"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
The air around her was cold and the sound of waves crashing against the shore accosted her loves with their familiarity. The darkness of her vision shielded the world from her and painted it with ever changing shadowed figures. It was impossible for her to tell one from the other, but she strained against her handicap hopelessly.
Since she'd been discovered, by some act of fate, by her mother, the two of them had resided in the place called Nerine. Inseperable Scorch had tirelessly tended to her emaciated daughter, slowly nursing her back to health. Although she'd improved in leaps and bounds, she still had a long harrowing road ahead of her. For weeks she'd struggled to gain weight. Most foods made her ill and she found it exceedingly difficult to find the strength to perform the most mundane of tasks. She spent most of her time sleeping under the shade of whatever few trees dotted the landscape.
She found little relief in her dreams. A voice tormented every corner of her sleep, laughing maniacally as she desperately sought out peace. When the faceless ghost of her memories was silent, she saw her daughter Reshi. Beautiful and perfect. She'd still not heard tell of where the filly lurked, but she remained hopeful that they would one day be reunited.
Breathing deeply, she savored the smell of the salty air. Although it was winter, the coastal kingdom was pleasantly warm when compared to the others. She was grateful for that truth, it was hard to say how she might fare against blustery snow.
It was hard not to feel like a burden. She relied so heavily upon her memories and Scorch. It was humbling and discouraging simultaneously. The days of her independence felt centuries away and she leaned into the warm memory of sight. She had no one to blame but her own reckless foolishness.
The filly is slowly changing colour, lightening instead of darkening over winter - by now she’s obviously no longer black, more of a darkbrown-mousegrey something. Her wings remain the same though - feathers don’t grey. She’s quite happy in Nerine, although to be honest she has been hanging around Scorch mostly, since the ugly bald mare took her in.
Often enough times she is left to venture on her own though. The burnt mare has a lot of other things and horses to attend to, and although the winged girl’s curiosity is never easily sated, she understands that she is here to learn about all of Nerine and not to hang around Scorch like an adopted baby.
She’s taller now than she has ever been, almost as tall as Wishbone. She lacks all other features of a grownup though, it is easily seen that she is still too young to be a challenge to anyone. She only has her loud mouth to compensate her fragile stature, and wings to carry her around and away from danger should the need rise.
Todya she is indeed aloft, and she spots a mare she has not seen before in a colour unfamiliar to her - roan. As the filly descends, she recognizes her scent partly - she is either often near Scorch or must be related to her, but well, in that case she will probably not be very bad company.
Fragile-built legs land on the rocky surface of Nerine’s cliffs with the click of hooves unmistakably. The black wings fold on a dark-gray body, and the filly dances forward with the eagerness of youth written on her every display. ”Good day miss! I am Tähti, from Hyaline! Who are you?” she questions without noticing the milky glance to the mare’s eyes just yet.
we are Stars, wrapped in skin the Light you are searching has always been Within
The quiet of the wintery afternoon washed over Vi as she stood alone upon the cliffside. Milk stained eyes peered out towards the horizon, unseeing and unknowing of the vibrancy of life that lay just before her. Above and below, her ears chased the melodic songs of seabirds as they carried about their daily tasks. Nerine was still an unfamiliar place to her filled with unfamiliar voices and scents that paraded around her constantly. It was enough to send her retreating father into herself despite her greater efforts to embrace this new land that her mother seemed to love.
But it was not home.
The jungle was gone. Vi understood that, but the reality stung nonetheless. The memories she held having grown up among the towering tropical trees and the suffocating humidity made the barren land of Nerine more difficult to embrace. The only comfort within it’s borders was her parents. Their gratitude to have her returned to them was evident in their collective breaths and their protective natures. She was grateful for them.
Her thoughts turned as a new smell reached up to greet her nostrils. She knew the sweet smell of the mountains well and, though, she did not know the name that the land was referred to now, she smiled to know that it lived on. Instinctively she turned her head and smiled in the direction of the approaching shadow. She was small and, Vi knew that she was young. Waiting patiently the shifted from one hoof to the other, cursing her weakened state and knowing all too well that soon she would need to go and rest.
Nearer now, the filly’s voice rose up, almost too loud for the blind mare’s ears. She was curious, Vi knew, and her smile faltered only momentarily before replacing itself placidly back upon her lips.
“My name is Vi,” she said calmly. “I am new to Nerine though not new to Beqanna. Hyaline, you say? I have not yet heard the mountains to be called such though I recognize the smell of it. Why are you so far from home, little one?”
Vi could not help but think upon her own child, Reshi. It felt strange not to have her child there beside her, though she knew that the blue filly was no longer such. A mare grown, Scorch had told her. The truth had hit her like a rock slide. How long had she been missing? And, hadn’t anyone cared to search for her?
More than just the land had changed, it seemed. Vi struggled to keep up.
The ebony girl strides forward curiously, ears perked at the other mare, happy to make new friends (yes, even of that age). Whne she nears and is spoken to, she finally notices that her eyes don’t really look right; although the mare is looking in her general direction, she is not looking Tähti in the eye. She wonders how, with that bad an eyesight, the woman has survivel Beqanna for so long, but she is distracted by the words so the question doesn’t pop.
Vi, that’s a funny name. Well if that’s to be all, nothing else to be said about the single syllable, then she will deal with it. ”I’m the exchange student. Sochi is with Auntie Solace and mom now. She’s Sloene’s kid I think. Do you know Sloene? I’ve only seen her in passing really. Scorch is keeping me and Wishbone quite occupied with the trainings, but I think they are debating again and I don’t really want in on that anyway, it’s kind of boring, so I think I ‘d rather explore or be a warrior so I can protect my home from evil intruders!” It takes a while, honestly, before the winged filly settles down and leaves room for the older mare to speak. ”Do you like Nerine? Do you also train for battle?” she wonders then, mostly her thoughts just spilling out of her mouth.
we are Stars, wrapped in skin the Light you are searching has always been Within
