"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
07-06-2017, 10:34 AM (This post was last modified: 07-06-2017, 11:05 AM by Rubble.)
The black, white, and red mare trotted across the snow covered field. Her breath came from her nostrils in frosty plumes. She trotted into the field, and pawed at the snow to get to the short green shoots underneath the white blanket. Rubble took a mouthful of the dying grass and chewed lazily.
She sighed and started to canter around in a tight circle, ploofs of snow coming from her hooves.
07-06-2017, 11:31 AM (This post was last modified: 07-06-2017, 12:01 PM by Tangerine.)
tangerine
face to the sun
Tangerine’s visit to the field had rewarded her with several new acquaintances. Despite the chill in the air, she is glad that she has made the journey - the painted buckskin mare had an open heart and she was always ready to change strangers into friends. She was raised as a nomad like most the residents of her homeland, and she had always been surrounded by new faces.
So, even though she is heading back to Hyaline, when she spots a spotted mare cantering in tight circles she decides she must stop and make sure the girl is alright. With a toss of her head and a whinny she heads in the direction of the multi color mare. “Hello!” Tang calls out, her young voice clear and bright. “Where do you hail from? Is everything alright?”
Rubble slowed to a trot and came closer to Tangerine. "Hello." She said, her voice was loud, not to loud, "Yes, everything is fine." She said with a slight dip of her head. "I come from a place far away. I came across a big water to get here." She said. "I mean I don't know what its called, but it was BAD place. So as a herd of four, we came across, and I was the only one that made it." Her voice grew a little more solemn at the end but then brightened again. "But that's in the past. Its okay." She pranced in place. "I'm just excited to be here, and find some new horses." She ended with an excited snort.
As the other mare speaks and Tangerine’s face shows her concern. She knows Amet had come from a place which left him with bad memories and Iset with scars, which makes Tang briefly wonders if they could be from the same distant land. As the newcomer mentions her lost companions Tang can’t hold back an exclamation of sympathy. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” She mutters, her eyes filled with concern.
But this new mare seems to be very resilient, barley breaking stride before continuing. Well, everyone has their own way to cope with traumas and Tang was not about to pry into the emotions of someone she had just meet.
With a shake of her neck the painted mare tosses aside the tension which had settled across her features, moving on for the sake of the girl. Her amber eyes are warm and she smiles at her unbridled enthusiasm. “By the way, what is your name? I’m Tang.” She thinks of a waterfall, half frozen, she passed recently. “Would you like to go for a run? I can show you a waterfall, and maybe we will meet some others too!”
"Run? Heck yeah I wanna go on a run!" She reared up with an excited whinny. "My names Rubble, by the way." She said after landing back on all four feet.
Tangerine is not disappointed with Rubble’s response. The filly is quick approve and emphasizes her agreement with a little jump of excitement.
As Rubble returns her four feet to the earth, Tang is already spinning on her haunches and launching into a gallop. “Well Rubble… Catch me if you can!” Tang yells over her shoulder with a good-natured smile. Tang did have a competitive streak hiding below her other traits, even if it didn’t come out too often.
After her quip, she lowers her head into the wind, squinting against the snow which is now coming quickly at her face. Her legs extend and she savors the feeling of her heart beating hard against her ribs and the hot blood reaching into her chilled legs.
The rocky hill where she had seen the waterfall appears on the horizon line and the overo mare again glances over her shoulder to see how Rubble is keeping up.
Rubble cantered after Tangerine, a wild whinny escaping her parted mouth. Plumes of whispy, frosty breath escaped her mouth, trailing behind her. She took in the scent of snow and frost as she pounded after her newfound friend. She shook her head as wind rushed around her head, slicking her mane to her neck. She grinned as she put on an extra burst of speed. She covered half the distance in between her and Tang before the buckskin filly turned to look over her shoulder. Rubble grinned, and gave an excited neigh. She loved the feeling of snow under her feet, and her breath rushing in and out of her throat. Excitement fueled her legs as she ran, and she put on another wild burst of speed to get closer to Tang. She sent a yell to the horse infront of her. "Its been a while since I've felt this good!" She whipped her head up.
The girl is fast. Tang is fully extending in her gallop, running with everything she has and Rubble is catching up. Over the thunder of their hooves she hears the newcomers young voice on the wind and her words bring a smile to Tang’s face. It isn’t too often that painted mare finds someone who loves running for the sake of running as much as she does.
They are nearing the waterfall now, and the earth becomes more rocky. A few trees, stripped bare in the winter wind, stand guard along a small stream which leads to a deep pool . Her lungs burn as she fills them with cold air and she slows to a trot. Rubble is close behind, trusting her to take the lead. For a moment Tang’s thoughts grows serious, she is glad that she found the girl before anyone less than friendly had the chance to stumble across her… But her eyes brighten again as she looks into Rubble’s happy face. She stops along the edge of the creek and reaches out a hoof to crack the ice along the edges above the moving water. “So, you said you wanted to make friends and meet others… any other big plans? Are you looking for a home or do you plan on wandering?”
She stopped quickly, her hooves sliding put from under her dropping her to her haunches. She scrabbled back up to her hooves, snow clinging to her tail and haunches. She smiled and trotted closer to Tang. She looked at the small cracks on the ice with a small smile. At the question she looked at Tang. "Plans..." She repeated. "I...Iah didn't really think about that. I'm not sure, could you tell me about the...the homes?" She tilted her head slightly, her face pulled to one side in indecision.
Uncertainty crosses Rubble’s silvery face and Tang remembers her first day in Beqanna again. Warrick had come and taken her under his wing, he had showed her Tephra and she had stayed there until she had been ready to adventure out and see the other wonders she could find.
When she does speak her words are thoughtful as she pictures each place she describes. “Tephra is the place I first saw when I came here, it is a tropical volcanic island and the air there is warm even in the winter. It lies to the east.” She gestures with her muzzle. But then her musing gaze turns west. “But that way, west, is where I’m headed. It is a kingdom named Hyaline and ruled by a young king with golden scales. There is a large lake in the middle of a ring of small mountains, it is a home for the young horses of Beqanna. In spring, it is the most beautiful place in the world.” She smiles, thinking of Amet under his wisteria tree with the lavender blooms falling around him.
“The other territories… I don’t know much about them. I have only visited some in passing. But if you would like, I can show you Hyaline.” Her voice grows less pensive and more excited with the thought of taking Rubble to Hyaline, but she didn't want to pressure her. “But Tephra is a good option too and I can point you in the right direction if you would rather go there, it isn't far.”
