"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
He has finally reached the awkward yearling stage, he was much taller but still had room to grow. He was skinny, but would gain weight as time went on, if anything, his horns grew the most. They were small spirals as a foal but now they towered upon his dome and were certainly the first thing anyone new would notice.
He found himself madly in love with Hyaline, he was born to nomad parents and he was unsure if he could ever call a kingdom home....but he found the perfect kingdom! His time with Keeper grew less and less and his time with Warlight grew more and more. They always had a good time together, playing in the water, racing around the kingdom or even testing the strength of there antlers.
As time passed and Clayton grew closer to a mature stallion he found odd feelings for the young filly, the feelings were new to him but he had an idea. He did his best to hide them from her, but sometime he would create an awkward situation. Warlight didn't seem to notice though! She just enjoyed his company, even though she probably did not know the crush he developed on her.
Today he ventured out into Hyaline, he casually pranced through the kingdom looking for his bay and white friend. He raised his head and allowed a whinny to escape his maw, he playfully thrashed his head as he extended his stride hoping she would soon join him. Perhaps he would run into someone new, he always heard of her family and her friends, but he had yet to meet any....then again he spent all of his time with Warlight.
@[Warlight] ANDDDDDDD here comes awkward crushing Clayton :p
Warlight was getting better at daydreaming; letting herself slip into a lucid state and working her magic that way. She didn't want to wait for a full-on, passed-out snoring kind of sleep to be able to teleport. What was the use of that?
She's standing with some combination of her many siblings in a rare moment of quiet grazing when she hears Clayton's call. Her dainty head shoots up from where it had been rooting through the late winter snow and she gives whoever happens to be looking at her a wry smile. With a deep breath, she closes her eyes and lets the world fall away.
Swoosh.
Warlight had promised to introduce him to her extensive royal family, but the right moment had just never come around. And as time went on and they tussled and rough-housed in the lonely places of her mothers' kingdom, she preferred to keep it that way.
He was her secret.
But today her secret is making a loud enough scene to get himself found out. The bay splashed filly apparates a little uphill of her friend, a wide smile thrown across her sunburnt lips.
"Hey, you." She says as she trots to his side, tilting her head to knock her young antlers against his own in greeting. "What's the plan for today? Want to go spy on Nerine? Or we could go see if the mountain lions had cubs yet."
He called for another....for her...he patiently waited for someone to answer his call. He pranced about to occupy himself, he only had his thoughts to keep him company. He wasn't alone for long, she always managed to approach undetected, he would never understand it. Hey you her voice was soft, why did a greeting make his stomach float with butterflies? He used to feel comfortable around her, but now a days he finds himself thinking about what he does before he does it.
Hey Warlight he matches his pace to hers, he was taller than her now. She knocks her antlers into his a small laugh escapes his maw as he tilts his own into hers. His antlers grew up, but hers grew wide, they were truly beautiful by themselves.
She asks what the plans for the day were, a question he hadn't thought of. He did not really have anything planned, would admitting he just want her company be weird? Thankfully he did not have to answer, she asked if he wanted to go and spy on Nerine, which sounded like a lot of fun! She also offers to check on the mountain lion to see if she had her cubs yet. The fat feline has been waddling around here the past couple of weeks, she was sure to have given birth by now.
Yea! he said excited, lets go see the cubs! a scenario that could get them into a lot of trouble......but as long as the mother is not around, it could be exciting! It was worth the risk. Maybe after we can go spy on Nerine! a smirk tugged at his lips, who would expect two yearlings to be doing a kingdoms dirty work? Not that Hyaline asked them too..but what is a yearling without getting into some trouble?
He courses off to the right were they had seen the mountain lion most of the time after you he said as he came to a halt, he titled his head in the direction of the lion and waited for her to follow suit.
The slightly-older filly had honestly, a bit of a hard time connecting with the ones who were supoosedly her age. She had enjoyed babysitting them whenever they slipped away from their caretakers, posing as a friend but secretly also feeling responsible for making sure they wouldn’t get themselves into too much trouble. It was a pretty hard balance for her to keep up, and so, though she was acquainted to some of them, it just had become apparent to her that she would for a long time still be this in-between girl, between adult and child. Her mind had developed like an adult mostly, though in some ways she was still young and innocent like them. A mix she luckily wasn’t aware of that she was coping with.
She battled against the winds mostly, but today seemed to lack a winter gust or storm, and so she had found a high spot to graze a little. She looked up when a call came, and she mesmerized as to who it was that was bucking around in the field below, but then the dream-teleporter (to be honest Tähti spent too much time in the air to know all their names) came for him, and she couldn’t catch the words the two were exchanging.
Now, she herself had as an even younger filly, danced the westcoast rocks to Nerine, practically intruding, but the near-accident with Kiwi almost slipping and falling had made her more aware of the dangers in the the world. But these two clearly hadn’t done that so far and as such, hadn’t learned either. She would have trailed them lazily if they’d chosen to go to Nerine, but honestly she thought that bothering a lioness with her cubs was way, way worse than that. Mothers were protective of their young, after all.
Swooping down, the grey yearling with raven mane and wings approached quickly. She landed near them and trotted towards them. ”Oh, hello! Did someone say spying on Nerine?” she asked with her head tilted, eyes gleaming.
the light you are searching has always been within
As expected, Clayton brightens at her suggestions, and she returns his enthusiasm with a mischievous half-smile. He charges to the right and she follows, rushing past with a toss of her antlered head as he graciously offers to let her lead the way.
But Warlight's momentum stops suddenly as it becomes clear they are not alone and she prepares to combat a scolding. But the small pegasus' interest in their proposed adventure seems genuine, and Warlight relaxes.
"We did," Warlight replies to the other girl as she halts, her blue-black eyes scanning the child-mare. She recognizes Tahti as one of Hyaline's residents, and her name springing to mind after she remembers something one of her mothers had said about the girl. "You lived there, right?" She briefly wonders exactly when-- the filly her own age had lived in Nerine. Considering she had seen Tahti fairly often in Hyaline, floating in the sky or grazing in a distant meadow, for her entire life she didn't know when the raven girl could have had the chance to be away. "Want to come along? We are going to spy on them though, so you have to promise you wont give us away." She could figure that out later if they were going to be spending the day together.
"I'm Will," she adds, forgetting that a princess should introduce herself properly to someone she has never actually met before. "And he's Clayton," she says with a nod towards her friend.
If this girl had lived in the kingdom of warrior women like her mother said, Warlight is pretty sure she would like to get to know her better. And she would be an invaluable addition on their self-appointed mission.
She gave him the option to pick there adventure for the day and he happily chose to go find the mountain lion. He was young and naive, he figured he would be able to protect her should the lion turn aggresive (even though he had no doubt she couod protect herself) He stepped aside for her to lead and she graciously accepted, a smile tugged at his lips as she passes him eager to start there adventure.
His ears twitch when he hears noise, it sounded like another equine. He turned his head to gaze and as he did he ran into Warlight who came to a full stop, what an idiot he was! Sorry Warlight he whispered so only she could hear.
A younger black filly that he had never met landed from the sky. Did someone say spying on Nerine? she inquired and though he wanted to yell at her to leave them alone he remained silent. Warlight was quick to respond, confirming there prior discussion of Nerine.
Although Clayton has never met this filly, it seems as though Warlight has. She asks if the ebony filly once lived in Nerine, and then asked if she wanted to join them!!! Not only did they just divert from there original plan with the mountain lion, but his alone time with Warlight was now accompanied by a third!! He responds with a dull snort, but does no protest her company. If he did Warlight might catch on that he has a crush on her.
She introduces herself and nods towards Clayton introducing him. He dips his head to the new filly What is your name? And why did you leave Nerine? He was curious of this new filly that was to join them on there new adventure.
Warlight is easily swayed towards spying on Nerine, and Tähti is secretly thankful for that. Her boy-friend doesn't seem to like it that much that she has arrived though, and the greying yearling looks at him a moment, then shrugs it off. "I'm Tähti. At the time, I was the only child here, and I was exchanged to settle the alliance. But I've been back for a while now." She wonders if their two young minds can make any sense of the story, so she quickly changes subject. "But, before that, I also spied on them. I won't give you away if you don't tell either." she grins, and then quickly enters into a trot through the mountainous landscape, north and west.
Last time she'd done this, she had flown most the part, but Clayton can't follow that way. Warlight could probably teleport, but for the sake of the colt she decides to walk. But it's a bad decision to go this way; when the trio is all well and good within the mountain range near the sea, there is the smell of a bear, and as they round a corner, the raven-winged girl stops suddenly, eyeing the scene.
There a mother grizzly bear with two cubs, and she's not too happy to come upon three yearling horses.
the light you are searching has always been within
Warlight barely even notices when Clayton runs into her, especially because of the new arrival, and she brushes off his apology with a quick flash of a smile. As one among many children she had yet to learn about personal space, and shouldering, nipping, nudges were as apart of her vocabulary as actual words.
But when she does take her dark, sapphire eyes off of their new acquaintance to look back to the colt she sees an emotion on his face she has never noticed before.
Disappointment.
He is a good sport regardless, and soon they are traveling in a new direction. When the trail widens and Tahti takes the lead, Will slows to fall into step beside her green accented friend. "We will check up on the cubs tomorrow, they will only be one day older," she promises with a tug on a wayward green tassel before she lengthens her stride to claim the lead again.
She stretches out into a canter, dodging stones and jumping branches with practiced ease. Rounding the corner twice as fast as she should have, Will passes the more cautious girl without a second thought... until she finds herself face to face with a mother grizzly bear.
Warlight Soul as sweet as blood red jam
@[Clayton] I will post the bear from the NPC after you post! But any damage (if any) will still be made by the player of each character
Warlight was interested in the History of this filly who introduced herself as Tahti, she notes that she was once a member of Nerine but she was used as an exchange in an alliance. He was confused but did not question it, he did not know the history of either kingdoms, and truly the less he asked the quicker this trip would be. Tahti quickly changes the subject and notes she has spied on Nerine before, he glances a questioning look at her but instead he follows suit and begins there travel to Nerine.
He stayed close to Warlight, he always had, she leans in close and whispers to him that they could visit the cubs tomorrow, they'd only be a day older. She tugged on his mane, and a smile grew on his maw, she always knew what to say. He nods his head silently and watches as she strides forward, taking lead of the trio and he could not help but laugh to himself. She was such a strong minded filly, she would make a fantastic leader one day, or even a warrior like she dreams of.
They travel through the thick of the woods, plenty of stones and branches to avoid. Warlight broke out into a canter and he follows behind her, he remained a couple paces behind, he always enjoyed watching her move freely. The trio was nearly in a race, they rounded a corner faster than they probably should have. Around the corner was a visitor that would forever change there lives. A bear, and though the others saw the cubs Clayton did not. Warlight and Tahti seemed uncomfortable with the situation, but Clayton knew better Guys, its my sister Keeper! His pace did not slow, he ran up to the bear.
As he grew near the two cubs grew into sight and as his eyes flicked back to the mother bear he realized the fear in everyone's eyes.
It was too late, he was to close. He slid to a halt but he came face to face with the grown mother bear The bear gave a gruesome roar and lifted off onto her hind feet, she towered taller than the tallest horse he has ever met. She was larger than Keeper when she was a bear. When the bear came down she striked at Clayton, he tried to avoid her attack and instead of hitting his face the bear slashed down his neck and Clayton screamed out in utter pain. RUN!! he yelled out hoping this time Warlight would actually listen to him
Her two beautiful cubs nurse as she dozes in the sunlight, berry stains tinting the fur around her mouth purple. She smiles at the perfection of them, like all bears smile; on the inside.
Then she hears the others, the clatter of stone-paws on stone. Fear wells in her breast and her heart jets hot adrenaline into her system in electric plumes.
Devil Deer, with their horns, antlers, and magical powers. The unnatural, deceptive, over-reaching creatures. Too good for the lesser mammals, too unpredictable to be let anywhere near her offspring.
Fear becomes Rage as they swarm her, and she roars a roar which sakes her to the core.
![[Image: clayton_by_cowgirlconrad-dcmmo18.png]](https://orig00.deviantart.net/8f0d/f/2018/254/c/4/clayton_by_cowgirlconrad-dcmmo18.png)
![[Image: Warlightpageddoll1.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/NMPHtrtV/Warlightpageddoll1.png)
![[Image: bear.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/6QXNsd3s/bear.jpg)