"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
Losing Tantalize had been hard. Being unable to locate her brother and watching his home crash into the sea had been tough. Then Tunnel disappeared as well as Molech and everyone else she had come to know in this place. And as dark and tortured as they had all been, as cruel and unkind as they could sometimes be… Her heart had broken a little, missing them all.
Of course she never said this outright. For all intensive purposes, she seemed much the same. The jungle flowers still clung to her raven mane and a spiraled smoky horn jutted from her soft brow, a gentle smile was easy to find her lips and just as easy to change into a suggestive grin or ferocious snarl, but the gold of her eyes always seemed tarnished. Sad. There was only so many times she could stand by the river alone before she gave up, she could only wait by the bank so long before defeat wrapped its arms around her and led her away.
To the redwoods she returns but they, too, are quiet. So very hushed. She becomes aware that since Yan’s absence they had been taken over by another but she never sees who this new leader is. Instead she becomes a guardian herself, a spirit of the woods that flits between them without guidance or purpose. Merely existing and trying to keep the small flame of her hope alive. Maybe one day they will all come back. She had found her mother after all those years she reminds herself. Then she remembers that Tantalize is dead and just because there had been a small sense of family for a moment, gone in a single breath, it didn’t mean she would ever find it again.
The fog parts as she moves through it, gliding easily past tall trunks and overgrown mushrooms towards the granite beach. Ferns graze across her suede backside, caressing the pale markings that still remained from her last encounter with the blue beast she tried not to think about. Reaching her destination, hooves sink into the silvery sands as she halts and looks out in the direction of Nerine. Her mother had lived there once, where the last of the Amazons had tried to survive. It hadn’t been a sisterhood in a long time but she remembers that the jaguar mare had spoken of the place with fondness.
Biting at her lower lip, she tilts her horn in its direction, considering. Maybe it was time to try something new again. That was one thing she had always been good at, picking up the pieces and starting over. Besides, she was growing tired of being a ghost in the mist.
They may call me a sinner, but I am at peace with myself;
03-09-2022, 12:31 PM (This post was last modified: 03-09-2022, 12:32 PM by lannister.)
you used to tell me we'd turn into something oh, you said life was much better than this
Lannister knows precisely what attracts him to the Taigan trees: mystery.
Amidst the fog and the towering canopy, he walks steadily and quietly. His gaze is sharp and observant, searching for the flashing yellow eyes of the shadow clans that have guarded this land for decades. There is a certain danger to Taiga that he likes, a frightening ache within it that calls to all that's broken inside him. Even when it was a bustling home to generations, there was an air of intrigue that never truly faded. As if no one would ever be able to name what makes the land pulse.
Pleased by the consistent lack of sun, Lannister presses faster between the trees, occasionally brushing his side against the rough bark of a pine tree. The scent of pine, woodland creatures, and damp surround him; and oddly, he feels at home. Something about the thick air reminds of how the dream world repressed him as child. At least here, he knew he always had the option to leave.
It isn't long before Lan reaches the rocky shore of a Taigan beach. The smell, the salt spray, the day constantly seems to threaten going gray - they all remind him of his first true encounter with an ocean. When he was still stuck, when he couldn't control himself or his world. How he had almost drowned a lovely stranger. He sees her in the blue flashes of the water, wondering what - if anything - came of her.
The distant shape of another draws Lannister from his thoughts. He blinks, clearing the glaze from his vision, then trots eagerly in the stranger's direction. Perhaps she can tell him more about the North, if it is worth remaining there longer. He clears his throat as he draws closer, calling over the washing surf, "Hello!" Lannister pauses an amicable distance away, offering Bardot a friendly smile.
The shadow clans had left her alone and she, in return, had left them be. At times she thought she had caught a glimpse of eyes in the woods, watching her. Yet she never felt fear or the creepy feeling one gets when being watched unaware. It was a simple peace, a quiet truce. For all Taiga’s eeriness, she had grown rather fond of the mist and fog. The lush foliage to hide in. It reminds her of simpler times, it’s the closest she has found to the fallen jungles intrigue. Trading humidity and the caw of parrots for the chill of the ocean vapor and tranquility.
Perhaps that’s why it’s taken her so long to leave them, the safety of the trees and it’s silent guardians.
The decision to leave them though is certain.
She cannot haunt these woods, alone, any longer. She refuses to fade into nothingness like everyone else that had once called this place home. Her mind is focused on Nerine and so she doesn’t catch the fire fanning in her direction. Not until the stranger clears his throat and she angles her head towards the call, the gold of her eyes catching in the red sunset of him.
It has been so long since she had seen another, so long since anyone had spoken to her, so long since she had seen a friendly face. For a moment she loses her voice, becomes uncharacteristically lost for words. Senses return and she finds herself smiling as she gazes up at the tall stallion through long lashes, angling her skull to avoid his face with her horn. “I am.” She says, considering him. “Although for how much longer I can’t be certain.”
He doesn’t carry the scents of sea mist or heavy fog, a visitor then. “I’m Bardot.” She offers politely, “What brings you here, Lannister?” She is curious to what has drawn the flame hued pegasus to the quiet North, what he might be seeking in the stillness of the forest. Would he be disappointed to find it so still or was that what he was searching for?
They may call me a sinner, but I am at peace with myself;
03-18-2022, 06:06 PM (This post was last modified: 03-18-2022, 06:07 PM by lannister.)
you used to tell me we'd turn into something oh, you said life was much better than this
Though often cold enough to be miserable and vastly different from the tropical temperatures Lannister created in his dreams, the dream-weaver finds that his welcoming to the North is a warm one. There's a certain friendly yet rogueish nature to the land - as if the kingdom will accept strangers but only if they can survive its trials. Being a creature that often creates trials for others, Lannister is certain he will not be chewed up and spit out.
"A pleasure, Bardot," Lan rumbles, the words rolling smoothly off his tongue.
He pauses a moment or two to study the inviting stranger. He blinks slowly, stormy gaze drifting to the tip of her horn and down to the lines of her face. Then on to the pale fur, the feline markings, and the fragrant flowers. He finds the silver scars last, instinctively quirking his head with a dark curiosity.
"I think the real question is why are you leaving?" Lannister answers after sufficiently memorizing Bardot. He smiles, mouth curling lazily on one side. He is lulled into relaxing his muscles by the white noise of the ocean, his body leaning lightly to the right. "I would like to settle down in somewhere other than the South, but perhaps the North is not for me?" he adds after a second, mostly musing to himself.
"Is it because Taiga reminds you of those scars?" There's a twisted excitement that make his heart pulse in his ears at posing the question, but Lannister mostly keeps his face relaxed as he asks. He gestures roughly at the hairless marks, "Those don't look too friendly."
“The pleasure is mine.” Comes her quick response, no longer tongue tied and falling easily back into old habits. He openly studies her but she is far from offended as his eyes (like gathering storm clouds) move about her features. Instead, she takes the time to do the same. His coloring was so unusual, reminding her of fiery sunsets that one might see when the light was low to the horizon or after a wildfire. The tarnished gold of his markings are also strange, something she hasn’t seen before. His horn is the same, so unlike her own. Even his wings are fascinating, finding herself intrigued by the striping of them.
His voice is meant to call her back to attention but she takes her time before meeting his gaze again. She means to answer his question but before she can, he offers a different one. One that makes her heart flutter with memories and slowly she shakes her head. “No.” She says quietly, not needing his gesture to know exactly which scars he was implying. Although she doesn’t like thinking of Tunnel (how he had disappeared after those false promises he had made to her amongst the wildflowers of her lost brothers home) she smiles at Lannister. Something sharp instead of soft as her golden eyes find his own and hold them. “Do you not know what it’s like to mix pleasure with pain Lannister?” She asks quietly, raising a brow at the end of her question.
Giving a toss of her head, almost like a dismissal, she glances out to the sea beside them and lets the soothing floral scent of her flowers wrap around them. “I’m leaving because I’d like to try somewhere new.” She suddenly sighs, glancing back at him. “You’ll find these woods are rather quiet. So if your looking for some excitement… You might be disappointed.” Of course she is unaware of the little trio which was currently making its way to the Taiga with the exact intention of raising a fuss. If she had known, her plans would have changed.
“I’m thinking of seeing what Nerine has to offer. Have you ever been there?”
They may call me a sinner, but I am at peace with myself;
Bardot![[Image: BQjeje-Bardot2.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/T37nJTF6/BQjeje-Bardot2.png)
