"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
03-17-2018, 07:49 PM (This post was last modified: 03-29-2018, 03:48 PM by Sid.)
GALILEE
It's been pleasant, on the island - so pleasant in fact that she had decided to live here, unlike before. Ah, the Tundra - she could see how greatly he missed it, though he spoke of it often enough, too (often enough for her to roll her pretty navy blue eyes and kiss him into silence). But she didn't miss it. When they'd been together then, contact had been limited; she couldn't handle the extreme cold, have no magicks with which to protect herself, and Brennen was far too busy with the brotherhood to keep her warm for long.
So, yes; she liked it here far better. The warmth of the island, the clear blue of the waters, the way a certain someone seemed to keep coming around more and more often... Maybe it wasn't Ischia itself that drew her here, after all. But it suited her far, far more than the icicle Brennen used to call home, anyway.
Winter reigned elsewhere in Beqanna, but on the island, Galilee went on unaffected. The pretty mare usually kept to herself, looking no further than the little cove she'd claimed as her own upon arriving to this place. Most times, she enjoyed the solitude, the way her garden of flowers danced in the breeze, and how she could feel the kicks of their growing daughter in her womb. But perhaps it was that bulging and stretching of her mottled bay-navy-purple hide that drew her towards the center of Ischia, navy eyes glimmering in the thin winter sun.
Despite the slight difficulty of her rounded belly, Galilee moved with elegance across the sands, her tail arching in the stereotypical Arabian fashion as she cantered easily down the coast. She'd had practice with pregnancy, after all, especially with Brennen's progeny - and speaking of the stallion, her eyes scanned the skies for him avidly. Her lyrical voice remained quiet for the moment, however, trusting that her paramour would spot her quickly, and come to see why she had left her cove for the first time since fall.
hold me in this wild, wild world 'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
For the most part, the world has seen Brennen as the ultimate example of his Brotherhood – a true Bachelor, at least to the eyes of the world. Despite his tendency to flirt with all things female, and a very healthy ability and inclination to produce children, he is rarely associated with any woman in particular in the threads of gossip that stitch Beqanna together. Perhaps it is because he is ultimately a private creature, suited to his isolated Tundra in almost every way; or perhaps it is because only one of his lovers every lived for any period of time in the Tundra, and it’s easy to keep your liaisons private when you can fly about as you please.
But the truth is, the bay warrior is no stranger to deeper affections. He holds all of his children’s mothers in good regard of course, but there are some who are particularly special to him. Lucitania had been the first, though she had never loved him back; she could have ruined Brennen for love, but his bay-and-white Falls Queen had shown him a different type of love. Neraza had proven to him that love could be many things. Cy and Morphine could either one have been great, epic love stories – but both had passed before they had any real change to explore what could have been.
Sometimes, slow and careful didn’t pay off.
But right now, he has someone else, and he is enjoying the novelty of once more sharing an actual home with his lady-love, rather than having to steal time away from the Tundra (a jealous mistress if there ever was one) to go courting. Of course Galilee has chosen mostly to exist in privacy within Ischia (he doubts if even the Queen realizes she is here), but it is much easier to steal time away to get to know her when she is a few wing-beats away, rather than a few Kingdoms. He is actually headed towards her cove, intent on a few moments with her before diving back into his pet project, when he looks down to see her emerge from the trees onto one of the inner beaches, a place away from the mainland where seawater and island create isolated little pockets of beach. Ischia could honestly be a lover’s paradise – though he has other plans for it.
Spiraling down to the sand, Brennen lands gracefully and calls to her, folding his wings for a brisk trot the rest of the way to her side. “Hello,” he hails with a little smile, reaching out to her for a brief touch to cement the greeting. Amber eyes travel from her face to her growing belly, and he can’t help the delight in his expression. He rarely gets to experience the whole pregnancy thing with the mothers of his children – usually there is a tryst, and then nine months later there’s a foal. When they don’t live in the Tundra with him, he’s rarely responsible for the well-being of the dam. But he treasures the children they already have, and is eager to meet his newest son or daughter. “Is everything ok?” he adds, a little worried to see her out despite her usual isolation.
hold me in this wild, wild world and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
She'd been right that he'd see her, though she hadn't expected his arrival to be quite so quick - her ears perk right up at the sight of him, and she whinnies musically as he approaches. Though she herself has had other lovers, and yes, other children, too, there had been none like him. Their children (soon to be five, though it seems like yesterday since they'd met in the meadow) are her favourite by far, and though they've all flown the coop, she's excited to have another beautiful mixture of their faces gazing up at her again, asking when daddy will be home.
"Hello, love," She echoes, meeting his touch gently and with a fair amount of affection. Her smile widens a little at seeing the way his eyes take in her swollen belly, warm at the thought that he, too, is excited to meet their newest child. Despite the extensive family they have together, they truthfully have not been the great, epic lovers that perhaps Beqanna might want them to be. But she finds herself smiling up at him nonetheless, content to be a happy side story, instead of one of angst and sadness.
Her dished head nods easily at his concern, eyes rolling only slightly at how fatherly he becomes at this time of year. "Yes, baby and I are well; I guess I just wanted to see your kingdom, instead of just my little piece of it." Her mind's eye travels back to the cove, warmly remembering the times they had spent there together; but wanting to explore further with him now, does not lessen how greatly she loves the little home they've made elsewhere.
"I can feel that she has wings," she says easily, touching her nose to Brennen's shoulder so as to bring him along side her. The ocean waves merrily at their hooves as they wander down the coast, shoulder's brushing - or rather, tummy and shoulder brushing. "I'm excited to meet her." She smiles up at her paramour again, knowing that on the topic of children, they can both easily agree on practically every point.
"But how are you? How is... the mission coming?" Yes, she knows - though only because she'd pried the information from him one late night, as he laid his chest on her bosom, sleepy and sweaty and content. Little Galilee, however, who is she to tell secrets; indeed, she is more a secret than perhaps even this mission of his. "It can't be easy, what you're doing."
hold me in this wild, wild world 'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
“Well by all means,” he agrees with her desire to see more of the Kingdom, and immediately turns his body so they can set off, at a pace he allows her to set. He has never carried a child, after all, and has only the vaguest idea what toll pregnancy might be having on Galilee this late in the game. But unlike Brennen who has spoken of the unborn baby only in the very vaguest terms (‘my child’, ‘my future child’, ‘the baby’, etc.), she speaks in quite definite terms: she says the baby has wings, says it’s a filly. Brennen’s eyes widen just a little in surprise but when he speaks again, there is joy and curiosity in his voice. “You’re sure it’s a girl?” The wonders of mother’s intuition, he supposes. “She’ll be beautiful, just like Mosrael. And like her mother,” He traces a line down her neck with his muzzle, smiling through the touch.
“I’m okay,” it’s honest, it’s the truth; he’s not great, but he’s okay. His…well, he supposes “mission” is as good a word for it as any…has awoken something, and there is a hum of energy under his skin now, pushing him to do more, move faster, even though he knows he must proceed with caution and deliberation if he wants to succeed. But this, walking quietly down the shore beside Galilee, soothes that itchy impatience inside of Brennen, and he relaxes. There is much to do, both in legitimate Kingdom business and for his fledging Brotherhood, but all of them can wait while he spends time with his sweetheart and their unborn child. “I’ve been able to bring home several new Brothers. We’re making progress, but now that’s I’ve started, it just feels so slow.”
A hint of frustration, there, but a moment later he shrugs it off with a rustle of his dark wings and another flash of a smile. Classic Brennen, this way of expressing only the most minor emotions, instead running on a pretty even keel. “The bigger the secret becomes, the harder it is to keep it from Krone. And just because I think she’s a bad Queen, doesn’t mean I think she’s a bad person. I don’t want to hurt her any more than necessary.” Brennen knows that to do that, he has to act as soon as they are ready, but before it escalates too far.
hold me in this wild, wild world and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
The stallion makes no attempt to hide his surprise at Galilee's intuition in regards to the child, but his openness only causes the mare to smile more widely, the expression incredibly fond. Oh, Brennen, you naive little boy; sire of many, and yet somehow ignorant to the ways of motherhood. Feeling tingly, her eyes close against his touch, leaning into the warmth of his muzzle as his silly flirtation brings joy to her heart.
"Mosrael will be happy to finally have a sister," comes her response, half unintelligible as she relaxes under her lover's soothing touch. "Almost as happy as I am to have you here with me." A breathy sigh escapes her, and before he can move on to another topic, the mare presses herself firmly to his side a final time, attempting to memorize the way she feels like everything glows with the light of the angels. "I love you." She murmurs it into his skin, a familiar phrase between them, meaning it wholeheartedly. Her protector, her lover; hers.
But they are walking still, and so she straightens, listening to his explanation of the more political things at hand. Despite her love for him, Galilee knows Brennen to be a man of great renowned and intent; that he had chosen her, an almost unheard of mare with nothing special to her name except a few colourful dots, is beyond any reasoning she can come up with. So she respects his hard work, his fame; it is gift enough to be able to share even an afternoon like this with him. The little mare's heart might squeeze with loneliness now and again, but she knows not jealousy nor greed.
"Even if she is hurt, it's not your responsibility to baby her." The mare speaks more confidently now, eyes travelling out over the sea as the wind played with her forelock. "Krone will either understand or she won't, and that's just how it is. Like you said, you've already brought more life to this kingdom with the promise of a brotherhood than perhaps has been here all along." Her eyes turn to him, and she holds his gaze evenly, intending for him to perceive how seriously she speaks. "You're doing the right thing, Brennen; anyone can see that."
She listens to what the pegasus has to say in return for some time, their hooves leaving a poetic trail behind them in the moist spring sand. At first, her gait becomes slightly encumbered, and she writes it off as the baby moving around; but when a jolt of pain greater than any kick a little leg could administer causes her to stop walking completely, Galilee loses track of the conversation at hand, a worried but excited smile unintentionally interrupting her lover's train of thought.
"She's coming, Bren..."
Some time later, back in their thicket (for they had only been about a ten minutes walk away), a little bundle of ankle and knees lay at the happy parent's hooves. Galilee's lips work tirelessly at the spotted bay fur that stuck wetly to the filly's skinny frame, memorizing her daughter's scent and pressing as many kisses to the girl as she did licks to clean her. The tiny pegasus bleated her distress at being so affronted with this new, cold, terrifying world, but before long, her crying settled into a wide-eyed stare, blue eyes working to focus on the two massive beings before her.
Wordlessly, Galilee moves to Brennen's side and leans into him, exhausted after the miracle of birth. Her sides are slick with sweat, and she cannot seem to remember if he'd been there for her past births; but he is here now, and for once, she is greedy, clinging to him and forcing him to be here - though in truth, he may not need much forcing now that the actual birth part is over.
Her words come sleepily, a haze of happiness weighting her eyelids. "What do you think of the name Khaeli?..."
And below, Khaeli struggled to her skinny hooves, disheveled wings all ahoo as she stumbled towards her father, tripping just in time for him to catch her.
@[Brennen] @[Belgaer] @[Mosrael] So uh oops wordsplosion? Enjoy <3 I may or may not post Aemar and Raelyx to this thread if the whole famdamily is going to be here...
hold me in this wild, wild world 'cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be
Time passes in a strange mix of too fast and too slow after Galilee announces the child is coming. Brennen does his best to support her back to the thicket, and then he is lost. Compared to the number of children he has sired, he has missed all but a couple of the births, showing up a little later or not until the mothers brought the foal to him. It’s confusing and he doesn’t like seeing her in pain, so mostly he hovers at the edges of her space, uncertain how to help, occasionally pressing a comforting touch to her skin or murmuring a soothing word into her ear.
He is relieved, when it is over, and in awe that never fades. It doesn’t matter that he is a sire more times over than he can count, he is always amazed by them. He nibbles on Galilee’s crest and mane as she presses into him, steadying his own stance to support the added weight of his lover leaning against him. “I love you,” he returns the words from earlier with a little smile, guessing she needs to hear them after such an ordeal. Of course it is not her first time, but it is fresh for both of them now. “She’s beautiful. It’s perfect.” All he can do it watch her in fascination and agree with anything Galilee says, at least for a few moments.
Brennen is reaching for the filly, ears pricked forward and eyes gentle, even as she tumbles forward. He steps forward into her path and she catches up against his legs, and he leans down to inhale her scent much as his lover as already done, and run his muzzle gentle down her spine, from her ears to her tail. Between the wings that are useless for now at her side, the downy feathers making him smile in remembrance of his own first few weeks with wings that didn’t work quite right. “Hello, Khaeli. I’m your papa,” he tells the filly proudly, and wonders how long it will take for the rest of their children to find them. He knows that Bel, at least, has been checking up on his mother nearly as often as Brennen himself.
hold me in this wild, wild world and in your heat I feel how cold it can get
BRENNEN
@[Belgaer]/@[Mosrael]/@[Andromeda] please please please family meeting :3 <3
On the edge of the island the world felt peaceful. Parrots chattered overhead at the waves crashed against the shore in it’s never cycle of the tide. Still, as he furthered his trek, an unease settled itself upon him. It wasn’t until he realized that he was nearing his mother’s hideaway that he realized he hadn’t yet visited her. He’d been so caught up in the new developments of his own life that he’d neglected the woman who’d invested more into him than any other. Usually he wasn’t quite so careless as he’d become, and he hoped that he hadn’t hurt her feelings too badly. In anticipation of seeing Galilee, his pace quickened, and he pinned his wings close against his side to help him maneuver quickly around the dunes. He pricked his ears in search of the familiar sounds of his dam. The surrounding area was eerily quiet, and his steps faltered and faded. A tickle of fear crawled down the nape of his neck and his muscles tensed in reply. Something was wrong. It was in the air and worry overwhelmed him.
In the length of an exhale, Belgaer rocketed himself towards the sky, his wings kicking up sand and debris as they carried his speckled body towards the sky. Galilee wasn’t in her usual spot and he worried that something might have happened to take her away from them. As the breeze enveloped him he realized it was completely void of her usual perfume. The familiar comfort only a mother could provide to her children.
Pushing himself forward he searched from above for any sign of her familiar appaloosa figure. If he couldn’t find her, he knew his father would be desperately worried as well and, just as he thought of the big bay stud, his scent greeted him like a whisper. Tracing the musky cologne of his father, Belgaer moved with a new purpose towards the other side of Ischia. It wasn’t often that Galilee decided to travel outside of her realm of comfort but, he knew, if she had she would be with the stallion she loved.
Hovering over the beach his eyes caught sight of two figures looming over another, much smaller. It was hard to mistake them, the two bays with one blanketed in white, blue and purple. His parents. Relieved, he wasted no time in joining them. Approaching carefully, he noted the tiny foal nestled at his mother’s feet. Another appaloosa – and a girl. Just as she’d suspected. He smiled despite himself. Tucking his wings so not to frighten the newborn he leaned closer and was pleased to see that he would have yet another companion in the skies. He bristled with anticipation at the thought of witnessing her first flight. Wings were tricky to master, but Belgaer was confident that she would take to it just as he had.
He turned his attention to his mother and gently nuzzled her shoulder. ”Are you alright?” He spoke not of the worry that she’d inflicted upon him knowing that she meant no harm in her wanderings. She had every right to explore the island and he hoped that this was a sign that she would soon be joining them alongside the other occupants. Stealing a glance at his father he noted the sparkle of pride in the stallion’s honey colored eyes. The warrior was a gentle giant, especially when it came to his children.
The little filly stirred slightly at their feet, her tiny eyes moving furiously behind her closed lids. He’d only just missed the birth and he was honored to be one of the first faces she would see. Belgaer smiled down at her, ”Hello there little one,” he greeted in a low voice. ”I’m your big brother, Belgaer. Welcome to the world.”
Sudden emotion grabbed at his throat. It never ceased to amaze him, the strength of his mother and her love that surpassed even the pain of childbirth. He was young yet, but seeing his sister, so new and fragile, only reminded him of his desire to father children of his own one day. Briefly, his mind drifted towards a certain black mare he’d began growing closer to and his cheeks flushed.
”What are we to call her?” He asked to distract himself from the red hot of his hide.
Change was coming. Mosrael sensed it growing stronger and, with every passing day, her dread grew alongside it. The growing of her mother’s belly was evidence that another foal would soon be brought into the world and she was not ignorant to the fact that Brennen desired another son. Faced with the recent revelation that Belgaer, his beloved winged companion, held no desire to take his place beside him – she couldn’t help but imagine the big bay searching for his replacement. He already had several sons take their places within the fold, but, for some reason, Belgaer’s unwillingness had left a scar on their father’s heart.
Daily the purple spotted mare had made the trek up the coast to pay a visit to her mother. The two were much alike and, if it hadn’t been for her mother’s blue spots, the two could have been mistaken for twins. Today, however, an urgency pulled the young mare towards a different part of the beach. Galilee was not known for leaving the comfort of her corner often, so Mosrael figured the mare would still be waiting whenever she’d settled the gnawing within her.
It’d become like a bad habit for her. The worry that her dam did, indeed, carry within her another son. Only Belgaer understood the fear that had built itself up inside of her though, she knew, he secretly wished for the foal to be born male. Perhaps then, he could feel freed to pursue his passions.
The plants around her suddenly thinned and the sound of crashing waves grew louder in her ears. She was almost there now. The ground beneath her changed from that of the cool, fertile dirt to the warm sunbaked sand of the beach. Spring had stretched itself across her island home, bringing with it the birth of many creatures, not just equine. With summer just around the corner she couldn’t help but imagine the season’s foals splashing and playing in the ocean just as she had not too long ago. Childhood was a precious gift – one that she desperately wished could return to her.
Breaking through the tropical foliage her eyes quickly caught sight of a gathering taking place just beyond her spot. Easily recognized were the figures of her parents and that belonging to her brother, Belgaer. But the blanketed filly at their feet was a complete stranger. It didn’t take long for relief to become her friend as she drew near to them. It seemed that all her worries had been for naught and her place had not yet been stolen away from her.
Quietly she drew up beside Belgaer and peered down at the tiniest member of their family. Khaeli, she knew would be her name. Galilee had mentioned it before during their many conversations together. It was shocking, though, to see the young one so similarly marked to herself. The only off-setting difference were the two tiny wings clung to her back. She smiled thinly at the tiny creature, then to her parents, both beaming with pride.
”Congratulations,” she offered stiffly. ”She’s beautiful.”
Sentimental moments had always made Mosrael feel slightly uncomfortable. She knew, in time, that her affection would grow towards the spindly creature crumpled in the sand. It was just hard to see past the present fragility. No doubt the filly would prove herself to be just as capable as any of Brennen’s other siblings and Mosrael would proudly teach the youngling all she needed to know, if asked. Khaeli was family and would be protected just as fiercely as any other member.
Was it odd to feel as though the place of your birth wasn’t your true home?
Even though she’d never ventured beyond the island and had been raised there alongside her myriad of half – siblings, she felt an assurance that her true place lay beyond the multicolored horizon. The longer she remained there, with the ocean barring her escape, the more her certainty grew. Soon, she would make her way to the mainland. Until that moment, she had gotten herself into the habit of following a variety of Ischian that inhabited the island. It had become interesting to her to watch from the shadows – to hear their conversations when they thought themselves to be alone.
Today, she had chosen to shadow Mosrael the sister she considered herself closest to. Lately, however, the older mare seemed distracted and Astarael sensed a change in her that reached beyond her newly donned mane and tail.
Weaving through the damp forest the pair came to a break in the trees. Mosrael paused there briefly before she stepped out onto the sandy beach ahead. Following from behind the tree line, Astarael paused. There, grouped upon the beach was her father and, now, two half siblings. At the center of them all was Galilee with her newest contribution to their constantly growing family tree. On the outskirts, their joy was impossible to miss. Having been the youngest for so long, she should have been just as excited as them. Perhaps now they would see her more grown up. Perhaps now she could follow the call she felt beyond the sea. However, instead of excitement, she felt nothing. There was no desire within her to intrude upon their precious family moment. Clearly, she was not welcome there and they seemed quite content without her there.
Without saying a word, she turned around and abandoned them there behind her.
They'd been rather absent, to Galilee's great disappointment (though she struggled to express any such feelings whenever her two eldest did happen to pop by, which was rarely). Ever since that cold winter morning years before when their beautiful mother had dropped them off on the doorstep of their father's kingdom, the Ae's (Aemar and Raelyx, if you need to know) had rather petered out. At the time, Brennen hadn't been as interested in meeting his sons, or perhaps he'd been less or more busy with other things. Either way, though the pair had ghosted in the Tundra for some time, eventually they'd faded into the woodwork as many Beqannians are prone to doing.
But, at the word that their mother was expecting, they roused themselves from the other-world slumber to reappear on the cusp of Beqanna's island chains: Ischia.
They're in the air (for aren't they all, except poor Mosrael) when they come a-knocking. Raelyx, clad in bone-armour that pushes from his skin like teeth that do not bite, with his onyx wings stretched out beside him; and Aemar in an entirely different costume. The Equus Avian flew in the shape of an albatross, his yellow eyes peering keenly out across the sandy isles. Despite the difference in figure, the two flew in perfect harmony - for living together made flying together second nature; far more natural than flying apart would ever be.
A gathering of horses caught their attention, and with only glances between them - words being largely superfluous between the odd pair - they began their descent. Raelyx, the more emotional and dependent of the two, flicked his ears forward and nickered their approach; Aemar simply shifted smoothly into his chestnut-few-pint-spot-appaloosa form, his beak in a hard line. Below his ankles, talons dug into the sand, and atop his withers sat still the wings of an albatross, alabaster and proud.
Raelyx rolled his eyes at his weird, half-bird brother. Galilee's magic had really gotten to that one.
Stepping forward, Raelyx couldn't decide who to greet first, but settled for the one closest to him: Mosrael. His little sister hadn't been around much before he'd gone to the Tundra, but the two still shared a special relationship; besides Rae's bone armour, the two were identically coloured. Triplets of Galilee.
"Hey, Mos," came the stallion's tenor voice; he knew his sister's dislike of close proximity, but pressed himself to her in an embrace anyway. They hadn't seen each other in years... Their reunion deserved a proper hello. The navy-and-purple spotted stallion pulled away with a smile, and turned to greet the others.
Meanwhile, Aemar's attention had been pulled elsewhere. "Bel," came his much deeper voice, a grin splitting his beak. "Long time no see, little brother." He stepped towards the smaller stallion and affectionately bit his ear. It was rare to see Aemar showing so much emotion, but for today, it was allowed; for tat that moment, both Raelyx and Aemar noticed the reason for which the gathering had happened at all.
Little Khaeli.
Aemar erupted in bird chirps at the sight of the little dolly, and Raelyx hurried to introduce himself, sniffing her eagerly and looking to his parents for approval. "I love her," mushed Rae, grinning through his bone-armour at Brennen and Galilee. God, they were blessed to have this family; God, was he glad they picked today to come visit.
"Yes," agreed Aemar when his chirping subsided. His yellow eyes looked from Galilee to Brennen, and eventually, his beak shifted into a smile. "It's been some time, mother. Father." Some time, indeed.
This is shitty and it's more telling than writing but enjoy!
