"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
02-08-2018, 03:33 AM (This post was last modified: 02-11-2018, 07:36 AM by Ilma.)
A little breeze goes a long way
Unfortunately, taking this new trail hadn’t quite given her what she had hoped for.
The white mare - as it was simply the easiest way to describe a cremello mare who had, with a few years of age, only whitened some more due to her father’s greying genes - longed for her smaller siblings. She had left only because she’d thought she would return, quite easily even, not because she had wanted to leave the little Aamu behind, or their brothers for that matter. Although her young sister was entering her second year, still she remained the little sister.
Ilma woke, blinking against the sun and a little surprised by the sea breeze that came to her. She ruffled fur and feather, and tried to locate other scents. Following the one that seemed to lead to fresh, or fresh enough, grass, she made it to an open field, with vague horse-scents of passer-by’s, but no herd’s scent marks seemed to come to her.
It seemed a good enough place to settle for a meal.
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
02-08-2018, 05:03 PM (This post was last modified: 02-11-2018, 01:47 AM by Kagerus.)
Out with the golden we sew, and the lower past that crawls.
Now, to the doorway you run, to the girl that's not lost.
The field sways gently in the summer breeze, a melodic sea of green that is all too entrancing to gaze upon. For a time, it is all I notice, the swaying: with my eyes half-closed and reality ebbing and flowing, I dream of many things, most of them insubstantial, but they are pleasant nonetheless. As wakefulness knocks at my door, the last thing I dream is that I am high above the mountaintops, soaring on bird feather wings.
When my eyes open, those self same wings adorn my shoulders, their weight completely unnatural, but their splendor undeniable. I blink and smile at my handiwork, bending my neck to smooth some ruffled feathers back into place. Though the appendages will be gone within the next three hours, I shall enjoy them now: squeezing them tightly to my ribs, encasing my minimally spotted hide in feather and bone.
It is then that I notice her: another mare, winged, stunningly white. For a moment I question if I am truly awake, attempting to summon another figment to prove that this is still a dream. But no such figment appears, and I swallow hard. This is the opportunity I have been waiting for - I will not put it off now.
The grass parts easily as I stride purposefully towards the alabaster figure, my eyes taking in her Andalusian figure, and the way her wings sit much more comfortably on her back than my own. When it is clear that it is she I approach and no other, I emit a wordless nicker, the sound lyrical and inviting. With an appropriate space between us, I halt, a small, reserved smile adorning my lips.
"Hello," I say, wondering if she too will notice the resemblance of our traits. "My name is Kagerus, from Hyaline." The breeze blows more firmly then, ruffling both our feathers, though I don't truly mind. "What is your name?"
02-09-2018, 03:01 PM (This post was last modified: 02-11-2018, 07:37 AM by Ilma.)
A little breeze goes a long way
Lost between an old world and this new one, the white female had set upon at the least getting her stomach full of grass, and she did so without noticing most of the things around her. She wasn't being approached directly after entering the flowing field, instead she was just another wanderer who found the grass appealing and had no herd to call home just there. To her, that was just about fine, all well and good. She wasn't quite sure yet what this world was all about, and where the predators lived and such, but so far this place, seeing as it was frequented by others, seemed safe enough and full of food.
After a while though, it seemed someone was curious enough. A small nicker entered her hearing, that of a young mare. She was neither too large nor too small, clearly partly arabian in stature, adorned with several white spots on an otherwise bay figure - interrupted by wings that hung just a little awkwardly besides her shoulders. Her eyes lingered a little longer, then shifted back up to the polite face. Ilma swallowed her bite and her comment, instead offering a polite greeting sound in return and dipped her head. It wasn't the girl's fault if perhaps her wings had grown more than she, or the other way around. Time might just fix that, and if not, she wasn't the one to judge.
Kagerus was her name, and she attached it firmly to the image of the bay-and-white girl. She was the first to greet her here, so it would not be hard to remember. As a summer breeze passed by to tickle them both, Ilma smiled to her. "My name's Ilma. Not of any herd around these parts, I would think." she added. While speaking, she looked around the field shortly to indicate that she meant all of this, perhaps telling the other female more about how new she was. But she did not think she had to fear from this one, otherwise she might not have greeted her so friendly and boldly - or at least, she hoped so.
@[Kagerus] not sure if I need to tag you or not
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
02-11-2018, 02:17 AM (This post was last modified: 02-11-2018, 01:23 PM by Kagerus.)
Out with the golden we sew, and the lower past that crawls.
Now, to the doorway you run, to the girl that's not lost.
I watch kindly as the mare takes in my slightly misaligned wings, appreciating her attention to detail and the way her intelligent eyes gleam in the afternoon sun. Already my heart yearns to take her and to show her my home, but I caution that meaningless organ and take a breath. There is no rush. We have time, infinite.
My reserved smile widens at the sight of hers, and at the sound of her voice, my small ears perk to listen. Ilma. It is a pretty name, two syllables, a sort of warm roll of the tongue that I fancy I shall enjoy. The white one gestures to the field, indicating that her sense of foreignness extends to all of Beqanna. Having been born here, it is not a feeling I can relate to exactly; but I was born before the Change, and in a way, that made every soul inhabiting Beqanna a foreigner for some time. But I'm sure still that the feelings are different.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Ilma," I reply, lowering my head respectfully. "There are many herds to choose from here - Beqanna, that is. And we usually refer to them as kingdoms, but they are of the same essence." My wings shuffle and reorganize, having slipped from where they ought to be held. I smile sheepishly before remembering that this mare has no reason to think that the wings do not belong to me, and I cough lightly to cover the expression. Socializing is tricky!
"Were you born with those wings?" I ask, genuinely curious. "They are very beautiful." I glance over my shoulder, towards him, some adrenaline coursing through my veins as an impulsive thoughts comes to me. I whip my head around again, a slightly disheveled smile on my lips. "Hyaline is not far from here! We could fly over it and I'll show you the sights," I cough again, sheepish again, fool, fool, fool. "Or I could tell you more about it first, I'm getting ahead of myself."
As Ilma watches the other female, she notices the drop of the wings off her shoulders right when she dips her head, but that should not be. She also notices her reorganize, but to be honest, Ilma is more concerned with what she has to say. Several herds, kingdoms as they are called here, but Kagerus had mentioned only one so far. Also, the land in which she has found herself is apparently called Beqanna, and Ilma imagines it as maybe being an island, for there would be no other reason to give it a name to separate it from another kind of land.
"Likewise, Kagerus." she answers melodically. She wonders about the other mare's age, seeing as she acts so young but clearly must be over at least two years old. But perhaps some do not get the pleasure of knowing many others of the same age, or perhaps even, knowing many others at all besides a mother. It's not her place to ask, not right away, and she knows also that whatever happened or didn't happen, if Kagerus wants a friend or a mother in Ilma, she will be either or both.
"Perhaps you can tell me a bit about those kingdoms? How big are they, are they all friendly or perhaps someone is at war with another?" she asks - she might as well, now that the female before her has offered to tell her a bit about the lands. Land. Island? Beqanna.
She smiles a little sheepishly as Kagerus continues about the wings, and nods. "Yes. Thank you.Yours are new to you, I understand?" she deduces - not only because of the question, but also the way she seems to behave with the wings. Ilma wonders if perhaps they have grown only recently, or if something else is going on here. But she expects some kind of answer soon enough, so she is patient.
She chuckles lightly at the way the other female continues, however. "I would really appreciate it if you would tell me about it, and possibly the surrounding kingdoms as well." she answers, basically the same request as before, but Kagerus' enthusiasm has gotten the better of her. Still, that doesn't mean that Ilma isn't open to the suggestion. "And I'd be honoured to fly with you and see it." she ads, to reassure Kagerus a little, that yes, she would love to come, but honestly, she wants to hear something more and give her stomach a little more time to digest the grass she'd just eaten.
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
Out with the golden we sew, and the lower past that crawls.
Now, to the doorway you run, to the girl that's not lost.
In all honesty, I only appear so blatantly youthful when the public eye is upon me: this open field, the business of those around us, it all renders me into a bit of a bumbling idiot. But I know that, in private, I am mature. I must have been alive for over a decade now, but physically I have remained at my peak, my coat gleaming, my muscles strong. I appear far younger than that which I truly am; a few more years, and perhaps my suspicions will be confirmed. Now, however, I still question my immortality - but it is a fleeting thought.
As for a mother, I have found one in another companion already, but the melody of this mare's voice and the way her eyes meet mine kindly is equally as comforting and pleasant. I perk my ears as she speaks again, attempting to sooth my heart as it threatens to overflow with excitement and energy.
At her comment about my wings, I blush and grin sheepishly, looking back at them as they shuffle and twitch. "You've got me pretty figured out, Ilma." I toss my eyes back to her, the breeze pushing my black forelock into my eyes whimsically. "I have an ability where... And I know it sounds weird... What I dream becomes reality." My smile falters for a second, but I put it back in place, knowing that if this mare wants to succeed in Beqanna, she will have to get used to far stranger things than my simple ability. "I happened to have dreamed I was flying just before you showed up. A happy coincidence!"
Ilma's successive request makes me want to smack myself in the face for my excitability in the public eye, and for my nonexistent impulse control. But I just laugh at myself, shrugging it off; she does agree to fly with my after all, so I must be thankful in great part for that mercy. And now, I owe the alabaster woman some explanations.
"Excuse my mind, it gets confused with so many people around. But to answer you questions: there are six kingdoms. Tephra, Loess, Nerine, Sylva, Ischia, and where I'm from, Hyaline. Each kingdom is large, a full ecosystem I would say, big enough to fit mountains and lakes and forests into. Currently there are no warring kingdoms - there used to be many wars, great and awful, but the gods of Beqanna disapproved, and changed the land so that those evil kingdoms were no more. Now, we are rebuilding; in my opinion, there aren't enough warriors in all of Beqanna for there to even be the idea of a war."
I take a breath and continue. "Hyaline, however, is not like to ever partake in a war, unless it is in support of one of its allies. Our mission statement is to be a sanctuary, to shelter those in need - children especially, but in the recent years, all kinds of refugees have been welcome. My family included. Now, it is not just our shelter, it is our home." I smile. "And there's plenty to do - we have a diplomatic caste and a war caste, each with their own duties to look after. Personally I'm a diplomat, but there is a large competition coming up, Beqanna wide, called the Alliance. I'm hoping to be chosen as a champion for Hyaline."
I laugh again, at myself as always. I have spoken up a storm. "Is there anything else you'd like to know? I don't mind staying and talking with you for some time, there's no rush."
The andalusian white chuckled at the comment that she had the other mare figured out. Quite the contrary, she thought, or at least she did not want to presume to know another so quickly. Still, Ilma had had the inkling about the wings for a while, and the question about her own had perked her interest. "Oh, I don't know about that; there's probably more to you than just a pair of wings," she offered cheerfully. She couldn't help but feel delighted in the other mare's presence however, she was surely enjoyable company. In time, she would make a great friend, she thought. If this Hyaline was indeed a place she could enjoy just as much as Kagerus, then it was probable that she would stay.
She blinked at the other female's explanation about the dreams, but only for a moment. Well. All right. If she can be born with wings, why not? It rose another dozen questions, though - what other abilities are out there, are they learned or were you born with it, what would happen if Kagerus had a nightmare? - but none seemed to surface right away, or all at once so that still, she appears silent. And as Kagerus continued about Ilma's other question, she hadn't yet got the time to word them all.
The different names dazzled her a little; but the essence seemed quite clear. No wars going on, so she has actually arrived at a peaceful time. With not enough warriors to even be at war, that seemed quite okay to the Andalusian mare. She wouldn't dare dream it would forever stay that way, but it seemed that at least for a longer time, there would be peace. She nodded along with Kage's story, her eyes taking on an interested gleam when she mentioned the children - lost souls should indeed have a home, and she could imagine living and working with young ones easily. She smiled. "It sounds like a perfect home." she agreed, although she found it only a little odd that Kagerus seemed to want to fight, even in a friendly competition.
As her stomach had settled by now, Ilma shook her head at the last question. "So far, a dozen and none." she offered. "Clearly I have a lot to learn about your ability and other's, but on the other hand, I would like to stretch my wings. Say, do yours stay on until you have another dream?" she wondered. Was there a chance that if they flew up high, Kagerus might lose her wings halfway?
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
![[Image: kag]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/2e8039018ce4dff6112c167ec23e886a/tumblr_p72zjit7wC1s5a0qvo1_100.png)