09-29-2018, 01:08 AM
True to the kind nature Aten could tell this mare possessed, Ilma led the way to the border of Beqanna's mainland, stopping just short of the sandbars that made up the bridge to the island kingdom of Ischia. Unknown to the mare, Aten had actually been there many moons ago, but had left shortly after in favor of the mainland and trying to find out what happened to his family after the Reckoning.
When it became clear he would hear nothing more than the limited information he could share with Ilma, the stallion had gone into hiding, and the rest up until now was history. Aten enjoyed the pleasant company of the mare on their trip to the border, making small talk on the way and commenting on the sun starting to set on the horizon as the water moved with the tide change, exposing the sandbar bridge underneath.
Recalling his previous trip, but knowing that time and the ocean water may have altered the sandbar bridge, Aten placed each step with care, something that was not hard to do in a multitude of ways. In addition to not wanting to slip off the sandbar bridge and potentially get stuck in the deeper stuff below the waves, Aten's back hooves were also still very sensitive to ocean water since he received his injuries during Taiga's destruction. With the passing of time, his physical wounds had healed, leaving a series of ugly burn scars on his lower legs, pasterns, and underside of his belly. None of these marks could be seen from a distance, due to location or the hair on his legs that had grown back, but upon getting closer, they were easier to spot since the skin was a dark pink/red in color compared to the golden coat he possessed.
Thankfully, Ilma did not seem to notice, since she didn't comment on them at all. For some reason, Aten was grateful, and yet secretly desired to share his pain with a close soul. However, even if what he and Ilma had was the budding of a new friendship, it would take some time before he could feel close enough to her to reveal what had truly happened the day he lost his home.
On their journey as well, Ilma mentioned her wings; Aten felt a bit embarrassed, as he had been staring at them a few times when his eyes drifted and caught sight of them in the sunlight. She explained that, unlike other wing sets around here, they shifted form and color with the rising and setting of the sun. Given the position of the celestial body in the sky, it explained the mare's wings' orange color. Aten was a bit intrigued by this type of wing style, for he had never seen them, but he'd grown up around horses with abilities and physical features, even some similar to the mare's, so he wasn't very surprised he met yet another horse with a special gift.
As the pair converged on more small talk on their way across the sandbar bridge, Aten was relieved when the conversation steered away from their kingdoms - in Aten's case, former, - and instead opted for a more comfortable topic: family. Ilma told Aten how she had two grown foals of her own, a colt named Llowell, and a filly named Tähti. Llowell was living the life Aten once had, more than likely the same his older brother was somewhere in the world, and how Tähti had set out to be one of Hyaline's protectors. The way she spoke of her foals showed that the mare had pride in the both of them, and Aten found it very charming, how she thought so highly of her young ones.
While she was going on about them, Aten did not notice that he became lost in thought, wondering what other mysteries he could uncover about this mare. Thankfully, he came to his senses again before Ilma would notice and make a comment about how he'd been staring again.
Aten decided to share a little of his own history, but nothing more than the last he'd heard of his family. He explained how he had three older full siblings; two sisters named Sirana and Eiria, and a brother, Nerius. He'd gotten to know three of his half-sibling brothers before they all went their separate ways, and how the last he'd heard of his dam was how she'd been driven from the place she called home with her friends, and no one had heard from her since.
He had little to say about his sire beyond how he'd known him for only a few months before his death, and that despite what little he did know, his dam had often said Aten was more like his sire than he would ever guess. Aten had to laugh at this; according to his dam, Archam had been a bit of a player despite making Anahi his lead mare. Aten would not aspire to be like that, but he withheld that information from Ilma, figuring she didn't need to know since it wasn't extremely important.
The pair continued in their small talk until Ischia came into view, at which point, a few yards from shore, their walk devolved into comfortable silence. Aten noticed how the mare's wings did indeed fade as the sun fully set, the once blue sky painting itself black as the moon and stars took over for the night. From the corner of his eye, Aten noticed something else glowing, but below him, not above like the moon and stars.
The stallion looked down, eyes going wide at seeing the source of the glow was coming from the water. It was then he remembered from his last visit a long time back; the plants in the water, algae, emitted a glow at night, causing the beach to turn a vibrant bright green in color when the plants were disturbed. The pair continued to kick the plants apart as they stepped through the rising ocean water, Aten gritting his teeth to avoid making a sound as his scars began to sting.
He reigned in his urge to charge out of the water when they got to shore, opting to slowly step out to try and minimize the movement of his legs. Once he was out, he breathed a small sigh of relief, lifting each hoof and giving it a light shake to rid it of the ocean water. While he was doing so, Ilma spoke up, informing him of this being Ischia, a fact well known, before letting out a call for someone he presumed was the leader.
The duo waited patiently, Aten looking out over the trees lining the beach. Since it was dark, their color wasn't mesmerizing, but they were still pretty to look at. With the glow on his backside illuminating his golden coat, the stallion turned his head and shoulder to somewhat face the mare.
"It may be presumptuous of me to ask, but, when you were speaking about Ischia, you had a look in your eyes I know well. It seemed almost, distant, as if you were remembering something. May I ask what about this place made your memories surface?"
@[Ilma] @[Brennen]
When it became clear he would hear nothing more than the limited information he could share with Ilma, the stallion had gone into hiding, and the rest up until now was history. Aten enjoyed the pleasant company of the mare on their trip to the border, making small talk on the way and commenting on the sun starting to set on the horizon as the water moved with the tide change, exposing the sandbar bridge underneath.
Recalling his previous trip, but knowing that time and the ocean water may have altered the sandbar bridge, Aten placed each step with care, something that was not hard to do in a multitude of ways. In addition to not wanting to slip off the sandbar bridge and potentially get stuck in the deeper stuff below the waves, Aten's back hooves were also still very sensitive to ocean water since he received his injuries during Taiga's destruction. With the passing of time, his physical wounds had healed, leaving a series of ugly burn scars on his lower legs, pasterns, and underside of his belly. None of these marks could be seen from a distance, due to location or the hair on his legs that had grown back, but upon getting closer, they were easier to spot since the skin was a dark pink/red in color compared to the golden coat he possessed.
Thankfully, Ilma did not seem to notice, since she didn't comment on them at all. For some reason, Aten was grateful, and yet secretly desired to share his pain with a close soul. However, even if what he and Ilma had was the budding of a new friendship, it would take some time before he could feel close enough to her to reveal what had truly happened the day he lost his home.
On their journey as well, Ilma mentioned her wings; Aten felt a bit embarrassed, as he had been staring at them a few times when his eyes drifted and caught sight of them in the sunlight. She explained that, unlike other wing sets around here, they shifted form and color with the rising and setting of the sun. Given the position of the celestial body in the sky, it explained the mare's wings' orange color. Aten was a bit intrigued by this type of wing style, for he had never seen them, but he'd grown up around horses with abilities and physical features, even some similar to the mare's, so he wasn't very surprised he met yet another horse with a special gift.
As the pair converged on more small talk on their way across the sandbar bridge, Aten was relieved when the conversation steered away from their kingdoms - in Aten's case, former, - and instead opted for a more comfortable topic: family. Ilma told Aten how she had two grown foals of her own, a colt named Llowell, and a filly named Tähti. Llowell was living the life Aten once had, more than likely the same his older brother was somewhere in the world, and how Tähti had set out to be one of Hyaline's protectors. The way she spoke of her foals showed that the mare had pride in the both of them, and Aten found it very charming, how she thought so highly of her young ones.
While she was going on about them, Aten did not notice that he became lost in thought, wondering what other mysteries he could uncover about this mare. Thankfully, he came to his senses again before Ilma would notice and make a comment about how he'd been staring again.
Aten decided to share a little of his own history, but nothing more than the last he'd heard of his family. He explained how he had three older full siblings; two sisters named Sirana and Eiria, and a brother, Nerius. He'd gotten to know three of his half-sibling brothers before they all went their separate ways, and how the last he'd heard of his dam was how she'd been driven from the place she called home with her friends, and no one had heard from her since.
He had little to say about his sire beyond how he'd known him for only a few months before his death, and that despite what little he did know, his dam had often said Aten was more like his sire than he would ever guess. Aten had to laugh at this; according to his dam, Archam had been a bit of a player despite making Anahi his lead mare. Aten would not aspire to be like that, but he withheld that information from Ilma, figuring she didn't need to know since it wasn't extremely important.
The pair continued in their small talk until Ischia came into view, at which point, a few yards from shore, their walk devolved into comfortable silence. Aten noticed how the mare's wings did indeed fade as the sun fully set, the once blue sky painting itself black as the moon and stars took over for the night. From the corner of his eye, Aten noticed something else glowing, but below him, not above like the moon and stars.
The stallion looked down, eyes going wide at seeing the source of the glow was coming from the water. It was then he remembered from his last visit a long time back; the plants in the water, algae, emitted a glow at night, causing the beach to turn a vibrant bright green in color when the plants were disturbed. The pair continued to kick the plants apart as they stepped through the rising ocean water, Aten gritting his teeth to avoid making a sound as his scars began to sting.
He reigned in his urge to charge out of the water when they got to shore, opting to slowly step out to try and minimize the movement of his legs. Once he was out, he breathed a small sigh of relief, lifting each hoof and giving it a light shake to rid it of the ocean water. While he was doing so, Ilma spoke up, informing him of this being Ischia, a fact well known, before letting out a call for someone he presumed was the leader.
The duo waited patiently, Aten looking out over the trees lining the beach. Since it was dark, their color wasn't mesmerizing, but they were still pretty to look at. With the glow on his backside illuminating his golden coat, the stallion turned his head and shoulder to somewhat face the mare.
"It may be presumptuous of me to ask, but, when you were speaking about Ischia, you had a look in your eyes I know well. It seemed almost, distant, as if you were remembering something. May I ask what about this place made your memories surface?"
@[Ilma] @[Brennen]