"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
03-09-2016, 06:05 PM (This post was last modified: 03-09-2016, 06:07 PM by Ashara.)
It had been 3 seasons in her new kingdom and she was growing quite fond of it. The winter in The Falls was mild compared to the harsh barren and desolate ones she had known. So mild and easy the palomino carried a few extra pounds into the summer, perhaps for the first time in her life. She would live longer here. Youthful coat fading out a little from sunbathing.
The golden vixen was a little too exuberant about her role in the kingdom, taking it far more seriously that others probably would. In fact, it was a tiny role but she planned on advancing. Her queen, Ygritte, had been nothing but kind, and the quiet kingdom uneventful. She knew Ygritte was disappointed in the realms activity, and loyally tried to change that but efforts were slow. Luck may shine in this common place or perhaps just a chance to mingle and develop communication aids. Such things lacking, unexploited in a life of solitude.
The grass here was still lush, tickling her honey underbelly as it swayed. Heading towards the shade of a nearby tree to hide from the afternoon heat. Just one year ago, but it seemed like a lifetime now, the palomino was scouring to find vegetation not burnt from the heat. Always on edge, never really resting. She’d never have relaxed under a tree like this, hind leg cocked, ears flopped, for there could be a cat waiting on the limb above. Now it seemed the biggest threat was a war going on in another land. The Falls remained neutral and unaffected by such thing. It was hard to imagine such malice since her only interactions in Beqanna had been nothing but pleasant.
Wherever I am, is exactly where I'm supposed to be.
He's stands set back on the edge of the meadow where the rolling grasses gain height and some boulders tear through the earth's flesh to soak their jagged edges in the sun. He came here to nap – that was three days ago. He lurks on the dwarfed steppes that look over the emerald hills from the north. The Gates lie somewhere behind the behemoth mountains at his back (behind the steppes); a place he couldn't care any less for but he notes the warm dry winds rolling off of it's sands to spill into the breezy meadow. His eyes flutter open with the commotion of an owl lifting off from a branch somewhere in the trees beside him. The sound doesn't startle him, he just opens his hidden [behind forelock] eyes calmly to the stirring. To his predatory delight he sees a delicious little mare wallowing in the shade down below. He watches her for a while, waiting for her be comfortable before he sets forth on a airy trot. His athleticism shows in his lofty steps, curling and landing with exaggerated extension. When he reaches her he stops short a few feet and shakes like a wet dog. Dust floats around him like tiny glowing orbs, the golden sun catching them just right. His dreaded mane flies wildly in every direction, his forelock covering most of his face.
“Nice day, innit?” He draws in a deep sigh, exhaling with an audible 'ahhh'. His eyes look to the cotton boll clouds that flow overhead in the sea of pale azure. The bugs are kept at bay by the frequent gusts of northern wind, making it a very pleasant day indeed. His eyes find her gaze so he may look at her head on. “I'm Chemdog.” his deep voice melts through a straight mouth but his eyes grin with madness.
The rhythmic sound of hoof beats causes her golden auricles to perk up and find it’s direction. She curiously observes the approaching creature. His entrance makes her want to roll her eyes. Why are men always trying to show off? There was something about the look in his eyes that was reminiscent of the wolves before they attacked. With her head cocked to the side, she watched him carefully as he spoke, trying to read his real intent. She had to agree with him though, it was like living in paradise. ”Yes Sir. Chemdog. It is a lovely day. I am called Ashara, of The Falls, it’s nice to meet you.” She adds in her affiliation to curb any ideas of her needing a home. Although she could join a herd away from the kingdom her loyalty was all consuming. Plus herd life meant following orders from a man and being used as breeding stock. That was the exact life she avoided for 6 years.
Wherever I am, is exactly where I'm supposed to be.
He can see the suspicion welling in her eyes and it only makes him laugh under his breath. If he wanted to do anything to her he could have easily done so before and not announced himself cordially. He ignores her uneasy stare and approaches a few steps closer as she speaks. His ears perk and a bright eye concentrates on her face, his head lifting with curiosity. “The Falls, eh?” He looks into the distant rolling landscape in the direction of her declared home. “Tell me, Ashara,” He shakes again and flicks his forelock to settle in the middle of his nose, allowing both blueish eyes to show as they find Ashara with confidence and inquisitiveness boiling behind them. “What are they up to these days? Your kingdom, I mean.” he knows nothing of he politics in Beqanna, but fully intends to find out and use to his advantage when ready.
If you're ever gonna find a silver lining It's gotta be a cloudy day
Most mares would find the dark behemoth attractive, and although Ashara could appreciate his good looks, she certainly wouldn’t fall for his cocky mysterious aura. There was still something off about him, a gut feeling if you will and although she had no reason to trust him she also didn’t have a reason not too. Her knowledge on politics was fairly thin, it was a new job and though she worked hard to raise in rank to be Ygritte’s right hand mare there was still more she needed to know. In fact she had yet to visit another kingdom. Naïve maybe, but she couldn’t see the harm in sharing what she did know. “The kingdom is growing, there were just a couple of us this time last year and now a dozen or more.” There were a few she still had yet to meet. “Now that the war is over we’ll begin alliance negotiations and treaties. We were neutral through it so didn’t see any action.” The golden mare was looking forward to the task, anything to better her kingdom. “How about you? Where do you call home?” Perhaps his inquiry was innocent despite the feeling in her stomach telling her otherwise, and he was looking for a home himself. His athleticism might prove beneficial as a warrior.
