"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
01-22-2019, 03:21 PM (This post was last modified: 01-22-2019, 03:23 PM by Valdis.)
how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage? too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays
Something inclines Valdis to slink away in the darkness and venture toward the Cove. Sylva’s groaning trees fall into the backdrop and melt into the shadows as she placidly escapes its grasp before taking flight. A tiresome trek separates here from her mother, but she willingly utilizes her energy as curiosity bubbles within her chest. Voices have been hissing in her mind for days – maybe weeks – now and it rattles her enough to seek reassurance in Solace’s embrace.
As troublesome as she is, Valdis is still young and still clutches to the tethers of her family.
She isn’t certain whose voices have been creeping into her dreams, or even how. There isn’t even one distinct tone that stands above the others. They hiss and their jumbled statements nearly merge into one indiscernible cluster of thoughts. The winter quieted much of the cacophonous banter, but with the arrival of spring, it has returned in indescribable force.
The ferocity to which Valdis flies escapes her notice until realizing she’s panting. Her lungs scream and her muscles tremble exhaustedly. Much to her relief, the Cove is just beyond the final hill. Swallowing past the confusion, Valdis swiftly descends and immediately flocks to her mother, her senses somehow more acute to readily find the Caretaker. Between her labored breathing she mutters, ”Mother,” and presses her face into Solace’s neck. Despite the flurry of urgency she rode on here, Valdis takes a few heartbeats to compose herself and settle down her adrenaline before inching back and speaking. ”I have voices in my head,” her brow furrows because as she confesses, she almost wishes she hadn’t. It sounds insane. ”I don’t know where they’re coming from – not yet – but I’ve heard one or two random things among the madness. One said a scaly guy is in Loess and starting trouble, and another said there’s weird unrest in the Island Resort?” No names, only vague descriptions.
And then, with another step back and a concerned look, Valdis peeks down at her hooves. ”And I’ve discovered… this…” after slowly, fearfully, blinking she watches as her hooves briefly transition to claws. The talons knead the soil in fascination before gradually shifting back into hooves. Peering up at her mother, she whispers, ”I’m not going crazy, am I?”
Valdis
More for @[Solace] but if anyone else in he family wants to join in, feel free. Shes pretty much discovering she can communicate with reptiles and has some dragon mimicry
01-26-2019, 06:50 AM (This post was last modified: 01-26-2019, 06:50 AM by Solace.)
The sweat darkening the snow-white portions of her daughter's pelt, the alarm in her eyes, and the ragged gasps of night air she hungrily swallows; It is more than enough to stir panic in the queen's breast. Valdis presses her head against her mother's neck, Solace reaches to drape a wing across her back, fearing the worst and pulling her close.
But she had always been practical in her fear, and she hides her distress with the artful elegance of a travel-worn leader when Valdis steps back to relay her message. A frantic mother in hysterics would be of no help to anyone.
"Voices?" The pale gold-and-alabaster woman repeats, each statement Valdis makes only adding to her confusion. But Valdi's demeanor, so different than the last time they met, is what concerns her more than her words. Solace works to put the pieces together and she doesn't interrupt again, tucking away the strange scent of brimstone which clings to the girl's skin.
She follows her daughter's gaze at her final revelation, and this is the information that helps her to begin to grasp what is going on.
Claws.
Her heart rate slows, as she takes a deep breath, the bits of political news mixed in with the flurry of information barely even having registered. "I think that is a bit of your father showing through." She replies, her body visibly relaxing. "For many years he could only shift parts of his body, and those claws look a lot like his." Her cerulean eyes lift again to meet their matching set. "But the voices, he never spoke of anything like that. Is there a time or place when they are stronger?" She questions Valdis intently, but she doesn't bother to hide the relief she feels the way she had her distress.
"That both of these things started happening at the same time makes me think it's more likely some sort of magic than you... losing your mind." Still she reaches out to brush her muzzle across her daughter's fair cheek for comfort, still feeling the residual tingle of her adrenaline surge, and hoping that she is not wrong.
S
olace
we're reeling through an endless fall we are the ever-living ghost of what once was
how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage? too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays
Honestly, Valdis half-expected Velk to rush ahead and be the first to greet her. There should be a tether between them after having shared the womb, but when she blinks, there is only Solace is at her side. With mother settling down, her expression less frantic and worrisome, Valdis can only follow in suit. Her eyebrows furrow, only somewhat confused. ”You said once I had inherited dragon fire,” her voice is quieting down now, forcing herself to breathe deeply and not to be so frantic, ”but I’ve never seen him as a dragon.” Beneath the metallic-gold veil of her forelock, Valdis narrows her eyes thoughtfully. She spares a glance down to her hooves, already remembering what the claws at looked like – scaly, grotesque, lethal – before lifting her gaze to mother’s face again. ”They look ugly on me.” Her lips curve into a frown. ”Abysm told me I was the prettiest sibling, but I don’t feel like it anymore.” They had been young children then. Valdis was staring at her reflection in the ice-crusted lake before melting it with her fire when he had stepped out from behind her.
Would he still say the same about her? Is she still the most beautiful among the children even with reptilian claws?
”Magic,” she tries to swallow past her worry, nodding her head slowly, ”okay, that sounds a little better.” Still lathered in a thin film of sweat, Valdis nearly considers submerging herself in the nearest body of water, but she can’t bring herself to peel away from mother. It’s far too comforting in her embrace to leave, especially when her time here in the Cove is limited. ”It’s loud in the forest,” she confesses after reflecting on the volumes of the voices, doubting their ability to pinpoint what is going on. Father didn’t suffer from this, so why is she? Why are her thoughts feeling invaded, her mind no longer quiet when she sleeps? ”It was pretty quiet during the winter, but with spring, they’ve returned.” It doesn’t make sense. None of this does. Why is she exhibiting this later in life and not as a foal? Fire was enough, but all of this? It’s too much.
Shifting her body, Valdis looks around as though answers will fly down and reassure her.
Of course, nothing happens. Only more questions.
”The voices sound creepy, not like you or I. Just… raspy and hissy… Some are randomly rather energetic. It’s weird.” Unable to quite grasp and describe it all, Valdis inches back and sighs. Velk still doesn’t arrive, nor any of their other family members, but it hardly fazes her. More of a mother’s girl, she’s content with only Solace’s company during this trying time. ”I’ve missed you,” she expresses with a delicate smile, pushing past her confusion and bringing to light her love for mother. ”Hopefully you’re doing better than me and not being faced with random changes.” A half-hearted chuckle slips from her, a sign of her settling nerves.
The black-and-white chose to busy himself with kingdom duties while Solace was away. He worried about her. And, distracting himself was the only way he found to keep from worrying about her. Her selfless heart could not resist helping others despite the risks it posed. Valdis, too, is a risk-taker. For seemingly different reasons but, he worries about her also.
When his sensitive olfactory sense picks up, not just one of their perfumes but, both of them, Velk immediately pushes everything else from his mind. Cupped acoustics prick towards the combined scent while nostrils filter out the rest of the Cove to narrow down their location. Once certain of their whereabouts, the stag leaps into a canter with youthful fervor. He navigates the terrain with ease until his sapphire gaze lands upon the winged buckskin and white form of mother and, the pale blue, white and gold form of his twin.
Velk does not show his pace but rather approaches the females in a swift canter. He tosses his nose up out of excitement but, it also serves to displace his sapphire blue veil out of his line of sight. He does not bellow obnoxiously as he is quite certain his thundering hooves have caught their attention. He remains oblivious to the panicked glaze over Valdis' eyes or, the tone of her voice. He also goes not catch the seriousness of the conversation until he slides to a halt. His lobes flicker momentarily, from their fixed position, out of hesitation as he realizes he is interrupting. His sides rise and fall from the exertion of his run though the light in his eyes and across his features does not fade. At last, he presses his whiskered nose into his sister's cheek before he pivots to thrust his left hip into her right one. The gesture stems from affection and overwhelming relief.
He offers a smile to Solace before he rushes forward to embrace her. Chin rest upon her withers as he presses his nape and thick mane of blue into her multi-toned tresses. He holds her until his breathing rate returns to normal. When he finally steps back, he speaks. "Mother, Valdis, I am so happy you are home safe. I want to hear all about your travels. What have you learned beyond the Cove?"
He could not hide his relief or his excitement as his words tumble from his parted maw. Sapphire gaze darts to Valdis first as he inspects her from head-to-tail. He finds that she has also grown-up since their last encounter. He does not notice the change in her feet. He does note that her scent bears traces of foreign lands and, he yearns for her to spill the beans. He shifts his weight impatiently before his gaze falls upon Solace. He does not notice much has changed except for the touch of frost in her mane and tail. As the light of the Cove touches her, a shimmer reflects back at him. He stands, though curious, and waits for either of them to speak.
Seeing past her children's imperfections was a flaw of her own. Valdis' vanity barley even registers as such in Solace's mind. Her daughter is beautiful, she's ambitious and she's intelligent. At the queen's core, Valdis was the one she worried for least- even if the young mare was possibly in the riskiest situation of her whole brood. Underneath all of her ambition and experimentation, Solace believed her daughter's roots ran deep as her own, regardless of which lands they called home. The facade could crumble, the branches could fall, but the roots were strong and new growth could always reform from these strong foundations.
But Solace feels that her daughters concern over the look of her new feet is unfounded, and it probably shows in the melodic way her tone dances between that of a statement and a riddle.
"Power is beautiful," shereplies her intense gaze never leaving that of her companion. Maybe in some other world beauty was simply an aesthetic, but here where power was the highest currency of them all, it shone like gold. "But don't worry," she adds with a coy smile usually reserved for Kagerus, "you have plenty of both."
Valdis gives her a little more info about the mysterious voice, but she still does not piece together exactly what is going on. But the idea that it is some sort of gift instead of a curse had worked to sooth the young mare and her mother in turn.
The sweet smile she is offered piratically causes her heart to swell, her crystalline eyes growing soft and motherly. "I've missed you too, Valdis," she sighs, "Every day I think of you out there. I know you don't want me worrying about you, but I can't help it now and then."
The sound of someone quickly approaching causes the queen's head to turn, and she calls out a greeting as she realizes who has joined them. She watches, content, as the twins greet each other waiting until Velk turns his attention to her before returning his embrace. He continues to ask about the world beyond the cove, and Solace almost feels guilty for asking him to stay so confined within the safety of the protected lands. But his question does lead Solace to prompt Valdis for more details about life in her new home.
"Yes, how is life in Sylva? Someday I will have to come and meet your king... I know less of the south than any of the other lands." She says, her eyes returning to her daughter to gauge her reaction to the experimental statement.
S
olace
we're reeling through an endless fall we are the ever-living ghost of what once was
Velk
