"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
All new Pegasi take awhile to get used to their wings. Even as adults. Yael remembers an occasion or two when she'd been in the middle of the Meadow and gotten her oversized, golden wings tangled up in those pesky bushes. It was awfully embarrassing. But it could always be worse, right? She could have some sort of odd appendage or no voice, or a forked tongue... the good queen tried not to judge, but some defects made her feel sad despite her best efforts.
Plus, flying! It was a better endorphin kick than running, and right now the little golden Queen was sorely lacking in endorphins. Her lover has been dead for almost a year, her children have all abandoned her, and this whole crowning a new ruler bit is incredibly stressful. So perhaps she, too, is looking for a little comfort; someone to look up to her and love her and cuddle with at night.
She remembers her wild child, Munroe, and wonders sadly where he ran off to without so much as a goodbye. Mikhael too... and Etro and Akbar and Kitra. Only Zilpah and Gaza stayed with her. Even Noori left, off on some crazy whim that Yael cannot fault her for. They rarely stay in the Desert.
Except for Yael. Yael will always be there.
She shines a little in the sun, her small and elegant Akhal-Teke frame dwarfed by large golden wings the same hue as her skin. A light spring breeze tugs at the ends of a silver mane and tail, as she picks her way slowly across the land, neither wandering with intention or lack thereof. When she spies the little girl with her brightly colored wings stuck in a bush, she grins a little and moves towards her. "Pesky leettle branches, aren't t'ey? Alvays grabbing at vat ees not t'eirs. Need some xelp, dear?"
She reaches out to daintily grasp the thin bits of wood in her teeth, pulling them away from the girl's feathers.
04-12-2015, 01:01 PM (This post was last modified: 04-12-2015, 03:14 PM by Leah.)
Luckily for Kabechet, reinforcements against the bush scourge had quickly arrived. The filly looks up from her tugging to see a sun-gold mare doing the exact same thing, but clearly with more experience, as the wing is quickly freed from the clutches of the tiny shrub. The red dun gratefully tucks it back into position against her side in hopes that it will stay there this time, then giggles cheerfully at the unusual way this mare spoke. Was she from another land? Kabechet had never heard someone speak that way in all of her (admittedly few) days lived so far. Manners, she reminds herself abruptly. "Thank you so much, miss. I just can't seem to keep control of my wings....it's like they have a mind of their own! " She sizes up the golden mare's wings curiously. "Do yours give you trouble too, miss? I like the way you speak, it's pretty."
This adult being a pegasus just as she herself was, it was likely that she had a trick or two at getting rebellious extra limbs to behave themselves. She was indeed lucky then if this nice mare was here for adopting purposes and not just passing through. The almost-yearling gives her coat a once-over to be sure it's clean and free of any leaves or sticks. Satisfied, she turns her attention back to the nearby adult, a cheerful smile etched upon her reddish muzzle. "My name's Kabechet, but you can call me Kabe if you like....it's easier to say. Are you here looking to adopt a foal? If so, I am happy to inform you that I am available; and I also have it on good authority that I am rather adorable as a bonus package. Not too many foals out there who can boast of that, are there? " Her friendly grin turns impish, and she gives the silver-maned mare a sideways wink, hoping to see her amused laugh in response.
Oh she is a rather darling thing, isn’t she? Yael doesn’t laugh out loud much anymore, but a genuine chuckle trickles like melodic rain drops from her lips. “No miss, please. I ahm just Yael.”
Just Yael. No longer Queen. Just a simple (no, never simple) golden mare from the golden sands with a golden voice.
“I know, I xad a very tough time ven I first got my vings. Ahnd t’ey seem so beeg to, don’t zey? She tilts her head to one side, giving the impish filly a good look-over. The last child she adopted had been wild, almost too wild. It broke her heart when he left her, cracking it as easily as he had won it with his mock fierceness and wildcat nature. Oh Munroe… where did you go? Perhaps she would always be adopting children now. Now that Van is dead. She can’t imagine having children with anyone else. Not for a very, very long time.
The girl - Kabechet - is playing a little game, and so Yael will join in. “Vhy… eet just so xappens t’at I am! Xow funny! Ahr you by any chance looking for a mozer that used to be a Keen? Vone xoo leeves vhere eet ees alvays sunny. Ahnd… ahr you looking for seeblings?” She would have bundle of them. She would have the world within her reach. She would have the safety and love of the most powerful kingdom in Beqanna, one that was filled with nothing but friends and opportunities.
So, it wasn't just her who had to deal with wings that refused to obey their owner; that was a relief to the red girl. With the proper teacher now in place, she feels confidant that she can learn to get them to behave themselves for good. Upon hearing the mare's name, the filly makes a little attempt at a bow by extending her forelegs and lowering her neck and head briefly. "It's nice to meet you, Yael. " Was that sadness she saw in the golden mare's eyes, despite how she had giggled at Kabe's antics? Maybe something bad had recently happened to her--maybe she had lost a natural child or other family member? The filly keeps her curiosity about this to herself, not wanting to open any fresh wounds if her guess was correct. If Yael wanted to tell her of a recent tragedy, no doubt she would at some point after they arrived back at the sunshine-place.
Lifting her head back up and straightening her legs, the mischievous girl winks at the mare once again. "That is a very lucky coincidence, Yael, because that is *exactly* the type of mother I happen to be looking for! And siblings, who wouldn't want a few of those around to play with? I'm going to have to tell all the other prospective offers I received today that they are declined, because none of them are as high quality an offer as yours is. Are you ready to show me where our home is? " Excited by her own words, the young pegasus dances a little in place. A new place, somewhere to live, that wasn't the Den. New adopted siblings that she can't wait to be introduced to. A mother to spend time with and be looked after by. Oh, her future was definitely looking brighter now. She can't wait to get there, wherever "there" is.
