09-14-2020, 02:18 PM
Yanhua
Ancient? Lilliana? Yanhua shook his horns and blew a gust of laughter at the thought. Her eyes and the corners of her muzzle had a wizened expression to them, a familiar expression Yan had seen in many of the older resident horses, but in spirit and beauty she was unchanging. Frozen in time by immortality, Lilliana would eventually resemble him as a sister and less as a mother… Yan wasn’t sure how that made him feel. A bridge I can cross later, The flaxen-haired stallion thought with a brief smile.
When Lilli’s gait altered to a careful walk, Yanhua didn’t slow as much to match the pace. Instead, he took point and let his dam think for a moment in peace. The Alliance tourney wasn’t a laughing matter; horses had been severely injured or (even worse), magically altered from the competition. Yan knew this as well as Lilliana did, but the opportunity was what excited Yan above glory and guts. For the first time he was confident enough to broaden his horizons, take some risks, learn some things about how the world functioned outside of Taiga and the Northern Territories. It would be a hard blow if he missed out because of the risks associated.
Yanhua held his breath and flicked his ears back to listen, too tense for words and lulled by the comforting sound of his dam’s signature step. Together, the two horses wound up and down the fern-drenched hillocks, past the burrows carved into the veiny roots of sentinel redwoods, until Lilliana gave her answer.
Stopping to let his shorter companion catch up, Yan waited until they were shoulder-to-shoulder before he stretched out his bearded chin and bumped Lilliana’s cheek with a whiskery kiss. He could breathe again, could fight with his whole heart and mind now that she’d given him her blessing. If he could fist pump, maybe Yanhua would’ve done that, but he was a horse and this was Beqanna, so instead he began to trot in place - legs dancing - as he kept pace with Lilli’s graceful, ambling walk.
He might’ve danced away from her then in a gust of wind and breathy snorts, as horses liked to do, but she stopped him with a few words.
“Champion?” He questioned with a confused, if not shocked expression. His hooves came to rest in the green earth; Yanhua stood still and blinked his eyes as the realization overcame him while Lilli carried on. Champion… He thought to himself, liking the way the title felt when it stood beside his name. Beneath that was something else, though, and Yan silently allowed his apprehension to be shared between them when Clarie’s familiar squeal cut through the quiet.
“Hello little Clarie,” Yanhua lowered his regal head and butted the filly gently, “I’ve missed having you around.” Yan looked up again to see the young mare glowing. He smiled, shook his mane, and gave her a look of serious concentration before his own golden light brightened to match. Then, laughing, he let the glow fade away again. Clarie was getting adept with her magic it would seem. Yan made a mental note to find her soon and practice with her, just like a good mentor ought to.
“Izora,” Yanhua turned his warm, blue eyes to the matriarch of their woods and gave her a blazing grin, “we're actually coming to find you, so you’ve got perfect timing.” The stallion whickered and offered his nose for a greeting. Then, pausing, he eyed Lilli for a moment.
“I’ve decided to throw my name into the Alliance.” He shared the news with a sigh and a pleasant smile, relaxing in the company of old and (in Clarie’s case) new friends alike. “But my mother also thinks I should consider taking up the mantle of Champion around here, now that Castile has moved on. I’d like to know what you think, Lethy. Am I a good fit? Am I… ready for that kind of responsibility?” Yanhua wondered aloud, fearing no shame for sharing his hesitations. These were the guardians of Taiga, after all. He loved them both as mothers in their own right. If Yan couldn’t share his concerns with them, who could he share with?
When Lilli’s gait altered to a careful walk, Yanhua didn’t slow as much to match the pace. Instead, he took point and let his dam think for a moment in peace. The Alliance tourney wasn’t a laughing matter; horses had been severely injured or (even worse), magically altered from the competition. Yan knew this as well as Lilliana did, but the opportunity was what excited Yan above glory and guts. For the first time he was confident enough to broaden his horizons, take some risks, learn some things about how the world functioned outside of Taiga and the Northern Territories. It would be a hard blow if he missed out because of the risks associated.
Yanhua held his breath and flicked his ears back to listen, too tense for words and lulled by the comforting sound of his dam’s signature step. Together, the two horses wound up and down the fern-drenched hillocks, past the burrows carved into the veiny roots of sentinel redwoods, until Lilliana gave her answer.
Stopping to let his shorter companion catch up, Yan waited until they were shoulder-to-shoulder before he stretched out his bearded chin and bumped Lilliana’s cheek with a whiskery kiss. He could breathe again, could fight with his whole heart and mind now that she’d given him her blessing. If he could fist pump, maybe Yanhua would’ve done that, but he was a horse and this was Beqanna, so instead he began to trot in place - legs dancing - as he kept pace with Lilli’s graceful, ambling walk.
He might’ve danced away from her then in a gust of wind and breathy snorts, as horses liked to do, but she stopped him with a few words.
“Champion?” He questioned with a confused, if not shocked expression. His hooves came to rest in the green earth; Yanhua stood still and blinked his eyes as the realization overcame him while Lilli carried on. Champion… He thought to himself, liking the way the title felt when it stood beside his name. Beneath that was something else, though, and Yan silently allowed his apprehension to be shared between them when Clarie’s familiar squeal cut through the quiet.
“Hello little Clarie,” Yanhua lowered his regal head and butted the filly gently, “I’ve missed having you around.” Yan looked up again to see the young mare glowing. He smiled, shook his mane, and gave her a look of serious concentration before his own golden light brightened to match. Then, laughing, he let the glow fade away again. Clarie was getting adept with her magic it would seem. Yan made a mental note to find her soon and practice with her, just like a good mentor ought to.
“Izora,” Yanhua turned his warm, blue eyes to the matriarch of their woods and gave her a blazing grin, “we're actually coming to find you, so you’ve got perfect timing.” The stallion whickered and offered his nose for a greeting. Then, pausing, he eyed Lilli for a moment.
“I’ve decided to throw my name into the Alliance.” He shared the news with a sigh and a pleasant smile, relaxing in the company of old and (in Clarie’s case) new friends alike. “But my mother also thinks I should consider taking up the mantle of Champion around here, now that Castile has moved on. I’d like to know what you think, Lethy. Am I a good fit? Am I… ready for that kind of responsibility?” Yanhua wondered aloud, fearing no shame for sharing his hesitations. These were the guardians of Taiga, after all. He loved them both as mothers in their own right. If Yan couldn’t share his concerns with them, who could he share with?
I GOT | Extra | FEELINGS
@[lilliana]