"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
One, two, three, four, ROCK, fivesixseven, eight, nine, cliff wall. Yesterday it had only taken six steps. Mama had been trying to explain tides to him earlier in the week, and now he was determined to figure out how much space the cove gave him on a given day. So far this was the most exposed sand he'd paced, assuming he was walking in a straight line... a cool patch of shade touched his back. With a snort the gold toned colt flopped onto the sand. He didn't feel like pacing anymore, not that there was much left of the cove that he hadn't bumped into already.
The first weeks of life had been full of new experiences. He had a mother, a father and a sister, and they lived in a sandy place with always moving water on one side. He'd avoided the cold of the waves as much as he could, preferring the solid reassurance the beach gave him. Tough sea grass was a new thing, though he still gained most of his nourishment from his mother. She was at sea now, venturing further as her son gained independence. Dad was with her, somewhere beyond the waves. Little ears pivoted restlessly as the colt rested. Noisy seabirds screamed all around, blending into the background sounds he had become quickly accustomed to. They were his constant lullaby.
A salty piece of seaweed tickled his nose, bringing a squeaky sneeze up his nose. The force of it tossed his head, blowing a cloud of dust up between his outstretched forelegs. Two more whistling sneezes followed the first, stirring up more dust. He stood with a squeal of frustration. Rubbing his face against his downy shoulder vigorously, he did not hear the sift approaching hoofbeats.
07-26-2018, 05:26 PM (This post was last modified: 07-26-2018, 05:27 PM by Kyveli.)
Kyveli
Kyvi is a pretty girl, but that’s not something the colt seemed to notice. Not even her obvious approach walking over the beach’s waves, while she finally found the courage to try and circle the whole island in a day.
She’d been with her mother most of her life, but, now that she was having a second baby, Kyveli had found it time to do some stuff on her own. Pfft, stupid baby.
But this young colt was kind of adorable. Also a newborn like her sister, but not in awe of her sparkling amethyst figure standing on the waves, sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower - she was close enough to the cove to ride the tide, as it were.
He bumps into rocks and walls and drops himself. Hmm, really now? Yet, she was determined to find out why she was ignored - and trotted up towards the sand. The cove was a new place, but just as secluded as her mother’s little island, and it smelled the same -Ischian salt- so she felt at home right away. Boldly, she approached mister baby sneeze. ”Hello. Why are you walking into rocks?” Unfortunately her social skills are a bit lacking.
I only wanted to one time see you laughing
in the purple rain
A curious voice served to snag the boy's attention. Uh oh. There were others on the island, his parents had warned, and not all of them would be friendly to a colt on his own. The cove was meant to be a safe place for him, hidden from most of the other island dwellers. Most, but not all. The voice was feminine, and higher pitched like his sister's. Quivering lightly, he turned his head to face it's source, wrinkles of worry creasing the skin between his sightless eyes.
There was stone at his back and a girl at his front... Oh yeah, she'd said something, huh? "Er... Cause I needa find em. Dad says walking 'round will help me learn where stuffs at..." His voice trailed off in confusion. How else was he supposed to do it? True, he'd collected an impressive array of bumps and bruises since he'd begun his quest of learning the layout of their home. The rocky surroundings were not very forgiving on a foals new skin. Dad said it would come in time, that soon he'd be able to find his way, not just in the cove, but all over the island. It was hard to believe now, but Dad said so, so it must be true. Mama agreed with him, so it may as well have been carved in stone. But this wasn't Mama or Dad. This was... "Who're you? I'm Tyr! I live here." The longer she stood there not attacking him, the more confident he grew. But a name would be nice.
Caught between a Kyvi and a rock, the golden boy seemed worried, and she chuckled and stepped backwards a bit to give him space. Yet, he didn't seem to react to that movement, so focused on his answer. He needed to find the rocks? She giggles. "It's healthier to use your eyes." she points out with a shrug. It doesn't occur to her that some horses have not-working eyes, like he; to her, he has eyes, so he can see.
His next question makes her smile in an 'oopsie' fashion. "Kyvi! No, wait. Kyveli. But Kyvi is fine!" Honestly, she'd nicknamed herself when she was his age; unable to pronounce many words. He was already better at it than she, but maybe he had more horses to talk to than the glittering filly of amethyst and lavender; she'd only been with her mother, who'd call her 'baby girl' and had introduced her to exactly two other horses: 'Lau', her father, and Ivy, who was better.
At least that was what he'd said when she asked if he also was a father.
I only wanted to one time see you laughing
in the purple rain
And just like that, the giddy bubble burst. The golden colt's face fell at her jesting comment. He was different from most horses, that wasn't a secret. His family had taken care though, to ensure that he had never felt different. "My eyes don't work like they're s'posed to. Can't see with 'em." He kicked at the sand softly, the cloudy blue orbs in question a little glossier than they had been a moment before. His ears drooped and flicked back upwards again. It was ok. He was ok. He was smart and he was strong, and Mama and Dad and Sissy loved him no matter what.
His head lifted to face her again, chest puffed out proudly. As proudly as a skinny, lanky colt could manage, anyway. Puffs of blonde forelock fell in his face unnoticed as he bowed awkwardly. "Hi Kyvi! How'd ya find me? Dad says the cove's a kinda secret. Dad... He's late." His ears flicked about questingly. It was rare that the boy was left on his own for so long. But so far there was no sound of Dad's steady hooves or Mama's lighter, quicker pace. Sissy was probably off exploring somewhere, her sporadic prancing far away on some adventure. Anyway, he would have heard her voice before he heard her feet.
Uh-oh. The moment his face starts to look droopy, she knows she must have said something terribly wrong. When the younger boy explains, her ears droop possibly even further than his, but then - then she remembers that he cannot see that either, and so she comes up close and turns to cuddle him sideways, both headed in the same direction. Not like he’s going anywhere anyway. Not on his own! ”I can be your eyes? I’ll tell you where the rocks are, then you don’t have to hurt yourself and still know where they are!” she tries, hoping that that would be enough to make it up to him.
He should be able to feel her skin now, and her little backside fins, and she giggles at his formality. ”I came from the sea! I was walking around the whole of the island!” she says proudly. ”I live on a smaller island nearby, but momma doesn’t have a lot of time for me now.” she says with a pouting face.
Not daring to move away from the younger colt, the teenage girl flicks her ears around to catch the sounds. ”Where’d your dad go? Maybe I should go find him for you....” she hesitates. His father must have gone swimming somewhere. Surely she could go after him if she knew where to look... but Tyr might not know. And did she want to leave him alone? He was all bruised, and his knees scraped, because he could only know where he was going when he bumped into something. It was a bit weird for him to be all alone here, actually. And not allowed to go anywhere. It was such a sad idea, that she was stunned a little, he couldn’t be here all his life could he?
No. She was his friend now, whether he liked it or not, and she would take him places, she decided. One day, if he was a little older.
I only wanted to one time see you laughing
in the purple rain
