"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
Their world had sunk into the breast of Beqanna as she cradled the other lands. Nourished them from her teat until they were fat and full. What about them? Where will the outcasts call home?
She had survived Pangea as it fell, found her brother-her family- in the commonlands, but she didn't belong there. She had a deep need to find the water. Feel it wrap around her frame to soothe her pains. It's gentle lapping putting her into a deep trans. So she left. She walked the beaches until she reached the farthest of edge. Each stride draining her strength. Keep going... Just a little farther... Just keep going... The waters erased her hoof prints with each to and froe. Her presence of ever being there vanished. Maybe this time he would not find her so easily...
It seemed like days she traveled. Each one nearer, each one harder. The time was soon approaching and she knew it. Lengthening her stride evermore. Until... There it was. The end was just before her and as the beach ended, the ocean was all she could see. Two toned eyes drank in the salty sight. Oh how she missed the sea. She did not stop as the beach ended. Ivory legs carried her as far as they could reach. Her crown held just above the surface but otherwise engulfed in the sweet embrace of the waters. Her pains had all but faded when a final contraction gripped her insides. Twisting them painfully as she winced, bringing her nose underwater momentarily. As quick as it came it faded...
Frantically she twisted back to shore, eyes darting about. Searching for the reason she was here. Lowering her crown below the surface. She felt most at ease here. Even in equine form she moved gracefully in the waters. Upon inspection she found a creature drifting lifelessly in the waters. It's transparent color made it hard to see it's exact size or form. She reached out her muzzle to probe it to life, only to have a slight sting placed upon her lips. A sting she had felt many times before in her dolphin form. A jellyfish...? This was much to large to be any jellyfish she had ever come in contact with, and the form was all wrong...
She hadn't realized they were floating closer to shore and she could easily stand now. The creature was beginning to surface as well and as it did it began to darken... Its form becoming more mammal, more familiar. Her muzzle lowered and nudged it to shore. Laying upon the sandy beach now it was nearly all equine. It's scrawny mane and tail a twisted mess of hair and tenticales. She circled the foal and gripped it's neck between her teeth, dragging it farther into the sand. Licking upon it's tiny face to stimulate it's breathing...
Slowly she came to. A desperate shake of her now ebony head to rid her ears of sea water. Eyes opening slightly to view the world. Those eyes... Those deep crimson eyes, her father's eyes. Looking upon her mother's face as she stared in confusion and pride. Dotted upon her, cleaning the sand from her face. Slender legs curled up under her now as she sat up. Still trying to figure out how they worked. It definitely didn't take long before she was standing on wobbly new legs. Bracing against her mother's forelimbs. Happily allowing the sun to dry and warm her fluffy grey-black coat. She looked upon her mother just then with blood red eyes for guidance...
"Dynast is your name. We have been waiting for you." She smiled then. A very rare occurrence for the spotted mare.
artsfon stock photos
Ooc: So yeah... Idk why I chose here but do with it what you will. Maybe felt like stirring the pot XD
I knew very little of what I was, or where I was the moment I was born. As I floated weightless in blue green waters. A simple matter I was cast into the salty waters. I did not gasp for air like many mammals would. No, here I could breath just fine. The ocean that surrounded me felt foreign but I felt at home. A quick flinch of my torso propelled me upwards to a brightness. I knew only darkness thus far and the difference intrigued me. A surge suddenly expelled from my body as I was touched. I was fragile and this was my only protection against the masses...
As I surfaced I felt different. More dense. I struggled to breathe the effortless way I had before. The waters began to flow into me, filling me with itself. I choked and flung myself upwards. A nudge still at my side but no longer feeling an energy leaving my body to it. My eyes opened slightly to view the world. A wetness was stroked across my face, freeing my vision from bits of debris. I could see clearer now. A dark figure lingered over me as it pulled me to shore. Looking to it with blood red eyes... Mother I hardly whispered. She seemed perplexed at what she had witnessed. Was there something wrong with me? I curled my legs under me as something told me I should go higher. One by one they stretched and with a great push I was up. Balancing barely on these tiny hooves. The sand barely gave way under my nearly weightless body. I felt grainy so I shook my body. A slight lean left too far and I stumbled into her side. Bracing against her solid forelimb she combed my fuzz. The bright light shown upon me and felt warm against my black coat.
She whispered something just then, Dynast... My name. I knew who I was just then. My eyes looked out upon the blanket of blue before us. Was this their home? Taking a wobbly step forward I crossed her chest. Still leaning upon her for support. My eyes followed to where the blue ended and turned tan. Then further inland turning grey with rock, dotted green with tropical foilage. Was this there home? So many questions for such a young mind. I longed to know where I belonged besides near my mother. She seemed content on standing here but I wanted to move on. Turning my face to hers I looked to her in question. Then I looked to the distance again, another small stride taken forward and away from her embrace...
The chain of events plays like a slow movie reel. Despayr arrives and she stumbles across Nerine’s shore, ambling toward the water’s edge with a hunger in her eyes. Nayl, ever observant and often frequenting the beach, stands in utter silence to watch. Lior is away, as is Isobell and Castile, leaving the Queen alone to her devices. They are not here to scrutinize her and lay judgment of her ways. For the first time in a while, Nayl is -was - in total solitude until the arrival of the Pangean mare.
No, the barren scent didn’t escape her notice. How could it? She remembers breathing it in those years ago when she initially ascended the throne. It smelled of dirt and sand and failure – Carnage’s ultimate failure to battle the faeries for land. Funny how it now sits at the bottom of the ocean, forever uninhabitable.
There is no animosity or hate; Nayl had not yet developed enemies for her or Nerine; nonetheless, a trespasser is always unwelcomed.
What began as just a mare evolves into a mother and child. It causes slight pause in Nayl’s approach, but with a nonchalant inhale, she resumes with her fiery eyes laced on the pair. They hug so tightly to the water that for a fleeting moment the Queen wonders if they will disappear among the waves. Alas, they hold their ground and familiarize each other with gentle touches and wary glances. Had it remained only them, the moment could have been serene, but Nayl can’t resist stepping forward with her gaze first grabbing hold of the mare. ”You’re trespassing,” her voice is level but venomous, her expression hardened yet somehow reflecting a hint of amusement. ”While Nerine seems to be a popular place for childbirth, trespassing does have its consequences.” The child, still uneasy on her new legs, grasps Nayl’s attention then, holding it steadily for a long moment before returning to the Pangean mare, a brown lifted beneath her forelock.
Brushing the greyish black coat of her child she nearly forgot where they were. The ocean was all she cared for. Seeking it's comforting sounds of rolling waves upon the beaches. If she had her powers back she may have just disappeared. Content on living her days out with her pod. Was she really needed here? Her brother was twisted in his own ways. Her son, old enough to fend for himself. He was a smart boy. Now this... child beside her. This red eyed picture of perfection. Her father would be proud...
Winds of change were upon them just then. The duo stood against the blue-grey haze in an almost serene moment. A moment crushed by another in the distance steadily approaching. Her ears turned backwards in agitation. She shouldn't have been shocked another was watching them. As the stranger approached, steel gaze upon them, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Her voice cold as she protested their appearance. A slight cackle arose from the pit of her belly as her words slicked from her lips, "And you are?"...
Eyeing the mare suspiciously. She hadn't recognized her but maybe... Could it be? More words crept from her lips, "Let me guess... Queen of Nerine." Oh wasn't this just perfect. A devilish grin spread across her features. The child standing between the elders unafraid. Glancing down upon her young red eyed flicka a flame burned brightly within her eyes. Maybe an idea so dark her brother would have been proud if his bloodlines weren't involved. "I come bearing gifts..."
Nayl’s ears swivel and fall into a tomb of hair for a split moment in response the hostile question that stabs into the air. She is about to reply, about to retaliate, but she bites her tongue when the mare finally discerns who she is. The cackle silences and recognition finally seeps into her pores. ”Ah, there’s the lightbulb,” she remarks with a sweep of her tail and a mild adjustment in her position. Briefly, her attention sweeps to the waves lapping at the shore. It has a calming effect following in the hostile wake of their encounter. Nayl listens to the mare, hears of a gift, but does not yet investigate what or why. She waits, mulling over the offer, while the ocean reflects the bright sunlight. The current churns placidly today. There is no storm looming off shore. There is a lull as the temperatures rise.
Only when it seems as though Despayr will go unanswered does Nayl finally regard her, then the child.
”Seriously?” Her gaze narrows and her voice still carries the agitation from having been trespassing. ”Does it have a circus act?” When she glances down to the filly, it peers up at her, unwavering and fearless. A long breath of the salty air is drawn in. ”Then again, I suppose a mare giving birth to a jellyfish that turns into a horse is enough of an act.” A cold, humorless chuckle escapes her. She moves away from the pair at first, but then slowly veers back and walks a broad circle around them, her eyes heavily scrutinizing the two of them. ”Why are you trying to pawn your child off on me? What purpose does it serve for the both of us?” She is blatantly mistrusting of the Pangean, but she still doesn’t dismiss the opportunity that could arise.
Again, she looks at the child, pausing in her step to ask, ”What’s your name?”
As I'm looking towards the greenery, a hazy grey spot comes into view. It seems to grow before me. My ears twist in confusion at such a sight. What was that? I look to my mother for a reaction. Her stance straightens so I copy her. My ruby eyes remain fixed on the image now becoming clearer. It looked like my mother so my worries vanished. I was too young to know better...
I remained steady on my new legs as my attention wandered from this new sight. I stepped forward a few steps. A pile of pebbles before me. Lowering my nose to investigate I touch them gently. They are smooth and cool to my muzzle. Bringing one of my small hooves forward I paw at them. They scattered about the sands, their grey colors mismatching to the cream of the sand. I exhale briskly sending sand airborne and onto my nose. Sharply my head raises as I spin on my back legs, rushing excitedly back to my mother. Ebony black tail flipping wildly as I kick up my hind...
Coming at my mother full speed I did not noticed the grey horse near her until catching a glimpse from my peripheral vision. Sliding to a stop I look up to see another looking down at me. My ears stand tall as she speaks. My name? Without thought I blurt out, "Dynast." My voice sounds strange in my ears. Continuing to watch the other horse with curiousity. I was oblivious to their conversation before my name was asked...
Wicked grin creased her white laced lips, "I expected the Queen of Nerine to have an entourage." Words dripped with sarcasm as her view slid back to her daughter running inbound. She was the polar opposite of her brother- courageous, independent and spirited. She would be the child her brother would have been pleased with. Alas her days of doing his bidding had dwindled...
The child's voice caught her by surprise, as she introduced herself boldly. She had brains as well... Looking down upon such a treasure, she nearly regretted her next words, "She is a red eyed daughter of Waylan." Two toned eyes rose again to meet that of the lands Queen, "I'm sure you can figure out something to do with that." Something dragged out as the mare circled them, a move her brother had done often. Ears flipped back as her skin crawled in irritation at the memories of what usually came next in his game...
The waves were calling her home. She had made her deal with the fairies and they had granted her her powers back. She could feel the urge to shift into her more preferred form rising within her. Eyes dilating to a pure black as her head turned to the seas. Each wave landing upon the shores and dragging back into the ocean beckoned her to follow. No longer was she bound to the earth, a slave to her brother... She was freed once again.
Not a moment of hesitation fell upon her as she turned and bolted to the waters. Salty waves welcomed her as her equine legs broke them. A few more leaps in and the magic began to turn her haired hide to a slick grey skin. Tail becoming solid and fins erupted where legs once allowed her to walk upon the beaches. No more would she walk on sand but glide as one with the water. She moved effortlessly within the waves, pushing farther from shore. Back to the depths of her ocean...
Nayl doesn’t at all know how to handle the matter, or what even to say, but her expression remains rather stoic. Although her eyes are lit by an inner fire, they are mostly concealed by the curtain of unruly hair that cascades down the length of her face. She looks at the child, then to the mare, then back. ”Dynast,” she repeats with a dull flatness in her voice, but she nods in understanding, Young, confused, and fearless, the child stands guarded with her eyes trained on the adults.
”Daughter of Waylan? Who the hell is that?” Nayl searches the crevices of her memory, diving deep into the traces left of faces she has crossed in life. Was he the one who recognized her in the meadow? The one who had been so confident to overtake Beqanna that his followers abandoned him at her arrival? Was that Waylan? It was where she first crossed paths with this strange mare, but the introductions – could they be considered that? – were fleeting and irrelevant. The band of refugees lost their way in life and, as far as she knows, are still scrambling in the dark.
With a lackadaisical yawn Nayl almost turns away from the pair until the Despayr suddenly moves. The Queen’s head jerks simultaneously toward the ocean. She says nothing, does nothing, except watch. Despayr, overcome by the lust for the ocean, charges toward the lapping waves. As Nayl slowly blinks, she notices the shifting of horse body to dolphin. Then there is a looming cloud of silence and confusion. Despayr doesn’t return, disappearing into salty oblivion.
With a lifted brow, she turns her attention back to the child. ”What the fuck just happened?” The words tumble from her lips like vomit, uncontrolled and unable to be taken back. But she realizes what this means, what she now has. ”Well, kid, make yourself comfortable. Nerine is your home now.” Nayl reaches down to bump the child, but then she walks away with Castile in tow, half expecting the young girl to follow.
