I'm telling these tears, "Go and fall away, fall away."
May the last one burn into flames.

This land had changed greatly in his absence – yet it still retained remnants of the Beqanna of old.

As an adolescent, he had abandoned this land that had held nothing for him but bitter memories. Until now, Lestrade had never looked back. He had certainly grown from a gangly teenager to a tall, leanly muscled adult in that time. But a once petulant boy had matured into a jaded adult and Lestrade still walked about life as if a heaviness weighed upon him. He hadn’t really learned how to cope with his losses, and so, his trust in others around him had quickly became stunted early in his life.

The mint and violet stallion surveyed the river with a great reluctance. He still didn’t quite understand the recent nostalgia that had relentless settled within his heart – the only reason he had returned back to this place. Perhaps it was the unanswered questions that still lingered in the back of his mind, or maybe it was that the nomadic lifestyle had grown stale for Lestrade. He had no roots to keep him in one place, no blood to chain him down with familial responsibilities.

He was all alone in this world – a self-imposed isolation kept him from forming bonds with others. Why bother placing expectations on someone when they will eventually leave you behind? His mother had disappeared behind a magical wall of fire and was never to be seen by a few days old Lestrade again. His self-appointed guardian had remained distant but had made sure to place him somewhere safe during the war. But Lupei had up and gotten himself killed, selfishly leaving Lestrade behind and ignorant until he heard the startling news from a random passerby. That’s when the boy-almost-man made the decision to leave this cursed place behind him.
And yet here he stands once more.

His quiet reverie is broken by an overly enthusiastic greeting directed towards him. He swings his head towards the voice to spot a pair of mares eyeing him with undisguised interest. Was it really so difficult to ask others to ignore his garish coloring because the next thing he knew, she followed up with a horrific pickup line “What’s your name? I think we were mint to be!” His violet eyes narrow in disgust and he snarls an eloquent “Fuck off!” to the startled pair before he angrily slinks off away from the river bank and towards the lush meadows.

It was becoming a little too crowded for his taste.

His intended destination was the large oak that resided close to the river. Perhaps he could find some relief from the citizens there while the others relished the sunshine and cooling effects of the swollen waters behind him. All he wanted was to sulk in peace and then figure out his next move. Was it time he willing joined society once again or did he continue living this stagnant lifestyle he had created for himself?

Lestrade was sure he would have to ponder this question a long while yet.

Lestrade

mint & violet son of lupei and azlyn.

I'm telling these tears, "Go and fall away, fall away."
May the last one burn into flames.

He sometimes pondered the thought that he had been cursed by the gods at his birth. It would certainly explain some of the happenings throughout his lifetime. But it would most certainly explain the fact that he seemed to attract absolute weirdos to his side for some unfathomable reason.

Kingslay had been the first to violently interrupt his life, ripping him from his mother’s side by a magical fire barrier. The Chamber had been full of many other monsters and Lestrade had taken great care to remain out of their way and out of sight. Unbeknownst to him, even his self-appointed guardian had also been a monster – setting the jungle alight with white hot flames and beginning a war could be considered a monstrous thing to do. He also carried with him a deep suspicion of ravens for the queen of the Chamber had used ravens as a source to do her bidding, spying and bringing her back information from all corners of the land.

He trusted birds about as far as he could throw one and their beady little eyes didn’t help their case whatsoever.

Before he could completely escape from the river bank, another voice called out to him but this time it was insulting. Lestrade stopped, closed his eyes, and sighed heavily for a brief moment. He debated whether it was really worth the effort to engage or if he could ignore the stranger and keep moving forwards. He decided that this one would probably turn out annoyingly persistent and it was probably best to try and nip it in the bud now rather than later.

Opening his violet eyes, he reluctantly turned towards the voice behind him. It was a winged colt who had had the audacity to call him a loser – a colt who was busily fanning his wings and doing funny little hops that essentially allowed him enough clearance to see over the tall reeds that surrounded him. Oh god, a shrimp was currently taunting him.

But the boy turned his attention away from Lestrade and towards the earlier catcaller. The mint stallion watched blankly as the mare violently flailed and began to drown in the river while frantic onlookers attempted to rescue her. Meanwhile, the boy’s eyes had changed colors and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this shrimp had somehow taken over the mare’s physical body and forced her into the river to drown.

Lestrade had watched apathetically as the mare finally emerged and was left to her own devices once more before returning his violet gaze back to the boy. The buckskin boy looked proud of his accomplishments, like the mint stallion should be grateful that he had even interfered and now owed him a favor for his kindness. It was like watching a train wreck, where you couldn’t take your eyes away for fear of missing out on even more destruction.

The colt boldly asked for his name after all that, like he had merely been out for a pleasant morning stroll instead of attempting murder.

Lestrade was definitely cursed.

Mint and violet must be the mating colors for monsters because it was like he couldn’t go anywhere in this place without running into one.

His gaze sharpened and there’s a slight growl of irritation to his voice when he answered the boy.

“What’s it to you, pipsqueak?

If one showed the slightest hint of fear to a monster, then they’d be running roughshod in no time flat. Lestrade had learned this lesson early on in his life and he stubbornly stuck to his aloof façade in hopes that they’d move on for easier prey.

Lestrade

mint & violet son of lupei and azlyn.

I'm telling these tears, "Go and fall away, fall away."
May the last one burn into flames.

Lestrade liked to play it cautious most days; carefully avoiding any confrontations with those he considered to be dangerous creatures, which admittedly fit the bill for many of Beqanna’s residents. But he wasn’t afraid to put up a tough guy front to those who stubbornly persisted in invading his personal space. Perhaps he could be labelled as a con artist in this way. He didn’t possess any special abilities of his own – just a scathing sharp tongue and quick wit, but it was enough to allow him the ability to maneuver himself into a manageable enough position to intentionally throw others off and hopefully gain him the advantage in the situation. He didn’t start fights nor did he finish them per say, all he hoped to do was get out of them alive and relatively unscathed.

He played a long game – carefully considering his next move as if it were a game of chess.

The shrimp didn’t cease in his attitude nor his almost feral aggression, perhaps willfully ignoring all the nonverbal cues that Lestrade had blatantly displayed during his unwelcome approach. Go away! couldn’t have been announced any louder across the pathway to the other, but yet still the mint and violet stallion suffered this pipsqueak’s onslaught of minor insults.

It didn’t seem as if this boy was going to be leaving any time soon so Lestrade was going to have to stubbornly dig his heels in and weather whatever storm may come his way.

Despite the shrimp’s obviously bad attitude and murderous tendencies, he still seemed like a petulant child and Lestrade’s mouth almost twitches in amusement when the other hypocritically calls him out for not possessing any courtesy (ignoring the fact that he just took over another’s body without permission and then tried to drown her against her will. What a perfect gentleman!)

Lestrade gives the pipsqueak a saccharine smile, “Well Squeak, I guess we both have that in common. Besides common courtesy won’t help you survive in this world.”

Pipsqueak takes an aggressive step forward in hopes of a reaction, but Lestrade stiffens, brings his head up higher, and eyes him warningly. He wasn’t about to turn tail and run, that would merely entice the monster boy into a chase and Lestrade would rather go throw himself into the river behind the boy than give anybody the satisfaction of chasing him down. Holding his ground gave him more of an advantage because the other wouldn’t know if he held secrets close to his chest or not. 

This was a game for the bold – who would be able to suss out the other first.

Narcisus persisted in his quest for gaining his name and Lestrade allowed him this small conquest but it was accompanied with a reluctant sigh.

“I’m Lestrade.”

Lestrade

mint & violet son of lupei and azlyn.