"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
03-16-2018, 01:20 PM (This post was last modified: 03-16-2018, 01:22 PM by Kwartz.)
Mother had brought me here. She looked excited and worried all at once, and I figure I feel the same. More excited, though. She's never taken me out of Sylva, and more and more I've thought about wandering off anyway. She'd never know, and there's so much beyond our borders... So when she'd come to me last night, and asked how I'd feel about taking a little trip today, I couldn't say anything but Yes! We left soon after sunrise, and she hasn't yet told me exactly where we're going. The suspense is agony, but it's been so long since mother and I have done anything just the two of us. She's busy, and it's usually important, but it still seems like she has less and less time for me anymore. Maybe that's why I'm not pestering her about our destination. It doesn't really matter.
Soon we reach the edge of the kingdom, and the ever colorful trees fade into grey skeletons, just barely starting to green with spring leaves. Green is a wonderful color, I decide suddenly. "Come on baby, lets fly for a bit, shall we?" Mother asks, suddenly looking happier than I remember her ever being. She canters for a short distance, her bright wings catching the daylight as they make the sky work for them. My mother is beautiful. I am close behind her, pumping my smaller wings furiously to build up enough lift to climb into the air after her. But soon we are wheeling over the low hills together, Mother leading me through a series of dives and loops. Flying is so very much better than walking! I don't run into things up here, don't have to worry about being snuck up on when I'm alone. I wish we could stay up here together forever.
Too soon, Mother begins to drift downwards, and I realize we've come a longer way than I thought we had. We land together, a cool green clearing welcoming us. There is a vague aura around the edge of this piece of land. Another boundary. But within the bounds are secret groves and several brown rabbits are cropping young grass nearby. Instantly, they have my attention. There aren't many rabbits in Sylva, more squirrels and chipmunks. These fuzzy little creatures with their twitching noses are cute! My attention is shifted again quickly, as we are joined by a trio of strangers. Mother is tense again, but she doesn't look surprised. I step closer to her anyway, shielding my left side against her shoulder. Another family, it looks like. Two children close to my age, and their mother, who stands no taller than mine. My painted coat is as different from their multi-colored bays as could be, though the girl has a shade of purple not unlike my own. What is going on here? "Kwartz, I'd like for you to meet your... cousins. They live in Ischia with their mother Krone. She rules there like I do in Sylva. We'd like for you all to get to know each other. Krone and I are going to discuss some kingdom business for a bit, we'll be in the next meadow over if you need anything." She spoke with a strange voice, but I didn't notice very much. I have cousins? Mother had never mentioned any family nearby, especially not ones my own age!
I step forward eagerly, offering them my purple and gold nose. My painted wings flutter excitedly as I extend the greeting to the pretty dark lady as well. "Good morning Aunt Krone. I'm Kwartz!" I say, trying out the familial title. I have an aunt! Though I'm not sure how... She and mother look nothing alike, and I didn't think mother had any siblings.... I shrug off the train of thought, far more interested in the two half-grown siblings by Krone's side. "Hello! Who are you?" I ask, wondering what my newfound relations were like. Mother and Aunt Krone looked content with leaving us here to interact, as they made there way to the northern meadow Mother had mentioned they'd be in.
@[Krone] @[Kromium~Karat] Is this ok? Just trying to get things moving.
The twins had not been gifted flight. Even though both their parents have wings, they did not. So leaving the island was tricky and unknown to them, until now. Mother had instructed them to wait until a precise time. Upon the beaches the waited. Watching for the waters to lower and a bridge of land to form. They danced with excitement at this discovery, though maybe their mother should have left it remain a secret. Now what was stopping them from venturing out on their own accord...?
Walking took forever and Krom was just getting used to the weight of his metallic hooves. The muscles in his legs and body gaining mass quickly as they compensated for the change. Mother said it was normal that his body was slowly turning silver, but he had doubts. Even his father seemed concerned. Karat wasnt slowly morphing into a iron casting, so why was he...
Karat pranced along behind her mother. The new lands brought promises of new treasures. Ones she could manipulate and decorate her body with. With father's help she was getting a hang of her own powers. They didn't just share the unique lavender coloring that seemed common in their home, but also the gift of natural armor. Bouncing along she begins chattering, "Where we going Mother?" All she would reveal is they were meeting someone. A tiny huff puffed from her chest as they continued along.
.
It seemed like ages but finally there was a bright glow ahead of them. They both looked on in awe at the magical land. It was so different than their own home. The trees held small individual leaves with many heights and pointy branches. Rocky beds lined a small stream of glistening water, home only ever had sand. Small eyes dashed about and in their looking they both settle of a pair of winged equines just a head of them. They both stand beside their mother and watch the figures near. Soon they are standing face to face and the twins watch the spotted purple colt. He addresses mother as Aunt Krone. The turn to glance at each other in confusion. Their attention drawn back when he is speaking to them. Karat raises her head proudly with a slight turn, "I am Karat. Princess of Ischia and this is my brother, Prince Kromium..." She tries her hardest to sound important. Barely noticing the adults slipping away and leaving them to play.
Krom turns his emerald eyes to the colt. He wasn't as impressed with the titles as Karat was, "Don't mind her... You can call me Krom." He smiles their new friend. Moving forwards, he greets the boy with an extended muzzle. His eyes admiring the purple and gold wings at Kwartz sides, "I wish I had wings like you." His shiny hooves shuffle in the dirt. He tried his best to mask their appearance whenever possible. It was slightly embarrassing still to him. Karat is quick to chime in as well, "You have purple just like me! Father said that all the purple horses are related... Is your father purple?... I bet he has wings too. Our mom and dad have wings but neither of us do. That's kind of weird, right?" Her thoughts ramble into words suddenly but not surprisingly.
03-21-2018, 08:53 AM (This post was last modified: 03-21-2018, 08:53 AM by Modicum Mortem.)
He knows most of what goes on in Beqanna.
It took ever-listening ears and a ghost-like presence to accomplish this, but he had been mastering the skill of sneaking since he was a child. He knew the ins and outs of it - how to stay deathly still, how to remain quiet, how to hide deep within the shadows. He was so good at it, perhaps, that sometimes he didn’t even realize he was doing it.
Which is exactly what happened today. He had listened in on the two queen’s conversation that day in the woods. He had heard about the man named Klaudius, he had stared ever-hungry at their bulging stomachs. Mortem finds an opportunity to pounce on the weak relationship between the two kingdoms...to start some drama...all he had to do was wait.
Wait until the children were born. Wait until he gained Sabra’s trust. Wait until they decided to introduce the children (“cousins.” What bullshit). And that he did. He waited months for the opportunity to present itself, and lucky for him, they laid it all out to him on a silver platter.
He follows that day behind Prince Kwartz and Queen Sabra, towards the playground where Sabra had told Kwartz earlier that week that they were meeting some “friends” from another kingdom.
Friends. Is that what they were calling it nowadays?
When he arrives shortly behind them, he stays hidden beneath the thick underbrush. He watches the introductions (yawn), the lies the grownups tell (“cousins”), and grins wickedly once Sabra and the Keeper of Ischia leave.
For a moment he stays still, thinking over the plan that had been rolling around in his brain for weeks now. Letting the children get acquainted, allowing them to play. Twenty minutes, he will give them to roam under the fairies eye, then he will strike...
The minutes tick by and before he knows it, he is traversing the grassy knoll with quick, short strides. The kids already seem to like each other, to trust one another. And Kwartz knows Modicum Mortem...even better.
He allows his blue eyes to soften, he moves his forelock from his face, and wiggles the bright red bulb on his maw. The sensibilities of a child are simple - many found his “defect” funny, cute even. It was a good way to seem...unassuming. ”Ah, Prince Kwartz!” He exclaims in a fake jolly tone. He looks to the other two, and gives him the happiest smile he can muster. He looked very friendly, no?
”I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he says as he comes to a halt in front of them. He isn’t much taller than the children, soon they would tower over him. Not that it mattered, and not that he really cared. ”Your mother sent me...” A slight pause as he looks up the to sky, which is filling with dark gray clouds. Spring storm? Perfect. ”A bad storm is coming, she wants me to bring you back to Sylva.” He glances at the Ischia heirs, he smiles warmly, but inside, his devilish plans are just hatching. ”And we’ll bring your friends, and Queen Krone will retrieve them after their meeting. Would you like to see Sylva, Prince and Princess...?” His tone ascends slightly asking them their names. But he already knows.
He knows a lot, after all.
@[Kwartz] @[Kromium~Karat] went ahead and posted for Morty so we can get this rolling.
Kwartz grinned at the twin siblings. Karat was a bit uppity, but Kromium, Krom, seemed to be a cool guy. They were all the children of rulers, so the titles seemed to be a bit unnecessary anyway. His head angled to one side, doing his best to see both of them at once.
At Krom's noticing of his mottled wings, his smile grew bigger. He spread them fully, enjoying the opportunity to show off. "Thanks! Flying is pretty great. Mother's been showing me how to do loops and stuff. Can you guys do anything cool?" He asked, folding his wings neatly over his back.
It was his turn to shuffle uncomfortably when Karat mentioned the purple link. "He probably is. I know I didn't get it from mother. She says it might have happened when she was carrying me, that she used to be a different color and changed while she was pregnant. But... I dunno. I've never met my father, so he could be purple. We're cousins, so maybe it's through our father's blood?" The colt hypothesized aloud. He was just about to change the subject and suggest a game of chase or hide and seek when a boisterous grown up voice echoed across the meadow, calling him. With a start, he spins about to find the owner of the voice, cursing his blind eye under his breath. His racing heart beat slows as he recognizes the speaker. Morty, one of mother's warrior folk.
Kwartz was not entirely sure how he felt about the shadowy man. He seemed to carry many faces, and would slip the different ones on as they suited him. But mother might be too busy with building some alliance or other to collect him now, and... if he was being honest, the idea of being able to play with his new friends in his forest seemed like a great idea. A glance towards the steadily darkening sky made up his mind. Wet feathers were the worst. "We can go with him, it's okay. I'll show you guys where we live, and we can go explore the old burn out." Suddenly excited with the prospect, he fell in behind the black stallion, not knowing the piper's call when he heard it.
Krom watches wide-eyed as Kwartz fans his wings open, "Coooollll..." He comments in awe. Karat is quick to ramble on about Father and Mother and all that stuff. He wasn't one to care for titles or the attention they carried. Karat though revelled in it. Decorating herself with pretty shell crowns and bedazzeled armor. She hoped one day to carry the shell gem their mother was bestowed with. He didn't care either way.
Still having not come to terms with his oddity, he is quick to shake his head at Kwartz inquiry of abilities. He doesn't need to wait long before Karat is quick to oblige. She bounds off to the boys one side with an "Of course we do! Watch this!" Standing with four limbs spread for increased balance and of course flare, she stretches her neck and closes her eyes. Concentrating on the earth below her hooves. Soon shiny metals cast in sheets of armor and begin to form around her body. They were delicate and more decorative than protective but she was making progress. Father said it'd take time.
Just as Karats head rises proudly, her chest puffed out, a voice creeps from behind them and Krom jumps forward. Nearly crawling out of his skin but when he scrambles to collect himself and turns to find a dark stallion, he notices a shiny platform on the ground of where he had been standing. His head cocks in confusion but quickly his emerald eyes find the stranger again. Kwartz and him seem to know each other so Krom doesn't question what the stallion says. A nod is all he offers in agreement at their new destination. Karat though looks at the stranger with suspicion. Her lavender nose wrinkles as she looks over the dark figure. Purple eyes settle on his face and with narrowed eyes she speaks, "Mom said we aren't EVER supposed to talk to strangers and NEVER leave so she doesn't know where we are..." Dismissing his question entirely and not offering their names. "Why would mother send such a funny looking horse to come get us? Huh, stranger?" She steps closer to the stallion. Examining the red ball at the top of his muzzle but retaining her skeptical demeanor.
Her answer never comes and as the stallion leads off the boys follow in tow. She snorts defiantly but turns sharply to follow. Stomping her small hooves in protest, "Mother is NOT going to like this." She grumbles as she follows, but not before her eyes cast to the graying skies above. "Hmph!" Tossing her head up high and half shuttering her lids. Boys.
