"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
He’d thought about her since the moment he awoke. Covered in ash and head throbbing from a roaring headache, Lupei had gazed around him at the fog of his homeland and listened to the still of the air. The war was quiet for now. He roused himself, shook his black dog coat free of what was once another horse, and slowly began to make his way out of the Chamber. Shocked as he was that he hadn’t been completely killed by the impact, it didn’t seem unlikely that a healer had come to his aid. He reasoned though, with the soreness that had sunk deep into his bones, that he’d need a visit to the Falls for a little rest and relaxation anyways. But first thing was first - he needed to find Zojja and make sure that she was still, well, here.
When they’d last seen each other Lupei had left her with something a little more notorious than a heartfelt goodbye, and for the first time in his entire life he actually cared enough to check up on what unfinished business he’d left behind. Zojja was expressedly more important to him than any other horse in this godforsaken place and though he was glad he hadn’t seen hide or hair of her since the outbreak of the kingdoms, it still caused a shiver of worry to clench his spine. He’d be a little more than peeved if she’d gotten into trouble - even less happy if she’d decided to disappear altogether.
The wolf sighs, looks up to the sun, and continues his journey. By the time he reaches the outskirts of the common grounds he’s loosened up. Nothing like the smoothness he was used to, but still better than when he’d first opened his eyes. He raises his nose to warm, summer wind and hopes to find some trace of her there. “Hidden well.” He thinks, finding nothing of her. There isn’t anything to do now but wander and hope to come across her, and Lupei can only hope that he won’t be here long.
03-14-2016, 04:15 PM (This post was last modified: 03-14-2016, 04:17 PM by Zojja.)
War had erupted in Beqanna, and Zojja, naturally, had not stuck around to let the ripples reach as far as the neutral stomping grounds that the strife-ridden land had to offer - it wasn't as if she held any particular allegiance (although Porrim would no doubt have been outraged to hear that her daughter did not, in fact, side specifically with the Amazons - let alone that her close personal acquaintance had been the one to light the blaze in the first place), and she had, by this point, become aware of telltale stirring in her midriff. Ah, yes. What had he referred to foals as? Rugrats. Well, it had been rather inevitable - not unlike the war; apparently the stirrings around the Meadow hadn't merely been baseless posturing after all - but she hadn't particularly wanted to lose the child, so she'd made herself scarce, as was her specialty. She didn't wander terribly far, this time. Just enough to stay out of the way, until Lupei was done playing war games (or so she assumed - he'd all but vanished, himself, and given the Chamber's part in the conflict, it was all too easy to guess where he'd gone).
Staying close had been, in hindsight, an excellent choice. One day the gray mare realized, with a jolt, that there were one too many sets of legs thumping merrily against her sides. Several things fell into place very quickly - the appetite, the restlessness, her size. Zojja had made a belabored flight back to her mother's favorite haunt in the meadow (on the way by, she saw the smoldering remnants of the initial battle, stark against the snow - it made her wonder, not for the first time, how Lupei was faring), but Porrim could give her little advice. Twins, she'd commented sympathetically, as though her daughter did not already realize this. You really do do everything the hard way, don't you, dear? Zojja did not particularly prefer seeking her mother out for advice. This was a prominent example as to why.
Unable to dredge up much unbiased information on the war, and - quite frankly - annoyed with Rattlebones, who insisted on nosing at her bulging sides in a bid to get the twins kicking as she tried in vain to hold a conversation with their mother, Zojja had left again. Not for long, mind you. When the day finally came, and the dull ache surfaced in her back, the shifter mare had vented her restlessness in a long trudge back to the Forest. It was inevitable, of course, but at least the long walk had felt like she was putting the labor off for a little longer. Eventually, tucked away in a thicket, she'd delivered a strapping green colt, followed not long after by his (rather smaller) blue brother, splashed with a very familiar shade of green. Wyrm. Kudu. She sort of regretted that Lupei wasn't around to discuss names with, but the war, insofar as she knew, was still in full swing. With any luck, he'd been able to hold his own so far.
They'd shown off their talents rather early on - Wyrm, gleefully, managed to initiate an hour-long chase after unexpectedly mastering the form of a sparrow, of all things (much to Zojja's intense displeasure, as this required leaving a distraught Kudu behind while she shifted into a hawk and struck out after the older twin). Although she had expected the smaller colt to eventually follow suit with the shapeshifting, Kudu had - utterly bizarrely - tipped his hand by bursting into flame one day, effectively scaring the shit out of both his mother and his twin (the latter of which he chased around Zojja in circles, still on fire, laughing uproariously at his brother's hysterics). Eventually he had extinguished with nary a mark on him, leaving his mother to puzzle wearily over where on earth he'd gotten that from - certainly not her side of the family.
By the time Lupei comes looking for them, they have settled down somewhat. (Only somewhat.) The war, too, seems to have fallen into a lull - Zojja has ventured out into the Meadow a few times so as to let the twins meet with other foals, although their, er, intense enthusiasm with their talents tends to make most encounters end rather poorly. Though she hasn't quite figured out what to do with Kudu, she recalls having settled into her own abilities by the time she was a yearling - she has faith that Wyrm, at the very least, will be able to do the same.
When the black wolf comes calling, Zojja is downwind, just beyond the border of the forest. She pauses momentarily when the slinking shape appears, watching as he noses fruitlessly along the treeline, and then whickers loudly. In an instant, the gray mare is a dun wolf, and she lopes forward to meet Lupei with a wide grin. "Hello, stranger!" Her tail wags - harder than it often would, really; she's relieved to see him still standing - and she noses affectionately at his ruff. She's missed him more than she thought. "Been having fun with your troublemaking?"
From behind her comes a shrill whinny - the twins had lost track of her in her haste to see Lupei. Zojja cranes her neck to watch as the duo come tumbling out of the brush. Wyrm first, with Kudu hot on his heels (no pun intended - he is, thankfully, keeping himself extinguished for now). The she-wolf's mouth quirks in a wry smile as she draws back to get a better look at the larger male, tail still waving gently. "Speaking of troublemaking," she remarks dryly, "I suppose I have you to thank... meet your sons. Wyrm," she supplies, as the green colt extends his muzzle to the pair of wolves, apparently unconcerned. "And..." She pauses, watching Kudu hover suspiciously behind his brother, and then moves to nudge the blue-and-green colt into view with the flat of her skull. "Kudu," she finishes. "They're quite the handful... must take after you," she adds, grinning.
OOC; Aaah sorry about the novel, rofl. Filling in time stretches is busy work. :p Also I dunno what sort of personality you planned on giving Wyrm, so I winged it - feel free to ignore it in the future if you had something different in mind. :p
For the first time that he can ever recall, Lupei feels nervous. It’s not really an emotion he likes to dwell on too much - sets him up for failure before he’s even begun the task - but he can’t help feeling it settle between his shoulders like some nameless weight. Child rearing wasn’t really in his nature; Lupei never stayed around for long once the initial fun was had. But (as was the case with pretty much everything involving Zojja) he couldn’t find it within himself to abandon her like the others. She’d taken too much without even having to ask, stolen bits of him that he’d been all too eager to leave unguarded. Zojja is the only mare in his existance that’s made him realize he even has a heart. So, when the dun wolf yips a greeting from behind, causing the black behemoth to swing his head around with an elated, toothy grin, he can’t help but feel the sensation grow to a crushing size in the center of his chest.
She was as striking as he had remembered, bold and unchanged by motherhood as he would have otherwise thought. Her nose against his fur elicits a rumble of pleasure from the beast, and he turns about to nudge her with the full force of his broad skull. “Nowhere near as much fun as you’ve been having, I’m sure.” He retorts, chuckling in the easy pleasure of her company. He’d forgotten how much the quip of her voice had pleased his ears. He, unlike her, has changed quite a bit. Perhaps not so visible in his form just now (although the blue scar of a lion still shows proudly against his shoulder) it would soon become obvious to Zojja that the once dashingly handsome stallion was, well, bald. He braces, trying to tell her - but he’s cut short.
There’s a high cry that erupts from the underbrush, and it breaks their concentration, causing Lupei’s head to turn in order to peer behind his mates back. A pair (A PAIR) of colts tumble forward, and in that single moment, Zojja is forgotten. All of Lupei’s fears, his incessant worrying, they vanish. He’s a father. Truly. His mind sharpens, and he knows now why Astri sacrificed so much of herself for him. His eyes dart back to Zojja, watching silently as she turns away to push the younger, finer colt forward into his gaze. Wyrm. Kudu. His … sons. Without a thought, the wolf shifts, twisting in upon himself before springing outward like a dying star, growing, multiplying until he becomes horse again, wholly. He peers over them now, casting his shadow and smiling in wonder. A hairless wonder.
“Lupei.” He replies to them, marveling at their curious stares. “I’m your father.” The teal and azure stallion states, raising his head to smile at Zojja. His sleek neck and tailbone ignite, sprouting blue-white flame in place of hair, flickering against his skin but never scalding. “I’m not the only one to blame for mischief in our genetic pool.” He scorns playfully. He turns his attention back to them, curious stare returned before asking them, “Are either of you gifted?” Wyrm needs no prompting, taking to the task as if to show off by transforming into an exact replica of Lupei’s wolf form, imitating only the shape of his scar by changing the color of his coat hair where the scar would otherwise be. Lupei is speechless, eyes roaming slowly away from the once emerald green colt to his smaller counterpart. “And you?” He questions, waiting for a silent moment before his son grins mischievously and ignites upon himself to become a living, breathing body of flame.
All he can do is shake his head. “Incredible.” He murmurs, eyes locking with Zojja’s. “Simply incredible.”
ooc: Love it! Love them <3 you hit Wyrm's personality right on the head.
Seeing him again lifts a weight from her shoulders that Zojja had not, up until this moment, been conscious of even carrying. She'd thought of him, certainly. Given her own wanderlust, however, she had simply assumed that worry would never be something to rule her thoughts. Life would go on, after all, regardless of whether or not Lupei returned, and between this idea and the often-exasperating business of keeping an eye on the twins (always, without fail, at least one getting into some form of mischief), Zojja had been quick to correct herself when the blue-green stallion crept into her thoughts.
And then, of course, Lupei turns up, and Zojja is faintly annoyed with herself when she notices some of the tension easing out of her shoulders as the larger wolf nudges her. Sappy, she thinks (nowhere near as vehemently as she might have a few years prior!), but she cannot help but grin at him all the same. "Oh, yes," she drawls, drawing back to inspect the black wolf properly. "Waddling around all by my lonesome has been an absolute riot. I simply can't wait to do it again." This is followed by a sly smirk - well, she can't wait to do something again. Perhaps next time he won't be off lighting the Jungle on fire in lieu of a cigarette. One can only hope. Speaking of which! Zojja's head tilts questioningly as she finally spies the leonine scar amidst his dark fur. Hm. "Earned a souvenir, I see." The smaller wolf brushes her nose just shy of the odd scar. "At least you're more or less in one piece."
The boys make their appearance then, and Zojja steps back for a moment once she's pushed Kudu out of hiding, content to let them entertain themselves with getting acquainted. Lupei's glance in her direction is met with a wry smile. "Yes," she jokes, "it hurt. Worth it, in any case. I see a lot of you in them." That is not strictly true. She sees a lot of him in Wyrm - she sees a lot of HERSELF in Wyrm, too. Kudu, on the other hand, seems alike only in his color and his enthusiastic use of his ability - Zojja had terrorized Porrim, too - but then again, so does Wyrm. Kudu, if anything, reminds her of her eldest brother: quiet - even reserved, to a fault. Odd. Not unappreciated, given Wyrm's excess of confidence, but odd.
Lupei erupts up and out, suddenly, swapping paws for hooves, and Zojja inadvertently does a double-take as she registers that her mate is, er... looking a little breezy. The scar on his shoulder stands out more than ever against the pale green of his coat, but she's far more distracted by the unexpected loss of his mane and tail. She has no idea what manner of magic-user he must have tangled with in the war, but good heavens - they hit him right in the aesthetic. Lupei remedies his oddly bereft appearance with a fiery placebo - so that's where Kudu got it.
The boys, unperturbed, bounce gaily around their father, showing off their talents. Wyrm manages to surprise her with a near-perfect imitation of his father's wolf form - every time she sees him shift, he seems to be doing something more and more complex. Talented little bugger. Kudu, on the other hand, seems to have been barely reining himself in - his father scarcely has to prompt him before the blue colt bursts into flame, a phantasmal grin spreading over his fiery face. Zojja, sitting close by, flicks a cautious glance at the dead leaves underfoot. Kudu has been present at an awful lot of "random" grass fires lately, but he seems to have had the foresight to not turn the forest into an inferno, which is... encouraging.
Lupei's stunned response earns him a grin. Zojja gets to her feet and gives herself a shake, casually stretching up into her greyed equine form as she does so. Kudu seems to be weighing the merits of hassling his larger brother, slinking not-so-subtly toward the wolf - it is hard to be subtle when you are literally on fire - and so Zojja angles herself to keep an eye on the younger twin as she comes to stand next to her lover. Her muzzle brushes along his neck, close to his crest - she is a little wary of the flames, admittedly, although Kudu has yet to burn her. "The flames make you look dashing," she murmurs, and the corners of her mouth quirk a little. Then, quieter still: "I missed you."
Though her quip about a lonesome pregnancy is meant to be taken lightly, it strikes like flint against his steely heart. If he had known … But that was a cop out. He should’ve been there, Should’ve helped her when she struggled the most. A shocking realization snaps with clarity into his mind as her nose brushes near to where the lion roars - Zojja could have died. He assumes this is her first (a little presumptuous, but Zojja does not seem to be a mare who spreads her affections so carelessly as he) and the first time for any challenge is never easy, nor straightforward. While he’d been out recklessly ruining a quarter of Beqanna, she’d been privately waging her own battle. He sees her anew now, blue eyes widening with a respect he’s never given. Zojja was as powerful as they came.
And out of all the suitable matches she could have made, she’d chosen him.
Her eyes flicker warily to the ground and Lupei notices that without even trying, almost on reflex, she’s made her own adjustments too. Having to keep up with these two certainly didn’t seem like an easy task, much less on one’s own. There’s a moment of unabashed humility, Lupei’s own pride diminished by his selfish absence. His mate shifts also, completing the change as effortlessly as breathing. The boys are rambunctious, and her divided attention is understood. Yet, it doesn’t keep her from trying to make up for lost time. Her nose traces small paths against his skin, the flame bending to his will and away from her without much effort on his part.
“You think so?” He murmurs, eyes wagging roguishly. Her compliment eases the initial hesitation he’d had about showing her, causing the brightly-colored male to lean slightly into the pressure of her touch. It’s only in this moment that her words waft gently up to his waiting ears. A half-smile pulls at his lips, head turning to the side so that he can bump her gently against the cheek. “I’ve missed you more.” He states, bold in his affection. There was no sense in trying to cover up what they were both well-aware of. Zojja deserved that, at least. He settles then, happy to enjoy the general moment of solitude between the four of them. The boys have grown tired of the two cooing doves, straying away to pick at each other and any other living thing that was dumb enough to allow them to wander close.
“I’ve been thinking.” Lupei begins, after the moment has passed. “Not a very safe thing for me to do, I know, but I’ve been thinking all the same.” He chuckles, letting the sound vibrate through his chest. “I don’t see enough of you as it is, and with our sons in tow something tells me you’ll need another pair of eyes to keep them in check as they grow.” He sees so much of them between the two colts. Wyrm would be a handful at the least, and Kudu would need someone as clever and adept as his mother, not reckless like himself. “I want us to have some semblance of home. Somewhere that we know is ours. I don’t care if it’s the Chamber - if the kingdom life makes you uncomfortable, I won’t push you. We could have a herdland, there’s plenty that have gone untouched for years now.” He rambles, his ideas running away with him.
But he breathes, deeply, gauging her face for any sort of negative reaction. Perhaps she’d enjoyed the solidarity, maybe she could only handle him in small doses. But for Lupei, only seeing her on occasion was almost never enough to satisfy him. He smirks, ears turning aside from one another in a ridiculous fashion. “Who knows? If you please me enough I could be persuaded into making you lead mare.” The blue-green brute laughs. Of course, he’d never tell her, but she probably already knew the conclusion that he’d come to himself some time ago. His bachelor days were through. It was hard to even think of another creature that could come close to the one that stood before him now.
Lupei's silent admiration is not unappreciated, if unnoticed - with the twins' propensity for stirring up trouble, even unintentionally, it is difficult to take her eyes off them for too long, though she does sense her lover's stare at the very least, and a knowing smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. She keeps an ear tipped in Kudu and Wyrm's direction as she finally allows herself a moment to pay attention to Lupei instead. I've missed you more. Zojja smiles for real, this time, finally (if a little reluctantly) letting the boys wander off to tussle a little more distantly. "What happened?" she asks, lipping softly at his crest as curiosity gets the better of her. "I presume the fire was preexisting, given Kudu..."
She trails off as he pipes up, ears pricking with interest. Lupei wears self-deprecating humor rather awkwardly, she thinks. Even hairless. Her muzzle brushes thoughtfully across his shoulder as he carries on, and she nods; someone else to watch the twins would be useful - the Meadow may have plenty of sets of eyes, but not nearly as many of those are friendly. Or willing to keep a pair of rambunctious foals in check, for that matter. I want us to have some semblance of home. He sounds quite taken with the idea. Zojja, on the other hand, bows to her wanderlust almost immediately, instinctively shying away from the thought of being bound to one pla--
Kudu yells in annoyance, having apparently lost his focus - and his fire - for a moment, and Zojja starts in surprise as she realizes she's stopped moving. A quick glance toward their sons assures her that the forest is not about to be reduced to so much tinder (although Wyrm seems to have taken advantage of his brother's hiccup to tackle the smaller colt), and the grey mare whuffs quietly and falls to grooming Lupei's withers for a moment, lost in thought. At last, she lifts her head, throwing an absent glance toward the boys (hell, she's turning into her mother, she thinks) before turning back to the green stallion.
"If you feel that the Chamber is in need of some numbers, I'll gladly follow you there," she replies. She's a stranger to kingdom life, but she'll learn, she supposes, if he wants her to. And he has a valid point about the twins. "As for the boys, however, a herdland might suit better for now. Besides," she continues, smiling wryly, "All that free space to roam? Doesn't sound like such a terrible time to me."
Lupei speaks, then, and the grey mare smirks, teeth grazing across his withers a little too hard to be an affectionate nibble, and a little too softly to be a nip. "Oh yeah? Please you." Zojja chuckles. That doesn't sound half bad, but far be it from her to turn all swooning filly. "We could spar for it," she muses, and for a moment she's speaking through a mouthful of fangs, watching him through lupine eyes, and then her face is as it was before, and she grins teasingly and reaches to brush her muzzle against his. "Unless you have better ideas, of course. But I wouldn't object to finding a home with you."
He takes her initial silence well, keeping an eye on her while he mumbles on. Zojja’s not exactly ever been close to him, or for all he knows anyone. They get along, it’s true - she’s the only creature he could tolerate for long periods of time. He also supposes that if she’d never really been all that interested in his company, she probably wouldn’t have come to find him here in the Forest anyways. So silence is better than an outright reaction. Of course, it was an idea after all, nothing in the way of assuming she’d immediately agree with round eyes and thankful tears of joy.
But as her silence lingers on into a long moment, Lupei begins to worry he might’ve acted too much on impulse and somehow ended up with his hoof in his mouth. His tongue is poised between his teeth, ready to rescind the foolish thought but he’s interrupted. She’s moved, eyes locking on to their kin faster than he could’ve imagined. The instinct in her is simultaneously terrifying and amazing to watch. In a brief second his eyes follow too, taking in the scene of the elder colt in his attempt to leap on his brother. His head shakes, mind beginning to wrap around the enormity of handling such reckless little beasts.
Zojja’s speaking though, so the stallion lends an ear while keeping his eyes on the boys. Her? In the Chamber? He likes the sound of it almost too much. He’d laugh, but her teeth are pinching a fold of his skin and he snakes his head around to snap the empty air at her cheek playfully. “I wouldn’t want to scratch up that pretty face.” He retorts, knowing full and well that even with his gifts he’d be no match for her. A smug grin has him turning back to the boys, trying on her duties for a size. “I’m glad you don’t object, because I’ve already found a place.” He tells her, quite pleased with himself. “It’s Volcanic Village, if you’re wondering.”
He’s being a petulant bugger, but he just can’t help himself. Her question about his flame lingers in his mind, and a long-forgotten flash of gold sparks through his memories. Lupei blinks, sweeping the thought away and settling for a grin instead. “I tangled with a magician for the marking and the new look, but the flame was a stolen gift.” He reports. “And you’re right, it happened long before Kudu.”
