"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
02-06-2024, 06:20 PM (This post was last modified: 02-07-2024, 10:42 PM by Kreation.)
"What the...?" I scuff as iron hooves collide with the stone tapestry below. "Where the..." My view scans the mountainscape that lacks any life. The wings that carry me to my homelands do not fold at my sides upon landing. Instead, they reach skywards as if to take off from this disgrace of a land. My body twists right, eyes still trying to find something of recognition. "Ok... This isn't funny. Where is my fucking volcano?!" A huff escapes my nostrils whilst hooves stomp almost tantrum like. In all directions atop the mountain peaks snow blankets them. A chill creeps down my spine and a shiver shakes loose. "It's fucking freezing up here!" My head shakes in protest, surely I had missed something. Think, think, think.
In an almost frozen state I consider all possibilities. Did I miscalculate my landing? Did I forget my own birthplace's location? It isn't until a flake of frozen precipitation lands on my nose that I am jolted back to reality. "Ugh! I hate the cold! I'm outta here." With a leap my wings create a cyclone to bring me airborne again. Something had gone awry, and I was determined to find answers...
I bring myself to loop above the lands one last time. Tephra's volcanic peaks should be plainly visible and yet they are nowhere in sight. Drawing in a deep breath I couldn't even smell the sulfur of my homeland. Even though the stench was unwelcomed to many I had become accustomed to it growing up. With one last flap of my great wings, I turn my irritation to the earth below. Tucking them now close to my flesh and iron body I dive from the skies like a bolt of electricity. My land is sharp and earth quacking. Crack!
The sound reverberates off the mountainous landscape announcing my existence here. I lack patience though and so I begin to trek across the lands. Leaving only an indentation in the earth. My wings rest at my sides. The bladed one glistens the sunlight like a beacon if one could see it. Ears twist back and forth listening for the faintest of sounds of life here. A snort, laugh, hell a fart would do...
Luckily, I am in peak shape and so I travel effortlessly by hoof. The rugged landscape could be treacherous to those less fit than I. A few more strides and I can smell water. Not the salted kind that kissed Tephra's shores, but of a cool refreshing sort. I was a bit thirsty and the beaten trail I was traversing seems to be leading me to such destination. I quicken pace and break into a clearing where a clear blue lake lay before me. Almost as if fate were with me there is someone here as well. What luck! "Hey you! Ya you! Where the fuck am I?"
It is not entirely surprising that he finds himself at the lake once more.
Every day he wanders, lost in replays of the night that everything went wrong, wondering how he had let himself fall into such a messy mud pit of a relationship. He thinks of different things he could have said that might have led to a more pleasant ending. But mostly, he just clings to the memory of her, of the anger that somehow enhanced her frosty touch while heating the air between them.
A grumble of frustration breaks the silence as he stares out over the crystalline surface. Frustration that he does not know what to do next, annoyance that he still dwells on the incident, and disappointment that she has not returned. He keeps coming back to this spot, thinking, hoping that perhaps she has given in to the same silent pull that had originally brought them both here that night.
But night after night, he is but a solitary shadow skulking at the water’s edge.
This night passes uneventfully into dawn and he spreads his wings wide in the burgeoning daylight, stretching the muscles and tendons in preparation to take to the skies, to scout yet another piece of Beqanna for some glimpse of her. Once satisfied with the renewed elasticity in his wings, he takes a bit of time to free the rest of his body from the stiffness that had settled during his nightly vigil.
His routine is interrupted by the sudden crack that echoes through the Dale. His eyes immediately scan the sky above, searching for gloomy clouds that might explain the thunder-like clap. Seeing none, his apprehension begins to blossom, wondering what fresh hell might be heralded by such a commanding noise.
He briefly considers taking flight to avoid whatever might have just landed, but he is feeling somewhat reckless, no doubt driven by the exasperation that threatens to consume him, so he stays. He stays far longer than he thought he would, but his ‘patience’ is eventually rewarded with the sound of approaching steps. Heavy steps, far more substantial than he would associate with the woman that soon stomps into view.
Though he is more accustomed to the newer manifestations of magic, the glint of the morning light off of the lavender metal catches him by surprise. Well, that’s certainly new.
She gives him no additional time to continue studying her appearance as she calls out. He does not really question whether she is speaking to him, as he is painfully sure that there are no others nearby. Still, he does not respond immediately to her, prompting a second shout, followed by her coarsely worded query. He is not exactly put off by her vocabulary, but he admits that it is a far cry from that of the company he’d been keeping in these last months.
He glances around as though confirming the space that they currently occupy and shakes his wings out to dispel the tension that had been coiling within him. His eyes skim over her hybrid form once more, a touch of skepticism flashing as he does so.
“The Dale.. and it must not be what you’re looking for. Welcome to the club.”
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware
02-10-2024, 12:49 PM (This post was last modified: 02-10-2024, 01:07 PM by Kreation.)
My pace continues up the path as I shout my demands for answers to the stranger. The winged horse pauses and looks about the area before sending a response into the void between us. My ears catch his words but my brain only processes the name. Coming to an abrupt halt -not more than four paces away- my ears twist back and make my annoyance known before the words leak from my mouth. "The Dale? What kind a fucking name is that!?" My voice is full of disgust as I spit the name out, a huff of irritation is exhaled as I begin to question the winged horse without pause, "Where is Tephra? You know Tephra right?? Tropical oasis... Hotter than hell... Enormous exploding mountains... Rivers of molted earth... The greatest kingdom to ever exist! Where did it go??" My eyes remain fixated on the earthy colored pegacorn as I pause just briefly. My mind moves quickly through memories of my birthplace as I spoke and I am only for a moment softened in thought. That is until a memory surfaces of turmoil and chaos that again has my lips spewing harsh words, "Ugg! Don't tell me those fucking fairies had something to do with this! Those do-gooders just can't leave shit alone."
My ears press harder against my skull as I think of my home being tossed to the depths as other lands have been before. Amethyst tail whips in irritation at such thoughts as I now silence for answers. Iron hooves shift my heavy frame as my wings now tighten at my sides as if preparing for battle. If Tephra had been drug to the abyss, I was prepared to do whatever it took to get Her back...
Intimidating though her appearance is, he does not yield any ground as she moves ever closer to where he stands. A small part of him wants to laugh at her rageful intensity, but he bites down on the urge, remembering how poorly yielding to this impulse had served him recently. He opens his mouth, intending to comment on her insinuations about the Dale, but she leaves no pause for him to speak, so he just waits for her tirade to come to completion.
A twinge, sharp and throbbing, reverberates through his chest when she mentions Tephra. He wonders how long it’s going to be like this, how long he’ll be limping around with little reminders of the kelpie girl like little annoying, painful rocks beneath his feet. It would be lovely to imagine that crossing paths with this Tephra-lover is a sign that all hope is not lost, but the pessimist in him tells him that it’s just another torturous reminder of what is now lost to him.
He does not catch her comment on the Beqanna fairies as he ruminates, but he does realize that she is no longer speaking, so he shifts his weight in nearly the same moment that she does. He clears his throat, swallowing the dusty webs that have collected in his time alone.
“This was once the Forbidden Dale, home of the neutral mythicals when such divisions were prominent in Beqanna.” It feels strange to describe the Dale’s past to a stranger, considering he had never marched under their banner (or really any kingdom’s) in those days.
He does his best to keep his expression passive as he continues on, “As for Tephra, I only know that it no longer exists. It seems that virtually all of the lands disappeared during a series of natural disasters that led to the discoveries of Baltia, a sea kingdom, and Stratos, a sky kingdom. There was an incident on the Mountain and when the smoke cleared, four lands had returned… Pangea, the Gates, the Chamber, and the Dale.”
Before he can stop himself, his curiosity prompts him to ask, “I knew someone from Tephra, but we did not speak much of it.” Exasperation trickles through his veins, heating his blood as the words spill from his mouth. He knows he should just move on, but he cannot stop listening to the whispers of wistfulness that linger and it bothers him. “It seems that you have quite a connection, would you mind telling me more of Tephra and why it means so much to you?”
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware
I stand ready and waiting. Expecting some elaborate story of the righteous fairies. How they bended the rules of their magic and called it justice. That it was their only option in keeping the peace. That it was for our benefit, and we should learn from our transgressions. Pfft. Fucking Fairies. No instead I am given a history lesson, boring and mundane. Lands are mentioned that I have never heard of and care to know nothing about. Call me a women on a mission.
My thoughts wander and as I am about to check my ethereal watch for the time, he asks why I search for the lost kingdom. What my connection is to the lands. Now this perks my ears and pulls back my attention with a slight grin twisting my lips. "Tephra, My good Sir, was among the greatest kingdoms to exist in the New Age," my head is held high with pride. "There were many great Kings and Queens, but none as great as my Father. He ruled here long ago with my Mother, his twin Sister. They had a very close bond and ruled equally. They were fair and just. They held family above all else and Tephra was, is, our family. Our blood runs thick through its lava veins. It runs thick through my veins." my voice is equally as prideful as my expression. "You see I was created in those lava veins. My grandfather was buried there, and my mother and father used their magic to combine his bones and the iron of the earth to form me. So, it is more than a Kingdom, or a land to me. It is me... And I would go to the ends of the worlds to bring her back!"
I begin to move towards the lake, willing him to follow for the story continues as I look up towards the snow-covered mountains, "She is a beauty Tephra. The dark craggy mountains create a tropical oasis. It is warm and cozy there. Lava from the volcano streams down its side, pulsing a brilliant orange and red. It is Tephras' heart the volcano, just as much as Her people." My wings loosen from my sides as I close my eyes, "And the skies! The skies you can soar on the thermals for hours on end. Her skies are always bright and inviting. The sunrises and sunsets are the most beautiful of the lands." My eyes open again as my wings spread just a little farther from my body. My face turns to the winged man with a gentle smile, "Oh and the waters... So clear and refreshing. There is a river that cuts through the center from the ocean where I played as a young cyborg," I chuckle softly, "Iron and salt water don't go well together but if one had affinity for the sea you would find them there as well." I look out again to the lake before me. The smile I held softened slightly as I realize the place I speak of exists no more. "It is a shame to have lost something so grand..." My words trail as my memories dissipate. My mismatched wings clutch to my sides again as I am about to walk off. There was nothing more for me here...
If he could hear her thoughts about the fairies, he might have to give her credit for a highly accurate assessment. That is almost exactly what transpired after he and the others were given a chance to repair the Baltian/Stratosian rift before it could fracture into what they had come to know in the present day. In the initial months after their experience, he’d gone through the quite unpleasant self-examination, which led to a lot of self-doubt. But still, he is not ungrateful for the changes that have befallen him because of it all.
He listens intently as she describes her ties to Tephra, takes note of the immense prestige she bestows upon it and her family. A lonely longing washes over him as she extolls their virtues. While he had been mindful of his sons and setting an example of what he believed to be ideal masculinity for them, while he had known that a daughter had grown to rule the Valley, he had never developed relationships with them. If any still lived, he was sure they would have nothing kind to say of him, let alone boast of him as Kreation does of her father. He is somewhat surprised to find himself dabbling in regret as he contemplates all of this.
When she heads for the lake, he follows, fascinated by the devotion she expresses. Her declaration unknowingly sparks something deep within him, but he is too focused on the pictures that she paints with her words. He can feel the heat of the volcanic atmosphere she describes, the humidity that must saturate the air he finds himself wanting to explore. A smile to match hers blooms when she turns to look at him. He can almost taste the brine the breezes must carry from the nearby ocean.
The salt.
Like a mirror, his face falls as hers does. Everything she mentions fits perfectly into how Adriana came to be what he knows her as. A sea-creature with a warring combination of ice and fire in her blood. It seems to suit the purple woman beside him as well. His gaze drifts to the lake when she falls silent, where the illusion of a red-gold kelpie girl sinking into its water taunts him yet again. Kreation’s words come back to him, just as a tightness closes around his chest, stealing his breath in a single heartbeat.
“I would go to the ends of the worlds to bring her back!”
What started as an unnoticed flicker suddenly flares into a blinding light that overwhelms every fiber of his being. He had intended to tell Adriana what she means to him, but perhaps there is a way to show her. Beqanna fells and resurrects kingdoms as she sees fit, would she consider an ignorant man’s request to return Tephra to its glory? He looks back to Kreation, traces of his growing conviction glimmering in his eyes as he thanks the stars for dropping her so unexpectedly in his path.
His voice is thick and rough with emotion when he speaks again. “Perhaps we should take a little trip to the mountain.. surely the magics that be have a price for returning Tephra to you… and others that surely still love her as you do.”
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware
My motion lingers like a lovers touch. Unsure if it should give in to desire or drift away. It is just long enough that I see a spark in the man beside me. Out of my peripheal vison I catch it and it holds me in that moment, begging me to not let go just yet.
Then it is his voice that breaks the stillness, and my thoughts consider his proposal. An agreeing smile sweeps across my features and has me side stepping to turn and face the pegacorn. My feathered wing rustles as the iron blades of the other tinge as the spread. I nod and simply add, "Hell ya! Worst they can say if fuck off right?!" I take a leap to my right, wings skyward, "Last one there's gotta kiss fairy heinie!" One thrust of my giant wings and I am airborne.
