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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    lay down, your dreams are real [any; all]
    #1
     
    He said nothing as he swam.
     
    He had been given leave from Ea to be able to head in the direction of the Island, unknown as to what it would look like, or how it was supposed to be. Nobody gave any utterances, he just found himself nodding at her, and had turned and headed for the coast. And now that he found himself balancing against the salty waves, he took a deep breath and attacked the water as if it were a mighty enemy, the droplets flying off his red-tinged hair as it flew behind him with the wind.
     
    This was the most free—the happiest—he’d felt in years, being able to work his frustrations out as he swam against the current, pounding those muscles, working that anger. He would not let this beat him. His breath heaved as he saw the Island in front of him, his amber eyes growing in his head as he pushed forward even harder to make it to the shoreline.
     
    And when he could once again walk amongst the shells and the rocks that acted as a  natural jetty against the more powerful waves, he noticed that here, winter did not hold its grip quite so hard as it did on the mainland. Grateful for this—as he hated snow—he shook his body out of the water and the seaweed that had attached itself to him, unware that by shaking, he only embedded it further into his hair. He turned, shifting his body to look back at the Beqanna that he knew. It truly was no more. This new place, the smell of the salt in the air and the constant pounding of the waves on the sand. It was heaven.
     
    He lifted his barreled chest as he took in the atmosphere, looking about for signs of life from any one of them, wishing at this time that he had still had his wings to be able to make the journey.
     
    One day.
     
    ashley
    I walked the path, it led me to the end.
    Reply
    #2
    BUT HOW COULD YOU KNOW THE SWEETEST SUFFERING
    OF MOVING ON
    Granted. They’ve finally been granted refuge and Tiphon doesn’t bother to conceal the gratitude and relief of having heard those words. A heaving sigh slumps him into relaxation and a broad smile stretches across his golden lips. ”Thank you,” he murmurs to the land, to Beqanna, before veering from their place and scaling the mountain in the direction of their new home.

    The sand hisses underneath his weight – the first known footsteps – and Tiphon peers out from his forelock to stare at the ocean lapping just in front of him. There is a lulling rhythm, but it also brings back the horrid memories of having seen Tiberios’ corpse mangled. A jab of hurt stabs into him, but he blinks it away and looks past the rolling waves toward the lifted horizon where he sees the silhouette of the island. It shudders in anticipation and he mirrors the action before stepping closer to the tide.

    Then the magic surges first through him then deeper into the sand. It doesn’t affect him except to play as a reminder of what he once was. He frowns then but it’s short-lived as the ocean parts in front of him and creates a path toward their homeland. With his unfamiliar wings shuffling at his sides Tiphon steps forward and curiously walks through the cavern of water. It roars all around him, threatening to tumble down and drown him, but it holds steadfast like a winding wall directing a lost child.

    Ashley is already there, breathing in the new scents and drinking the sights for the very first time, after having swam from the mainland. Tiphon mimics him and scrutinizes the towering trees, the untouched sand, the shells, and the vivid colors of life. Their family will be raised here, grow old, and enjoy the safety and seclusion.

    It’s perfect.

    ”Ashley,” Tiphon’s voice is deep but still kind, ”they opened a walkway for us.” His head tilts to where he came, where the ocean has been parted and still gurgles with anticipation to crash down. It waits for everyone to arrive and to marvel at what they’ve been so kindly given.

    Then, for the first time since the rebirth, Tiphon laughs.


    TIPHON
    STARLACE AND INFECTION
    Reply
    #3
    Ashley was still dripping with sea water from his body; from the tip of his nose all down his belly and clear to the end of his ginger-tinged tail. He shook again, his entire body smelling like salt and sea, and he found that he was invigorated by the smell. The immortality that took his blood had not taken his age from him—he still felt as old as he was, and yet, this rebirth, this new land, the ability to see a future in something so beautiful and remote almost allowed him to forgive the selfishness that the fairies displayed at the top of the mountain.
     
    The All-mother was still on his shit list… for how dare she spout love and peace and prosperity while being so stingy with her gifts? And forcing them to get on their knees like beggars—he was having a hard time getting over that. He had refused to bow. He had, instead, said nothing at all. It was almost as if he was absolved of any guilt of the current generation. But now that he lived among them, this was his penance. He could live as one of them, or he could rise above them. In this case, the old man decided that perhaps living with them and settling might be better for his battered soul, which still was not entirely at peace in a body that was, for the most part, mortal.
     
    Eventually he sees Tiphon, relieved that his friend had found him, and relieved that this place was not one that he imagined to be theirs. He was, indeed, at the right place. The land almost seemed to call to him. Ischia, it said, lapping up a rich blue glow that uplit the trees and cast eternal shadows among the foliage below. It was hauntingly beautiful, and Ashley found that he wanted to go further inland and explore what else this paradise had to offer. Upon realizing that Tiphon had actually walked here, he stares at the path, blinks, and lifts his head to the heavens in a laughter that had not been heard from him in Lord knows how long. “I suppose they did,” he says between bellows of laughter, his anxiety put aside for the moment to enjoy and relax in the fact that for now, things were going to be okay.
     
    Laughing with Tiphon—perhaps they were becoming friends after all.
     
    ashley
    I walked the path, it led me to the end.
    Reply
    #4

    She doesn’t go with them up the mountain.

    A part of her yearns to. She wants to see what the gods have wrought from on high. She wants to see the lands she once knew broken and remolded from a serviceable vantage point, to let the anger and betrayal fester in her breast until she can berate Beqanna herself. But the other part of her knows it will do them no favors. Their little band of Daleans (and those who have chosen to join them) is in far too great a need to risk further anger. They have done enough to pull down mountains and flood deserts, apparently, though she’ll never believe that they deserved it.

    Talulah waits for them at the base of the mountain. When she sees her family emerge from the mist, their faces tell the story. Relief shines in all of their eyes, the most illustrious light she’s seen by far. She knows, without them saying so, that they will belong somewhere again. That the Dale is gone (for now, she believes, because the alternative is more than she can bear) but another haven awaits them. That they will have each other, still, as well as a place to grow their family.

    They go to the coast, to the edge of the haze that darkens the distance. The sea laps at their feet as they stare out across it, a constant tugging that seems to pull them closer. The grey mare almost laughs then at the absurdity of it all. Has Beqanna tricked them? Is she leading them out to their doom (or is she, even now, weeding out the weaker members who attempt the swim – will the doubters sink to their watery, sacrificial deaths?) But the waters beat and churn until they begin to rise up and up. Two parallel waves tower above them, pulled from their race to the shore to expose the stretch of sand beneath. It becomes obvious what they are expected to do.

    Wordlessly, they walk across the ocean.

    The tang of salt scrubs the bitterness from her tongue as she travels the expanse. She realizes the hurt of losing her home will never go away, but that she must not dwell in her grief, must look forward (as she is doing now). When the last of them steps out onto the new beach and the water falls back over the path with a thunderous crash, she feels cleansed of her doubts; the ocean spits her out raw and renewed.

    The island makes it easier to believe everything will be okay. The virgin beauty of the rising forests and the languid curves of land meeting water make her momentarily breathless. It is only when the first words are exchanged that she manages to collect herself. Ashley is even more soaked and bedraggled than anyone, and she joins their laughter at his expense. Her eyes soften, though; if a man is so doggedly determined to get here, surely his intentions are equally unwavering. They are lucky to have him. Her amber eyes settle on Tiphon next, grateful for the way the rigid lines of his face finally relax in the soft glow of their sanctuary. She hasn’t told him about Ramiel yet (she can picture the way he will look then, wonders if she will ever tell him). For now, it is enough to be here. “It is very beautiful,” she says, but it is not the Dale. Her ears catch a strange bird’s call in the swaying forest beyond. “Shall we take a closer look?”
     

    t a l u l a h

    metal woman once of the dale

    Reply
    #5
    BUT HOW COULD YOU KNOW THE SWEETEST SUFFERING
    OF MOVING ON
    The ocean laps at the sand behind him, the droning almost a lullaby to Tiphon’s ears as he stares curiously up at the trees. The palm trees are a new thing to behold as they groan with the gentle sea breeze. The laughing between him and Ashley has gradually subsided but a grin is still firmly pressed to his lips afterward. This is a new beginning with a new home and new friends, but also with the backing of those from The Before. Tiphon glances back over his shoulder in that instant and sees the mainland shadowed by clouds. A volcano towers even higher, its peak obscured by the gray haze.

    Here, they are isolated. It is both a blessing and a curse during these times where magic is absent.

    Next he looks at Talulah and sees her wavering smile. ”It isn’t the Dale,” he murmurs as though reading her mind as he comes to her side and presses his muzzle into the curve of her shoulder, ”but this is our new home.” Their kingdom tugs at his heart strings, but he is powerless in the face of Beqanna’s fury. The Dale has been consumed and in its place they have an island that has been pushed away from those with dark, vengeful minds. No one can claim this as their ancestor’s home, no one can claim an ultimate right. This is theirs – all of theirs.

    ”A beautiful home for our family,” Tiphon adds coolly into the salty air between him and Talulah but she has already set her mind on exploring and so he nods and sets the thought aside. Surely Ramiel and the girls will be here soon. ”Ashley,” spoken as a friend, ”shall we venture to see more of our island?” With a hopeful lightness in his heart Tiphon trudges through the sand and embarks on their own adventure to see the different corners of their home.


    TIPHON
    STARLACE AND INFECTION
    Reply
    #6
    Vida wasn't expecting this, that was for sure. Before Beqanna had changed, Vida had made a home at a territory by the ocean, a beautiful sight indeed. The ocean had seemed to stretch on forever, the sand crunching softly beneath her hooves as it glittered like spun gold in the light of the sun. The minimal trees along the coast added just the right splash of green that the mare felt completely at home. At least, until the stallion had disappeared.

    Then she'd left, sadly, because something had just seemed to push her away from that place. One thing she would for sure miss was waking up the beautiful sight of the ocean every morning.

    But it seemed, here, that would not be a problem. When Vida and the other horses had arrived, the mare was struck by the wonder of the environment around her, so much so that she almost forgot the pain she was experiencing from the wounds she'd received during the rapid changes and her excursion down the mountain. The journey here had pained her a great deal, but now, looking out, the mare was amazed.

    The horses had arrived at a string of islands that made up their new home. The number of trees and greenery that covered each island was an incredible feat by itself. She had never seen so much of it, at least, not like this. Grass and the redwoods that had once made up the old Beqanna was a different story. But looking at this, all the tropical wonder around her, made Vida feel incredibly happy.

    Vida wouldn't even look back to the volcano that could be seen back on the mainland in the distance. This was her new home, and it was where she would be happy. It was an incredible place, and she would make the most of her time here.

    Even with the wound down her leg still in the process of healing, the mare wanted to get going. She wanted to see more of this wonderful place, her new home. With the sound of the seawater still lapping at the beach sand behind her, the mare limped closer to the trees, taking in a breath before she wandered in, eager to see what this land held to reveal.
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