And when all the lights are broken, You keep the fire going
Nearly all the way up the mountain was when the sun died. Yanhua had his head low to the ground, beard caked with ice and nostrils flaring when it happened. The round disc of the moon curved oddly over the sky and then, without warning, covered up the low-lying sun. The world went dark, and the early winter winds howled in angst against the mountain that stood in utter defiance of them, pushing Yanhua to stop and lift his eyes to try and search for what they’d lost.
“Amarine?!” He twisted his neck to look behind, where moments before the jewel-encrusted mare had been following in the track he left as he guided them along the narrow, winding path around the mountainside slope. In his voice was unspoken fear - clenching his throat with invisible claws that stole the breath out of his lungs. He could hardly see, what with the wind whipping his forelock into his eyes and the bitter sting of icy pricks that drove him closer and closer to the sheer wall of icy rock to one side of them, but thanks to the dim glow of his tail he could at least make out the shape of her face and the glint of light reflected in her glassy eyes.
The children, he worried. Normally an echo would follow suit, but in the midst of the swirling storm and closer to the heavens where the eclipse hung stationary in the sky, Yanhua found his ability to project inhibited. He couldn’t send Amarine those wordless thoughts of terror, and so he clenched his teeth together and reminded himself of a promise he’d made to Lilli - that they would be safe.
Their children were in the playground; Both he and Amarine had seen to it that they’d been dropped off safely, and when the pair had left Reynard and Cheri to their games, all seemed well.
Now the mountain was more quiet than ever before, and the sky was starless and foreboding. Cheri and Reynard were miles and miles below them, and Yanhua could only guess how his beloved children were filled with thoughts of their parents returning to rescue them. Little could they have known just where Yanhua and Amarine would’ve ended up, far adrift in the snow where only the fae seemed destined to reside over them all. Stuck at an impasse, unable to turn back on such a narrow path.
Yanhua didn’t care. He’d try anything. Nothing - not even the change he dreamed up for Taiga - was worth leaving his children behind, so he turned his head back toward the nothingness in front of them and stepped sideways as carefully as he could to search for the rock wall that had been there moments before, only to find his shoulder meeting with … open air. He took a step and slid forward, crashing down on one knee while the other three legs struggled to keep balance, and the faint glow of his hair illuminated the slope of the rock nearest to him: it curved away into darkness, revealing an unseen passageway that cut into the heart of the Mountain’s snow-capped crown.
Quickly, Yan rose again. He was sure that he had cut himself, but the sting was a minor concern as he called out to @[Amarine] that he was fine. Though he was barred from communication with her in a way that would be seen and not heard, Yanhua was sure that if he kept his mind and body open Amarine would find a way to communicate where he failed. Speaking aloud was nearly impossible, and he was already taking slow, dragging steps onto the dark path. He found quickly enough that it was a cavernous hole; the wind was behind him, the air around him stagnant but cold, and the darkness even more complete than before. Only his mane and short tail were kept aglow, albeit dimly. In a world of total black, they were the only pinpricks of light.
“Ama,” Yanhua breathed quietly to his mate, huffing gently from the exertion of a day’s worth of climbing, “Are you alright?” He searched for her blindly with his nose, standing still even if it stiffened his frozen joints. Yanhua refused to be at peace until he found her, until the familiar smell and welcome touch of her skin was warm beneath his lips.
They were here, wherever that was. Perhaps the place where some had gone before them to appease the fae. Only one path had led them, and try as Yanhua might to gain information from passersby and friends alike, no two stories were the same when it came to the exact spot for requesting aid. Whether it was or wasn’t would be decided in due time: Yan intended to support Amarine and stand here for a moment, catch his breath and let her craft their prayer to the faeries (she was better at this sort of thing, he’d only muck it up), and then he would head back in search of their children as fast as his legs would allow him to.
“Amarine?!” He twisted his neck to look behind, where moments before the jewel-encrusted mare had been following in the track he left as he guided them along the narrow, winding path around the mountainside slope. In his voice was unspoken fear - clenching his throat with invisible claws that stole the breath out of his lungs. He could hardly see, what with the wind whipping his forelock into his eyes and the bitter sting of icy pricks that drove him closer and closer to the sheer wall of icy rock to one side of them, but thanks to the dim glow of his tail he could at least make out the shape of her face and the glint of light reflected in her glassy eyes.
The children, he worried. Normally an echo would follow suit, but in the midst of the swirling storm and closer to the heavens where the eclipse hung stationary in the sky, Yanhua found his ability to project inhibited. He couldn’t send Amarine those wordless thoughts of terror, and so he clenched his teeth together and reminded himself of a promise he’d made to Lilli - that they would be safe.
Their children were in the playground; Both he and Amarine had seen to it that they’d been dropped off safely, and when the pair had left Reynard and Cheri to their games, all seemed well.
Now the mountain was more quiet than ever before, and the sky was starless and foreboding. Cheri and Reynard were miles and miles below them, and Yanhua could only guess how his beloved children were filled with thoughts of their parents returning to rescue them. Little could they have known just where Yanhua and Amarine would’ve ended up, far adrift in the snow where only the fae seemed destined to reside over them all. Stuck at an impasse, unable to turn back on such a narrow path.
Yanhua didn’t care. He’d try anything. Nothing - not even the change he dreamed up for Taiga - was worth leaving his children behind, so he turned his head back toward the nothingness in front of them and stepped sideways as carefully as he could to search for the rock wall that had been there moments before, only to find his shoulder meeting with … open air. He took a step and slid forward, crashing down on one knee while the other three legs struggled to keep balance, and the faint glow of his hair illuminated the slope of the rock nearest to him: it curved away into darkness, revealing an unseen passageway that cut into the heart of the Mountain’s snow-capped crown.
Quickly, Yan rose again. He was sure that he had cut himself, but the sting was a minor concern as he called out to @[Amarine] that he was fine. Though he was barred from communication with her in a way that would be seen and not heard, Yanhua was sure that if he kept his mind and body open Amarine would find a way to communicate where he failed. Speaking aloud was nearly impossible, and he was already taking slow, dragging steps onto the dark path. He found quickly enough that it was a cavernous hole; the wind was behind him, the air around him stagnant but cold, and the darkness even more complete than before. Only his mane and short tail were kept aglow, albeit dimly. In a world of total black, they were the only pinpricks of light.
“Ama,” Yanhua breathed quietly to his mate, huffing gently from the exertion of a day’s worth of climbing, “Are you alright?” He searched for her blindly with his nose, standing still even if it stiffened his frozen joints. Yanhua refused to be at peace until he found her, until the familiar smell and welcome touch of her skin was warm beneath his lips.
They were here, wherever that was. Perhaps the place where some had gone before them to appease the fae. Only one path had led them, and try as Yanhua might to gain information from passersby and friends alike, no two stories were the same when it came to the exact spot for requesting aid. Whether it was or wasn’t would be decided in due time: Yan intended to support Amarine and stand here for a moment, catch his breath and let her craft their prayer to the faeries (she was better at this sort of thing, he’d only muck it up), and then he would head back in search of their children as fast as his legs would allow him to.
And when all the nights feel like they're closing, You're leaving an opening
OOC: Updated & closed since the SWP is over and Taiga's flora/fauna have been updated <3
