"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
”Aunt Reagan! Aunt Reagan!” Her voice was hoarse from all the calling, cracking every time she called for her second adoptive mother. ”Rea- Reagan!” No answer came.
This couldn’t be happening again, not again. Hadn’t she been punished enough already? First she had been sheltered and taken care of by her now unknown dam, to be dumped for some unknown reason. Or, not entirely unknown, because deep down Jinju knew it had been because her dam had deemed her useless. Not special, like aunt Reagan claimed. The second time had been when Beqanna had decided to punish them all. She had merely been a baby, a few months old. After her biological mother had left her in the Den, the former Jungle queen Lexa had picked her up and brought her home. Lexa had been her real mother, the one she referred to as mother, but once she had arrived upon the mountain, the appaloosa mare was nowhere to be seen.
It had been Reagan who had found her in the meadow. Jinju had been one big mess, crying and calling all over, completely shaken up by fear. Right now she wasn’t in a much different state. This time it was the gray mare that had disappeared. The black filly stuck close to her new caretaker, afraid that she too would be lost. That fear had now become reality. ”Aunt Reagan, please! Where are you?” Her words are merely a whisper now, broken, upset and afraid. There was simply no way that she could go through this again.
Ruby eyes move around nervously, trying to catch every movement around her. It’s misty and cold, and in a few hours the darkness would set in again. It is only due to the green scarf around her neck – the one Reagan made her to keep her warm – that she wasn’t bothered by the cold. Not that that would be on her mind right now, as she was still desperately looking for the emerald and gray mare.
@[Ruan]
So, I though maybe he could hear her and come to check on her? Or something
Though they had yet to be alone together and have a chance to connect, Ruan felt protective of his new niece. He adored children in general, but the dark little sprite managed to burn a soft spot in his heart even without speaking directly to him thus far.
His brow pinched in worry as the sun was gradually sinking. She hadn't returned yet and he'd gone out to search for her. It was a while of fretting beneath his calm surface, though, until he heard her call out for Reagan. Immediately, he turned in the direction and rolled into a lope.
As soon as he saw her, his heart gripped painfully. She looked so vulnerable and lost, alone and fearful. "Hey, little one," he cooed instantly, approaching slowly so as not to spook her, head lowered to her level. "Are you alright?" Concern laced his voice as he watched her carefully. He fought the urge to pull her in close, unsure how she'd react to it and still worried he might frighten her further.
ooc: is short, sowwy :3 will get better when he gets more of a feel for her <3
She had accepted him as her uncle in the same way as Reagan had become her aunt. They weren’t as close as she was with the gray mare, but he wasn’t a stranger like the other Taiga residents. So if Jinju would have to pick someone to comfort and calm her, it would definitely been him. Reagan would’ve been her first pick, but her current state was due to the missing of the emerald and gray mare.
Holding her breath after just another call for her aunt, the black filly tried to be as silent as possible. Maybe, maybe if she kept real quiet, she could hear Reagan’s answer. It was then that she heard footsteps in the snow, a light crackling sound. ”Aunt Reagan?” voice merely more than a whisper. With a hopeful glint in her ruby eyes she looks up, only to find her uncle standing there.
Tears are running down her cheeks, as she is finally able to let her emotions, the fear, get the better of her. Ignoring his hesitance she crossed the distance that is left between them, pressing herself closely against his side. Jinju is shaking, not due to the cold, but due to the fear and panic that has taken her over. ”Un-uncle Ruan” she murmurs as she rubs her cheek against his shoulder. ”Aunt Reagan.. She.. She is gone, right?”
OOC: No <3 it's perfectly fine.. Sorry for the shortness of my words though
Ruan felt relieved as soon as she came to his side and gladly returned the embrace. He sheltered her beneath a massive wing, hugging her close and twisting to nuzzle her. He'd never had a child of his own before, and was thoroughly enjoying his little Jinju. Uncle, dad, the name mattered not; she was his girl.
"Aunt Reagan..." she said with a slight tremor in her voice, her small body shaking. "She is gone, right?" She sounded afraid, and almost defeated, as if everyone always left her behind.
He could only imagine what she'd been through, a young child going from home to home, mother to mother to...aunt. "Reagan is never far. Even now I can feel her. She will never leave you." His wing tightened around her protectively, trying to ease her sense of instability with his unyielding resolve. "This is the last home you'll ever need, til you grow up and leave, should you wish to," he vowed firmly, saying much less than what he meant in his heart.
She'd never need another home, another family. He'd provide for her, protect and love her. And should anything ever happen to Reagan, God forbid, he would still be here. Always. If she spooked and ran, he'd find her and calm her. If she were ever taken from him, he'd reclaim her, with as much force as necessary. And if her last mother ever came for her... he hoped she didn't. He'd let his little filly go if she wished it of course, after verifying her safety and a loving home, but he still wouldn't leave her. He'd be there, watching over.
It could be odd to some, how strongly he felt for someone he'd barely known, Reagan included. But once he let someone in his heart, they were there for good. His love and loyalty unmatched.
"I will always be here for you. Always," he affirmed, gazing into her eyes as if to seal the unfaltering promise in his words.
He smiled slowly then. "Reagan says she will teach you to control and harness your magic. Are you excited for that?" He wanted to lighten the mood and distract her, hoping he had eased her doubts for today at least.
No, aunt Reagan wouldn’t leave her. In the same way as her mother wouldn’t have left her. But Lexa was gone now, taken away from her, so who said Reagan wouldn’t been taken from her? What had she ever done to deserve it to be punished in such way? She truly must be a horrible and worthless creature. That must probably be it, the reason why she didn’t deserve anything good in this world. The reason why Reagan had disappeared.
Nonetheless she snuggles herself closer against Ruan, hiding underneath his big wings, feeling safe and sheltered. At least he hadn’t disappeared too. Uncle still sounded strange on her tongue, as she never had a father figure before, but calling him dad would mean calling Reagan mom. And right now, in her heart Lexa was still her mother. Jinju just needed a little bit more time.
Teary ruby eyes met blue ones and she could only stare at him. Did she hear that right? Was aunt Reagan really still around and doing okay? Taking a shaky breath she casts her gaze down again, almost afraid to voice out her thoughts, afraid that they suddenly would become reality after all. ”Momma didn’t leave me either.. She was taken from me.” In her heart Jinju knew that the gray and emerald mare wouldn’t leave her, not as long as she had a say in that matter. However, it is her uncle’s reply that gets to her the most. Blinking slowly she carefully dares to look up again. ”I.. I don’t want to leave..”
Home. She was home now. The Taiga was home, and the Jungle no longer.
This time she doesn’t cry out of agony or pain or fear. Her tears are those of relief and joy, touched deeply and genuinely happy with the thing Reagan and Ruan offered her. A family, a home, a place to belong and stay. She bites down on her lower lip as she looks up to him again, slowly reaching out to touch his nose with hers softly. ”Always?” In her red eyes twinkles a hopeful glint, desperately wanting it to be true. But, he had already promised it to her, so it had to be true, right? He couldn’t go back on his words.
The sudden change of subject surprises her, but effectively pulls her out of her previous dark thoughts. A small smile pulls on the corners of her lips and she nods, suddenly all shy and hesitant again. ”I am. Aunt Reagan’s fire fairies are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen” she answers, not able to not smile at the thought of the time when she had first come to the Taiga. Her aunt had given her her scarf then, and had enjoyed her with the small fire play. ”I’m just.. afraid to disappoint her.” Jinju wasn’t troubled to share her fears with Ruan. Even though she was afraid to let him down, just as she felt towards Reagan, but she had never been abandoned by a male figure before.
Her little eyes sparkled like polished garnet as they looked up to him, and when she touched her muzzle to his lightly, he returned the affection, gently brushing away her tears. "Always?" she questioned, and he slowly nodded in confirmation. He'd been glad to hear she didn't want to leave Taiga, and their new family, and he selfishly hoped it would stay that way.
His change in topics seemed to pull her away from her troubles, and he smiled warmly. He watched shy excitement play on her sweet face and enjoyed every moment they were spending together. Some day, he would take her to the meadow to run about and play, maybe meet a friend. The playground was a safe place for such things, but he didn't want to leave her side. So the meadow it would be, where he could always be in sight if she needed him, could be there to protect her and enjoy her happiness.
He chuckled at her description of Reagan's fire fairies. He could already imagine Jinju wishing to learn how to do that first and foremost. "I'm just afraid to disappoint her," she admitted. He tightened his wing around her briefly again and tapped her nose comfortingly.
"That could never happen," he assured her confidently. "Reagan and I are already so proud of you. And you're only going to grow stronger and stronger."
Reagan would teach her magic, and he'd teach her all he'd learned from his time with the wolves, running with the pack. One day, maybe he'd teach her to defend herself without magic, should she ever be unable to wield it or come across someone immune to her fire. He hoped that never happened; like any protective father -uncle -, he just wanted her to be safe and happy.
Her eyes close the moment he gently brushes her cheek, effectively wiping her tears away. A small smile pulls on the corners of her lips and she enjoys it to bask herself in his presence. Even though they were still somewhat strangers, she already knows that they soon would be as close as she was with Reagan. After all, a family bounded in such easy way, right? Or at least, a true family would. His confirming nod was enough to tell her it was like that, that they would be a true family.
Before she would’ve happily ventured out herself, to explore the world and everything that lied across her home’s borders. So many times already had Jinju gotten lost in the Jungle, but it had never scared her. Somehow the Jungle, her mother or her mom’s sisters had always brought her back home. Things were different now. Every time she left to do something on her own, someone dear could be taken out of her life again. She couldn’t have that happening again.
Her gaze had been cast down when she had spoken her honest feelings to Ruan, but it are his wings and the touch of his nose that make her carefully look up again. Red meets blue – quite an odd eyed family they have – and hers twinkle as he reassures her. The insecurity gets somewhat banned to the back of her mind, not entirely though. The fear of getting abandoned when turning out to be a failure isn’t that easy taken away. However, uncle Ruan’s are comforting and she nestles herself closer against his winged side like a purring kitty cat.
”Uncle Ruan?” she silently asks for his attention, before asking the question that lied upon her lips. ”Are you like us? Aunt Reagan says I’m special, and that she is special too. Are you also special?” It is curiosity that makes her ask it, eager to learn more about him. And maybe, maybe he could help her understand what it meant to be special. Because Jinju had never felt special at all.
Ruan smiled down at her as she captured his attention. She asked about being special, and he knew this was how Reagan had introduced her to their magic.
"Are you also special?"
His eyes darken at her innocent question, but his smile remained. When he could reach for his magic, his eyes had not been so deep blue, and instead were bright as if lit from within by the icey power. Without that link, they had dulled naturally.
"Yes," he says a little reluctantly. "As you have power over fire, I have the magic of ice. And when it returns, these wings will be removed."
When he'd been planted upon the mountain by the great Mother Fairy, he'd denied any temporary appeasement by way of horn or wings, swearing he would not return for his ice until every last soul had redeemed the magic she relinquished from them. Perhaps in some sort of mocking joke of hers, he'd left there with wings regardless of his wishes. She'd thrust them upon him with a tinkling laugh and a promise that he would need them.
He wouldn't deny they'd been of great assistance in finding Reagan after that moment, and in finding his.. in finding Kilter. They were swift and somehow beautiful, yet large and unwieldy. He almost thought he might miss them when they were gone, which he'd never admit to the Fairy.
He sighed quietly and pulled himself out of his dark thoughts. "We can stay here for the night if you like. Reagan can always sense where we are when she chooses to." He nuzzled the dark filly with more gentle affection. "Perhaps after sunrise I could take you out for the day. Maybe the common forest? Or the meadow? If you like.."
If he were to break that vow to the Fairy, and redeem his magic sooner than he had planned, it would be solely to protect his little filly. When thinking of her finding any kind of danger, he felt naked knowing he would not be able to use his ice to keep her safe. He wasn't one to break promises, of any kind, but for her Ruan felt he may do so.
It is almost like he somewhat hesitates, like she had asked the wrong thing, before he answers. His answer is simple though, and so unlike Reagan’s way of telling about her magic and about Jinju’s own. He also confuses her, by telling her that he would have to give up his wings. ”Why..?” she therefor asks, her head tilting somewhat to the side. The little rhombus shaped star on her forehead is shown as she does so, the dark poll of hair falling to the side.
Reagan had sort of told her about the fact that she had to earn her magic back, that their magic was taken away now and that they had to earn it. Jinju was too young to understand though. She hadn’t even known she had fire within her before the gray and emerald mare told her, Jinju had honestly thought that the fire on the mountain – that she accidentally created in her panic – had been by the hands of the gods, just like the change. So when Ruan speaks about having to get his fire back and give up his wings, he confuses her even more.
She doesn’t know how to get her fire back, she only knows that her aunt told her she had to earn it. But Jinju assumed that Reagan would know it when time was there, just as how she promised she would help her to master it.
Jinju cannot help it but to smile when he once again shows her affection, her heart beating loudly in her chest and her stomach somewhat fluttering. It felt good to be wanted, loved and accepted. For now it was like that at least. And she would cherish it for as long as it would last. Hearing him speak about staying for the night, she suddenly realises how late it had already gotten. When she had lost Reagan it had already started to get dark, but now it really was. She nods while trying to fight a yawn, feeling all tired at that instant. ”I’d like that. Just.. don’t leave me there..” Not that she expected him to dump her there, but the thought of being somewhere alone frightened her. ”Will aunt Reagan come too?” Yes, she would like it for the three of them to do something together.
He noted her confusion at his answer and grimaced. He hadn't considered Reagan hadn't had the time to fully explain things to her. He gradually dropped himself to the ground, settling for the night and giving her space to lay close if she chose to.
"Everyone must earn their magic back," he began carefully. "There are some who use the magic for ill deeds. They use it to kill and conquer, for their own gains." He shook his head sadly, his eyes growing hard at their terrible misuse of power. Along with many others, he had not relied on his magic in this way, but only chose to wield it in the defense of others. It did not make a difference though. The Fairy had taken everyone's powers, not just the crooks.
"All magic originates from the Fairy, and so she took her power back. These magics were a gift, and when she saw them being used by her children to harm each other, she removed them. All of them."
He paused and sighed again, then continued. "Some were given the choice to accept wings, or a unicorn's horn, or even immortality, as a temporary replacement for the magic they lost. The Fairy is not cruel, she did not wish to leave us with nothing, but she could not let the evil use of her magic continue."
He paused to let his words sink in, noting her question if Reagan would join them tomorrow or not, but withholding an answer for now.
