[private] don't let those butterflies out - velkan

[lilliana]

It's winter. But the season is dying, the snow is melting and it slushes beneath Lilli's hooves. The branches are starting to shed their icicle adornments and spring is so, so close. Lilli can smell it in the air, the briskness of the winter breeze becoming sweeter and warmer, promising the chestnut girl that her favorite season will soon arrive. She is a child of the summer and while she adores autumn for the wild colors it paints, the spring is when the world reawakens and everything comes alive. Had she been home, the landscape would become dotted with the sight of foals trying their legs and exploring this new world. The does and the vixens, the small woodland creatures as well, would start to bring their young into the world as well.

It is a time of promise, of hope, of renewal and every year, Lilliana looks forward to it. 

As a small filly, she had hated winter. She would weep with the first frost and mourn the flowers that grew so abundant next to her river. Her heart would become heavy and break at the sight of the wilted flowers, their beauty and their wild spirit gone. But it had been Elena, her brave and lovely cousin, who had told Lilli that weren't gone, not really. They would come back, again and again, to visit Lilli, emerging each spring through the soil. Apart from two blissful springs in Murmuring Rivers, she never saw those flowers again at her favorite spot alongside the river. But they still bloomed in Paraiso, in Culloden and she assumes with blind hope, that they will bloom here as well. It is still too early yet for them to come but the chestnut mare has come to this spot, drawn by the smell of fresh water and the sound of birdsong as they start to return from whatever exotic places they must migrate too. All the signs of spring, in a different land, are familiar to Lilli.

She stops beneath a barren oak, her branches empty in the still chilly air. But there is a gentleness in it that hasn't been there before, a sign of the changing times. Spring is almost upon them.

The chestnut mare walks, her gaze fixed on the river ahead of her. It chimes and bubbles as it rushes past, the sound of her childhood. Her mind is easily lost, memories of days gone by and special moments by another river. She wonders if the grass grows long and lush here as it did at home, if it might be high and thick enough to hide a pair of fillies as they share secrets and stories. She wonders if there are flowers that grow alongside this river, if the bloom in the lovely shades of blues, pinks, and purples that she so admires. As she comes closer to the riverbank, her mind imagines the landscape dotted with yellow and white flowers, with the sweet grass swaying in a tender breeze. Distracted, she slows and scans the landscape, the melting snow and the branches waiting to be free of their icy weights.

Soon.

And then she thinks of Elaina as she always does, wonders if Windskeep and her grandmother offered her what she was seeking. The ache of missing her cousin doesn't subside and Lilli wonders again what the golden mare might have thought of this place. She sighs and moves forward again, coming closer to the gray river. The ice is gone but the sky still looms clear and icy blue above, winter still reminding her that he reigns. She stops and stares down at that reflection, the one that has always stared back at her. The blue eyes blink and Lilli studies herself, thinking that there is something tired about her, something that wasn't there the previous spring. She reaches down and gingerly, her maw touches the water. It's cold, startlingly so. It prickles something sensitive in her nose and it runs down her spine, the icy chill making the chestnut mare shiver.

@[Velkan]

[Velkan]

Have I figured out what I’m doing here in Beqanna yet? Well, kind of. What I’m doing is meeting a bunch of really nice and kind of strange horses, usually mares, which I guess is weird. Chronos was a boy, but he was little. Are there any fully grown stallions around? There must be. Sometimes I see a mare that’s looking like she’s going to burst with a baby so there must be at least some guy out there to help make the next generation. Who is this Beqanna Stallion and why haven’t I come across him yet? Anyway, not that I’m looking but I think the next friend I’m about to make is another mare which just sort of feeds this conspiracy I’m building about how there’s no (or, perhaps, just one) other stallions in Beqanna. But that gets pushed to the back of my mind because I watch in horror as this chestnut mare takes a drink out of what looks like a very, very, very, VERY cold river. I sort of wish that I was standing on the opposite side of the river as her – I think it would be very poetic and just a nice little way to set up the scene. As it is, however, we’re on the same side and for reasons, I’m not interested in crossing a very chilly looking river just to make a point. So instead I approach her in a very boring way, which is I just sort of walk up to her. She had been drinking from the river and just the idea of that sent shivers running down my spine – which, since it’s basically visible, the small shiver is visible as it shakes my body for a second. “You’re a lot braver than I am.” I point out as I come to stop a few strides down river from her, completely without irony. Which, as you’ll come to see, is just how I talk. I’m not one to tease, unless it is very light-hearted, and there’s absolutely a tone of reverence in my voice. I look from the chestnut mare to the river by my hooves, but I’m very carefully making sure that my charcoal-black hooves are staying quite nice and dry. “I wouldn’t even step into a cold river if someone triple thousand double dog dared me to, never mind drink from it.”

artwork by space1993

@[lilliana]

[lilliana]

The water, while frigid, is clear and refreshing. She takes one sip, two and tries not to shudder again. It is only the sound of footfalls that prevent her from taking that third sip. Lilli lifts her head to peer down to the dark stranger who comes into her view. She doesn’t miss the way his body shivers – her blue eyes glance him over in marveling curiosity. Beqanna and her residents come in a wide array of colors, powers, physiques and today she does not disappoint.

He is wild in a fantastical way, in the way of dragons and mermaids and wizards. By the time her eyes go to seek out the stallions dark ones, they are already light up with questions.

His words cause the edges of her mouth to turn up, a smile ready to greet Velkan. ”Or just thirstier than you,” comes the teasing reply of the chestnut mare. While the stallion might not be one to tease, Lilliana certainly is. The words come warmly from her and the smile that she shares with Velkan is meant to be an invitation for him to play along if he wishes too.

The stallion drops his gaze to his hooves that stand firmly planted away from the bank of the River and Lilli’s eyes follow. She drops her head slightly as it tilts to an inquisitive angle. The water sparkles invitingly and for a moment, Lilliana wishes it was a nicer day. She wishes for the warmth of summer, the heat of the sun as she basks in it, the sweetness of the air when it becomes lush with the scent of flowers. Spring is coming, she knows this. But on days like today where the ground still feels frozen and the ice in the river has barely broken its thaw, she wishes it would come sooner.

”You know,” she says, trying to keep the laughter from her voice as she tries to make it sound more.. ominous. (She tries at this and struggles, her mirth is never more than a heartbeat away.) She casts a look to the river, wishing again that the day was warmer. Had the season been further along or the day more promising, she might have dared to splash Velkan. With mock seriousness, she casts her gaze back to the stallion. ”My mother said you should never speak of dares with a stranger.” Lilli schools herself to keep a straight face, to try and keep the smile from forming.

But as soon as the stallion manages to look her way again, Lilli's grin spreads and her expression becomes playful. ”But I think we can fix that. I’m Lilliana. If I know your name then we won’t be strangers anymore.” 

LILLIANA

i left home on account of snow
(buried all the things i know)

@[Velkan]

[Velkan]

If you look really REALLY REALLY closely, you can see my eyes widen as the chestnut mare speaks and I have to fight the urge not to shuffle back and away from the bank even further. I really really don’t want to get splashed with the cold water!! I don’t have any fat on me, do you know how quickly cold temperatures just seep into my bones?? Instantly! Because they’re right near the surface!! The reason you’d have to look really ridiculously closely to see my eyes widen is because there’s no rim of white to give away my temporary fear – everything about those eyes (and, indeed, about me) is black. Which makes it really hard, for example, a moment later when I realize that she won’t splash me because she’s smiling and introducing herself, for me to convey my joy and relief that she’s not just a big ol’ meanie. That is, until I start talking – because my voice carries every drip of happiness and emotion that my expression can’t. “I’m Velkan.” The words come out rushed, all squished together like imvelkan because I want to introduce myself as FAST as possible so that we’re not strangers anymore. I like her expression being more playful though, and it causes me to relax. “I’ll have to be more careful about mentioning dares in the future, especially when it’s so cold out.” I say as I grin at Lilliana. “Did your mom have any other good advice?” I mean hey, I didn’t get any good advice from my own mothers so I might as well see if there’s anything I can learn second-hand, right?

artwork by space1993

@[lilliana] I am the WORST I swear it won't take me 2 months to reply next time but if you don't want to continue this thread I understand lmao

[lilliana]

I'm Velkan, he says in a voice that warms her despite the day being so cold against her copper coat.

Lilliana can't help herself - the dimple deepens and she beams back at the ebony stallion. "Velkan," she says, her voice slow and steady where his had been a stream of words and icy smoke in the winter air. There is a quick spark of blue, something that dances behind the silver-blue gaze. "What a wonderful name," she muses out loud to both of them. Tilting her head to the right, an inquisitive look comes over her crimson features. "What does it mean?" Surely somebody as wonderful as Velkan, somebody who looks like they have a making of a great story around them and so Lilli rather quickly assumes his name must be as equally wonderful.

She turns around now to face the antlered stallion and her eyes linger there a moment, admiring the beauty of them and the prominence they lend to him. He's taller than she is, she notes but his antlers make him seem so much larger. (She does notice how thin he is and Lilli thinks that she will have to show him all the best grazing spots coming spring, to make sure that he has the sweetest grass.)

When Velkan grins at her, she mirrors the expression with something a touch more reckless. She's about to tell him something, another teasing reply to keep this banter going.

And then he asks about her mother.
Aletta.
(How far you are from home, Lillibird.)

But Lilli has gotten good at this. While the ache comes, the smile stays. "She told me it was better to ask forgiveness than permission." And truly, there is no better way to surmise her mother. Aletta had blazed her own trails, lit her own fires and burned everything around her that poised a threat to those she loved and cared for. Lilli gives a playful shrug to Velkan and finally rises over the bank, leaving the grasp of the frigid water behind her. A brow raises when she finally comes to a standstill before Velkan, peering up at him with amusement underneath her wavy forelock. "And what advice did your mother give you?"

LILLIANA

i left home on account of snow
(buried all the things i know)

@[Velkan] you are the BEST and she thinks hes the bees knees