08-16-2021, 02:59 PM
At the summit clearing there was an unparalleled view of Nerine. Cheri could glance once at Reave and see his familiar smile, then turn her head a fraction of an inch to get a glimpse of the beauty and delicate balance spread out far below them. “How resonate.” She thought of it all: of Reave and his presence beside her, of Nerine and her landscape. From up here, everything was so tiny and out-of-focus. Cheri wondered what she and her similarly-aged uncle must look like to something out there - past the stars she could never quite touch.
“I hadn’t heard.” Cheri seemed to read his thoughts. Or maybe Reave was simply incredibly perceptive. He always had been, and he always had a way of pointing Cheri exactly down the right path when she stalled at crossroads.
“I’m sure you know about my missing parents, then.” She reflected, trading one tragedy for another.
“Poor Nashua…” The female pegasus inhaled sharply, wondering which of his children might’ve been the unlucky target, or why. What purpose did Hyaline see in taking a youngling by force? And Noel… gods, her aunt must be living in hell on earth.
“Hyaline,” Cheri thought of the place. A mountainous kingdom to the East, home to the nefarious ‘Gale’ that Obscene had warned her about. The wilderness there had also been the home of an alliance contender - actually the Queen as well, she recalled. Mazikeen had been ruling the eastern sect since Cheri had come to Loess and started her apprenticeship. The lines of it all were still a bit disconnected to Cheri, how or why they came together in order to strangle the North she couldn’t yet understand, but as the noose tightened around them she rejected the idea of standing by and watching her family hang one-by-one.
If that meant proposing drastic changes, so be it. At least by this point, Oceane and Reave seemed open to a little radicalism. She could only hope Nashua would accept her help, because Cheri was planning on asking the same of him.
“Oh please,” she jumped back into their conversation, “as if I could ever pose a dangerous threat to anyone.” Her feathers ruffled, and the sound of her dignified laugh was the only parry she needed against the Guardian’s sharp jokes. He could tease her all he liked; Reave’s meddling had been the answer to a monster problem. Cheri almost felt indebted to him now.
“Soon, then.” She thought of a date for the occasion. “After breeding season? Clear heads make the best of any situation, I suppose.” Cheri smiled briefly. The irony of such a statement never lost itself to her.
“I hadn’t heard.” Cheri seemed to read his thoughts. Or maybe Reave was simply incredibly perceptive. He always had been, and he always had a way of pointing Cheri exactly down the right path when she stalled at crossroads.
“I’m sure you know about my missing parents, then.” She reflected, trading one tragedy for another.
“Poor Nashua…” The female pegasus inhaled sharply, wondering which of his children might’ve been the unlucky target, or why. What purpose did Hyaline see in taking a youngling by force? And Noel… gods, her aunt must be living in hell on earth.
“Hyaline,” Cheri thought of the place. A mountainous kingdom to the East, home to the nefarious ‘Gale’ that Obscene had warned her about. The wilderness there had also been the home of an alliance contender - actually the Queen as well, she recalled. Mazikeen had been ruling the eastern sect since Cheri had come to Loess and started her apprenticeship. The lines of it all were still a bit disconnected to Cheri, how or why they came together in order to strangle the North she couldn’t yet understand, but as the noose tightened around them she rejected the idea of standing by and watching her family hang one-by-one.
If that meant proposing drastic changes, so be it. At least by this point, Oceane and Reave seemed open to a little radicalism. She could only hope Nashua would accept her help, because Cheri was planning on asking the same of him.
“Oh please,” she jumped back into their conversation, “as if I could ever pose a dangerous threat to anyone.” Her feathers ruffled, and the sound of her dignified laugh was the only parry she needed against the Guardian’s sharp jokes. He could tease her all he liked; Reave’s meddling had been the answer to a monster problem. Cheri almost felt indebted to him now.
“Soon, then.” She thought of a date for the occasion. “After breeding season? Clear heads make the best of any situation, I suppose.” Cheri smiled briefly. The irony of such a statement never lost itself to her.
@Reave