"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
After the first time the world ended, Ea and her family rallied and created Ischia. The island is still a part of her, just as the Dale is, but this time she cannot stop to mourn. They will regroup and rebuild, just as they had done before.
As she leaves the island, she looks over toward the group of those who remain -- her family, blood or not -- and motions for them to follow. Allure is the first to trot to her, returning to her proper place at her mother’s side. Ea doesn’t think to find Ramiel or Grimdark -- they are wanderers, not tied to any land or group, but they will find each other eventually.
The tide is low; she steps in and does not look back.
The meadow is the only land she can think of where they can gather themselves in peace. She is a leader once again -- a position she falls into naturally. She has never been one to force others to follow her, and she didn’t quite share her mother’s ambition to take over Beqanna, but she did like to be in charge. To be heard.
Ea comes to a stop when she reaches a suitably shaded place in the meadow. Allure is close behind, as usual, and uses her mother’s pause to rest. The red girl lies down, her long legs exhausted from the swim and subsequent walk. Ea reaches down, nibbling at her daughter’s mane affectionately as she waits for the others to catch up to them.
@[Wallace] @[Sabrael] @[Vida]
And anyone else is free to join!
They refuse him. Of course they do. But even as Ea steps into the low water and beckons him away, the dragon cannot douse the fire still burning in his belly.
It had weakened to a flame at his mother’s touch (a touch he’d known his entire life, one that said “stop and think about what you are doing,” his impulse control). Then the votes had been cast. And when Ashley and his family had betrayed them openly, their voices cutting against even the ocean waves and counting against Ea, his temper had reignited. Throwing his head back towards the treeline, he loosed a jet of fire at the nearest trees. The salt-dried wood singed quickly, inky smoke smudging out the blue from the skies. Sabrael spared the handiwork of his release only a moment of attention before he focused his reptilian gaze on the red mage.
“Stay,” he said, his eyes sparking dangerously. “You deserve it.”
“You are not welcome with us”, goes unsaid – doesn’t need to be said. But it still hurts that he thinks it, anyway. Ashley had been almost like a father figure during his tumultuous young adulthood. He had defended their fledgling home and assisted in their sparse politics. He had explored the ocean around the island, had brought in his own family to fill their quiet shores with company. He had helped save Wallace, most importantly, stepped in when he wasn’t required to. The pain of losing Ischia is compounded by the loss of Ashley.
Sabrael doesn’t acknowledge Kirin as he launches himself into the hot air, doesn’t look back at the island of Ischia. There is only forward now. Forward he’s gone from the Dale. Forward he’s gone from the Mountain. Forward he’ll go from this home, too, until there’s another place to sink his roots into the easy earth. The dragon pulls the last of the tropical wind under his wings and rides the thermal up and up and up. He climbs until the air is chilled, until it is cold. When condensation forms barely-there icicles on his snout, he lets go of his hold on the wind and plummets to the ground below.
~
He sees them. Ea comforts his youngest sibling under the safety of a swaying, summer tree. The shushing of the leaves against each other is comfort enough for the bay roan stallion. It takes him back to the Dale, where towering sentinel trees watched over his earliest ventures. But the memories are too much like coal, now, hard things eager to be burnt. He has lost the edge he’d teetered on before (exhausting, endless flights will do that) and walks to his family loose-limbed and quiet. “I’m sorry,” he says when he is close. They are the only three to reconvene so far; he wouldn’t apologize if there were more (for his mother’s sake or for his own, he’s not sure). “It isn’t over.” And it isn’t, not by a long shot. But –
“Mother, I have to go.” His gold-ringed eyes seem to glow in the gentle meadow light. They are softer than he feels, softer than he is; he won’t reflect himself to them, not now. “Wallace and I have to travel to Pangea. Please, stay until we return.”
To say Vida had been left in tremendous shock that day was an incredible understatement. The residents of Ischia always had each other's backs, a testament that had been put under stress when the vote came. Many who lived there sided with Ea, including Vida herself, a sight that please the grulla mare. Ea had been one to show her kindness and give her a home here, a fact that Vida would always remember. She owed Ea everything.
But then, Ashley had done something incredible: he'd betrayed them. The stallion chose, along with his family, the side of the purple stallion that had come here to claim the island land. Though Vida was not a close friend of the stallion, his betrayal broke her heart. He was willing to give up the land, their home, to strangers? How dare he!
But Vida knew they could not fight, for with Ashley and his family on Kirin's side, the now former Ischia residents were outnumbered. Vida instantly knew what she would do when everything was decided. As Ea began to leave, Allura by her side, Vida moved to follow. For a moment, she hesitated, looking back like her leader, her heart breaking as she said one last goodbye to what had once been her home. Ischia would always be home in her heart, even if they had to leave, but that didn't mean this whole situation didn't hurt.
As they made their way across the ocean, Sabrael following from the air in his dragon form (something that to this day still shocked Vida), she wondered if he would reveal the news. Unlike Ea, who might know though she all purposes, Vida had heard what had happened with Pangea. Sabrael, and Wallace too; she would be sad to see them go, no matter the period of time. And now, with Ischia lost, how would Ea take it? Vida could only hope she'd remain strong enough to stay on her hooves and help care for those who had followed her, as they would care for Ea in return.
Midway across their ocean trip, Vida slipped on some sand, injuring herself. She had told Ea and Allure to go on ahead, still following but at a slower pace. She still made her way long enough that she did not have long to swim as the tide came in, the water only up to her breast bone by the time she made it to the mainland once again.
Nostalgia filled her mind, but she pushed it away so she could follow after Ea. She could still spot Sabrael's large form in the distance, but after losing it, asked some others if they'd seen in what direction Ea had gone. She received a good enough answer to trail after her leader, eyes filling with joy when she spotted not only Ea, but Allure and Sabrael in the meadow.
Limping toward them, the movement not as noticeable now since her leg had some time to fix despite all the walking, Vida just managed to catch the last of Sabrael's words. She echoed his sadness, giving the young horse a soft look, one that said she would miss him before she turned to Ea.
"We will take back Ischia one day Ea. You will have your home; the herd will have its justice. And Ashley will receive judgment for his mistakes. You still have those loyal to you; we will not leave your side. We will do as you ask, help when needed to keep each other alive. You, your foals, and every horse in the herd," Vida said with as much pride as she could, trying to keep Ea's spirits up among the loss of Ischia and Sabrael's news.
After a quick little chat with Lacey and Reilly, we decided to move the family back to Ischia. Feels like a risky move so soon after dear old dad staked his claim on the place, but it’s deserted and fuck it, it’s home. I cut and run pretty fast, needed to get my kids out of the line of fire, but...well, I’m starting to feel like maybe I should’ve fought a bit harder for home. Not that I regret protecting the kids. I’d do that again. But...whatever, there’s another chance for my kids to grow up surrounded by the water they love, for us to live on and...and maybe take care of that lovely little island. So. Back we go.
But because we’re not stupid enough to think it’ll be easy, and because having allies is a damn good thing...and because apparently Lacey gives a shit about her, or is at least vaguely fond-ish which is close enough, I gave her my word I’d go hunt down her one-time queen, and pass along the information. Invite her to join us in our hopefully triumphant return home. Or whatever. Numbers are a good thing, especially when ours weren’t actually enough to fight off my asshat of a dad. So. Off to the Meadow I go, which is after all the most logical place to regroup after being effectively driven out of their home.
It takes some searching, but I recognize Ea from the other day’s clusterfuckery and I finally manage to track her down. And when I do, I saunter on over, giving her a nice slow once-over and grinning. “Heeeeyyyy. Ea, right? Kirby. Lacey’s…” Huh. Well I have no idea how to finish that sentence. “Uhhhh. Lacey’s sporadic fuck buddy, doting baby daddy, weird new family, I don’t know. Lacey’s something. I also have the dubious pleasure of calling Kirin my sire. I settled my family, Lacey and Reilly and the kids, in at this sweet lake not terribly far from here, up in the mountains. Went back to Ischia to make sure we were at least relatively safe from Daddy Dearest, yeah? Place is deserted. We’re moving back. I told Lacey I’d pass the news along so she could head that-a-way and get there sooner. Though probably not sooner than I will, 'cause, you know, pregnant. Anyhowww. You and yours are welcome to join us. What with it being your home too and all.”
Ea
