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    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    you made a holy fool of me, and i've thanked you ever since.
    #1
    If ever you come near I'll hold up high a mirror
    OphaniM
    He spreads his wings and savors the way the sunlight warms him in the early autumn day. Sylva had been cold, most mornings, but their new home is kept a more comfortable temperature from the ocean winds. Are all the shores like this? Ophanim turns his golden head and considers the waves lapping up the sand for a while longer. His children enjoy splashing in the waters just fine, but he’s heard of rocky beaches and some spooky coastlines scattered with the bones of the dead. He’s intrigued enough to explore away from his new home for today. After all, most of his sons and daughters are grown now. They don’t need him coddling them anymore - even if he would like to.

    He makes up this mind, then, that he should pry himself from the Cove to explore. Ophanim hasn’t done much adventuring since the plague. It could be nice to get out again. With one final stretch, he flaps his wings and takes to the skies, littering a few gold and white feathers on the ground in his wake.

    It feels as though he hasn’t flown in ages. His body remembers like it was yesterday, though, and he rides the warm air currents as easily as breathing. He dips to the left and right as the world rushes by beneath him. Ophie remembers the rivers where he used to play and the hills he chased his friends along. They are treasured memories, but he wants something new or perhaps forgotten.

    Then, at last, he spots the small islands surrounding Ischia. The mainland portion of it is vaguely familiar, but the sandbars and the islands are foreign to him. He tucks his wings and begins a steady descent until the white sand rises up to catch him. Ophanim surprises himself with how gracefully he comes to a stop - his halo barely teeters on its axis over his head. He gives a soft chuckle of self-approval and begins a lazy walk toward the sandbar.

    The water is cold against his ankles when he begins to wade into the shallow waves. He remains entirely undeterred as he presses on to the nearest island. A sudden pinch at his fetlock makes him jump and give a short cry of surprise, however, and he pauses to peer down through the perfect blue waters.

    What on earth are you?” he asks the strange thing scuttling after him. He continues shying backward but remains grounded as he stares at the thing. “I didn’t mean to barge in, I promise!” The crustacean remains unconvinced as it keeps its tiny claws raised at him in warning.
    Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as you.


    @[Bruja]
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    #2
    For a half year colt, Ischia was a playground. There was dense jungle to ramble through, soft beaches to drowse on, and water that seemed never to be too cold to enjoy. Torrent had grown in the moons since his hatching, limbs stretching every day until he was more leg than anything else. 

    It was a gawky age, to be sure. Still, there were hints and suggestions of a handsome stallion to be in his childish face. All the ingredients were there, it was only time that needed to be applied. And time was not something that passed quickly in Ischia. Not when you wanted it too. 

    He'd been napping in a sandy hollow, the sun making his tawny and white coat toasty warm. All in all, he was very comfortable lying there, ignoring the tasks his mother likely had in mind for him. The wash of waves on the beach, the breeze rustling through monstera and palm leaves, the far off chatter of parrots. Yes, he was sure this was a nap worth the trouble. 

    Only it was interrupted. The thud of heavy hooves on sand made him squeeze his eyes shut tighter, before he sighed and opened them to squint out at the shore. That definitely sounded like someone winged touching down. Maybe Pteron had been sent to find him. It seemed likely, until his eyes lit on the actual origins of the sound. 

    A stallion, but not the teal and off white he'd been expecting. This one made the beach look dull in comparison to his own golden coat. Torrent lifted his head to get a better look, sand sticking to his cheek. There were beautiful horses all over the island, but this one he'd never seen before. It was hard to tell in the bright island sun, but it almost seemed like the stallion was emitting light of his own. 

    Like a seagull spotting something shiny, he rose softly to his feet to get a closer look. The stallion seemed absorbed in his mission to cross the strand, and it shouldn't have been much of an issue with the water only belly high at its deepest. Something seemed to have given the golden stallion pause, though, and Torrent couldn't quite catch what had been said before he started backing through the waters. 

    "Whatcha got there?" He asked after a moment, standing at the water's edge. He didn't feel much like swimming right now, so he stayed out of reach of the waves. Something under the surface seemed to have gotten the attention of the glowing man, and knowing Ischia's wildlife, it could be just about anything. 

    @[Ophanim]
    Reply
    #3
    [quote="Ophanim" pid='109077' dateline='1603050423']
    If ever you come near I'll hold up high a mirror
    OphaniM
    Ophanim doesn’t remember much of being a child - between the plague and the puppy love phase with Starsin, there was hardly room for other memories. He thinks he must have been something like his own children. They’re all adventurous and wild, tumbling over one another in their games. The world had been his for the taking. He’d nearly forgotten the joy of wandering as he traded his nomadic days for those of a father. But now the children shoo him from their games and he has no choice but to take up the old habit once more.

    A voice causes him to look over his shoulder, momentarily forgetting his adversary. His golden ears are perked forward as he offers one of his eager smiles in greeting.

    I’m not entirely sure! It’s small and angry, whatever it is,” he explains with a laugh. Ophanim turns his head back to the crab and realizes it is carefully picking at the detritus caught in the feathering of his ankles. He blinks his cerulean eyes in surprise as he tries to remain very still. “Oh, I guess she’s not so angry anymore. Do you know what these are called?

    He spreads his wings over his head then to keep the glare off the water’s surface, allowing him to see better. The little crab continues diligently picking bits of this or that off of him and feeding itself with delicate claws. The angel looks back over his shoulder as he realizes how rude he’s being.

    My name is Ophanim, by the way. Do you live here?
    Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as you.


    @[Torrent]
    Reply
    #4
    Torrent half-smiled at the strange man standing in the water. It wasn't windy today, not except for the occasional breeze, and the moon was only half full. A great day to be in the water, all in all. Still, the boy hesitated. It was a nice day for swimming. It was not a nice day to be beached on a sandbar. 

    With a shrug, he nodded at the open horizon. "That's a lot of things in the water," he commented mildly, half a dozen examples in mind. The mystery was solved quickly though, when the broad wings of the shining stallion cast their shadow on the surface of the sea. Torrent squinted slightly, before a giggle escaped him. 

    The feisty little crustacean was a brilliant little spot of red against the creamy fetlock, claws weaving in and out of the hairs. "Aw, it's just a little crab!" He grinned, dropping his head for a better look. "They're kind of pinchy, but that one's too small to hurt you, I think." There were larger variants that walked among the palm trees sometimes, and all kinds of ocean going cousins. Good little bottom dwellers that cleaned up the reefs with gusto. 

    With a whicker of amusement, the colt straightened up to look back at the stallion. Ophanim, as he's introduced himself. "I'm Torrent," he replied, before nodding back to the man's leg. "I can get it off for you if you come up here. And uh, yeah, I do." He added, fumbling subjects. 

    @[Ophanim]
    Reply
    #5
    If ever you come near I'll hold up high a mirror
    OphaniM
    Ophanim follows his gaze to the horizon far ahead of them, only now considering what sorts of things may exist beyond the safety of the shallows. A chill runs up his spine. Of course, he isn’t imaginative, so he can only conjure images of giant crabs with vice grip claws. He swallows the nervous lump in his throat and looks back to the boy as he tries to hide the tinge of concern in his voice.

    Have you.. seen what sorts of things are in the deeper parts?” he asks carefully. Surely Starsin would chase away or shatter whatever deepsea monsters he was afraid of. And thinking of his wife and her bravery gives him a sense of relief. Her heart thumps reassuringly in his chest as he regards the small crab once more.

    A crab,” he echoes, his bright eyes reexamining her anew. “What kind of name would a crab have?

    He dwells on the question for a while. They seem strong-willed and cute. Starsin Junior was a name that had been shot down several times despite his efforts, but there is no one here to stop him from using it now. He grins with one of those thousand-watt smiles across his face when he turns back to Torrent.

    I’m going to call her Starsin Junior, after my wife. Because she’s scary and I like her,” he explains with a soft laugh. “I guess I’ll let her hang around a little longer, if she wants.

    And then he carefully turns his body to face Torrent now, with the crab holding onto his feathering possessively now. His strides are slow and careful when he draws closer to the boy.
    Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as you.


    @[Torrent]
    Reply
    #6
    Torrent nodded, the strange intrigue young children have for monsters rich in his mind. "Oh, sure!" He bounced on his tiptoes, mind racing with the stories he'd been told. Creatures with massive teeth and rigid scales, rope-like tentacles and slicing beaks. Eyes as big as coconuts, that could see in the deepest, darkest trenches. A delicious shiver ran down his back, the fluff of his mane bristling in response. 

    "Have you ever heard of a shark?" He asked, eyes wide. He'd met sharks, of course. And not many of them were mean just to be mean. But their jagged teeth and solid black eyes were enough to unnerve just about anyone. 

    He glanced at the cheerfully lapping water. It was hard to imagine any of the hungry beasts beneath the waves, but they were there. Ma told him stories about them, and his brothers even resembled some. Sharks and giant squid and needle toothed eels were much less scary when they were made out of glassy water to swim over his head. He couldn't wait until he was big enough to swim out to where they lived.  

    Sheepishly, he realized that enthusiasm was not shared by his companion. With an apologetic smile, he listened as the golden man mulled the question of what to name a crab. While his imagination was nearly endless when it came to the creatures of the deep, it faltered when he had one right in front of him. 

    Perplexed, he shrugged when the name was decided on. Whatever a "starsin" was, it seemed special to the pegasus. And that was potentially problematic because "She's not gonna survive long out of the water. A few hours, maybe." He watched carefully as the stallion made his way to the beach, reddish blur of Starsin Junior clinging to his foot beneath the water. 

    He wanted to be helpful though, and ran through a few ideas that might be possible. "You're not from here. My Ma might be able to make a- a bubble, or something to bring her home in? If you live by the ocean." He paused doubtfully. But then she'd just swim off again. "You could stay here with her?" Oh. But then she'd definitely swim away, as soon as the tide rose. Hmm. This was harder than her thought it would be. 

    @[Ophanim]
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