"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
02-04-2018, 01:36 PM (This post was last modified: 02-04-2018, 03:27 PM by Allegria.)
Soft Summer wind enveloped Allegria like a gentle perfume as she stepped quietly through the grass. The stems swished as they parted before her, returning to their places after she passed. Under the soft glow of the moon and stars, she paused and lifted her pale pink and black spotted nose curiously into the air. Silken, bone white locks slipped down her neck as she inhaled deeply. The scents of many strangers flooded her nares and she sneezed lightly in surprise. It had been so long...
Tentatively, she peered across the field. Though her heart fell to find it empty, she pretended as if that was what she had expected. It was the middle of the night after all. Everyone had probably gone home and were taking comfort in their friends and loved ones. Allegria ached for the simple comfort found in physical contact. Even when her father had been alive, they had kept to themselves. The mare had barely had her first kiss before the fire drove them from their home and stole her dad's spirit.
Loneliness, sudden and overwhelming, swept Allegria into its embrace. Silent tears condensed at the corners of her eyes as she lowered her head to weep. She was exhausted and she didn't know what to do any more. How long had she been walking and to what purpose? There was no family left to her, no land she could go back to. If she had known the way perhaps she could have gone to her father's old kingdom, but even he hadn't remembered how to get there.
As Allegria's tears began to run out, the taste of salt on her lips reminded her how terribly hungry she was. Despondent, she chewed methodically on mouthfuls of grass. The taste of the sweet shoots mingling with brine soothed her and as she ate she felt her nerves settle. She would face her trials soon, but for now it was enough just to satisfy her hunger.
Lamb finds herself in the field more often than not nowadays. It was no lie she wished for Sylva to be a great kingdom again. She yearned for the day it would be spilling with lively hood and no longer associated with its terrible past. Her journey this time had been in search of those in need of a place to call home, or perhaps just a place to rest for a while. The creme woman stands at the treeline, eyes fluttering in between the dream world and her honey coated reality. Those around her slept peacefully, unbothered by the night winds that kissed their manes so sweetly. She quietly observes them all, her heart swollen with the love she holds for Beqanna.
She had been still for hours until the speckled mare came along. Due to the time of night, Lamb supposed the mare would simply stop and fall into slumber like the rest, but she didn't. Lamb watched in concern as small tears slipped from sad green eyes, the mare cried until she could no more and turned her head to the ground where she found solace. The girl turns her head, carefully moving from the treeline towards the other. Her movements are hesitant, for perhaps the mare wanted to be alone. That was how many Lamb had met wanted to be. "Hello, are you alright?"
She speaks quietly, trying desperaetly not to awaken the field's sleepy inhabitants. "You seem like you might need someone to talk to, I am Lamb."
A thick, heavy sigh unclasped itself from Allegria's throat in the aftermath of her silent sobs. Though drained, Allegria felt her heart lighten in the aftermath of her sorrow. Sometimes all one needed to do was acknowledge their grief in order to push through. Besides, it simply wasn't healthy to always pretend everything was ok.
Slowly determination, and hope with it, began to blossom once again in her breast. This new place would certainly hold many new terrors and challenges. Though she didn't want to face them alone, if she had to she would. She supposed one day this would have come to pass anyway. If her father hadn't been consumed by fire, he would have eventually wanted to settle down just as Allegria was aching to explore. Thinking of her father brought a sad smile to her face. If he could only have seen how much she had grown...
The soft warning hoot of an owl caused Allegria's harks to perk up warily. Her head raised itself from the ground to watch the approach of a young filly. Allegria smiled encouragingly at the yearling, dashing the last remainders of her tears. Quiet, tentative words tumbled from the filly's lips as if she was afraid of waking someone up. The thought nearly brought tears back to Allegria's eyes, though this time with happiness. She wasn't alone!
A few slow steps closed the distance between the two of them and Allegria stretched her nares out in greeting. "I am grateful for your concern Lamb," A small, warm smile curved her lips as she spoke only loud enough for the filly to hear, "I'm just not used to traveling by myself yet... the loneliness overwhelmed me for a moment."
In company for first time in a while, Allegria near beamed with yearning. She wanted nothing more than to make friends with this young filly despite the distance in their age. Indeed, she quite nearly forgot simple social conventions such as the importance of introducing herself! "Oh!" The soft exclamation escaped her, "My name is Allegria."
Lamb smiles at the soft touch, eyes alight with the possibilities before her. The painted girl tilts her head as she listens to the mare who spoke as gently as she. Not a soul would know of their presence in the field if they had wanted too. How lovely. Her heart aches for the mare, Lamb had known loneliness such as Allegria had.
"I suppose we should chat for a while. If you find my company to be pleasant you may find my home just as nice. Lonely is a terrible thing to be Allegria." Lamb speaks, offering the woman a friend when she seems to need one the most. Lamb couldn't bear the thought of leaving the painted woman alone. Not when she had confided such sadness to her. Lamb twists her head towards the direction of Sylva, smiling as her gaze returns to the mare. "They call my home Sylva, and I have never seen a land more beautiful than it." She does not continue, for she did not wish to bore the speckled mare with her drone. She simply smiles and shifts on pale hooves. If she wished to see it Lamb would reply with eagerness. She had never felt more joy than showing others her forested home. It made the girl's heart burst just thinking about it! How happy Sabra would be! Maybe the opalescent queen would even be proud of her.
hold me in this wild, wild world 'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
The floodwaters are finally starting to recede. On the main island, they have stretches of beach again and are almost down to normal pools of water once more. The farthest Islands are still pretty much impassable and the middles ones are pretty watery, but at least they are getting closer to reasonable. Still, a man can only stare at extra water for so long; after completing a tour of the outer islands, Brennen had flown under the peaceful cover of stars to the mainland, landing in the sweet spring grasses of the Field.
Perhaps after a massive monsoon is not the best time to seek new residents, but he doesn’t want to disturb anyone resting in one of the other common lands; those in the Field are less likely to be sleeping. It isn’t the safest place, even though it’s reasonably safe almost everywhere in Beqanna. It’s not a busy place, either, but he can see a duo of mares across the dusky expanse and so he folds his massive wings and ambles in their direction, black-tipped ears pricked to catch their words from afar. He’s too late to catch the splashed girl’s name but he does hear she is from Sylva and the spotted mare’s name is Allegria.
Brennen comes to an easy halt close enough to speak quietly to them, to moderate his deeper voice in the same way they are. “Hello,” he offers a fleeting half-smile to each of them. His honey-brown eyes linger for a moment extra on the filly. Once he would have judged a parent, a caretaker for letting a youngster wander so far alone; but he has a somewhat looser definition of good parenting since trying to help raise his granddaughter’s three girls and his own Bristol, who have been keeping him on his toes more than his other children ever did. Plus, Beqanna is a safer place than it was when he raised most of his children.
For now. He can’t help but think the holding pattern won’t last forever.
After that long moment he turns his curious eyes to the one whose scent betrays her as a newcomer. She’s a fun color, all the spots. Of course they have appaloosas in Beqanna but not as many as even the crazy colors, so it’s still a fun and intriguing coat to look at. It reminds him of Errant’s Lea, and man does that take him back a ways. “I’m Brennen,” he introduces himself to the pair of them. “Of Ischia. Have you traveled far, Allegria?”
hold me in this wild, wild world and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
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