"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
08-23-2015, 11:08 PM (This post was last modified: 08-25-2015, 11:20 PM by Tantalize.)
tantalize
infinity overhead
and i whisper, are you listening?
Perhaps this was really home. It was the one place she always returned to, where everything had started. From growing up with Novea and meeting the boy of stone to deciding to tie herself to the jungle. The place where Lion had stripped her of everything she had built herself up to be. When the Amazons seemed to close in around her and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think… This is where she came. So many strangers made her feel more comfortable. It was because here she could be a stranger too, it didn’t matter if nobody recognized her. That was expected in the Meadow. Her jaguar spots ripple across her body as she silently moves into the open, golden eyes alert and judging. She stands out and yet blends in all the same, because she’s nothing to anyone here.
The heather is dying with the coming of fall and she finds herself standing in the midst of it, enjoying the way the withering stems lashes against her limbs with the breeze. The coolness is inviting, she doesn’t mind the way it chills her. Her fur hasn’t grown much, the jungle doesn’t allow it, so it makes her shiver with each passing gust. It’s becoming odd how the heat is starting to bother her, how she seems to seek out the cold more and more. Everything about her screams that she is a sister, that she can’t leave. And yet… And yet. Maybe her time there is done. Maybe it’s time for this jaguar to change her spots.
Constantly lost, lost in her mind, lost in her home. Decisions weighing on her, Lion constantly haunting her dreams. The Meadow is her only escape. The only time she can somewhat clear her head although the former Dale King always seems to catch in the corner of her eye, making her spin quickly and searching the shadows for a figure that’s not there. It’s become obvious that the former Khaleesi is not what she had once been. This is a shell of the powerful and intelligent being she had once been. And she searches… How she searches! Searching for answers, searching for peace. Just something, give me something! Something that makes me whole again.
09-08-2015, 11:30 PM (This post was last modified: 11-04-2019, 11:17 PM by Set.)
It is still dark when he leaves the Chamber, lion’s paws padding silently from the confines of one of the many caves dotting the mountainsides. Gripping the edge, talons leaving small furrows in the rock, he leans over the edge into the wind. It’s cold but carries the promise of spring and does not penetrate the thick feathers ruffled about his head in a mock mane. It catches at his unblinking eyes, coaxing a tear or two from their corners, the salty liquid running down the side of his beak, swept away with the flick of his tongue.
He’d spent the night here once with Nazul, several lifetimes ago. An image of the dark-eyed Amazon lingers uncomfortably in his mind’s eye, accusing and pleading at the same time. Grunting, he dives over the edge, wings tucked tightly against his sides, paws curled into his body. His falling form gains speed quickly and he laughs with the thrill of it, the ground below dark and foreboding as he breaks through the low cloud cover. At the least moment, his wings unfurl, catching him with a heavy jerk, paws unfolded to gallop along the ground for two strides before a heavy downward thrust sends him back into the air. The cry of an eagle mingles with the roar of a lion, echoing off the Chamber’s borders even as he disappears from her boundaries.
It is not often that he comes to the Meadow. Wheeling high above it, he inspects the territory with a critical eye. He keeps the sun directly behind him, rendering him a dark shape in the sky, high enough that his size would go unnoticed by any without magic to aid their sight. Whistling softly to himself, he banks and soars, thumbing through the minds down below.
One in particular catches his attention. Her mind is humid and hot, a sure sign of an Amazon, tumbled and tangled, lost within herself. Lion, Lion, it echoes in her mind, drawing him closer to her in lazy circles. He can relate to her heartache, though he does not bother to suss out every detail of it. She feels as if something is missing and still looks in every corner for her. Images of Nera and Nazul threaten but he shoves them back as he alights gently next to the jaguar-mare. “If you let the missing them rule you, you’ll drown in it,” he says frankly, giving his body a little shake. The feathers and fur fall away to reveal his true form. “Though I must admit, it’s a weakness that even I wallow in from time to time.” His tone is thoughtful, ears twisting once before settling on the wayward mare.
09-09-2015, 12:39 AM (This post was last modified: 09-16-2015, 12:32 AM by Tantalize.)
tantalize
infinity overhead
and i whisper, are you listening?
It was still settling in, the news of Lion’s death. Of course he had been rotting for ages but to her the news was fresh. It soaked into her open wounds and burned as if touched by salt. There was no happiness, no relief in the death of the one that had ripped her wide open. It only left more questions. Anxiety, pain, grief, and anger all twisted apprehensively in her gut, turning her into a creature on the verge of another break down. There was no relief after all, there would never be solace. She would never find peace.
She aches for the cold. She remembers the cool touch of Slaide and how it had seem to ease her flaming body of fire and brimstone. Lion had been different, he had never cooled her… Had only stoked her flames higher. Her thoughts travel to touch in general, it’s been years since she had been caressed or felt the thrill of passion quiver through her body like an overexcited teenager. She can’t really remember what it feels like, she can’t remember what anything feels like. Too out of touch with reality for so long, her grasp on her memories unstable.
There’s the soft sound of paws hitting the ground, much like the way the jaguars hit the jungle earth when they spring from the canopies. Then she remembers, she’s not in the jungle. His voice brings her head around to look at him, golden eyes taking him in warily. A gryffen. Odd choice of an appearance to show up as the meaning of her half-brothers name. She hadn’t sought out the red eyed stallion since her return even though she knew he had come back as well. There’s had never been a close relationship especially since she had been one of the more favored of Cross’s children. Gryffen hadn’t liked that at all.
His words are almost lost on her having been thrown off guard by the strange entrance. Drowning. She was already drowning and there was no lifeguard in sight to pull her out of the pool of her own misery and despair. With a shake he is suddenly a creature no more. Instead she is looking into golden eyes that mirror her own. She takes in the dark stallion quietly. Noticing the scars on his shoulder, that he’s taller than her. The overwhelming broadness of him in general. Perhaps she should recognize him, having heard his name often in that past life when she had once been Queen. Nazul, his consort, having been one of her few trusted companions when she had risen to power. Of course she had always been aware of the fact that Nazul hadn't been pleased when she had stripped her of her rank as General, making them all start over to prove who belonged where. Now she wishes she had told her why she had done the things she had done but alas, as she is learning, it’s far too late for that and you’re left with nothing but regret.
Her own wings ruffle against her side, still rather useless things as she still hasn’t learned to fly. ”You don’t seem to be a man of many weaknesses.” She states calmly, taking in his thoughtful demeanor as her own ears swivel forward and considers him with slight intrigue. Avoiding his question, the way he seemed to have slipped into her private thoughts. Unwilling to display her tattered memories and broken heart for him to see so willingly. ”Why a gryffen?” She asks instead, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world to speak about and she’s not pretending that everything’s fine.. No not at all.
Set