"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
Now he was a couple of days old – or was it a couple of weeks already? – mother let him more and more out of sight. Or more that she allowed it. Little did Ander know that it was only if she was sure that it would be okay. Which usually meant that she was following him, without Ander knowing, or that she had entrusted him to the care of another. Not really because she liked it, if it was up to Jinju Ander would never leave her side, but because she owed him that much at least.
And his father had just as much the right to bond with their son as she had.
Once again Ander was oblivious to the fact that father had noticed him approaching. He had his black and golden head lowered towards the ground and he carefully lifted one hoof after another, trying to find a spot to place it where the pine needles wouldn’t get crushed. They would betray his location. That would very much spoil his fun.
His gaze is heavily concentrated, pinkish tongue slipping past his lips to wet them, as his golden tipped ears kept turning around. Just a few more steps and he would be able to jump out and surprise father.
”Gootchaa!” With a loud ‘war cry’ he jumps out of hiding, into the little clearing where with pinned ears and a wide grin on his lips. His golden tail proud and up in the air. By the time he stands in the middle of the clearing he’s panting slightly, chest puffed and head held high as he search for his father’s form.
Ander was sure father had been standing here only moments ago. ”Dad?”
There’d been a distance between Jinju and I since Ander’s birth. Ever since she’d sprouted her curtain of flame and brought my son into this world, it seemed to me that I was no longer necessary. In and around the blood red and pale white woods I’d wandered, aimless in my purpose but still unsettled enough to relax. I liked it here, liked the way the canopy nearly overshadowed all light, even enjoyed the solitude of this place and her secret inhabitants.
But it still made me feel so small, so alone. Even when my gilded hooves stop square in their tracks at the base of a clearing and my honey-warm eyes strain upward to see the sky I can sense nothing but the utter and complete silence around me. It’s breathtaking and heartbreaking. For a moment the wind whips through the trunks, resounding in a hollow sort of moan and I stretch my wings out to feel the breeze cascade over them. It was rare, these days, that I found a place to extend their impressiveness to the full extent and even though I’m distracted for the moment, a single sound behind me alerts me to the fact that I am not alone anymore.
How could anyone miss it, in all this dead quiet?
But I’m game, so I lower my head and angle it gently to the side, catching a wisp of something shadowy and yet shimmery slipping between the trunks some feet away. With only a single, hushed downstroke of my wings I’m airborne for a moment, neck curving so that I can peer below me where Ander, my firstborn, leaps out for a surprise attack. “LOOK OUT BELOOOOWWWW!” I trumpet, falling back to earth where my confused son waits. I won’t land on him, (what a terrible babysitter I’d be) but I do plop noisily back to the earth beside him, one great wing extended to bump the colt on his ebony hide.
“And where’s your mother, hmm, little hunter?” I question, bringing myself close enough to bump noses. She can’t be far and it stings a bit that she wouldn’t even say hello. Another time, perhaps. All women needed space. The disappointing blow to my pride won’t touch my eyes though, not while Ander is here and so very clearly desperate for my attention. Without even knowing it, I’d been desperate for him too. “I’ve missed you, look how big you’ve already gotten!”
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold
She never meant to make him feel like this, it’s not that she doesn’t want to say hello. But if she would, hello wouldn’t be enough. Ander’s birth had changed so much. Not only did she carry extra weight on her shoulder, this little being was depended of her, but she desperately longed for the boy’s father too.
This was Ander’s time with his father though. And he had meant to catch the black and golden male by surprise, but he ended up standing alone in the little clearing. The confusion is clearly readable on his face and disappointment even more. ”Da-?” he is about to repeat, before a loud call comes from… from above him. Before Ander even can look up, his father’s big form lands behind him. With a rather unmanly yelp he spins around, eyes wide and he’s even slightly panting.
Puffing his chest out he tries to make himself look all tall, but the pout on his lips gives him away. Thus far his little surprise attack. ”I snuck away, I wanted to surprise you..” he mumbles dejected, not at all aware that his mother had allowed him to sneak away. Not that his surprise attack had worked. His disappointment doesn’t stop him from lipping back at the corner of Terran’s mouth.
The praise definitely made the whole ordeal better. How couldn’t he like to hear how big he had gotten, it sure flattered his little heart. With a proud grin Ander looks up to his father, at least in one way he managed to impress his big example. ”Have I?” he asks, needing to hear this little praise. He’s almost bouncing on his legs, reaching out to press his muzzle to Terran’s cheek before stepping back a little.
His little tail goes up in the air, and he holds his head high and proud, chest puffed to look bigger. Like that he looks up at his father with his red eyes, quite a puppy look in them too, probably only making his attempt to look bigger look more adorable.
Ander won’t be this way forever. Soon enough he’ll give me a run for my money, in height and build. He’ll have a lineage of his own, more of my descendants to roam the hills and give that touch of gold to their offspring in turn. The cycle will continue and I’ll be long gone, dust beneath their hooves.
But for now, he’s lipping at me like a feisty firstborn and puffing out his narrow little chest like the peacock he should be. The dark colt was a mixture of black satin and gold fire, after all, it would be unusual that he shouldn’t have a personality to match. “Well trust me, I am surprised.” I confirm to him as my thoughts center once more. My golden wings ruffle softly, tucking against themselves as I step out to move away from my son. I’d been making my way to the beach - that slender curve of land where even the trees couldn’t block out the sky. No need to stop now. “Let’s go to the ocean, what do you say?” I offer, head dangling over my shoulder to offer him a mischievous sort of look.
“Have you felt any different recently, Ander?” I probe while he makes his way. Our steps are matched, mine slow to keep with his pace as we traverse the worn paths of Jinju’s home. “Perhaps an itch between your shoulders, or a feeling inside of you?” I question while my eyes roam briefly over his sturdy back. I knew from experience that any traits hidden in his DNA would soon come to light, usually peeking out before foals reached a year of age. Magic was a showy thing, it always liked to be acknowledged.
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold
That little confession made him a bit better. The way Terran had been surprised was not really in the way he had intended to, but what he wouldn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him. And naturally he trusted his father. And almost just as naturally he curiously reaches out to gently lip at the four golden wings that sprout from his father’s shoulders, the gold and pretty dazzle catching his attention.
Not for long, of course, when Ander is invited to the ocean. No need to ask that twice. ”Yes! I like the ocean!” he happily chirps, bouncing on his legs as he trots to catch up. His lips are curled up and show a wide smile and his ruby eyes shimmer in delight. How could today get getter? ”Me and mom’s friend showed Fox the beach too!” He had played with Circy as she had shifted back into wolf form again, a game little Ander had happily accepted.
Just when he’s about to start rambling about meeting the ice fox – even though Fox couldn’t shift like his mom’s friend, which had quite disappointed the gold pointed colt – his father throws in another subject. Not that it matters, not to Ander at least, but he cannot quite say he fully understands it. ”Different?” he repeats questioningly, his head slightly tilting as he glances up at the tall black male besides him.
Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait for an explanation long, though it doesn’t really get to the point either. The bounce in his step is gone now, matching Terran’s step as he ponders. ”Do I feel different?” he softly questions himself. Not that he knew. No itch between his shoulders at least, or not more than usual and like the itch all over his body caused by flies and other insects.
The other thing, the feeling within, was even more strange. He didn’t feel any different. Or not that he noticed at least. Little did he know that the thing his father was referring too, was something he was so well accustomed with. Something that had always been there with him. No change. No different feeling.
So he shakes his head, puffed cheeks a little as his lips are pouty. ”No.. I don’t feel different..” he replies softly, glancing away after a quick look up at Terran’s bald face. Not really that afraid to disappoint – okay, perhaps he is a little – but more like he’s now wondering if he should feel different.
Luckily the beach offers him a distraction. They’re almost there, the soft sand of the beach already underneath their hooves. Mingled with the dark forest ground, and mixed with pine needles, but already there. As a promise of what soon would come. ”We’re here!” he exclaims, bouncing on his front legs, then glancing up at Terran. ”A race to the beeeeeeach-“
And he’s off.
OOC: I wrote you a book :| . Or half of it. Ander muuuuuuuuse <3
It was hard to bridge the gap of communication with his son over the topic of traits. Terran had been born devoid of them - in fact, all he was able to boast (a revelation that had soon come to light when he was weaned from his dam) was that he had pension for nibbling on bark, or gravel, or dirt or hair or whatever suited his fancy at the time. His mother had lovingly laughed the odd behavior off but Terran had come to know it for what it really was - a defect. Some switch not properly connected in his brain that determined what was food and what was not had been permanently left in the ‘off’ position, so every now and then he felt inclined to taste things normal horses wouldn’t.
Unique, he wants to believe. It doesn’t stop him from hoping that his firstborn has bypassed that little hitch in the genetic code. “Well that’s good, I suppose.” The father chuckles, watching eagerly as his son bounds away on golden legs. His boy wants a race, so Terran will give him one. He rises, hind legs coiling beneath him as his forehooves strike out to slam into the shifting sand, sending the fine grains spraying around him as he bolts ahead at a gallop. The black could just as easily fly, but he wants his son to learn that being grounded was just as good as being airborne.
Over the dunes and out into the flat stretches of beach the two cavort, Terran making a sharp left so that they won’t delve straight into the sea but instead run alongside it, the foamy spray lathering their bellies and sides, drenching their tails. “Come on, Ander!” He encourages with a whoop, extending his gait until he knows the little colt will be tested. “Last one to the finish line is a pile of dung!”
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold
