"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
09-16-2017, 05:09 PM (This post was last modified: 09-17-2017, 12:27 PM by Amet.)
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
When the soil no longer frosts during the night and his exhales are no longer breathy and white in the crisp air, Amet begins to feel restless. Hyaline's mild winters are beautiful (and very much snowless), but Spring is truly the Dragon King's favorite, when the foliage begins to bloom its vibrant purples, reds, and pinks. The spindly branches have begun to bud and Amet bolts through them in the morning dew, his nostrils flaring with exertion as his hooves land powerfully against the soil. His lanky desert-type frame extends with each stride, his scales shimmering like jewels and sunshine as he gallops under the cloudless sky.
Amet calls for his assemblage as he runs, coaxing them towards the water basin that serves as the centerpiece of their home. The loud whinnies reverberate through the lush forest and over the calm crystalline lake, echoed by the rhythmic beat of his commanding gait. He moves ever closer to the center of Hyaline, weaving between budding trees and their outstretched boughs and bounding over bush-like shrubbery whenever the opportunity arises. The calls, nor his pace, are frantic; they are full of hope and playfulness. He is ready for Spring and for this new Beqanna year and hopes to instill the same sense of excitement in those who share his haven.
When finally the gilded King arrives at the lake, he doesn't halt at its shoreline - he lunges into its depths, spraying cool water in every direction. He comes to a rest only when the liquid laps at his muscled chest and his tangled tail splays out on the surface behind him (he often saves his more mature moments for those trips outside of Hyaline; when addressing his friends, his family, there is no need for formality). Amet completes a half-circle and his amber eyes search the shoreline and the treeline beyond it for those of his herd, expectant and excited for their first meeting of the year.
Spring has arrived, and like the quickening of the sap in the trees, Tang's blood flows faster. As the sun rises over her mountain clearing she hears Amet's call mix with the morning birdcalls and she is instantly awake. She doesn't pause to graze before starting to trot in the direction of the sound.
He calls again, closer, and she can feel the vibrations of his stride nearing. She returns her own high whinny as he calls for a third time, now in a full gallop.
The air is still cool for spring, but it is heavily perfumed with young blossoms. The water is crisp and almost chilly as the painted mare follows in Amet's wake. The joy and playfulness in the dragon king's movements make her heart light and she happily allows herself partake in the joy he exudes. He has a right to be proud - he has worked tirelessly to build this small yet bright kingdom. As he comes to a halt and Tangerine places a friendly nip on his withers before swimming off to the side to allow the others room to gather around their king. She finds a place in the water where she can face Amet with all four hooves on the lakebed before looking across those gathered for the face of their queen - Iset.
Tangerine had not seen the spirited girl since her return and was curious to see the woman she would have become over the last year. In an odd way, she missed the troublemaker's fiery presence staling the mountain summits.
With the water lapping at her round belly she returns her attention to the Akhal-teke stallion.
The land is warm, the presence of spring heavy in the kingdom's air. Fiato (much like other Hyaline residents) Finds the spring to be her favorite of the seasons. For it wasn't too cold, nor was it too warm. The air held the lingering scent of honey blossoms and fresh grass. Scents that let all know where they were, Hyaline. Her home.
Fiato roamed the lands, her head held high with the pride of pregnancy. It would not be long before she welcomed her child. The foal she would call Ryrm. A strong name for an equally as strong family. The family of two to which she gave everything.
Everything including her social life. Fiato thrived upon the presence of others, her comfort being saught in crowds where she could speak and be spoken to, to make friends, to seek out alliances, and to feel safe. Though with the blessing of a pregnancy came the curse of instinct, and the instinct told her to stray far from any others. Far from everything she knew most. The lake, the emerald kingdom, her friends... Though a call was pulling her back. A light call to all whom the emerald mountains welcomed.
The seal doe would recognize the voice anywhere, for it had been the first she ever heard.
Amet.
The dragon king whom had saved her from the throws of being an orphan. While he gave her friendship instead of fathership, he had blessed her with a family larger than life. A kingdom that she held closer than anything.
This is why the woman found herself running towards the voice, long legs carrying a heavy barrel through twisting trees, and winding ivy. It is this that causes her heart to ache for interaction with her family, despite her fears. Despite everything her body is telling her, she runs.
~
The lake is as she remembered. Clear, so clear that the bottom of it was visible even from her standing point upon a hill. Her sides heaved with the burning ache from her race to them. To her family. And they did not disappoint, Tangerine and Amet. Peacefully existing in the crystalline glare of the waters below.
Despite her urge to go to them, she stays put. Her amber eyes trailing fondly over the bodice of Tangerine, and then to the golden stallion beside her. She calls to them, head turning to the lighting sky as she speaks, her voice the same whispering note it had been all those years ago when she first came to the lands.
She is slower to come. Her body was healing, the mud having long crusted off and leaving the fresh white scars (chalk marks on a dark board) in it’s wake across her body. It had been hard to look at her reflection, to see the way her once pristine pelt had been ravaged. Yet if she was to continue down this path, it was something she should get use to. The long talon marks on her shoulder were still sore, rebellious in their nature to heal, but even they would succumb to the magic of the healing paste.
She was able to move now, her strength still ebbed quickly but she was mostly on her way to normal. She comes from her place by the shore as he splashes into the lake. Amusement dances in the swirling orbs of silver, feeding off his playful enthusiasm. A high pitched whinny echoes him and she hesitates, watching as he is soon joined in the water by Tang. A flutter tips at her heart, that weird anxiety finding roost in her breast. Feeling awkward to join but she forces herself to come all the same.
She finally halts at the shore line, opting to stay there then instead of joining them in the water. Still the memories of the siren and being swallowed into the dark depths of the Underneath’s version of Hyaline’s lake make her wary. She prefers the solidness of the sand, knowing that it can’t give way beneath her. Her gaze flicks to Fiato, an unknown mare that stands also on the outskirts. Perhaps also feeling as if she may be intruding.
She is still torn on deciding to stay. With her healing almost done, she knows there’s a choice to make soon. When he looks to her, she gives him an encouraging smile but inside her heart of hearts, she battles with herself. Watching the way they splash with each other, she would not want to intrude on anyone’s happiness. Perhaps she was not made for life like this, she didn't quite fit in.
-Oh my love, don't forsake me; Take what the water gave me-
Water, for most, is a source of life. Circinae lives from it too - bathes in it, drinks from it, enjoys the pleasures of a warm spring day by dousing in it - but strength from water is something that not many have; she’s never even met another teleporter in Beqanna. She’s sure, of course, that another one dwells somewhere out there. Or perhaps they had taken the initiative to finally leave the oppressing boundaries of this world to explore countless others? Some days Circinae is tempted by the same thought: to leave and explore beyond all she’s ever known.
Today, though, she opens a watery gate to Hyaline and slips through time to rise out of the crystalline lake a few meters from where the rest have gathered. Swirling like a gaping maw, her portal closes slowly enough around her as she trudges, knee-deep, towards the shore. For those who have never seen it, the jump would seem strange; cataclysmic. What was normal about a hole opening up in the middle of a lake to spit out an emerald-colored mare?
Nothing. But nothing is ever normal in Beqanna.
Amet is all too aware of her ability, though he’s never seen the little wolf she keeps tucked inside, so she expects less surprise from the King of Hyaline at her entrance. Pulling to a watery halt, Circinae greets him first with the turn of her head and the tug of a smile. To the rest she only tips her ears forward and exhales a short hello, “To those who may be unaware, Taiga was taken back by the fey. My family and I - thanks to the generosity of Amet - hope to make Hyaline and her current residents our new home.” The pony-mare explains, chipper as ever though her blue-black mane clings in soaked cords along her neck and remains plastered in disarray about her cheeks, eyes.
“My name is Circinae, Wolf-of-the-Water, and I’m sure we’ll all be seeing plenty of each other in the days to come.”
The outgoing black and red appaloosa trotted along after Tang. Her eyes glancing around to the pretty buds and flowers peeking out of the trees and ground. She looked around to the horses she has yet to meet. She glanced around to the all the other horses, before her eyes locked on Amet.. The water lapped up at his chest. She could infer to who he was by how he stood and that he had called this meeting. She grinned at him, the happiness and exitement of spring echoed in his whinney. She chuckled slightly at how his tail splayed across the top of the water. After watching Amet for a moment, she looked at the other horses around her. She recognized Tang but that was it. Noting the horses she then set her senses to the earthy scents and beautiful flowers around her. The deep dark smell of fresh earth and fresh pristine smell of the lake. She fixed her concentration back on the horses when the horse-poney spoke. She smiled and started to bounce on her hooves.
