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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


    Trouble - any
    #1
    Loey sat on the line between nervous and down right excited. She had never been around so many new equines. They were spread out across the meadow , her nostrils flaring as she drank in all of their different scents. Salt, dirt,wind, fire. They all smelt of far off lands and travel.

    Her eyes darted between pelts of dark greys, bright whites, and colors she had only ever seen in rainbows. Manes short, long, and even spiraling into the grass and past hooves. These too varying in color.

    Her own pelt was a startling aray of grays, with some whites thrown carelessly in there. Her mane  being a light silver (boring compared to the purples and greens she had seen) that tumbled past her shoulders and curled slightly at the end. 

    She had no clue whom or what she would approach first! Her mind was torn between talking and getting a drink to soothe her aching throat (as she had been traveling for quite some time). With an empty  snort the lithe mare pranced to one of the many streams that split the land. Others were there, though they seemed content to be left alone as they drank quietly. 

    Though she had no clue what they were thinking, she could only assume their thoughts were something along the lines of hers. 

    How had so many equines come together so peacefully, and so quietly at that? Why was it that they had all come to this place? What was this place? 

    Her sigh was quiet as she pulled her head from the water, shaking it slightly to rid her face of the liquid. 

    She turned then, facing the meadow once more. Whom would she talk too?
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    #2
    Even though Aten had grown to love Taiga with all his heart, at times, the young stallion did want to go off at times and do a little exploring. His foal hood curiosity had never left. This trait proved helpful, since most of Aten's curiosity drew him to the field. Most of the time, he wasn't looking for any particular horses in general, since he didn't really know how to approach them to see if they wanted to come to the Taiga.

    It couldn't really be as simple as walking up and saying 'Hey I've got this really neat home and I'm sure you'll love it. Why don't you come check it out?' right? Even Aten had taken the initiative, venturing to the Taiga himself to see if he would be accepted. He'd been lucky, taken in by Jinju and Ruan; their kind souls had accepted him into the kingdom, and now, he was a resident, able to live peacefully and help protect the members of Taiga who had given him a home.

    So, Aten started figuring he could return the favor. He didn't know if he'd be any good at recruiting, but he could try his damnedest. So, one day, Aten left the Taiga territory, heading out in the direction of the Field. With each step he took away, the marks seemed to burn a little more. He, of course, didn't blame Jinju for whatever had caused such a violent reaction, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to hurt. He was slowly getting used to the pain each day, but it was definitely a process.

    Speaking of the dark mare... of his friend... much like any horse with good eyes, Aten had taken notice of her figure lately. He had to admit, when he first met Jinju, he did think she was pretty. He didn't know if was developing concrete feelings for her, only that what he was possibly feeling was more than friendship. But then, when he started seeing signs of her growing belly, the stallion couldn't deny he was jealous of whatever bachelor had won her heart.

    Aten did think about Jinju on his way to the Field, but once he got there, he did his best to push thoughts of her away. The beautiful sight before him always made him happy; he didn't want any negative thoughts hampering him, not when this place brought him joy. The summer grasses stretched out for miles, various cliques of stallions and mares grazing and wandering about, trying to get each other's attention.

    But Aten didn't want to busy himself with the large groups of mares, not when he was doing this for the first time pretty much. So, instead, his brown eyes scanned the valley before him, trying to see what could catch his attention.

    The waterfall did of course, but it was what lied beneath it that caught the stallion's eye. A lone horse, by the looks of it. Perhaps Aten could try approaching this one? See how he'd handle recruiting?

    The golden stallion made his way over to the lake underneath the waterfall, spotting more detail about the horse as he went. He couldn't yet tell if it was a mare or a gelding, but did note that the horse possessed a dapple gray coat with a silver-colored mane and tail. Much more vibrant than his own golden coloring, if Aten was being honest.

    When he got close enough to the horse - a mare, now he could tell - he spoke in a soft voice, wanting to get her attention since he was approaching from an angle that she wasn't facing; her attention seemed to be on the other cliques of horses grazing on the summer grasses.

    "Hello there," the golden stallion spoke calmly, "Wonderful day out in the Field, isn't it? Are you here by yourself today? Or are you perhaps searching for a friend?"

    While he was speaking, the stallion's eyes searched the mare, picking out details. She was a slender being, but had enough muscle that she could probably hold her own in a fight. She had the typical characteristics of an Arabian, something that Aten made her look rather pretty in comparison to his stocky golden Quarter Horse build, even if he'd inherited his sire's height. If Jinju and other mares had taught him anything though, it was to never underestimate them. He was fairly certain this mare had some bite to her if the wrong thing was said, so he made sure to choose his words carefully.
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    #3
    Her ears tilted mindlessly as the wind blew at her curved face. She lifted  her head upward, to watch the clouds drift across the open sky. She was at peace, contempt with staying still for the moment. It was at this point that she heard him speak. 

    She turned to face him, hazel hues drinking in the stallion. He was much larger than she, with a thick build and golden skin. She was not at all alarmed by his presence, for if he was here to harm her. SO be it. She could certainly handle herself. 

    Her tail lifted as she walked forward, her eyes scanning him curiously. When she had thought on her answer for a moment she spoke. 

    "Quite a lovely day indeed, and as for why I am here I do not know. Perhaps friendship would be my best guess."

    Her voice was light, and airy, much like her frame. It held almost a childish peak to it, as if it never had become gruff with age. 

    She allowed herself a few more moments to watch him before opening her lips once more.

    "And whom might you be?"

    The grey mare was genuinly curious as to who exactly the stallion was. Her tail curled around her leg, ears piping forward to catch his response.
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    #4
    Aten smiled a little, seeing the young mare act so carefree in her surroundings. As a stallion, a warrior, Aten always had to be on his guard. Mares were too, because they could defend themselves, but often, they were in groups and could look out for one another. As a stallion, a bachelor, Aten had learned to live with his guard up almost all of the time, constantly on the lookout for danger of any kind that could bring harm to himself or any horse he cared for.

    The only exceptions to his guard policy were Ruan, Jinju, and, of course, his family, even if he hadn't seen them in some time. He knew he could trust them just as much as he trusted the horses of the Taiga. This mare could possibly also enter that group, if she proved to be a trusted ally.

    The mare turned to look at Aten; clearly, she'd heard him speak. Her tail went up as she came forward to meet him, the silver strands of hair flowing effortlessly in the slight breeze. Her mane was blowing in much the same fashion; it made her look rather pretty, in Aten's opinion.

    "Quite a lovely day indeed, and as for why I am here I do not know. Perhaps friendship would be my best guess."

    As she spoke, Aten found himself entranced by her voice. It had an air-like quality to it; it was soft, delicate, kind of like her, but with a hidden strength. Aten knew he would be wise to not get on this mare's bad side, even if he outweighed her by a good 200+ pounds.

    When the mare asked for Aten's identity, the stallion found himself growing sheepish, "Forgive my lack of manners. My name is Aten; I come from the Taiga kingdom. And what is your name? Are you new to these parts?"

    Aten did wish to find out if this mare indeed had a home, but being so blunt about it might not be the best choice. For all he knew, she was looking for a home, but might not appreciate it if he pushed her into making a decision to come check out the land he lived in. By giving her the name, he'd left enough of a question hanging in the air. If her curiosity won out, she'd ask him about it. He'd tell her some things about the Taiga, but not enough, so that when he asked if she wished to come see it, she might be more enticed to.

    So, for now, he withheld giving away too much about himself and his home. The golden stallion stood there patiently, his head a bit lower now that there was no longer any budding hostility between him and the mare.
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    #5
    Her brows rose in question. For she had never heard of his kingdom. Which in itself was a dead giveaway that the mare was not from here. She found no point in lying to the stallion , so she spoke once more. 

    "My name is Loey, and as for where I come from , it is not these lands."

    She offered him, her head high. Even then she was still many hands shorter than Aten. To look the golden stallion straight in the eye she had to look upwards. She was close to him now, close enough to where if she wanted to, she could have touched him. Though she refrained. For she did not know the stallion. 

    For all she knew he could be lying to her. Due to this train of thought Loey knew she must keep her wits about her until she knew more. She concluded that to get answers she must pry slightly.

    "So Aten of Taiga, what is this kingdom of yours like?"

     Her inquiry was light, a small joking tone set to the words as to put him at ease. It was unlikely though that  he could possibly be afraid of her! The mare liked to think of herself as inviting and kind. Though now she must have seemed rather talkative and blunt. 

    "You See, I have never heard of this place and would like to paint myself a picture of it. With your help of course." 

    'There' She thought. Her question was explained without being rude or short coming. 
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    #6
    "My name is Loey, and as for where I come from, it is not these lands."

    Ah, so she was a newcomer as well. Aten's dam had been the exact same way, coming to Beqanna after leaving her home. At least Aten could say he technically came from here, as his sire was a native and Aten himself had been born here. But he felt somewhat of a kinship, given that he had been a newcomer to the Taiga before getting recruited. He knew what it was like to be in a totally strange place.

    Aten also noticed how the mare was seeming to struggle with looking him in the eye; a factor no doubt caused by his height, how he towered over the mare. The stallion lowered his head some so that Loey would have an easier time looking at him, and also settle any negative thoughts she may be having about him if he was trying to appear pretentious.

    "So, Aten of Taiga, what is this kingdom of yours like?"

    A harmless question in his mind. But Aten's instincts still told him to be careful with the information he would give out. He would tell Loey about the Taiga, see if she wanted to investigate it for herself to see its wonders once he was done.

    "It is an absolutely wonderful and beautiful kingdom," the golden stallion offered, smiling as he began to tell Loey of his home. "The trees stretch as tall as the sky, with trunks as big as a horse. The trails are covered with their pine needles from centuries of being alive, and from the northern area of the land, where the land dives into the ocean, fog rolls in and coats the Taiga kingdom in a layer of mist. It seems spooky at first, but is really quite wonderful.

    "The meadows are thick with fresh grass, and the water sparkles like the sky. It is always crisp and cool, and there are a number of fish that swim through it every day. The horses who live there are nice and even-tempered; we live with a respect for one another and are always willing to help each other out.

    "And, even though he does not like to call himself king, I know every horse thinks of him as such. The Taiga is led by a kind stallion named Ruan. He is willing to come greet strangers and newcomers to see if they would perhaps like to take a closer look at the Taiga. He was kind enough to invite me in to stay, even though he'd never met me before. I have a feeling that he might like to meet you, as well, if you'd like to come and see the Taiga for yourself.

    "What do you think? I leave the choice to you, in case you wish to go see another land first."
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    #7
    His voice was smooth, like the waters he spoke of. Or the mist that rose above her head. She shifted under his gaze as his head fell further down to watch her. When he finished she smiled at him, her hazel eyes alight with wonder at his home. 

     His question though, warmed her. He was offering to really show her this place? The place he lived?  

    "I'd love to go and see it with you."

    Loey replied, her nose stretching forward to bump his. 

    She was already excited. Even as she stood here awaiting his reply. For all she knew the stallion would change his mind, and then she would be left here again. At this thought her smile faltered before lighting up her features again. 

    "Your home sounds lovely."

    She smiled , stepping back slightly as to give him room. 
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    #8
    I went ahead and threw a post up in Taiga for you. It includes what Aten would have done here in the Field as well as an introduction of the Taiga to Loey.
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