"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
09-30-2017, 11:04 AM (This post was last modified: 09-30-2017, 11:05 AM by Kolera.)
As she emerged from the Forest and traversed across Beqanna her thoughts couldn't help to travel as well. Back to the gathering of entities Levi collaberated on that night. A dark young mare, a forest green colt her age, a princess. She remembers joining them and watching the display of fire he created. Speaking of a plan he devised. To wreak havoc upon an unsuspecting kingdom. She had not known what would happen but he beckoned her to remain close. Crossing the borders of Hyaline together...
In deep thought she didn't notice how far she had really gone. That is until she reaches a land riddled with ridges. It's as if she had been in this very spot just yesterday. How time does get away from us. She halts. Ivory limbs square and unmoving. Bright sienna eyes cast out across the lands. She remained on the ridge as she called out to the stallion she had only seen in passing. A glitter of gold illuminated by the flames rising from the vegetation...
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
He awakens with a sense of foreboding, though there's nothing that he can exact his attention upon. It leaves a heavy feeling in his stomach, one that he's unable to shake for the majority of the morning - but not for lack of trying. Amet stares unseeing into the calm surface of his crystalline lake, lost in thought and worry until finally a loud, reverberating call draws his attention away from the basin. The large boulder of misgiving remains in his stomach as he pivots away from the heart of Hyaline and begins his journey through the forest and finally up the slope to the bordering mountain ridges.
He remains withdrawn, lost in his thoughts as he completes the trek. As he nears the border of his sanctuary home, the gilded stallion catches the scent of a mare, the memory of her just out of reach, obscurely familiar. When finally his gold-flecked eyes find her waiting patiently at the cusp of his home, the stallion's ears pin swiftly to his skull and his nihilism snakes out to her, prepared to halt the bay's powers of blight, should she attempt to harm his home like she had done the first time.
"You are not welcome here," he says sharply to Levi's accomplice, memories of Hyaline on fire rising in his mind, the ground roiled and tossed like it was nothing, dead fish floating on the surface of the lake until they ebbed to the shoreline and rotted. He can still remember the smell of death, the dried flesh, the burnt topiary and the smoke that had taken days to clear.
"Is there a reason you are waiting at my border?" he inquires succinctly, dark pupils narrowing in a sea of amber as his gaze moves from Kolera (her name had been gifted to him by Molotov after the attack. He had never forgotten it.) and to the mountainous backdrop, searching for the rest of her colleagues.
Gazing thoughtfully from across the lake, she is thinking about the twisted burnt remains of the wisteria tree. Although Hyaline was practically blooming with life, she knows that the remains of what had happened before (the burning of the lake) still taints something for her golden dragon. It's the only thing she can think of, a way to show how much she appreciated him and everything he had done for her. What if she could restore that which was lost?
Unfortunately her powers are limited to starlight and the stars can't revive the dead. The thought to ask Jah-Lilah comes to mind but she's not sure just how much her healing extends to. Could she bring a tree back to life? Sharp words carry over the hills and she freezes, ears sliding back to nestle beneath raven locks. She's not use to hearing angry tones in this land and less so from the owner of the voice.
In the distance her silvery swirling eyes find Amet and he is in a raw form she has never seen before. Quickly the star girl flies, galloping towards him until her heavily scarred body is brushing up beside him. Panting with slight shortage of breath, ears still pinned, she reaches for him. Her muzzle pressing against his neck as she sharply calls, "Amet!" Surprise and bewilderment in her tone, having never seen him act in such a way to anyone before, let alone a stranger.
He wouldn't be angry without a reason, knowing him as she has come to do, so she remains a silent support beside him until she can gather more information. Little does she know that Kolera holds exactly what she's been looking for.
all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was
Time has a funny way of changing you. Once she had feared her powers, before she had learned to control the poison in her veins. Then she endulged in it when she saw fit. Now, she wanted nothing more than to be rid of it.
It doesn't take long for him to find her. She wasn't hiding and announced her presence in a way that she would be hard to miss. Knowing if he did remember her, she would be met with animosity. The daylight sheened from his frame as he approached swiftly. Sharp words filled the air. She had expected as much and when he stopped - ears pinned - her eyes fell in slight shame. Ebony tassels flicked in uncertainty. Tucking her snipped muzzle to her breast where the satchel still hung from her nape. He begins to question her and before she can respond, another arrives. A dark mare she has not remembered seeing that night. She seems to be surprised by his tone so she must not know who stood before her. An accompise.
Bravely she gathers her thoughts and looks to the mare, then to the stallion, "No. He has every right to be angry with me. I deserve it... I do. But I've changed. I want to make things right. I want to fix what I...we did."Her tone apologetic as her eyes remain on the leader of the kingdom. She touches the pouch resting on her chest with her muzzle, "I have a gift... For you, for Hyaline. May I?" Her muzzle points inland, towards the dormant Wysteria...
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
His anger is hot and unfamiliar in his chest. It fuels the Dragon King, feeding a flame he hadn't known to exist. It grows as he continues to look at her, this innocent-looking mare who'd wrought death upon his home. He wants to makes her flee, and desires, so oddly, to make her pay for her wrongdoings. Visions of an injured Tang, a brave Castile, an invaluable Molotov... they'd all been changed because of this mare and her friends.
He spits his words at Kolera and his muscles flex restlessly beneath his gilded scales. His amber eyes dig into the bay mare as he goes to excuse her from Hyaline, but is interrupted by Ciri. Amet's rage had kept him from noticing that she'd followed him but the smokey mare's sudden presence effects him blatantly. The fire in his amber eyes quells as she touches him, the concern burning in swirling silver eyes calming his fury. She doesn't shy away from the heat in his gaze the way Tang had done - she remains, a pillar of support pressed to his side.
Amet breathes deeply as his gaze returns to Kolera. The mare can no longer meet his gaze, her own eyes down-turned in the makings of shame. He watches her warily, though he's far more relaxed now that Ciri is at his side. The young stallion's ear twitches forward, just curious enough of her intentions to let her explain.
I've changed, she says.
He stays silent in the moments after she directs his attention to the pouch that hangs at her chest. He hadn't noticed it in his furor. When he looks back to her face, Kolera seems hopeful and sincere. She motions towards the lake behind them, to his gnarled wisteria tree. He frowns and his muscles remain taut, but he has noticeably calmed under Ciri's touch.
"I don't recall you having a green thumb," he grumbles, but realizes that if he has begun to forgive Iset for her involvement in the attack, he can let Kolera explore. "How... What are you going to do?" He inquires begrudgingly as he presses his gilded side to the starry-eyed girl.
The instructions were clear but her exchange vague. Wanting rid of the poison her parents planted within her, she was willing to strike a deal. It was a bold move, but move she did. Straight to the mountain and back down...
Auburn eyes smile at the gilded stallion. That is after he is calmed by the unknown mare present. The audience is nerving but she would give it a go regardless. He is quick to point out her defect and she happily responds, "I've been to the Mountain and back. The fairies have granted me one chance to do right. They have gifted three seeds to the lands in honor of a fallen kingdom... I am to plant them to relieve me from my curse." Her gaze looks out again to the Wysteria. The happy expression fading as she looks upon what she had done...
The fire that had spread in the grasses had long been regenerated. Nature had a way of fixing that but grown trees did not come back so...naturally. The venom in her heart had made sure this would never be the same. Never return. It sickened her to say the least. She had lost her train of thought and before he had given permission her ivory legs reached forward. Her eyes fixated on the once brilliant tree. It wasn't far and the determination in her eyes may have been enough for her escorts to allow her advancement with watchful eyes. After all she was alone..
With each reach of her limbs she drew nearer. The bare, limp branches hung stagnant. No leaves, nor flowers caught the slight breeze. It no longer sheltered the kingdoms residents from the scorching of the summer heat. Her heart ached, literally. It wanted to reach out but she held it, unsure of her powers still. She waited until she could see the brittle bark that still clung to the meat of the trunk, now greyed and dormant. Her lips were pressed in disbelief at what she had done. "Death, never life... That was your curse..." She muttered to herself...was.
Ivory snipped muzzle reached for the trunk of the ghost tree. A warmness overcame her as a tingle was felt deep within. She retracted her muzzle to view a slight warmth spreading from the spot she contacted. It began wrapping itself around the heart of the tree, extending down to the roots. Color returned and as the roots returned green leaves budded. She stepped back to watch the very thing she had destroyed return to life...
A smile creased her lips as she looked to the pair of equines for the first time since wandering to the Wysteria. A quick glance back to see the branches alive and sporting the ever popular lavender flowers...once again.
Kolera
Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.
@[Amet] @[Ciri]
Skipping Ciri cuz of an away but she is still present so jump in whenever you get back
Slowly the puzzle pieces start to fit together. The rare anger seething beneath the gilded scales of her King (her friend, confidante, and more), the ashamed frown that traces the stranger’s lips, and the guilty glances at the burned remains of Amet’s beloved tree. She was one of those that had destroyed what he loved. For a moment, a flicker of distaste fires around her heart. Remembering that raw seed of pain that had burned in the depths of his golden eyes. This child had caused it. Had caused him hurt and grief.
She has half a mind to give her a taste of her thoughts.
Instead, the stars she sees and dreams of have offered her a rare wisdom for someone so young. There are two sides to every story. There is shame rouging the bay mare’s cheeks, a weight on her shoulders. She has come to face her demons. That alone holds her tongue. Her muzzle stays to his shoulder, stroking him lightly as his tension slowly uncurls from taunt muscles. His anger does not frighten her, she understands it so well after her time Underneath, instead it draws her closer. Makes him more real.
His fire smolders to crackling coals, grumbling but keen to give her a chance to explain herself. The smokey scarred mare is quiet herself although the metallic swirls of her eyes never leave that of Kolera. As she speaks, a sudden brightness finds the silver core of her iris’s. Putting two and two together. ”Amet!” She breathes sharply, a soft squeal of almost girlish delight tinging her words. ”She can fix it!”
How she had wanted to bring that tree back to him, to restore it back to life as he had done for her. It was not in her arsenal, she had no green thumb. The stars can’t resurrect the dead. However, if this mare was being truthful, she could undo the damage she had done. So far she can’t sense anything that says she is a liar although she holds her caution close, not letting it reflect upon her features. ”Your tree…. Please let her bring it back for you if I cannot.”
all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was
if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Kolera takes his blunt comment in stride and offers up her motive willingly. His ears twitch in response and his eyes remain hard, but her explanation does, in fact, settle his nerves. Amet keeps his flank pressed to Ciri and regards the bay mare for a moment, a silence drawing between them. He opens his mouth to respond to the mare, to invite her begrudgingly into Hyaline to complete whatever task had been placed before her. Ciri's squeal interrupts him and the gilded stallion pulls away from her slightly, if only to view her better, and appreciate the surprise on her face.
Her giddiness is, perhaps, an even better reward than the rebirth of his wisteria.
Amet's amber gaze clings to Ciri's smiling face for another beat before he turns around to follow Kolera to the center of his home. She is determined, her footfall swift, and soon she's at the charred trunk. The tree's gnarled branches hang low and disheartened beneath the summer sun. The bay mare reaches her muzzle out to the bark and Amet stops a few yards away, his whispered voice reaching only for Ciri. "You were going to restore my tree?"
His maw reaches for her, gently pressing to the side of her muzzle for a moment before turning back to Kolera and her magic. The tree has been reborn - the boughs are heavy with flowers and the air is immediately filled with its perfume. Amet's heart swells as he presses his side into the starry-eyed mare once more and smiles at Kolera.
For once in her life she was content with herself.
The smile never left her lips, nor the brightness in her features dimming. Thank you my friend, was all she heard. Whether it was directed to her or not she cared less. Excitedly her face swivels to the pair again. "I have something else! Come!" Ivory dipped legs leap into action as auburn eyes scan the area. Landing on a little bare piece of land with two hills intersecting behind it. Perfect, it had enough room for such a mighty gift. "Hurry," she chimes, "Or you'll miss it."
Her muzzle found the sack around her neck and lipped a seed from it's confines. Her front hoof scrapping a divit into the turf just as she had in the Forest. Gently she placed the seed in the ground and swept the loose soil back over it. They had gathered and she directed them to step back, "Ok... Step back. Don't crowd it...and watch." She joyfully bounded backwards readying herself to see it this time...
It was only a moment before a bright twinkle of light emitted from the small spot. She lowered her head to view it closer, jigging excitedly with her front hooves. The top of the ground parted as a tiny tree emerged. As it grew branches sprouted from the center and green needles bushed around the tips. The bark was a deep red, almost the color of her own pelt. It continued to morph before them until it was nearly two feet tall. Then it settled. Looking to the faces of the others to see their reactions. Adding quickly, "It is a redwood in honor of the Taiga. Look after her will you? I have much more to do...but I will return someday to check on her." Her eyes lift to meet Amets, "It was a pleasure meeting you both." She waits only a moment to offer a sincere smile and a nod before turning to the borders...
