"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
That's all she had been doing her entire life. It was exhausting. Just when she thought finally she was settling down, the hells gates burst open and again she was running. Where? What for? These were now unanswered questions. She was again loveless, homeless, and helpless. Even her son had left her side. She couldn't blame him though. He was young, vibrant, and every bit the wanderer his father was. She loved him with all her heart, wherever he was...
Leaving Tephra was the first step in trying to heal. Everything there reminded her of Rou. The beaches, the grassy field, their little thicket, the volcano, sunsets...everything. Crossing the channel into the field, she beelined for anywhere there wouldn't be others. Her tear soaked cheeks told a story of sadness and the last thing she wanted was strangers digging into her private life.
When finally she made it across the field, she dipped into the Forest. Oh God the Forest... Not there! She had met Dovev here. Memories haunted her every turn she took. Fleeing as quickly as her limbs could carry her, she struggled to catch her breath as she lunged into a new place. Golden flecked eyes looked around her at the giant redwoods. Never had she seen such majestic trees. If pure exhaustion hadn't taken her breath, the scenery surely would have.
Carmel ears swiveled, scanning for any sounds. It was quite peaceful here. No other soul stirred about. For a moment she was relieved. A sigh escaped her lips as her hooves scraped across the pine-needle blanket covering the ground. The bristle edges of her feathered gown dragged lightly across the flooring as her body weaved through tree trunks. Eyes searching the terrain for a soft place to rest.
Soon a small clearing comes into view. At first she notices the amount of fallen trees littered about the ground. Thinking nothing much of it, she steps over a small log. Finding a small patch of clover that would do nicely for a nap. With a sleepy yawn, she circles around before lowering her body to the cool turf. Blanketing herself in her emerald feathers, her eyes becoming heavy...
Ghosts from his past life chased him. Apparitions of those he’d loved and those he’d left behind. Countless years he’d wasted on a dream he knew he could never sustain. There were always too many questions – too many prying stares seeking to unravel the mystery of his scars. Yet another chapter of his life he wished to keep hidden.
There was no escape from his self-inflicted solitude. Chasing shadows had become a past-time he’d learned to embrace. One that he knew, more now than ever, was a necessity. The questions were too difficult to avoid and his lies would always be discovered.
Beqanna was a curious place. It seemed that around every corner there was another horse more capable than the last desiring to expose well hidden truths. Telepathy and manipulation were games that he could not win against.
Having crossed the bridge from Ischia, he had found himself submerged in a forest larger than life itself. Trees filled the space, some the size of mountains. Amazed he gazed up to acknowledge the branches that spread protectively over the expanse. Speckled amongst the greenery, however, were scars.
Charred logs and patches of earth speckled the otherwise wintery landscape. Weaker saplings lay half-buried by frost among dead underbrush and sage. There was a story being told – a story of a land that had suffered great pain but was fighting to revive itself once again.
Hephaestus’ dark eyes drank in the sights and the sounds of life as he entered into a sudden clearing, his steps slowing as an unfamiliar scent rose up to tickle his nostrils. There was another close by. He froze his ears pricked towards the trail of scent. The sound of his heartbeat was the only other to accompany the gentle chirping of the birds and the soft tickling of the breeze through deadened leaves. He almost would not have seen her if his eye had not caught sight of the shimmer gleam of feathers. Legs braced to run he extended his neck toward her still frame.
…She was sleeping.
A relieved exhale escaped his lungs and he took yet another step towards her prone frame. Undeniably beautiful he could sense her turmoil beneath the restful expression on her face. Glancing quickly around the clearing he was reassured that she was alone and he knew he ought to leave before she awoke. No doubt the sight of him lumbering above her would cause her a fright. Though, just as he decided that he should leave was unable to. What if harm befell her while she rested? He was unfamiliar with this land and knew not of the potential dangers that could be within the next shadow.
Maneuvering himself within the shade of a nearby tree he resigned himself to stand watch over the maiden that slept. He did not know her, yet he did know that his own conscience would not allow to abandon her in such a vulnerable position. As soon as she began to stir he would leave before she would even know that he had been near.
03-12-2018, 06:23 PM (This post was last modified: 03-12-2018, 06:23 PM by AuroraElis.)
Behind shuttered lids, a screen play of her life moves in fast forward almost. Starting back home, like before Beqanna home. The hiss of the blue roaned stallion that controlled the herd of mares. Tearing of flesh as he ripped wounds along her skeletal lines. Agony of living, of just breathing. Her heart begins to beat faster within her chest cavity...
Angst turns to calm as the orbs appear and lead her dream into Beqanna. The fairy is soon to appear, examining her grotesque scars and taking pity on the pathetic creature she was. Gifting her a regal gown to hide her past. She smiles for the first time in a long time. Her life than after plays as snip-its of run-ins; Lior, Dovev, Zoryn Fox, Jinju, Tannor, Arantha, Tangerine, Romek, Offspring, Nymphetamine. Each just bust profiles of their faces. Emotionless faces. In her dreaming state she looks at each life she had encountered. Not knowing if she knew them at all. Unlikely. And then the next face is of a red rusty stallion. His deep blue eyes and angular face. The scar across his one eye that had been nearly blind. She reaches out to touch him with her cream lips. Wanting to feel the warmth of his skin. The soft caress of his lips on her carmel hide, the strong embrace of his neck. But none of that comes. As she touches his face the scars that littered his pelt disappear. The milky hue of his eye clears and his sight renewed. He was whole again. She smiles, but it is short lived as his figure disintegrates before her. Muscle peels from bone as his flesh melts away. Turning to dust in the end. Her heart races as screams creep up her throat. They are silenced as she feels herself falling again. Not again, please! God not this again. Her unspoken words land on deaf ears as suddenly her screams become real. Vibrating in her vocals before they are escaping her lips.
Jolted from her slumber, her legs thrash. Her heart pounding as legs scramble to find traction. Lifting herself much too quickly she nearly stumbles over herself. Pushing herself backwards until a tree blocks her escape. Suddenly she freezes in place. Forelimbs spread with head lowered. Gasping for breath. The usual softness of her eyes is replaced with dead fright. Wide and focus aimless. It takes a good minute for her legs to stop trembling and his vitals to stabilize. A nightmare was all it was, she tries convincing herself but that was a lie. Rou was gone. She had been too late to save him. Even the power of healing she had been bestowed could not bring him back. If only she had gotten there sooner he'd still be alive.
Tears well in her eyes and again begin to create streams down her face. Without the strength or will to move she begins to sink to the ground once again. How would she go on? Was it even possible? There was nothing left for her to live for. Or was there? Then comes a gentle flutter within her that she had felt a time before. Her dished face lifts in surprise. Could it be? She wonders.
A slight movement comes in her peripheral view. Twisting her head and then ears in the direction of a grove of trees, she listens. "Hello?" Her gentle voice calls. Golden flecked eyes scan the area in front of her again, "Who's there?" Awkwardly laying on bended knees, she rises slowly. Standing steadier now, she inches closer to the shadowed forests. The dim light doing little to reveal it's secrets. Her nares tell her someone is near so she calls out a greeting, "I'm Aurora. What's your name?"...
Mesmerized he watched as her eyes darted beneath her lids. She was dreaming, but he could not guarantee that the visions she saw were pleasant. His brow furrowed as her legs twitched and her face screwed up in an expression of anguish. He stepped forward wishing that he was able to reach in a pull her out of her nightmare.
Hephaestus was no stranger to scars. Physical or mental, both left ugly marks on a person’s soul. Like ugly pink marks upon the skin, it was hard to mistake the ordinary trials of life with that of pure torture. Since the time he was a young foal he grew painfully familiar with the out-casting truth of his own deformity. Always on the outside looking in, he’d forced himself to build up walls around himself. However tall his protective barrier towered, fingers of torment always seemed to snake their way through the cracks.
He’d done everyone a favor when he left. His own mother was free to live the life she deserved – to find happiness with the stallion that had shunned Hephaestus so cruelly. It wasn’t too long ago that thinking upon things would have left a bitter stain upon his tongue, but today the memory only served to cement the truth he’d been force feeding himself. She was better off without him. They all were.
Shaking himself from his thoughts he forced his attention to return to the slumber creature at his feet. Somehow he’d moved closer to her and his massive shadow covered her like a blanket. She was beautiful. Her petite stature was almost overcome by the peacock feathered plume upon her back. A gift, no doubt, to somehow cover up the immense pain of her past.
Hephaestus had never been offered such a gift as the one that the strange mare bore. Throughout his life he’d escaped the notice of the fairies and had been forced to bore the whole ugly truth of his misfortune shamefully upon his face.
Desire filled him and frightened him all at once. It’d been too long since he’d last felt the soft touch of another. Prone at his feet, the mare lay, oblivious to his presence. Harmless in it’s purity, Hephaestus slowly lowered his muzzle until he was a breath away from her. He closed his eyes and reveled in the very existence of her. She smelled sweet, like the scent of pine after it rained or the sweet tickle of spring flowers as they broke through the frost of morning. Just as he was lowering his lips the rest of the way she jolted and her teary eyes fluttered open.
He scrambled back toward the shadows, his heart pounding loudly in his ears as shame filled him once more. It was foolish of him to have attempted such a thing. He was beyond that – beyond deserving the chance to find solace in the company of others. Besides, what could a kiss from him accomplish? More than likely he would have only worsened her suffering – not improve upon it.
Her voice. As she called out to him his muscles tensed, ready to flee from the shame her beauty elicited. Pure as a song bird she begged him to reveal himself and his feet carried him out of the shadows. He braced himself as his body moved without his approval, bringing him around and into her line of sight. A thousand times before he’d received looks of disgust and heard the uncontrollable horror hidden behind stiff formality. He’d learned to guard against the disappointment that their unacceptance would bring.
Hers would be no different than the last, though he knew it would sting in a way that it hadn’t in a long time.
In her semi blinded state upon awakening and the screams, she had not seen or heard the stranger drift back into the shadows. But when all had reasonably calmed, she could sense a presence amongst the redwoods that was not natural. Like a cool chill on the back of your neck or a subtle noise that could not be accounted for. Her golden flecked eyes had scanned the area and settle on a patch of shadows that seemed misplaced...
The iridescent gown of feathers laid slick upon her back. Draping down her sides and brushing lightly along the forest floor as she moved towards the darkness. It was comforting to know her scars were hid from this stranger, fore it may show her to be weak. That was the last thing she needed here. Alone.
Her calls beckoned the dark figure and it was hesitant to step forwards. For a moment her thoughts traveled to Dovev. He was large and black but he would not have hid himself from her. This figure also had no boney ivory plates protruding from it's body. She inches a bit closer, extending her neck just a bit more. "Won't you come out?" She speaks softly like this ominous figure was a frightened child. Some would think her to be foolish to approach such potential danger openly, but hell does not hide.
There is movement and the towering form of a dark stallion makes himself visible. Their size difference is drastic and she cranes her neck to look up at him. There is no fear in her eyes, as she has seen it all in her short life. No amount of disfigurement could compare to the horror of her own. So her eyes do not shy away. They are lost deep within the dark abyss that is him, finding something there like a reflection of herself. She remains silent as she allows him a moment to find himself...
Her wings almost seemed to swallow her as she rose to her feet and studied his shadowed figure. Their iridescent glow brought life their small snow covered clearing and his eyes remarked upon her beauty amidst the white washed world. She beckoned to him, urging him to step into the light. His limbs moved freely, as though they were entities of their own, pulling him from his hiding spot. Clearly in his view he was careful to angle himself so that the left side of his face was covered by the overflow of his forelock. Gazing at her through his onyx eyes he attempted to make himself appear less demeaning.
It amazed him, her boldness. She approached him with confidence, not a trace of fear upon her. His skin itched beneath the curiosity of her gaze and he wondered what it was that she was searching for. Glittered kissed wings dragged through the earth as she stepped ever closer until they were standing before one another. Exposed.
Air whistled between them, filling up the space with it’s biting cold. This land was not much different than the last he had visited. Filled with equally colorful creatures he could confidently say that he’d never seen any half as beautiful as the mare that stood before him. She was so unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Absolutely breathtaking.
He arched his neck and attempted a reassuring expression. ”I hope I did not frighten you,” he finally spoke. ”I was merely passing through and did not intend to disturb your rest.”
The lie flew from his mouth even before he knew he intended to do so. He was ashamed of his moment of weakness. Years had passed since he’d last found himself pulled in by the promise of a soft caress. He’d build up walls of protection around himself. Safe guards from the revulsion he was met by. This place, Beqanna, promised to be no different than the place of his birth and when the time came he would move on just as he had a thousand times before. It was easier that way. Simpler to start anew in a place ignorant of his existence.
It didn't take long for the stallion to find himself. Coming out of the shadows and positioning his body just so. She notices how he holds his head high, slighty turned in one direction if on purpose, but she says nothing of it. She was also hiding something. The wings along her back held tight against her sides. Her carmel ears twist within the cream tresses as he finds words for her. She smiles softly at his concern. Cream lips part as her gentle voice attempts to comfort him, "Oh no... I was having a nightmare..." She pauses as her gaze falls in somber thoughts, "I have them often as of recently... I'll be ok though. In time." Finding a smile, she looks up to him again, "Are you new here?"
She shifts slightly in waiting for his response. Her golden flecked eyes remain on his features but not in judgement of any kind. She barely notices scars anymore...
AuroraElis
Not all that Glitters is Gold
@[Hephaestus] In this timeline I'm guessing she's maybe 7mo gestation and she'll be going back to Tephra after this thread. She'll be asking if he wants to join her I'm sure
Suddenly, their clearing felt too small. Around them half-melted banks of snow clung for life within the shade of the surrounding underbrush. The air was still cold but whispers of spring rode upon the breeze. Studying the mare, he noticed her demeanor for the first time. Her wings, though glorious to behold, were clamped tightly against her sides. To serve as a blanket or a curtain he could not be certain. Like him, he sensed, she was hiding something. His curiosity peaked, though he was not tempted enough to demand her to reveal herself to him.
Her voice was soft and lilting, gentle as she spoke as though she regarded him as a frightened animal poised to bolt. She was only half wrong. Though meant as a comfort, her words set him on guard. Finding himself so close to another person was not a practice he was particularly fond of. It was only a matter of time, he knew, before she would leave him just as the others had before.
Pity filled him as she spoke openly of the nightmare he knew she had been trapped in. The horrors she must have faced -.
He couldn’t allow himself to travel down that avenue. That part of him – the part that would desire to avenge her – the pull was too strong.
Forcing himself to focus on her question he cleared his head of all violent thoughts. ”I am.”
Since autumn he’d wandered aimlessly throughout Beqanna, not quite sure what he was looking for but searching nonetheless. He’d managed to sink below the radar in most lands and it was only recently that he’d begun to garner some attention.
”My name is Hephaestus,” he offered tentatively.
He’d always hated his name despite it’s appropriate nature. The venom in which his own father had looked upon him – a mere foal. He could never forget it. It was out of that moment of horror that he was named. Harsh sounding to the ears, it’d taken him a while before he'd learned to bear it with pride.
Maybe it was fate. Destiny perhaps, that always crossed their paths. The broken and beaten down. Of all the horses she's met, they are the most empathetic. Passionate. It's funny how that was even possible.
She is looking up to him, waiting a reply of some sort. Her ears twist to the faint hum of nature that surrounded them. She enjoyed the peaceful land but spring was fast approaching and she suddenly realized she had promised to return to Tephra. Well, hoped to find her son had returned there.
It's his voice that brings her back from her thoughts and her assumption is correct that he is new. Quickly followed by a name and she smiles, "It's nice to meet you Hephaestus... I'm Auro...Wait. I already said my name didn't I?" Her brow cocks for a moment as if she can't really remember for sure and then she continues, "You can call me Ru though." The moment she says it she realizes she hasn't used that nickname in ages. It almost felt forgein on her tongue. She finds her gaze had slipped from his face as she thought and suddenly she refocuses. "I was just headed to Tephra. It's a kingdom to the east. I said I'd return before spring to hopefully catch my son home...And...well...never mind," a kind smile accompanies her words. Stopping herself before she got to deep into details. Her slight pause rustles up her next thought, "If you are looking for a place to stay...perhaps you'd like it there. I mean...if you don't have plans. It's pretty quiet and everyone is very kind." She lacks to mention that others there had unique outward appearances since it wasn't an immediate thought of hers.
As the day progressed the air around them grew warmer. Spring was on it’s way. He could smell it’s arrival upon the trees as it brushed through the barren tree limbs. As AuroraElis spoke, her voice brought with it a gentle elegance that distracted him away from his worry. Behind her sparkling eyes, he spotted no lingering curiousity or probing questions straining to free themselves. Her words flowed easily and, as she spoke, he felt himself relax.
Ru, she wished to be called, and a light smile touched his crooked lips. The expression felt foreign upon his face and it faded almost as quickly as it arrived there. He sensed a heaviness to her offer, though he balked at the sound of it. Quickly his mind wrapped itself around the truth of what she was saying, and his eyes darted to the wings she was using to hide her belly. She was pregnant.
Instinctively he took a step backwards. I’m not sure, he admitted. I’m not sure they’d be overly thrilled with by appearance there.
Thus far, he’d managed to keep himself out of the kingdoms. Curious though he was, he held little interest to the revulsion he would surely find there. It was better if he kept his distance.
AuroraElis
