and I discovered that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand He feels no different than he did yesterday, but his admission to Estonia and his acceptance of responsibility as Sparrow’s sole guardian have been catalysts in a change that was too long coming. Tiberios had never been the king that Texas wanted, and Shatter Me has been absent since long before the appointment of the sabino stallion as her co-monarch. It’s been nearly a year since his last sighting of the silver queen – longer still since seeing her daughter, the only other member of the kingdom’s army – and that has been long enough.
He’s never been good at following edicts anyway – perhaps it was best that he has once again reached out for the power to issue them instead.
He half expects Shatter Me to sense the change, to come rushing from behind the waterfall looking like the vibrant young queen that he’d first met over a decade ago. She is immortal, after all, but Texas knows all too well the burdens that come with such a gift.
The bay stallion stands in the water, looking out at the kingdom as the water laps at his knees. There is the pull to go deeper , as there always is, but Texas has long since quieted the part of himself that longs to sleep beneath the water. Death has reached for the bay stallion on more than one occasion, but it has never been able to hold him for long.
He considers calling for the kingdom, but he knows that there is no one else here. Sparrow and Estonia are, and perhaps Nixie and Cymbalta still roam the forests, but who else? The tiny kingdom has grown smaller with every passing year. Texas is accustomed to this and has no grand plans for change, but knows that even this subtle shift of power is likely to garner attention that the Falls neither wants nor needs. He lowers his head to the water but doesn’t drink. Instead he looks at his reflection in silence, and then glances up, thinking that perhaps he had heard the sound of hooves approaching.
texas 
T E X A S
immortal silver bay hybrid stallion
king of the falls
Burning on, just like a match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you know.
And what's the worst you take from every heart you break? And like
the blade you stain, well, I've been holding on tonight.
He had waited.
As it was the polite thing to do, of course.
But the shadow child has lingered for several hours at the border now and has yet to be greeted. His curiosity could no longer be contained and he crosses the kingdom borders without apprehension. Kingdoms, as a whole, fascinated Michaelis. He was raised outside them, but yet his father had spent most of his life serving one.
This is the reason why he had ventured back to this kingdom in particular.
It was where Cicrus had settled his roots.
Michaelis’ last visit had been brief. Makai had convinced him to follow and so follow him he did. The kingdom had been claimed by the chamber-girl and his attention had been dragged to the drama enfolding before him. Afterwards, he had wandered back home to the meadow. But he had missed his chance to explore this kingdom to his heart’s content.
He appreciates the numerous trees overhead – they provided even more shadow to relieve his eyes of the sun’s painful rays. It was nearing dusk; the sun would soon disappear and his pain would soon fade away for the day. The unfamiliar shadow tendrils danced upon his skin in happy greeting. They could smell the lingering scents of those from the chamber and the meadow upon his body.
The forest eventually gives way to a large clearing and his sharp hearing had long picked up the thunderous roar of a waterfall crashing down upon the earth. These were the famed waters that all the kingdoms coveted. Michaelis could see how this waterfall would have appealed to Cicrus’ sensitive soul.
His mismatched turn downwards and spots a lone figure wading in the waters and he is struck by the stillness of this kingdom. How has he managed to venture so deeply into the heart of this land without running into anyone else? He strides forward in quiet confidence and stops just at the water’s edge.
“These waters certainly do seem to live up to their reputation.”
He could detect nothing that would hint at the waters’ special healing properties. With the exception of its’ natural beauty, the waterfall would appear to be absolutely normal. But perhaps this was what had protected them for so long.
“Michaelis.”
Michaelis
( The Shadow Child )
The ruby woman was content with her decision to live at the Falls along side Texas. So far she had not caught sight or smell of any other equine but that was okay. Perhaps there was a history that was yet to be revealed to silver haired woman. Long limbs move to bring the lithe frame towards the center of the territory till a another scent drifted over the crisping air. Skull snaps in the direction of the source. Was it a new face or an old one? She wasn't sure but decided to investigate.
Only a few moments pass till she arrives to catch the name of a male. Michaelis. One noun was three syllables. The blood bay nears from the new equine's hind left side while giving a wuffle so she did not spook him. Dark pools watch as she sides near him, swinging the svelte frame to watch through colorless tresses. "Hello there, Michaelis." Soprano tone is buttery soft as Estonia greets the stallion. The mare had recently made the decision to assume a warrior's stance amongst the caste system so it was high time to start acting like it. "I'm Estonia. What brings you to the Falls?" Honey hued orbs watch the male as she awaits his response. No doubt Texas would soon enter the conversation but it seemed only right for the kingdom mare to inquire unless he needed Texas alone. The mare would act as his buffer for as long as he required her to.
*estonia corvus oculum corvi non eruit 
for you I would ruin myself
And I see colors in a different way
You make what doesn't matter fade to grey
Life is good and that's the way it should be
Texas' little girl is growing up. She knows a lot of things now, mostly from watching her mama. She knows that clover and grass are good to eat, but the prickly weeds taste icky. She knows that the falls are a wonderful place to play. She knows precisely how to exasperate her mother (mostly by disturbing his naps). And she knows that her mama is different than most mothers. His voice is deeper, for one. The little girl suspects that there is something off about her lone parent, but having no concept of the difference between male and female, she decides it doesn't much matter anyway. Sparrow loves her mama with all of her golden heart, and isn't afraid to demonstrate her affection frequently and openly.
She wakes from a nap and stretches, rolling over and over again in the fading flowers of autumn. Winter is just a faint scent on the air. She clambers to her feet gracelessly, sneezing as pollen tickles her nose. Her immediate thought is for her mother's whereabouts. Brown eyes wide, the silver black filly makes her way towards the pool at the base of the falls. She and her mother frequently spend their days in its vicinity. The rushing water, the chill of the spray; all of this is home. Sparrow loves the water with all of her impulsive, childish being.
As she approaches the trio of horses, she pays only slight attention to the dark stallion and the reddish mare standing near the shore. They speak, but she doesn't need to listen. Her eyes are only for the bay standing in the water. A delighted squeal bursts from her throat and she splashes into the pool, sending sprays of cold droplets everywhere.
" Mama!" she crows gleefully. " I found you!"
The full force of her gangly body collides with his in a rush of giggles. She nuzzles her mother, unabashed.
sparrow texas x redbird
ooc: SO hard not to power play a bit with foals. I will edit if you don't want her to greet Texas quite so exuberantly. ;-) And for anyone who is confused, Sparrow thinks Texas is her mother.
there was something in the water, now that something's in me i can't go back, but the reeds are growing out of my fingertips He’d been right, and his dark eyes meet those of an unfamiliar roan stallion. Ever with the wind not in his favor he knows that the horse is a stranger to the kingdom, for surely in the decade of his roving he’d have run into the stallion before today. The other male’s words confirm it, and Texas glances over his shoulder at the waterfall once again, nodding in quiet agreement. The very fact that he takes his attention away from the stranger speaks to his comfort level; Texas doubts Michaelis has any tendency toward violence, and if he did there’s no worse place to commit it than when your enemy is knee-deep in water that will immediately heal any damage done.
That’s an interesting concept, he realizes, and makes a mental note to have the army (when it becomes an army, and not simply himself and Estonia) try sparring in the water.
The bay stallion offers his name - “I’m Texas,” - as he begins to climb onto the bank, and when he looks up from watching his footing sees that Estonia has arrived as well, and is quiet while she introduces herself, though he does offer a quick flash of a smile. His climb out of the water is interrupted by a dark torpedo, and he stumbles back a bit as the filly collides into him. “I wasn’t hiding,” he tells her with a gentle tap to her poll with his muzzle. His tone is somewhat exasperated but his touch is gentle, and he pauses to pull a twig out of the tangle of her mane before looking back at the two adults.
“This is…” a small brown bird lands on a limb in the corner of his eye, and he says: “Sparrow”, with no hesitation between the first words and the third. He’s been aware, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the filly doesn’t have a name, but “Hey You” and “Kid” have been working rather well thus far. This seems as good a time as any to give her one. Choosing to ignore the fact that she still cals him Mama despite insistence otherwise, he gestures back at the waterfall for a moment before speaking to Michaelis. “Pretty and useful,” he agrees with a nod.
texas
ooc: i'm totes fine with crashing babies xD
T E X A S
immortal silver bay hybrid stallion
king of the falls
Burning on, just like a match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you know.
And what's the worst you take from every heart you break? And like
the blade you stain, well, I've been holding on tonight.
The stallion before him seemed pensive and Michaelis briefly wondered if he was interrupting the other’s self-imposed solitude. But the bay introduces himself with no inflection of irritation or inattention to his voice as he exited the cool waters and the shadow child relaxes. But it seems that people always arrive in droves – all it takes was one to start the race. A mare slides alongside him with a soft noise to signal her arrival, but he had heard her footsteps about a hundred yards away.
The tendrils bunch tighter together as they shrink away from her and the shadow child offers up a nod of acknowledgement to her soft greeting. Of course, she immediately asks about his intentions but he supposed that all the kingdoms were always rather picky about who wandered in and out through their claimed territories.
“Simple curiosity and a sense of sentimentality, I suppose.”
A rambunctious child rushes past both of them and proceeds to throw herself at the bay stallion – all the while shrieking the name ‘Mama.’ Michaelis tries to smother a chuckle at the put-upon look that flashes across the other stallion’s face. But he could tell that Texas secretly held great affection for the child in the way he gently grooms the girl’s mane and half-heartedly chastises her.
“I’m honored to meet you the most, Sparrow.”
He flashes her a gentle and warm smile.
The shadow child has always enjoyed children – which most would not think of him. But he has raised several of his own along with a few picked up along the way. He briefly thinks of Baptiste, Luzja, Wayra, and Nebibi before returning his wandering thoughts back to the trio of strangers before him.
One could possibly say that the whole of the kingdom has gathered to greet him.
He glances at Texas briefly before following his gesture towards the waterfall behind him. There was a whole kingdom that’s been built around this particular natural formation for centuries. Each resident deeply identified with the roaring waters and Michaelis had always wondered how it could inspire such devotion and loyalty.
Loyalty and devotion to people made sense in his mind.
Giving himself completely to a piece of land was always something he could never quite wrap his mind around.
“My father often spoke of the natural beauty of this land. He really loved it here.”
Michaelis
( The Shadow Child )
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