"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
10-09-2018, 02:01 PM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2018, 02:25 AM by Leilan.
Edit Reason: Tag failed
)
Leilan
a dragon who couldn't be hurt on the outside could have so many ragged holes inside
He supposes it had to happen someday; honestly he could have expected her to say ‘let’s go now’ but his proposal had perhaps been intended more long-term; ack, what the heck. Didn’t matter any more.
They were here now; his eyes scan the coastal kingdom for any signs of his own mother and, more importantly, the spotted queen. Not because Chryseis had practically demanded they go see her, but perhaps also, more so, because of the lingering threat the lavender man had made on her. He would come. One day. Though the scaled roan began to suspect he was waiting on something, somehow. For them to let their guard down perhaps.
But the blue roan filly - a teenager, a yearling - would make a good Leviathan if she wanted to. Damn, but she would. Even if she found her heart longing for something else, there is a sudden pride in him for this girl, even though her existence in the first place defies all love he has for Breckin. She’s unintended, but she’ll never go un-loved.
He just hopes the rest of them feels the same.
HTML by Vanilla Custard, picture by x-celebri-x on deviantart
@Chryseis @Scorch @Breckin @Blue (I think she comes with scorch?)
@[Thorgal] @[Ophanim]
Just tagging everybody because yolo. If your pony can’t make it that’s also fine, though a note to continue without you would be appreciated. Or if you miss anyone, tag them while we’re at it xD
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
-- I don't know where you're going
but do you got room for one more troubled soul?
Going on a trip with her father was more than she could have asked for. Since the day she had met him, it had been relatively clear which parent she took after. She loved her mother, of course, and she had learned things from Briseis that the black mare had found prudent she knew — mainly because Briseis had lived an entirely different life than those in Beqanna. She taught Chryseis how to check the wind for scents; how to travel the creek beds to hide her own scent; to be leery of shadows and debris that may tumble from the tree limbs when a cat disturbs them. But Chryseis rarely put any of that to use. She was too bold and always moving too fast to pay much attention to what was around her, and besides, most of the predators here were actually horses. Adventures with her father were much more exciting.
She had never been to Nerine, but right away she found it beautiful. The sound of waves crashing against the steep cliff side could be heard in the distance, and the coastal grasses rippled like water. The blue roan filly pranced eagerly alongside her father, her metallic gold blaze shimmering in the sun. Between her black lips she carried two bright pink wildflowers that she had plucked along a mountain path just as they had departed Hyaline. She remembered the flower that Breckin had woven into her mane, and she couldn’t wait to return the favor. The other flower was of course for her grandmother, even though she had never met her.
She comes to a stop alongside her father, her glittering brown eyes flitting this way and that as she tries to take it all in. ”I bet there’s definitely kelpies in this part of the ocean, right dad?” her words are only slightly muffled because of the flowers in her teeth, her eyes squinting in the direction of the coastline. She didn’t know a lot about kelpies but if she was a kelpie, she would definitely live on the beach.
chryseisI don’t know where I’m going,
but I don’t think I’m coming home
leilan x briseis
In my dark times, I'll be going back to these streets, promising everything I do not mean. In my dark times, baby, this is all I could be
The summer sun is more bearable here in Nerine, where his mother explained Leilan lived now. He spreads his wings to catch the breeze against his feathers and breathes in the smell of the sea. It’s different from the forests and the meadows where Jenova leads him but the sight of the caves in the distance drag a shiver up his spine. Unlike his sister, those midnight depths loom far ahead and fill him with a sense of unease that predates his kind. But he chooses to ignore them for now as he wanders through the kingdom borders.
Today he seeks out Leilan to spend more time with his father, as Jenova had suggested.
But there’s another child meandering at this side, flowers in her mouth and gold splashes across her face. He grits his teeth as the first seeds of jealousy root within him. Ophanim tucks his wings against his sides and moves toward the pair with his head held high. The boy wants to know just who this stranger is bothering his father and imposing on the time they should be spending on father-son time.
“Dad, who’s this?” he asks with his bird chest puffed out indignantly. He’s much smaller than his sister at this point in their lives but he’s got the bravado of someone three times their size. His golden-hazel eyes focus on the flowers between her teeth and he considers snatching them from her. Ophie brings his gaze to her eyes and he realizes he hasn’t shared his name with her yet. Could he just… not? His mom would nudge him roughly and tell him to be nice, he supposes.
“I’m Ophanim, Leilan’s son,” he says with a light snort. “I’m also his favorite.
The last part was not necessary but he didn’t feel right not telling her. She deserves to know.
Despite the chaos of the last year and a half (since Blue's conception), summer seemed to cleanse the world and present it anew to its worn travelers. With the ever growing curiosity of her monthling daughter, adventures never ceased to be found, though the little roan knew when to and when not to push her mother into those sorts of things. Something about being a magician's daughter made her admittedly keen-minded... Go figure that an intellectually breathtaking child would be Brennen's. Not that her other's weren't too, but one had to admit that when looking at the likes of Leilan and Noori and Kaida and Sarkis, well...
Glad to see that I wasn't on that list, Mother, came Ea's voice. But speaking of the first person on that list, you've got visitors.
Great.
"Come Blue, I think there are some people on the border who would like to meet you."
Without having to ask again, the mother lead her infant daughter through the pine forests and out to the southern border, the only one by which any travelers came. Blue knew the trail well from their many trips to Ischia to see her father - not that the trips were solely for her benefit, but she did not need to know that - but she did not push too far ahead from her mother, knowing that losing sight of the girl made Scorch anxious. When the daughter before last disappeared at birth, one tends to get a little over possessive. Can you blame her?
As the forest broke around them, three figures made themselves apparent not far east from where they stood atop a slight hill. Nuzzling Blue's little rump, Scorch nickered under her breath and cantered down the slight decline, keeping her pace collected such that small daughter could easily keep up. Before long, they pulled up before the newcomers, breathless and gleaming gently beneath the summer sun.
"Hello indeed ye many travelers," Scorch said, not having to fake her good mood as she tossed a wolfish grin to Leilan, stepping closer to him to briefly embrace her youngest son. "Allow me to introduce my daughter, Blue." Scorch looked at the filly affectionately, before gesturing to each other person in turn. "This is your brother Leilan, and these, I'm assuming, are your cousins. What are your names, children?" She turned to them now, not having caught their most recent exchange (and how gladly too, for they wouldn't have liked the speech she had prepared for just such a fight. Ten kids necessitates having one scripted).
It was then that she noticed the vibrant pink flowers clasped between the filly's lips in quite the dutiful fashion, and Scorch couldn't help the laughing smile that tugged at her lips. "If you've brought that for me, sweet one, I'm sadly without hair to host its beauty. But perhaps Blue will accept it." She shook out her non-existent mane to prove her point, then glanced down to Blue to see if she agreed, before back up to Leilan with a hopeful smile. They'd still left off on uncertain terms when last they spoke... For once, she just wanted to let things be okay.
10-15-2018, 11:02 PM (This post was last modified: 10-15-2018, 11:03 PM by Blue.)
let that lonely feeling wash away; maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay
Her mother had named the filly most appropriately, however unintentional it might have been, and not just because she’s more and more blue-tinted as she matures. Scorch’s little roan daughter loves the water. The ocean is her favorite, though she takes no offense to more mundane bodies of water, either. Mother’s home has stormy, cold, and angry seas; fueled by fire and passion. She likes to coax her dam to the edge of the cliffs and stand and watch the waves, mesmerized. Father’s home has warm, bright waters filled with living things and secret dangers. But the idea of meeting new people is enough to peak her interest in other things, and she prances happily enough along the warm and sunlit path, her mother setting a brisk enough pace to keep the filly from getting distracted but steady enough that she has no trouble keeping pace.
She hesitates and lags behind Scorch, not out of shyness but because it gives her a chance to watch them, out of curious (and rather distinct) amber eyes. Blue looks at the two younger creatures first; a filly with startlingly similar coloring to herself (though Blue doesn’t have any sparkly gold bits) and a boy with wings. The third is an adult, and she watches mother step forward and embrace him, noting that he looks a lot like the colt. Keen ears pick up mother’s introductions quite easily, and though she was leaning towards the other children as potential playmates, the idea of meeting a brother on Scorch’s side is quite intriguing. She has many cousins and siblings in Ischia, her father’s brood, but her family on mother’s side is a bit of a mystery.
Blue eyes the flowers dubiously, uncertain of the color, but endeavors to smile brightly at her matching counterpart to be friendly. “They’re pretty,” she chirps but her eyes are drawn back towards Leilan before too long, and the filly sidesteps in his direction and reaches out towards him, in the tactile way of children. “What kind of brother are you?” she asks with a tilt of her fine-boned head. It might not make sense to Leilan, but it makes lots of sense to Blue. There’s brothers like Cagney, who is overprotective and serious; but there’s also brothers like Maertin and Qaen, who like to play hide-and-seek and chase-me. There’s even brothers like Drax, who nobody talks about except when they think the littles are sleeping.
This was his first time on his own. Not even a year old yet and his mother allowed him to wander without her, though it had taken some effort to convince her he’d be fine. She gave him permission quite reluctantly; he could easily tell she was worried, so he had planned on returning to her side before too long. The only reason she had allowed it was so that he could learn how to handle being away from others, and more importantly being away from her. He wouldn’t always be able to rely on her. He would need to think for himself, and be independent. If she waited too long to teach him these things it would make things more difficult for the both of them, so starting when he’s at such a young age was for the best.
She didn’t want him to be antisocial, though. She constantly told him how important it was to make friends, and that being alone too much would cause great damage to his heart in the long run. She gave an example of herself, telling him of her foolishness and how she had gotten with his father, Leilan. She had been desperate for friendship and love because she had been alone since she was but a filly, and because of it she payed the price. His mother never spoke ill of his father, however. And she always made it clear that she never regretted having him, and always reminded him of her love for. She explained what happened between her and his father and how he was born, choosing her words with upmost care. It was clear she had placed the blame upon herself, and somehow managed to understand why his father did what he did. She learned to accept it, little by little.
Thorgal often times wondered what his father was like, who he really was. His only memories of him were blurred and only fragments of them were accurate, for the last time, and only time, he had ever met his father was directly after his birth. Though his mother had no objection to his father coming to visit, he never came. Thorgal had no idea what kind of guy his father was, but assumed, and severely hoped, he wasn’t the same guy his mother knew. Apparently he had been quite popular with the mares. Thorgal was told that his father had been with more than just his mother, and sired other foals as a result, so he shouldn’t be surprised if he ever came across any of his siblings. Though they didn’t know how many he had, Thorgal knew they were out there, somewhere. Sometimes he even wondered who they were and what they were like. Would he ever meet them? Could they ever be friends?
He thought this to himself as he trotted across the land. His mother had shown him the majority of Nerine, but near the borders had yet to be visited by this curious colt. He had no intention of leaving; he just wished to see what lied at the edge before heading back to his mother’s side. But what he found there was quite unexpected.
Three foals -a blue roan filly, a bay roan tobiano colt with wings, and a black roan filly- and two adults. One was an unfamiliar mare that had an admittedly unnerving appearance in the eyes of the colt, and the other was a stallion. His memories of his father were as mentioned before, blurred and fragmented, but he knew the odd stallion as Leilan. He wasn’t surprised, though. His mother had said he was staying in Nerine as well, with another mare.
Ears raising, he trotted to the group and smiled. Kindness was something his mother had engraved in him, making sure he was always gentle towards others, especially strangers. This would help him make friends, she informed him. “Hello,” he greeted, his dark eyes gleaming brightly.
Today’s rounds had proven rather fruitless having come across nothing of particular interest to the ink stained woman. A deceptive quiet seemed to have blanketed the northern kingdom as of lately, as if Nerine herself was standing idly by with a bated breath, sensing that a it was due time for some type of disruption to make rippling waves. Breckin’s own breath had been metaphorically held and her gut had become plagued with a roiling unease wondering if, when, and how the lavender escapee might make good on his threats. Unfortunately it would seem only time would tell, and the Leviathan queen would do well to bide her time in preparation.
Leilan was gone today, venturing to Hyaline to visit with Chryseis in the neighboring sanctuary kingdom. If she knew him well however, he wouldn’t be gone very long, never seemingly willing to stay away from her near whereabouts for very long. It was his prerogative that was beautifully frustrating and annoyingly endearing at the same time. As much as he fed into whatever she usually asked of him, the passionate severity behind his tumultuous eyes had given her little want to argue with him over the subject, understanding that on that particular matter she would not get her way. So with little resistance she’d simply come to accept it for what it was.
Despite the lack of her distant shadow today, Breckin maintained the careful guard she always did when out of the scope of their cavern, mindful of the subtle goings on unfolding around her, or lack thereof.
It’s no surprise then when the sudden appearance of her Dosh and little Blue rapidly closing in on something in the distance that the rate of her increasing bored begins to sputter and stall. With newfound interest and her curiosity sparking brightly, the spotted mare follows smoothly in their wake, neatly closing the distance between herself and the gathering of…six other horses.
When recognition of just exactly who these horses were washes over her, her movement falters, nearly stumbling over a misplaced step that normally would not have hindered her. Apparently she’d happened upon not just a random gathering, but a gathering of her lover’s family. Leilan, Chryseis, Scorch, Blue, Thorgal, and another little one handsomely adorned with intricate patterns of gold. Another little one. She nearly chokes on a laugh of disbelief, but it catches and dies in her throat with the incredulous glance she passes over them.
As much as she’d love to spend time with the gold blazed girl again, it crosses her mind if there was a chance she might’ve gone unnoticed to the group thus far and she could indulge in selfish cowardice to simply turn and slink away silently. But logic holds her captive in the precious seconds she wastes, presuming that with Leilan or Scorch’s superior sight that either one or the both of them would have noticed her by now. With the release of a long breath of resignation, she calls on her reliable mask of false composure, fixing the fallen line of her lips into warm smile.
“Hello everyone,” she says as her gaze drifts evenly between those gathered, her brown eyes holding onto Chryseis marginally longer. “Hello not-so-little-anymore dove, it’s wonderful to see you again.”
a dragon who couldn't be hurt on the outside could have so many ragged holes inside
Wasn't she adorable? When she didn't start about the Kelpies again, at least. Chryseis had that way about her, was sweet and innocent to everybody. She'd adored Breckin even when the mare must have had a hard time even looking at her, and had decided on her own that she would bring her a flower like she'd received but that must have been... how long ago? 6 months? More?
And of course, her 'mysterious' grandmother should have the second, in this girl's mind. Well, he just hadn't had the heart to tell her that Scorch couldn't wear a flower probably, but maybe the gesture was enough on it's own and his mother would just have to find a way. Truth was, it wasn't exactly his problem to deal with the whereabouts of a flower-gift, and neither was it Chryseis'; it was for the receiver to decide what to do with it.
When she starts about Kelpies, the scaled roan opens his mouth to deny this, but shuts it at the arrival of his bay roan sun. The winged boy seemed to be on his own; too bad, he mused, he's quite sure Jenova would have liked to meet Chryseis too. But he supposed that she also deserved some alone-time, since she was the one having to deal with their angel-like boy all the time.
Only in appearance, though. Good grief, he's here for a mere heartbeat and he already challenges his sister. But Leilan's not completely an idiot, like he pretends to be (and has apparently convinced his mother of, also). He just refuses to put his brain to use when there's something mundane and boring involved; and only turns it to use to come up with a good joke. Or divert the children's attentions; a relatively new thing. "You're my favourite pegasus. Chryseis is my favourite daughter. Your brohter Thorgal is my favourite silver-maned son. But on the whole..." he narrows his eyes at the blue-and-gold-maned kid. "You've just lost ten points for calling yourself favourite in front of another favourite. Your sister, on the other hand, gets ten points for each gift she brought, so that's twenty..." as if calculating, he grins at Ophanim and then tugs his forelock. "You'd have to make up for that if you want to be favourite again."
Looking from one to another, he nods to them. "Chryseis, this is one of your little brothers, his name is Ophanim. But please call him Ophie instead. Ophanim, your older sister, Chryseis." There, that should answer their questions. For a while. Or encourage bickering over the point system he'd invented. Whatever kept them busy.
Looking up at the arrival of a new smell, it seems his mother has found them, though she must have missed out on the introductions. She didn't, however, ask him for their names but instead asked the children, giving them a sense of self-value no doubt. Then again, Blue was her eleventh child, so if she was really bad at being a mother, then she had learnt absolutely nothing over the years, which was near-impossible, even for her... a smile stirred halfway on his face, focusing on Blue instead. Let Scorch deal with her lack of hair.
His little sister is no doubt adorable, much like Chryseis herself. He doesn't think that's going to be an issue, but out of the blue, she asks him a question, and he tilts his head at her. With a flashing green-eyed grin, he shrugs. "I'm a lot of things - but I bet all your other brothers are boring compared to me." After all, they'd be Brennen's kids, and Brennen was a pretty serious guy all-in-all; his kids would probably be more playful than him, but none of them would likely take it as far as Leilan (though, perhaps, nobody in the world ever, did).
Looking over the three kids, all in all he can't help but wonder what Roseen would think; it's possible she'd find this prove of whatever-exactly she thought him to be. So, when Thorgal joins them, he first looks to see if the bay mare is following (to take him away again from this awful side of the family) but when she doesn't show, he beams at the little silver bay. "Thorgal! Come join us."
He hasn't missed out on the white form in the distance though. Lowering his head to the children, hoping Scorch won't intervene (in time), he looks them in the eye. "There's Breckin. We do not annoy the Breckin." But, as an afterthought: "But the first one to tell me how many spots she has exactly wins fifty points on the favourite-scale. Just be gentle about it."
HTML by Vanilla Custard, picture by x-celebri-x on deviantart
Unfortunately, 5 people is the max which we can tag at the same time.
If you could tag whoever comes after you, that would be great!
@[Chryseis]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
They had not been in Nerine long when another joins their company. A colt, younger than her, with markings across his body and lovely wings. She is already smiling brightly at the prospect of making a new friend, but when he speaks she almost drops the flowers from her mouth. She knew it had been silly to not take into consideration that her father had children besides her, but he also had never mentioned it. For the briefest of moments she feels almost lied to, like maybe her father had purposely not mentioned she would not just be meeting her grandmother but also her secret sibling. She quickly recovers, however, and instead of feeling jealous she is simply unimpressed. His favorite? Doubtful. She almost rolls her eyes, but she knows her father wouldn’t like that. Instead, she lowers her head to place the flowers safely on the ground, so that she could address the colt properly without the stems in her teeth, ”I’m Chryseis. Your older sister.” She makes sure to put emphasis on the word older; this guy needed knocked down a peg, and to be reminded she was here first. But her smile is amiable enough, because even if he was annoying, she didn’t hate him. Her father rattles off something about a point system, which she hasn’t been aware of until this very second, so she can only assume he just made it up in an attempt to deter Ophie from making such bold (and inaccurate) claims.
Thankfully, they are soon distracted by the arrival of another pair — an older mare, who’s lack of hair confuses her, and a small roan filly that looked similar to herself. It is soon clear that the older mare is her grandmother, and this time she smiles a true, genuine smile — not the forced one she had given her younger brother. ”Hi!” She eagerly trots forward, bouncing easily on her dainty feet, and she reaches her small muzzle to touch that of Scorch’s. ”I’m Chryseis.” Her warm breath is expelled briefly, her soft brown eyes alive and vibrant as she looks up at her. She wants to ask her grandmother what happened, but something tells her that’s not a conversation to have in front of such a large crowd. Her attention obediently diverts to Blue when she is mentioned, and she picks up the bright colored flower between her lips, carefully tucking the stem so that it is nestled behind the younger girl’s ear. But Chryseis smiles knowingly at her, adding gently, ”You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”
The sound of another voice startles her, and when she turns to see another young colt that looked similar to her father trotting towards them, she almost can’t wipe the look that clearly said Oh my god there’s more? off of her face. Before she can say anything, however, she sees the spotted mare. ”Breckin!” She calls to her joyfully, quickly snatching up the other flower and loping to greet her. She slides to a stop alongside of her, and she reaches up to weave the stem of the flower into the older mare’s mane. When she pulls back she is beaming brightly, chirping enthusiastically, ”You gave me one in Hyaline, so I brought you one too!” The golden blazed filly has grown considerably since they last saw each other, now being a year and a half old, and she is not quite as small when she stands alongside of her, but she still looks up at her with childish innocence and admiration.
When her father challenges them to count Breckin’s spots, she casts the mare a sympathetic smile, before suggesting, ”I think Breckin already knows how many spots she has. How about we guess and whoever is the closest wins? I think she has...hmm...205.”
In my dark times, I'll be going back to these streets, promising everything I do not mean. In my dark times, baby, this is all I could be
Ophanim stares at his father as he adds conditions to his favoritism. It makes sense, lying in front of Chryseis to save her feelings until she matured enough to hear the truth of the matter. But then he’s talking about points and the concept is lost on the angelic boy. Chryseis reintroduces herself and he tilts his brown and white head curiously when she does so. His wings adjust themselves against his side and he laughs a little at her words.
“Older sister, great. Do we have a pretty sister though?”
His grin is obnoxious as he watches her face for her reaction. If Starsin were here, she’d laugh at his joke and tuck herself beneath his wing like the perfect girlfriend she is, he’s sure. But then a hairless creature is joining them and he goes wide-eyed as he watches her and the small girl alongside her. Ophanim steps closer to Chryseis despite their bickering only moments earlier but she seems eager to greet the stranger. Who. The hell. Is this.
She fails to introduce herself but explains that the other girl is named Blue. Cousin. The word is new to him but he says nothing to reveal his ignorance.
“I’m Ophanim,” he says as he remains wary of the naked lady. But the little blue roan says nothing to Ophie and so he says nothing to her, turning his attention instead to his brother. About time another boy showed up. “Hey.” He even offers him a nod of his head when he joins the group.
He turns his bright hazel eyes as yet another woman shows up and he frowns slightly. Jenova had failed to mention that this entire kingdom was a clambake. A single ear swivels to catch his father’s words as he challenges them to count Breckin’s spots but Chryseis declines, opting to guess instead. This entire gathering has become exhausting to him. He’s used to only seeing one, maybe two other people a day. This kind of social activity is not for him.
“I don’t know that many numbers yet. This game is rigged,” he says as he looks up at his father with slightly narrowed eyes.
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