"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
Today was one of the rare days when he wasn't consumed in sudden rage and violent tendencies. He wasn't enjoying the company of Lilitha and her girl, or Jinju, or Polaris and Soldat. He'd needed some time alone, another patrol.
He felt lonely.
He should feel blessed. There were so many around that cared for him, that he cared for. Family and friends, new and old. He was so blessed. The hollow ache couldn't be ignored, though. The gaping void, the emptiness. He was lonely, and that was so strange to him.
It reminded him of Australis and he realized he missed her. Just a brief night with a stranger and his tiny daughter, but it had been in a time when he was hurting. As he may be hurting now. Was that what this was? Was he so numb and unfeeling now that he couldn't even recognize it?
He walked to the border and he waited. Aten would arrive sometime soon, he was sure. Bright would not show, as she never did. Where was she? He would have considered finding Elysteria, a new acquaintance, though it didn't seem wise when he was in his current state of mind. He would not be enjoyable company, if he ever was.
"Aten," he called evenly, hoping the golden stallion had arrived. A visit to his previous home.
@[Aten]
i am the worst at starters and i'm sorry this took so long =/
It wasn't a hard decision for Aten to make when Ruan left and headed back to Taiga. After all, he'd said he wanted to return and see what had become of the place he called home ever since he was forcibly separated from his older sister. However, it seemed Ruan wanted to go on ahead, so Aten started to trail after him at a walking pace and letting the other stallion do his own thing.
It took at least a day of full travel, without stopping, to reach Taiga, but Aten wasn't in a huge hurry. He would hurry up if something else bad happened, but for right now, he felt safe. He didn't stop for long on the way, only for brief periods to have a small bite to eat and drink from any source of water he found as long as it was safe to do so. When he arrived in Taiga, the sun was already well into the sky. It was easy to spot the stallion standing on the small hill that outlined Taiga's border, and Aten's ears went forward when he heard Ruan say his name.
The golden stallion kept his pace at a walk as he neared Ruan, stopping a few feet short of the other's personal space so he wouldn't intrude. He dipped his head in a show of greeting and respect, "Hello Ruan." His gaze drifted past the stallion, sweeping over what he could see of the Taiga. He smiled softly, his eyes growing melancholy.
I watch the city burn, these dreams like ashes float away...
Singe was slowly beginning to blossom here in Taiga, green eyes wide and a smile on her face as she scampered through the forest with her momma at her heels. Life was lots better with Momma there to keep her safe and to make sure she didn’t get scared and accidentally set the world on fire more. By herself was hard and so, so scary, but Momma let her stay close always, and with Momma around even if she screamed and started fires it was easy to fix.
Momma was the bestest.
Ohhhh but a close, close second was her wolf friend! She spotted him up ahead and grinned, galumphing his way and snuggling right up to his side. His hair was extra long and cozy warm, and she burrowed her face into his side and breathed in his scent, which was quickly becoming as familiar as Momma’s. And! ‘Cause Momma was so close, she even talked. “Oh hiii! I missed you! Where’s your baby? D’you think he maybe wants to play? Do you wanna play? Momma’s here too, we could play together!”
Okay, she maybe talked a lot. But! That was good, right? Just meant she was feeling safe and happy and--oh! She finished rubbing her face against his side and opened her eyes and eep! There was a stranger! Omg oops! Her eyes went soooo wide and she gasped and tucked herself right up against her wolf friend’s side, wings curling protectively around herself, holding on tight.
Momma came up behind her and nuzzled her spine, and she peeked up at Momma’s face and then ducked her head and hid in between them ‘til she found out if the new person was scary or not. “Hello,” Momma’s pretty, husky voice murmured, and it felt like Momma was petting her hair and cuddling her close, that one little word dancing across her skin all cozy-like. Okay. That helped a little.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to intrude. I’m Lilitha, and this is my daughter Singe.” Daughter! That was her! She peeked out around her wolf friend’s shoulder, juuuust far enough to see the stranger with one big green eye before ducking away again to hide against him. “She’s a little shy. Do you mind a little company? It’s good for her to get to know new people.”
Ruan didn't have a chance to say much before the stallions were joined by a playful little foal, who galloped toward Ruan as fast as she could and all but skidded to a stop right next to him before nuzzling into his side like a wolf cub and it's dam. Aten had a strange flashback in that moment to the last time he'd seen Ruan as the predator animal he could turn into. He remembered he'd been a bit struck by it, but not frightened, something others might think him crazy for.
The filly began talking at a mile a minute, asking Ruan where his little one was and if he wanted to play, then asking Ruan if he wanted to play with the filly and her dam. Aten's lips curled into an amused smile at the energy this little creature had, fond memories of his own foalhood coming back to him as well. So Ruan had another little one too? Aten made a mental note to ask the stallion about that.
When the filly spotted Aten, she balked and hugged Ruan's side as if she were trying to blend into his coat. That was when Aten first noticed her tiny wings, at first practically invisible to his eye since the little one had been bouncing around so much to get Ruan's attention.
A mare soon joined the trio, coming up behind the foal and nuzzling her alone her spine, calming the little one down some. While she did so, Aten looked her over briefly. She was a pretty creature, with a coal black coat, a red mane and tail, and golden eyes that seemed a few shades lighter than Aten's own coloring. She had a scar on her chest and what appeared to be one on either side of her spine, though Aten couldn't fathom where the latter two came from. She also had a slash mark down her face as if she'd been attacked, but she still looked very pretty despite that. For some reason, thinking of the wounds that could've turned into those scars, Aten's own on his pasterns and belly seemed to itch, and the stallion shuffled his hooves to try and make the feeling go away.
The mare greeted the stallions with a 'Hello' before introducing both herself and her foal. Aten's brown eyes glanced down at the filly to see her watching him with one green eye before ducking back under cover to conceal herself from the golden stallion.
Aten's smile turned gentle as he replied in his own deep, baritone voice, "Not at all." He lowered his head some to try and meet the foal at eye level, speaking in a quiet, soft tone, "Hello little one. Singe is your name? It's nice to meet you; I'm Aten. Why don't you come on out of there so we can play? Maybe be friends, if you'd like that."
12-28-2018, 11:05 AM (This post was last modified: 12-28-2018, 11:05 AM by Ruan.)
the taigan
Everyone present were a bit covered in scars, and it was mildly intriguing to think what might come between the two younger adults. Even little Singe had her own scars buried deep in her little heart, he thought to himself as he dipped his head to blow a cool breath over her forelock.
She had come a long way under Lilitha's care, brightening and sneaking out of that shell she hid behind. He was proud to see the changes, warmed by Lilitha's nurturing. Singe would be just as proud and confident some day, regardless of how she pressed further into his side when she'd finally noticed Aten.
He smmiled down at her softly, sensing Lilitha joining them and watching her nose brush down the girl's back.
After Aten introduced himself, Ruan added easily, "Aten is my family. You can trust him with your life." With a quiet smirk, his eyes lifted to Lilitha then to Aten. "And Lilitha is daughter to the Taiga's only king. She is family too." They were all family in Taiga, but not in the way that it would be strange should the two of them find an interest in each other.
He hoped they both found their own families and happiness. Children had always been a joy and he'd love to see more of them. Especially those from the people he cared for so deeply.
And in smiling answer to Singe, "Rian is near. I think playing with him sounds like a good idea, if he'll let you. He needs to learn how to be a kid. Unless you'd like to play with Aten? He won't let anything happen to you. You can trust him."
