More gather in the stillness, sending eddies of stale air swirling around and between her legs. A shiver of anticipation runs down her spine as she gazes enraptured at the assembled crowd. Mares, stallions, children, all gathered for the same reason. The chosen stand gathered around milling quietly with those they know from home allowing Chrysaeta to slip into the background. She watches, she learns, she waits. Luckily, the wait is not long.
The lamb returns. Seven eyes, and seven horns watching the gathered thirteen. It takes several steps forward, seeming to float along the ground, before stopping before a large round stone that the young mare had missed in her initial assessment of this strange place. Looking closer, Chrysaeta spots the faint outlines of three more, equally round stones. Her eyes drift away from the stones as the ethereal lamb places a delicate hoof upon the edge of the stone, the edge of the seal. The word comes unbidden to the forefront of her mind as the roan realizes that is exactly what the odd stones are. What the entire clearing could be. A seal, a cage, but for what?
The question doesn't remain unanswered for long. The touch of the beast of sevens sends the seal shattering like glass. Shards fly through the air, scattering like petals on a breeze. In the wake of the blast, a deadly miasma seems to fill the air. An inescapable darkness bent only on destruction, on Conquest. For that is the name of the terrible beast that steps proudly out of the fog with an army of misshapen creatures at it's heels. Laughter echoes softly through the air, the name of Conquest whispered through unseen lips, and a bone deep fear that momentarily roots Chrysaeta to the ground. Her curiosity tempered by the fear of the yellow eyes glowing from a grinning skull.
A grey woman breaks from the crowd drawing the attention of Conquest allowing Chrysaeta to slip away unseen. She wanders slowly from the broken seal, not wanting to draw attention to her golden hide with sudden movements . She needs to find a piece of the seal, needs to help contain the monster. Conquest could not be set free, could not be allowed to rule. Conquest does not lend itself well to free will and that was something she was willing to give up.
Chrysaeta creeps through the trees like a ghost, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of the seal. The trees are thick and the air is still as she walks. The sound of her hoof beats are muffled by the strange surroundings and still air setting her hair on end. No other sounds follow her procession. She watched the bear fight a giant stallion protecting what she can only assume is his lover, and the one-eyed wolf chase a chestnut and sabino. Through it all Conquest lorded over his subjects. He was present at every turn to attempt to conquer the equines. She watched the others fight and she watched them give themselves willingly. Still, the golden girl pressed forward, single-minded in her task. She had seen the others attacked and growing ill in the presence of the yellow eyed demon. Chrysaeta was determined to avoid the same fate.
So focused is she on her task that the whisper of a second set of steps is initially missed. An odd glint in the grass draws her attention. She doesn't know he's there until she feels the warm breath at her ear. Jumping, she spins and is met by an intense yellow gaze. Her heart beat skips to see Conquest so close at hand.
The stallion watches her movements closely but makes no move to follow as she backs away. His eyes are not unkind while he takes her in though his wants are obvious. It is not physical contact that he wants, not companionship that he needs, but she will kneel. They will all bow to him in the end and Conquest makes it clear in his stare and the cloud of toxic gas that pours from his nostrils, that resistance is futile.
Chrysaeta continues to back towards the shard of seal, watching Conquest carefully for any sudden movements, when she feels the brush of silky fur against her own. A quick, startled glance down shows a mangled panther pressing his body against her legs. The poor creature has skin hardened by mange and missing fur. Teeth are long and broken, scars mutilate the face of the once proud beast, now diseased and sickly. The mare does her best to suppress the urge to flee, but the repulsion is too strong, forcing her to take a sudden leap backward. The sudden movement spooks the predator causing the big cat to snarl and begin a slow advance towards her, a new hate in it's eyes. The palomino mare is so close to the shard now, she can feel its warmth pressed against her hind hoof. Just two more steps and the mare would be able to reach the sliver of stone with her mouth. Through it all Conquest watched her impassively, waiting for a good time to show the extent of his power. In two he is on her. Yellow eyes bore into hers and her name tumbles softly from decrepit lips. She doesn't know how or why he knows who she is, and all she can do is shake in revulsion. His lips gently brush her ear and a voice like the thunder of war whispers softly.
"One way or another, you will bow before me. You will kneel in defeat in the face of Conquest and I will revel in it. Others much stronger than you have given themselves to me freely,knowing it is better to be on the winning side in the face of inevitability. I will give you the chance to do the same." Without a backwards glance he leaves taking his mutant cat along with him, leaving Chrysaeta alone with the shard.
As she looks at the small piece of stone at her feet, the mare finds that she is struggling to breath. Her heart feels like it's going to beat out of her chest and each breath feels like she's inhaling glass. This was just a portion of what he could do. Just a warning, and she could not allow this to come to pass. Taking the shard of stone between her teeth, the girl makes up her mind even as her breathing becomes difficult and watery mucus pours from her nostrils. She would do whatever it took to stop Conquest.
OOC: Sooo I wanted to try something a little different here. tl;dr: Chrysaeta avoided everyone as much as possible trying to find a shard. Conquest catches up to her and is so confident that she will join him that he leaves her alone but gives her the heaves https://www.smartpakequine.com/content/heaves-horse, however she decides to kep opposing him. So Chrysaeta is on team "stop conquest"