"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
11-24-2017, 12:19 PM (This post was last modified: 11-24-2017, 12:30 PM by Bragi.)
A new day. As quickly as he had been dragged onto the island, he had been draw away. In a violent storm, one that ravaged the monsters-once-friends who had been pursing him. Howling winds had flayed the skin from their bones, until the sea had reached up and pulled him back unde, it's black depths eventually offering him tormented sleep. He wished it hadn't given him back up.
A new beach. A suspicion in the back of his mind. This one smelled different, familiar. The winds held the same scent he had known in the land he had traveled to with his brother, though with a sulfur edge. His brother... Hod! Oh gods, where was his brother? The splashed stallion surged to his feet, intent on finding the boy. But he had been gone so long... for though only a month had passed in Beqanna, two years had gone by on the island. Bragi did not know that his brother was only just settling in to his new home, miles away. What he did know, now, was that he could not see.
Growing up with Hod, Bragi was familiar with blindness. Not from the perspective of the blind, though. Not with the knowledge that he could stare as long as he wanted, but he could not make the sky appear. He could not see the sand he knew to be beneath his feet, nor the trees he heard wind blowing through not far off. His sight was gone, stolen by whatever demonic entity had seen fit to torment him. One last act of dominance over a plaything that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His head ached, he noticed. A jabbing pain between the eyes, that he'd only just come to acknowledge, though it had been there since he woke up on this warm shore.
A surge of loss and pain and heartache overcame him, brought him to his knees. Brair was gone. He had no doubts of that. But he had been real, they all had. Bragi took note of another ache, the patch of bare flesh where Alya had torn his skin away in her demented attack. The shoulder was stiff, sea salt making the injury smart and sting. It was his token of the reality. Oh, but if his head would only stop it's pounding! If only he could see, or just know where the sea had placed him this time?! Bitter tears pooled in his unknowing eyes. He was ragged and damaged and lost. But he had to make a choice.
A new direction. He wanted to be away from the hateful water. Did not want to risk it's curiously again, and be dragged beneath to some new hell. Nose dropped nearly to the ground, an attempt at navigation, he took his first plodding steps. Not knowing where to, he had long forgotten the place he and his brother had been heading with the little ice winged girl. He instead turned his back to the rushing waves, a matted, tangled far cry from the golden man he once was. The only way he cared to go was away from the sea. Anything that came after would be a blessing.
Levi had sparked her curiosity to explore the beach. She was familiar with the caves that were to be found near the shore, where she had hid for a while after her father had left Tephra and new rules had set in. she had been gone when leadership had been transferred from Lucrezia to Offspring and she had been just in time to hear Offspring appointing Ellyse as their new Overseer.
Now she had explored almost all of the volcano, it was time for a new task. Once she had been okay with doing nothing, but lately Amorette found herself growing restless, as if she missed some kind of purpose in life. She surely had missed social interactions too, of which she had deprived herself, and she was now more than ready to make up for it.
Her intention was to just have a chitchat with an unfamiliar face, to get to know someone who resided in Tephra just as she did. Levi was the only one she actually knew. The buckskin sabino stallion had caught her eye and it’s only once she nears him that she realises something is wrong.
The scent of blood is in the air and his way of moving is off. It puts a hurry to her step and concern is readable in her eyes. Just in time Amorette reminds herself to give him space. ”Hello” she softly greets him, as her nose drops a little towards the ground. It’s more out of habit, to make her – already short self – look less threatening. ”Are you okay?” Stupid question to ask, but Amore simply doesn’t know what else to say.
A small step forward and then she pauses again. She wants to help, her instincts tell her too, just as they had once lured her towards the volcano. Her ears flick around, but her eyes are focussed on the buckskin male. ”My name is Amorette, let me help you?” she offers. She gives him a couple of seconds and then she takes another step forward, slowly approaching him but always making her presence know.
By the way he stares off into the nothingness she knows he cannot see her.
Hello? His ears pinned at the foreign voice, the melodic pitch cutting through fog his mind seemed to be swimming through. Startled, he half-reared, stumbling as his chipped hooves again made contact with the soft sand beneath them. His gold and white head snakes around jerkily, trying to find the source of that simple word. She is close by, he can feel that. The sand must have muffled her steps, that she was able to come so close without his hearing. Breathing elevated, his heart taking off at a gallop, he peered into the darkness. He was frustrated, so frustrated. The warm sun on his back told him that it was day time. The world should not be hidden from him, especially while the sun shone as it always had.
She spoke again, and he fought his trembling to listen. Asked if he was ok, and gave him the courtesy of her name. Amorette. It was pretty, he knew. Likely, the made who owned the name matched it in loveliness. For all he knew, though, she could be a wizened hag of a thing. He stomped a hoof angrily, and then grew still. Inside and out, he did not move, sides barely giving way for breath. He turned his aquilline head slowly now, blind eyes finding where she stood at last. Amorette. For a moment, he was the beautiful, confident stallion he had been not so long ago. Despite his raggedness, he still stood tall and strong. "Amorette." He tested the word on his tongue, feeling the shape of it. His head tilted to one side, listening. "I am not well. I need... water." He said at last, raw throat making his baritone gravelly. It underscored his request. A sigh dragged from his chest, as he closed his beleaguered eyes against horrific visions that threatened the edges of his mind. Yes. Water would be a good start. And perhaps Amorette could help I other ways. Time would tell.
His reaction told her she hadn’t approached carefully enough, and for that she mentally scolds herself. Though she had made sure to keep enough distance between them, and to call out to him when she was still at least 10 meters away, she had apparently startled him. She was the one to blame for his reaction, and any result it might have. His shoulder must hurt when he had lifted himself up in the air like that. ”I’m sorry,” she offers, her head dipping as she steps back again to give the hurt stranger some more space. ”I didn’t meant to startle you..”
If she had known he had only lost his sight recently, she surely would’ve approached him differently. But what was done, was done, and Amore is still determined to help him, if he would let her. His angry stomp has her frozen in place again, eyes full of concern as she studies him a little weary. He reactions are feral, as if his wild side was ruling over the more socialized one.
Hearing her name causes a sigh to escape past the barrier of her lips. Instantly she relaxes a little and out of habit she offers him a smile, one he cannot see. ”I can help you” she offers again, both her ears pinned in his direction. Though this time she makes sure to not move, unless told. ”Is it okay for me to approach you?”
Amorette feels ungraceful as ever as she stops her hooves down, attempting to create some sound for the stranger to hear. Hopefully it would ease his nerves a little. She would stop if he would ask that of her, though she doesn’t know how to help him without approaching. ”I am going to touch your shoulder now” she says before stepping in his personal space. Her breath ghosts over his skin before he muzzle lightly brushes over his good shoulder.
”Can you trust me to guide you to the river? You can touch my flank, if that helps?” She doesn’t know what it is like to have to navigate around blindly and she can only try to imagine what it would be like. The idea of closing her eyes and walk around like that already spooked her, let alone to have to rely on another. But Amore simply doesn’t know another way to guide him.
The world is moving on without him. And for the moment, that's alright. For a moment, it is just him and the sea and he forgets the other soul beside him. There, it whispers to him still, makes promises of sleep and a quiet end, if he would just....Step....In...
Another whisper. This one sweet and feminine, it breaks through the persuading murmur of the tide. I'm going to touch your shoulder now.
He turns his head blindly to meet the voice, stiffening when it follows through with its promise of touching him. An icy finger draws a shiver along his spine at the touch. A flashing memory of teeth in his flesh. For one mind numbing moment, fear tells him to run, fast and far. In the next moment, his sanity fights back. It was a little touch, a gentle one. Barely there at all. And she, Amorette, wants to help. She says so.
Another shudder rolls through him, and he subconsciously leans into her offered flank. A river. That would be good. He nods his assent into her side, savoring the warm scent of her. He feels like a newborn foal at his dams side, dependant for his survival, despite standing taller than the kind woman. "This river, it is not far?" He asks heavily. Rest would be his next desire, once the gritty thirst was gone from his tongue.
The brush of her muzzle across his shoulder is feather light, but at the same time firm enough to let him know it’s not something he imagines. She is there, at his side, even if he cannot see her. Her dark eyes try to read his body language, from the way he holds himself to the expression on his face. It’s not hard to notice how tense his is, and Amore can only hope he’ll relax and trust her. Though she can only imagine how hard it would be for him.
When she presses the velvet of her nose against his shoulder more firmly it’s only to reassure the buckskin male that he is not alone, that she’s there for him. But it’s not until he accepts her offer that she genuinely smiles. Not to make fun of him, but relieved and encouraging. ”It’s not that far, there is a shallow riverbank nearby” she tells him, her neck bend a little to the right to she can look at him for a moment.
She doesn’t hurry her step. Not to treat him like a disabled equine, but to give him confidence. Yes she’s leading the way, but hopefully – maybe – each step would make him more confident. ”What’s your name? If you don’t mind me asking..” she asks, her voice soft and warm, as her eyes are focussed on the path ahead.
It’s not too long after that they arrive at the bank she had mentioned before. It’s in the curve of the river, the water bending away from them, with a shallow bank and not too strong current. A safe place for him to drink. ”We’re here” Amorette murmurs softly, stepping closer towards the water. She doesn’t hesitate to step forward and into the stream, never leaving the male’s side. He wat free to wander off, but as long as he needed her, she would be there. ”Two steps ahead and you should be able to dip your head towards the water.”
Hod made it look so easy. Blindness was just a matter of fact to him, and so they had treated it like such. But now Bragi knew deeper respect for his brother. His nose against Amorette's shoulder, he now followed where another lead. It was a test of trust, especially with someone he had only just met. A seed of suspicion nibbled at his mind. How had she come across him, anyway? Was this just another phase in the demons plan? It would make sense, to draw him in with soft words and gentle touches, only to have a monster be hiding beyond his sight.... or perhaps she was simply what she seemed. Maybe she has just been in the right place at the right time.
He growled low in his throat, frustrated. Amorette's question broke him from his tormented reverie. If she was evil, she was doing a good job of masking it. "Bragi. My name is Bragi. I apologize for not offering it sooner..." He trailed off with a curse, amazed at his lapse in courtesy. Once, he would have been the first to introduce himself. Witty, flirtatious banter would have flown like wine from his lips. Now he was struggling to introduce himself.
She was right, they didn't have too travel far to reach the river. She was a good guide, choosing a clear path for them to travel. When he stumbled, it was only over his own feet, unused to being guided telographically. He guides himself as he had seen Hod do, nose brushing against her shoulder periodically to adjust his direction, listening for her steps so as to not walk into her. We're here.
Yes, he can hear it, the water. Different from the ocean's persistent beating, the river sings a separate song. She tells him, it's just two steps forward. He hesitates why is that all he can do anymore? And then he moves forward, until the swift moving water flows up and around his legs, sliding beneath his barrel in cold ribbons. Pushing away the surge of fear, he dips his face to the surface. For a long minute, he is lost to the taste of fresh water. It stings in his scrapes and wounds, but it is cleansing him. Though he cannot see it, the river draws salt and blood from his pelt, darkening it as he stands there. His constant headache abates for the time. Sated at last, he pulls his damp body to the banks, and falls to his knees, then his side. Amorette is nearby, he can hear her move through the water as well. Feeling somewhat more like himself, he turns to face her splashing. "Forgive me. The hell I have just left was not kind. I'm afraid I'm not the same I was before meeting it. You said your name is Amorette. So tell me Amorette, where are we? Aside from a river's bank, that is." He sighs, exhaustion threatening to put him to sleep before he hears her answer, but fear of dreaming keeping him awake. So he would talk to her, and learn what he could.
Being born blind was one thing, suddenly becoming blind a whole other. For one it would almost be natural to find its way around, but in the other case it would cause a disaster. Nothing could ever prepare someone for losing one of its senses. Amorette had never met someone disabled before, but she cannot help but worry about the buckskin male at her side.
His growl doesn’t offend her, perhaps it should have, but Amore doesn’t let herself get worked up because of it. She liked to believe he didn’t do it on purpose, and he isn’t growling at her. When he offers her his name and apologises, she’s sure he hadn’t meant it like that. ”I would say it’s nice to meet you, but I wish we’d met in different circumstances” she offers in return, again with a smile he cannot see.
She makes sure to stay at his side, even when the water flows around their legs. It’s not that high, she’d made sure to pick a safe spot for Bragi to lessen his thirst, but that didn’t change anything about the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see any possible threat it might offer. Amorette hoped that her presence would help with that.
Silently she watches him, a concerned frown still showing on her features, only becoming more intense when she sees the water coloring red. ”You’re hurt..” she murmurs softly, more to herself than out loud. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen it before, but the seeing the red made it look more threatening.
Amorette is left to stare at his wounds as he retreats to the shore. As if she was meant to do something about it, to help him. She simply doesn’t know how. His voice pulls her out of her thoughts, and she blinks her dark eyes at him before slowly moving to join him on the bank. For a moment she’s silent, standing nearby and watching over him. ”Tephra.” She doesn’t ask the question that’s on her mind; ’what happened to you?’
He had referred to it as hell, and looking over his current condition could only make her believe he was right about that. Her eyes wander over his splashed form. It’s not hard to imagine him looking all dashing and confident, but something had stripped it away from him. Lost in thoughts her nose dips towards his hurt shoulder, hot breath ghosts over his skin before she touches.
What happens next takes her as much by surprise as it would him. Upon the touch something burns up, coming from inside her at first but then it’s like the wound on his shoulder is set on fire. It’s all heat and smoke wells up, thankfully the wind carries the scent of burned flesh away on instant. It only lasts for a couple of seconds, then it’s gone as quickly as it had come. Whatever it had been.
The wound on his shoulder was no longer fresh, no longer dripping blood, and instead it looked like it was a week old already. The fire had sped up the healing process in a way that should be impossible, and it’s unlike Amorette had ever experienced. ”W-what..?”
”I.. I I’m sorry.. I never intended to do…” To do what, she wonders herself. ”… that”
Amorette
Quand on n'a que l'amour.
OOC: Sooooo, Amorette used her fire healing on Bragi. She never used it before, and she didn’t/doesn’t know she’s able to. The fire would hurt the moment it flares, but his wound should hurt less now the healing had sped. Let me know if you’re not okay with this, then I’ll edit my post ^^.
Different circumstances. Yes, that would have been nice. The chance to see who he was talking to, to not require being led to such a basic necessity as the fresh water that flowed close by. A different day, with a different him would have made this... pleasant. He grunts in acknowledgment of her comment on his injury. He was hurt, inside and out. Demons clawed at the darkness behind his eyes, begging him to sleep so they could gnaw at his slipping soul some more. And his damned skull felt as though it was splitting down the middle.
The pounding ache that had receded when he was drinking was back in full force, driving sparks before him. He groaned and lay back against the pulsing earth. A patch of lush moss grew beneath his head, a willing cushion. It released it's clean, green scent to him, almost enough to wash the pain from his battered frame. Almost.
Through the throbbing, he caught the answer to his next question. Tephra. So he had landed quite a ways away from where he had left. And that would explain the sulfur that hung lightly in the air. The volcano that he had once seen only from a distance must now be much closer, belching gases and magma from it's glowing maw. He wished he could see it. A whisper of hoof on grass draws him back from his grievous musing. Amorette, it must be. Though what she wants from him, he can't guess. Arghhh, if only his head would stop it's hammering, then maybe he could think!
Did he hit it on a rock while he was carried through the sea? Did.... did that cause his sight to abandon him? It wouldn't be the first time a head injury had caused a horse to go blind. If that wad truly the case, all he'd have to do is find a decent healer, and he'd be able to see again! He was about to turn to Amorette, to beg her to examine his face for some sign of injury, when her warm breathy caress brushes his shoulder. It is a moment of pleasurable feeling, immediately eclipsed by a searing heat that rushes across his skin.
The breeze carries away the odor, but not before the hint of singed skin and hair touches his nose. Suddenly, there is a charred, decapitated carcass before him. The head belonging to it leers eyelessly from the darkness, taunting him. A wordless howl tears from the man's throat, a primal sound he didn't know he was capable of making. The next thing he's aware of is that he is now on his feet with his rump butted up to a rough barked tree. Breath slams through his chest as his heart beats a staccato rhythm, the blood of it thundering in his ears.
"What the fuck was that?! What did you do? Are you going to finish the job, finish me off? That's why you're here, isn't it. I thought it was over, but it's not."
What started out as a violent outburst ebbed away until his voice was a broken whisper. He did not notice that his shoulder had not twinged upon standing. This woman had set him on fire, and not in the way he usually liked. Blind eyes cast about in desperation, and he wished she would just get on with it. Kill him, let it be done.
Bragi
It was love from above that could save me from hell
@[Amorette] This is desperately late, I'm so sorry. PTSD can be hard for me to write -.-
On instinct she had stumbled away from him, as to flee from the fire that had come unexpected. Her next reaction is to glance around, her dark eyes searching for Levi’s form, but no, it hadn’t been him either. Nor did she see anybody else near enough to cause that. Which meant it had been either her, or Bragi. And based on the latter’s reaction it hadn’t been his own doing.
Shock and surprise swirl in Amorette’s own eyes as she watches him. His scream has her ears still ringing by the time he’s pressed up against a tree. He’d been rather quick for someone in his position: blind and hurt, and it was clear that Bragi wasn’t used to his blindness like someone who was born that way would be. His whole position and body language screams panic and fear. And that influences Amore too.
Her dark eyes glance around nervously and her ears flick back against her neck. Unable to stand still she moves a little on her spot, forward and back again, and from the left to the right. All in an undefined pattern and with pauses in between. Amore snorts, but it’s his outburst that has her frozen.
She doesn’t understand what he is speaking off, but she does flinch. Okay, so clearly I had not been Bragi. That left only one other solution: it had been hér doing, even if she didn’t know what the fuck it was either. However, she does feel guilty. How could she not, looking at Bragi’s state of mind. ”I.. I’m s-sorry..” she mumbles again, glancing her gaze down for a short second, unable to look at the buckskin male.
”I’m not going to hurt you..” she continues after a short pause. Amorette doesn’t know what had happened just now, but as long as she wouldn’t touch him again, it should be fine, right? She swallows the dry lump in her throat, but does not attempt to approach Bragi. ”I don’t know what you’ve gone through, but this is Tephra.. You’re safe here.” Of that she was sure. She would make sure he would be.
