• Logout
  • 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


    do you feel like a young god? warrick
    #1

    if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes

    Amet treks through the River, the outskirts of Loess (where he had last visited with Tang), through Taiga, the Forest, the Field, and finally -- finally -- to Tephra. His legs are fatigued and his shoulders ache, but the young stallion doesn't concentrate on his weaknesses as he moves across the border of Warrick's home. Instead, his amber eyes fall on the volcano and he can't seem to pull his gaze from the plasma streams that branch away from it lazily.

    Amet pauses in the long grasses, just on the cusp of the tropical forest that Warrick had described to him back in Hyaline. The dragon king sighs sadly and finally removes his gaze from the volcano to rove the vibrantly verdant treeline. He wonders how Tang had enjoyed it here in Tephra, and where her favorite places are hiding within it. He frowns at the thought of her. Or, more specifically, the thought of her injury, and of his inability to protect her inside of Hyaline.

    Finally, after what seems like a long moment, the reptilian stallion raises his metallic head and calls for his blue-pointed friend.

    Amet


    @[Warrick] pls forgive how poopy this starter post is
    #2
    The heat is relentless, thick and full of moisture. The vegetation seems to be dripping with sweat themselves, yet they continue to flourish within the humidity. The smell of sulfur and brine fill the air, barely a breeze touching the deeper parts of Tephra, the sea wind blocked by the dense foliage. All around Beqanna, the summer heat has begun to ebb, the chilliness of autumn now lingering on the gentle winds, the environment changing as the world makes way for the cooler months; but Tephra does not change. The volcanic peninsulas are persistent and unwavering – it is an endless summer, wrought with smoke and ash, blanketed with a cloak intense heat and stagnant air. It is not an environment that is particularly dreamed of, but the residents have become accustomed to it – Warrick barely notices the fervid temperatures anymore. The only time he does is when he visits neighboring kingdoms and lands, forced to remember that Beqanna continues to change while he is not.

    While most horses have begun to have their coats grow in anticipation for winter, Warrick’s auburn skin remains thin and sleek, shining almost red in the warm sunlight. The constant humidity (as well as his frequent swims in the ocean water) causes his black mane and tail to forever be damp and wavy, crisp with a mixture of salt and sweat, plastered against his neck. He had emerged from a morning swim not that long ago, letting the sweltering heat dry the droplets of water that had clung to him as he moves through the dense vegetation that surrounds Tephra’s volcano. His blue legs, painted with the deep indigo of the night sky, pull him easily forward as he moves purposelessly, merely enjoying the sunlight as it filters through the trees and plays golden, intense patterns onto the broad of his back.

    A familiar scent reaches his cobalt nostrils, causing the stallion to lift his head abruptly and to snort sharply. His eyes narrow immediately with inquisition, the scent of Hyaline reaching him. He quickens his pace, not surprised when he reaches the boundaries of his home and sees the young metallic stallion standing there waiting for him. There is another strange smell in the air that lingers – it is smoke, but not the sulfuric plume that rises steadily behind him. This smell warrants alarm – something had burned.

    Concern painting the deep lines of his face, Warrick halts before Amet with a sliding halt. He nods his head in the stallion’s direction, a hooded brow shadowing the crisp blue of his eyes, his worry evident. Of course, his first thoughts are of Tang and her wellbeing, but Warrick is equally surprised when he realizes that he found concern for Amet as well – ruling is not easy, and by the distinct smell on his reptilian skin, all was not well. “Amet,” He says his name with a deep rumble, shattering the silence of the stoic world around them as the inflection of seriousness laces his voice. He knows the path from Hyaline to Tephra and though the metallic stallion’s body stands tall, the weariness is apparent. “There is a nearby stream. Have a drink and tell me what brings you to Tephra today.”

    Warrick does not wait for an answer, turning to his right to walk alongside the borders towards a stream of freshwater he knows is nearby.
    like the sun,
    swallowed up by the earth
    warrick


    @[Amet]
    #3
    if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes

    The lava streams hold Amet's attention now as he waits for Warrick to find him, though the golden stallion's thoughts are stuck entirely on the events of the night before. It has been a long few hours, even after the departure of the arsonists from Hyaline. The young Amet had traveled to Nerine for Nayl's help and then had returned to his home to await Castile with Djinni, and finally (when Tang had assured him that all would be okay without him for a few hours), he had immediately left in the direction of Tephra.

    His pace had been swift and steady, the stallion running more on adrenaline than anything else, and even after the long journey he wonders if this is the place he should be, admitting what he is about to admit to a stallion who is also very, very fond of the beloved Tang (and who, unbeknownst to Amet, is the father of her unborn child). Amet frowns, but he also knows that he owes Warrick this information, and the guilt would have soured his stomach until he made this trip either way.

    The dragon king is still used to the dry heat of the Dunes despite the more temperate conditions in Hyaline, but neither his former or his current home had prepared Amet for the humidity of Tephra. Warrick finds him swiftly, the Akhal-Teke turning his amber eyes towards movement at the treeline only a few minutes after he had arrived, but his leather plating is still uncomfortable in the heat. He shifts his svelte frame and gives a terse nod to his blue-pointed friend as he's greeted.

    "Thank you, Warrick," he offers quietly as they fall in step beside each other, Amet sitting just a few paces back so that the bay stallion can lead him to the stream. His own nostrils flare at the new scents of the tropical Tephra, occasionally catching the smell of his own burnt home permeating from his golden scales. It draws the frown across his lips again even as he lowers his regal head to drink at the river Warrick has led him to.

    Amet hadn't realized how parched he was, and takes a long moment to appreciate the water before he turns his dripping muzzle back to Warrick with worry in his amber eyes. "Hyaline was attacked last night," he says bluntly, because there is no other way to offer information like this to someone who could be emotionally effected by it, "and Tang was injured."

    He lowers his gaze to the river, ashamed at his inability to protect the residents of his home.

    "She will be okay, her injury isn't life-threatening, but..." he gives a gentle sigh, "I think it will do her good to see you, if you are up for the journey. You can stay there as long as you want. And if... if she doesn't feel safe in Hyaline anymore, maybe she'd like to come back here, with you."
    Amet
    #4
    The duo moves swiftly on the outskirts of Tephra, Warrick’s eyes large with concern as they make their way to a singular stream of freshwater that cuts through the thick and dense foliage that surrounds them. The bay stallion is unsure if he is to let the young bronzed stallion physically cross into Tephra, knowing that despite his knowledge of Amet, Offspring might not enjoy a stranger roaming through his kingdom. Warrick is still learning how diplomatic duties work, and he would hate if he caused tension based on a new acquaintance. But as the two begin to walk together, Warrick realizes that he is smart to have let the stallion speak – the news he brought would be necessary for all of Tephra to be aware of.

    Warrick halts at the stream’s soft bank as Amet voices his gratitude, and allows the stallion to nourish himself in the cool waters. He waits patiently, his tail swishing at his hocks and lips twitching – worry was slowly overcoming him and his heart rate increases with anxiousness. What has happened?

    His blue eyes widen as the words leave Amet’s lips, the slightly defeated look on his metallic features looking out of place. His blue legs bring him a few steps towards the stallion, his brow furrowing and shading his eyes. “Attacked?” he blurts in a whisper as he repeats Amet’s words, foreign and unfamiliar on his tongue. He begins to panic slightly at the mention of Tang, though the only outward representation of his frantic thoughts are the slight shift in his weight as he compels himself to stay here and not run immediately towards Hyaline. The bronze stallion reassures him that Tang is quite alright (of course she is, she wouldn’t let something like this take her down) and with a long exhale, Warrick feels himself relax slightly.

    “Amet,” he says smoothly, a voice meant to reassure and soothe. He knew it had not been easy to decide to come here and admit an attack on his home, especially with Tang involved…but Amet and Warrick were a lot alike, and the bay stallion knows he would have done exactly the same. “You know that she makes her own decisions, despite what we wish she would do. Like you said, she is fine. You have kept her safe. You have done your duty.” Warrick slightly dips his head once to him in respect.

    “Amet, I appreciate you coming all the way to Tephra to tell me this. I will let Offspring know. We need more patrols, on the borders…” His voice trails off as his heart beats rapidly in his chest, lifting his gaze to quickly scan the boundaries that lie right next to them. Ellyse. He needed to tell Ellyse, too. With a snort he brings himself back to Amet. “Can you tell me anything about that night? Anything that might be of use for us, in case these people decide that this is not a one-time attack?”

    “Once my kingdom knows of this occurrence and if my presence is not needed, I will make my way to Hyaline as swift as the river.”
    like the sun,
    swallowed up by the earth
    warrick


    @[Amet]
    -chest bump-
    #5
    if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes

    You have done your duty, Warrick tells him,and Amet gives the older stallion a sheepish, uncertain smile. "I feel like I've failed them," the dragon king admits to his navy-pointed friend with lips that tremble. The attack has knocked the leather-plated Amet down a peg, who had thought he would be prepared to protect an entire territory because of the experience he'd gained protecting Iset and Sakir in the Dunes.

    But no, it isn't that easy. Especially with Iset in the offending group.

    Amet clenches his teeth and pushes his sister from his thoughts. It will do him no good to assume her role in it, whether positive or negative, until he is able to corner her in Hyaline. Hopefully, he thinks, while Sakir is nearby. The slender stallion shifts his weight and returns his gaze to Warrick when their topic turns towards Tephra, Offspring, and the idea of increasing patrols. His lips twist into a renewed frown at the thought that other territories of Beqanna could be targeted by the group that had attacked Hyaline.

    "Yes, actually," he says with a bit more gusto as the Tephran stallion asks for more details, "Molotov, the telepath..." he trails off for a moment, a vision of Warrick in Hyaline with Tang and Molotov flooding into his head, "She was able to read them before they left. She said they call themselves the Lost Boys." He snorts as disgust wells in his belly.

    "Maugrim. Deathwish. Kolera. Levi."

    He keeps Iset's involvement to himself, of course. Nayl has the information she needs, and that's all that matters. No one else would need to know that she had taken any part in it.

    "I need to get back to Hyaline. Please don't hesitate to visit. You are always welcome."
    Amet


    @[Warrick]
    -bro nod-




    Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)