i feel a bad moon rising; valdis

[Lepis]

The day is a dark and dreary one. Though the icy rains have passed, a few chilly droplets still land on my scarred back now and again, which I shake off with an irritable snort. This is the plan that we had made, and despite the physical discomfort I have no intention of going back on my word.

That is something Loess and I have in common.

I wait, safe behind the border, until I see a flicker of movement in the distance. Though I am without supernatural senses, the gust of wind that blows down from the mountains carries with it the scent of the golden figure. It is Valdis, the filly I'd met briefly at her mother's side. Not who I might have chosen, but I am operating on a schedule, and my time is already nearly up.

Taking to the skies is easy in this realm of rocky altitudes, and I sweep much farther north before heading south to land beside the buckskin tobiano, knowing it will appear as though I cam from the heart of the kingdom. There is something about her that is familiar, something that tickles at the back of my mind in the same way that her mother had. I frown, for just a moment, and then I smile.

"I need to go somewhere." I tell her without introduction. She knows who I am, knows that I am a captive. Well, was a captive until a few hours ago, when I had taken the deal that I will soon come to regret.

I trust her youth and her rank, knowing that when mixed with adventure is a recipe for recklessness that is rarely matched. Treating her as an adult is the final key, and it is all I can to keep from crossing my pinion feathers in the hope that it works.

"Will you go with me? Or should I find someone else?" I ask as though I am in need of an escort, someone to keep me from escaping Hyaline. Such is the way of neutral captivity, I know, promising not to escape until a sentence is served. I, however, have served more time than anyone should, and feel no discomfort at the half-truth I plan to spin for Valdis were she to ask.

@[Valdis] only por favor >:}

[Valdis]

And in the darkened underpass I thought,
"Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"

Lepis’ arrival is unexpected and startles the young girl. The air surrounding her combusts angrily as she scuttles forward before turning vehemently to look at the dun. ”Don’t do that!” Although her voice betrays her youth, there is a sharpened edge to her demand. Her molten eyes narrow and she angrily snarls until able to simmer down the fire around her. ”I was practicing,” it’s a feeble excuse, but in reality, Valdis simply hadn’t been paying attention as she should. Even as her powers distract her, she realizes now how open she must keep her mind and senses as to avoid a repeat incident like this. Admittedly, she is embarrassed to have allowed someone to escape her notice, however, her pride overlaps and lifts her chin arrogantly.

As much as she would like to showcase her ability again, Lepis offers something far more interesting.

I need to go somewhere, she says without so much as a hello beforehand. With a lifted brow, the girl edges closer and mulls over the opportunity. It lures her as it would any other rambunctious child, but she takes pause with an abrupt shake of her head. ”You’re a prisoner,” has it been long enough until her release? The probability weighs on her heavily. Her decision teeters back and forth, debating between right and wrong, adventure versus stagnation.

But she is a child, and as such, perceives herself as invincible. Rolling her shoulders, Valdis approaches the question smugly. ”You’re not going anywhere without an escort, prisoner,” underneath the pressure of yes and no, she suddenly considers herself capable of monitoring an adult. Opening her wings validates her answer and confirms her readiness. She tells herself this is work, that she is helping mother, but deep in her heart she looks forward to an adventure that spans outside of Hyaline’s embrace. ”I’ll burn you if you try anything.” There. That should secure her position as leader in this, right? Surely, Lepis will take her seriously.



VALDIS

But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.

@[Lepis]

[Kagerus]

The winter is harshest in Hyaline, particularly at the peaks of the mountains. It's where the lion lives, prowling his territory and eating his kills; she finds herself there often these days, distracted from her familiar by the raw and instinctual draw of another semi-feral feline. Another in that she herself maintained a sort of sentience, and semi in that both she and the lion recognized each other's sentience more and more the more time they spent together. With her familiar busy in politics, Panthera spent her hours trying to get closer to the cougar, risking her well being in an attempt to establish a connection; Kagerus had said not to harm Svedka, but she'd not commented on... other activities.

She's on her way down the icy mountainside today as a golden figure descends to Hyaline's earth. For a moment she wonders if the pegasus is Solace; but when the lack of blue in her mane and tail becomes evident, the leopard hurries her pace, first stalking and then sprinting across the lowland hills in utter silence. Upon the crest of one quite some distance off, the predator - with her front facing eyes and all hearing ears - Panthera crouches, discreetly disguised.

Kagerus isn't in Hyaline today. Something pulls in the leopard's stomach; the prisoner is speaking to one of the princesses. It's too far for the cat to send a telepathic message. Fear and uncertainty clouds her amber eyes - but in the next moment, she leaps from her hiding place and sprints the rest of the way to the duo, ears flat to her skull, lips taught but not yet revealing her murderous teeth.

Mrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The low sound of her warning growl rolls towards Lepis as she stations herself between said mare and the princess. Behind her, her tail sweeps low across the accumulated snow; she knows that she is in danger, if either of these creatures possess magic. She knows that she could die.

But like her familiar, this is her home: and she would die for it, and its members.

panthera

Hope you don't mind! I fully expect the steal to go through, consider this a predestined-failed block attempt

[Lepis]

The fire is unexpected, and I take a step back. I have always been respectful of the dangers of open flame, a respect pressed into me by a rather draconic uncle. It is the flash of heat that finally clicks the missing piece into place. The vague familiarity of Solace's scent and the almost-recognizable shape of Valdis and her twin brother Velk suddenly make sense.

'You're a prisoner' says the daughter of my uncle. I don't smile - I know better than to drop the ruse too early - but I do not disagree with her inference. Instead I wait, trusting that the cogs are turning behind her frowning face. I am not disappointed when she finally answers.

"I know someone who could teach you to control that." I tell the girl when she threatens to burn me. "My uncle, Castile, is a dragon shifter." You father, I do not say, but I watch her face closely for a reaction. Has she been told of him, I wonder? Does she know Loess is the last place he called home?

I am distracted by the arrival of another. This is not the first big cat I've come across in the last month, and like the other this one acts like no animal should. I stare it down, knowing that its claws are a match for my own hooves, but do not back away.

"Do you need a babysitter, Valdis?" I question the piebald filly, though I do not take my eyes from the golden and black cat. "Or shall we leave your mother's pet here?" With that I spread my wings, rather sure I know what the princess will say. The cold winter air that sweeps down from the mountains will provide plenty of lift, more than enough to take us over the yowling cat and toward Loess.

@[Kagerus]
@[Valdis]
maybe next post is in Loess?

[Valdis]

And in the darkened underpass I thought,
"Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"

Valdis considers Lepis, scrutinizing her like a treasure to be locked away. She should be tucked into the cave where she won’t escape, but mother is too kind, far too kind. The prisoner’s stay has seemingly been lavish. Her coat reeks of the forest, another adventure she had taken outside of their walls. Lepis, she concludes, isn’t one to play entirely by the rules. Raised by two Queens, harmonious as they are, Valdis has been taught to obey, but something is always churning beneath her placid surface. She has been wanting to venture out and to experience what excitement lies beyond Hyaline, but nothing has captured her. Not until now.

Fascination brims the edges of her molten eyes, calculating a romp with the prisoner. She could prove herself by being an escort, all while enjoying herself and a fleeting sense of freedom. The allure of it is enticing, but then she hesitates.

Castile.

The name comes to her as a shock. Not yet able to mask her emotions, Valdis’ surprise reads plainly on her pretty face. She knows only of him, of this mythical being called a father. He has been otherwise absent in her life, present only for her and Velk’s conception. Why did he leave, she often wonders. It was painful as a child. As a newborn, she peered up at the sky and the rolling hills with mother, expecting this mystery fellow to soar in and join their company. It never happened, however, and so she adapted to life with two mothers instead. Castile frequented the back of her mind, but his importance withered with time.

With an adolescent scoff, Valdis seems to shift and reconsider the opportunity. ”Good luck finding him. He vanished before I was born.” She doesn’t admit that deep down, she would love to know her father and to fill the gap. Before Lepis could respond, their conversation is interrupted by a feral growl that is all too familiar.

Whipping around, Valdis glimpses Panthera just as she prepares to pounce between them protectively. Get out of my way, she doesn’t say. Instead, her eyes merely burn with agitation. ”No, I don’t,” she quips assertively before taking a single charging stride toward Panthera. ”Go away. I got this.” And before the opportunity could slip through her fingers, Valdis takes flight and follows Lepis to their looming adventure.

VALDIS

But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.

@[Lepis] sounds good!

[Lepis]

The girl is as surprised as I had hoped, but that shifts to disbelief before I can capitalize on it. She is doubtful of recent sighting of her sire, and I tilt my head curiously as she mentions he's been gone since before she was born. It feels odd to realize that my Uncle had no part in raising his own child, especially since my own youth is full of memories of the pied dragon. This girl is not much younger than I am - a year? maybe two? - and I am forced to wonder again where Castile had gone and why.

That wondering is uncomfortable though, and I suppress it with a shake of my head. "I saw him just the other day," I tell her, "with Ilma, in the Forest." She'll recognize the name, I know, her mothers' advisor. Trustworthy Ilma, with whom I have had a rather turbulent relationship of late, reliable Ilma who had seen Valdis' father and not mentioned it to the girl. There is no reason for her to have done so, of course, but sowing doubt is second nature to a creature as well-trained as I. Planting the seeds of distrust might lead to the growth of other ties, the cultivation of bonds outside those of the kingdom, an advantage that Loess will be sure to appreciate.

I am torn from my thoughts by Valdis' assertion that she is not in need of a nursemaid, and I give one final pointed glare to the dark cat before taking to the sky. The air catches easily under my golden wings, and I rise quickly toward the clouds and head toward Loess.