"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
Canys awoke disturbed by haunting dreams of battles past. His scars gleamed in the early morning light as the sun rose above the horizon. An ominous wind rustled the grass beneath his stomach, and he felt something traveling on this breeze. He did not believe much in prophecy or fate, but was wary of both as they had caused him issue before.
As Canys looked towards the rising sun, he hoped that he would encounter someone new. “Silence is the sound of the dead” he muttered beneath his breath. In truth Canys longed for any semblance of family or brotherhood within this world. He had now ventured for too long as a lone stallion wandering upon the tall grass. He knew that he had nothing, and he knew that to the the other horses he was nothing. Yet, more than anything Canys wished to prove himself to the rest of the horses. He would not be seen as any mere stallion, but would work tirelessly to make a name for himself in this new and exciting land.
Canys then began to run towards the sunrise, in an attempt to dry the dew from his tattered hide in the warmth of the summer rays. His stride was long, and his breath deep as he trampled the vibrant grass ahead of him. Canys felt the air fill his lungs and knew that he was alive, even if his monstrous body suggested otherwise. After the final drops of dew had fallen from his teal mane, he stopped to rest in a small clearing waiting to see if anyone would wander by.
Zaravich decided to take a trip to the field today, in hopes to recruit someone to her kingdom. It was hard to multi task her duties in the kingdom as well as be a herd member to the Golden Plains, but she wouldn't give up either. Her ebony pelt shined like velvet as the sun was high in sky, beaming down on her. It was almost Autumn and soon she would know if her and Phaedrus were expecting a foal.She had a stillborn last season and it was exceptionally hard on the family orientated mare, she grew rather distant from the herd and stayed quiet in the Kingdom. She felt renewed now that foaling season was on them, refreshed and ready to move on from her terrors.
She broke into a gallop as she loved running, her tail was raised high into the air flowing behind her in the wind she created. Her heartbeat grew fast as she exerted energy, she playfully thrashed her head around sending a whinny out from her mouth. She grew faster in speed as she saw an oddly colored equine galloping off as well. She had never seen him around and was curious to if he was claimed by a kingdom or not. Her legs carried her as fast as they would allow, the horse disappeared from her view only for a moment. She slid to a halt as she came over the passing to find the orange colored stallion standing in a clearing. A quicker nicker escaped her maw as she moved closer Hello, you are quite the runner, I would love to race with you some day she gave a humble smile to him. My name is Zaravich, of the Dale, do you have a home? she asked unable to detect a kingdoms scent on him.
Once Canys stopped in the clearing, his ears shot up. He could hear something in the distance. It was the sound of running, but not the sound of a large stallion trampling the ground beneath his feet. This sound was more graceful, more elegant in its simplistic execution. Then he spotted the dark mare running towards him at full speed. The glimmer of the sun off her back was striking to Canys. He did not remember the last time he had seen anything as majestic as this. Still, Canys was wary of this ebony mare as he was everyone else. He would not let his guard down for a moment, even if the mare looked friendly to him.
As the mare slid to a stop in front of Canys, he wondered at what purpose could she have for approaching him. Once the mare began to speak, Canys could sense no danger in her voice. He became flattered at the idea of a race between them. Canys had never been the fastest horse, but he always loved running and the freedom he felt by leaving everything behind. It was at that moment which he relaxed. The mare was obviously just trying to reach out to him as the Tundra King had done previously, before Canys unintentionally insulted him. “Zaravich. What an odd name” the stallion thought to himself. After Zaravich had finished talking, Canys responded in kind. “Well, I do not think I am much of a runner anymore sadly, but it would bring me great joy to race you”. “My name is Canys, and I do not have a home for it seems I am destined to travel this world alone”. Once he had finished this short bit of narrative, the oddity of the mare's name kept nagging at the back of his mind. It was an itch unable to be satiated. “May I ask, from where do you come”?
A friendly smile remained on her face, it was nice to speak to someone who did not know of her past and held no judgement against her. In fact it was nice to talk to someone outside of the herd every now and than. Her ears pricked up when he said he would enjoy a race with her Wonderful! she blurted out as soon as he finished. Racing was most certainly one of her favorite things to do, she felt so free, like no one could catch her. She did not race to find a winner or a loser, simply to share her joy for running with another.
Her attention was drawn back to him as he spoke again, he stated that he did not have a home. She looked at him with slight sorrow in her eyes, that quickly returned to joy I don't think anyone is destined to live a life of solitude! She said in an attempt to restore hope in him. I would love to bring you back to the Dale, we are a quiet Kingdom, few in numbers but we all share a wonderful bond with one another. She gave a smile, the choice was his, should he choose to come they should return soon as it is a decent hike from the field to the Dale.
As Zaravich spoke, Canys developed a confused look upon his face. She was still keeping in good spirits, even if he was being rather morose. Why was she able to simply shrug off what he had said? This puzzled Canys, but ultimately he did not attribute her frivolity to any particular reason other than the fact that she was still joyous about the prospect of their race.
The scarred stallion thought on the mare's offer, but after a second of deliberation decided he would join Zaravich in the Dale. After all, she was currently his only option for any semblance of a family or thought of safety. Plus, Canys always had a soft spot for pretty mares, and was regularly blinded by his more primitive instincts. “Yes, I will come along with you to the Dale. I have wandered alone for far too long in this cruel world.” Canys said as he turned his gaze towards her. “Maybe some peace and quiet is just what I need.”
Canys had not known anything other than the deafening cacophony of battle, and thought that silence could be the answer to ridding himself of the nightmares. It would give Canys a chance to face his demons head on, but he did not know if he would ever be able to survive such an encounter. For when all the monsters were dead, the only monster left to kill would be himself.
