"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
His scent was mingled, Sylva was his home, yet he spent most of his time in the quiet Pampas. His family all resided in the southern sector, yet he finds himself yearning for his own path.
For that reason, he decides to explore out of his home, away from the south. In his crow form, he had flown what feels like days. He stopped here and there, and stopped upon this land...Nerine? He wasn't absoloutely sure if this was the correct place, but it seems he came during an interesting time.
A shift in leadership, one discussed the changes, announcing her new rule. He decided to stay and watch....a few days passed and the kingdom seemed busy. It reminded him much of Sylva, a busy kingdom means an opportunity to prove himself.
Here, he wouldn't have to sit in the shadows of his queen sister. The crow swoops down from the sky, he caws a few times and just as he was about to land he shifts back into his equine form. The young stallion was young, but he stood tall, and his green pelt matched the green blossomed trees around him. He stands and awaits another to appear.
Those were the only words spoken between mother and daughter as Alcinia once again galloped through a stretch of the meadow where she and Nalia were spending their morning, the mare keeping a watchful eye over her filly as she pranced and played in the tall grass, whinnying in delight every time another small creature would leap out of hiding to play with her.
Already the filly experienced an encounter with a few rabbits, some small grassy birds, and a number of bugs. The single snake she'd encountered hadn't been pleasant, but Nalia made quick work of it by calling Alcinia to her side and shielding her with one of her wings to wait for the serpent to pass by. Once it did, the filly was free to play again, Nalia seeing no need in keeping her daughter close now that the danger had passed.
Every excitable noise the filly made had Nalia's attention focused, but the mare sensed no danger, so soon it progress from glancing up every few minutes to just turning her ears to listen for her daughter, Nalia content to let the independent filly play and run while the mare herself grazed. She was a protective dam, but knew she could not hold her daughter back at any point in her life. Encouraging independence would be good for her, even if, for now, it was something as simple as this.
Nalia was busy munchign away at the grass, swishing at a few flies with her tail when she suddenly heard a panicked squeal from her daughter. Instantly alert, her head shot up, looking for the filly. Alcinia was racing across the meadow to her dam's side, pressing close once she reached Nalia. The mare unfurled a wind and wrapped her daughter in it to comfort her, calming her with quiet words until she was sturdy enough to speak.
"What happened?"
"I was... I was, playing, following a rabbit, when I saw a bird... a big, black bird, in the sky... it called, and I started to chase it... when it, it suddenly disappeared, and... it turned... into a horse, a big one, like daddy," the filly stammered out.
Nalia's eyes turned back to where Alcinia came racing from, her ears turned back and her muscles tense to watch for danger. For a moment, she didn't see anything, until a small shape appeared on the edge of the horizon, just enough for her to see it was a horse. It appeared to be one of unusual color, a dark green like the grass that grew undisturbed on the far side of Nerine's meadows. Slightly offput that the horse frightened her daughter, Nalia started to walk in it's direction, intent on finding out what it was doing here.
When she got in speaking range, the mare, mindful of her filly on her heels, called to the green horse.
"To my knowledge, it's common courtesy to shift back to looking like a horse long before you scare the living daylights out of some poor young foal that doesn't quite understand the gifts you possess," she stated in a cross tone. "But it seems your young state has not yet quite grasped that impression, so I will not react like another welcoming member of Nerine would.
"I would, however, appreciate to know what manner of business you seek to settle here. Perhaps I myself can be of assistance," the mare offered, stepping back with one of her hind legs to provide Alcinia some reassurance.
As the wind brushed against his feathered face, his mind was lost with it. He didn't notice the young child that was following him, and when he shifted into a equine he sent it running. He didn't think twice about it really, perhaps because he was barely an adult himself. The desires to console the child was not within his bones, and instead he finds himself scoping out the kingdom.
Instead he stood patiently awaiting someone to approach him, someone to welcome him to this kingdom. Oh look, he thinks to himself as a painted mare comes his way. He stands up tall, but as she grows closer he notices anger with her every step.
She comes to a halt before him, and quickly scolds him, ahh, the mother of the child. He thinks to himself as his gaze shifts to the child tucked behind her. He tilts his head slightly as she continues on speaking, insulting him even. His ears flick back with annoyance, it wasn't his fault that her child was afraid of a crow? Or was it the horse part she was afraid of?
The mare continues on, this time demanding the means of his visit, he would normally be more diplomatic. Perhaps stand quietly, share his name, ask some questions, but she already ticked him off. Instead he walks past her, his gaze scanning the kingdom in awe. Oh yea, sorry about that, I was just flying. He mutters a quick apology, his gaze didn't shift off the kingdom.
When he decides he ignored her question long enough, his gaze turns back to find hers, I came to see if Nerine could be my home, but if everyone here is as grumpy as you....I think I will pass. A chuckle escapes his maw as he completes his sentence, he could never live with a bunch of equines with a similar mindset to hers!
the secret to walking on water is knowing where the rocks lie
Watching the foals might just be her new favourite pastime. Sure, they tire easily, but the breaks provide her with time to simply graze and enjoy the sun. But, most of all she is intrigued by their behaviour. Arcteryx follows Scorch like a loyal, silent puppy. Alcinia is much the opposite, exploring with almost (but not the same) the amount of energy that Oisin had displayed when they were at that age.
The filly however, today had found something that scared her. Curiously, the rose-spotted yearling lifts her head; but Nalia already approached and surely the painted mare, being a diplomat, could easily mind the situation. So, she turns back to the grass.
The voices drifting on the wind however, tell her otherwise. Eurwen frowns against the grass. Remembers her mother naming her heir. With such power (feeble as it may be; perhaps Heartfire would rather pick another) comes a responsibility that even if she wants to, she could not ignore.
Her hoofs lightly touch the ground as she trots their way almost casually. Catching the last words of the green-painted young man, she blinks at the both of them. ”You would base your opinion of a kingdom on a single encounter, and that with a mother whose baby you’ve just upset?” Logic is what she uses against him there, though the question might as well be rhetoric because she doesn’t expect an answer. Looking to Nalia, she tilts her head - much the same could be said to her as well, since Nalia had sounded slightly accusing from the get-go. ”Perhaps you can start over? You can pretend I’m not here.” She smiles a bit.
Just about refraining from making a tssk-ing sound where it considered the two bickering horses, she now turns to the younger filly. ”Hello. I don’t think we spoke yet. My name is Eurwen and I think you must be Alcinia.” Her gaze shifts to the older equines only briefly, temporarily. ”Can you tell me why you screamed so loudly?” The filly might be a baby indeed; but as a Nerinian, and as an inhabitant of Beqanna as a whole, one must come to know the difference between what is something to be afraid of, and what is only an irrational fear. Being surprised was no reason to screach half the kingdom together, and upset residents and visitors alike. Not that she could hope to explain all these abstract concepts to the younger girl right away (it had taken Eurwen a whole lot of being scared to find out), but a start could be made perhaps. Even if it didn’t stick, it was a good distraction while the two painted horses could start over, or so she hoped.
Nalia, understandably, was not pleased that the colt did not seem to be taking this problem very seriously. Then again, she could have approached the situation a different way. It was Alcinia's worried scream that surprised her and had Nalia jumping on the defense, obviously on the alert for whatever she had to protect her filly from.
She didn't say anything as the colt walked past her to survey the kingdom before offering a half-hearted apology and explaining why he was here. Nalia's eyes narrowed in irritation as Alcinia moved to stand close to her dam's shoulder, since Nalia had not yet turned her body to face the colt.
"Just as I was foolish enough to assume, you are doing the same," Nalia stated. "You base the whole kingdom's outlook on the fact that I simply came over here to protect my daughter from whatever it was that may have scared or threatened her. You would not make a good first impression by doing so."
Soon, the three were not alone; a rose-spotted filly came to join them, one Nalia recognized as Eurwen, Breckin's heir following Heartfire's rescinding of the throne when the filly reached proper age. Nalia could feel Alcinia stepping out slightly from behind her shoulder to inspect this new arrival, but the filly remained quiet, her watchful eyes gazing over the colt and the older filly.
Eurwen turned her attention to Alcinia next, after telling the colt pretty much what Nalia had said but she must have not heard it before she walked up. She introduced herself to the three-month-old, asking her in a gentle tone why she had screamed.
Nalia turned her body to face the colt to give the filly some of her space back, keeping her hind end within reaching distance in case her daughter wanted a comforting presence. Nalia's next words were again directed to the colt, "I will not apologize for how I acted to protect my daughter, but I will apologize for the... tone, the high-handedness that I demanded you answer. As a diplomat for the kingdom, I will ask, you said you'd like for Nerine to be your home. What would you be interested in contributing to the kingdom should you be permitted to stay? Along with that, would you care to share your name with us?"
Meanwhile, Alcinia was still eyeing Eurwen, not really listening to her dam talking to that bigger horse that scared her earlier. Her eyes were downcast and her left front hoof brushed in front of her right in a nervous, bashful manner, as she answered the heir's question.
"I was... playing, when that... when he," she motioned to the colt, "came out of nowhere. I thought it was just a raven I was chasing, but then... all of a sudden, he turned into a horse! I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to really scream like that. I didn't know... a power like that could exist... it just happened so fast, I didn't expect it, I got scared..."
Just as fast as he finished, another lurking in the protection of Nerine appears. A young mare similar to his own age, a smile tugging at his lips for another his age. He quickly tucks his smile away when the tone of the new mares voice is apparent.
She quickly comes to the defense of her fellow kingdom member, justifying the mares actions. He only rolls his eyes in response, his gaze shifting across the horizon still. Finally, when she speaks again he finds her gaze. Her next words create an irritation within him, perhaps you can start over. Who in the world did this girl think she is? She was sitting on a pretty high horse.
She turns as if to dismiss him, speaking to the filly she introduces herself as Eurwen, and he quickly engrains her name to memory. She continues to ask the foal why she got scared and he just barely refrained from rolling his eyes.
His gaze shifts back to the protective mother, she had a much softer tone this time. And one that tried to smooth over the irritation Eureen cereated. She apologizes for her tone, asking what he plans to contribute to Nerine. He remains silent while the foal talks to Eurwen, her version of the story.
The green colt exhales a laugh, he steps closer to the filly, familiar with children as his own sister had a child recently. I didn't see you when I was flying, sorry for scaring you kid, now that you know of my powers just be aware of all kinds of shifting equines. He did not owe the other two an apology, he was no monster like they painted, a soft spot for children.
His gaze turns back to the painted mare Well, I was raised in diplomats, my family have been rulers. I am a rather good diplomat. he briefly pauses as a smile creeps up on his lips If I want to be. He says finishing his sentence, young and naive, sometimes he rather not always smooth things over. His gaze flicks to the spotted girl, before back to the painted mare, The names Corban, by the way. He stands with his hind leg cocked, his gaze shifting between the two mares.
the secret to walking on water is knowing where the rocks lie
She hadn't picked up on Nalia's first answer, stating much the same as Eurwen had tried to tell the new guy. She does pick up the change in his face when she neutrally states a fact; had he expected for her to not defend her kingdom member against a complete stranger who apparently had scared the mother's firstborn child? Of course she would defend her kingdom members first - they were supposed to be a united front, even if she didn't agree with Nalia's idea of approaching today.
That's why she focused on the filly, providing herself with the distraction of listening to her story. Though, it had to be said that she didn't like it and had to repress a deep, long sigh. "There's a lot more scary things in the world than someone changing form, like him. Not everything and everyone unexpected deserves such a loud welcome, wouldn't you agree? Perhaps next time you can investigate first." she suggests, perhaps in a slightly more tired-warm tone than before.
Raising her head to look at the mother and the colt her age, she looks rather neutral towards the both of them, not agreeing with their little argument in front of the child as started by Nalia, nor with the little scoffs the filly had earned herself from the green-patched male - both made mistakes as she saw it, so the argument was nonsensical. He said he was raised a diplomat, among rulers, which in turn made the spotted female raise a brow, but when he continued with 'when I want to be' she outed a soft, "Ah," as if that explained everything.
To her, after all, it had looked like he hadn't cared about his diplomatic upbringing the moment it had become even slightly personal. Something she hoped he would pick up on at some later point then. One doesn't stop being a diplomat when they so please, in her opinion.
Of course, she may be heir, but that didn't make her the ruler just yet and so as for now she wouldn't press the matter. But there was something she did need to know - something she would like to show or tell her mother or Heartfire later, perhaps. "Why Nerine?"
