06-13-2017, 09:35 AM
The cool caress of night holds tight, squeezing him gently as it roams the entire meadow. He stands stoically, his chin pointed upwards to the clear night sky, his cerulean eyes roving the deep, indigo depths. The long, swaying branches of the willow brush gently against his skin, reminding him that he is still on earth and not soaring through the galaxies. It had been a long time since he had found the need to search the heavens, for most of his nights were spent back in Tephra, where the tropical foliage scrubs out the sight of the sky or the dark, wet caves kept him from seeing the starry atmosphere. Here in the meadow, though, the wide-open expanse towers over him like an inky cloak, yawning and stretching magnificently before him – reminding him of loved ones who are lost and how utterly alone he truly is.
The auburn lines of his face illuminate in the starlight, the weariness that hides there now alight in the silver of night. He is lost in the expanse that gapes before him, the twinkling reflection of stars in the blue of his eyes.
So much had happened, yet at the same time, he feels as if the past year has left him with nothing. He is empty again, sadness billowing within his chest like smoke, choking in his throat. He is still at a loss when it came to his family, still feeling displaced and broken beneath the stars that they accompany. The shift in leadership leaves him to adjust once again to a new rule, attempting to prove himself to his new King but knowing that he could not measure up to the others that stand so loyally by the black stallion’s side. Tang’s absence grows less sweet, the memory of her now causing pain as he begins to realize that she may not return to him in the cooler months.
Then there was Ellyse.
He remembers their conversation on the grey and brazen shoreline of Tephra, though maybe he does not remember it the way he should. Maybe he decided to interpret it differently so that she left him with a string of hope, not a chasm of doubt. He had been foolish, he knows, and he still is. Seeing her had created such a leap of courage within him, but now he feels small and uncertain, questioning everything that he thought he had been accomplishing.
She finds him, like he know she will. He would not have sought her out; his pride would not let him.
The movement of her pale, golden body is like a whisper upon the ground, quiet and somber in her approach. His eyes do not leave the skies, they continue searching – for what, he did not know. He can feel her golden stare on him, soft and aching as it roves his body, waiting for him to move, to respond, to do something – but he does not. She says his name, so coaxingly and so beautiful, and he cannot help but exhale with a staggering breath that he had been holding. Dark lids close over the brilliant blue of his eyes, brow furrowing as he continues to tilt his head upwards, feeling the gentle starlight on his skin.
He has so many questions for her: Where have you been? Are you all right? Have you found what you were looking for? What have I done?
None of them will find his tongue, and they will remain lodged in his throat along with his fear and doubt; frightened that words will scare her away once again. The silence that grows between them is palpable, thick and anxious, as the night grows dimmer. Finally, he brings his chin towards his chest, his eyes still closed as he inhales deeply.
He was sinking, sinking, sinking.
“We must keep our heads above the tide, Ellyse.”
His voice is rippling and deep and true, almost rough with the thickness of the summer air around them. A moment passes and his eyes open slowly, the dark lids revealing the deepest blue irises that meet her gold-flecked gaze without hesitation. She is outstretched, reaching for him with a whirlwind of uncertainty in her eyes. To relieve her, and himself, he brings the cobalt of his muzzle to her own, brushing her cheek gently and briefly, a touch so fleeting yet long awaited, his head feels heavy when he brings his muzzle back to himself.
The auburn lines of his face illuminate in the starlight, the weariness that hides there now alight in the silver of night. He is lost in the expanse that gapes before him, the twinkling reflection of stars in the blue of his eyes.
So much had happened, yet at the same time, he feels as if the past year has left him with nothing. He is empty again, sadness billowing within his chest like smoke, choking in his throat. He is still at a loss when it came to his family, still feeling displaced and broken beneath the stars that they accompany. The shift in leadership leaves him to adjust once again to a new rule, attempting to prove himself to his new King but knowing that he could not measure up to the others that stand so loyally by the black stallion’s side. Tang’s absence grows less sweet, the memory of her now causing pain as he begins to realize that she may not return to him in the cooler months.
Then there was Ellyse.
He remembers their conversation on the grey and brazen shoreline of Tephra, though maybe he does not remember it the way he should. Maybe he decided to interpret it differently so that she left him with a string of hope, not a chasm of doubt. He had been foolish, he knows, and he still is. Seeing her had created such a leap of courage within him, but now he feels small and uncertain, questioning everything that he thought he had been accomplishing.
She finds him, like he know she will. He would not have sought her out; his pride would not let him.
The movement of her pale, golden body is like a whisper upon the ground, quiet and somber in her approach. His eyes do not leave the skies, they continue searching – for what, he did not know. He can feel her golden stare on him, soft and aching as it roves his body, waiting for him to move, to respond, to do something – but he does not. She says his name, so coaxingly and so beautiful, and he cannot help but exhale with a staggering breath that he had been holding. Dark lids close over the brilliant blue of his eyes, brow furrowing as he continues to tilt his head upwards, feeling the gentle starlight on his skin.
He has so many questions for her: Where have you been? Are you all right? Have you found what you were looking for? What have I done?
None of them will find his tongue, and they will remain lodged in his throat along with his fear and doubt; frightened that words will scare her away once again. The silence that grows between them is palpable, thick and anxious, as the night grows dimmer. Finally, he brings his chin towards his chest, his eyes still closed as he inhales deeply.
He was sinking, sinking, sinking.
“We must keep our heads above the tide, Ellyse.”
His voice is rippling and deep and true, almost rough with the thickness of the summer air around them. A moment passes and his eyes open slowly, the dark lids revealing the deepest blue irises that meet her gold-flecked gaze without hesitation. She is outstretched, reaching for him with a whirlwind of uncertainty in her eyes. To relieve her, and himself, he brings the cobalt of his muzzle to her own, brushing her cheek gently and briefly, a touch so fleeting yet long awaited, his head feels heavy when he brings his muzzle back to himself.
like the sun,
swallowed up by the earth
warrick
@[Ellyse]