06-04-2019, 01:50 AM
Aten almost found it strange to be accompanied back to Taiga this time, now that he had Lethia following to come and see the beautiful kingdom for herself. If he wasn't already used to simple conversation when passing through other kingdoms or spending time in the Meadow and Forest, the stallion might've made the situation awkward by not saying anything to pass the journey.
On their way to Taiga, Aten asked Lethia a few simple questions, such as how many springs old she was, what she had been doing since the ocean washed her ashore here, and anything else he got the feeling she might've been comfortable with. When the conversation did drift toward family in the smallest bit, hers at least, Aten could tell there was a shadow there, so did not press the subject further with her.
He was brief in his description of family, saying how he had been separated from his dam but raised for a while by his wonderful oldest sister. He had not heard anything of them in some seasons, but had no reason to believe they were not out there, alive and well, perhaps making a living as members of other kingdoms Aten had just not been to yet.
When they passed the border that Loess and Hyaline shared, tracking up the way so they didn't really set hoof in either kingdom, Aten made sure to tell Lethia of this thin line so that, should she ever find herself heading back in the direction of the Field, she would know where the border was in case she wanted to avoid trouble. The golden king always did, if only due to some rumors he had heard about Loess lately. With Taiga still in it's growth, he didn't need a kingdom investigating the business of his.
The Taiga's border, like the majority of the kingdom, was lined with tall redwoods that seemed to be grapsing at the clouds hovering many miles above their heads in the sky. Their branches weaved out in complicated patterns that in some areas made it hard to detect where one tree ended and another began. The multitude of pine needles also lines the border, stretching a few feet past it since some branches were also quite long. The two horse's hoofsteps were dulled before they fully entered the kingdom, a silence that Aten found quant and peaceful.
The further they got into Taiga's heart, the more Aten told Lethia about the kingdom's past. He stuck to only the big details, such as the fire that once ravished the land. A light layer of fog had also rolled in from the sea, a number of miles in, crafting a blanket that surrounded the forest floor and up to the horses' knees. The trees started to thin out once the two got closer to the heart of the kingdom, right in the middle, to where it opened up in some areas, revealing grassy meadows and a small lake of water off to one end.
Deciding to really surprise Lethia, Aten asked her to continue following him to the north, and the golden king led her to follow up the stream that bled down into the lake near Taiga's meadows. It wasn't a very big sight to behold, what he was about to show her, but in a kingdom where the majority was a forest of redwoods so thick it would take three horses to reach across, it was beautiful.
The terrain of the land changed as the duo started climbing a small hill that grew into a steeper incline a few feet up. Aten's hooves easily found the natural path that he had worn into this hill for some suns now, which would make it easier for a newcomer like Lethia to follow him. The rocks were quite slippery otherwise, and Aten doubted the mare wanted to take another tumble.
When he got to the top, Aten hung back a few feet to let Lethia walk out and see the view alone for a moment. From the top of the hill where they stood, a waterfall poured down into the river they had followed up here, the water hitting the rocks creating a thin layer of mist along the cliffside and down into the water. The crystal-clear substance could almost be considered see-through if the two horses weren't already high up. The view stretched far out over Taiga's meadows, and far off in the distance, the ocean could be seen as a pinprick of blue against the green grassy backdrop.
Aten glanced to Lethia, "Unfortunately, beyond what wonderful sights Taiga has to offer, there is not much I can explain about the kingdom's current state. It is lacking in horses who live here, but I can promise that life here is quite wonderful, and I wish to do right by the Queen who led before me. If you wish to pursue a life elsewhere, in another kingdom, of course I would understand, and hope we could remain friends.
"However, if you do stay, in addition to a home, I would ask that you be willing to potentially help find others who are also in need of a home, to tell them of Taiga and provide them what they are looking for. Do you think that is something you would be willing to do?"
@[Izora Lethia]
On their way to Taiga, Aten asked Lethia a few simple questions, such as how many springs old she was, what she had been doing since the ocean washed her ashore here, and anything else he got the feeling she might've been comfortable with. When the conversation did drift toward family in the smallest bit, hers at least, Aten could tell there was a shadow there, so did not press the subject further with her.
He was brief in his description of family, saying how he had been separated from his dam but raised for a while by his wonderful oldest sister. He had not heard anything of them in some seasons, but had no reason to believe they were not out there, alive and well, perhaps making a living as members of other kingdoms Aten had just not been to yet.
When they passed the border that Loess and Hyaline shared, tracking up the way so they didn't really set hoof in either kingdom, Aten made sure to tell Lethia of this thin line so that, should she ever find herself heading back in the direction of the Field, she would know where the border was in case she wanted to avoid trouble. The golden king always did, if only due to some rumors he had heard about Loess lately. With Taiga still in it's growth, he didn't need a kingdom investigating the business of his.
The Taiga's border, like the majority of the kingdom, was lined with tall redwoods that seemed to be grapsing at the clouds hovering many miles above their heads in the sky. Their branches weaved out in complicated patterns that in some areas made it hard to detect where one tree ended and another began. The multitude of pine needles also lines the border, stretching a few feet past it since some branches were also quite long. The two horse's hoofsteps were dulled before they fully entered the kingdom, a silence that Aten found quant and peaceful.
The further they got into Taiga's heart, the more Aten told Lethia about the kingdom's past. He stuck to only the big details, such as the fire that once ravished the land. A light layer of fog had also rolled in from the sea, a number of miles in, crafting a blanket that surrounded the forest floor and up to the horses' knees. The trees started to thin out once the two got closer to the heart of the kingdom, right in the middle, to where it opened up in some areas, revealing grassy meadows and a small lake of water off to one end.
Deciding to really surprise Lethia, Aten asked her to continue following him to the north, and the golden king led her to follow up the stream that bled down into the lake near Taiga's meadows. It wasn't a very big sight to behold, what he was about to show her, but in a kingdom where the majority was a forest of redwoods so thick it would take three horses to reach across, it was beautiful.
The terrain of the land changed as the duo started climbing a small hill that grew into a steeper incline a few feet up. Aten's hooves easily found the natural path that he had worn into this hill for some suns now, which would make it easier for a newcomer like Lethia to follow him. The rocks were quite slippery otherwise, and Aten doubted the mare wanted to take another tumble.
When he got to the top, Aten hung back a few feet to let Lethia walk out and see the view alone for a moment. From the top of the hill where they stood, a waterfall poured down into the river they had followed up here, the water hitting the rocks creating a thin layer of mist along the cliffside and down into the water. The crystal-clear substance could almost be considered see-through if the two horses weren't already high up. The view stretched far out over Taiga's meadows, and far off in the distance, the ocean could be seen as a pinprick of blue against the green grassy backdrop.
Aten glanced to Lethia, "Unfortunately, beyond what wonderful sights Taiga has to offer, there is not much I can explain about the kingdom's current state. It is lacking in horses who live here, but I can promise that life here is quite wonderful, and I wish to do right by the Queen who led before me. If you wish to pursue a life elsewhere, in another kingdom, of course I would understand, and hope we could remain friends.
"However, if you do stay, in addition to a home, I would ask that you be willing to potentially help find others who are also in need of a home, to tell them of Taiga and provide them what they are looking for. Do you think that is something you would be willing to do?"
@[Izora Lethia]
