"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
05-12-2024, 08:37 PM (This post was last modified: 05-14-2024, 07:09 PM by Phoebus.)
It has been years since the boy of fire stepped foot here.
So long, in fact, that much of the landscape he had once known was gone now. His beloved Tephra, his home, was nothing but rubble and ash, laid bare many moons ago. He had spoken to Warrick shortly before finding out about his father's untimely death. He vowed to be a champion of his home, to protect it, but instead he deserted it when things became too hard.
He was no champion, he was a coward.
Perhaps he was destined to do this...his father did the same thing, time and time gain. However, the boy of fire came back, though he was not sure what for. To heal his mother's broken heart? To find some semblance of humanity? He had merely survived the last decades, not truly lived. He was old, he was broken, and he decided now was better than never to try to live a life he'd be proud of. So, he came back to Beqanna, and now he stood in the meadow.
His father had brought him here a few times during his childhood, though they mainly stuck to the Tephran borders.
To be a good protector, Rou said, looking out towards the towering mountains. You must know every inch of the land. Not just your own.
Phoebus snorted. "Some protector you were." He whispers, rolling his eyes. And some protector I'd be...I don't even know where anything is anymore
Green grass pokes out haphazardly from the freshly fallen snow. Phoebus takes a deep breath and exhales, watching the tendrils of white vapor coil through the air and disappear. His father was dead, but perhaps his mother was still living? Maybe he had a sibling or two he didn't know about? He sighs, wondering if his mother would even remember him...it had been so long since he last saw her. Phoebus walks towards the creek, looking at his reflection in the frozen mirror.
He was much taller, standing a sturdy 16hh. His roan coat had grayed over the years, mostly evident around his mouth and eyes. Scars dotted his body where his armor wasn't as heavy - a particularly deep cut sliced down his eye to the bottom of his cheek. He was once bright-eyed and smiling - now, a permanent frown is plastered across his face and his eyes looked haunted. The stallion tilts his head, noticing that if it wasn't for the burning armor flames, he would look exactly like his father.
Phoebus rears up and slams down on the ice with a sickening crunch and sizzle. How could he look so much like him? The father who spent so much time chasing the memory of a child that wasn't his, the father who spent so much time away, the father who ran from his problems, the father who died before Phoebus got a chance to know anything more...and he looked like him.
"What am I even doing here?" Phoebus spits with a certain amount of vitriol. "All it's doing is bringing up the past! Maybe I should keep running..." Steam billows off his skin and snow melts beneath his feet - he's burning hot. He turns away from the creek, trying to calm his temper but failing miserably as evidenced by a trail of melting snow. Where he's going, he's unsure, but he needs to cool off before he hurts someone (or himself).
crappy post but needed to get out the writing bug lmao.
It had been some time since I had arrived beneath the large deciduous tree. So much time in fact that the leaves that had filled its branches were now gone. The barren spikes held some resemblance to the jagged lines that illuminated my purple skin in the night, when I willed it so. Tonight was such a night as I longed for the spring thunderstorms.
I had never been a fan of winter. It caused my iron joints to creak with anguish. That is why I waited here. Waited for the others to show so that they may rise Tephra once more to its former glory. Oh, how I longed to return to my birthplace.
The fish cat stirred where it had been seated on my back. I tried my best to keep it warm as it was not accustomed to the frigid conditions here anymore than I was.
God, I wished they'd hurry the fuck up!
Waiting had caused a bitterness to rise within me as I stood, silver amethyst eyes cast towards the Mountain in the distance. I had an itch to mark right up that fucker and demand my home back! Fucking fairies...
My irritation is peaked as I hear a clatter off to my side. A stomping of hooves and shouting into the night sky. My eyes roll as my head turns, wings shifting with unease. The fish cat turns its attention to the noise as well. Its beady eyes narrowing on the fiery creature.
"Hey, fire boy!" I shouted, "Pipe down before I slap a muzzle on ya!" I scuff with a snort of annoyance, my gaze returning to the faded shape of the Mountain. The glowing bolts along my flesh simmer to a staggering flash until they dim completely.
The temporary companion I housed along my spine adjusts slightly, its glowing eyes still staring at the stranger but not in disdain. The fish cat is intrigued by the fire wrapped stallion, perhaps a memory surfacing of its Tephrian home. Its tiny paws knead along my back, and I shake in response to the sensation, sending the scaled feline jumping onto the snow-covered ground.
Being of a temperate climate, the creature struggles in the cold just as much as I do. But its sights are set on the heated stallion, seeking out its warmth. Its fish-like tail drags in the snow, leaving a thin trail behind as it moves towards the stranger.
My eyes roll as I chase after it. "No! Bad kitty!" I yell, "We need to wait for the others." A huff of hot air escapes my nares as I follow the glowing critter to the stallion.
Upon closer inspection I find a Tephra-like presence about him. The fire melted to his flesh like the lava of my lands was a dead giveaway. As I approach my ears lay flat against my skull, showing I was not in the mood for any bullshit. "You look...lost," I say flatly with a snort as I reach where the fish cat had stopped to stare up at the stallion.
Kreation
Say What You Wanna Say
@Phoebus The fish cat is her tephra land quest find and basically looks like vaporeon with glowing aspects!
However, unlike Rou, Phoebus' temper only worsened with age. He was impatient, irritable, aggressive - all the things Diable Rouge had managed to control, eventually. So, when he hears the titanium mare shout at him, he feels his rage boil over the surface.
"Hey, fire boy! Pipe down before I put a muzzle on ya!"
His armor glows red hot as he turns to look at her, blue eyes a harsh contrast to his red physique. She's an interesting sight to behold, that is for sure. Her deep violet frame is contrasted by lavender metal exposed in various places on her body. She has a bitter, irritated look behind her heather eyes. If he wasn't so pissed, Phoebus may have revelled in her unique kind of beauty. But of course, he couldn't control the next words he hissed in response to her demands.
"You're one to talk, you fuckin' rust-bucket!" He bellows, eyes honed in on the mare. "You're clanking all around this goddamn meadow. Need a tune-up, eh?!" He lets out a snort, steam rushing from his nostrils.
His warmth must've struck a cord in the fish-cat that sat atop the mare's back. It had been staring at him for awhile, but decided to finally leap from the mare's cold metal back and run towards him. It moves underneath Phoebus, curling firmly between his legs where a patch of snow had melted to reveal a singular patch of grass. Phoebus had always had a soft spot for animals, and despite his current rage (at both his father and the fish-cat's companion), he looks to the fish-cat and gives him a gentle smile. "Must not be easy traveling with such a bi-"
His less than savory comment is cut off. "You look...lost.
Speak of the devil. Phoebus thinks, looking up from the fish-cat and towards the mare.
"Things have changed since I was last here," He says plainly, noting her flattened ears and blistering gaze. He rolls his eyes and quietly debates giving her more information. She is formidable in her own right, but is more than capable of holding his own in a fight and has done so many times. If she would try anything funny, he was sure he could defend himself against her. "I'm from Tephra. Seems like she disappeared awhile ago, though."
@Kreation - he is none too happy about her attitude xD
05-16-2024, 02:24 AM (This post was last modified: 05-16-2024, 02:33 AM by . Red.Opium ..)
. there is no pain you are receding .
Dark eyes anchor on a stark sprig of life; its vibrancy startling when contrasted with the bleached greys of winter. The sight of grass brought her back to reality. How many days had passed? Just how long had she been meandering through the snow? It felt endless. That’s the problem with winter - everything looks the same. Snowy scenery blending with mottled grey skies makes it easy for a traveler to become entranced and easily lost.
Not that the crimson coquette held any destination. No, she was adrift long before walking into the blustery snowfall. To her, departing into the unknown was preferential to remaining in some obscure land she was forced to call “home.”
Her pace slowing, Red Opium lifts her dished head to absorb her new surroundings. A meadow? Trees? She thinks to herself. Where have I landed? Even cold and dusted with snow, the rolling field sprawled before her was far more lovely than where she had forsaken. A hint of a smile crawls nimbly across her face. Could she have found someplace pleasant for once? Her smile recedes just as quickly as it had appeared. She remains trepidatious not one to let her guard down prematurely. Still, it would be nice to rest, and what better place to do so than a meadow?
Black pointed ears pick up the delicate trickle of running water. A drink would be nice. She was parched too consumed by winter’s gloom to even notice until now. Lithe frame glides forward, footfalls almost silent as ebony hooves carve through the snow. It must be nearby, perhaps over the small ridge ahead.
Something stops her. A subtle glow flickers just beyond the crest. Fire? Curiosity tickles the fresh mare as she slows to barely a crawl, cautious of what’s ahead. Suddenly, a venomous shout breaks the soft silence chased by a cloud of steam. The glow burns brighter and confirms that it's fueled by flame. She isn’t alone, yet whoever stands on the other side wields fire. Should she continue or should she change her trajectory?
Why the hell not?
Forward she continues until her obsidian gaze reaches just over the crest. What they capture stuns her. A faint gasp escapes and ascends into the frigid air. Just what was it she was seeing? A stallion…. On fire. She narrows her visage. Perhaps this was a hallucination? Her travels had become extensive impulsively taking any direction that would take her far away and now that she had slowed, the reality of just how hard she had pushed herself oozes over her muscles.
There wasn’t time to deliberate with herself as she caught another voice beyond the burning steed Then a small flurry of movement through the snow. Is that a ca-- The creature responsible for the snow scurry pops out from the cold and situates itself beneath the faded roan flame-stallion. --t… fish? And if that wasn’t inconceivable enough trailing behind the tiny mutant approached a much larger one.
Red Opium needs to pick her proverbial jaw off the floor.
Her mind races trying desperately to make sense of what seems impossible. She isn't dreaming, her aching muscles and the bitter chill of winter that kisses her sleek body confirm it. Has sanity abandoned her? The mare had never been this disconcerted before. Regardless, her eyes refuse to break their stare and continue to observe from behind the meager hill.
”Why the hell not?” She chastises herself beneath her breath.
The fish cat warms itself beneath the hearth of a stallion with a satisfied purr. My robotic eye rolls at the cat's contentment. Trader...
A singular ear tilts forward when he begins to speak of their worldly changes and his knowing of Tephra. My expression softens just the slightest hearing my birthplaces name spoken. How long had it been since they all left the Mountain to seek the parts of Her to free the kingdom from its shrouded fog?
I had anticipated his affiliation with the volcanic land and so I do not hide the facts of their quest, "Many things have changed, but Tephra will return one day... Sooner rather than later if I had any fucking say in it."
My gaze shifts from the fire armored stallion to the fish cat in my company. Motioning my nose to point at it as reference, "That there is a piece of Tephra. We all had to find a piece and bring it back to the Mountain once all the pieces were found..." My voice becomes more irritated, "Apparently too hard of a fucking task for some," I add, with a roll of my eyes in annoyance.
It wasn't their fault perhaps. Maybe they had no fucking clue what pieces of Tephra even looked like...
Once again, my eyes shift focus to the large barren tree they have called home since before summer. I ponder only momentarily that this was not the place they were to meet when they found their pieces, but it was the biggest tree in all of the meadow and facing the Mountain atop a slight hill.
That is when I notice the other watching them. A seemingly plain little thing. My ears return to their flattened position as recognition of the stranger does not come to me.
The fish cat sees my distraction and follows my gaze. Its glowing pools for eyes focus on the third equine and its average appearance. With no more than a mew it begins to bound off through the snow. "Not again!" I grumble before chasing after the purple finned creature.
Phoebus feels the fish cat lay comfortably beneath his warm frame. He chuckles, the first time he had done so in...years, probably. He looks towards the titanium mare, watches her roll her eyes in frustration with the creature, and lets out a snort.
Phoebus watches her ear point forward at his mention of Tephra. He raises a brow curiously at her next words: "Many things have changed, but Tephra will return one day...sooner rather than later if I had any fucking say in it." He listens to her regale her tale of finding the fish-cat - a piece of Tephra - and the quest her and her fellow Tephrans had to do to bring back the land of fire. His ears perk, ever so slightly - was there really a chance Tephra could come back?
He thinks of his homeland fondly. Its never-ending warmth, its rocky soil, its deep canyons - he would love to be there once more, if it was possible. He feels the same wave of annoyance wash over him as the mare tells him about how the others lacked.
"Well, I guess they don't care that much about getting Tephra back," He says through gritted teeth. "I could find a piece of that place in my sleep..." His brows furrow in confusion. There was something so unique about that land, he didn't understand what would be so hard to find. "...I was its protector, once...long ago. Knew it like the back of my hoof."
Phoebus feels the fish-cat take off before he realizes there is another presence a mile or two away, watching them from a hill. He watches the titanium mare take off after the creature, and he can't help but laugh.
"It might not be so willing to run from you if you...I don't know, treated it halfway decent? A name might help." He yells from behind, shrugging his shoulders. Phoebus is halfway tempted to walk away, but the conversation about Tephra intrigues him and he needs to know more about the metal mare. So, he follows behind at a leisurely trot, ears pricked towards the new presence.
Phoebus looks towards the blood bay mare with more curiosity than vitriol. She is beautiful in this light, he will give her that. However, he can't help but notice, other than being a beautiful horse, how plain she is in comparison to others he has seen. No wings, no horns, no gills, and certainly no metal. It is almost refreshing to see someone of such raw, unfiltered beauty. However, he can't help but feel another wave of aggravation come over him.
"Seems like you have a bit of a staring problem," He snaps, without really thinking. "Never seen a man of fire before?" Phoebus laughs crudely, eyes rolling. He wonders what this mare wants, or where she had even come from in the first place.
Ears perk, straining to catch even a shred of conversation between the unimaginable beings. Their tones can be caught, but whatever they are talking about is unintelligible. If she could hear their words maybe she can gain a meager understanding of whatever or wherever the hell this is. Sure, Red Opium wanted to get away, and of course, she hadn’t given any care as to where, but she hadn’t fathomed she’d be here…never thought she’d see anything like them.
Obsidian eyes study the movements exchanged ahead of her with a falcon-like focus. Their back and forth is casual, a bit flippant at times, but altogether civil. They could be comrades, and yet there exists a tone of introduction between them. The stallion of fire, despite his previous temper flare, stands calmly now. And still, there appears to be a heaviness draped across his shoulders. Almost the opposite, the metallic mare is composed, yet the indignation that blankets her is hard to ignore.
Suddenly, the inconvenient feline fish locks its illuminative with hers and decides to investigate. Close behind the mare and stallion make their approach.
Fuck.
She had started her journey driven and, clearly, over-confident in her abilities. Undoubtedly, the lithe little lady can hold her own against another…more equal opponent should the need arise. However, to chance a scuffle with one on fire and yet another made of metal is utterly asinine. This would typically be her queue to flee, but her muscles refuse to move, frozen from fatigue. I suppose I get to make friends then.
Her feminine frame remains poised as the two fantastical creatures now stand before her.
“Forgive me,” her melodic voice floats forth unflinching. “I didn’t mean to be rude. And in all actuality, no, I’ve never seen a man of fire before or a purple-winged mare made of metal.”
Their irritation is shared over the disappearance of their volcanic home. And equally over the amount of time it is taking to get Her back...
When I turn to follow the glowing purple creature there is a clanking of metal in my hurried steps of both my body and the crafted breast collar around my neck. My ear twists back as I hear words come from the fire stallion and I call out in reply, "Oh I'm sorry... I didn't realize you spoke fish-cat. Maybe you should ASK it its name?" My eyes roll but a snicker escapes my lips as I think of the fire boy speaking fish-cat language.
The clanky stops as I reach the semi-aquatic cat that has stopped to peer up at the stranger. It seems to look at her in wonder with a tiny twitch to its finned tail. I match its curiosity as my eyes focus on the unremarkable stranger.
Upon my stillness next to it, it looks away from the red mare and to its usual seat on my back. Deciding the viewpoint would be better there, it leaps up and settles into a sit between my mismatched wings. Curling its scaled tail around its paws as it sits proudly, displaying a matching collar to mine that the light of the other nearing begins to catch its metallic shine.
When the other finally joins them and lets out his contempt, the mare's reply is soft and upon her confession of never seeing creatures such as themselves I let out a boisterous laugh. "Babe, horses on fire are a dime a dozen around here but ones made of metal, hell I've never seen another quite like me," I say through my laughter as my body straightens proudly.
Judging by her plainness she was neither born here nor had a run in with magic, yet. "I'm Kreation," I reveal and with a roll of my robotic eye towards the creature in my stead I add, "And this is Felis Marus, or fish-cat as I call it... Fire boy here wants to name it." I snicker before jesting, "What would you name it? Fifi?!" Another laugh rolls off my tongue at the idea of naming the feral creature.
Its ears perk at my words though, and it lets out a soft meow of approval. The scrolling patterns of its body illuminate and in response the jagged lines of my own form flash brightly like the lightning of a summer storm. "You like that huh?" My words more kind than before. I had to admit the little mutant had grown on me over the year. At least I wasn't alone.
Phoebus had lived in Beqanna all his life. The mystical, fantastical beasts that prowled this land were second nature to him. It never occurred to the boy of fire that those who simply...wind up here might never have encountered someone like him before. His ears perk as the blood bay mare reveals that in fact, she hadn't seen someone who looked like him before. His gaze softens - he is nothing if not inquisitive. As he opens his mouth to speak, the titanium mare interjects with the utmost pride in herself.
"Babe, horses on fire are a dime a dozen around here but ones made of metal, hell I've never seen another quite like me." To this, Phoebus lets out a boisterous laugh, rolling his eyes. The metal mare is confident, he will give her that.
"Yeah, the gods can't afford to be oiling up multiple of you rust-heads," He jests, snickering beneath his breath. "I mean, they'd be spending a lot of time keeping multiple of you lubed up." He turns his attention from the violet mare to the blood bay before them. He tilts his head curiously.
"Where are you even from?" He asks curiously. It isn't often he's met someone who has never seen another horse with wings, horns, or natural armor. His head turns to the titanium mare, ears perking as she mentions her name, and eyes rolling quickly after as she pokes fun at his name suggestion. "What would you name it? Fifi?" Phoebus looks back to the fish-cat, who lets out a gentle mew and a soft purr at the suggestion. Phoebus lets out a howling laugh. "Well, it seems like it actually likes that suggestion...Kreation." He says her name, feeling it on his tongue. He quite enjoys the way it sounds.
"Since we're making introductions...and naming feral fish-cats...my name is Phoebus." He introduces, bowing his head quickly.
Behind her delicate and diplomatic posture resides a warlike spirit forged from the strife and chaos of a land plagued with turmoil. She bears no scars upon her petite frame, nevertheless, the turbulent years of her childhood hadn’t left the blood bay unscathed. Her scars are unseen hidden deep within the confines of her mind. In the desert hell she fled, there was no play, no laughter, and benevolence a rarity. If not for the devotion and prestige of her sire and dam she would have been just another number.
Confident tones catch her ears. A dime a dozen -- there’s…more? She swallows her astonishment and shifts her obsidian gaze to the fish-cat seated contentedly between Kreation’s unmatched wings. Funny little thing it was, part fish and half cat. And yet its mismatched features gave it an added charm.
The red mare returns to her silence, interrupted by the spirited banter between the two. Not that she minds. She’s still partially convinced that this is all an illusion brought on by exhaustion. A glowing fish-cat atop a metal-made, winged purple mare - that flashes? Perhaps she’s dead. With such fantastical beasts as these before her, it isn’t too far-fetched. Ah, but the cold. It stings with each gust of wind.
You can’t feel pain if you’re dead.
“Where are you even from?” the stallion’s voice echoes. His inquisitive tone brings her attention to his smoldering stature once more.
Beneath his armor of flames, she could see his faded roan pelt battler-torn and faded with age. The fury previously felt has appeared to have receded, momentarily at least, and replaced with humor. Laughter had become foreign to her not heard since she was a filly and even then so short-lived. And now she found herself surrounded. It was enough to persuade the petite Arabian to breathe and for once in a long while, she felt her tension ease.
His bow brings her back to his unanswered query, one she hopes will lie forgotten and buried beneath introductions. She wants no association with her past. The sooner she could forget where she was from…the better.
She dips her dished head to each as their names glide elegantly from her lips.
“Kreation. Phoebus.” Her silken voice pauses as she returns her gaze to the delightful little creature. ”Fifi, is it?” A glimmer of humor sparkles in her eyes as her countenance softens slightly. “Delighted to meet you all. My name is Red Opium.”
Winter’s chill crawls across her spine, her travel-tired body shudders. Red may have relaxed a bit, but she was still guarded. She is in new territory, outnumbered and overpowered. Vulnerability was such a humbling feeling and she did not like it.
“Pardon my ignorance,” she graciously continues. “But where are we? What is all of this - what are you?”
