"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
Springtime was an absolutely wonderful season to many. It was the season of rebirth, of the awakening, when animals emerged from their slumbers and welcomed new life into the world. Such was the case in the large field that day, where clutches of mares were now accompanied by this season's foals, sired by the proud stallions that roamed this land.
Despite this joy, there were mares that were saddened they had not become a mother this spring around, but this was not the case for one such mare. She'd arrived here about two seasons ago, and had mostly kept to herself during the winter time. However, now that spring was upon the land once again and food was plentiful, the mare decided to venture out. She knew at some point that one of the mares from the nearby clutches might try to speak to her, but if that did happen, she would simply say hello before making her way elsewhere. She did not wish to be bothered today, especially not by a mare that could inwardly brag about being a mother.
The lone mare had grown a thick coat last winter, but by the end of the first three weeks of spring had shed it completely. Her coat was now shimmering with health, her color akin to that of the finest freshly brewed champagne that, in other lands, unknown to her, other creatures often used as a form of celebration. Her warm almond brown eyes gazed over the land as she lifted her head, her dark muzzle moving back and forth from the patch of grass she was currently eating.
Thinking she had heard something, but realizing it was nothing more than some of the mares and their foals in a nearby clutch, the champagne colored mare, identified by the name Anahi, smiled warmly before turning and continuing to graze, now absentmindedly moving away from the clutch as she ate.
Most horses longed for a herd life, and while Anahi couldn't deny that she rather missed it, she was used to being by herself, for quite some time now. That wasn't to say that she hated the life of living in a herd... she just wasn't in a huge hurry to find one, unless she felt as if it was the place where she belonged.
A squeal cut the silence in the air, and Anahi's head shot up, looking back toward the clutch. A stallion that she didn't know was there now, trying to gather the mares to move them elsewhere. Seeing his brutish nature made Anahi snort in irritation before she abandoned her grass patch, trotting a dozen or so yards away before resuming her grazing.
Springtime for Rhy was much like every other season. Hot and humid, with a little bit more rain. The weather in the Jungle didn’t change much. The degree of hot and humid varied, but otherwise, it was largely the same throughout the year. And though the Jungle certainly had foals and pregnant mares, they were not the sort of mares that marked their lives by the number of children they managed to bear.
Rhy was evidence of that. She was what, 12 or 13 or hell, older, and still had no children. And really, was in no rush about it either. She did have Draconis, the fire-breathing girl she’d found along in the Den. But Rhy had simply done what any decent horse would have. Taken the girl home and watched over her until they could find the girl’s mother (or if they could, really). It’s entirely possible the mother didn’t want to be found.
Since the temperature has finally started to warm up in Beqanna, she makes her way to the field. Rhy tries not to leave the Jungle in the winter, if she can help it. She doesn’t grow a winter coat anymore, and doesn’t really like being cold. She’s grown too used to the heat. Once in the field, she skims around for someone to talk to, eyes falling on a dark gold champagne mare. She’s alone, standing off to the side, and Rhy cheats a little bit, reading her emotions before walking over.
“Hi, I’m Rhy.” she says, her smile friendly and warm as she comes to a stop before the mare, keeping a polite distance. “I’m from the Jungle. May I ask your name?” She falls silent now, waiting to see what the mare has to say.
Anahi, as with any horse, is equipped with powerful senses that help keep her attuned to everything that is going on around her. Even when she is grazing, her ears are always alert, nose breathing in and out to detect any odd scents, and eyes, with their powerful range of vision, on the lookout for any potential predators that might try to sneak up on her.
So, when her range of vision detected motion behind her, the champagne mare lifted her head quickly, attention focused on who, or what, was coming toward her. Even when her eyes had just glimpsed it, Anahi didn't feel incredibly threatened by the approaching creature. It hadn't been approaching either too fast or too slow, telltale signs of an animal on the hunt.
Instead, this animal had approached at an average pace, showing Anahi that she was not to be harmed. However, millions of years of inbred instinct also told the champagne mare to be on the cautious side, just in case this upcoming event took a turn for the worse.
Her brown eyes took in the approaching mare's form. She had a nice color, palomino spotted, an overo pattern, if the champagne mare was not mistaken. She quietly listened as the mare introduced herself by the name of Rhy, as well as tell where she was from before questioning the same of Anahi herself. While she didn't know where the 'Jungle' was, she at least figured it was some part of the land around here.
Not seeing any harm, Anahi squared herself, focusing her attention on Rhy before answering, "Nice to meet you Rhy. I'm Anahi."
It’s always smart to be on the alert in the field. You never really know who might find you, and not all of the horses lurking here are as kind as Rhy. Rhy, for her part, doesn’t worry much about anyone else, but she’s at a distinct advantage when it comes to defensive skills. She can grow claws and talons, can electrocute your heart, can disappear from view, and fling objects at your head. The list goes on. There are certainly some that could get the best of her, but they were pretty few and far between.
The mare notices her, looking up as Rhy comes up and takes her place. The mare’s greeting is pleasant, introducing herself as Anahi, and Rhy nods in acknowledgment. “Are you new to Beqanna?” she asks, waiting a pause for the mare to answer before continuing to speak. “The Jungle is the all mare kingdom in Beqanna. There are stallions, but they can hold no rank in the Jungle, and exist to serve us ladies.” She grins slightly, a playful grin at that last remark. Many of them stayed for love of some lady, or because they were born in the Jungle and simply didn’t want to leave. They were not really treated like servants, though they may hold that title.
“I can offer you a place to rest, and you can always leave if you don’t like it or find somewhere else you’d rather live. Or, if you fall in love with it like so many do, you can stay and work your way through the ranks, or simply call it home.”
Anahi nodded in response to Rhy's first question, "Fairly. I've been here only long enough to witness the births of these new foals during the spring. I arrived here a few weeks before winter's end."
Though she hadn't asked what the Jungle was, hearing it earlier from when Rhy introduced herself, Anahi listened with full intent, interested in hearing about what it was like. She was a bit astonished to learn it was a place - kingdom, she supposed - ruled by mares, and kept stallions around only to help the mares with anything hey needed.
Anahi absently wondered if that was their only purpose there, but decided not to question on it. Instead, she allowed Rhy to finish speaking, telling her more of the Jungle.
When the mare was finished, Anahi took the opportunity to speak, "Are the horses that live there kind? And is that all the stallions are there for, to serve the mares. Not to be rude by saying so, but that seems a little harsh."
The mare answers her question, revealing that she hasn’t been in Beqanna long. Not long enough to know all that much about the kingdoms, so Rhy’s explanation of the Jungle is hopefully at least somewhat helpful. The Jungle certainly bucks tradition in that sense. And there are some that like it, and like the idea of not necessarily being ruled by a stallion in a herd. Granted, many of the kingdoms were ruled by women. That wasn’t uncommon. But there were plenty of traditional herds as well, and some mares still preferred that life. Rhy didn’t, but she respected those that did.
“Well, welcome to Beqanna.” She says to begin, before diving into the questions that the mare has. “Yes, the horses there are kind, though sometimes a little rough around the edges. The Jungle is known for producing strong, warrior women though. Even if you don’t like to fight, like me, most of us are capable of it. And the stallions there choose that life. We don’t make them stay, and we don’t make them do anything they don’t want to do. But other than to serve the kingdom and to help out, no, they aren’t there for anything else. Though it is not uncommon for the men that live there to choose to do so to be with the mare they love.”
She thinks of her grandparents, of Scorch and Hestoni. Kratos would never live in the Jungle as a manservant with Rhy, but many did. And they lived quite happily, those that had no ambitions for a title. Her own father had offered to live with Rayelle in the Jungle, had Rayelle chosen to go back to her birth home. But he loved her far more than anything else in this world, so that always made sense to her.
“The Jungle isn’t for everyone, and I’ll understand if you don’t think it’s for you.”
Anahi smiled at Rhy's friendly welcome before listening to the rest of what she had to say. For some reason, Anahi found it appealing that the Jungle was known for strong mares, but still thought it was a bit unfair that the stallions there only served the kingdom.
Anahi supposed it was due to her upbringing; she'd left her home herd, yes, but in all herds she'd seen, it was the one nature was most accustomed to in other lands. A stallion led the herd, followed by a favorite mare to get them out of danger while the stallion kept said danger at bay, and the other mares existed to carry the future generations for the stallion.
Granted, Anahi didn't find being thought of as a breeding factory all that favorable either, but at the same time... oh who was she kidding, she was so conflicted about this. Knowing stallions in the Jungle could choose that life soothed her; at least they weren't being forced to stay. And perhaps, maybe, while she was there, she could find a single stallion to love, rather than having to live in a herd with one stallion and being treated as nothing more than a prize to him.
Not knowing why she truly meant the words that next came out of her mouth, Anahi turned to face Rhy, "I'm not sure how I feel about the Jungle one hundred percent yet... but, perhaps if I saw it, if I could see how things there are, I could tell for certain how I truly feel. Do... do you think I could journey there, to see what it's like?"
