"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
08-21-2017, 01:16 PM (This post was last modified: 08-21-2017, 01:16 PM by Jinju.)
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Something had changed Taiga, or at least tried to, and as one of its guardian’s she had failed to protect it. But what could she have done? Jinju wasn’t alone in the Taiga and she was perfectly aware of that. She knew others would stand with her to fight for their home. There was just one thing holding her back. Or two, to be more precise. There was no way she would guide Ander or Polaris towards any danger.
She doesn’t know what is going on. Doesn’t know what happened to her beloved forest. But right now, her baby son and her baby sister’s safety was most important. She’d promised Ruan to look after the glass girl during his time away, promised to keep her safe. And even the Taiga’s well-being wouldn’t make her break that promise.
Though, that didn’t mean Jinju liked it. Worst was that she couldn’t even show her anger, or her displeasure about the whole situation. ”Isn’t this a wonderful place to camp at?” she asks both children, a smile forced tugging on the corners of her lips. Jinju had guided them deeper into the kingdom, away from the sea, towards Sylva. In this part of the red wood forest mountain a few caves doted the landscape. Hidden except from those who knew where to find them. ”Maybe the wolves will come to keep us company tonight.” She was teasing them, of course she was. Circinae was Taiga’s only real wolf and the navy blue and forest green mare didn’t pose a threat to them.
It wasn’t easy. She wanted to rage, to let fire dance, to scream and shout and go for those who ruined her perfect life. But she couldn’t. And neither could she show that something was wrong to the kids. Jinju would have to keep them save until her father returned. But she damn well hoped he would come quick.
She likes Jinju well enough - the black mare is strong like her father, though not nearly as soul-quiet. But she seems more careful around her glass sister, more contained and patient as though maybe Ruan has warned her that Polaris is like the sun of an early dawn - bright and beautiful, but shy in her singularity. It is not an easy thing to traverse a world in solitude, to see day after day that you are the only one of your kind. Dangerous, perhaps, to know this loneliness and learn to love it, and learn, too, to fear that which threatens to change it. But Jinju does not push her, seems to know the limits that even Polaris is unsure of, and so she does not balk when Ruan leaves them.
The boy scares her though. He is sweet and bright, but he is as all children are and how she has never been. Vibrant and fearless with a mother like Jinju to always keep him safe. He doesn’t fear running and playing, doesn’t shy away from the crash of bodies thrown together in a moment of game-play. But that is because he is flesh and bone, muscle and sinew. He is bold and beautiful and all things Polaris has only been in the most secret depths of her dreams. Here she is brittle and beautiful, a silhouette of glass and spiderweb cracks. She cannot play, has never played, except with Ruan who has always been so gentle. Ander will be gentle someday too, she is sure. Like his mother and his grandfather. But for now she keeps a careful distance, drifts just a few paces back from Jinju’s dark hip.
‘Isn’t this a wonderful place to camp at?’ Jinju asks them both, a smile on her mouth as she glances between Polaris and Ander. The smile looks genuine except that is doesn’t quite reach those ruby eyes, and Polaris is not so young as to not have noticed the deliberate way Jinju herds them from the heart of their home. She says nothing though, trusts that if the dark woman is keeping secrets, it must be out of necessity. ‘Maybe the wolves will come keep us company tonight.’ She adds, teasing them, but Polaris only offers a hint of a smile, more out of reflex than any real emotion.
The quiet grows though and she knows she should say something, but words have never been her strength and the quiet suits her so. Instead she steps closer, touches her lips to Jinju’s flank as though to draw her attention for a moment. Her delicate teal brow is soft and furrowed, glossy in the watery light that filters through the thick forest around them. There is a look of knowing that passes between them, a wordless understanding that flashes in the amber depths of Polaris’ eyes when they swallow the gem-bright red of Jinju’s. I feel it, too, she conveys silently. But aloud all she says in that whisper voice is, “How far are we going?”
though i never needed any proof to trust the heart that beats inside of you
He was too young to notice. Or not per say too young, but too carefree perhaps? He was aware of the change, Taiga felt different, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly. And since his mother took him and Polaris out on a trip, it sure couldn’t be that wrong? The distraction worked for him though. He happily bounced ahead, with his mother not far behind and Polaris just in step after her.
Ander never went far ahead, and looked back from time to time to see if he still was going in the right direction. He had explored Taiga before, but this was a new part for him, so close to the border of another kingdom. Never had he been outside Taiga, beyond the border, except for the one time he snuck out after Crevan to play at the Playground. The idea that they maybe, just maybe, were going out now, excited him till no end.
”Are we almost there?” he asked for the nth time, bouncing back towards his mother and Polaris and dancing around both mares. As always he kept a little distance from Polaris, as the glass girl seemed so timid, there was something in her eyes that made him keep his distance, but with Jinju it was a whole other cause. It was only that he had become too big to sneak underneath her stomach, but he would’ve done it if he could. ”Isn’t this a wonderful place to camp at?” his mother teased him – or them actually – and signalled they had finally reached their destination.
A wider grin couldn’t be on his lips. He stood still at her left shoulder, black and golden head raised high and ruby eyes curiously taking in their surroundings. He could see the cave nearby, and his interest and attention was fully on it. Golden tipped ears are pinned forward as he curiously makes his way towards the cave, not seeing the look Polaris shared with his mother. Nor did he hear her question, as he took to his task to explore the cave as the only man around. He had to make sure it was a safe place for both his mother and aunt.
