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  • Beqanna

    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


    [open]  By the sun and the moon [Borderline]
    #1
    As badly as Yanhua had wanted to keep his family together through the darkest time in their history, he knew that forcing them to group might also mean their death. Actually, it felt more like any decision he made would be the wrong one. If he forced them to endure the Eclipse together they’d be a unit, but they might starve or succumb to the evil prowling ‘New’ Beqanna. If he and Borderline left on their quest while the others stayed behind, they still might starve and fall victim to a shadow creature. Basically, they were screwed.

    When Yanhua had set out with Borderline weeks ago, it felt like the last goodbye he’d ever say. The horned stallion couldn’t explain it, but embracing their children had felt so horribly morbid despite how hard he’d been smiling in the darkness. The chances of them never meeting again, of him never being able to kiss Amarine and remind her of their first memory together, were infinitely higher than they’d been at the start of all this. Now the danger had become living, and the threat of death very real.

    If the world was truly ending—if things were going to be like this forever, then at least he would die trying to restore some hint of light. He and Borderline left without much emphasis on joyful celebration, and every step felt like a tense one after that.

    Weeks later they’d finally ingrained themselves between the folds of Tephran jungle leaves, searching for reclusive answers that never seemed to reveal what they were looking for. Mushrooms they found aplenty, but glowing ones? It was like they were looking for an impossibility, a needle in the haystack where every turn was met with shadow creatures. He and Borderline managed to just barely hack their way along; between his glowing, Borderline’s manipulation, and Yan’s ability to randomly emit high-pitched keening noises (a surprise he’d discovered in the midst of nearly being eaten), the pair of horses had actually worked out a successful rhythm when they fought together.

    At any moment they could be outnumbered though, and then all the power in the world couldn’t help them.

    “You doing alright?” Yan quietly asked Borderline as they took a brief moment to rest on their journey. He backed himself nicely into the curving walls of thick tree roots, at home amongst the tangle of solid wood, and rested the knee that still smarted now and again. Normally, Yanhua wouldn’t bother with pleasantries. The duo had been focused, reserving their conversation for the hours right before sleep when it was safest to relax, but lately he’d noticed something… off. Borderline wasn’t her usual self and that gnawed at the stallion. Cautiously, he narrowed his eyes at the gray mare in the dark.

    For the millionth time since he’d last gotten a flickering glimpse of them, Yan lamented the absence of his echoes. He cursed the Eclipse in the same breath of thought and waited, tensely, for Borderline to catch her breath and respond.


    OOC: Quick thread for anyone interested, promise. @[Borderline] has first dibs
    #2

    despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow came

    I had found it strikingly difficult to say goodbye to our family, even though it wouldn’t be long before we found our way back to them. There had come a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something would go wrong. Horribly wrong. But I had pushed the thought out of my mind, though, telling myself that it was probably anxiety caused by the extenuating circumstances from the last trip that @[Yanhua] had done with Amarine. (Little did I know that what I thought were irrational fears were actually being realized at this very moment.) Memorie had been quick to reassure me, with that big smile of hers that always brought with it a sense of contentment within me. And so I had given her one last hug and a kiss on the brow after saying goodbye to the rest of the family (and reminding Cheri and Reynard to behave themselves), and Yanhua and I had turned and left.

    In the dark, it was hard to tell how much time had passed, and that hadn’t grown any easier in the lengthy time in which the sun remained gone. In fact, I think we all had become a little bit lax in keeping track of time. Most of us figured what’s the point? Either way, it had been enough time since Yanhua and I had left Taiga that I had grown much rounder and heavier, and exhaustion plagued me at every step. I did my best to hide this from the chestnut stallion, which is made easier by the absence of his echoes, but I’m sure he could tell something was up when he caught glimpses of me from the corner of his eye during the times I was struggling harder than normal to keep up.

    And with each day, the struggle became harder and harder. We spent our days plowing through the jungle, Yanhua using his glow to light the way while I used my own gifts to search. Between using my gifts to keep the Taigan’s fed, this pregnancy, and the journey, I was definitely feeling the strain. But still, we had found many mushrooms, and each time, I would stop to examine what plant matter helped them grow. I knew this was probably a waste of time, but it’s hard to say what little details I could discover that might help us in our journey to find mushrooms that glow. And, to my great disappointment, we had not yet found the glowing waters that my mate had heard rumor of.

    Today, however, the exhaustion had become almost too much, and now I could tell that Yanhua was concerned. With each look he threw over his shoulder at me, I could see the worry in his eyes. So I was grateful for the brief rest. I take the last couple of steps that bring me to him, and I press my shoulder gently into his and letting my head hang close to his belly (while my own is being boorishly kicked from the inside by the growing foal in there).

    I was just thinking on how to answer his question when my water breaks. My eyes fly open and I jerk my head up. Was it time already? It only seemed like a matter of weeks since I even started to show this pregnancy. I thought I’d have at least a few more weeks. Not only that, but this dark forest didn’t harbor a lot of space with which I could give birth comfortably. I look at Yanhua, panic filling my eyes. Not now. This couldn’t be happening now. But it was. It is. There was no stopping it, and so I would have to make due with the situation that we are in now.

    The pain grows with each passing minute. It becomes difficult to concentrate on anything else, and there are moments where I forget that Yanhua is even present. Time seems to stretch into an eternity, though not much of it passes before I feel the need to fold my legs beneath me. And then it happens quickly, and a new life enters the world, wet and shaggy, and big. Exhausted, I push my head off the ground to look back at it. This foal, a colt, is much bigger than Memorie had been, taking more after his father in that respect. And all around him, the leaves begin to shimmer and shake, bringing a tired smile to my lips. “Yanhua,” I mutter, looking back to find the stallion, “Look what we did.” A loopy kind of whimsical look passes over my features, and my smile widens.

    Borderline

    Image by Calcifer
    #3
    So early in the season for a foal to be born, almost too early and they’re miles away from the safety and comfort of home. When Borderline’s water broke, Yanhua was surprised but not shocked. He’d been that way for Ama’s first time with the twins—had missed Memorie’s birth altogether, but he was ready this time around. All his hopes and ideas of having Cheri nearby to help were gone; Yanhua felt every muscle in his body tense and he refused to relax from there out until his mate was comfortably situated on the ground.

    That was all they had: the jungle sod and the humid darkness to keep them company while Borderline laboured to give birth to their second foal. Yanhua felt useless like he always did when it came to female issues, but he did his best to support Borderline and wipe the gathering sweat from the gray mare’s hide when she pushed. There was only the sound of her breathing, the chirping of insects, and the deadly quiet. Birds had stopped singing months ago. In the bended roots of an ancient tree, Yan cradled his love and watched as she brought their son into a world without hope.

    Wit, as the colt would come to be called, was nothing but a bundle of legs and an adorable lump of flesh when he first arrived. Yanhua was eager to help free him from the birth sac as long as Borderline allowed it, and he laughed in his head to think of how a young stallion might balk at the idea of what he was doing now. The experience of it all, of being a father for the fourth time around, wasn’t novelty any longer—it was miraculous to Yanhua. That his wives could be resourceful enough, strong and driven enough to give birth in a time of utter disparity… it left him at a loss for words. He only watched Wit take the first breaths of his life and smiled, shifting his body weight to better support Borderline while she spoke.

    “I could see it happen a thousand times and still be amazed.” He laughed softly in response, kissing the new mother’s warm cheek. “He’s wonderful, B.” Yan promised her.

    And yet there were a thousand new concerns to think about, as well as a thousand good thoughts. The redwood forest and their family weren’t around, he and Borderline still had a quest to complete, but now they had a newborn to keep watch over as well. It was a small blessing that the young horse would be up and moving quickly; Yanhua knew that he and Borderline couldn’t stay here for long. As if to prove him right, the jungle shuddered and growled in the distance.

    “Can you stand?” Yan wondered. “Does everything feel alright?”


    @[Borderline] this was brought to you by wine
    #4

    despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow came

    I feel exhausted. More exhausted than I should. It’s like the exhaustion has penetrated my bones. Did I feel this exhausted after Memorie was born? I’m not quite sure, but my guess would be that I hadn’t, because it feels like I am more exhausted than I’ve ever been in my life. I lay my head back, vaguely aware that @[Yanhua] was helping the foal from his birthing sac and had responded to my loopy statement. I feel his lips press gently to my cheek, and I lean into it, though without much strength behind it, he likely can’t even feel the little bit of pressure as I press into him.

    My mind seems to flicker in and out of consciousness for a moment, but I am aware just long enough to hear Yanhua ask if I could stand and whether everything feels alright. Yes, I say, but I don’t realize that I say it in my head and not out loud to my mate. Even so, I shift my weight over my legs and strain to push myself into an upright position. It is of no avail, though, as I am too weak right now to do much of anything. Heck, I can’t even differentiate between what’s in my head and what isn’t.

    I forget that my original task was to stand, and my blue eyes fall on the tiny bundle that is the colt I just birthed. He looks healthy, though not altogether happy. He is looking at me with a mixture of confusion and concern on his face. I can understand the confusion. What’s not to be confused about suddenly coming out of a dark, warm, cozy womb into a dark, inhospitable, cold world? The concern is what concerns me. Why is he concerned? What does an itty bitty baby have to be concerned about?

    A familiar sensation washes over me, a memory. Well, I think it’s a memory, anyway, because all it shows is darkness, but a soft, muffled voice could be heard in the memory. Me. My voice. It’s my turn to look confused, as I look down at the colt. “Is that you?” I ask him. This time, miraculously, the words are spoken out loud. In response, he reaches his soft, red muzzle up to brush against mine, as if to tell me “yes.” I smile softly and lean into his touch, feeling a bit of energy flood back into me.

    I shift my weight once more and push myself shakily from the ground into a standing position, where I teeter dangerously. I side-step once in one direction, then back again in the other, trying to keep myself from falling over, though I am not completely aware of even moving. A sigh wrenches itself from my lips. A drunken kind of sigh that expresses my exhaustion where my words do not. With a smile, I reach down and gently brush the still-wet fluff of mane on the crest of the colt’s neck. In response, he shifts his own weight beneath him and tries to rise to his hooves. Somehow, he makes an easier job of this than I had done, launching up onto the spindly stilts that are his legs. He stumbles around for a second, trying to get his bearings, then manages to stand still, legs splayed out in an awkward manner.

    I wasn’t here alone, was I? I shake my head, my blue mane falling into my face. No, there was someone here with me, wasn’t there? I look around to see Yanhua, and a smile cracks my lips. “Hi, m’love,” I say, groggily, but happily as well. “What are we doing here?” I look around. It’s hard to see in the dark, but this land does not look familiar.

    Borderline

    Image by Calcifer


    Lol. This did not go where I thought it would go. But it definitely spices things up a bit! XD
    #5



    Yanhua felt certain that Borderline should be warmer. Her fur was drenched, a combination of the dark jungle humidity and her just giving birth, but it was a clammy wet. When Yan touched his nose to the curve of her beautiful throat, he could feel how weak Borderline’s pulse had become and that worried him. He stayed quiet though; rather than interrupt the hazy bonding between a mare and her newly-born foal, Yan kept his concerns to himself and reasoned he was just being overprotective. Borderline was fine, right? She’d done this before without him. Yanhua cradled her close and tried not to expect the worst, which was becoming increasingly harder to do the further they strayed from home.

    She spoke to their son and her words comforted the horned stallion, even if they weren’t meant for him. He chuckled actually, delighted by the first signs of a gift that had manifested in nearly all of his lineage, and felt the insecurity from earlier begin to fade as Borderline struggled to her hooves. The instant she moved away, Yan flung his forelegs out from their curled resting place beneath him and pushed himself up to stand as well. He shook his neck out and flicked his tail, head curving back afterwards to look down at the grayscale shapes of his mate and their colt, and saw Borderline stumble with a shocked frown.

    “B?” Yan stepped quickly to her aid, anxiety dripping from the single-letter question.

    She was still clammy to the touch. Yanhua supported her with a worried nicker, letting his whiskers tickle the pale, dappled hide while Borderline reached for their babe. Their son, the newest little faun of Taiga, leapt to his hooves eagerly with encouragement. Yan tried to bite back the worry as best he could manage, watching the little thing teeter around, but it was near impossible. He wanted to rush them out of this place, go back to Taiga where some horse might be able to help them. Borderline was not well, and it was only the presence of his innocent child that kept Yan from getting impulsive. There was no use in exciting his son with traumatic emotions from the moment he hit the ground; he should channel this, try to stay calm like Amarine had taught him to so many times before.

    “We’re searching for the glowing mushrooms, Borderline.” He told her softly, fighting despair. “Remember?”

    No, by the gusts and gales let it be nothing, he pleaded silently. Every time Yanhua or a horse he loved left Taiga, there had been consequences. He and Ama had been lucky by the skin of their teeth since the twins had come home in one piece (more or less.) He couldn’t do this, not without Borderline and not so far from home.

    “B, darling, stay with me. Stay with me, love.” Yanhua pleaded. Their son, perhaps sensing a shift in Yanhua’s emotions, tucked himself closer to Borderline’s side and watched his sire with a curious eye. “Don’t you leave me now.” Yan threatened with a terrified whisper.

    YANHUA
    Image by Ani2ad


    @[Borderline] Sad
    #6

    despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow came

    Glowing mushrooms? What glowing mushrooms? At Yanhua’s answer, I look around with a clearly confused look painted across my face. “But…there are no glowing mushrooms here,” I say. The statement coming from my lips is more confusing than the idea of glowing mushrooms. And why were we looking for glowing mushrooms? I feel like there is a reasonable explanation for all of this, and I should know what that reasonable explanation is, but for now, the concept goes over my head.

    Instead, I look down at this foal, as if seeing him for the first time, and all thoughts of glowing mushrooms or where we are suddenly fade away. “Wit?” I say, though the question makes it sound as if I had known him my whole life. The foal looks over at me, genuine concern coating the air between us. He moves to my side before looking to his father for reassurance. I smile down at him and lip at the soft whiskers that grow from his chin, whiskers that are thicker than a normal foal’s whiskers, an indication that he will also share the goat features that his father and sister have as well. He also has two stripes running down his face, something I imagine is a goat feature, since I have never seen a horse with such markings.

    My brain seems incapable of holding its attention anywhere for longer than a moment, though, and as my thoughts drift, so too does my attention. Though this time, I’m not sure exactly where they are headed, or where I am headed, for that matter.

    Wit watches as I once again fold my legs beneath me and lay back down. I am no longer even aware of what I am doing. In fact, as soon as I hit the ground, I close my eyes and allow the shadows that surround us to sink in through my thoughts, and I pass peacefully into a slumber. Luckily for @[Yanhua], my barrel rises and falls with the ragged breaths that I take, so he will know I am alive. Nonetheless, it does nothing to satiate the worry that the two boys must feel over these sudden turn of events.

    Wit bleats softly down at me, hunger in his voice, but when he noses around my hind legs, he finds himself incapable of accessing my teat to eat. Uncomfortably, he looks up at his father, as if Yanhua might have some sort of solution for his hunger. He seems resigned to sit in his worry, however, as long as his mother is still suffering (which, I am). He moves very unsteadily around me, nearly tripping over my legs once or twice on the way, so that he is next to the stallion, and he carefully presses his tiny figure into his side, seeking some sort of comfort that I am currently unable to provide.

    Borderline

    Image by Calcifer
    #7



    From one minute to the next Borderline’s condition only seemed to decline. Yanhua held her up, racking his brain for a solution or way to find help in the middle of a pitch-black jungle, miles from their home and without the ability to use his echoes. The weight of the humidity here was almost as stifling as his failure. Even in the dark, with all his shine and confidence, he was useless and Borderline was dying in his care.

    Just like when he and Amarine had descended from the mountain. He’d led her there with good intentions and a dream shared, and then lost their children during a moment of unthinkable disaster caused by the Eclipse. He’d been useless then and he was useless now, an alliance deserter, a failed father, and now a failed protector.

    Borderline wilted and Yanhua moved to help her, forgetting his despair in favor of her comfort. Wit watched as Yan curled himself over the dappled gray mare protectively, and his father wondered what kind of memory this would be as a first one. Were they leaving ghosts behind right now, he and his son? Someday in the future, would they walk this way together and remember what happened, see what had happened as a flash of painful color, or only nothing?

    “Wit.” Yanhua nickered toward the colt, using the name his mother had chosen. He couldn’t help the small thing with the pain of eating; Yanhua couldn’t leave without him either, to try and find a solution. They could wait here together and listen for Borderline’s breathing, comfort each other while Yanhua thought silently about miracles. That was their best hope at this point. Wit seemed to understand that as well after a moment or two, and eventually Yanhua could feel the warmth of the tiny new body pushing up against his own. Gently, the elder stallion lifted his wing and draped it over the colt, and then he pulled Wit as close as he could manage.

    Now that they were together, Yanhua listened.
    The jungle was deadly quiet. He was sure that just beyond the pale ring of light from his body, figures danced and curled with alien-like movement, drawn in and yet repelled at the same time. For them, he had a snarling frown. “Fuck off.” he thought, glaring out at the darkness with eyes gone cold. They would not have her, so help him by the four winds. He’d seem them all die before he let a single one of them lay a shadowy claw on his family.

    The hours ticked on.
    Just above the quiet, Yan consoled his misery by listening for the faint whistle of Borderline’s shallow breaths. She was sleeping, but he doubted she would be out of the woods anytime soon. That didn’t matter to him. He was fine to sit here, watching over her and the now-sleeping Wit, and think of help. Perhaps a mind-reader might be nearby, or another psychic-type horse capable of sensing him. He let that become a little prayer of sorts: Please help. Please find us. Please let this night end, until it turned from desperation into a vow. Help will come. Someone will find us. This night will end.

    The hours ticked on, and Yanhua refused to sleep.
    YANHUA
    Image by Ani2ad


    @[Borderline]
    #8

    despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow came

    Wit watches his mother and father for a short while before he gives up and goes to sleep. @[Yanhua], however, refuses to sleep, exchanging that little bit of comfort for the need to watch over his two helpless wards while they slept instead. Meanwhile, the hours tick by...and by…and by while I sleep, my breaths coming slow and instead, very shallow for how they should be. The exhaustion in my bones slowly diminishes, and my body begins the painstaking process of healing itself from whatever it is that ails me.

    Though Yan insists on not sleeping, time proves a worthy foe. It had been quite some time since we had rested, and the journey had taken its toll on us, and worry is tiresome work. Eventually, even he cannot keep himself awake while his family sleeps beside him. It is then that my body decides it is time.

    My eyes flutter open. My legs twitch. My ears swivel, taking in the sounds around me. I am still exhausted, more so than I should have been, but my thoughts are clear. I blink, stunned by the realization that something bad must have happened that I can’t quite remember. I lift my head from the ground and look back at my sleeping family for just a moment. I know that Wit would need to eat. And soon. And I know that Yanhua will want to know I am safe, but still, something propels me in the opposite direction.

    I gently shift my weight away from Yanhua, trying my best not to disturb him, and then I press my legs beneath me and lift myself from the ground. Unsure of what forces are driving me, I move away from my family into the darkness, away from the gentle glow the lifts from the stallion. I don’t have to go far before the jungle thins, and then it opens up to the ocean. In the darkness, it’s hard to see much, but not everything is dark here. My eyes widen in shock and awe as a soft, blue glow emanates from the crests of the small waves that lap at the beach.

    Adrenaline races through my veins, and a burst of energy causes me to rear up and leap forward while a soft whinny falls from my lips. This was it! This was the glowing waters that Yanhua had told me about. I splash into the waves in a frenzy of delight. Where my hooves make contact with the water, the glow strengthens just briefly.

    I play in the waters for a few moments, enjoying the effect that my presence has on the organisms that cause the glow. After a few moments, however, I stop and just stand there, staring at the mysterious blue glow. Time to see what I can do. I reach out with my gift for the familiar signature of plant life, and there it is! The organisms that cause the glow are some sort of algae, a plant! I reach deeper, searching through every fiber of the organisms to figure out what about this algae makes it different from other plants–what makes it glow?

    That is when it happens. It doesn’t happen slowly. It isn’t a gradual change like one would expect, but suddenly the world around me is flooded with light–blinding light that is so startling and unnerving that I stumble backwards in the water and topple over into the water. Gasping, I throw myself back to my hooves as quickly as possible, blinking and squinting. The light hurts my eyes. All of this means it takes me a few moments to register exactly what is happening, but when I do, oh! The joy I had felt upon finding the glowing waters was nothing compared to the feeling that the light gives me.

    The sun had returned!

    Borderline

    Image by Calcifer




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