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    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


    Burn baby burn - Enfys Ruan
    #1
    Jinju
    Home. They were home. And Jinju is happy too. It always felt good to get home, but that was not what caused her happiness right now. The happiness had a dark edge to it though. Yet she does not want to show little Enfys. Of course she worries about her mother, but she also knows that Reagan is able to take care of herself too. Right now it was the filly at her side who needed her more.

    ”Are you ready?” she asks as she dips her head towards the child’s level. She had stopped a little before they would cross the border that separated the Taiga and the forest. A smile lies on her own lips and her ruby eyes shimmer warmly, hoping that it would encourage the gray and purple spotted girl. Or does she need it herself?

    She did worry about Ruan. She wonders if he knew her mother had been pregnant, he would’ve told her, right? So how would he react seeing the little girl she was bringing home? ”Come, we should go greet our father.” Jinju just hoped Ruan would be ready for it too.

    Her call would be hard to miss. And she knows that he’ll be her quickly, after all, she would only call for him like this if there was really something pressing. This was quite that, if she had to say. In a good way, she was more than happy to bring Enfys home and to have the girl pressed to her side stirred something inside her. ”Welcome home Enfys” she murmurs softly, nuzzling the pretty purple hair.

    @[Spink] @[Toli]
    Hope it's okay I went ahead? Smile
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    #2
    It hadn’t been long at all that he’d returned home from his own trip to the forest, though clearly in a much different part. He was resting on the ground, watching with a lazy smile his newest gem as she twinkled under rays of sunlight dappling through the canopy, when he heard Jinju’s call. He was at attention instantly, sharp eyes snapping to her direction with a jerk of his head and a stinging unease piercing his veins. Jinju never called for him this way unless something was happening. Often, they’d rather just seek each other out quietly.

    He rose to his feet, reaching to blow a cold breath on the glittering jewels of ice embedded in his little Polaris. She seemed to enjoy them, which pleased him greatly and warmed his belly as though he could drink in the glowing light on the other side of her eyes. He brushed his muzzle across her shining cheek, a silent request in his eyes, Come, and turned to find Jinju.

    The whispering chime at his side as he walked soothed his tension just the slightest, as did her firm little touches wherever she could reach him. He knew if he looked, he would find worried and curious little eyes looking to him for comfort and reassurance. So he didn’t look, didn’t show her that he lacked comfort to offer just then. No matter what, he would keep her safe, though.

    When he caught sight of Jinju, he spoke as he continued forward, his brows creased in concern. ”Jinju, is everyth--”

    He stopped instantly as his gaze dropped heavily to the girl at her side. His face blanked and he stared at her. Spotted like him. Gray like her. Purple like him. Hardy like her. His heart seized and raced, pain and confusion flashing in his eyes beneath a growing frown of puzzled hurt. It wasn’t possible. She hadn’t been pregnant. Not unless she --No, but why would she hide it with her magic? What reason would she have? Unless it was someone else’s, another man’s. No, surely not.

    He spared a hard glance at Jinju. Had she known of this? Surely, she would have told him. Did she know what he had tried to keep her from learning? And had she known her mother was pregnant? But there in her eyes was the regret for not having a chance to warn him of this, the confusion matching his that this was even possible, that Reagan had been pregnant when they last saw her. That he had a child. A child that was the mirror of her mother in features, sprinkled with the likeness of him. A child that was very much, impossibly, his. The undeniable truth was there in ice-blue eyes that were exactly his but not as they stared back at him.

    There were no words he could grasp long enough to speak as he straightened, once again staring down at her. Confused, hurt. At a loss. It was impossible. But clearly it wasn't. Look how old she was already now, somewhere between a number of months and a year old. He'd missed her birth. Missed her early childhood. Reagan had never said she was pregnant. Had never come to tell him of their child. Was not here with her now, either. All the things he must have missed in her life already. First steps, first words, first smiles and laughs. First falls, first tears he could never go back and wipe away for her.

    His pain was slowly growing to a deep anger, his teeth clenched tight. How could she keep this from him? He turned to Jinju again, his voice sharp but not towards her. "She still keeps hidden from you?" But he tried to shake it off, bury the rising emotions, tried to soften as he turned back to the girl, his daughter. "What's your name," he asked as gently as he could with a chest riddled with holes, pains both new and old surfacing.



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    #3
    enfys
    just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times
    Enfys knew in her heart of hearts that her world was about to be turned upside down. To her credit, she did not know exactly how much, but as she and Jinju had pulled themselves further into the dense forests where the trees grew thicker and much larger than she had ever seen before, the little ice princess stared with her eyes bulging and her mouth agape. She had never seen such trees before, and yet she knew that this was a part of the forest that Reagan had trespassed to many times on her sojourns away from her small purple daughter. Even though she had never been to this part of the forest, the smells welcomed her in as if they were born to be part of her, and she allowed herself to relax, falling back in line with Jinju, hoping that she would make good on her promise to find her mother, the wayward Reagan.

    She has not been alive long enough to form complicated thoughts about the world around her. What she saw simply was what it was, and nothing more. Sadness—something she had seen an abundance of before her mother had left—was something she never wanted to experience, but the idea of love, and loneliness were much more complicated emotions that she was not sure she ever had wanted to tackle. Of course, she knew she had a family somewhere. A baby with a mother certainly has a father out there somewhere.. but never having met him, she did not lack his influence in her life, and thus could not feel the love or loneliness of never having had a father or siblings. Indeed, it has not been long since Reagan has disappeared from Enfys—having been the last one to have seen her—Jinju appeared to the small purple child mere hours later.

    Enfys stops… her nostrils flair and her ears circle over her head in an erect fashion as a peculiar thought circles through her head. Her mother was nobody’s fool. Was it by chance that this black woman found Enfys, only to bring her home to another part of the forest? The filly looks up at Jinju with a new light in her eyes. An audible gulp escapes her as the woman calls out for… our father. That one word… dropped so carefully that it would normally go amiss, stops the girl in her tracks, and she immediately searches the treeline. And what she sees is enough to send her into a sheer panic.

    Father. Our. Father.

    Her. Father.

    Black. Spots. Purple. But his eyes. Hard like ice.

    She bows her head immediately, closing her eyes as a breath escapes her. For the first time, those feelings of loneliness and love…(for her mother), take hold, and she forgets her promise to never cry. This was the one who had made her mother so sad. The one who drove her away. The reason Enfys was alone.

    Enfys chokes out ugly sobs, each tear falling to the earth in an icicle that grows at her feet, freezing as it hits the ground.

    With every wracking sob, her body becomes colder, more transparent, and when he finally asks her of her name, she looks up at him---a cold breath of air pushes past her lips and freezes into snowflakes as she gives her father utterance, her small voice echoing between the trees as she tries to stop crying, and finds that she is unable to do so. “I…I…I...am. Enfys. My name is Enfys.”
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    #4
    Jinju
    She wished she had been able to warn him, to prepare him a little for what was coming. When Jinju had first found little Enfys, or actually the girl had found her, she had been shocked. Perhaps even a little angry. Because why hadn’t he told her? But then she had come to realise that he would have, if he had known. Leaving the only possible answer be that he didn’t. With mother’s magical powers Jinju didn’t think of it as all too impossible. So she offers him an apologetic smile as she lifts her muzzle from where she had ruffled Enfys’ hair.

    It pains her heart to see his reaction. The shock and surprise was enough to confirm to her that he hadn’t known. When their gazes meet, she shakes her head, her ruby eyes showing her own pain and concern too, thought she would not voice them out out loud with Enfys being able to hear them. She had not known of this. ”I found her in the forest” she says softly, turning to look at the girl beside her with a small smile on her lips.

    A smile that falters once her eyes land upon Enfys. Worry holds her heart in a tight grip and Jinju does not hesitate to step closer. She does not understand it. After all, Enfys had asked her to be her big sister. That it was the truth too was something she did not have to know yet, or was this little girl smart enough to put the things together? Her head drops towards the girl, her muzzle gently brushing across her cheeks as the concern is clearly displayed in her ruby eyes. ”It’s okay. It will be okay” she murmurs softly.

    She presses her warm body against Enfys’ cold one. To Jinju the feeling is not unfamiliar, as she still liked to snuggle up against her father’s side from time to time. She just hopes Enfys doesn’t reject her heat. ”Don’t cry little one” she murmurs softly, though she knows how heartbreaking the loss of a mother could be. And then to find your father like this. It sure must be a shock to the gray and purple girl. After a last squeeze she pulls back, though not moving away from Enfys’ side. Her lips brush her cheeks as in a soft kiss as a sad but warm smile lies on her lips. Though Jinju does not know what to say.


    OOC:
    Hope it was worth the wait <3
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    #5
    "I found her in the forest," Jinju said quietly as he stared at his daughter, the stranger.

    The child met his eyes briefly before ducking her head and beginning to weep. Her sudden sadness startled him and he tensed, watching on silently as Jinju comforted her, thinking it best that perhaps he not push his presence on her further than he already had. The sight of him seemed to upset her. Was it because she could see how alike they were? Was she afraid of him? Sometimes he seemed so cold, maybe. Perhaps he'd been to harsh in the way he'd approached.

    The muscle in his jaw twitched as her breath began to fog like his did, growing colder. Her body seemed to fade a little, as though she were turning into a sculpture of ice and he studied her in growing concern. She seemed a lot like him, in this way of leaking magic.

    Enfys, she'd said her name was.

    Jinju continued to murmur softly to her and try to soothe her. It was heart-warming to watch her this way with a child, a sibling. She would make such a wonderful mother one day. There was a quiet appreciation in his eyes for her and the way she handled this and allowed him to give the young girl space. If his presence upset her, he wondered if it were best to leave her in Jinju's loving care instead until she was ready.

    It set an ache in his chest that teeny Polaris seemed to sense and tried to nibble out of him, lipping gingerly at his back leg in her quiet way. He turned to blow a cold breath of reassurance to her before returning to them again.

    "Would you like me to leave for now?" he asked Enfys gently, his voice thick and deep as he lowered his head a little so he wouldn't appear quite so tall and tower over her. "We don't have to rush anything, we can take our time to get to know each other. If you want to. And you can stay here with us. Maybe this will be easier if you get comfortable with your new home first."

    He glanced at Jinju with a silent question. You're sure she wasn't with her? She doesn't have a home? Would she reject this as her home? Could he let her leave if she did? She was still just a child, she couldn't fend for herself. But he couldn't keep her here if she didn't want to be here either. He couldn't trap her here. But he supposed it was best to wait and see if she would stay of her own choice before pondering how to handle it if she didn't.



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    #6
    enfys
    just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times
    Enfys looked up at Ruan, the last of her ice-tears falling to the ground with a tinkling crack. She said nothing as she allowed Jinju to cradle her embrace, and her blue eyes slid shut at the warmth against the stark coldness of her body, and once again she reverted from ice back to the grey spotted baby that allowed herself to be swept up in the fiery embrace of her sister’s love.

    Sister.

    Family.

    These thoughts were were foreign to young Enfys, who was used to living on her own with Reagan, eking out a living among the lichen and tree roots that were taking over the forest. Enfys lifts her head and cuddles against the black mare’s leg, flicking her small purple ears forward. The scents were so familiar to her, and suddenly Enfys is aware of her mother’s presence. Their home was not too far from here. So her mother had not left this part of the world. Their den had been chosen meticulously, and as her nostrils flair for a long drag to taste the wind, she can sense that her mother is nearby. But, as if in a consciousness far beyond her young age, she knew that if her mother did not want to be found, she would not be, and so she allows a last few warm tears to slide down her face, wondering why her small world was exploding and turning upside down. She knew her mother loved her. But her other family seemed to, appeared to, love her as well. She didn’t understand, and it broke her heart.

    She sniffed, and then peeked around Jinju’s leg to see that there was another small girl hanging on to Ruan’s… no, father’s leg. She was curious about the other girl, her sister, she presumed, but at the moment, she could not bring herself to remember her manners. Enfys had been too much to care much about extraneous things… To lose a mother and gain a father and sisters all in one day...It suddenly occurred to her… that there could be more of them. More family.

    Enfys looks up at Ruan, her lavender halo swerving to take in his words as he speaks to her, lowering his head to get a better view of her. The small girl takes in how large he is, and notes that the shade of his spots is identical to hers. She asks the obvious question then, suddenly forgetting any other words that he has spoken to her. Of course she would live with them, and become as one of them. What other option did she have? “Are you… are you, really my father?”
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    #7
    Jinju
    The little girl at her father’s side was a stranger to her. But she had been quite busy searching for her mother, away from home a lot and thus missing out on what was going on in the Taiga. Not too long ago the sight would’ve hurt and upset her, but Jinju now knew she would’ve done the same. Like how she brought little Enfys home.

    Though, Enfys was different. Even though there was no blood relation between her and the purple touched girl, she was her father’s daughter by blood. Family, from the moment she had been born. And Jinju cared for her as such. She was glad that Enfys didn’t seem too bothered by her heat, allowing her to just hold her close in offered comfort.

    Silently she brushed the tears away from Enfys’ cheeks, or at least she attempts too. ”Don’t cry love, we’re here. You’re home, if you wish to be” she murmurs softly, kissing the girls forehead. Jinju hoped that Enfys would stay. She wouldn’t know what to do if she didn’t want to, but there was no way she could let her walk out alone.

    Her ruby eyes meet Ruan blue ones. She shakes her head. If her mother had been there, she would’ve known. ”I didn’t notice her. But” her gaze moves to Enfys’ at her side and she offers the girl a small smile. ”I’ll keep looking for her.” Just as she had promised her sister. Without the promise even, Jinju couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing Reagan ever again. She, too, needed her mother.

    The question Enfys asks is not up to her to answer. Her gaze moves back to Ruan, watching him closely, awaiting his reply as she kept her sister cradled close to her leg.
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    #8
    Jinju met his questioning glance with a shake of her head. No, Reagan had not been there. Again. "I didn't notice her, but I'll keep looking for her," she promised her new sister. He knew of at least once that she had already gone in search of Reagan, and there could have been more times that he hadn't been aware of. Still, her mother would not show herself. Had it been him, he would have demanded to see his children. He certainly wouldn't have stood idly by watching them cry out in search for him and choosing to let them agonize over whether he was okay or wonder if he loved them anymore.

    But then. It seemed he had higher standards when it came to family and commitment.

    He ground his teeth in annoyance and frustration, his eyes glinting icy and bright, but said nothing on the matter. Reagan would make her own choices and have to live with the consequences of her own making. It wasn't his job to protect her from herself.

    His gaze returned to Enfys, and she looked up at him again as he lowered his head to her level. She didn't answer him though, didn't acknowledge anything he'd said to her. His head tilted as he straightened a little, dark brows tugging together in puzzlement. She didn't have problems hearing, had heard him and responded previously. She had chosen not to answer. Why? Instead, she stumbles over her own question.

    "Are you... Are you really my father?"

    Now was not the time for lessons, or perhaps he would have ignored her as she had done. Not unkindly, but fairly. He was firm, but always fair, as Jinju herself had learned a number of times. "I am if you so choose," he responded instead, genuinely hoping that she would. After all, being a father was far more than conceiving a child and it was up to her if she would allow him to be in her life as he wished to.

    "I hope you understand that our initial shock in you being here is not in any regard to not wanting you. We would love to have you here. I would love to have you here, and have the chance to know you." He stole another glance at Jinju, uncertain if he should continue, but decided to press on as he returned to Enfys, choosing his words carefully. He would never speak ill of their mother to her children. Or, he supposed, to anyone.

    "For whatever reason, your mother hid her pregnancy. We weren't aware that you existed or I would have come for you far sooner." His voice hardened with truth. He never would have kept away from his daughter if he had known of her. It shredded him up inside knowing how much of her life he had been forced to miss already. He didn't want to miss a moment more.

    "But yes," he said softening, reaching the dark of his muzzle toward hers. "You have my strange color, and my pattern. I think its safe to conclude that you are mine. Come, we'll find you a place you're most comfortable with to have as your own. If you'd like to stay."



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