all that glitters is gold - Naira

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash The pressure of Naira’s shoulder and the gentle feeling of her muzzle on by neck does a great deal to relieve the stress I was feeling, and I glance down at her with a grateful smile. Rather than say anything – though the gratitude is clear in my expression – I tug gently at her blonde mane in a playful manner before bumping her shoulder with my own. She is looking more tired by the second and I am glad that I had made my suggestion when I had. “I won’t let anything hurt you,” I say, knowing all too well the thoughts that often linger behind sentences that never quite finish. I mean it, too. There is little danger in the Orange Country – the jackals of the Desert do not descend the canyon walls – but I intend to stay alert through the night to ensure that whatever Naira seems to fear might be chasing her does not catch up. “You’ll be safe there.” We’ll both feel better in the morning, I reason. A good night’s sleep and a full meal always goes a long way to soothing any troubles. The trip is a short one, and I lead the way. The sand of the dunes gives way to red dust and stone, and then the ground falls away in front of us. I lead Naira along the edge of the canyon until we come upon the trail. It is wide but not well-worn, a consequence of the decline in herd popularity in Beqanna in the last few centuries. Nevertheless, I am confident as I make my way down, picking the smoothest path for Naira. There is no river at the bottom of the canyon, but it is clear that there had been one at some point. I follow the trail of water-smoothed stones until we round the last bend in the canyon. This close to nightfall it is hard to see anything, but the smell of flowing water and lush greenery is clear despite the low light. The small waterfall is a reassuring sound, and I can just pick out the white of it at the top of the canyon as I lead Naira toward the orange grove. “Here we are,” I say, turning back to the palomino mare with a tired smile of my own. “Feel free to settle in and sleep, I’m just going to see how the other mares are.” I’m sure they are fine – Nymeria and Illusen are both more than capable of taking care of themselves – but I still feel that it is my responsibility. “I’ll see you in the morning.” I reach for her out of habit, wrapping my neck around hers so that my cheek rests on the opposite side of her neck. Only after doing so do I realize that such a gesture might make her uncomfortable, and I pull away quickly. “Goodnight,” I say after a moment, and then turn to tend to the other members of the herd.

So if you wanted to just jump ahead to the next morning with your next post that’s totes fine with me. I just figured that’d make the most sense xD

[Naira]

Though it was getting harder by the minute to see, she could still make out Kreios's patched hide walking in front of her. She felt the ground beneath her shift from the fine sand to rocky terrain, and watched the stallion in front of her confidently lead them down the path to his herdland. The clear sound of rushing water comforted her, one of her few happy memories surfacing and causing her lips to pull back in a smile. His announcement of her arrival triggered a wave of exhaustion to hit her, and she nodded gratefully at him telling her to bed down and rest. He reached around her with his long neck, wrapping it around her own, and she leaned into it, closing her eyes. This horse made her feel the safest that she ever had in her entire life. He pulled away suddenly, snapping her out of her reverie. He looked slightly embarrassed as he pulled away, but embarrassed for what she had no idea. The mare returned his goodnight and watched him walk away from her. Overcome with the exhaustion of the past few days, she dropped down, somewhat ungracefully and closed her eyes and slept for the first time in what seemed like forever. 


They were after her. They had found her here and stood atop the canyon, guns blazing. She'd put everyone here in danger, only to be sent back to the place she had escaped from, and possibly bring the others along with her this time. They would kill her for this. They would kill Kreios. It was all her fault. She had to run, to lead the humans away. She scrambled up the steep trail out of the canyon, send dirt and stones tumbling down the incline. She couldn't escape. They were closing in. They were everywhere...


 Naira woke with a startled whinny, her body damp with a layer of sweat, darkening her golden coat. She jumped to her feet, knowing that there was no way that she could sleep again after that dream. She stretched her neck and shook, watching the sun begin to peek over the ridge. She had always been an early riser, enjoying the temporary reprieve from the heat and the fresh dew that coated the grass. Though there was not much grass in this desert, the mornings were even more magical to behold, with the pink watercolor sky appearing over the canyon walls and chasing away the dark of the night. She decided to wait for Kreios to wake before she started exploring, not quite sure where she should and should not go. She paced around a bit, trying to urge her stiff bones into motion once more and attempting to walk off the effects of her nightmare. She replayed Kreios' words over and over again in her head in attempt to chase away the sound of shouting and gunshots that lingered from her dream. "I won't let anything hurt you." Never before had anyone said anything like that to her; whether it be because they didn't care or they knew they wouldn't be able to keep their promise.  Naira extended her neck and legs, feeling the muscles pop and crack and closing her eyes in pure pleasure. After thoroughly stretching, she stood still and watched the sun continue to rise, waiting for Kreios to wake. 

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash Most nights I only doze – restful sleep is for those that have not committed themselves to the protection of a herd and a kingdom. Usually toward morning when I know that the mares are starting to rise and are watchful themselves, I tend to fall deeper asleep, instinctively relaxed when other eyes and ears are alert. I do not get that chance this morning. The startled whinny has me immediately and entirely awake, my body tense and stone-still as I attempt to determine the direction from whence the danger comes. I smell nothing – no predator or smoke – and hear no raised voices or frightened cries. The other mares that I can see look startled but otherwise unharmed, and I know that they’ll take their cues from me and I do my best to remain calm. The only horse that I cannot see is Naira, who I had left to rest in the orange grove late last night. I move toward her quickly, the echo of my heavy hooves ringing off the canyon walls whenever I cross bare stone. She’s not where I left her, but I suppose that she might have oved to find a more sheltered place to sleep. I move more carefully now, peering through the grove of trees until I see a flash of gold between the brown trunks. “Naira!” I call out, letting her know that it’s me coming through the trees. When I’m closer I can see the sweat on her coat, too fresh to have been from our exertions last night. “Are you alright? I thought I heard someone yell – was that you?” I see no sign of snakes (sometimes they nest in the overhanging branches) and she appears unharmed, if a little nervous. “Did something happen?”

[Naira]

Naira hears heavy thuds getting closer and closer to her, seconds before Kreios call out her name and breaks through the trees. His eyes held a combination of concern and confusion, obviously unable to discern what had spooked her so badly. "Yes, I'm fine"she spoke quietly, still shaken up from her dream and embarrassed for waking everyone. "I did yell-I'm so sorry for waking all of you. It was just a nightmare-It's silly, I'm sorry." She dropped her eyes to her hooves, and then swung her gaze up and around the canyon, only now seeing it exposed in full light. "It's so beautiful here. Everything is so alive..." She trailed off, the awe in her eyes telling of the sincerity in her words. 


Against her will, her thoughts drifted back to her dream. It all became very real to her in that second; if they found her, the would take her, kill anyone that stood in there way, and most likely take the other mares as well, making her responsible for ruining the lives of multiple other horses. In that moment, against everything her heart told her, she listened to her head for once and knew what she had to do. 


Naira looked up at Kreios, meeting his dark eyes with her own, "I have to go." She barely spoke above a whisper, "I have to go back. If I don't, they'll destroy everything. They'll kill you." She dropped her eyes at the last part, ashamed at the danger she had already put them all in. "Thank you so much for everything you have given me and helped me with." She smiled sadly, "Goodbye, Kreios." 


She turned and began to trek up the canyon, part of her hoping he would come after her, while the other part knew he shouldn't. 

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash She says that she is fine but there is something in her voice that still has me worried. I am not at all bothered by being woken and I am sure that the other mares aren’t either. I’m mostly worried about Naira, since everyone else appears to be fine. I shake away her apology with my head, and when he mentions I nightmare I reach out to touch her gently on the neck with my muzzle, hoping it will reassure her. “It was just a dream,” I say, “you’re fine now.” The view of the herd land seems to distract her and for a moment I think that all is well. I turn my head to look over it was well, but even as I do she becomes distant again, and says that she has to go. I don’t want to keep her here against her will, but as I move to cut off her path to the canyon trail I realize how easily I could. She’s smaller and easily overpowered, and I realize with a jolt of distaste that those are the thoughts of a less civilized creature. They are the thoughts of a stallion that views mares as property, the very opposite of what I had intended when I had first chosen to begin a herd of my own. I do not own Naira anymore than I own Nymeria or Illusen; she is free to go as she pleases. But in this case, I do not want her to go. Not because I wish to keep her as a possession, but because the reasons that she gives for leaving make no sense to me. She could be happy here, I know, and yet she is not letting herself be. “Don’t go.” I tell her, reaching out for her cheek with my pale muzzle. “I don’t know who ‘they’ are, but in case you haven’t noticed I’m a pretty formidable guy.” I try a tentative smile, hoping that my well-intentioned joke will cheer her from whatever has so darkened her mood. “I imagine that I’m pretty tough to kill, but they’d have to get through me first before they’d get anywhere near you or the other mares.” Though I had started a herd as a non-violent creature (and still prefer to avoid bloodshed when possible), I am more than willing to lay down my life in order to ensure that my family is safe. I cannot tell if Naira knows that, but as I continue to try and block her way I hope she does. “Who are they, Naira? Why are you so scared of them?”

[Naira]

It was amazing that Kreios could calm her racing heart, allowing her to take a full breath for the first time since she woke. He stepped in front of her, preventing her from retreating from the canyon and telling her that he didn't want her to go, that he would protect her. He reached out and touched her again, the gentle contact causing her eyes to drift shut and lean into him. The way he was talking, it seemed as though he wouldn't mind dying for her and the rest of the herd- that thought terrified her more than anything. 



And then she asked the question that she knew was coming all along. 


"I guess there's no time like the present,"she laughed humorlessly under her breathe and began her story. 


"Like I told you before, my mother was a tame horse. The man that she belonged to was the cruelest creature that I have ever encountered. When I was a filly, I would watch him ride my mother, and he had little silver things on his heels that he would jam into her stomach and shoulders when she didn't do anything wrong. And the whip..." She shivered and closed her eyes. "Anyways when I was only six months old he separated me from my mother and put me in a small box called a stall that he never cleaned, and he often didn't let me out or give me any food or water for days at a time. When I was a yearling, he tried to ride me for the first time. I threw him off in five seconds flat."She grinned a bit at that, remembering the rewarding thud as his body hit the ground, but her smile dropped as she continued. "His men attacked me after I threw him, grabbing my reins and dragging me around until the bit made my mouth bleed. They tied me to a fence and left me there for almost a week without feeding me or allowing me to rest. 


The next time the man got on my back, he put the small metal things on his heels and brought his whip. He called the metal things spurs, and would kick them into my side whenever I did something wrong. That's where these are from." She gestured to small roundish scars dotting her barrel and the long thin marks on her flanks that were courtesy of the whip before returning to her story, "I tried to throw him that time as well. I reared, but he pulled hard enough on my mouth that he thew me off balance and took me down with him. I broke his leg that day. 


"After his leg healed, he tried again and again with the same result. He almost shot me once. He had to have five men to hold me still and he pointed a gun to my head, but stopped short of pulling the trigger saying that it would be a shame to waste 'such a pretty horse.'" She rolled her eyes."He decided to try to breed me. That didn't go all that well either. I fought every stallion he put me with, holding my own until they figured that I wasn't worth the trouble. One stallion was particularly determined, and gave me this," she flipped her long mane over to the side, revealing the largest scar she possessed; a long jagged one that ran diagonally across her neck. "He reared and came down on me. I almost died from the bloodloss-the man said that I was too much trouble to spend any money on.


"It took me months to heal, and during that time he put me in a small dirt paddock with six other horses, including my mother. I had already decided to try and escape, and tried to convince her to come with me, but she was too afraid. I didn't blame her, only the day before we'd seen him shoot a colt and his dam because he said they were eating too much of his grass and hay. I was honestly surprised that I had survived up until that point. She begged me not to go. She was terrified that they would kill me but I just couldn't take it anymore. I would rather he shoot me when I'm trying to get free then die alone without ever living my life. 


"I waited until the lights in the house went off before I made my case with the other horses- they too refused to come with me. I understood-it took every ounce of bravery I possessed to even imagine my escape, but I only wish they could've seen things from my point of view. We were as good as dead the way we were living. We woke up every morning hoping we would get something to eat and not get shot."She shook her head. "That's no way to live. I moved the others to the side and destroyed a small part of the fence-it was weak and rotten anyway-before making one last plea with the other mares. I couldn't convince them, and much sooner than I expected the man came rushing outside with his gun, firing blindly into the night. I couldn't wait any longer-I ran. I had to leave them all behind...But then I found this place, and, well you know the rest. 


"So now you see, if they find me here, they'll bring me back to that place, they'll bring all of the other horses here as well."She stomped her foot and shifted her weight."I couldn't live with myself if that happened." She said the last part in a whisper, and stared at the ground, awaiting his response. 

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash Naiara doesn’t look so determined to flee anymore, and while I am far from relaxed, I do pull her closer. Her heart is racing, I can tell, and as she begins her story I pull away so that I can listen. My eyes surely grow wider as she continues. Some of the words that she uses have no meaning to a wild horse, but it is easy enough to determine what she means. It only gets worse, from abuse to forcing her with stallions she’d no interest in, and by the time she finishes I want nothing more than to find this horrible man and ensure that he meets a slow and painful death. “I’m sorry,” is all that I can say, knowing that nothing I say can fix the past. “I won’t ever let them take you back.” I know that my promise is only as good as long as I can keep her safe, and while I am strong, I am not magic. Magic. The thought occurs to me and remains, stuck in my mind like a burr I cannot shake. I am not magic, but I know magicians. Camrynn comes to mind first, of course, one of the queens that I serve in the Desert. “I might have something that could help you feel more safe.” I begin, thinking it over even as I speak. “What if we asked a magician to make it so that they cannot find you here? They could enchant the land so that even if you were in plain sight, they would see nothing but empty land?” I do not know the limits of magic, but having seen Camrynn create a living sphinx out of nothing but sand, I cannot imagine that this is something she wouldn’t be able to do.