"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
Zhenga could not begin to describe how happy she was to finally be out on her own. She'd ventured from her dam's side a number of times to explore the other territories surrounding Sylva, but it wasn't enough for the high-spirited filly. She wanted to be out on her own, living her own life, like Anahi's two colts and oldest filly. Eiria was young, but loyal, and wished to stay by her dam's side in case the champagne mare ever needed any help. Having at least one of her foals stay with her was good for the mare, since she'd been in a depressed state following Archam's disappearance.
But Raxa, she knew that Zhenga wouldn't be held down forever. So, just a few day ago, she'd taken the roan to one of their secret meeting places, a grove they could go to hide in if trouble ever rose up and they couldn't take it on themselves. Without a plan that is. Raxa, though saddened at losing her only foal, gave Zhenga permission to strike out on her own, to go explore Beqanna's other kingdoms and make a life for herself.
While she didn't openly display a lot of loving emotions, Zhenga was all but a puddle as she nuzzled her dam and bid her farewell. With Raxa watching her departure, Zhenga galloped toward Sylva's border, letting out one last goodbye whinny before crossing the line and heading out into the rest of the wild.
And boy was it exciting! Zhenga had never felt so free in all her young life, not even those times when she would gallop across the grassy meadows with Eiria or Raxa by her side. This was a totally different feeling of free, one that only came around when a foal departed home for the very first time. She was experiencing that all over again, only this time was even greater, for she didn't have to return home before the sun descended beneath the skyline.
Now, she was on her own, free to see what the other kingdoms were like, to make a life all of her own, just like Raxa had when she first arrived here.
And there was one place Zhenga really wanted to see first. Following one of her dam's trips out to the Meadow, she came back with stories regarding the kingdom of Ischia, how its beloved ruler had been replaced by a purple-coated stallion. Zhenga wasn't so much interested in him though; she wanted to see what Ischia was actually like, for she'd heard incredible tales of its unrivaled beauty and wonders across the ocean channel.
It had taken some time to find the proper crossing spot, since the information she'd sought about the way of passage mentioned a land bridge that formed when the tide went out. In some areas, the sand bars extended quite far into the ocean, but not so much that it would give her safe passage all the way across. By the time she found the bridge, she was a bit worn out from her efforts, as more than once the tide had caught the unexperienced filly by surprise. She had to make sure she was right on the mark this time, for she really didn't feel like being caught in the beginning stages of a rip current again. She'd been lucky to get out of that first one with her life, only because she was close enough to the edge that she had the power in her legs to escape.
But now, as she started crossing the newly formed land bridge, and saw it getting further and further out to see towards the island, she knew she made the right choice. She walked a majority of the way, the tide staying out for some time, before galloping the rest to avoid getting stuck. When she reached the banks of the island kingdom, the tide was just starting to come back in, her black points now soaked through and looking several shades darker.
Her coat, mane, and tail were also soaked with sea water from a wave that came up and got her, but thanks to the sun above, she was mostly dry when she reached land. She was used to cold weather, even if Sylva wasn't anything like the Tundra. Point being, even the strong-smelling ocean water wasn't enough to deter her.
For she was finally here: the wondrous kingdom of Ischia. Even though she was still outside the border, the filly could tell the kingdom was beautiful. A large line of green tress lined the earth where it turned into sand, their evergreen color reminding the filly of those in the Forest during springtime, when the first morning sun peeked over the horizon and bathed the land in the first sunrise of the warm seasons. There was a warm feeling in the air, a humid tense of sorts, but Zhenga was quick to ignore it. All she could stare at was the huge expanse of trees and imagine what lay within.
For a second, she almost did forget an important rule about entering a new kingdom: always announce your arrival. But the filly was so excited she pushed it out of her head. Throwing up her hind legs, the filly launched some sand into the air behind her, excitedly galloping along the sandy beach and letting out an excited whinny as the ocean battered at the large expanse of earth sitting so far off the mainland.
He was quickly becoming Ischia's very own welcoming party. He was typically the first to sense new travelers, feel their thoughts brush against his mind long before anyone could lay eyes on them, though his magic was kept secret. Only his two sisters and one of his fathers knew of it, and he intended to keep it that way. He'd seen how easily it could hurt people, and it was best not to spread the knowledge. Any knowledge.
So he wasn't surprised to be the first to find this wanderer either. He walked with unusual grace he'd probably inherited from his father, caught at an age somewhere between a boy and a man. In most places, his medium-length hair still stood on end, tousled by the salty sea breezes. An iron medallion hung heavily about his neck, a work of art displayed proudly against his chest.
He smiled easily when he saw her, a girl with similar colors to young Allure. She romped about the shore in carefree joy, beautiful in a wild and natural way. He was entirely at ease as he paused to watch her, taking comfort that her thoughts were so pure and kind. It was so rare that anyone thought so simply in genuine happiness. Even the sweetest people had the occasional corrupt imaginings, but she had yet to think of any such things and he was content just to watch her enjoy herself.
He understood. He loved the island too.
He half-rose on his back legs, lavender and white wings flapping with her infectious excitement, then launched himself downhill to join her, racing enough distance at her side to allow his wings the freedom they needed. They always pumped at the air as he ran, an instinct that hadn't yet manifested in actual flight. But he kept that a secret, too. It was embarrassing to have such glorious appendages and not know how to use them.
When they stopped, he paused, watching her with smiling gray eyes. "Hi. You're not from here, huh? Are you visiting?" He was a little breathless, and curious, and he offered his name next. "I'm Kharon. And the other that looks like me-" He glanced around to see if his twin was near, but quickly returned his attention to her. "-is Kylin, my sister. I bet she'd like you. What's your name?"
Zhenga loved being challenged, especially to contests of speed. Whenever her dam had caught up to her during one of her morning runs, the two made a race out of it, seeing who could beat the other to the herd's main grazing meadow, the lake, the south stream, whatever destination they had in mind.
She was so busy enjoying herself that she almost failed to notice the colt racing beside her, only picking up on his presence when she felt a breeze by her shoulder. She glanced over, seeing the purple-paint colored horse with wings as proud as his eyes, his powerful legs carrying him alongside each stride Zhenga took.
The filly's mouth turned upward in a smirk, eager to see what kind of running this winged colt could take. With ease and the practice she'd developed from her dam's teachings, Zhenga kicked it up a notch, her legs propelling her over the ground a few strides ahead of the colt.. Her muscled coiled when she brought her legs back, her muscles bulging under the skin as she ran. The colt was keeping pace with her, his wings flapping like he was trying to take off. The only reason Zhenga knew about this was because she'd seen a couple winged horses in the Field take to the skies, and it sure seemed like the colt was trying to do the same.
At his age, why couldn't he, Zhenga wondered, thinking it had something to do with his wings, maybe being injured or that he couldn't use them.
Finally, after running several dozen yards down the sandy beach, the filly and colt started slowing down. By the time they came to a halt, Zhenga's neck was lined with beads of sweat, her mane plastered to her roan-colored fur. Her points were still dark from her earlier trip in the ocean, and now dotted with sand due to her run down the beach. The end of her tail was also covered in the white powder, and her ears had a few specks that had been kicked up by the colt's wings. With a shake of her head, they were gone.
Zhenga finally turned her electric blue eyes to the paint colt, taking a moment to catch her breath before responding to his question.
"What gave it away genius? The fact I was running like I've never seen a beach?" she asked sarcastically. While her dam had always taught Zhenga to mind her tongue around strangers, especially in their own territory, she sometimes couldn't help it if her snarky self came through. "Yeah; I wanted to see what this place was like, see if it could make a good home. I finally left my own herd and wanted to see what this island had. I heard it was really pretty and ruled by some purple stallion after the queen was kicked out."
The colt looked around as he went on to tell her about another horse, apparently his sister, which would be obvious since she looked like him. Perhaps he was looking for her? Zhenga's eyes scanned the tree line but didn't see anything at first, so she turned back to the colt.
"My name's Zhenga; my dam thought it's meaning was nice apparently. It would've been a better name for a princess if you ask me, but I'm not complaining because I could've gotten a horrible one instead," she offered, tapping the ground with her hoof a few times as she spoke proudly of the title she'd been given.
He was startled by her sharp humor and his smile slipped away as he stared at her. It didn't last long though, and soon he was grinning easily again. His mother was much the same, and Father too. And even Reilly at times. So he was used to it, though he didn't seem to have learned that humor himself.
His expression fell away again though at the mention of the invasion, and he looked a bit sour. "Uh.. yes. Well, he's long gone, guess he didn't want the island after all, and the queen is returned with her family. They prefer to keep to themselves, I think, but I'm sure I could introduce you to Allure sometime if you wanted. She looks a bit like you actually, but anyway, she's pretty cool." Rambling, he was rambling. He tended to do that sometimes.
"My name's Zhenga; my dam thought it's meaning was nice apparently."
She won his attention again and his eyes lit up with interest. "Oh? Better for a princess? What's it mean?" His name had a meaning, too, after all. It just probably wasn't quite as nice as hers. He was pretty sure it most definitely wasn't as nice as hers, actually. Mother had been in such a dark place. Kylin's name was much better, but then Reilly had chosen it so that made sense. Maybe Mother would be better at names now, but he probably wouldn't know for a while since he was the one to name their baby sister.
"I'm Kharon. He's the ferryman to death. So when people die, he's in charge of taking them to the underworld unless they can't pay the fee. Or, that's how I heard it anyway. Mother thought I'd take her to her death. But really, I'm not all that bad, she was just in a really bad place. She's better now, I think. Mostly."
He blushed, suddenly feeling a bit awkward and like he'd said too much, and fell silent.
Where one twin went, the other wasn’t far behind. She didn’t join in on the little morning exercise though, she simply watched them lounging in the shades of the trees. Her lips had curled up into a pleasant smile, enjoying the little show her brother had put up. Kylin would never get enough of watching him.
By the time they slow down she comes out of hiding. She doesn’t rush, simply enjoying the salty breeze as the sun warms her back. As she reaches them the slides up her brother’s side, her nose brushing his cheek lovingly before she playfully nips at him. ”You’re rambling, again” she teases him, with a smile on her lips. ”And your name is gorgeous.” She winks.
Then her hazel gaze turns to the young mare. Young, but not like them, but neither she had Mother’s age. ”Hi, I’m Kylin” she introduces herself with a smile. Extending her neck she reaches out a little, all without moving from Kharon’s side, offering her nose to exchange scents. ”That was quite a nice show you two put up” she comments, amused. It did not bother her that she stood pressed up against her twinbrother’s sweaty form, instead she enjoyed to have his scent all over her.
That was interesting news to Zhenga; the stallion was no longer here? Surely he wouldn't have abandoned a kingdom he had taken from its Queen so easily. What had caused him to leave? The island was plentiful, had a natural barrier protecting it from the mainland, and offered solace to its residents. Why wold he have given that up? Was he not pleased with its distance from the mainland? Did he want something closer in case he wanted to take over some other nearby kingdom, like he probably had done after abandoning Ischia? Zhenga would bet on it.
The colt asked for the meaning of Zhenga's name, which she decided to explain since she had no real reason to keep it hidden, "It means Queen, weirdly enough. I'm not Queen of anything. Maybe running one day, but my mom still has that title."
Introducing himself, the colt - now known as Kharon - proceeded to explain the meaning behind his name. Zhenga had to admit, it was interesting, but dark, much like Kharon's home it seemed. Who would name their foal after a being from the depths of the Underworld?
It seems another didn't mind it as much as another would. As silent as the breeze, another young horse, a filly, materialized from the cover of the trees, her coat identical to Kharon's. She gave her name, Kylin, complimenting the show that Zhenga and the purple colt had put on.
She stuck her nose out to let Zhenga smell her, to exchange scents, something the filly readily did. Why she was so interesting in getting to know the filly, Zhenga didn't know, but she figured it would be rude to just ignore Kylin like she had so many others before that she didn't feel were worthy of meeting the roan filly.
"It's a rather beautiful place," she told Kylin, "Nothing like I've ever seen before. Plants that don't really exist on the mainland either. I can see why the former leader enjoyed this place before he left, and why the Queen still lives here.
"Why would the king leave, do you think? If I ruled this place I would not want to let it go so easily," she questioned.
”Queen? Oh, you’re mother is a ruler? That’s neat! My mom, too, and my dads! They lead here, actually, so the queen could live in peace.” His voice lowered conspiratorially as he glanced around for listeners, ”There was some betrayal involved in the invasion. I think it maybe hurt her more than she shows,” he finished regretfully, absently lifting a wing in the air. He and his twin had been quite little, but Mother had told them of the queen Ea and he liked her. And her daughter Allure was pretty cool, too.
”You’re rambling, again,” Kylin teased as she came to his side. He grinned wide for her as his raised wing draped over her naturally and he pulled her to him with a hug, briefly burying his nose in her hair and breathing her familiar scent. ”And your name is gorgeous,” she continued to Zhenga. He gave Kylin a light squeeze before he released her as she introduced herself, her muzzle extending in greeting that the other met easily with her own. Soft, gray eyes settled on Zhenga again as she answered Kylin, telling of how she already enjoyed the island and its unique features that set them apart from the other lands. His smiled dimmed, though, at her next question.
”Why would the king leave, do you think? If I ruled this place I would not want to let it go so easily.”
"Not much of a king," he grimaced in disgust. "More like a band of marauders sweeping through for the sole purpose of disrupting perfectly peaceful lives, and displacing everyone from their home without care. Most had lived here their entire lives and didn't know anything else."
He blushed and quieted again, realizing he was back to rambling on and on. He changed the subject instead. "So, would you like to see more of Ischia? I'd take you to meet Mother, I think she might possibly like you one day, but she's terribly snippy with our baby sister still so very little. She won't like strangers coming near Kali, especially after the invasion. Dad's fun, though! Both of them. Maybe you'll see them around sometime." Oops, rambling.
He turned a smile to Kylin, "Where should we take her to see first?"
html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura
He tells her "ooh love".
A sigh escapes past the barrier of her lips as he draws her close. She loved those wings of his. It made him special, slightly different, better than herself, even though they were still recognizable twins. But more she loved what he did with them, how he held her close, how he sheltered her. Kylin gladly settles in his embrace, a soft smile on her lips.
It’s sweet and short, a twin brother and sister greeting each other. Then her attention is back on the other mare again. She can feel the warmth of Zhenga’s skin, their breaths mingling as they exchange scents. Once done she steps backwards, next to Kharon again, but without pressing herself against his side. Though she’s not any less aware of his presence.
She smiles at Zhenga, nodding approvingly and agreeing. Ischia is beautiful, unlike any other place too. They had their own private isle, with a jungle, fresh water springs and so many things to explore. ”It is” she softly agrees with a warm smile upon her pale lips. It’s all she says for now, allowing Kharon to answer the mare’s question. For now she was content with listening. Her face shows dislike at his story, clearly agreeing with her brother on the invaders.
Grinning slightly she reaches out again, nipping his shoulder as to tell him to calm down. ”Mother wouldn’t like it. If Father would want to meet Zhenga, he will come find us on his own” she tells him, still grinning slightly before turning her hazel eyes back to the mare in front of her. ”No worries, Father is nice” she agrees with her brother.
Then her attention is back to Kharon again, her dished head slightly tilting as she silently looks at him. There was so much to see. From the pretty flowers that only grew on their island to the beautiful sight of looking up to the roof of leaves where the sun danced upon. Not to mention the few springs that were their source of fresh, sweet water. ”The little clearing, the one with the small flower meadow” she finally decides, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips at the memory.
"Not really," Zhenga retorted. "She is a warrior for my former home. I don't think she aspires to be a ruler herself, or for me to be one either. I think she just thought the name sounded nice and didn't give any about the meaning."
The colt told Zhenga about his parents, which the filly did find interesting. She also found it admirable that they would give up so much of their time to take care of the kingdom, so the Queen could have a peaceful life. But if her dam's teachings had rooted anything in her mind, it was that if Zhenga were ruler, she wouldn't be so trusting like that. Because if Kharon's parents couldn't be trusted fully (which Zhenga did doubt), they might have had ulterior motives against the Queen. They probably didn't, but Zhenga was just trying to stick to the teachings of her dam, how to be careful and always think every situation through despite her brash nature.
Then, Kharon told of what he knew concerning the stallion that had formerly taken over this place. Even though she didn't know him that well, hearing what Kharon had to say, she was glad the stallion left, considering he didn't seem to care about the kingdom at all given his absence.
"I'd love to see more of Ischia!" Zhenga told the colt when he brought up the offer. He turned to his sibling, asking her opinion on where to take the roan filly first.
She came up with a place for the roan to see, and Zhenga couldn't hide her excitement anymore. She kicked up her hind legs and pranced up to stand next to the siblings, minding their personal space of course.
"Well come on then! It took me forever to get here! I wanna see the clearing!"
06-10-2017, 11:23 AM (This post was last modified: 06-10-2017, 11:24 AM by Kharon.)
kharon
Kylin nipped at his shoulder to break his rambling again, and he smiled at her, giving her a playful tug at her mane. She agreed it wasn't such a great idea to take their new friend to Mother, though. And their dads were probably busy, but the twins were practically leaders too, sort of, right? Or something. So, he decided Zhenga should stay with them. She was cool. And funny!
Ky suggested they take her to one of their little clearings, and Zhenga seemed eager to see it. She came around to stand next to them and he lightly draped a wing over her in reflex with a brief hug before he started walking. They were an affectionate family, and hugs were entirely normal for him, not at all aware that it might be unwanted by some.
"The meadow is really cool," he said brightly, guiding them away and up a slope that shifted from sandy beach to spongy grasses covered in leaves of the deepest green. He nearly slipped a moment, but caught himself with a soft grunt, continuing forward. "Oh, sorry. Some places are slippery on these steeper parts, so be careful." He pressed further until he reached it's little summit and paused to make sure they were able to overcome it too. Then he beamed proudly at them and guided them on.
"You should stay here too," he told Zhenga. Was she old enough to be on her own? Well. She was on her own, so she must be. "It's mostly just the family, and then the Queen and her family. Sometimes the dragon prince too. And then also the bone-man and his... uuhm. And Luster. She's really nice. The bone-man hasn't come back yet though. He's been missing since the invasion," he added with a grimace. He was dangerous, but he was also added protection for the island. Or, had been. He'd protected the Queen before he vanished so he must be sort of good, maybe.
"Probably best to avoid him if he ever comes back though," he added, directing it at both of them. He didn't want Kylin anywhere near that guy, even if he didn't believe he'd hurt them. "He kills a lot," he shrugged, and turned back around to lead them further. He also avoided children since losing his only child, but Kharon didn't think that was necessary to add just then.
Ah, finally! He paused as they reached the clearing, soft grasses sweeping gently against their legs. He leaned into Kylin as she came to his side, brushing his muzzle against her cheek. Sometimes she smelled like these flowers that surrounded them. The bright pink ones rimmed in a fire-orange, or those fluffy purple ones, or the deep blue ones. He walked forward and sank to the ground, rolling to his side and feeling all the soft cushion of warm flowers and grasses. It was one of the best places on the island to eat, too, but he wasn't hungry yet.
"Do you like it?" he asked from his place, lounging freely in the sun with an easy smile.
Sorry for the wait! Still trying to catch up on posts! <33
