"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
09-07-2016, 10:55 AM (This post was last modified: 09-09-2016, 06:06 AM by Romek.)
fuck all your dreams; they're not all they seem.
Despite little Lily’s outburst (which, honestly, Romek had found more amusing than anything else – the young never know when to hold their tongues, and it is one of the qualities that he loves most about children), the gods in Beqanna have seen and heard their pleas, and answered them – they have noticed their hearts, and their cause, and so on and so forth.
It was a queer little pang which pulled on his heart as he set out on this unfamiliar path to an unfamiliar land. He watches his step closely, remaining close to his wife and their children. He will have time enough when they arrive to converse, for now he is trying to memorise the path there – it is short, fortunately. It would appear their land is in a northern part of Beqanna, the most Northern part, although who knew what lay beyond the mist.
It is a small band which arrives in a towering forest of redwoods and other assorted evergreens. The sound is what he hears next, which is not one of horses chattering but… bird sound, silence, and frogs. It is a weird noise to hear after so long spent in the barren Tundra, but it is a pleasant one nonetheless.
”Our home.” he says finally, when they reach the center. Sadly he has no grand speech prepared, for, at heart, he is a simple, uncomplicated man who desires nothing more than a secure home amongst family and friends. ”Taiga.”
Romek
@[demian] @[Maribel] @[Durotan] @[Espeon] @[Lilitha] @[torrid] @[Reagan] @[Jinju] @[Arete] @[Alivia] @[Ruan]
@[Andras] @[Usual Story] if you guys want in
now don’t you understand…that I’m never changing who I am?
There was something about the way the trees sighed a breath of relief—it was calming. It was warm. With her immediate family beside her—Jinju, her newly adopted niece, and Ruan, her… whatever they were—she found she was able to relax. The breeze was nice, and blew against the green tinged woman as she drove her body further down the mountain and into the woods, the scent of the sap and the evergreen giving a sweet fragrance to the air.
This was home, and she would me her home here in the Taiga. Though full of trees, the vegetation was plentiful and Reagan was assured the protection she sought for their young ones. And, as her heart beat—with Ruan’s beating right along beside hers—she felt the warmth and thickness to her blood return to her. She flared her nostrils, and turned to face the trees. Looking up, she flicked her ears and took a step with purpose, her heart thundering when she realized that the vines were winding their way around the trunks at her will.
The power of her blood was back with her, and she was restored in full, just as the Fairy said she would be. She stopped, and lowered her eyes and head to the dirt in momentary supplication, counting her rosary beads and saying a Hail Mary to God and the Fairies that Be. Her magic, and a home—all in the same day.
09-07-2016, 07:59 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2016, 08:00 PM by Ruan.)
Ruan
He followed protectively at Reagan's back, gently coaxing the young filly to keep up with soft nudges and encouraging smiles. The gray mare's spirit seemed illuminated, the matching piece of her within his own soul completing it, fueling it. He kept his wings tucked in close to his spotted body as they weaved through the trees.
Reagan's eyes peered up, and his naturally followed. Witnessing her actions, he turned his smile to her and beams proudly, pleased to see her magic returned to her. She hadn't totally been herself since the loss of it, how could she be? And he was glad to see that spark flare to life in her eyes, lit from within by her powerful magic. She looked whole now. And happy.
He pulled up next to her as she stopped, and took a deep breath, memorizing the clear, crisp scent as home. With a family at last, and now a home, he couldn't imagine what could make this day any better. So absorbed in their shared happiness, he didn't once think of the magic he once had. He looked over her back at little Jinju and smiled at her, winking a deep blue eye that had once been so bright. He couldn't wait to take the little sprite exploring once they settled in.
With a light nuzzle to Reagan's cheek, he sighed. "Home," he said simply, and turned to face their new world with hungry eyes.
Iona had a lot of words, even if not all of them were of good choice. The flaxen mare was a creature that enjoyed the simple things in life, her carefree yet somewhat mentally unstable state of mind leaving her behavioral choices questionable. She'd often been looked upon strangely because of how she talked, acted, and so on, but the mare did not care. If another horse looked at her weird, then so what? It wasn't as if that would do anything to change how she was, or who she was.
Iona had accepted that long ago.
After Beqanna's strange changes, the mare had found herself dropped on top of a mountain in the middle of the new land. Her positive state of mind kicking in, the mare just walked down to the bottom where the forest and the meadows lurked, deciding to see who else was alive. A number of horses were discovered down there, a couple of which the mare recognized, but did nothing to go over and say hi. She was friendly, yes, but did not often make the first move unless her unstableness kicked in.
In this case, it did not, at least, not for a little while. During the mare's wandering, she'd come across a group of horses that were heading for an area of the hidden land, covered by a strange mist. Deciding she wanted to check it out, Iona tagged along, trotting merely behind the horses since she figured, if they saw her, they'd chase her off before she got the chance to see what land they were heading to.
Maybe she'd like it. Maybe she'd want to make it her home. Maybe she'd hate it. Maybe she'd leave. Just full of maybe's...
After a long while of traveling, the herd finally got to their home. Iona was a bit surprised herself, with the beauty of the land and how it looked. However, the other horses were quiet; they seemed to be relishing in their new home, glad that they had a safe place.
Rolling her eyes, the flaxen mare trotted out into the open, but a good distance from the herd, eager to get a feel of the fresh grass beneath her hooves. She let out a squeal of excitement and reared up a bit, eager to see what this new place was like.
This was the way the night had cashed in. Choices had been made and things happened, and here we were. It was sad, and funny. My life was made of this. Stuff like this.
It has been years since he could truly call a place home. For generations he had hid in the mountains that surrounded the Valley a kingdom he had not ruled once but twice. His years of solitude had led him to become a wanderer, and when he awoke on the mountain he had been forced to face the demons of his past. For weeks he and Romek had worked their hardest to gain the grace of the fairy's and Beqanna's forgiveness. He hadn't known for sure whether they would be forgiven or helped with their goals. So when the Fairy left the path to their new path in their minds and hearts Demian found a wave of relief washing over and through him.
Before he leaves her presence and follows the rest he nods quietly in respect to her, silently thanking her with the uptmost gratitude before turning and following the path she had laid out before him. It takes him a while but he eventually catches up, his hooves stepping carefully along the ground so as not to trip over any precariously laid stones or fallen branches. It is when the mists part and reveal the Coniferous Forest that the creatures of this new land wake, calling to one another. He knows what they are doing. They are chattering about their presence for to them the Equines were new faces, a new race stepping into a land that they considered theirs.
The scents and cries of the creatures had his ears swiveling and his heart racing. Though he could not see the snow covered forest, he knew that it must be beautiful. "It sounds beautiful," it is all he says as he steps up next to Reagan and Ruan behind Romek and Maribel. "This will make a wonderful home."
If it wasn’t already noticeable enough that she now belonged with Reagan, the pretty moss green scarf around her neck would tell the tale too. It was the scarf that kept the black filly warm, somehow magically warming her from within. Clearly different from the Jungle’s heath and humid warmth, but it wasn’t a bad change. The ends of the green scarf swayed with each and every movement, sometimes even swaying due to the wind, but it never fell off. Jinju didn’t question it, as she couldn’t understand the magic behind it. She had grown used to it, most of the time even forgetting that it was there.
She clung to Reagan’s side like a newborn – which she clearly wasn’t anymore – still afraid that Reagan too would disappear when she would glance away for even a second. It had happened twice already and although she knew deep in her heart that the gray mare wouldn’t abandon her, Jinju just had to be sure. Another reason why she stuck close to Reagan was so she could hide herself at the emerald magician’s side. Ever since the change she had grown shy and hesitant in the presence of unknown adults. She didn’t count Ruan like that anymore, he was her uncle in the same way Reagan was her aunt.
As they stop side by side, she lingers a bit behind them, hesitant and unsure of where to go. She wanted nothing more than to place herself in between them, using them as a shelter. Jinju still didn’t like open spaces, still preferring the Jungle’s dense lands to hide herself. Ruby eyes meet blue ones and it is her uncle’s wink that encourages her to step forward until she’s clung to Reagan’s other flank. Her nose is approximately at the mare’s shoulder, making it possible for Jinju to shyly peek from underneath Reagan’s neck, without fully baring herself to all the strangers that gathered themselves around.
They gather around, and the tiger stallion feels a stab of pride in his chest. These horses have chosen to be a part of this land, have chosen to trust his and Maribel’s and Demian’s judgement – and he is pleased. Aside from Reagan, Andras and the children, there are three he does not recognise, but from their proximity, assumes them to be Reagan’s family – a little red-eyed black filly, the spitting image of Offspring (and he glances to Maribel to see if she too had made the same connection), a stallion who is pressed close to the magician and finally, a mare who he had noticed join their group on the way in, although he did not mind. There were no established boundaries or borders, and she was just doing what comes naturally to horses – sticking with their own kind.
”It may be that Demian and Maribel and I lead you, but you are all as vital to the land as we are. If any have any thoughts, concerns or opinions, then let it be known.” he says. ”If any are interested in fighting training, then seek me out. Otherwise, Maribel is pretty good at all that talking stuff.”
”Reagan is a magician, and has been a great help in the formation of our group, and so will be the Guardian. If any need help learning or controlling their powers, perhaps talking to her is the place to start.”
”Otherwise, the usual – we must keep our presence constant in the Field. Recruiting is vital to the success of our homeland. Mock fighting, and mock steals are also a good way to grow stronger, as is visiting other lands – I know nothing of them, so I would appreciate if others want to go exploring and find out what the lay of the land is. Be cautious, and polite, and friendly, and do not overstep any border.”
And with that, the spotted stallion falls quiet once more, ready to listen.
He trailed behind the other equines. There lands granted to them. It seemed surreal, and honestly it felt weird doing this without Gyps. Although Andras was glad to have a home ready for Gyps once he finds her, he remained silent for the trip and taking in all the land had to offer. He was so used to Beqanna with Kingdoms, that was all he knew. Now he has to memorize a new layout, become familiar to there new territory.
He almost ran into a couple equines when they stopped without him noticing, Romek announce this was there home, Taiga, as he declared the name. There was quite a few equines here, for what seems like a promising start to the lands they claimed. Everyone was pretty silent, aside from the few comments that the home was nice and they were excited.
Romek than announced that there would be four ‘leaders’ he found that odd, but it was just another thing he would need to get used to. Romek than spoke of warriors and diplomat tasks, even if he didn’t say those names specifically they were following the same guidelines. Andras gave a nod before speaking I will do warrior tasks he looked about the crowd before finding Romeks gaze.
Let Go Of The Thoughts That Don't Make You Stronger
OOC: OMG! So sorry this took forever, I just wanted to get a post up
