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The days had begun to shorten and Areane began to keep track of them as she flew. She still had a few hours of daylight left and she meant to make the most of them before grounding herself for the night. Though she was passing her third year, she had been a late flier and then the shock of losing Loess had kept her wings firmly shut for another year.
She was testing her endurance today, seeing how far she could make it before returning to her nest near Tephra. Determined to make it atleast to the Meadow, Areane kept pushing herself to flap harder, to move faster through the air. It had been an easier thing to do at the beginning of her journey and as she soared (uneasily) over the landbridge that had once been part of her home, the young pegasi knew she wouldn’t make it that far.
Not yet.
Not today.
Her slim sides heaved and a lather of sweat had darkened her neck. She would have preferred to land in a more open spot but as her wings grew heavy, Areane decided that a small clearing near the River would have to do. Veering towards the ground, she passed through the outreaching branches of a White Oak. A few of its leaves had begun to turn a bright red and two managed to snag themselves in the wild tangle of her dark mane and one against the blue-black of her feathers. When Areane landed, she turned her spotted face and began to shake out her wing.
It clung there, determined, and Areane, equally as determined to preen it out, reached for it with a flash of brilliant white teeth, momentarily oblivious to everything else.
Could you help me push aside all that I have left behind
Losing his family, Sylva, and the whole of the South had kept him up for many nights but hadn’t kept him from using his own abilities. Not that he could do anything about the gentle glow that he produced at night that he had no control over but as for shifting… There was nothing that could keep him from using what felt most natural. Not even grief, not even sadness. Not even the creeping loneliness… If anything it just drove him further and further into the black and white security blanket he wraps around himself.
It’s the shape he wears now, nestled snugly in the sturdy boughs of a large white oak where the forest begins to merge into the river territory. He overlooks the rushing rapids who show no signs of slowing even as the days begin to turn into longer nights. To match the approaching seasons, melancholy had finally started to settle on the Giant Panda shifter. There had been no sign of his family, anywhere. Link had always been an optimist but with so many days that passed with no sign of them, no scrap of evidence of their existence, not a single flicker of familiarity registering on the faces of those he meets and asks….
Reality was beginning to crash hard. His front paws rest on his furry chest as he gazes unseeingly out over the river, thinking of everything and nothing all at once. It didn’t make sense, how they couldn’t have survived. His mother could grant wishes, his father understood the sea. There should, at the very least, be some sort of sighting of them. It’s Lillibet that makes his heart constrict the most, his sister who had been blessed with beauty and wit but hadn’t gained anything magical besides her familiar glow. She couldn’t climb tall trees out of harms way, couldn’t make wishes come true, couldn’t navigate the deep blue ocean.
How could she have survived?
Hot angry tears press against his now closed eyelids as he feels the weight of loss crush against his chest. The very thing he had been trying to avoid in these years since they had been separated. The ache of missing them all, the new sensation of failure that he hadn't been a better brother in protecting her. A rush of air above him is what keeps those tears from falling, momentarily distracted as he looks down at the winged mare that had just zoomed overhead. There is no thought when he tumbles from the tree except to escape from the overwhelming emotions that he doesn’t want to acknowledge.
Ambling slowly in her direction, she doesn’t seem to see the ebony and ivory bear approaching. Her teeth are picking at some leaves from an outstretched feathery wing. On closer inspection, she had seemed to catch quite a few of the auburn leaves on her descent, a few of them still wrapped in her dark windswept mane. Still not thinking entirely clear, he stands up on his back paws and with a gentle claw, reaches for one tangled stubbornly near her ears and pulls it free. Suddenly shocked by his overfamiliarity, the leaf slips free from his paw and floats gently to the earth below as the panda suddenly becomes equine and Link’s turquoise blazed face looks to hers with a small uncertain smile. “One down, a few more to go.” He says with a quiet laugh, his gold-flecked gaze warm but still undeniably sad.
Areane had been so focused on getting the vibrant, red leaves out her dark, shimmering wings that she hadn’t bothered to look up. She should; the young pegasus was the daughter of two horses who knew that their world could be unkind. Better to keep your guard up rather than down, and more importantly, always be aware of your surroundings.
She knows those things, but she also knows that she wants the evidence of her less-than-graceful landing out of her feathers. The year she had spent grounded - after the Sinking of Loess - had taken its price on the young pegasus. Her first outing had been the day that her home sank, and while she knows that she is more fortunate than most (she had been reunited with her family within hours), it had taken Areane a great deal of time to get comfortable with the idea of leaving again.
Eventually, she had. And now there was lost time to make up, experiences to be gained, and the young mare was eager for all of them. Areane just didn’t want to look like the fledgling she was; nearing her third year, she wanted the world to look at her as she gazed upon it. An adventure just beginning, instead of appearing as if she lacked the readiness for it.
But of all the things she might have been prepared for, an approaching bear is not one of them.
A paw tangles itself in her mane (and Areane tries her best to remember everything her parents had taught her) and while instinct tells her to pull away, there is something about the black-and-white creature that strikes her as odd. It’s the eyes, she realizes, eyes that look more downturned than any other animal she’s seen. Was this someone’s bonded? Her amethyst eyes study it’s amber ones, wondering if there was a way to communicate with a companion that wasn’t her own.
And in the end, all that awareness does nothing for her, because the bear becomes a boy.
"You are -,” Tarian’s daughter starts before abruptly stopping, because she was about to imply that he was not a bear. He was a shifter, she realized. The first she had ever encountered. "You’re not a bear, but you just were.” Areane marvels, looking incredulously at the young stallion that had just clawed a leaf from her windswept mane.
"By the Winds", she blows out through her flaring nostrils and then peers curiously up at him, thrilled with this recent discovery, "that's incredible."
Could you help me push aside all that I have left behind
The twins had been very young when they had lived in Loess, spending the very early years of their childhood amongst the dusty-rose colored canyons. They had moved to Sylva after their mother’s abdication to her protege, trading in a luxurious busy life to a quieter one beneath the autumn leaves. The memories of their time in the kingdom were hazier but there were a few he could still recall. One being of the Champion’s twins, the only other foals they had ever really known. For the most part, they had preferred the companionships to their other half then to their new friends, something that seemed to naturally have worked both ways. Both sets of twins seemed to understand this without needing to explain it.
Sometimes they had played with them though. There had been enough encounters that when the young mare looks at him, startling amethyst eyes that catch his, it makes him inhale sharply. It’s really this more than anything that shakes him from his shifted state. She looks at him with wonder and his own features reveal his shock, not because of what she says. He knows her. He knows her.
His gaze travels, taking her in. By the winds, how she had grown! The beautiful patterns of blue spots that framed her startling purple eyes. The way the light always seems to favor her, making her sparkle and glow like the strangest star he had ever seen. My goodness, had she always looked like that? Surely he would have noticed, he would have remembered that.
The sadness in his gaze slightly shifts, familiarity lurking in the glints of gold. She marvels at him and he suddenly laughs. “Your… Your Tarian’s daughter, aren't you?” He asks gently, his own awe hanging in his words. “A… Ar.. Areane.” He finally lands with a smile, satisfaction etched along his handsome face that he was able to remember after all. “Do you remember me?”
Areane’s father was a man who preferred his privacy and the grotto that the young pegasus grew up in was a reflection of that. It was well away from the other established family groups in Loess and most of the memories that the young mare can conjure are the adventures (or misadventures, depending on who was telling the tale) with her brother, Starros.
They had been so small when their cousin, Cheri, ascended the Southern throne. So young that she doesn’t even have a proper memory of the last Queen of Loess, but she knows of her, just as she knows of her predecessor, Lady Oceane. Tarian might have wanted to keep his children away from the Court while they had been young, but he would have done his best to make sure they weren’t ignorant of it or its members.
There were a few instances, though, where the twins had wandered. The slender female fixes her amethyst eyes on the gold-striped stallion, unable to place him and yet, there was something familiar about him. Her gaze lingers on his unusual markings before moving up towards the bright blue blaze - a lovely, vibrant color that made her think of the open sky in Loess - when he speaks again.
What the panda-bear-turned-stallion says surprises her and Areane’s head lifts a little as she steps back to look at the young male again, completely abandoning her quest to remove the rest of the leaves from her blue-sheened wings. "I am,” she says in the proud, clear lilt of a noble; though, there is something cautious on her dark face. Who he is is still unknown to her and it feels wrong that he should know her by sight when she does not.
But the vivid blue of his blaze tugs at her mind again, and then something clicks.
"Link,” she says, just as startled to find another Loessian as she is that she actually remembered the son of Oceane and Ledger. There is a momentary silence as shock begins to set in - because Areane had been looking for any trace she could find of her once-home - and here it was, as unexpected as a fair day in the bleak of winter. "What are you doing here?”
Could you help me push aside all that I have left behind
If it had been solely up to their own father, Ledger would have hidden his children from the world entirely. The old bear knew, however, that being the consort to a Queen and therefore being the father of royalty… That choice would never be an option. While Lillibet trained with their father in the art of self-defense, Link had his own lessons with their Queen Mother in the ways of the Court. With his natural aptitude in diplomacy on top of the quick study he showed himself to be in every lesson Oceane gave him… There was no doubt that he had shown a promising future in the world of politics. The one thing that perhaps concerned both his parents was just his lack of a backbone, the fact that he was just a bit too trusting. As long as the twins were together though, they seemed to even the other one out. Maybe they would learn from each other.
They had never imagined that the twins would be separated from each other so young.
In Lillibet’s case, despite her lack of magic, there was a chance of survival with her street and book smarts. Link on the other hand…
The vibrant young stallion had already touched a radioactive stallion that made him sick and met a girl of mischievous stars and was still oblivious to the fact that there were things out there with the intention of hurting him. It was pure luck, really, that the young former Princeling had made it this far with his head still intact. Luck and a little dash of charm.
Her hesitance doesn’t bother him, he is not offended when she can’t recall his face right away. They had been only children when they had last seen each other and so much had happened between now and then. When it does click, his name something surprised when she speaks it, his charming grin only widens. He tugs free another leaf from her splayed wing and watches it lazily drift towards the ground when he releases it, giving him a second to consider her question. “I’ve been living in the Forest.” He finally admits with a small shrug of his lilac shoulder. The joy of finding a familiar face begins to wane, allowing the sadness to creep back in, because it hadn’t been the faces he had been initially searching for. Finding Areane reminds him of the past life where he hadn't been so alone. “I’ve been trying to find my family. Have you seen them?”
Areane was still young, and therefore, prone to strong ideas. Perhaps that would be something she carried with her all her life. Her upbringing hadn’t been that much different from Link’s. From her mother, the young pegasus had learned a love of the wind and the freedom that came from soaring with it. She reveled in places undiscovered, and there was a certain thrill from learning something new. From her father, who most of the time was stoic and unmoving, Areane learned the stories of ancestors who did their part to make the world they left behind a better one.
And perhaps there was a touch of Tarian’s pride in her, because when she gazed at the sky at night, she dreamed of having a place of her own amongst the stars. It was where the truly brilliant souls went to rest, he had told her. It was the place where those who had sacrificed and struggled and endured truly got to shine.
Someday, she tells herself. Someday, she will earn her place there.
It’s what drives her so far to find the remaining the Loessians. It’s what keeps her going, long after her wings are tired and her muscles are sore. The promise that she might be able to actually help someone keeps her moving.
For a minute, it feels like she has done that. Link’s smile broadens and her own grows in confidence. She has vowed to find them, and while he is only one, he is a start. The first in a series of dead-ends that she has encountered time and time again. But the moment - like happiness itself - is a fleeting one and Areane goes chasing it, stubbornly refusing to allow either of them to sink into sorrow.
"My parents are in Tepra,” she tells him gently, hoping that he might understand her meaning. It is where they live; Areane considers herself a resident of the wider world. "And I’ve flown over the outer islands, several times. I haven’t had any luck at finding any Loessians there, nor the Common Lands.”
Her dark wings tighten around her lean sides, reflecting their blue sheen in the sunlight. Her mind races, trying to formulate a plan. She glances quickly back to the young shifter. "Have you tried any of the kingdoms?” It's only after that he tugs another leaf from them that she remembers her manners, and tries to shake out the remaining ones by fluttering them. "I'm never going to get them all out," she laments softly to her companion with a far more girlish expression than the sharp look that Areane had just given him a moment ago (making her look so like her Champion sire, a former Commander and once-heir to a proud kingdom), "but thank you for trying."
Could you help me push aside all that I have left behind
It seems Tephra is somewhere he can cross off his list. Although there had been a faint hope that Ledger had ended up in the kingdom he had once served, he had known that it had been a long shot. His father had always been tight-lipped on his time served in the volcanic lands and had kept those conversations on a strict course of diplomatic lessons only. The nearby islands were something he hadn’t even thought of (with no way to truly get there) but she gently crosses them off his list as well.
He can’t help but take her in again as she thinks, watching the way she moves her wings or the shimmer of her colors that plays against the remaining daylight. There is a moment of gratitude when he realizes that she is trying to help him, that he is no longer alone in this search anymore. It makes him smile, the way she looks at him so sharply. It reminds him of the looks Loessian’s Champion would give him and his sister when he would catch them up to no good. “Not yet.” He admits to her when she questions his own hunt. “Dad always said you find the best news in the common lands so I’ve mostly been in the Meadow or the Forest trying to hear of anything. I guess I’m not as good at it yet as he is.” He says thoughtfully, holding on to her optimism to keep himself from submerging beneath his growing despair.
She tries to shake off the remaining foliage and he laughs gently as she complains, that strange flutter in his chest rising again when she looks at him like that. “I don’t mind.” He replies, his grin momentarily returning. “It kind of suits you.” Watching the dislodged leaves fall around her, he reaches out to pluck the few stubborn ones left. It gives him something to focus on, makes it easier to revert back to the conversation at hand and not think of that look in her eye that had made him swallow so hard. “Tephra was the only kingdom I had in mind but if they aren’t there…” He trails off, knowing that if Tarian lived there then surely he would have found them by now.
“I honestly don’t know where else to look Areane.” He shrugs helplessly, his dark brown gaze finding her as gold flecks glimmer with unease. “Maybe Dad went to the Isle but he would never leave behind Mom. I’ve no idea how to even get there to look.” He states slowly, his brow furrowed as he thinks of everything he had ever known about his parents and their past that might give away a clue. “I’m not sure about the other kingdoms or territories. My mother and older brother were captives of Pangea once so I doubt that any of them would be there.” He finally says uncertainly, not realizing just how wrong he was.
Areane nods again as Link tells her that he has been in the Common Lands, trying to listen for any passing piece of information. She had begun to spend days out here as well, just trying to catch a stray word or rumor that might provide insight to those she was still searching for. But her journeys had so far proved unsuccessful and it was causing her to think that the other survivors (because she refuses to consider the alternative) had moved on to other kingdoms and herds by now.
It causes her to frown in concentration, as she tries to imagine all the places that they haven’t spoken or thought of yet. It’s the sound of his laughter and the young pegasus has the grace to laugh with him. ”I look like a wild thing,” she tells him, aware that the father Link was speaking of had once been a diplomat. She doubted either of his parents had been caught with leaves in their manes or twigs in their tails.
But she’s never minded being an outlier, and Link’s compliment is received with a small grin. The wing nearest to him reaches out to playfully brush against his lilac-colored shoulder, an attempt to keep his spirits up. When his brown eyes seek her amethyst ones, Areane doesn’t look away. She can see his unease, and so she doesn’t hesitate to offer her assistance. ”I can go to the Isle,” Areane starts. The wings on her back flutter, as if already anticipating the journey.
She’s never gone so far North before or flown so far over the ocean.
It sounds exciting and exhilarating, two adjectives that the adventure-seeker is dearly coming to love.
"What about Hyaline?” she quickly asks, trying to formulate a plan between them. "or Silver Cove?”
could you help me push aside all that I have left behind?
His sire (prior to being with his mother) had gone through a very long depressive grunge era where tangled twigs and dried dirt caked to his flaxen mane had been a norm. Of course, his youngest children were very unaware of this stage in their father’s life and so would not have been able to soothe her concerns where appearances and diplomacy fell. However, Link finds himself charmed as the last remaining leaves finally fall free from her long midnight tresses. “Not at all. You looked quite… becoming.” His easy charming grin finds his mouth despite the flash of heat that rises along his face.
As the talk turns to the huge task at hand, it returns faintly as her feathers brush gently against his pastel shoulder. He appreciates her efforts and it does help, just having someone from back home to at least understand some of the weight he carried. He isn’t anticipating her offer though and it catches him off-guard. Looking slightly startled, he holds her sparkling purple gaze of anticipation with his own dark one of concern. “Please don’t feel obligated on my account. The Isle is so far…”And I won’t be able to go with you. Not as if she needs him, he would probably only be a hindrance. Slow her down. Still, the thought feels important. Perhaps it is the notion of being alone again after finally finding someone from the past, someone that reminded him of home. Or perhaps part of him was uneasy with the thought of being responsible if something happened to her. Ledger's warnings come much easier when he's applying it to someone besides himself.
He finds a faint smile for her instead, pushing past his doubts. He could use the help and Areane was more than capable of doing so. It would be foolish to reject her offer despite his own misgivings. “I would be in your debt if you could check the Isle.” He finally says, the fetching smile back along his lips. “And I can go to Hyaline.” It was an active kingdom after all from all the accounts he had picked up from the common lands. Less dangerous these days too. Her excitement begins to rub off on him, as if sensing her sudden itch for adventure. It was like a quest, a noble Prince seeking out his family with the aid of a noble knight. “Where should we meet again?”
