"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
His life was anything but relaxed, he promised Kensa he would stay in Hyaline...even though she had chosen another he still remained loyal, the green and bay stag frequently visited Hyaline after accomplishing his duties in the Cove.
He quickly traveled through his original home, the wooded Hyaline. His gaze scanning the area, memories of his childhood flow with every step. Playing in the rocks with Warlight, traveling in the field with Keeper.
The memories in Hyaline were nothing but his best, he meant to visit Kensa but for some reason his heart begged him to visit the beach. The last time him and Warlight were on good terms was at the beach party, before all the chaos with the plague happened.
As he comes to a halt his hooves stand at the shoreline, the water lapping at his hooves. The moment of something else catches his eyes and he quickly jerks his head to the left, it took him a moment but when he found the source he was almost in disbelief. Adria? he says her name aloud, the golden mare who once caught his eyes but vanished the very next day.
He didn't think she was still around, perhaps went back to her family...but here she stands on the very beach with him. A smile tugs at his lips as he closes the gap between them Adria, is that you?! he yells out approaching her. In the moment all the thoughts of Kensa and Warlight were flushed from his mind.
She’s … around. Just not where everyone could see her. Adria had been spending her time underwater for the cold season, taking refuge in the serenity and peace of the Great Lake. Hyaline’s crown jewel was deeper than most could imagine, and it held handfuls of sunken caves that wove underground towards other lands. Their secrets were enough to keep the young Nereid occupied and happy, but lately that had begun to wear off. There were only so many caves, and only so many secrets.
Sighing in a cascade of pearlescent bubbles, the seamare drifted gracefully up to the surface and burst through with an extravagant mist of water, throwing her refined head backwards to fan out the long strands of her overgrown mane. Droplets flew from her and landed like glimmering crystals, raining down where they belonged and leaving nothing behind to show they had ever existed in the first place. She blinked softly and took her first breath of air in weeks, turning around at the familiar tune of her name on another’s tongue.
On the shoreline stood a dark stallion, watching her. He was framed in a rich green color, one that made his legs stand out and drew attention to his equally unruly mane and tail. From his forehead two great horns spiraled up, sturdy and dangerous-looking. “Clayton!” Her voice rang out like bells, “Repons lan se wi it’s me!” Yes of course!
Together the two drifted nearer to one another, Adria swimming prettily out from the water and Clayton trudging down the shore to meet her. They met on the land where the Nereid shivered from exposure to the cold, positively dripping. “How good to see you! How good you look! Ah, sezon fredi, this weather is terrible. I was not made to be cold so much!” She laughs.
For some reason she cannot fathom, her bright eyes linger over his face. Had he been this attractive when they last met? His eyes so golden, the shape of his cheeks so proud and handsome? She can’t be sure, so she blinks again and tries to push the unwelcome thoughts away. Her lips reach out to ghost across his nose and then, they reach for a lock of his hair tucked behind his wine-colored ears. “I have not seen you for a while. Talk, please. Fill my world with sound and speak of what you’ve been doing.”
upon my journey i must go, to where the river flows
He was a simple man, he wanted friendship and like everyone else was looking for someone to call his. It seemed that everyone he went after had someone else, a close call but he always came in second place. He figured Adria had left when he never ran into her again, but as his name sings from her mouth it was truly her.
A smile tugged on his maw when he hears his name come from her mouth. They both strode closer until they were a few paces apart. How good to see you, how good you look. She speaks and he could say the same thing back. She was filled in and her curves more defined, her pelt seemed to glow from the sheen of water that dripped off her.
He was too lost in his thoughts to respond, but not to worry she speaks again. This time she notes how cold it is, and that she wasn't meant to be in cold weather. His eyes pop open for a moment before he moves to press his body against hers, better? he asks in a hushed voice. He nearly forgot that she was from Ischia, he was used to the winters but this is possibly her first snowfall.
She speaks again, pleaing for him to talk to fill her in on what happened since they last met. With a smile on his maw he finally manages to jumble words together. I'm glad I ran into you, I thought you were gone. The Cove is still my home, but I find myself visiting Hyaline in a lot of my free time. The fact that he was visiting Kensa was a minute detail that could be spared from this story. How have you been? Whered you go all this time? he had to know, life could be so different right now had she not of left.
Exploring, discovering - these are things Adria enjoys. The mysteries of their world are manifold and unless she were immortal (which she’s not, not really) it would be hopeless to try and uncover them all. Even then the secrets of magicians could never be revealed to her ever-expanding mind; the heavens and their constellations would keep ancient history, leaving adventurers like Adria dreaming into eternity.
However, for all the things she’s learned in her travels there still seems to be one essential puzzle the Nereid fails to complete. Love escapes her at every turn, (her heart thinks of Jinn but her mind shoves that away) and connecting with others was proving equally impossible.
In fact, her interactions with Beqanna horses have all but ceased in this current bout of hermitage. If Clayton hadn’t come out of the woodwork, Adria could’ve gone on avoiding the rest of humanity for another decade or so.
Maybe that’s why the pressure of his warm, nutmeg-colored skin on her own gold pelt comes with a shock of poorly hidden surprise. The seamare doesn’t move away, though. His body heat feels too good right now, the smell wafting up from his muscular shoulders too enticing to reject outright. She holds her breath and stops herself from gasping, but after a long minute of them exchanging heat Adria peels slowly away.
“Mèsi,” She thanks him in her native tongue, suddenly shy. If she could blush she would. Still, Clayton has managed to make her smile. “It was hard coming back, I admit.” Adria speaks softly, “My family …” She tries to explain. With a bashful glance towards the horned stallion, the water horse goes silent. He could understand without her saying anything. Leaving your loved ones was hard.
“I am fine though! I promise. Lak la is where I hide away.” She laughs quietly, talking about Hyaline’s lake. The next second she stops, her eyes widening as if remembering something important. Her golden-white face turns towards Clayton and there’s nothing shy about the way she holds his gaze now. “Would you like to see? There is .. ah, how do you say? Etid; an experiment I would like to try.”
The language barrier is frustrating for her sometimes, she’s afraid that her explanation is only confusing poor Clayton but she tries again nonetheless. “Be my study rat, please?!” She begs him with another pretty laugh.
upon my journey i must go, to where the river flows
As he brushes against her wet pelt he can feel the cold fade into warmth. She quickly said thank you, too which Clayton responded with a smile. When she speaks again she mentions it was hard to come back, but Clayton was glad she braved it.
His family had abandoned him, so he never really missed them...but his Hyaline/Cove members became his family and his heart ached for many of them. They were all adults now, and each of them had there own adventure in life and it was hard to make time for eachother.
Before he could say a thing she reassures him that she is ok, and he breaths a sigh of relief. She spoke again... La Ka is where I hide , he tilts his head, what was a la ka? But again before he could respond her eyes grew wide and she speaks again.
Would you like to see? she eagerly asks him, talking about an experiment, about being a study rat. When she falls silent he finally bursts out laughing, he imagines the only way to find our what La Ka is, is to be her study rat. He nods his head Sure Adria, lead the way. His gaze held a smile as it contentedly remained on her.
The word sure has barely left Clayton’s mouth before Adria beams up at him, smiling. Even covered in thick fur from a winter spent underwater she still looks soft and feminine, a bright gold sheen to her now-dry hair that gives her the false appearance of a healthy looking horse. Unlike Clayton, whose gaunt shadows and somewhat dull coat imply he might be sick, Adria shows no signs of the terror multiplying just below the surface. She carries the disease that torments so many, but as she slowly and playfully eases backwards towards the water again that fact doesn’t bother her as much as it once did.
She couldn’t hurt Clayton anymore than he was already hurt. Not like she’d done to Jinn, anyways.
She kept both eyes trained on the bloody bay stallion, stopping when one of her hind hooves finally dipped into the lake. The Nereid feared that if she took her eyes off him for one second, Clayton might think twice about what she was going to do. “Come; stand next to me.” She cooed hypnotically, excitement thrumming in her veins. She could feel her powers spring to life, practically buzzing across her skin, and the water near her heels began to bubble merrily in response. “I liked the way we kept each other warm, chè zanmi.”
She had liked it. The rich color of his fur seen up close, how Clayton’s scent was so much like the earth: spice and musk. “Will you… do it again? Tanpri?” Please?
Now the playful ease was gone, replaced by a shy sort of look as Adria pivoted around. She was nervous to ask for such a thing as physical comfort again; would he think she was always like that? “Cuddling” up to males, as she’d heard some other mares call it. Too hesitant to turn her head and look to see, the seamare focused on the water below her which had rolled back from the shore and away from where she stepped. With her grip over the element of water, she could bend the lake any way she pleased, and her intention was to build a dome above and around them so they could walk down into the lake bottom without ever getting wet.
Clayton, she assumed, couldn’t breath underwater. So she decided to see if she could make a bubble for him. Well, for them really.
Confidently (and with a determined look) she inhaled and began to shape the great, circular structure. It pulled up in a thin but sturdy sheet and began to arc overhead, like a wave in slow motion, but before it could stretch any further and touch the water again Adria held it in place, suspended and frozen. It could fit them both for now and the mental effort of using her gift was minor, not everlasting though. “What do you think, eh? Now you will see what I see. Lak la, or as you land-dwellers call it: ‘The Lake’.” She explained with a glance towards him, stepping past limp plants that had never touched air until now.
When he came close to join her, the water dome closed behind them and encapsulated the two horses perfectly. Together, Adria was leading them down a muddy, sandy slope and the waters of Hyaline’s great lake surrounded them, clear as glass. Fish swam close and the light filtering in from above grew dimmer. “It’s quiet down here, no?” She whispered to Clayton, looking around at the air bubble she’d created. Her voice echoed gently. “There are kristals growing from the dirt, somewhere close.” She told him, and then asked, “What’s happening in Silver Cove these days?” as they walked.
upon my journey i must go, to where the river flows
No sooner than he says sure does Adria glow with joy. It is contagious and puts a smile on his face as well, she moves closer to the water and so he follows her.
She asks for him to come closer, and he does not hesitate. The bay stag moves until his body stands a couple paces betwern her gold pelt. She slips in that she liked how they kept eachother warm and a smile tugged at his lips again. Me too, he says, extending his neck to gently nudge her cheek. And she asks for him to do it again, he wastes no time to press his pelt into hers.
She did not look though, her gaze remained on the water. Was she nervous? He found it adorable, he was a rather shy guy and it took a lot of reject before he got comfortable around mares. He was so distracted by her that he nearly missed her creating a bubble.
His eyes grow wide as he watches her create this masterpiece, a bubble that when she finished was big enough for the two of them. She encased them in it and he found himself at a loss for words. She asks him what he thinks, announcing that he can see what she sees.
He knew of magical powers, and he usually found her by the water but had no idea of the powers she held. He forced words out of his mouth as it seemed minutes passed, Yes, show me you're world. He says with a smile of admiration.
They entered the lake, and what normally would cause him to drown, currently he could explore. Life beneath the earths core was different than anything he expected, green plants bloomed here just like on the ground. Water creatures lived here just like the minor animals on the ground.
She mentions the quiet and he nearly had not noticed it, he gives a nod of his head Yes, very peaceful. He smiles with admiration for not only Adria, but the seperate life under water. She speaks again mentioned krystals that grow nearby, show me? He asks the gold mare, estatic to see everything there is to offer.
They travel, slowly, and she asks about the Cove. He had so much to share, so much has happened since she last visited. A lot! Kagerus and Solace stepper down, myself and Dawn are in training under Ilma to take rule of the Kingdom in less than a year now. That was the most important note, the biggest change that has happened.
@[Adria] I threw in the kingdom changes, hope you don't mind ^^
The last time they’d met, Clayton had put his teeth into her mane and tugged her close. She remembered the sensation well enough and how much she’d enjoyed the easygoing stallion back then, and it seems her opinions about the big red male haven’t changed since. Hadn’t she just admitted as much out loud for him to hear?
As he drew close and the two of them pressed together, Adria held still enough that he wouldn’t have to struggle to reach her cheek. In fact, she thinks she might’ve actually leaned in, which usually was against her nature. But with him everything seemed… different. Easy. She felt like she didn’t have to think so much or constantly worry about herself, they could just be together and enjoy each other for a little while, so that’s exactly what she planned to do when the pair stepped off from the shore to explore Hyaline’s lake.
She just wanted to enjoy herself and Clayton made that easy, agreeing with the silence around them and asking her to lead the way towards the underwater crystals. The Nereid smiled softly and hummed a gentle tune, one that echoed inside their protective bubble while they navigated through the darkened waters. “Lady Kagerous and her wife are retiring then? Bonte, I never thought so... “ She mused softly, and then, “But you! Training to take their place, eh! How exciting Clayton.” The seamare grinned a flashy smile, one the brightened her features and seemed to make her radiant.
Gently, the white-splashed female pulled closer to him and bumped a golden shoulder against his own broad, mahogany one. “Seyè Clayton” She spoke aloud, using her native language to call him Lord Clayton. Then she giggled. “You will be too busy and too important for me, then.”
Her eyes lifted to meet his gaze and for a moment they stayed there, shy and hopeful that he wouldn’t agree. It seemed as if all the light from above had vanished, leaving them surrounded by a hushed darkness, and then from nowhere a faint, ethereal glow began to shine as their vision adjusted to the dimness. Adria turned to look ahead, her voice dropping to a whisper once again. “Those are the crystals. I think they shine like Ischia’s water does at night, not because they are magical.” She told him as they stepped ahead.
Soon enough they were beside the great formations, looking up at the large shards that grew well above the top of Adria’s bubble. She and Clayton were bathed in an eerie green light, even though the crystals themselves seemed white in color. The glow they gave off lit up the water around them and so the two horses could again see all manner of fish and plants. “Who is Dawn?” The mare asked quietly.
upon my journey i must go, to where the river flows
It was a whole new world for Clayton, her world. And he was just happy to be sharing the moment with her. There pelts brushed against eachother, barely wet even though they were fully submerged.
He happily remains pressed against her, his eyes wonder around them but he listens as she speaks. Talking about Kagerus and Solace stepping down, something that no one expected. They were to iconic rulers, a pair that the Cove will forever live up to. Clayton nods his head in response, he did not have much to say about them stepping down.
Its when she moves on to talk about him taking over he can feel his body grow warm with embarrassment. He was never one to brag, and he was humbled to be chosen for the task. He mentions it simply to not keep it a secret.
She pulls in closer to him, she says his name and it draws his eyes to hers. She speaks again, noting he won't have time for her. He gently nudges her cheek, I'll always have time for you he says reassuringly.
He was lost in her eyes, enjoying there time together. He caught a glimpse of light in the dark, but didnt bother looking until she mentions it. His eyes shift, settling on a sight he has never imagined. Crystals providing the only light in the dark water. That's amazing, he says aloud as he looks in amazement.
The stop before it, and he gets to see a great glance at the world around them. The plants and sea critters that live here everyday. He was amazed at everything, but once again his attention is brought back to Adria when she speaks. She asks about Dawn and a gentle smile tugs at his lips. His mind wonders to the pale friend he has known since he was a child. Shes a friend, a Cove native, together we will rule the Cove. He looks to read her facial expressions, was she worried about Dawn? The fact he would rule with her?
![[Image: clayton_by_cowgirlconrad-dcmmo18.png]](https://orig00.deviantart.net/8f0d/f/2018/254/c/4/clayton_by_cowgirlconrad-dcmmo18.png)
