11-24-2015, 09:20 AM
They were silent in their departure, but he found he didn't mind the quiet as they left the field. It gave him time to think, and he needed that. Aside from brief stops to drink, they kept moving, and he found himself matching stride with the other stallion. He couldn't help but sneak glaces at the other stallion. He looked older in his eyes than in his stature - there was a wiseness to him that could've only come with age, but he didn't seem too much older than himself. And then there were his wings. He had noticed some oddly-colored equines whilst in the field, but wings were something new all together, and he wondered how many other strange equines he would meet in the Gates.
During their walk, he had few questions but they were vague - not the probing questions he wanted to ask. He had to remind himself again to be patient. He was sure knowledge would come in due time. It wasn't until they stopped - at what, he assumed, was the Gates border - and Magnus angled his head towards the younger stallion and spoke, confirming his suspicions. He turned to truly view his new home, to take it in, and he was breathless from how beautiful it was. Colored with the last remaining breaths of fall, a winter breeze ruffling the leaves, beauty emanating from the core to the rest of the kingdom. But, as he peered closer, he noticed something odd on the ground - scorch marks. They seemed entirely out of place with the natural beauty of it, and he made a note to ask what had happened. It seemed wrong that something that hinted at devastation would be in the Gates.
He returned his attention to Magnus when he mentioned another - the King. He would be a liar if he said he wasn't surprised; to have someone so high-ranking as a King come talk to him in person felt him with a certain sense of pride. This may be custom, in this land, but it filled him with a sense of importance all the same. So he simply nodded at this information, following Magnus deeper into the gates, making silent notes of the scorch marks that dotted the ground.
"I'm unsure of how your kingdoms work." He admitted, turning his head to glance at the winged stallion. "An explanation of the castes and of the ranks would be greatly appreciated." Now was not the time to ask about the marks, no matter how curious he might be. But they seemed to be growing in frequency the deeper they walked, and he couldn't wrap his head around how such a beautiful kingdom could be systematically burned without a care. He couldn't imagine who would hold a grudge against the Gates, but they needed warriors for something. And he was determined to find out just what that was.
s y d e n
drawn to the things you cannot find