"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
08-25-2021, 04:44 PM (This post was last modified: 08-25-2021, 04:57 PM by Link.)
I love Kungfuuuuu
Of course he has noticed the increased absence of both his parents and while he misses them, he finds himself rarely sad. There’s so much to discover in Loess and besides, he has his twin for company. He’s not sure where she is now though. He had gotten distracted (nothing new) and had lost his twin shortly after they had awakened for the day. And who could blame him when the Elkear were rutting and bellowing fire as the mating season came to an end? He watches them from on top of a cliff at a safe distance, knowing how upset his father would be if he got too close. His father tended to worry… a lot. The lavender colt found it suffocating at times but he never wanted to disappoint either of his parents, never liked that look in either of their eyes. Or eye.
He is in his panda cub form as he watches, climbing on top of a tree trunk that had been struck by lightning that summer. He climbs and tumbles and climbs again, only stopping when the Elkear pitted their antlers together in a resounding clash that echoes like thunder through the canyon walls. Facinating, he wonders if he can grow antlers too? He tries but none sprout on his fuzzy black and white head and eventually he shifts out of his panda form and back into his gangly colt one, sprawled on the ground with a look of concentration on his face. “Bollocks!” He finally exclaims aloud to nobody in particular as he gets to his hooves and shakes the dust from his coat.
The two-toned girl doesn't remember much - wandering into a place, wandering out of it, running away from something. Always the running. Then the hiding. There must be caves to hide in. Get away. From what? Not from yourself, we think. No, no she cannot get rid of the voices. They're always with her now, must be a gift from her mother, maybe she stole a few? Of course you did, little thief. She blinks and shakes her head.
A thunderclap makes her literally jump. Jump higher! Run! She was already running. Always the running, and then comes the hiding. Caves. Should there be caves here, with all those rocks around? Not that they're helpful. She tries to hide but they always come. The voices are always there. She never gets to hide properly, and they'll hit her. Hit her with the lightning from the storms. She's not allowed to hide. Not allowed to rest when the voices are angry with her. When the sky is angry too.
She runs around in circles when she thinks she's going straight, and vice versa. She ends up near a tree she has passed sometime earlier (last week? This year?) - it had been struck by the lightning as she ran away from the sky. It almost got her that time, but the sky is controlled by the voices and the voices wouldn't let her die and get away so easily. Even the few times she was struck, she just wouldn't die. But she carries the marks.
She is bad luck and bad faith, she knows. She must be punished. She is punished every so often, when storms hit Beqanna. They hit her. The comes the hiding, then she needs to be running. Now though, she runs into a lavender colt, and she stops.
Someone is giggling, and she chuckles too. If it's one of the voices then she's probably weird again. She's seen it happen.
Then the young mare tilts her head at the colt and blinks. "What's bollocks?" she wishes to know. "Is the sky angry?"
09-03-2021, 11:31 AM (This post was last modified: 09-03-2021, 12:13 PM by Link.)
I love Kungfuuuuu
The lilac colt hadn’t been paying attention, hadn’t realized there was anyone else around. So distracted by his tumble and the rumbling in the cliffs from the clash of antlers, he had missed the opalescent tobiano and her sudden appearance. He hears her chuckle though and turns around to face her, curiosity blazing in his warm gold-flecked eyes. He shakes himself again, more red dust drifting in the air around him as he frees it from his short white mane while he thinks on her question.
”I actually don’t know.” He finally admits as he grins at her. “I only know my parents don’t like it when I say it.” He laughs as he strides up to her, full of confidence and curiosity. Here in Loess, all was safe. There was nothing to fear when he was in the boundaries of his kingdom under the watchful eye of his Queen Mother. “Why would the sky be angry?” He asks her as he prances around her, studying her with thinly veiled fascination. There weren’t many other children in Loess so stumbling across one that he hasn’t met yet calls for intense scrutiny. Who was she? Where had she come from? Would she be his friend? “I’m Link and this is my mom’s kingdom. Who are you?”
The tobiano youth snorts and says nothing. She looks at the tree, mesmerizing. ”Sorry tree,” she says - remembering that it had been struck by lightning weeks ago just because she was running by it. Then the lavender colt speaks and she frowns at him. ”There was a bear here. Perhaps he is bollocks. Maybe they’re angry at him.” She tilts her head slightly, then shrugs. Bear? What bear?”The black and white one, Seven.” Keeping track of her voices is important, she knows. Maybe you are the bear then. Her head shakes. ”Nonono. I’m Llorona, not a bear, Three.”
She is suddenly aware of the colt again and she smiles. ”Oh, hello. Where is your mother?” she asks as if he is a lost child she just found in the meadow.
It becomes clear very quickly, that something is quite off with the new girl. His easy grin fades as quickly as it comes as he tilts his head at her, confusion muddling the brightness of his dark eyes. He glances at the trunk he had been playing on, his bewilderment growing. “That was me.. I’m a bear. Sometimes. And trees can’t talk.” He wishes Lillibet was here, surely she would know what was wrong with the strange girl and how to deal with her. “Who are you talking to?” He asks hesitantly, taking a few steps back from her as he grows more uncomfortable. He glances around again, confirming there was nobody else around but the two of them and the battling Elkear below.
Suddenly she looks at him clearly and he simply stares at her before growing indignant. “Where is your mother?” He asks haughtily before shifting back into his bear form and climbing back up on top of the trunk. Once he gets there, he peers over the edge and calls to her. “Nobody is angry at me. And you’re weird.” He throws in as an afterthought, feeling safer now that he was on higher ground.
Either Llorona doesn’t hear what the colt-cub is saying, or she pretends not to. Regardless of that fact, she seems baffled by his black and white appearance. As if for good measure, the Elkear strike each other down in the chasm with extra force, the sound of a loud thunderclap breaking her silence.
”We’re the same!” Happy as a young newborn lamb, she exclaims her finding and jumps up and down a little. Her conclusion is vastly different from his, but she doesn’t at all care. Same how, Four manages to grumble but the tobiano filly shakes her head. ”Shut up. Look at those colours!” Gleefully, she smiles up at Link the panda cub, hiding in his - or her? - lightning tree. From excitement, she gives out little zaps of electricity that has bubbled up to her skin, but they harmlessly touch either the tree, a grass poll, or the rocks around them.
The Elkear collide and the filly shouts again, only adding to the confusion to the panda cub hanging over the edge of the trunk. “I’m not weird!” He shouts at her, growing irritated. Was she playing a prank on him? He’s not sure he likes it, this trick where he doesn’t understand the joke. Was she making fun of him? His furry face turns into a scowl when she tells him to shut up and then speaks of colors. He’s about to call her Bollocks again when electricity suddenly zips across her skin and he is left with his mouth hanging open, staring at her. “What is that?” He calls down at her. “Do it again!” He says, hanging further over the edge then was safe, momentarily forgetting his annoyance with her now that she was doing something cool.
