"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
Weary legs bring me to meet my sister. Explosive sounds around us cause me to stagger forwards and nearly fall into my twins reach. Her muzzle nudges my shoulder. I have felt this feeling before. As we had grown side by side within our mothers womb. The very one who stands angrily now and threatening to leave us.
Usually they would have seeked comfort by their mothers side, but not now. My own snipped nose nudges my spotted siblings body. A nuzzle that may have been instinctual to find a food source. Grumbling sounds from my belly cause my ears to perk forwards in confusion at this new noise. In my perplexed state I cry softly. Begging my sister to make it quiet. Lavender duster tail flips from one side of my ghostly rump, to the other in irritation...
There is no denying the fact that she is hurt. Though she may try to hide it with anger and bitter words, he knows being hurt all to well as of lately. Leaving Kylin and Kyveli hurt. Seeing the two newborn girls without their mother, hurt. It was all his fault too wasn't it? He hadn't considered Kylin's feelings and certainly not Mosrael's. The way he had acted(parading Kylin before her) was hurtful and he sees that only now when his own heart aches. Distant eyes refused to meet her hard glare upon him. Trying desperately to hide his guilt for what he has done to her and even regret. (Yes, regret!)
Words escape him to explain his actions, but maybe they couldn't be explained. It was just who he was. Compulsive, inconsiderate, possessive. All personality flaws he has come to know too well. He had single handedly ruined something that could have been so wonderful. He remembers finding her along the beaches of Ischia. How wild and beautiful she looked amongst her island. The way her defiant smile lit up her face, and the depths of something more in her eyes. A wanting, a purpose. To be something more than what she thought she was. Who others thought she was.
He nearly smiles at his thoughts, but doesn't dare, in fear that it would be wipe from his face the instant his lip twitched upwards. Instead he allows her to bash him and question his own stupidity. Leaving maybe too much of a pause between when she ends and he begins. When his words do come, they are short. They could make or break this whole thing. The twins stumble around the ashy terrain nearby and he fumbles for the truth, "You are more than I deserve..." Silver-hazel eyes rise slowly to search her face for something more than hatred...
It was comforting to be so close to her sister. The familiar scent of the younger filly’s coat brought a wash of relaxation throughout the soft of her body, a momentary distraction to the aching pain in her belly. Kove was smaller than she was and Ketzia felt a sudden urge to protect her little sister. She remembered the closeness of their time spent alone inside of their mother. As they had grown, Ketzia had taken the majority of the space allotted to them leaving Kove with very little wiggle room. Theirs had been small, unnaturally so and, as they were battered about, it was often times difficult to hang on.
Slowly her vision began to clear and the colors belonging to their new world painted themselves upon their surrounding fixtures. Lavender laced eyes darted around her, confused and amazed by the sights and sound that accosted her senses. Before them, the two figures she recognized as her parents stared at each other, but not in a way that she would have expected them too. Her mother’s face was pinched and hash, her eyes keeping themselves locked upon Papa. It confused her. She wanted to be close to her, to feel the affection of her touch once more. The little filly peeled herself away from Kove and took a tentative step forward. Her nose extended she sniffed the hot air.
Weak. That was what she’d once been. Weak to his advances and shamefully moldable beneath the effects of his touch. She despised herself and the creature she had become due to their one stolen moment in time. The pain she had felt in the wake of her bitter disappointment clung to her in a way she hadn’t expected or wanted it to. Before he had come crashing into her bubble, she had been contented in the life she’d led. Blood and bruises had become a trifle, a mere common occurrence in her striving to become the best she could be. The violent touch of her competition was worth no more than the annoyance of a mosquito’s bite, and yet with just a few touches he had managed to unhinge her. The betrayal of her body and heart haunted her – followed by the stabbing wound of the knife he had plunged into her heart. For months she had peered around every corner hoping to find him there within the shadows, awaiting her arrival. She’d wondered if he’d longed for her in the way she wished to see him there before her once more, to feel the touch of his lips upon the soft of her neck. Instead, when her desires had finally materialized into reality, she hadn’t been the figure he’d sought out. Without so much as an apologetic glance in her direction he had shamelessly entertained the affections of another.
Movement behind him drew her attention as their two daughters struggled to master the lankiness of their limbs. Creatures of both Ischia and Tephra, they would forever stand as a reminder of her one moment of weakness. However, they were beautiful. The eldest of the two was a carbon copy of herself. Tall, stocky and agile despite the delicate features of her face. The little one, however, was pure Arabic beauty. Dainty and fragile her lavender tufts of mane framed the rick brown her coat well, softening her even more. With matching purple gazes, they watched Mosrael expectantly. For a moment the mare felt something inside of her shift almost as though it were making room for something.
Stubbornly her eyes flit back to meet his, softer if only for a moment. He is lost again, traveling to some deep and distant thought. It is impossible for her not to see the haunting image of her dancing just beyond his deepest pools. When he spoke, his voice was clear and rich as he reemerges from the places she could not follow. An itch of a grin is upon the edges of his lips and the expression almost feels mocking against the reality of their conflict.
“Then what do you want of me, Klaudius?” she demanded, her tone sharp and unwavering. “You have made your feelings for me painfully clear and I’ve come to the realization that I am incapable of being all that you would ask of me. I will not stay hidden away behind your precious volcano while you run about impregnating every mare in Beqanna. I cannot – no, will not settle for anything less than what I am worth to myself.”
He was who was going to be, that much was painfully obvious to her. Mosrael would not force change upon him, even for her gain. She clearly was not worth the effort.
A soft voice interrupted the still of her final declaration and her eyes locked onto the eldest girl as she slowly tottered nearer to them. Mama? she had said, almost expectantly and Mosrael’s resolve shattered. Visions of her own mother, Galilee, flooded her mind as sweet memories awakened a longing she’d been ignoring for far too long. She could not abandon her girls upon Tephra.
Stiffly, the sore mare pushed past Klaudius and she approached the fillies with newfound confidence. Nuzzling them gently towards the source of her she encouraged them as they began to nurse vigorously. With eyes deeply rooted in sadness she glanced over her shoulder towards Klaudius.
“I will stay,” she relented, her voice still wrought with unforgiveness and hurt. “But not for you, for them.”
@[Klaudius]
Okay, so I tried to wrap this up as best that I could. In summery, she basically doesn't think that she is worthy enough for him to change and she isn't about to ask him too, nor is she going to be willing to continue a romantic relationship with him unless/ until he does? Idk, I see her flip flopping a lot in their coming threads. We can start a new one with them and a separate one for the girls? Let me know!
The exploration of his gaze upon her face reveals nothing more than he expects to find. Quickly she lashes back out at him, making her feelings of him well known. He couldn't argue with her. He had no foot to stand on, but she was wrong. Ever so slightly but still wrong. He had not impregnated EVERY mare in Beqanna, nor did he have those intentions. If anything, he had become content on settling down...
This time his gaze does not shy from her wrath. Instead, he focuses on the delicate lines of her face and strength of her tone. He did not have to protect her. She was capable of taking care of herself and he slightly admired this fact. His reply is no more than a simple apology for now, "I'm sorry my actions hurt you." He couldn't say he hadn't intended them to, but he was sorry nevertheless.
When she turns to tend to the girls, his hooves remain unmoved. Only his eyes follow to where they lead off to. Knowing it best to let things lie for now. They could continue this conversation later, so he simply stands guard in silence...
