she has really decided to stay. They wouldn’t turn her down without a reason, yet he wouldn’t want to welcome her into his home, to have her leaving after launging around for a while. All Tundra’s residents should be committed to their home, they should love it, treasure it and want to spend their lives there.
And he wasn’t quite sure if that was what G’ren as looking for. As they continue their scroll he lets his words sink in, not pushing further. Ahead of them there are the caves, the center of the kingdom and their personal magic thing. Brynmor still had to enter the cave, but he was waiting for the right time. When Hurricane would ask it of him to face the cave’s terrors. ”What are you willing to share about yourself with me?” he asks, giving her a chance to properly introduce herself, but without pushing her to tell about things she rather keeps quiet.
Walking, I warmed greatly, having started to adjust to this cold climate, but it would still take time to fully adapt. "Yes, I am. I wish for nothing more than to live among horses with little to no drama. I have no care for ranking." I say, almost lost in thoughts, wandering down my own mental files of dreams never to be. "I know what I'm getting into, if that's what you mean. Staying here means loving the Tundra and being happy continuing the creation of foals."
Screams, from me and my family. Barely escaping with my own life, going back to try to save my family. Not being able to save my siblings, parents, friends, it was all blocked until now. It all came back now, when I almost had a fresh start, a new chapter in my life for once, rather than allowing me to continue.
"I had horrid experiences as a foal. It involves a long story, and how my coat isn't covered by scars from those experiences is unknown by even clairvoyants." I say, sadly, slowly, having stopped and looking up, I noticed the moon was above the horizon, blood red from dust in the air. After a short pause, I continued. "I left my home, not in this place, and wandered this realm until I found the Tundra. I knew this place was isolated, with little drama and male-led. This is what I will share now, and will tell more as I trust you more." I say, voicing my reasoning, and looked back at Brynmor from the sky.
The stars were brighter, more visible here, and I could make out the curve of the atmosphere. So many stars I did not know appeared, so many souls I never knew existed above me, watching me silently every night. "They're beautiful." I murmur, staring back up at the stars, looking at a bright blue one especially hard. It appeared to twinkle, to wink at me, but I tried to reason it was a trick of the mind. "So many beautiful stars." I murmur again, amazed and in awe of the huge amount I could see hear. I wanted to never sleep during the night again, so I could gaze upon the stars every night until I knew them all.
He listens quietly as G’ren speaks, even turning his head a little to the side to look at her. That was the easiest way to catch the unspoken works, to hear the story in between the spoken words. And that was what Brynmor was curious to learn. He wouldn’t pressure her to tell him everything about her past, the things she was willing to share would be more than enough, but he liked to know who he invited into the kingdom.
”That won’t be too hard to accomplish here” he answers with a small smile. Nodding – more to himself than to her – he looks in front of him again, steering their direction a little so he could guide he directly towards the Caves. If she truly wanted to live her he thought she would have to know about them. About their purpose, their danger. ”It is true that we would encourage you to breed with any of my brothers, but know that we don’t look down on you. At least I don’t. In some ways the mares in the Tundra are more important than any rank could be.”
When she speaks again, telling about her past, Brynmor falls quiet. Carefully he listens, one ear flopping in her direction. He’s feels somewhat sad for her, because of the bad things that happened to her, but at the same time he can see how strong she is now. Even though she claims to just want to live a carefree life, G’ren has decided to pledge her life to the Tundra. And everybody knows how hard it can be to live in these icy lands. ”I’m sorry to hear that, G’ren. And I hope the future will be brighter than your past has been” he says after a short pause. Leaning in a little he brushes his muzzle lightly across her shoulder, a silent way to encourage her.
Their legs carry them closer and closer towards the caves and the graying male can already see them in the distance. The first time he had laid his eyes upon them he had been staring for hours, many things roaming his mind, wondering which personal demons he would face once he would enter them. Only when Brynmor would’ve entered the caves – and come back out alive – he would be a part of the brotherhood, although he referred towards the others as brothers already. It are G’ren’s words that pull him out of his thoughts, and he offers her an apologetic smile before he glances up too. ”Yes, they are” he hums agreeing.
By the time they reach the caves the darkness has settled in fully. But that doesn’t mean they would go to the caves to find shelter for the night. That wasn’t what the caves were meant for. They weren’t to enter, only on special occasions. ”These caves are the center of the kingdom, but you aren’t allowed the enter them. The caves harbour the Tundra’s magic. Entering them means facing your demons, and only when a stallion had successfully faced them he will be a true brother. So they aren’t meant for shelter” he explains her, hoping that he made clear that she would be never allowed to enter them. That it would be dangerous and there was no way of telling what would happen if a mare would enter and submit herself to the test.
Lost in thought, I was startled by his words about the caves. "Ok.. Well, I wish you well." I murmur, stopping as I realize just how far we had gone.
Looking around, I could feel the magic and power of the caves, almost.. calling to me. Do I dare? Mares aren't allowed. Should I dare? Shuddering at the thoughtof disobeying the rules of the Tundra, I twitched my tail and dismissed the thought. "I can't believe myself..." I mutter, under my breath, all the while looking, peering into the caves.
(@[Brynmor] Sorry about long wait, vacation happened! Sorry about that. Short words today so.. little post.)
