"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
He doesn’t know that he is the child of a golden angel and a once-statue. He is the residue of heaven’s wind rushing over earth’s iron, creating something in-between and yet, entirely unique. He is born of a king and a kingdom’s lady, a prince in his own right. He is all of these things he knows nothing about. Later, his mother would tell him his history. Later, she’d untangle the root-like stories of his ancestors – those distant and less so. But simply knowing won’t change him, anyway.
The black colt’s pride surfaces at the atomic level.
It’s there next to the electrons as they spin around the nucleus; it’s there bubbling under the surface of his black skin. When he looks across his homeland, he feels a pride as intrinsic and deep as his sense of self. But this feeling doesn’t solely fill him. Clamoring for space in his still baby-new heart is a great desire to do good and to be good. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and already, he carries the weight of potential wrongs.
The Dale suffers a miserably hot summer day, but Ramiel doesn’t mind. He is away from mother for the time being, and when he flicks his black and gold forelock away from his eyes, he surveys the land with subdued curiosity. It is all open to him, the mountain land. Their numbers are so few that those remaining have banded together. Most of the Dale remains desolately quiet, and as much as Ramiel longs for adventure, he remembers how dangerous mother said it was to stray too far.
He hesitates on the edge of that safe zone. River water splashes on his small hooves as he wavers on the banks. The water continues on its path into the unknown, heedless of and blind to the consequences it will later face. Ramiel wants that kind of strength, that surety. He flicks his ears, listening, debating. On the other side of the river (and where he could cross easily in the shallows) the land grew more wild. Bears and wolves trekked up and down the mountain foothills in search of young colts who disobeyed, Talulah had told him. This made the potential for exploration even greater, as far as Ramiel was concerned, but still he stayed his feet. Because pride gave him the courage to wander, but his sense of right and wrong held him back.
He lingers by the water’s edge, anyway. It was as wide a world as he was allowed, for now, and he would take every opportunity he could get.
The sun beats down on her, unbearably hot on this already over-warm day. The red filly pays it little mind though. She is completely engrossed in her current task. So much so that, for the moment, the weather does not bother her. Her light eyes are fixed upon the teaming surface at her feet, the log she had just overturned revealing a hidden underworld. Insects, beetles, and worms swarm the dank, musty soil, trying to escape her intense gaze. Lowering her small muzzle, she sniffs at the earth, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she quickly jerks her delicate head back up.
Before long, she loses interest in the overturned log, primarily because the bugs had all but disappeared. Turning around, she glances around, wondering what more mischief there is to be made. For the first time, her mother had left her alone. Her protective, occasionally overbearing mother had left her alone in order to go recruit. And the red and white filly intends to take full advantage. There is so much in this world to see. And she intends to see it. Moving off at a swift, floating canter, she reaches the edge of the river in short order. Without hesitation, she splashes in, sighing in relief as the water cools her skin. Dropping to her knees, she submerses her entire body in the rushing water, splashing happily as she does. When she finally pauses for a moment, she notices that she is not alone.
Recognizing the colt standing at the edge of the water, she grins broadly before leaping to her feet. Realizing that in her eagerness she had risen several feet above the water, she sets herself back down with a splash before she dashes towards the black and gold colt. As she halts, she unintentionally sprays him with water. Grinning brightly, she tosses her head before latching her gold gaze onto the dark colt.
Watcha doing?
She pauses for a moment, cocking her head slightly as she gazes at him with curiosity and excitement in her eyes.
04-13-2015, 01:02 PM (This post was last modified: 04-13-2015, 01:03 PM by Ramiel.)
The sun arcs across the sky, and still he stands.
Just as he’s about to head begrudgingly back to his mother’s side, a blur of red and white catches his attention downstream. He startles, slightly, and is immediately ashamed. For it is not the rabid fox he thought it might be – not a terrifying creature from the forest, intent for his throat – but Joscelin, the other half of the crop of this year’s foals. Ramiel eyes her warily at first, wondering if she’s seen his moment of weakness. She is too busy splashing around though, he thinks, and having escaped her notice, a small smile quirks his lips.
He watches the girl for a moment, some part of him wishing to join in the joy of her play, but the other parts (the overwhelming majority) are too stubborn and serious to understand the point of it. He does want to get to know her, however. And when she finally sees him, it seems like she wants to know him just as much.
Joscelin shoots into the sky, droplets of water falling from her and back into the river she briefly hovers over. It’s a marvelous display made even more so as the sun catches in the drops and makes tiny rainbows. He’s still gaping by the time the bay and white stops in front of him, registering that she has splashed him only at the last moment. “Hey.” He protests lightly with no registerable heat in his voice. The colt is too happy at the prospect of some excitement; he welcomes each and every interaction and soaks it up like water to a sprout.
His golden eyes turn thoughtful as he considers her first question, because he doesn’t know what he had almost done. Was he going to disobey? Or was he being a good boy, standing down from his desire to explore the forbidden beyond? Luckily, the filly doesn’t press for an answer, and she’s moved on with another question by the time he’s about to speak. At this one, he grins slyly back. “I do.” Ramiel shifts his gaze across the river and up into the hills. He wonders if she has restrictions. He wonders if she will push the limits. “Race me to the tallest fir tree over there?”
And with only his black skin tensing as a warning, he takes off. Pebbles and rocks slow and stumble his progress across the river. He reaches the far banks drenched and already a little tired, but he peers back to see if Joscelin is playing along. He hopes so. This slight rebellion is already the most fun he’s ever had.
The red filly had spent the majority of her life, up until now, tethered to her mother’s side. Her mother is a worrier. And having lost two children already, it had been incredibly difficult for her to let Joscelin out of her sight. Quite unintentionally, she had been smothering her young child. And with her natural exuberance, Joscelin had chafed at those bonds. Until now. She had been loosed from her tethers and she intends to take full advantage. Stumbling across the black colt is a delightful boon. For if she can drag another along to share in her adventures, you can be sure that she will.
At his protestation of her accidental splashing, she grins widely. And when he offers to race her to the fir across the river, she agrees in a heartbeat. But the wily colt does not wait for her agreement. Rather, he takes off immediately upon asking his question, splashing her with water in the process. It is her turn to shout a protestation.
HEY!
Well, if he can cheat, so can she. With a delighted giggle, she leaps into the air and skims easily across the surface of the river. She reaches the opposite edge of the river moments before a soaked and slightly bedraggled Ramiel does. Sticking her tongue out at him, she drops onto the water’s edge, deliberately splashing him before turning and sprinting towards the tree.
She arrives at the fir moments later, breathless from laughter. She turns her bright gaze onto the black colt, grinning all the while. She does not know, nor care, who has won. She only knows that she has never had such fun in her life. She can already tell this adventure is going to be epic.
As Talulah’s first child, Ramiel, too, is a much-smothered boy.
He longs for adventures not yet undertaken, paths not yet traveled, and conversations not yet spoken. There is a wide world outside of the quiet Dale. In his naivety, he thinks he will be safe to undertake them all now. He thinks that monsters only exist in his mother’s imagination, false etchings meant to keep him from doing everything he wants to do. For now, he believes he is placating his metal-mother by remaining in the kingdom despite his desire to wander further.
He is certainly glad to have found a play-mate in his confined space. As the black colt darts off across the river, he hears Joscelin mimic his HEY and he chuckles. In most cases, rules were meant to be followed. But sometimes, it was much too fun to break them. And in an instant, the filly has found her own creative way to do so. She floats over the water’s surface – a breathing river-ghost – and he laughs openly. Who was the cheater now? Ramiel realizes he can’t fault her for using her own unique talents. When she reaches the fir tree just before him, however, it’s clear that she was right to use them.
“I’m not sure about fair, but you won it square.” He grins at her, trying to catch his breath. He thinks that maybe both of their mothers had been rather lax on their definition of fair. While he takes a moment to breath, it occurs to him that they have done it. They have left the safety of their river-border for the vast unknown beyond. It’s thrilling, this freedom. All the same, though, he’s glad to have a co-defendant should there be consequences.
This part of the Dale grows unspoiled and wild. The trees cluster together in tight groupings, and where they are absent, mountain scrub soaks up the sunshine. It will be tough going if they decide to continue up the mountain. He thinks the view must be magnificent; he wonders if it’s worth it. Joscelin has other ideas for now, and having won the race, he lets her decide their next adventure. “I like to jump over them, but hadn’t thought to look underneath.” Ramiel says it somewhat disappointed, as if he is missing out on something he should have thought of sooner. His eyes scan the copse around them, looking for a good specimen. The black colt brightens when he finds one. “That one will work, won’t it?” As surely an expert on log-turning, he looks to the filly for confirmation.
From the moment she had been born, she knows that she is meant to be a rule breaker. Give her an order and her first desire is to go and show you just how easily she can bypass your dictates. She is not overt about. No, she is more subtle than that (or sneaky, as the case may be). She will wait. She will delay until you have grown comfortable, lax in your watch. Then she will show you just how things should be done. She will show you why you were wrong in the first place. And so she has. In her youthful musings, she has no doubt that when her mother returns, she will recognize just how well Joscelin can take care of herself (never mind the fact that she could not possibly be more wrong). It is the only logical conclusion that can be made, after all.
Excitement written clearly on her features, her focus turns entirely to their next adventure. Grinning, she glances at the log in question. With an enthusiastic nod, she bounds over to the log. Glancing at the dark colt, her expression turns mysterious, as though she has a great secret to impart.
It’s great fun, I promise you.
Lifting one small hoof, she gives the rotting log a shove, displaying the teaming underside to the bright afternoon light. With a smile of delight, she dips her head as she watches the creatures scurry hither and thither, attempting to return to the safety of the dark. Curious about his reaction to the secret world she had just uncovered, she turns her gold gaze to Ramiel.
See?
Quite suddenly, an odd shriek rents the air. Whipping her small head around, her white tipped ears spring forward in curiosity. With a mischievous gleam in her eye, she glances at the black and gold colt before turning and dashing off in the direction the noise had come from. She does not pause to see if Ramiel has followed. Heedless of any potential danger, she slips easily through the brush. Suddenly, she freezes, bright gaze landing upon a large wild cat. A great yellow creature with piercing green eyes. Joscelin stares at it in awe for several long moments before backing slowly away. Even she is not so foolish as to tangle with a beast as large as she.
They reconvene at the log mere breaths after he finds it. It’s a horribly rotting thing with a charred end that, if they would have been more experienced, the foals would have attributed to lightning. The bark sloughs off in places, creating more litter and hiding spots for earth’s most humble creatures. Ramiel doesn’t know this, however, and he’s rather skeptical of finding any life among the ruin. Joscelin gives her approval, though, and he waits with baited breath when she turns it over.
But then something explodes out from under the log.
His anticipation turns to shock when a black snake abandons its disturbed home and shoots between the eight collective legs of the filly and colt. It moves too quickly for Ramiel to move himself, and he feels the cool slither of the animal’s scales brush against his fetlock. He is too stunned to do anything at first, but as the shushing sound of the retreating snake dims with distance, he turns to the girl. “You didn’t tell me that would happen?!” But unharmed and finally getting the excitement he craves, he leaps forward to see how many other secrets are hidden under the timber.
As it turns out, there are hundreds. Hundreds of slimy snails and creepy centipedes and wily worms and many more that Ramiel has never seen before. He thinks there are probably more that he can’t see, hidden under layers of dirt. It’s a completely different world than the one they live in, this microcosm – its own kingdom within their kingdom. It makes him feel both powerful and helpless all at once. After all, he could easily destroy this system with a few well-placed steps. He wonders if the same could be said for their Dale.
“It’s amazing. I wonder if – “ but he’s cut short from his musing when the cry rings out. Joscelin looks at him once before taking off after the sound. And in his giddiness, he follows without question. They are a streak of red and black and gold as they inadvertently give chase through the forest. Branches whip at his sides and leaves lodge themselves alongside the gilded strands of his mane. Just as soon as he’s settled into the run, though, the girl abruptly ends it. Ramiel comes up behind her, a careless grin curling his lips until he sees why she has stopped. Normally, the wild cats are eager to leave the resident horses alone. They are no match for an adult, but having been found out by two overenthusiastic foals, this one seems more willing to gamble. It had arched its back in fear as they burst from the woods, but now, the predator slinks down into a pounce.
Icy fear courses through Ramiel then.
Instinct urges him to run, to abandon Joscelin to her fate. But his heart tells him otherwise, and in a beat of that vital organ, he moves up ahead of the filly. ”Fly away. I’ll distract it until we get to the river.” Terror fuels him as he leaps across Joscelin’s path, trying to draw the cat’s attention away from his friend long enough for her to get away.
The snake had not phased the red filly, nor had it occurred to her that it might surprise Ramiel. She has seen many of the sinuous creatures. Her curiosity had led her to explore many odd nooks and crannies that had contained a great number of unusual creatures. She has been fortunate to avoid any bites thus far (not that she realizes the dangers she is putting her small white muzzle in every time she sticks it somewhere she should not). And when the snake slithers past them, she barely flicks a glance at it. So when the black colt makes his exclamation, she only shrugs before stating (what she believes to be) the obvious.
That’s why it’s fun.
After their race up the thickly forested hill, Joscelin releases a breath she did not realize she had been holding. A thrill courses through her as she holds the equally golden gaze of the large cat. Fear is curiously absent within her, the only emotion flooding her veins a heady mixture excitement and adrenaline. A laugh bursts from her lips as she brushes off her brother’s overprotective sentiment. The cat, prepared to pounce as it is, seems put off for just a moment by the filly’s sudden rush of laughter.
Leaping into the air, she streaks to other side of the great feline, causing its intense gaze to follow her around. Landing, she dashes in, offering a teasing strike against the beast before once again bursting into the air. The cat, growling, bats at her with one large paw, missing by several feet.
How about you run? I’m sure I can keep it entertained.
With a broad grin and another bout of delighted laughter, she darts in once again. Teasing the ferocious cat with playful strikes, she waits until its attention is once again focused on her before quickly retreating to the sky.
