"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
She refers to it as a cage, but really she had merely been a sheltered child. Michaelis tended to overprotect his children, especially the little black infant he had stumbled upon somewhere around the den. He had been swift in claiming her as his and had promptly brought her to another nursing mare that had just given birth to his own child hours earlier.
She didn’t really remember much of her birth-mother. Bright, almost garish orange comes to mind and a desperation that had been conveyed with delicate, awed touches. She remembers soothing, loving words and a reluctant goodbye – eyes that had been filled to the brim with a deep sadness. Her father always comforted her with that fact that she had obviously not been coldly abandoned, but there had to have been an important reason.
He always hated to see his children ponder the sad things in life.
But he was also reluctant to let her out on her own.
But Nebibi came out the winner of that little disagreement.
She brushed her face amongst the long, swaying grasses of the field and breathes in the light aroma of the plentiful wildflowers as she leisurely walks through the crowded field. The young mare was uniformly black with the exception of a bright orange blaze that ran down her face – a remnant of her birthmother. She was excited for the chance to finally be more independent of her family. But Nebibi wasn’t familiar with the idea that most waited for others to approach those who caught their interest. She was simply too antsy to remain unmoving.
nebibi
I've played down every feelin' I've felt
And I bottled them up 'til the well ran over
Tyrna could feel the restlessness start to overwhelm her. She had spent too long in the safety of the Falls, and now she needed to run, to breathe, to get the sinking loneliness out of her chest. With a hasty goodbye and a howl in her ears she flees the Falls. The silver girl turns her attention towards the field. Tyrna enjoyed the simplicity of the chattering mares and the sparse interactions she had with a few individuals. Mostly she just enjoyed the open field and the sun beating easily down on her back.
Tyrna gallops leisurely into the field, reveling in the pull of her muscles and the dirt kicked up from her hooves. Her gunmetal and starlight hide glisten with sweat as she winds her way around the field looking for prospective candidates. The wolf in her ears is quiet today, sated from an earlier hunt, which makes it easier for her to really study the horses milling around. Eventually she spots a dark mare with a bright orange blaze that shows a lot of promise. Plastering on a charming smile and shaking her sweaty forelock from her eyes, Tyrna approaches the younger mare.
"Hello, My name is Tyrna. I come from the Falls" her voice is all honey and charm. If she picked up anything from her mother,besides her looks, it was her diplomacy."If you're looking for a home, perhaps I can help."
It’s been a while since Rhy has visited the field. Perhaps too long. But her life has been a whirlwind after she was sent to space, to the end of the world, and the realm of the dead. After she had found her parents there, dead and gone (though perhaps not really – she knew where they were, even though she could only visit them now and again). Still, the blow had been impossibly hard. Rhy had dreamed of a day when they finally returned to her. She had been a year when they left with Kora in tow. Her twin, who couldn’t be near Rhy, and so their parents had taken Kora away and left Rhy to fend for herself.
She’s never doubted that they love her. Loved. Past tense – she would forever be getting used to that. She never doubted that they made the right decision, and she knows that Riagan offered to stay with her. But how could she ask her father to let Rayelle go off alone? How could she ask them to be apart? So she told him to go, because she wanted him to be happy. But of course, she had always wanted them with her. Her whole family. Not some broken, fake version of it.
But in the end, she had been all right. She found the Jungle, found her grandmother’s legacy, and nestled herself right in among the Sisters. It’s been her life and her home since she was a child, and she can’t imagine another one. But of course, there weren’t that many kingdom that welcomed an electric horse, with lion shifting capabilities. Oh, and now she was also a ghost (well, when she wanted to be).
It takes the strong disposition of her sisters to live with her.
Having discovered she can fly now, she makes the trip to the field in relatively no time at all. It’s a neat little trick of the ghost shifting thing, but she’s certain to land outside the field and shift back into a completely normal horse before she makes her way into the field. It’s probably too much to start wandering through the field semi-transparent. Though, then again, there are stranger things in Beqanna.
Eventually, a young girl catches her eye. The girl seems restless, moving around, and it’s rather hard not to notice the orange blaze. Rhy remembers, rather sadly, that her tattoo is gone. Well, faded. It will come back, but she admits she feels naked without the splashes of color, without the vine around her leg and the red flower on her chest.
Rhy isn’t the first to approach, and she’s just in time to catch the other mare’s words. Tyrna, from the Falls. She wonders, briefly, how the Falls is doing now. Once upon a time, her family sat the throne there. But they had all gone now. They were gone from the Gates too. The only family she really had left was in the Chamber, and she admits that Straia is fickle as far as family goes.
“Rhy,” she says, with a nod of her gold and white head and she slows to a stop. “From the Jungle.” And then she falls silent, because Tyrna’s already asked the mare the only question that ever seems to matter in the field.
07-09-2015, 06:35 PM (This post was last modified: 07-09-2015, 06:36 PM by Camrynn.)
so you wanna play with magic?
There was never a time when Camrynn was sheltered.
She had been cast out on her own almost immediately, all those many years ago when Verily had birthed her. She'd been the product of a loveless one night stand, the unwanted spawn of a madman and a woman he barely knew. They'd had her, and she'd turned out…well, she'd turned out a little bit lucky. She'd been born an illusionist with color changing eyes, and she'd realized her gifts young, found herself talented in them, and never looked back. When Beqanna was shattered and torn asunder by the Catastrophe and she'd fallen into a crack in the earth and found herself magic, it had just been the logical next step.
And ever since, nothing could shelter her – nothing existed that she could not overcome.
She likes the feeling.
She likes the feeling of the springtime, too. Not that she feels it too much in the Deserts, where the temperature is uniformly warm throughout the year. The flowers in the memorial garden are bursting and blooming, but the rest of the Deserts is as it always is: dry and silent except for the whisper of sand on sand.
She casts her mind out to the field, letting the quiet of her kingdom fall behind as she focuses on a place where she is not. She sees the horses gathering there, the way they are whorls and eddies of conversation, the way their destinies flow between them, tangling and growing muddied and messy as they flow. She is tempted (sorely tempted) to pick at some of the strands, but she does not. Today is not the day for that.
She settles on the young mare almost immediately. They are not kindred spirits (Camrynn has never known a cage), but she can feel the girl's strength of will even across the many miles that separate them.
Unseen, she listens to them, falling invisibly and noiselessly in lockstep with the girl herself, and then with Tyrna and Rhy as they come. She can feel the anxiety of Tyrna, the beast lurking beneath the surface, and she wonders to herself if perhaps it's a blessing that she and Rhy are here. Perhaps the girl's own innate gifts would be enough should Tyrna lose control. Or perhaps not.
Like a cloak being pulled from a statue, Camrynn's form emerges from invisibility with a graceful flourish. She is beside them as though she's always been there, as though she'd been a part of the group since the beginning (and really, she had, although it hadn't looked that way).
She is a beautiful thing to behold, a mare in her prime, pure black with no hint of white markings. Across her chest, a gold crook and flail sit proudly, gleaming gently in the summer sun. Across her cheek a trail of diamonds and gemstones drapes gently, a gift from a lover as magical as she. And her eyes – today they mirror the sky, a piercing, almost aching blue.
She glances to each of them in turn, her lips a small Mona Lisa smile. "Camrynn, from the Deserts." Her voice is like chocolate, smooth and rich. The tones invite you to relax into the voice, to let it wash over you. She smiles wryly, her eyes resting on the girl that's drawn all three of them here, to this conversation. "You've got quite a crowd." she observes, her voice light with gentle humor.
CAMRYNN
co-queen of the deserts, magical, mother of badassery
I know, I know, Munroe is in the Deserts...BUT STILL. <3
Nebibi had never been an easily bored child. Of course, she had grown up with a sister with whom she had had many an adventure with. But she was also an inquisitive soul and could spend many hours of the day merely studying the different parts of the ecosystem. One of her favorite things during the hot summer days was lie in the long grasses and watch the marching ants or the buzzing bumblebees flitting about overhead. She watched the deer graze and the hawks swoop down every so often into the grass. Her father was patient and knowledgeable and for the most part was able to answer her various questions of how and why.
So she was able to occupy herself while making this anticipated trip to the field. It had been a mere half hour before she was approached by her first recruiter. During that time, she had effectively traversed the small clearing and made note of the various wildflowers she could observe in the immediate vicinity. She had moved on to following ladybugs from stalk to stalk as they flew about their day when the stranger breaks her focus with an introduction.
Orange-brown eyes glance up at the stranger in clear excitement. She was completely thrilled with the thought of her first official recruiter. But before she can answer another mare has approached the duo and also introduces herself. A bright smile graces her young face as she gushes enthusiastically to both of the pretty mares. “Hello! I’m Nebibi. It’s so nice to meet the both of you. A home, you say? Anywhere that’s not the meadow is all right by my book.” There was, of course, nothing wrong with growing up in the meadow. Michaelis had been raised there and Nebibi could certainly appreciate the many walks of life who ventured through. But she was seeking some place she could grow – new experiences and new adventures.
A flash of black reveals the sudden appearance of another mare and Nebibi gasps in delighted surprise. Perhaps this mare was just like her! She was certainly no stranger to the many different inborn talents that Beqanna held. Her father could do several things, but he had been able to help her somewhat with her own gift even if his form of invisibility vastly differed from her own. “Are you just like me? I like to pop out and scare the other people too sometimes.” She grins at the Camrynn mischievously.
nebibi
I've played down every feelin' I've felt
And I bottled them up 'til the well ran over
The girl is energetic and curious, it seems, something that Rhy always likes. The Jungle is an energetic and curious place to live, after all. The wildlife there is endless, and watching the monkeys alone could keep one occupied for days. Rhy, personally, finds herself passing the time with some of the Jungle cats, though they all climb trees where Rhy does not. Half the time they end up leaving her on the ground, though the spirit of the Amazon sometimes finds her then. A child still, and one that likes to play more than she might have expected from a goddess.
Another mare joins them in dramatic fashion, and Rhy knows Camrynn on sight. Of course. Magicians have a flair for the dramatic, particularly this one. Not that Rhy can blame her, because Rhy had her own flair. She was often sparking as she walked through the Jungle, or prowling in cat form, or teleporting herself around. Not only was it all handy, it was fun, and truthfully, her traits were so much a part of her that she couldn’t imagine not using them.
Nebibi had introduced herself, and Tyrna is silent for the moment. But Rhy’s already latched on to the fact that girl can turn invisible too, and she can’t help but grin. “Guess it’s a party then,” she says as she disappears from view. There’s no fanfare about it, no putting on of some cloak. She’s simply there one minute and gone the next. She reappears in a moment as quickly as she had disappeared, though she hadn’t bothered to move.
“What is it you can do, exactly? If you don’t mind my asking, of course.” Rhy isn’t here to pry. The girl can tell her as little or as much as she likes, but Rhy is interested. Particularly because Nebibi seemed fond of her own gift, and it was always nice to play with the talents they were given. Rhy waits for a response before launching into the business of homes. It’s why they are all here, of course, but it could wait for a few moments at least.
“If you are looking for the home, the Jungle can certainly offer you one. We are a Sisterhood, through and through, and the Sisters will become your family. We do pledge ourselves to the kingdom, but not until you feel you are ready. So you can come and see what you think and leave without any repercussions. Just some sweat. I admit, it’s a hot place to live. But you get used to it. Mostly.” She chuckles slightly. It was always hot, and while it no longer bothered Rhy, she wouldn’t pretend it wasn’t still hot.
If we don't make it alive, well it's a hell of a good day to die
Tyrna quirks her eyebrow in mild surprise at the sudden appearance of the black mare. She was unprepared for such an abrupt entrance and feels her control slip for just a second. With some effort, Tyrna manages to keep the beast in check and tries to ignore the knowing way that the black mare, Camrynn, looks at her.
It is the Amazonian, Rhy she said her name was, that asks the question Tyrna wanted to know. Just what could this relatively unassuming child do? Tyrna herself was still trying to figure out her own new found powers and curses, and there were some patches of forest that would attest to her rage driven experiments to figure out just what they were and how best to utilize them. If the girl had powers similar to Camrynn's as she said, well one day she would be a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
The silver girl listens patiently as Rhy delivers her recruitment spiel, and in all honesty if she didn't hold the Falls so dear to her heart, Tyrna might have been tempted to explore the jungle kingdom for herself. As it stood however she was left with the small problem of trying to convince the child the Falls was a better choice. Once Rhy had finished, the wolf girl politely started her own speech. "Perhaps if the heat doesn't sit well with you, you would enjoy the Falls. We are a peaceful kingdom that accepts all who seek a safe haven and with a much cooler climate than the Jungle or deserts. We have wonderful forests to play in and cool pools of water filled with colorful and friendly fish. We don't ask for any pledges so you would be free to come and go as you pleased as well. It's like a fairytale." Tyrna smiled softly at Nebibi. Talking about her home was one of the few things that still made Tyrna unconditionally happy and she hoped she would be able to share it.
Her excited orange-brown eyes shift from the black mare back to the pretty palomino painted mare when she briefly disappears as well. Nebibi is much too happy to discover that there are plenty of others who share something in common with her. Rhy then questions her abilities fully, but Nebibi certainly didn’t mind in the least.
She smiles softly, “I can just turn plain ole invisible. Not like Father, of course. He likes to sink into the shadows almost as if he wore a cloak or something.”
Nebibi didn’t quite realize that her own invisibility differed greatly from Michaelis’, which relied purely upon the amount of shadows available at the time. But her control was still somewhat shaky due to her young age and inexperience. But she would perhaps grow into her ability sooner or later.
She is content to listen to both of the mare’s brief descriptions of where they called home. Nebibi glances curiously at the black mare who remained the only silent one among their group. But if she chose to not offer up her own little speech, then Nebibi would pay close attention to the two who seemed most inviting. After all, she was here to move house, as they say. She is quite torn between the two wonderful sounding kingdoms. They seem like places that would offer much for one who possessed a curious soul.
Nebibi briefly contemplates the two offers that had been put on the table before studying the two mares before her once again. It appears as if she had been asked a life or death question. But for all her seemingly free-spiritedness, the idea of living apart from Michaelis and Ginia was slightly frightening. Taking that first big step towards independence could be quite daunting for most. Nevertheless, she had come here with purpose.
“It sounds like you both have lovely homes! Can I ask what you love most about them? I’ve only ever lived in the meadow. It seems quite dull in comparison to the other places.”
nebibi
I've played down every feelin' I've felt
And I bottled them up 'til the well ran over
Tyrna chimes in about the Falls. Rhy had never spent any great length of time in the Falls, though her family had ruled there for generations. Not anymore, she knows, but Naitlyn and Kellan were her cousins, Alysanne and Nylee her aunts. She had plenty of history in the kingdom, and knew the stories from her father. He had never ruled, but lived a quiet life in the Dale with Rayelle. She couldn’t really imagine her father ruling. He’d be good at it, certainly, but miserable in the process.
Well, he would have been. Past tense. She keeps slipping.
But now is not the time to think of her father or her mother. She’s not sure she could ever live in the Falls, even now when the powers of Beqanna had shifted. Before, she couldn’t stay because of the electric in her veins. Now, she simply couldn’t imagine life outside the Jungle. Though she sometimes wonders if any of her family lurks in the Falls. Perhaps she’d have to visit one day.
Nebibi is kind enough to answer her question, mentioning her father. Rhy is vaguely tempted to ask, but it seems too personal and prying. At least for a field conversation. Perhaps later, if Nebibi chose to try the Jungle. Rhy smiles at the answer though. “I can see many ways your trait could be quite handy.” Which is true. She’s only just discovering the use herself.
The girl goes on to ask what Rhy’s favorite thing about the Jungle is. Everything. Everything is her favorite thing. But that’s not the right answer. The right is answer is why she stayed. “When I was younger, I had little control of my power,” her skin crackles with electricity then, making it clear what power she’s referring to. At this point, Rhy has a multitude of them. But the electric was the one she was born with, and it’s the one that is most of part of her. “The sisters welcomed me into their kingdom with open arms, even when my own family was afraid of me. The Khaleesi of the time was the first to ever help me understand my trait could be good. I love the Jungle for the strength of the Sisters, and the strength of the bond that holds us together.”
She falls silent then. It’s a personal story, but she doesn’t mind sharing. For Rhy, the choice had always been easy. She didn’t belong in the Dale, even though she was born there. She couldn’t have gone to the Falls then. But the Jungle. Her grandmother’s legacy was that kingdom, and Rhy spent every day trying to serve her grandmother’s memory well. Trying to pay back a kingdom that had given her a life that wasn’t simply one of being sent away.
