darkness is coming to swallow the light; all kingdom

[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.

Silence.

It filled the corners of the kingdom and slowly spread out towards the center like a thick morning fog creeping around the tall pine trees. Like the last time it had once again driven him out months ago and Demian had been doing his best to fill the kingdom once more with life and thankfully it seemed to be going well.

Yet the lack of the kingdoms rulers, which he had put in place himself, was becoming a situation they needed to take control of and quickly with the approaching war. It would be quite a situation if the kingdom were to allow themselves to go with leaders who were currently missing... Not only that but it would cause them to be left in quite a vulnerable state.

It was most certainly something they couldn't allow for if the war were to take place without a stronghold on leadership, the Valley would crumble or be taken over by one of the surrounding kingdoms. And what a day that would be. The whole of Beqanna would murmur about how the Valley had allowed themselves to be overtaken, crushing the strong reputation the kingdom still loosely held.

So once again Demian found himself stepping out of the trees into the small clearing at the center of the Valley, his wings tucked comfortably at his sides as he felt himself stepping up the small mound of earth that the tree had once stood growing before it had magically separated into a pack of wolves. With a careful ease, he moved towards the center walking in a small circle before stopping where he was facing the main path that led to the clearing.

For a few nervous moments he waited before taking a deep breath. It was then he let out a strong and loud call throughout the trees for the few faces the Valley still held. Then he waited. Waited for them to come forward and meet him in the usual meeting spot. Once they were all gathered around he turned his head, as though looking at them all despite the lack of eyes in skull before focusing his face towards the center of the group.

"I'm glad you're all here." A small smile tilts at the corners of his lips. "I have called you all together to discuss an important matter." He bites his bottom lip slightly in thought. It is bold he knows it, to do this once again. But he knows he can do right by the Valley once more. As she was as much a part of him, as he was of her and he knows now what it takes.

"Our lack of leadership has been quite troubling. The inactivity has been leaving the Valley quite vulnerable in these times of oncoming war." He rolls his shoulders in a small shrug to ease his nerves before shuffling his wings against his sides slightly. "I am here to tell you about how I sought out the faeries. Due to my concern for our lessening numbers and lack of rulership I asked the faeries to grant me a chance at leading this kingdom once more." He grows silent for a while to allow enough time for his words to sink in.

"They have thankfully and gratefully agreed, allowing me to once more become King. My place here would not be forever. Like the last time I would solely be in place in order to build the Valley back up until someone better could take my place." Taking a deep breath he allows himself to stand a bit taller. "During that time I will be helping to bring new faces to the valley, build a more structured environment and prepare us all as best as possible for the approaching war."

"My main focus is the Valley and it's members and because of that I hope you will have me and there wont be too many objections." He smiles awkwardly now. Yet it is simple this time. Straight to the point. Lacking of elaborate explanations and some grand speech. He had grown over the last few years to know that sometimes less is more. His head tilts to where he somehow knows Rhonan is standing and he gestures for his friend of shadows to come stand next to him.

This wasn't something he was about to do without help, and that help he needed was Rhonan. The boy of shadows had become a close friend since he had come here and he was one that Demian trusted more than the rest. His plans for Rhonan to be at his side during this was kept quiet for the time being. Soon he'd reveal it but he wished not to overwhelm everyone with all the information just yet.

Like Demian, the palomino stallion had been one of the few to always stay no matter how quiet the Valley became and with patience the two were ready to work together whether they knew it or not. Shifting his weight slowly Demian stood tall next to Rhonan, waiting for them to speak.

demian

Hey guys. I had the mutiny thread, but since they put Demian as king I decided to change the post up a bit and go ahead and repost. This kingdom meeting isn't mandatory, but I figured it would help with the whole "changing of the roles" and all that stuff :P

Also, Gallows is being left on as queen as Calli is away and we are giving her time to return  <3

[Elysium]

THIS WAY, OR NO WAY, YOU KNOW I'LL BE FREE

     The quiet was an impenetrable force, blanketing the valley with its rueful intentions and unspoken consequences. His footfall was soft, nearly impossible to sense as his lithe body began to writhe and slide between the thick foliage, his delicate wings tucked tightly against his curved spine. His shoulders wave to and fro with each unusual movement; he was agile and yet careful - his gaunt frame was not like the others. He could sense the branches shifting around his shape, a long antennae reaching out to gently stroke its barren length as he attempts to focus his gaze. It comes together within his compound eyes of obsidian, in pieces - in particles - and he can see the unsecured pebbles of roughened, broken stone ahead; the slope of the mountains he had only just breached - and yet it was all still a non-functioning piece of the puzzle. He could not see it in its entirety, but he could feel its allure.

     It is when a single print reaches the valley floor that he hears it - a cry for union, given by a commanding voice. It echoes against the slanted stone and thick brush, enveloping him as it reverberates across his jawline and saturates into his small but gaping earholes. His antennae grow erect as he listens hard, tasting the air as the breeze whistles across the gentle down and scales that line his body. A blend of beige and black, he is an unusual sight to behold in pattern and design. He pushes forward, stalking through the terrain as he approaches. He can taste him long before he can see him - a male of substantial size and magnitude with warm summer sweat trickling down his graying pelt. Slowly, his gaze pieces him together. He sees the wings, the markings - his eyeless sockets. He knows immediately he will not be judged alone by his physical appearance,  though he could hardly care if he were.

     "Lead the way." His soothing, rumbling baritone is vastly different from the altogether strained way he holds himself. "While I am unfamiliar with your hierarchy, past and present, I have come to serve this kingdom in any diplomatic way I am able to and will stand behind you."

     He can feel the hot stares against his flesh, and his wings ruffle for a moment, flinching.

     "I am Elysium."

Elysium

equus lepidoptera, student of the valley

[Rhonan]

my shadow tilts its head at me,

spirits in the dark are waiting.

Rhonan shouldn’t be surprised that Demian calls the kingdom together. He’d been the one to open his big mouth, but of course, to Rhonan, saying you could take over the kingdom and actually doing it are two very different things. Rhonan has no aspiration for the throne (or any title, really). He has simply become comfortable with the shadows in the Valley, and he has no desire to leave. And so he serves, and will fight in the war, and will do what he can. But lead? Rule? Not Rhonan.

Demian though, he knows, is far better at this. And therefore far more likely to decide Rhonan’s random comments were actually viable ideas. Rhonan doesn’t bother walking, but rather pops through one shadow to a place not too far from where Demian is. He walks the few extra feet into the group (hardly a group, if we’re being honest here), listening as Demian talks.

If the two stallions could read each other’s thoughts, Rhonan would laugh that Demian thinks his speech is short and sweet. To Rhonan, it is anything but. Rhonan would probably have gone with “I’m gonna pretend to be a king, and we’re gonna fix this place,” and called it quits then and there. But this, of course, is why Rhonan would never actually imagine himself as a king.

It’s enough of a shock when his friend turns and looks at him (and ability that is somewhat eerie, given Demian’s lack of eyes). He stands stock still for a few moments too long, entirely uncertain why he’s being called forward. Rhonan is very good at playing with shadows and staying out of the way.

He tries very hard not to sigh, though he suspects he looks a bit resigned as he tightens his blanket of shadows and walks to his friends side, purposefully keeping himself slightly behind Demian as he does so. He doesn’t say anything, because he has nothing to add. Standing here seems like acceptance enough. So instead, he waits, listening as others speak, wondering what they will all say.

rhonan.