up your bum and around the corner // Leander

[Kagerus]

Kagerus

{ and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times }

Swathed in moonlight, we travel. The long grasses of pre-summer part as our bodies surge forward, the sound of the river falling just to our right as we follow its gurgling length towards the northern commonland. Panthera's sleek form is silent compared to mine, but it still feels wonderful, to be racing alongside my leopard as the moon brings out my own feline markings; the wind tastes feral in my mouth, and the stars above seem almost within reach.

As the thin forest surrounding the River swallows our fleeting figures, we pull up in a whir of dust and stand, panting and snorting as our hearts hammer within our chests. The distance from Hyaline to here is short compared to any of the other commonlands, but to run it is no small feat. You know I'm not a cheetah, right? I flick my nutmeg eyes to Panthera, offering a wordless and breathless grin; she peels back her whiskered maw, half genuine and half mocking me; but we have an understanding, and so I allow the comment to pass in silence.

Dropping my antlered head, I make my way down the bank of the river, hopping the last bit to splash right into the thigh-deep waters. Panthera watches from above, dropping to her stomach and settling her head on to her massive paws, eyes watching me and my surroundings comfortably. 

Laughing to myself, I take a deep gulp of the lake run off before throwing my head up and splashing my cat quite thoroughly. A yowl echoes through the land, followed by an angry hiss; but I only laugh more loudly, my leopard spots gleaming and my antlers proud and everything feeling almost all right.

When my laughter subsides, my eyes snag on a path of gold not far off on the other side of the river. I'm not close enough to identify to whom the palomino hue belongs, and when I smell the air, I can't distinguish Rapt or Abysm or Khaedrik from its mingling particles. Exhaling with a flare of my nostrils, I clamber up the other embankment, looking for a moment towards the stranger before lowering my head to graze in silence.

@[Leander] for anyone here because of the tagline, lydia suggested it while half zoned out and now i wont change it. enjoy.

[Leander]

After the day of exploration he’d had by both air and land, Leander rested, hind leg propped and wings easy at his sides. Moonlight glimmered through trees whose branches had begun to unfurl with the greenery of spring, though everything looked a dull grey in the dimness. It was a strange experience to finally be in Beqanna and find it nothing like he’d expected – strange, but not unpleasant, nomad that he was.

He had just closed his eyes for sleep to take him when a splash nearby alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone. Dispelling any wayward fatigue with a stirring of feathers, Leander moved from his place between two large redwoods and looked across the waters. Initially he was startled to see a leopard crouched upon the opposite bank, though his attention was diverted by the mare who came into view as she waded the currents.

He was about to call out a warning as she heedlessly approached the predator, his wings half-raised in preparation to intervene. But then the mare threw her head and sent up a spray toward the cat, and though the animal hissed, the antlered woman merely laughed – and a stray moonbeam revealed telltale markings spun upon red and white skin. The stallion resettled his wings, the understanding between the two strangers made clear; still, those markings had struck him with curiosity.

After all, they seemed an almost perfect manifestation of how he’d imagined his grandmother’s to be.

Once the mare withdrew from the river’s soft embrace, Leander decided to approach. “I hope I’m not interrupting,” he started with a surreptitious glance toward the leopard, “Or at least if I am, I hope your friend here doesn’t eat me.” A crooked grin formed about his mouth. “In any case, my name’s Leander.” Closer now, he noticed the scarring and wondered at its making, though something deeper within her countenance was pleasant – a face he found remarkably familiar.

leander

take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake

[Kagerus]

Kagerus

{ and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times }

As I clamber up the opposite bank towards the stallion whose wings gently resettle themselves as if he'd been about to take off, I hear a splash behind me that signals Panthera wading across the river to join us here. Good thing you aren't a cheetah now, huh? I remark to her, snapping my tail at her nose as she scrambles up beside me, sopping wet now but content, being a water-liking big cat. A gasp followed by a snort echoes through the river's forest as I feel her teeth sink into my hock; but she let's go a heartbeat later and comes to prowl beside me. Bitch.

Looking up, my ears flick forward in genuine interest as the palomino approaches, words falling from his pale lips. He looks... a lot like my father, I decide after a moment. I eye the white patches that mark him as an overo, and then compare them fleetingly to my own; but the thought is empty of any truth-seeking intentions, and so I return my nutmeg gaze to his, listening more closely now.

I hope your friend here doesn't eat me. A crooked grin, again reminding me of Kavi - my gut twists, but I blame it on the run. In any case, my name's Leander.

"Well Leander, although Panthera here likes to show off, she doesn't quite have a taste for horse flesh." The leopard stands drippingly beside me, staring up at the pegasus with a strange twinkle in her eye, as if she knows something that neither of us do; but that's cats for you, and I dismiss the look unthinkingly. "Something about eating the kin of your familiar will do that to a predator, apparently." A little harrumph next to me tells me that enough's enough on the topic, and so I reluctantly continue speaking, a chuckling smile curling upon my lips.

"Whatever the case, we hail from Hyaline, the mountain kingdom just west of here. You can't see it in the moonlight, but you will in the morning." I pause, stretching out my neck to shake off my body - sending rain everywhere - before stepping closer to the palomino, having kept him until now out of the splash zone. "My wife and I are the leaders of that land, actually. Though - shit - I should probably start with my name." Another chuckle rolls through me, eyes going to the heavens as if they could help me be a little more eloquent with my words tonight; but they drop right back to Leander when next I speak.

"I'm Kagerus."

@[Leander] Okay upon rereading your post I feel grossly unworthy of wording with you?? Maybe those hours of ceaseless editing do win you some battles :|

[Leander]

Through some inquiries made during his meanderings, Leander had learned of the Reckoning that had blighted all the old lands – the ones his parents had taught him about – and that much of Beqanna as Rayelle and Riagan had known it was no more. It saddened him to think that he would never see the open skies of the Dale which his mother had loved, or swim in the healing waters beneath the Falls as his father had often done.
 
Still, while so much history seemed lost to him now, he remained determined. There had to be connections, he thought. Ideally, Leander hoped to find his sisters, but when he considered the scope of his lineage, he believed even distant relatives must yet abide in these new lands. Regardless, he was a sociable sort – and therefore this midnight encounter was taken in stride quite readily, especially since he found the pair before him rather intriguing.
 
After the leopard’s particularly toothy display, the antlered woman’s assurances only served to quirk his brow. “I see,” he said with some humour, clearly retaining some reservations about the animal. He decided he would keep a respectful distance – just in case. Listening intently as she spoke of her home, he tested the name. “Hyaline,” he nodded. “I believe I saw the range in the distance earlier. It seems like beautiful country, at least from a bird’s-eye view. I wouldn’t mind taking a closer look one of these days.”  
 
The winged stallion responded to her pronouncement of leadership with an appreciative tone. “That’s quite an accomplishment.” He liked how at ease she was, the unforced temperament not unlike his own; it felt natural to flash his lopsided smile when she chuckled at her lack of an introduction. At her name, however, he did a double take. “Kagerus?” He ventured, his brown eyes searching, the familiarity of her suddenly made all the more apparent. “Kagerus, as in… Kagerou?”

leander

take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake

um as I told you before, shut your face hole :| you are perfect and I adore everything you write.

[Kagerus]

Kagerus

{ and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times }

As the water slides off my figure and cools in the chill of the night air, I am utterly unsuspecting; although there's an air of familiarity about the palomino, I pay it next to no mind. I don't consider that he might know about the time before (and if I did, I could take him there); I don't consider that I yet have ties to the time before the Reckoning (for I have a family now, one built entirely in this new world).

He mentions having seen it from the skies, and I smile a little bitter-sweetly at this. It's been some time since I sported wings, having dreamt of other things - ahem - since reuniting with my wife after a rather lengthy period away. Still, I offer Leander a nod of encouragement. "I'd be glad to show you around any time you'd like. We are an open bordered kingdom though, so feel free to come unannounced."

I'm about to follow up my introduction with an inquiry as to his own accomplishments when the sound of my name upon his tongue interrupts me; I pause, not bothered at all by his interjection and in fact quite intrigued by it. The way he leans towards me, eyes flicking between both of mine almost incredulously, as if my name might be that of a God he'd once worshiped. But his next words reveal the truth of his searching gaze, and in fact it leaves me more breathless than if a God had come down to greet us.

"Y-Yes," I stammer. "She's... My grandmother."

Heart pounding, I become acutely aware of how the moonlight hits my side, illuminating the leopard markings which perfectly mirror hers; a parting gift from her, after the first and last time we met. Even this encounter is years passed now, and in the peace of our meeting I'd almost stopped considering the vastness of her lineage; I'd forgotten that others beyond Kavi's line still roam these meadows. The thought leaves me wide-eyed, leaning forward just as he does.

"...Did you know her?"

[Leander]

At her pronouncement, Leander’s breath caught. He stared at her as his mind raced. He felt oddly as though he should be crowing with excitement, except that the happenstance of it all had temporarily struck him dumb. Blinking at this newfound relative, he realized with an abrupt start why she had seemed so familiar at first. Beyond the antlers and the piebald coloring – beneath the mask of scars – her face had reminded him of Rayelle. Among a myriad of disordered thoughts, the stallion wondered which of his uncles were her father: Rodrik, or Kavi?  

After a prolonged pause, Leander rallied and cleared his throat. “No, I didn’t,” he began hesitantly, though his heart had quickened its beating in his chest. Of course, he had always imagined breaking the news of shared blood to unsuspecting strangers – but now that it finally came down to it, Leander felt somewhat unsure of how he should proceed. The outright truth would serve best, he supposed. “I never knew her, but she – Kagerou – well,” he fumbled, still a bit stunned, “She was my grandmother, too.”

Shrugging black-speckled wings, his lopsided grin flashed briefly. “I should probably explain that I was born outside of Beqanna. My parents – Rayelle and Riagan – they left before the Reckoning. They’d always intended to return here with me, but they passed before we could make it back together.” The stallion shook his blonde mane loose as he continued. “Ever since then, I’ve been looking for this place, hoping to find some of my family.”

Leander’s expression brightened as he added, “Which I suppose I just have.” He chuckled then, brown eyes meeting those of nutmeg with a genuine smile. “It’s good to finally meet you, cousin. You wouldn’t believe how good.” He gestured to the pattern that glistened upon her wet skin in the moonlight. “I see you bear grandmother’s markings, as well as her name.”

Years of built-up curiosity and eager anticipation began to overcome his shock, and suddenly he couldn’t seem to help the flood of questions that started pouring from him. “What about you, did you know her? Is your father Rodrik, or Kavi? My uncles, are they… still around?” The final question, that which he most hoped she could answer: “Would you happen to know anything about my sisters, Rhy or Kora?”

leander

take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake

[Kagerus]

Kagerus

{ and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times }

As the sound of my voice becomes more memory than present between us, I come to realize that the pounding I'm hearing isn't coming from outside, but from inside. My heart. It's been so long since I considered the other branches of my family that being confronted with it so unexpectedly leaves me somewhat undone mentally; I begin to shiver in the coolness, the wind chilling my wet fur. But none of that is of interest any more as, at last, the stallion before me recovers enough to speak.

She was my grandmother, too.

"...That makes us cousins!" The exclamation is made under my breath, eyes dropping and then finding his again as wonder besieges their depths. My ears flutter impatiently, but then zone in on his words as if my life depends on it; there's a lopsided grin on his mouth, and again it occurs to me how much it resembles my father's. Not so much Rodrik's, and I'm sure that he would have mentioned a son when last we spoke; I have a good connection with my uncle. Still, there remains something of a mystery as to how we are related - though in an instant, Leander is unveiling his secrets.

He spins a long tale, though I drink up every drop of it. There's no real need for me to interrupt, so I don't, content to nod and blink and smile at the correct places, still processing exactly what's going on right now. But when he speaks to how glad he is to have met me, a grin breaks out across my face, wide and bright.

"The Gods have blessed us with this meeting - I'm so glad to meet you." I step forward with the words, exchanging a breath with him such that we are officially, in all ways, acquainted. As I step back, he makes reference to the shimmering leopard print markings which lay atop my coat. My smile takes on a sadder lilt, though I will always cherish the memories of how I earned these same markings. "Yes, I do... I only hope I am living up to her and making her proud."

Eyes cast down in remembrance of she who ties our blood together, I fail to catch the tell tale signs of excitement building up in Leander - but it's of no offense to me when he bursts forth with questions that admittedly need answering, and I quietly remove my grief in favour of enjoying the present. I laugh quietly at his arsenal of questions, flicking an ear to Panthera who, now laying down beside me, has begun to purr in approval of my cousin. I take a moment to collect my thoughts, then clear my throat and answer.

"I met her only once, and it was made possible by the faeries - that is how I acquired the markings. She didn't say anything, but I know that if she could have, she would have asked me to tell you and all of her family that she loves you." I smile tightly, hoping that this won't be too painful an image to bear. "As for Rodrik and Kavi - the latter is my father, and they are both slinking around beqanna in various states of mostly-dead-but-somehow-immortal. Father gained his immortality at an ancient age, and uncle Rodrik is literally a corpse. But they are around, and I can guarantee that if you come to Hyaline, one or both of them will come to meet you."

He asks about his sisters next, and my ears fall back lamely. "I'm sorry, I know nothing of your sisters.. I have two brothers myself, but one - Bergamot - has not been around since before the Reckoning, and the other comes around only sparingly. Khaedrik - he too can be found in Hyaline."

Pausing, I shake my head thoughtfully, still barely processing all that has been discovered this night. "It must be... Crazy, coming back from the Beyond and discovering... This. Us. Me, and everyone else." I try out a smile, knowing that he's excited but hoping he's not feeling other things too, namely fear or uncertainty. "I have children too. Your first cousins once removed, though they can call you uncle - if you want to meet them - if you want to meet any of them - you don't have to, of course. I'm just, well, pretty damn excited."

@[Leander] k well I was writing this and then disaster in the form of a mega post struck and I sincerely apologize because when I was writing it, it genuinely felt like 5 paragraphs max. oops.

[Leander]

Leander listened eagerly to his antlered cousin’s every word. He smiled when she mentioned their grandmother, saying she hoped she was making Kagerou proud. “I’m sure you are,” he intoned, a warmth in his brown eyes. “For one, you seem to be following in her footsteps when it comes to leadership. And after everything mom told me about her, I have to believe that being granted her markings speaks volumes, too.”

It was the memory of his mother that saddened him more than that of the grandmother he’d never met, though within his quiet smile it only showed at the corners of his mouth. For the most part, Leander had accepted the grief over his parents’ death, letting it become a piece of himself – one that lessened in sharpness with the passage of time. He knew that neither Rayelle or Riagan would have wanted him to live in constant sorrow. It was a comfort that they had crossed together in old age, stewarded peacefully by sleep’s gentle embrace; and theirs had been a fulfillment of a lifelong love so rare and so simple, that even in death there was beauty to behold.

After they had shared a look of understanding, Kagerus went on to depict his uncles. He blinked and chuckled a little, trying to picture them as they were now rather than how he had always imagined them. “Let’s do that,” he said confidently, a wide grin appearing as he resettled his wings. His cousin’s lack of information regarding his sisters does not dampen his spirits – after all, he had expected roadblocks, and the elation of having already discovered living relatives kept him quite hopeful.

Leander nodded as she told him of her own brothers, making mental notes as he added them to branches of the family tree which he’d had memorized since boyhood. “More cousins,” he murmured to himself, still somewhat astounded. He had to laugh at her next comment and responded teasingly, “What gave me away?” As she continued his smile remained steadfast, broadening all the more once she’d admitted to her own excitement.

“Kagerus, I want to meet everyone. I’ve been looking forward to doing so for the better part of my life. So to find you – to find out that I still have family – I can’t tell you what it means to me.” The stallion was surprised at the raw emotion that rose within him as spoke; yet he couldn’t help but think of what it would have meant to his parents, too. Briefly, Leander closed his eyes, in that moment allowing his heart a small pang as he thought of them. Miss you, mom and dad. He took a breath before meeting Kagerus’ nutmeg gaze again, this time with renewed vigor.

“So,” he grinned, “I say lead the way, cousin.”

leander

take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake

@Kagerus don't apologize because I flippin' LOVE IT.