I missed you more than I thought I would;

[Tarnished]

I was headed insane, the devil told me his name;
but he's not welcome here anymore.

He doesn’t want to be here, but where to go?

The sea doesn’t seem big enough, he can swim to the bottom and back up again; he can discover all of its secrets, if he so chooses, and learn the name of each fish and creature that calls its depths home. The sky can only carry him so far—space, space means darkness and cold. It’s vast and empty, possibly endless; but there are no voices there, no warmth; not a single happy place to be found. He could sail off to the sun and burn up—that would surely cure his boredom, but he doesn’t want to die; it’s not a natural thing to want to die. He experienced that feeling, once.

Never again.

But then.

Maybe it isn’t boredom.

Maybe he’s lonely.

He has friends, sort of, sure; but they’re only a means to pass the time.

That’s all they have ever been.

There’s women, he can have his fair share of those—but there’s no reward in it, it’s not like coming home and having your whole day made at ‘hello.’ It’s not like curling up under the moon and counting the stars. It’s not soft kisses and tight hugs, or having them memorize and mention your favorite things simply because they love them—simply because it reminds them of you. He understands that now. He knows what made Quark ache and Nocturnal run; he knows why Else chose Caius, he knows what Dominion had with her family.

He knows.

It doesn’t hurt, it just makes him wonder—makes him feel as vast and empty as space.

--

Spring hasn’t quite taken hold yet; no children, no flowers, just bare trees and frost; gray cloudy days and bitter cold nights. He cannot sleep, sleep promises nightmares filled with scalpels and blood and the crunching of bones; so he walks, he leaves his little daughter safe in her den and checks the perimeter like a good soldier. His breath billows up like puffs of smoke, his footsteps are marked by soft crunches—branches rattle, a couple of deer scramble ahead, but besides that there doesn’t seem to be a sound for miles. Tarnished never stops to wonder why; that’s just how it is tonight, that’s just how it’s supposed to be. And he doesn’t mind.

It’s better than screaming.

He doesn’t pay attention to where he’s going, nor how far he’s gone.

He doesn’t notice until he’s there, until the cry of homeless mares and stallions alike perk his ears and his golden eyes narrow in slight confusion. Ah. Of course. Beqanna, it’s always looking for a solution to someone’s problems; Tarnished licks his lips with a black forked tongue and then grins, baring his sharp teeth. Last time he tried to join a kingdom, he’d been sucked into a vortex and… things, happened.

Maybe it isn’t such a good idea.

But he’s bored.

(Lonely.)

And needs purpose.

So he waits.

TARNISHED

[Dragonglass]

all the lies I tell myself are true

What was she doing? The inky black form had drifted far from forlorn forest this time. She seemed to drift in and out like a black tide, boundless. Lately the changes had been extreme and Dragonglass did her best to cope with the introduction of a new lead mare who was not due to give birth at any point. Daey begged the woman's forgiveness, for his betrayal, for his movement to simply arrive back in the forest's depths with a lead mare after neglecting the black orchid for some time.

Something had shifted within the shiny obsidian woman. She did not hate Daey but she had become detached, numb to his words. Recently they had spoke and he tore his heart out for her, choking with emotion and Dragonglass had silently forgiven his. After all he was a stallion and his job was to procreate, not care about the dancing arab blooded woman who feigned his advances and access to her body. There had to be more to life than having babies, right?

The svelte form advances to the field, determined to find someone else for company. The forest was lonely even after the woman named Kryll had been quiet lately and Dragonglass felt alone and well...well it was terrible. Dark eyes move about the field till she finds a face of a silver black stallion. She not really sure if she is suppose to approach him but she does. A small smile touches her lips as she approaches, a little bit of a nod is offered with the chiseled skull. "Hi there."

Her tones are soft and she makes a note to strengthen them. "What's your name?" A little stronger now. Lobes flickering towards the rustic stag. His features are older than the young woman's but still she would inquire. Stance is a bit off so as to give him space, or room to turn and run if he should decide he wanted a bite out of her pretty hide.

DRAGONGLASS

covet x irk