"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
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT & SATISFACTION BROUGHT HIM BACK
Dahmer calls for Tephra's Guard with a resounding whinny as he moves towards the southern border of their home, where they could congregate without the worry that unwanted intruders would sneak by them while they discussed Tephra's needs. The only other border that truly concerns Dahmer is to the northwest, where Ischia sits in the distance. Had they a better rapport with Kerberos' island, the winged thoroughbred would be less concerned, but rumor of his disagreement with Offspring still occasionally flitted through the common lands, along with talk of a water-walker in the purple King's congregation.
The blue-eyed Commander mulls over this tidbit of information as he awaits the arrival of the Guard, who heed his call one by one. They are not a large group, but formidable nonetheless. The only truly familiar face in the gathering is Ledger. Dahmer had seen the others in herd meetings and around the volcanic territory, but had yet to converse with them individually. "Thank you for coming," he greets them kindly as his brilliant blue eyes move between their faces, "My name is Dahmer."
He pauses for a moment to shift his weight in the tall grasses and then continues matter-of-factly, "Offspring has promoted me to Commander and I would like to get the ball rolling. I believe the Guard should communicate more often than it has recently so that we can be sure to protect Tephra's borders to the best of our abilities, especially considering the recent downfall of Taiga." He has no doubt that the forest herd would be looking to cause a stir or house its refugees while working to rebuild and plan for the future. "Tephra's herd has been large and formidable longer than any other in Beqanna but we should still work to guard its borders with a sense of urgency."
"With that being said, I'd like you all to introduce yourselves and inform us of any traits you may have that will assist us, or any relationships with other territories that you think should be noted." Rustling his wings against his sleek black sides, Dahmer's blue eyes linger on Ledger (memories of the red stallion's polar bear form and his unanswered threat float across his mind) momentarily before shifting again to the other members of the Guard.
Don't be afraid when the night wolves cry, feast on their bones, suck the marrow dry.
Tell us your name. Tell us your powers. Tell us about how you murdered your grandfather and ate his heart.
Longclaw wonders what they would think. Instead of admission, he tips an ear towards Dhamer and allows his eyes to rove aimlessly over the gathered troupe. Ledger he knew (if you could count one nighttime encounter as ‘knowing’ someone) and to him alone he offers a mischievous wink, should the grizzled old palomino happen to turn that stoic eye his way. The other, rusty-colored stallion he had yet to meet but now is as good a time as any so he lingers briefly over the pattern of criss-cross scars, takes note of those mismatching eyes (involuntarily he shudders, thinking of another horse who sported the same characteristic) and ends the inspection with a short nod.
Dhamer has the jist of it: they’d be spread thin without communication. The fall of Taiga has left the young stallion conflicted. On the one hand, he knew that some of his distant relations had called the place home, but on the other it seemed superfluous information - Taiga was gone and there was no use trying to tie strings together where they didn’t belong. There’s also the pressing matter of his personal interests, whom he’d brought with him after odd trips to the common areas. Ajatar was close at hand, enjoying the new sights for all he knew, but he feels the duress of Femur (perhaps soon to join him, too?) and Diorae on his conscious.
Steps on a ladder of chaos.
It comes as no surprise, then, that he’s the first to push forward and introduce himself. “My name is Longclaw. I hail from Nerine, where my dam Heartfire still holds rank.” The blue-lipped confessions come easily enough (it’s almost too natural to avoid mention of his father) but when the time comes to speak about his powers, he feels a sense of unease. They’re waiting, the three of them, for him to finish and all he can manage is the tepid blink of his eyes.
With a quick sigh he submits. “I’m an animal shifter; wolf. I also possess white fire manipulation.” Longclaw provides. “Think regular pyro, just a different color and much hotter.” The fanged man quips, a smirk transforming his features with the double-meaning behind his short speech. Silence masters his tongue now and with a backwards step, the floor opens up for the next in line.
Unwillingly - with much inner protest - but he had returned. Despite the death that ripped him at his core, despite the deepest scar on his body slashing straight across his heart, he returned - he had a job to do, a kingdom to protect and a king to serve. Tangerine and her children were there, Ellyse (although she could easily protect herself) was there, and if Kaiode was alive, he'd be there too...so, the red roan needed to come back home.
This is what he had wanted, right? To protect something, to love something again? Although the being wasn't living, the volcano he had grown so fond of was something he had vowed to defend, something he had promised his king he would do...so he would, no matter the memories it brought back.
Diable Rouge is silent among the small group, eyes passing between each of the faces around him; all he had seen, all he was aware of, but none formally met. Each possessing an ability, each strong beyond their appearances. Diable Rouge begins to feel uncomfortable; he knows he is strong, he knows he has won many a battle...but he is the only one in the group that doesn't possess a trait. He shifts his body slightly, cocking back leg to try to look more relaxed (although he knows his muscles are tense under red coat).
The first to approach the ebony stag is the second roan in the group - except he is blue...and strikingly so. He speaks his name - Longclaw - and reveals his original home and the two powers he possessed...something about fire and the ability to change into a wolf. Rou blinks, then looks over to the flaxen residing on his other side. His eye, completely gone, claw marks reaching down across it.
A sigh emerges from the roan's lungs quietly, and after Longclaw has finished, he is next in line to speak. He lifts his head, and approaches his commander. "Diable Rouge," He states, matter-of-factly. "I possess no traits...and I do not have any relationships with other lands." The words feel rough along the back of his throat - could he really be the only worthless equine in this group? He sighs, and gives Dahmer an admission. "But I am willing to do anything to protect Tephra and the others who reside here. This is my home...and I'd die for it." His statement hangs in the air as he backs away from his commander, but it is all true. He did not have children now, he did not have a partner. All he had was Tephra, and he would protect it...no matter the cost.
Bound for trouble from the start I've been walking through this old world in the dark
The one eye stallion would rather avoid the winged man by any means. Their last meeting had been far from pleasant and despite the growing child in Ellyse’s womb, last fall still holds a bitter taste in his mouth. However, they were both part of the Guard. So when Dahmer’s call rings through the land, he reluctantly comes forward.
They had both been given promotions, he was now an Ambassador while Dahmer became Commander. It should have made them equals except for the small fact that he remained below him within the Guard. The irony amuses him as his gold flecked eye lands on the stallion some distance away, waiting for them. What could he protect with his flighty wings? The bear within him on the other hand…
The flaxen stallion looks much different compared to last year. No longer the skeletal man on the verge of death. He was healthier, filled out, hints of Magnus lingering about his gold flecked complexion. Despite his ravaged features, he was handsome. Better looking then one expected. Curved lobes flick towards the front as Dahmer speaks. He let’s his forelock fall over the clawed remains of his empty socket as the one eye roves over the small group. His lips purse tensely. Formidable states the winged stallion. How so? he thinks.”There’s only four of us.” He cuts in, his unreadable gaze now boring into Elly’s former sperm donor.
”I’m not sure how much protection we can give, being only four, if the Army is busy elsewhere.” Quiet words, not meant to be bone cutting. Just harsh truth. His thoughts stated plainly in this statement, that they needed to up their numbers. It didn’t matter how long Tephra had been standing, that perhaps there’s was the most thriving herd. Herds and kingdoms fall every day, he had witnessed that several times. If they weren’t better protected, the ashland could easily fall too.
Dahmer lingers on him as he asks for introductions and traits. He can barely conceal the suppressed sigh that threatens to spill from tight lips. Longclaw goes first, not unknown to him nor his flickering fire, though the scent he had caught off the boy now makes sense. Wolf. An unfamiliar stallion, Rou, passionately claims his willingness to die for Tephra. Finally he speaks.
”My only ties are here.” He makes sure his level gaze remains on Dahmer and only him. He too has not forgotten the threat that had fallen from the bears lips. ”My name is Ledger.” A pause as his muzzle lifts towards their winged Commander. ”He knows what I can do.” Falling silent, unwilling to be so complacent to such “authority”.
"Four or five can do plenty of damage if they are motivated."
Levi's dark voice cuts across the gathering with the acidity of smoke, but like wood smoke, it is not altogether objectionable under the right circumstances - even pleasant in some.
This commander surely wouldn't complain about another young body patrolling the borders under his direction. So it is with confidence that Offspring's son shoulders his way through the jungle foliage to approach the gathering. And what broad shoulders they are.
He is not handsome in a way that makes strangers take note, with his mottled pelt and hogged mane, but there is a power in his stride and breadth to his presence which seems to fill in the gaps. His mismatched rest on Claw first, scanning for any lasting damage from their encounter, as the ache in his healing ribs reminds him of the day they had clashed with fire and blood. Levi gives the blue stallion a nod before turning to glance at the palomino with the tight lips and old scars. But his eyes do not linger long before shifting to the thoroughbred. He halts before Dahmer and his gaze is hard yet not unkind as he meets the commander's eye.
"I'm Levi. I was born here in Tephra."
For a second he hesitates before continuing on to provide information on his relationships with other kingdoms. He weighs the option of skimming over that part, but disrespecting his fathers appointed commander was not how he wanted to start this relationship. Despite this hesitation, his mask of confidence does not falter - he had learned stoicism from the best.
"I don't have many good relationships outside of Tephra," the dark stallion watches Dahmer closely, "my skills would be better used here at home. I can manipulate and create fire... the normal kind." One corner of his pale lips turns up ever so slightly as his eyes slide back to Claw.
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT & SATISFACTION BROUGHT HIM BACK
They come swiftly, a motley crew of Tephra's finest. Blue, red, flaxen - they gather before him with their loyalty and their traits and their issues with authority. Beautiful. The winged beast adjusts the appendages at his sides as he listens to each of them come forward to speak.
The first, Longclaw from Nerine. Dahmer's lips pull into a small smile at the mention of Heartfire. They'd met a year after Dahmer's arrival to Beqanna and had crossed paths in Nerine again when he'd led a diplomatic visit for Magnus. Regrettably, the Commander hasn't seen the warrior since then. Nevertheless, Dahmer has high hopes for the young son of Heartfire, and he's all the more impressed with the traits that Longclaw has hidden. He gives a respectful nod to the azure shifter before his gaze turns to the next, a scarred red roan with loyalty and honor in his voice.
"Loyalty means more than traits, Diable," he says not unkindly and with a silent thank you before Ledger's gruff voice interrupts the procession. The blue-eyed beast keeps his immediate irritation from surging over his face, though his dark pupils narrow as his gaze is turned to the bear-shifting chestnut. An ear flicks to the side as he regards Ellyse's companion, though he waits silently as they're joined by a painted stallion with a vaguely familiar face. Dahmer nods in agreement with the newcomer before flicking his glare back towards Ledger. "We will address our numbers in time. However, our priority is to work with what we have now, especially considering you own attention will be divided, Ambassador."
His nostrils flare but he remains quiet for the rest of Ledger's introduction, ignoring the haughty lock of the red stallion's jaw until he's able to turn his attentions to the painted stallion that had joined them most recently. As Levi introduces himself, Dahmer can't kick the feeling that he's met the sabino stallion before. Slowly, piece by piece, he remembers the whispering he'd heard around that name (Levi, the firestarter). Offspring's son. Dahmer gives him a smile, "We will keep you in Tephra to assist for now, then. Please meet with the Heads of War and Peace to discuss who we should be expecting to visit in the near future, and who shouldn't be allowed passed the border."
His gaze turns to Longclaw, the wolf shifter who could make up ground across Tephra swifter than the rest of them. "Our relationship with Ischia is rocky at best, and there is talk that they have a water-walker among them. I'd like for you to patrol mainly around the northwest border to ensure we are not paid a surprise visit."
Ledger is next and Dahmer continues steadily, as if there is no bad blood between them. He is here to do a job for Offspring, not feed into fictional competition. "Ledger, perhaps you could discuss with other rulers the rumors they've heard about Gryffen and his group while you are making your diplomatic visits." He couldn't expect that the one-eyed stallion would remain within the confines of Tephra at all times, so they would have to make do while the Ambassador was attending other matters - "Diable, I'd like for you to assist me in patrolling the southern border. It will be more manageable if we split it between us."
He gives a nod of thanks to the group before him and waits to see if any of them have questions or contributions. Before he turns to go, dismissing them all to complete their new tasks, the Commander turns his blue eyes back to Ledger. "I almost forgot, Ledger. I'll need your help to recruit more bodies for the Guard."
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