"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
There was no real reason for her to keep her head held high, but she did anyway.
The strong mare is almost statuesque against the grey shroud of the morning’s mist, her thoughtful gaze set firmly on the horizon before her. It seems as if she was waiting for something as her soft breath leaves her lips in a foggy cloud. All is as still as a picture – from the trees’ branches to the tightness of her clenched jaw. The only hint of movement is the gentle brush of grass blades against stoic legs and the twirl of tendrils against ebony skin, flecked with spots of red.
Merida keeps herself alert, muscles drawn tight beneath her skin. She’s on edge – overcautious, even. Her stare, though soft, is wary and examining. A single ear tips backwards slightly, listening to the quiet morning as the coolness of autumn begins to cling to her skin. There is a pinprick of light that squeezes itself through the trees in the distance, causing her thoughts to redirect themselves, muscles to snapping into place. She snorts softly and idly flicks her tail against her ankles as she watches the sun slowly begin to rise into dawn.
It has been quiet in Loess. The only sounds were that of the world around her; the soft willows moving in the wind, the gentle call of the larks as they begin to awaken. There is uneasiness etched into the dark lines of her face, her tangled locks of red brushing against her face like flames from a fire.
She stands at the top of a small sloping hill, her willow tree not too far off in the distance behind her. Her intense red eyes watch silently as the sun begins to bathe the scenery in pinks and oranges, illuminating the darkened crevices of the rocky terrain and sharp, sloped hills. She watches as her world awakens from slumber, the sunrise brilliant and blazing against the cloudless sky of autumn.
It is another day, and she knows it will be a lonely one.
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Amet has been devoid of happiness in the week following the Lost Boys' attack on Hyaline. He has spent most of his time avoiding conversation, unsure of the correct way to handle the aftermath of the intrusion. The dragon king is showing his youth and inexperience, a fact that is blatantly aware to Amet, and it has made him almost sheepish. The ruined beauty of his home aside, the reptilian stallion cannot forgiven himself for the injury that Tang had sustained.
He had failed her.
There is only one thing that he thinks might lift her spirits, and that is an adventure, so the Akhal-Teke sheepishly asks his beloved friend to accompany him to Loess, to the south.
He feels embarrassed in her presence, unsure of how close he should walk to the painted lady as they make their way to Hyaline's neighbor. Amet makes sure to walk at a leisurely pace, in case her ankle cannot sustain the journey, and keeps his amber eyes facing forward to avoid gazing at the destruction in their home.
As they cross into Loess, rosy-fingered dawn just now grasping as the sky, Amet inhales the new scents deeply. The hills are beautiful, and the change of scenery has distracted him from his worries almost immediately. "It's lovely here," he muses to Tang, as the sound of hoof steps breaks the morning silence. He adjusts so that their path will intersect with the horse, who he hopes is a resident of Loess, amber eyes falling on the dark girl a few moments later.
"Hello there," he offers pleasantly, though not with his usual gusto, "We've come to visit, from Hyaline. Are you the Queen of this beautiful place?"
06-23-2017, 11:22 PM (This post was last modified: 06-24-2017, 05:46 PM by Heda.)
Heda
It isn't often that they find visitors lingering at their doorstep, or simply those who seem to invite themselves in. Heda doesn't mind their lack of manners, but a bit of courtesy would be greatly appreciated especially with her fiery resident standing guard.
From her aerial view it isn't quite hard to see that they have visitors lingering within their very walls, She watches blissfully as she lingers aloft as they confront Merida, and of course the minute they begin to speak she descends from her aloft state, wings and all, as navy whisps of mane play about in the wind, as she gracefully lands before them. Tucking her golden toned wingspan of hers to her sides. Allowing her hazel gaze to meet the pair, they seemed friendly, although despite Heda's rather welcoming nature she remains on the defense, this is her first confrontation of someone searching for her.
She remains silent for a moment, allowing a gentle smile to form upon her velvet lips as her eyes meet Merida, and returning to their visitors, "Hello, I'm Heda." She pauses for a moment, allowing herself to close the gap between them. "I believe your looking for me. Yes Loess is quite beautiful." She allows her hazel gems to flicker about the landscape in wonder, Loess was certainly beautiful with it's gorgeous green hills, and endless amounts of vegetation. Who wouldn't like it?
She allows herself to share a glance at Merida, "If you don't mind me asking, what is the purpose of your visit?" She steps forwards, in a rather protective notion. This was her kingdom, her sanctuary, and most of all these were her people. She had made a promise to protect them, and so she will.
Amet had changed. They had traveled through the night in near silence, very unlike the playfulness they had indulged in all summer. Tang had not pushed him, and sometimes she too was lost in her own thoughts about that night. On the journey home, she decided she would make more of an effort to broach the topic, and hopefully begin the internal healing process. As she looked at him with concern tightening her features, she worried he would put too much blame on himself for that night.
Tang’s burn, on the other hand, was healing well. She took care to keep it free of dirt and her tail was continuously flicking away any bugs which tried to land there. She bathed in the lake nearly every day and the clean waters were doing her good. The blisters had faded and an itchy scab was all that was left, which was very manageable after the first night of continuous burning sensations.
But the attack and rendered some changes in Tang, she had been spending less time in the mountains summits, and more time with others close by. She slept more in the day than the night and did not enjoy her moments of solitude the way she had before. The dragon king had suggested the journey and she had jumped at the opportunity. It would be good for them both.
As the pair travels south at a leisurely pace the landscape grows different yet familiar. Tang realizes she had been to this part of the world before. Briefly she had visited for the Hills Games last winter and the memory puts a smile on her face.
The sun is rising over the hills in front of them, and Tang decides to break the invisible barrier that had formed between them. She comes to stand beside him and rest a golden shoulder along the scales of his own.“It’s lovely here.” He says softly and she agrees.
But before she can say anymore, the sounds and scent of an approving horse diverts them. Tang puts a little space between herself and Amet before the other horse comes into view-she didn’t want to do anything to make Amet appear less than the king and diplomat that he was. Tang is half expecting to see the little spotted mare who had opened the week of games last winter, but she is not overly surprised when another appears, amusing she is just another resident. But before Tang can slip in her own pleasantries (and tell Amet that the queen is Crota) the wind around them is changing and a second resident of Loess lands in front of them.
But this is not only a resident, but a Queen it is soon made clear. And the winged mare looks very familiar too.The realization dawns on Tang and she smiles warmly at Heda, whom she had seen during the week of games collecting pebbles alongside herself and Aurora. But now is not the time to discuss such things and she keeps the realization to herself. Maybe if they end up staying for the day she will find a time to mention it, but now Amet had more important things to discuss with his neighbor queen.
‘Are you the queen of this beautiful place?’ The mare turns her head slowly towards the duo, brows rising in amusement as the phrase meets her ears, meant for flattery as if sweet words will make her more susceptible to their presence. She nearly balks at the idea. Queen? Surely not. Her blazing red eyes sparkle with the mere thought and their entirely wrong impression of her as she stands beside them. She is short and muscular, the fiery red tendrils of her mane and tail tangled haphazardly across the freckled red of her black skin, like smoldering embers upon her haunches and withers. Her eyes search them unabashedly, first looking at the pale cream and gold painted mare that stands near the glittering stallion that shines like a bronze statue in the autumnal sun. Her eyes graze to him, his bright and kind eyes watching her enthusiastically for a response. How disappointed is he, she wonders, when she turns her head from him and her eyes roll slightly upwards in exasperation? She is about to ramble on about queens and kings, monarchies and caste systems, how downright caging the whole thing truly is, but Merida is, of course, unable to speak before the sound of wind against broad wings fill the open expanse. The navy-pointed mare is not at all hesitant to join the conversation, though Merida cannot help but allow a tiny twitch of her onyx lips pull into a smirk, knowing full well that the buckskin mare was certainly a bit unsure as to how Merida would greet these strangers. Not quite the ideal resident, she knows. Truth is, Merida isn’t even sure how she would have greeted them – her fiery personality shifts with the wind, unable to gauge a reliable reaction to different situations. Today she was in a pleasantly good mood, but only because now there were three characters before her instead of none. Though she is aware the conversation will most likely be of diplomatic nature with talks of alliances and other bouts of information, she continues to stand between them all with a passive expression. Heda immediately asks for the reason for their visit – good call. Her eyes flick to the painted girl on the other side of the stallion, wondering if she enjoys being caught up in the midst of kingdom duties as she did (which was not very much at all). Red tendrils of her tail lick like flames against the freckle of her haunch, snapping lazily as it brushes her skin. “You,” she says suddenly with a jerk of her chin to the mare who has been as silent as she has. Time to put that to an end. “What’s your name?”
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Tang rests her shoulder against his so casually and so normal that it catches Amet off guard. He's unsure how she doesn't seek to blame him for the injury upon her leg, and wonders sometimes if she is just good at hiding it. He creeps unbidden from the dark corners of his mind, blossoming into an unpleasant memory until Tang gently agrees with his statement. Amet gives her a small smile, amber eyes lingering on the Tang's face for an extra moment before they happen upon the black and red mare.
She doesn't ascribe to Amet's enthusiasm, making the dragon king's lip twitch into a momentary frown before his polite smile forces its way back on. The leather plated stallion can see His disapproving face, pushes it back down, "Please excuse my assumption," Amet offers warmly to the disinterested mare, forcing himself to play the part of the diplomat while all he wants to concentrate on is the absence of Tang's shoulder where it had been sixty seconds ago.
A large shadow falls over them, misshapen in the sun, before it becomes the frame of a buckskin mare. Her blue wings spread wide and her similarly-colored legs land her flawlessly upon the rolling hill, greeting he and Tang with a confident stance. "Heda, it's a pleasure. I am Amet, King of Hyaline." His amber eyes study her as her own flick to appreciate the territory that she has come to rule. The gilded Akhal-Teke doesn't rush her -- that sort of pride is familiar to him, even now, when half of his land lies in ruin.
When the Queen's eyes return to Amet, he flutters a pricked ear towards her. Heda's question is straight forward, and expected. Even in his youth, he has learned that it is most beneficial to be confident, prepared, and politely blunt when in unknown situations. "We are also a new territory, born at the same time as Loess," he gives her a pleasant smile before looking to Tang, and then back. "I wanted to offer well wishes, and we thought maybe we'd be lucky enough to find some potential friends," he says with a shrug.
Amet moves his amber eyes to the black and red mare just as she speaks tersely to Tang. The leather-plated boy resists pursing his lips, instead letting his tail flick harshly against his hocks, bright eyes turning to his painted companion. He knows not to speak for her, and that she will hold her own if there is any need to, so the Akhal-Teke simply gives her a small nod before turning his attention back to Heda.
He's unsure of Nerine's current relationship with Loess, but he can't imagine they have done anything to incur Nayl's wrath so soon into their history, and the young dragon king sees benefit in opening new doors. "We are working to create a safe haven for young horses, with assistance to find new kingdoms for them when they reach age six. Maybe in the future, you and I can discuss plans to help each other out. I'm sure you have a specific vision for Loess that you would like to see," Amet says with bright eyes.
With such swiftness the young dragon scaled king speaks freely his words, engulfed with elegance and manners yet she isn't quite interested in courtesies at the moment. Instead she watches him, as his words play about her lobes and the girl beside him remains as quiet as a mouse. She is perplexed by this, perhaps this king should of chose more wisely on his subject whom he would bring as company to neighboring kingdoms. She would of definitely chosen far more wisely but perhaps this little mouse does talk? Her brow furrows for a moment taking her mind off of Amet's proposal of a future alliance, "Care to speak your name?" Her hazel gaze lifts upon the seemingly mute mare, as her wings flutter gently against her sides.
She pauses, her blank stare hardened upon the mare before averting her attention. She is quite confused but still holds her composure, the fact of a safe haven specifically for the young hearts is quite hard to imagine. Surely this King would realize kindling his own to people within the heart of his land and just tossing them away to others, surely this couldn't be right. "Your people find new kingdoms? Would you care to elaborate on what the exact specifics of this program? " She questions with a rather concerned and perhaps tempting nature. Perhaps an alliance with Hyaline wouldn't be so bad? Amet would sell Loess to his own people, helping provide more subjects, and perhaps even bulk up their own army in the process. What curious idea... And perhaps in return she could lead children to Hyaline in exchange for more people.
Her eyes flicker about, as she ponders for moments upon the idea. Sacrificing children, to supply Amet with his young minds to mold was pretty big to possible parents within her kingdom. She couldn't do that to her people... But perhaps she could.. if only things had been easier perhaps this would be possible. With a flick of her golden cranium she releases, "Hyaline and Loess are both on the same page for peace. Perhaps an alliance would be possible. But I must ask, when you allow your people to leave the nest, do you suggest Nerine as their first option?" Her gems meet Merida, as her smile fades.
Heda doesn't know to expect, with her hesitance to make an alliance due to Nerine's power hungry nature she can't help but shy away from the idea of an alliance. But the possibility still remains on the table, she can't have Hyaline's alliance force Loess under the Tyranny of Queen Nayl. Loess is independent, despite their current foothold in Taiga, but the separation between her father's kingdom and hers still remains. She only wants to do the best fro her people, and being overtaken by Nerine was surely not an option.
07-08-2017, 09:00 PM (This post was last modified: 07-09-2017, 09:52 AM by Tangerine.)
tangerine
face to the sun
As Amet speaks Tang listens intently, this is her first diplomatic visit and she would rather be too quiet than too loud. He is a King and she was little more than a companion on this journey - a wanderer at heart. She knows he has important matters to discuss with whoever happens to be leading this hilly land at the moment, so she is completely taken aback when the hot topic appears to be her name.
Tangerine’s head turns to the first mare, her eyes round and inquisitive, as she hears an abrupt question from her. Her mouth opens to answer the question (which almost seemed to be an aside from the main conversation of the rulers), the soft look of the peace-maker she had always been resting naturally on her features. She had not taken the red mares tone and mannerism to heart, she was ready to provide her name and more, but as the queen speaks over her with an icy tone Tang’s smile dies on her lips.
In surprise Tang's gaze immediately returns to the rust and navy creature, the way this mare looks down her nose at Tang makes and pin her ears before she can even think to stop herself - even her word choice is condescending. Tang is hurt, but ready to forgive it all, until...
The self-proclaimed queen’s blank stare turns bitchy.
Tang had been trying to give Amet the room to address them. She had come along for the sake of the journey and to be a shoulder to lean of for him. She had not come to be treated as a mouse before a queen. She can feel frustration balling up in her chest, she can feel the blood rushing to her face and ears, but not in shame… In anger.
“Well Heda,” She says with more venom then she has ever mustard for a non-sibling “Last time I saw you, you were hunting around for pebbles in Queen Corta’s games.” She thinks back to the gathering before the competitions countdown… tremors of anxiety quaking every bone in your body Tang doesn’t add out loud. No matter how mad she gets, she had never truly wanted to wound another horse. Her tail flicks in agitation as she lifts her head and returns her own defiant gaze. “But I’m not surprised you don’t remember me, an outsider so far below one such as yourself” Tang doesn’t realize that this may not be so much of an insult as she imagines it to be. Where she grew up acceptance and understanding were the core values which were taught and modeled, and even now as she carries her own children in her belly the lessons of her beloved plains dwellers are still engrained in her fiber.
Warm amber eyes of a lioness replace the soft honey orbs which she had greeted them with and Tang turns her address back to the red and black mare. “My name is Mahal.” Her voice comes out young and strong, without a flicker of doubt. "And what is yours?" She can not muster the same animosity for the ebony mare - she claims no crown, she claims no responsibility.
Maybe it was her blooming pregnancy, or the cruelty she had too recently been dealt, but Tangerine was pretty sure she had just failed her first diplomatic encounter and she didn’t regret it in the least. Tangerine was probably about to find out if this -queen- was actually powerful, but the heat in her blood would not allow her to feel afraid.
But she didn’t let herself look to Amet, she didn’t want to see the disappointment in his face.
I'm not used to writing her mad, so this is good for me! Sorry if it slows down diplomat talk. It is her first pregnancy but even with all the hormones her big -burn- is "you're rude!" lmao
His face falls momentarily as he realizes that his excitement is unrequited, and Merida almost wishes she could have given him the reaction he was looking for. She stands passively, her ears flicked backwards lazily into the flaming red of her mane, a single black hoof tilting as she shifts her weight. He is polite to her, despite Merida’s obvious disinterest in such political conversations.
The interaction is becoming increasingly more interesting, the brilliant red of her eyes flickering silently through the group as Heda and the golden-scaled stallion exchange words. Amet’s description of Hyaline is a noble one, and inwardly Merida gives him credit for attempting to create such a haven that he had just portrayed. Another king, another monarch. Her interest falters with a lazy swish of her tail against her hocks, Heda’s and Amet’s voices fading momentarily as her eyes fall to the cream and golden girl.
The unnamed girl begins to speak and Merida is not disappointed. Her brows rise in amusement as the fiery tongue of Mahal spits at them, a sharp snort leaving her nostrils in a near-laugh. The fire in the painted girl’s eyes is a familiar look to Merida, her black lips curling into a satisfied grin. Merida tosses her head, a chuckle lingering in the back of her throat. Apparently Heda has met her before, and Mahal is not happy about her forgetting her face.
“Mahal,” she says, her voice less abrupt now as she takes a step closer to her, interested and curious. “My name is Merida. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Which was true. The conversation has taken an exciting turn, which makes Merida decide that she will definitely stick around a little bit longer to see the outcome of it all. Of course, she makes no effort to smooth the ruffled feathers, and perhaps has caused them to be ruffled to begin with.
It didn’t matter; she is bored and when she is bored, things like this tend to happen.
07-15-2017, 06:22 PM (This post was last modified: 07-15-2017, 06:23 PM by Amet.)
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Heda allows Amet to speak his pitch, offering her just enough information about his vision for Hyaline to be intriguing. As his voice fades to silence, the gilded King expects her response on the proposal, but instead the navy-winged mare has turned her dished face towards Tang, a condescending expression finding fruition. He frowns, his own amber eyes narrowing on the Queen of Loess as she questions his companion's identity.
The dragon boy nearly snaps at her, anger flaring uncharacteristically in his belly. He wants to protect Tang and remove her from the pairs disdainful gaze, but the painted mare rises to the occasion herself, surprising Amet with a venomous tone he had never heard from her before. His frown softens with a hint of amusement,his leather-plated chin tossed into the air to hide his quiet and rumbling chuckle. Casually, Amet takes a small step back and closer to Tang, so that their shoulders touch again as she finally gives her name. Mahal.
His amber eyes flick to her instantly, sees the fire in her eyes, and knows that he has chosen his diplomatic partner perfectly. Amet remains silent, letting Tang question the black and red mare's identity tersely. And when he does finally turn his amber gaze to the dark mare, he is surprised to see that she -- Merida, she says -- is smiling.
A positive, he hopes.
Addressing Heda again, Amet is noticeably less amicable, though still not impolite. "Yes, I would enjoy elaborating, if you are done interrogating Mahal," he pauses for a moment to toss his tousled forelock from his eyes. "No, Nerine would not automatically be our first suggestion if the individual did not fit the amazon and warrior mentality. Our vision is to enrich lives, not funnel youth into an existence that they would not enjoy."
The gilded stallion sighs quietly, forcing a smile back into his lips.
"Is there anything else you would like to know, or shall we leave you to consider?"
![[Image: dc9b5pd-da224f9b-4062-4ac8-924f-4dd26147...1Y8jmwEofM]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/07886fb6-93e3-433a-98d3-b27bd42023e6/dc9b5pd-da224f9b-4062-4ac8-924f-4dd26147d99a.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzA3ODg2ZmI2LTkzZTMtNDMzYS05OGQzLWIyN2JkNDIwMjNlNlwvZGM5YjVwZC1kYTIyNGY5Yi00MDYyLTRhYzgtOTI0Zi00ZGQyNjE0N2Q5OWEuZ2lmIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.geTcHHU6VYVUl2A4eZOJJP7O2w_nw1yix1Y8jmwEofM)
