in the morning i sleep alone - any

[Texas]

and I discovered that my castles stand

upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

The Amazonian infection that the Falls were temporarily suffering from has finally cleared up, and the lanky bay stallion is left surveying a pool of water that is slowly become clear of blood. Having bled into the water more than his share of times (several of them fatal amount of blood) Texas doesn’t fault the bald mare for her contamination of the magical water, but he does want it to be pristine again.

He likes watching the fish, afterall.

With her herd of woman gone, the silence of the Falls becomes ever louder in his flicking ears. He’s not seen Eld or his son in several weeks, and it’s been even longer than that since he’d spoken with Shatter Me. There has been no news of alliances of treaties – or of politics at all – and though it’s clear from recent events that their alliance with the Amazons is strong, he’s heard nothing about the other kingdoms in several years.

Having no desire for power (mostly because he already considers himself important enough), Texas doesn’t mind the absence of his queen. He does worry though, what would become of the Falls were they to be raided? They are a fruit ripe for the picking of any kingdom with an eye for a prize. Their army consists of Texas, a scarred stallion who had left the Dale but still returns smelling of it after brief forays (probably a spy, but they have no secrets worth telling), and Tyrna, who is just as absent as her mother. There had been a little colt for a while, but Texas had last seen him heading out of the kingdom with a cremello stallion. Someone that Shatter Me had sent to babysit the boy, Texas thought. Nothing to worry about.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the few leaves that have fallen on him during his doze, the bay stallion picks his way carefully through the rocks along the water’s edge. He briefly contemplates calling out for someone – anyone – he is all to sure that the call will go unanswered, and so he paws idly at the water simply for something to do.

texas

[e v e r d e e n]

been tryin' hard not to get into trouble

Her journey so far has been long but she is learning many things, so far the Dale was friendly - their King was rather welcoming. The Chamber she was bombarded but luckily Gallows had come with her. She decides to approach another neutral land even though it's further from her path she wants something that will hopefully be easy. She has heard of the Fall's healing waters, she has heard about the recent Amazonian intrusion here but she has interpreted it differently. She doesn't know the inter-kingdom alliances or treaties, little does she know she would soon be approaching the plethora of history in the shape of a man.

She entered the land and it seems peaceful although there is remnants of a tropical scent, she bets it's the Amazon mares but she has never traveled there. The gray tobiano sees a bay stallion standing alone, she assesses the fact that he is one of the only (if not the only) person she does see. Although it's been her experience to not interrupt or catch someone off guard, with his openness she has a feeling it's welcomed.

"Hello, I'm Everdeen from the Valley - do you live here or are you waiting for someone to notice you like I am?" she laughs a little, her big amber doe eyes glinting with her joke. She doesn't know that he likely won't find it funny, this is his home unbeknownst to her - he's also distantly related to her and although Everdeen does not know her grandmother she has been told before that her eyes are that of the magical mare's. She is much sweeter on the exterior, the interior is yet to be determined; she is moldable in the Valley's hands. Demian's to be more precise.

"Have you been here in solitude long? it's a very weighted question, it's both political and personal and although they have just met she knows that he will catch on to her delving attempts. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

e v e r d e e n

[Texas]

and I discovered that my castles stand

upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

Texas’ interest in visiting other kingdoms is only slightly greater than his interest in walking into a swarm of mosquitoes; needless to say he has no intention of seeking answers to the questions he ponders. It would be easy enough to go and ask after the other kingdoms, but the bay stallion’s apathy may as well be a thing of legends. He’d rather wait and see what comes poking at the Waterfall and face it when it comes.

The first it is a mare. She walks alone and smells of the Valley, though the reek of her naivety (purposeful?) is even easier to scent. She doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that she’s wandering deep in the heart of a kingdom where she might not be entirely welcome. Since the shifting of the magic in the kingdoms Texas is as clueless as a foal about politics, and there is no monarch to instruct him. Perhaps that means he’s in charge.

“I’m Texas,” replies the bay stallion as he turns away from the water to face the stranger, “and you’re trespassing.”

He does find her quip funny (if only because the state of the Falls is positively depressing and his humor is equally depressing), but the chances of him admitting it are far less than the chance he’s about to willingly drown himself in the pool of water behind him.

“I’m not alone,” He replies, once again refusing to give a concrete answer that would give her the information she seems to want. Part of it is his innate orneriness, and part of it is that she is blinking at him out of Prague’s doe eyes. It might be a trick the old magician is playing or simply the girl’s unfortunate luck to have inherited her granddam’s eyes, but Texas refuses to give the old grey lioness the upper hand.

He’s says that he’s not alone and he might have meant that because Everdeen is here he has company, or perhaps that the rest of the kingdom is sleeping. He’s not inclined to tell her which, but he’s bored enough to tolerate her for a while longer despite the fact that her brown eyes bring up too many memories. “Did you come here just to ask stupid questions, or is there something that you need?” His expression has been stoic until now, but now his brow raises in faint disdain. He feels nothing of the sort, but he does hope that she’ll react negatively, and do something to add excitement to his day.

texas

[Malka]

Besides her rather small welcoming party, Malka had seen little of the 'Falls horses since her arrival. It sure wouldn't be hard for someone to infiltrate their ranks and blend in since there were so few of them around. But alas, Malka currently has no interest in the current situation of the 'Falls. She was much more curious about it's past. With so few around though, it had made it rather hard for her to learn anything.

And so, she'd taken to hiding in one of the many crevices that were among the rocks that made up the waterfall, the same waterfall that she was supposed to be learning her healing from. Without a guide though, she wasn't sure how she would go about that. And so she spends her time quietly roosting among the waterfall with the mist floating down upon her feathered back.

It is in that position that she sees the bay stallion coming towards the stream below. She quickly recognizes him as the water activator during Scorch's most recent incident. She had never spoken to him, but he seemed quiet gathered in his own thoughts as he pawed at the shallow water. Her head turns as she hears footsteps coming towards them. She does not recognize the mare and automatically assumes she must be an outsider (for there were so few insiders, that Malka had pretty much seen them all already, whether they had seen her or not). Malka quickly flutters out of her current perch and slips behind the rocky formation that made up the water fall. It is once she is out of sight that she alights on the ground and shifts back into her equine form.

Head down, she slowly walks out from behind the waterfall, ears flickering softly with muzzle towards the ground - as if she was grazing. Her head lifts curiously and ears prick towards the stranger as she approaches the Bay stallion. Malka hears her introduction and the stallion's quick reply. It was as Malka thought and she was curious as to what would bring the Valley mare so far into foreign land. Malka had always been raised on the 'stop at the border' diplomatic upbringing and anything less was extremely disrespectful.

"What makes you think he's alone?" she poses easily as she finished approaching the pair. Malka was not sure if Texas would recognize her or not as the colorful bird that had ridden on Scorch's back before transforming into her current form the better attend to her Queen. Malka had spent so much time in the 'Falls though that her Amazon scent would be nothing more than a mere waft - one that could be blamed on their recent over presence at the waterfall.

She was quiet for a moment before adding, "I'm Rhyan," she introduces herself. Malka was not sure if Scorch would want other kingdoms to know of the current alliance between the 'Falls and the 'Zons, nor if other kingdoms should be privy to Malka's supposed training. She had decided shortly after arriving that to anyone outside the 'Falls, she would be a resident. She had even gone as far as deciding on a new name for herself, which she had spent much of her brooding time repeating so she would not forget it. Her new name had slipped as easily from her tongue as he real name would have and unless someone was a mind-reader (or actually knew her!), they would've never known the difference.

Malka slowly moves so that she is standing off Texas' side and then he speaks again. The paint mare stays quiet, curious to see what the Valley mare's response would be. Malka holds back a small laugh as she thinks that if the bay stallion had been born a mare, he would've fit in quite well among the sassy mares of the Jungle. Instead though, she waits patiently next to him for a reply.

[Tiberios]

It’s been some time since the spotted stallion has seen Shatter, and this bothers him. It’s also been far too long since he’s seen his son, Khalis, playing innocently around the Falls. He fears that mother and offspring have fled - but he cannot put his finger on why. He fears, for a moment, that Shatter has seen his meeting with Talulah, but he knows her to be a wise woman. Talulah is of his past, and Shatter is his present and future. He has never betrayed her, nor will he ever betray her.

The Falls is equally silent on this day. His muffled footsteps are long but not rushed. Tiberios seeks them out against the backdrop of the picturesque landscape, hoping that his fears can easily be put to rest once he rounds a corner or tree. He still feels that they’re out there, somewhere, waiting for him to simply show. There was talk of unrest among the kingdoms in the Meadow, some violent news being spread about the Chamber. It was true that the kingdom had a strong arm now, and could strike wherever she so pleased, but Tiberios was ignorant of any reason as to why the Chamber would lash out at the Falls.

His mind maintains its uneasiness as he tops a small rise, amber eyes reaching out to spot a few horses milling around near the water’s edge. He recognizes Malka, but the other two he cannot place, so he wastes no time and picks up an easy canter that leads him down to where they mingle. When he arrives among them he nods in Malka’s direction, feeling sympathy for her situation here and thinking that she needed greater respect and purpose than what she currently held. She was brave to leave the Amazons to contend with the Falls ridiculous demands, even braver to stay and show face.

His head snaps to the single horse that smells like an outsider, gaze skipping over the rough-looking stallion to get straight to business. “I’m Tiberios.” He says, ears flicking forward in a curious fashion. “Seems like you’ve caused a stir already. You’ve come a long way, so I hope the journey has purpose.”

Despite himself, the fire-wielding stallion cannot help but take a fleeting glance at the bay stallion. He knows that the Falls boasts only one other male inhabitant, so he figures this horse to be Texas, Shatter’s adviser and high-ranking member. The two have never met before this situation, so Tiberios cannot place judgement based on looks, but the tobiano can hold him accountable. It wasn’t so long ago that he himself had been Lord of the Dale, and a prince to match. The two were not as different as they seemed.

Tiberios

Initiate of the Falls