"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
A refreshing summer breeze shifted part of the lone mare's mane to the other side of her neck, drawing a surprised snort from her. While summer was known to have the occasional breeze, she didn't suspect them to be powerful enough to move her hair like that. Lifting her sculpted head, she gave her neck a good shake, easily knocking her mane back onto one side of her neck. While the entire mane hadn't followed, it was enough that she was no longer irritated, so she settled for looking around a moment, having grown slightly bored with grazing.
The weather was nice out in the field today. Iona had been here over last winter and spring, and so had been here to witness the various new lives that had appeared during the season of rebirth. She'd smiled with each new foal that had appeared, taking its first steps into the world, slowly getting more accustomed to walking on its wobbly legs so that it could one day keep up with its mother should a new force of danger arrive.
Thinking back on one day a few weeks back, when a foal, just a few days old, had made its way over to the chocolate flaxen mare, Iona had whickered to the small creature before urging it to return to its mother's side. Luckily, the young one had quickly understood and had run back to its mother, and Iona had avoided any sort of conflict that might have arisen from that situation.
As the memory left her, Iona returned to her grazing, deciding that she would take advantage of the warm summer days for as long as possible before the autumn season would once again take hold of this land she'd decided to call home a few months ago.
(OOC: Stallions, feel free to try and claim her if you'd like)
02-11-2016, 02:34 PM (This post was last modified: 02-13-2016, 04:37 AM by demian.)
This was the way the night had cashed in. Choices had been made and things happened, and here we were. It was sad, and funny. My life was made of this. Stuff like this.
You could say it came back to him like a child riding a bike after a year long break. The coming and goings of searching the field for new faces in search of a place to call home. His lack of sight was becoming more and more easy to deal with as he stepped into the long dark grass and came to a stop, ears twitching slightly as he took in the sounds of the voices that surrounded him and carried with the wind. The sounds of hoof beats carried along with them, noting those who were alone and those who were not and it took a while for him to pinpoint a lone soul.
Though when he did his ears pricked forward, his head tilting towards the sound of their movements. "Ah," he whispered under his breath quietly. Finally, he had found one. Unlike the mare, Demian had not been able to see the changes of the seasons this past year. But he had been able to sense the changes. Feel them, hear them, smell them... He had loved the way he heard the call of small whinnies coming from young foals and the adoring calls of their mothers and fathers. The life of a new generation was always something to marvel at.
You could say it was one of the few pleasures he had come to know in the world on his own, and become to treasure more so now that his eyes were gone from his skull in their entirety. It was then he remembered the scarring that traced his eye sockets from the cosmic fire that had burned them away. A sacrifice it was, the loss of his eyes in order to protect his kingdom during a time of vulnerability. Though now that the firewall was gone and he was nolonger king, the fire had left him, leaving him to have to relearn the ways of the world without assistance.
And so for the last year he had spent his time alone, learning to travel the lands of Beqanna without the help of anyone at his side. With this new learned ability, Demian found himself turning, his hooves digging into the soft dirt beneath him as he headed towards the sound of the lone spirit moving around the field. It seemed like forever before he finally realized he was next to her and with a soft nicker of greeting he alerted the dark mare of his presence. "Hello there," his voice is deep but quiet. "I'm Demian."
A small smile tilts at the corners of his lips as he tucks his wings at his jaguar spotted sides, making their orange glow dim slightly. "I do hope I'm not intruding on your peaceful moment. But I thought I'd come and ask for your name." His head turns towards her and had he had a set of eyes still, he would have been looking straight at her. But instead, to show her his attention was on her and her alone his ears pricked forward, pointed in her direction as he relaxes slowly and leans into his haunches waiting for her response.
Iona heard the sound of a creature approaching her long before she actually lifted her head to see it. Horses, like a lot of animals, hear things differently than others, and so, true to her instincts, she'd picked up on the sound of approaching hoofbeats. She recognized that sound pretty easily, given it was from one of her own species.
From this distance, Iona glimpsed the horse, at first not noticing his appearance. However, by his bulkier build, longer stride, and powerful look, Iona immediately figured that this was a stallion. As he got closer, Iona also started to notice his unique appearance, something she had never figured she would see on a horse, or any creature really.
The stallion's coat was marked with orange spots, and two wings were tucked against his sides. Iona, like any creature that had never seen something like this, was obviously taken aback, but wasn't scared or anything of the like. She just thought it was highly unusual.
Listening as the stallion introduced himself, giving her a gentle smile, Iona felt compelled to return the gesture. However, that was when she noticed something else. It didn't appear as if the horse could see her, instead using his ears to help determine where she was. Deciding to help him, Iona spoke in a clear, calm, sweet voice, the melody and tone much like that of a gentle bell swaying in a summer breeze.
"Hello Demian, it's very nice to meet you. You're not intruding at all; I welcome your company. My name is Iona."
02-11-2016, 06:40 PM (This post was last modified: 02-13-2016, 04:37 AM by demian.)
This was the way the night had cashed in. Choices had been made and things happened, and here we were. It was sad, and funny. My life was made of this. Stuff like this.
He could hear her turn to look at him and with a curious twitch of the lips he patiently waited through the silent period of her observation. He knew what she was doing. That she was taking in his unusal color, his unusual markings and wings. And he knew she would soon come to find the lack of eyes within his skull. But there was something different. Something unusual to her response. Not an ounce of surprise or fear surrounded her. Not that he could sense anyway and with a soft chuckle he relaxes a bit more.
It's not as though he would care if she minded, but it was quite different to find someone who wasn't effected in the least by his unusual traits. And the way her voice rang calm and clear through the space between him immediately had the corners of his lips twitching upwards in a slightly larger smile. "Ah, well that I am glad to hear, Iona," he chuckles softly. "It is quite nice to meet you by the way."
He rolls his shoulders slightly, his wings tucking against his sides a bit more snugly. "Forgive me if I seem a bit awkward it's been a while since I've traveled outside the borders of my home." He smiles apologetically before rolling his shoulders again, but this time in a soft shrug. And then he continues his voice smooth and relaxed, "I came here in search of those in need of homes with the ability of offering them a place to go."
He pauses momentarily allowing her to process what he's saying. "If you are indeed searching, I come from a kingdom known as the Valley. My fellow member Rhonan and I are working dutifully in trying to rebuild our numbers and if you would like to come and see our home to determine whether or not it would be a good fit for you, then we would love to have you."
Ah, how bliss is the awkward nature of a stallion at such an old age. "A kingdom is much different then herd life in many ways. We allow rankings, in both war and peace in which our members are allowed to choose. We give our members the ability to work up fairly through those ranks and make a name for themselves... And if that doesn't seem fun to you, we do allow those to remain simply as residents..."
He pauses once more to take a few breaths. "Our kingdoms are also ruled by kings and or queens and they tend to run the show. Not just a stallion... (another pause) If this seems a bit interesting to you, I'd gladly take you back, show you around and you can, like I said earlier, stay for a while to see how you feel about it. But it's up to you." It wasn't great, his little speech. Seems like he was definitely a bit rusty since his ruling days. And that was one thing he wasn't about to admit to the girl just yet. That the very kingdom he was inviting her to he had once sat as king within.
No, no. He wasn't ready for that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. For now he was most concerned about finding new and dedicated faces for the Valley.
Unknown to the stallion, Iona was indeed surprised at having noticed he did not have any eyes, clearly attributing to why he didn't seem to be looking straight at her. However, she wasn't incredibly surprised, for she had seen a horse of similar conditions, back in her home herd. The poor thing had been one of the victims of the mountain lion attack that day, the very same attack in which she'd lost her mother.
It was hard, to look at the stallion now and not remember, but she did not voice her surprise, nor show it. She didn't exactly know how to act around him yet, not without offending him at least. For all she knew, either dropping hints about it, or even keeping quiet might offend him.
So, instead of doing either, she just made sure to speak nice and clear; it wasn't out of obligation, she always did, just to be sure others could understand what she was saying. As a filly, she'd had a bit of a stutter due to her shyness prior to the death of her mother. It had become a habit of hers to make sure she spoke clearly, to avoid falling back into that nervous tidbit of stuttering every other sentence.
Not failing to notice the smile on the stallion's face growing wider, Iona's did the same. She gave her mane a quick shake, tossing her neck before turning to fully face him, "You have nothing to ask for forgiveness Demian. I myself haven't lived here long either; I understand how it can be."
Iona remained quiet as Demian continued to speak, telling him what he was doing out here. He described the home - kingdom, she reminded herself - and his task at helping those that needed new homes. Silently wondering for a brief moment who Rhonan is, but not voicing it, Iona kept her attention focused on the stallion. For some reason, she felt herself a bit unsettled at the fact of a stallion and mare ruling together.
Back in her traveling days, every herd she'd come across had a stallion leader, and a mare that, while not a queen, was often referred to as the 'favorite', the 'lead' mare. When the herd had to flee from danger, the mare would lead the way, the stallion lagging in the back to watch for danger and help urge the herd along. It was all hat Iona was used to.
Would this... kingdom, be any different than that? Or were the ruling different? How exactly did these 'leaders' run their kingdom? Were they kind to other horses, like Demian?
While still a bit unsure of the idea, for some reason, the mare's curiosity was piqued. She silently decided that, if she had any questions, she could simply ask on the way to the kingdom, and then look forward to getting to know the area if she decided to stay.
Not commenting on the obvious pause that Demian had left in after the word 'stallion' when he was nearly finished explaining how a kingdom worked, Iona spoke once more.
"I... I would like to see what this place, the Valley, is like. I'd like to take a look, and I would appreciate it if you could show me around. I would more than likely get lost," she stated, a small embarrassed chuckle finishing the sentence.
This was the way the night had cashed in. Choices had been made and things happened, and here we were. It was sad, and funny. My life was made of this. Stuff like this.
"Well for that I am glad," he chuckles softly, his smile tugging once more at the corners of his lips. It is rare to someone that could be so understanding. That had the ability to be oh so patient. It was refreshing to have a spirit closely similar to himself.
As he explained the Valley and made his offer he couldn't see the fact that the idea of a king and queen rather than just a stallion ruling left her slightly uncomfortable. But had he been able to he would have reassured her that it wasn't much different and that despite what was well known to her she may come to like the new ways of Beqanna, though only time would truly tell.
It is when he hears her approval that he grins happily and turns slightly, taking a few steps back so as to direct her south towards the Valley and let her step ahead that speaks with an amused and happy tone.
"Well Iona, that makes me quite happy. Come, let me take you to my home and show you the kingdom."
demian
carnage x adalind
@[Iona] Whoops sorry this took a bit and I'm sorry it's short but I figured we could wrap this up and continue in the Valley! ;D I can get a post up for her tomorrow or you could type up a post there. It's totally up to you. If you write one first I'll be sure to respond tomorrow afternoon, otherwise I'll get one up for you by then <3
OOC: Sure, that sounds like a good idea. You can go ahead and post first since I can't really do much for Iona yet at the Valley given she doesn't know her way there or anything. However, she will have followed Demian there without any trouble, so if you want to add dialogue between them then by all means go for it.
