i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

Though he had known light before the dark, he had been so young when the moon eclipsed the sun that light had become nearly a stranger to him. Now, with the sun bursting with light and life above them, it is almost as though all truth had been revealed as the cloak of darkness had been stripped away. Secrets had been let loose and things that had once been easily buried no longer were.

It’s foolish of him to imagine that his life as it stood now was so messily convoluted. It could be so very much worse, but to a colt verging on stallion-hood - one who had never known true strife - it is hard to imagine the depths to which one could still fall.

But perhaps it is that very fact that led him to delve into the well of his gift far more than he ever had previously. To plumb the edges of that which he already knows and find that which he still had to learn. The world around him nearly shrieks it's dark and lamentable secrets, written in the memories strung around them on emotions, glimmering like fairy lights. Trapped in the sights that never lie.

It is both addictive and disturbing, but it is the life Reave had always been destined for.

Still, he is restless, unable to settle lest his own truths catch up with him. So on this clear and chilly day, Reave finds himself making his way with an unconscious abandon through the withered grasses of the meadow. It is only when the glint of something bright and gleaming catches his eye that he slows. His gaze, a sharp and vibrant blue that pays unwitting testimony to his heritage, fixes on the source.

She is young, a wide-eyed innocence in her metallic form that he recognizes. That had been him, not so very long ago. She is undoubtedly lovely as well, but that is not what draws him to her (though he could most certainly not compete - not with the unsightly vision of bone rupturing skin, of blood, dried and crack, softened only by the muted glow emitting from the wounds).

No, what draws him is the memories dancing thrilling circles around her. Memories of a gentle peaceful life. He is not quite certain if it is because he wants to protect what he only recently realized is so very precious, or if it is because he wants to show her the truth of the world, lest she break herself to pieces on the rocks beneath the precarious cliff she has no clue she is on. Or perhaps it’s because she needs a push.

Only time would tell.

“The sun suits you,” he greets, drawing to a halt when he nears, an almost charming grin toying with his lips. “Is this your first time?”

reave

i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

Like him, she has a vast future sprawling before her, waiting to be discovered. Her past is still short and brief, the experiences that gave rise to the true depth of emotion that would inevitably wrap her in memories still to come. It’s intoxicating in a way - to look at another being and know their life had yet to be lived, to imagine the things that might come. In this moment, Reave is little more than a precursor for her.

There is power in that knowledge. A heady power that may not yet be suited for someone like Reave, a young man with such a wild and chaotic energy still churning inside, no outlet in sight.

The grin on the edge of his lips blooms in truth at her response, the softness of her words redolent with the flavor of her uncertainty and growing bravery. He tilts his head curiously, peering at her as the question leaves her. His foot, unconsciously lifted, returns to the ground as he shifts with a restless energy.

Still, the implications of her question strike him, making him wonder what she’d looked like before. He could look, of course. Even might. But why risk ruining what fun there could be had if he didn’t just yet?

“No,” he replies easily, gaze sharpening as he studies her with a roguish eye. “I can’t say it did.” He pauses, moving closer, gaze never wavering. He reaches out as though to brush her golden shoulder with his nose, but before he can quite touch her, he abruptly withdraws, expression devilish. “So you changed colors, hm?” His grin widens ever so slightly, and when he continues, his question is leading, as though they had only begun to scratch the surface of his true purpose. “Do you think you’ll change colors again?”

reave

i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

There is so much innocence in the frown that creases her lips, the confusion that his actions cause. It is obvious even to Reave, who has not yet grown so much that he has truly left all his own naivete behind him. Reave, who is surprised to find her so confident she would change colors again. He tilts his head and peers at her with a growing curiosity, wondering at this odd girl who is not so very much younger than he.

When she asks if he would like to see, he knows immediately that he would. But he does not need them to traipse over to the glowering branches to do so. He does not need them to, but he finds himself wanting them to. And perhaps beyond the trees, there would be more. Has she truly witnessed anything beyond the meadow and the forest? Seen the wonders this continent possesses?

He rather doubts it. A doubt he easily confirms. And though Reave has been seeking wonders almost from the day of his birth, he has not yet come anywhere close to seeing them all. But he had always loved sharing his misadventures far better than when he went alone.

“Yes, show me.” He agrees because he hopes it will only be the start. His slightly crooked grin filled with impish delight serves to highlight that desire. A foreshadowing of the next words to fall from his lips. “Is it only the shadows? Or are there other things too?”

Did she even know? If not, he would be remiss if he didn’t help her find out.

reave

i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

With a few simple words, she confirms his suspicions as they move to the treeline where shadows lay in abundance. A confirmation that delights Reave to his very core. One that opens the door for infinite possibilities, if only she would agree to them.

As she slips into the shadows, skin darkening as it blends perfectly into them, Reave eyes her with a critical stare. He moves, making a short half-circle around her as he inspects the change. With his seemingly endless supply of shadowy relations, Reave immediately recognizes what has happened, though he doesn’t say so.

Instead he grins at her (or rather, the spot she’d disappeared into), blue eyes glinting with a boyish charm. “I’m not certain whether to be impressed or jealous.”

He steps back then, waiting for her to reappear before tilting his to eye her with a speculative curiosity. Features slipping into something much more serious, he leans in slightly, gaze fixed on her with a surprising intensity, before asking, “You said you didn’t know if it was just shadows - have you ever tried testing out other things?”

With each word, it becomes increasingly clear exactly what his intentions are. He could only hope she would be more curious than alarmed. Though, based on their encounter thus far, he strongly suspects it would be the former.

reave

i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

As misplaced as that trust undoubtedly is, Reave is rather pleased to have it. A dubious honor, at best, especially considering his penchant for flirting far too freely with the lines of propriety. In the wake of her question, Reave pauses to consider her quietly, eyeing the gleaming gold that had returned the moment she stepped from the clinging shadows.

In the midst of the silence, the large raptor that had been circling overhead, so distantly he would have been little more than a speck on the horizon, drops from the sky above to land heavily on a wide, low branch. The brittle branches knock together, breaking the silence. Reave’s gaze however, does not move from the gilded girl before him. “Then you haven't tried water?”

He speaks as though they had not just been interrupted by the predatory bird, grin edging back on to his lips. His earlier stillness is broken as he shifts restlessly until he is a few paces away, gaze breaking from her to peer speculatively into the distance. His gaze goes blank and flat for a moment before just as quickly lighting with a spark of gleeful intent.

Twisting his head around to peer at her invitingly, he asks, “There’s something not far from here.” His jewel-bright eyes darken with the possibilities swirling around them even as a smirk teases his lips. “Care to go?”

reave