"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
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
The call echoes behind him and Ivar grins. He bucks out as he runs, laughing freely as he races across the open meadow. The trail here is wide and smooth, worn flat by thousands of hooves. The piebald stallion feels the wind tugging at the heavy cords of his dark mane, and he shakes his tangled forelock from his mane in order to see the path better. Zhenga is catching up to him quickly, but he does not alter his ground-eating stride, not even when she pulls ahead of him with a taunt.
The desire to
(catch her)
is strong, but instead he keeps his pace. The view from back here isn’t terrible, he thinks with a wry smirk. The Meadow disappears into a grey and gold blur as they run, and when Ivar finally draws up, he’s not even sure who had won the race. He is laughing though, and bumps Zhenga’s shoulder companionably with his own as he offers her a warm smile.
Ahead of them, the Mountain looms tall and dark. They will skirt it to the north, cross the lake in the shallows where it meets the river, and follow the line of the mountains until they reach Loess. The path is no longer unfamiliar, but it will take many more journeys before the black and white stallion will be able to say that he truly knows it.
By the time they arrive at the edge of the hilly kingdom, the sun is all but set. A few dying streaks of orange emerge from the mountains to their left, but the open skies to the east are a deep and navy blue. Blue like Heda’s wings, Ivar thinks with a private smile, not blue like the Taigan sea. The stars will emerge soon, he knows. They are Loess’ true claim to majesty, or so thinks Ivar. Nerine has its soaring cliffs, Tephra its volcano, Sylva its autumn trees. The sky here stretches for an eternity; on a clear night Ivar can see every constellation that the wildcat had ever told him about.
“Well…” he says, looking out at the shadowy hills ahead of them. The timing of their arrival could have been better; one dark kingdom looks much the same as any other. “Maybe we’ll save the tour for the morning? You’ll actually be able to see what I’m showing you then.”
Even though they weren't really racing to begin with, Zhenga had felt excited by the challenge. Now, with her mane flowing behind her in a black cascade, the powerful strides of herself and the stallion eating up the ground as they galloped along, the two seemed content just to enjoy themselves. Zhenga did start slowing her pace down when she felt exerted, settling into a calm gallop beside her foal hood friend. They continued at this pace for some time before finally coming to a halt to conserve their energy for the rest of their trip, the roan filly laughing in good nature when Ivar bumped her shoulder before smiling at her.
Zhenga admitted to herself that the stallion had quite a nice smile - wait, where in the world did that thought come from? Did she actually just think that? What motivated it? Surely it couldn't be from watching him race ahead of her earlier. Sure, it was a sight to see, but this was her friend she was referring to. Besides, he already had a lady waiting for him back in Loess it seemed. And also, the filly didn't want that mare to experience any sort of pain like her dam, Raxa, had gone through. To this day, never mind the fact she had no idea where Jedi was, she refused to see him or seek him out at all. It wasn't that she didn't care for her friend, Zhenga's father, but the fact remained that he hadn't told Raxa about the palomino mare to begin with.
So, if this mare friend of Ivar's got the wrong idea, Zhenga would set her straight real quick. That, or just make sure there didn't seem to be anything deeper than friendship going on between the two of them. She didn't want to go through the same bullcrap her dam did.
Nonetheless, she returned Ivar's smile and gave him a small nudge, indicating she was fine to continue the rest of the journey despite the exhausting gallop they just did. The two young horses made their way toward the Mountain, such a precipice looming before them that Zhenga still thought of it as the hand of the shadows reaching toward the heavens from it's trapped place on the earth. The sight did not scare her though; Zhenga had been born under its shadow and felt safe there while growing up. Her dam told her that, if she ever needed a place to escape, the Mountain would help protect her in its own way. Zhenga had yet to test that theory.
Ivar led the way toward the Mountain, changing course so they wouldn't have to go over the tallest point. Zhenga followed deftly in his hoof steps throughout the journey, knowing one wrong move could send her tumbling down and lead to injury, which she couldn't afford. It was an easy enough going, and once they reached the far side, Ivar led the way toward the nearby lake. The two young horses easily crossed it, keeping to the shallow banks so they didn't have to waste energy swimming. Though, while they were there, Zhenga couldn't resist splashing Ivar with some water as she innocently trotted past him, flicking some water up as she went.
The rest of the journey the two were guided by the mountains, Zhenga engaging in pleasant conversation with Ivar when she got bored of the silence. She didn't notice how far the sun had descended until Ivar finally stopped, apparently having reached their destination since he didn't seem to want to go any further. Zhenga turned her head to look out over the distance, smiling in content as the stray orange glow of the sunlight streaked the land like a carefully completed paint job. Off in one direction, the sky's shade was darker, a deep blue, signaling that night would be falling soon.
Even from this distance, Zhenga could see some of the evening stars beginning their appearance, her eyes twinkling in delight as she turned her head skyward. Having been raised in Sylva and even with the grazing meadows there allowing for an open view of the sky, she'd never seen an expanse like this before. The filly tilted her muzzle up and took in a deep breath of the evening air, her eyes drifting shut as she just imagined the peace, quiet, and prosperity this place had to offer.
Her thoughts were broken by Ivar's voice, and she looked up at him. He offered to delay the tour until the morning hours of the following day, joking how it wouldn't be a good idea now since Zhenga wouldn't be able to see what he was showing her. Laughing at his joke, the filly gave a nod of consent.
"Sounds like a better plan than a nighttime tour. Although night walks are fun in their own way," she quipped, suddenly realizing something, "Uh... is, there a safe place I can stay the night? My mom's used to sleeping in the open but I prefer having something to alert me of any nighttime crawlers," she half-heartedly joked, leaving out how she'd been frightened by a big cat's young when she was a filly.
There is a brief moment when Zhenga's eyes are closed that Ivar's smile softens. He almost - almost! - reaches toward her, but one set of instincts trumps the other before the thought is even conscious.
There is no water here, after all.
Instead, he returns her consenting nod with a more subdued smile, the jest of his previous statement fading away with the echoes of his laughter. There are few residents in this hilly realm, but sound carries, and they've arrived rather late. The piebald stallion would prefer to keep on the good side of those living here, especially those that he has not yet met.
The roan mare asks if there is a safe place she can spend the night. Ivar tilts his head curiously - surely she didn't think that Ivar would bring her somewhere unsafe? He feels a brief urge to poke fun at her caution, but it is fleeting, and quickly swallowed by something else. The stallion takes a step closer, using his muzzle to guide Zhenga's gaze in the direction of a darker smudge on the navy blue horizon.
"See that?" He asks, knowing that it will be difficult to see at all, but not really minding. "That's my banyan tree."
Most night he spends with Heda, but there are times - like tonight - when he is out patrolling or adventuring, and he rests elsewhere rather than disturb her sleep. On those nights, he shelters beneath the wide canopy of the distant banyan, often half submerged in the spring beside it.
"We can stay there tonight, and I can show you Loess in the morning. I'll make sure sure nothing crawls up on you in the night." There, a flash of humor. It doesn't diminish the offer he's made, but Ivar wouldn't truly be himself if he did not take time to laugh.
"Not unless you want it to, of course." He winks, flirtatious, but doesn't give the idea time to ruminate before he is stepping forward, away from Zhenga and toward the tree that has faded even more into the darkness.
"Come on," he says, leading the way through the dark land, following a path that he is just beginning to become familiar with himself. It runs at the bottom of the hills, with nothing but step grassy slopes to either side of them - even those are dulled by the darkness.
When the glossy leaves of the banyan obscure even the moonlit overhead, Ivar looks back over his shoulder at the roan mare. His brown eyes are even darker here in the shadows and the night, but his smile is bright and his tone warm when he tells her: "Rest here. I'll keep watch and will wake you in time to see the sunrise."
Ivar proceeded to point Zhenga's gaze in another direction. Even though she could pinpoint outlines of some objects in the dark, she didn't have the eyesight of a predator, and so couldn't really see what banyan tree that the young stallion was talking about. But he seemed to have already thought of that, offering to take her there to stay the night and providing the tour for the young filly in the morning, when light was out again.
Eager for that, Zhenga nodded, rolling her eyes as Ivar poked fun at the fact that she was being cautious. Then, he winked at her, something the filly wasn't really expecting. For a moment, as Ivar began to walk toward his safe grove, she remained behind, taken aback. Why had he done that? She figured it was just teasing, but sometimes signals had different meanings. And being raised by her dam meant that Zhenga was highly observant and always trying to find the smallest details or hidden meanings in case there was another side to the riverbank. She didn't think anything of Ivar's harmless gesture, but that didn't stop her from suspecting.
Zhenga let Ivar lead the way, given that not only did she not know where she was going but she was highly unfamiliar with the territory. It was fairly quiet going toward the banyan tree, and when they got there, the thick leaves and canopy blocked even the moon's rays.
Ivar told Zhenga she could rest and that he'd wake her in time for the sunrise. Enjoying every chance she got to see those, the roan mare smiled at her friend, "Thank you Ivar," she told him, giving him a friendly nuzzle along his neck before dropping her head toward the ground and letting her eyes drift shut.
Though he knows she is not following immediately, Ivar does not look back to see what has delayed her. He's fairly certain he knows, after all, and looking back might provide confirmation of something he's not quite ready to handle.
The black and white stallion has always built fast friendships; it seems only natural. Growing up, affection had been a given in his family - he finds comfort in contact with others out of both habit and instinct. His dual set of instincts most often meld: he likes groups, proximity, someone(s) to rest beside at night.
Flirtation is natural too, both as a stallion and a hunter. He had not missed the shapely curve of Zhenga's roan body, the way she moves with the grace and ease of a warrior, the pretty light in her soft eyes.
Ivar does not look back because he does not know what Heda wants from him. They haven't spoken of such things yet, and so while Ivar knows what he wants, he's also well aware of the dangers of uncontrolled hedonism. He does not want to risk his still-new place in Loess, or to ruin Zhenga's trip to this new land.
So instead of looking back he waits, and guides her to the banyan tree without words. As she settles in for the night, he turns away, taking a few steps to an unobstructed view of the rolling hills below.
The night passes without event, with Ivar dozing off now and again. He doesn't rest deeply - he is always alert - but the lack of true sleep is not a hardship. The scaled stallion is young and healthy; he doesn't need a full night's rest every night.
When the birds nesting in the banyan begin to stir, he knows that dawn will not be long in coming. He waits a little longer, and then moves to rouse Zhenga.
He could just call her name, he knows; Ivar suspects she would wake easily. He tells himself that he's coming closer because he does not want to startle her, because waking in a strange place to hear your own name might be disorienting. They've touched companionably often before, jesting in the way that childhood friends do. This is no different, he tells himself as he places his muzzle gently on her shoulder. A featherlight touch at first, he presses more firmly until he feels her stirring. Ivar should step back, but he is intrigued by the gentle give of her copper coat and the unyeilding muscle beneath; so many mares are soft and delicate things. He lingers a moment longer before pulling away, her when he meets her gaze it is with an open smile and a platonic:
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead! Are you ready to see the sunrise?"
Zhenga didn't often allow herself to sleep as deeply as she had after following Ivar to Loess, but in honesty the filly was so tired that before she knew it her fatigue had knocked her out like a boulder and she was out of it. So, when she felt something nudging against her, she didn't stir immediately; it took some time for her sleep-clogged brain to fully come out of it before she started actually waking up.
As she did so, the filly's eyes drifted open, a yawn escaping, her lips moving back enough to expose her small teeth. For a moment, she didn't register the voice next to her, or the words which it stated. Only when she lowered her head and used her knee to rub the sleep out of her eyes did she start to register things, including the excited black and white stallion next to her.
For a moment, Zhenga was confused, until she remembered everything that happened last night. Ivar, greeting her with a good morning as he looked into her soft, sleepy brown eyes, received a friendly smile in return, albeit a tired one as Zhenga stirred into an alert state.
"A good morning to you too. I have a feeling you ate something last night that made you way too happy cause you definitely didn't do that when we were younger," she joked. When Ivar mentioned the sunrise, Zhenga started into full-on awake mode, traces of sleep leaving her like they'd been brushed away by the wind.
"Of course! Where's the best spot to view it?" she asked excitedly, prancing in place for a moment as her personality took a 180 and back into the excited attitude she usually displayed.
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Ivar is always well-rested, even if he tends to sleep at irregular times. It’s nearly time for him to sleep more deeply, but he still has more than enough energy to prod playfully at Zhenga’s shoulder she teases him.
“When we were younger, you were bigger than me” he retorts easily, “now I’m finally the bigger one!”
The excitement that appears so quickly on his face has him laughing.
“This way,” he says, “The route is clear and smooth.” It seems an odd thing to say, at least until he adds: “Race you!” And bolts off toward the east without a moment’s hesitation.
The ground he travels on is indeed smooth, a wide and empty riverbed that twists up the steep rise of a hill. It’s taller than the rocky crests immediately around it, and is the nearest impressive altitude to Ivar’s banyan tree. Even if Zhenga pulls ahead of him (something he realizes might be an actual possibility), it will be easy for her to continue the track to the top of the hill.
At a dead gallop, Ivar should reach the peak a scant second before the sun peeks over the eastern sea. It will glisten, impossibly bright in the waters almost too distant to be seen, a distant and out-of-reach jewel surrounded by beams of brilliant light that pierce the star-strewn sky.
He has run this distance many time, the turns and dips of the riverbed are all but ingrained in his lean muscles. An advantage, perhaps, but Ivar remembers the playful young filly of his childhood; she had always been able to give him a genuine run for his money.
Zhenga just rolled her eyes again when Ivar mocked how he'd now grown to be bigger than the roan filly. However, she couldn't stay mad at her friend, and smiled good-naturedly again at him as he directed her gaze toward the way the two of them needed to go to see the sunrise before challenging her to a race. Watching as he bolted off, excitement coursed through the filly's veins as she was quick to take off after her friend this time, her mane and tail whipping behind her like angry waves of ocean water.
The filly's muscled legs propelled her over the ground with surprising ease; she wasn't used to this flattened ground, more used to the rocky well-worn trails of Sylva's forest. Despite her unease with this unfamiliar ground, she decided to take advantage of it, using the flattened ground to increase her speed so that she was soon running alongside her foal hood friend.
While she could have challenged him back and tried to run faster than him for the race, Zhenga decided to run alongside him for the trip, more content in doing so. The trail Ivar was leading her on seemed easy enough to follow, and Zhenga more than likely could've made it up the hill on her own, but she didn't trust her sense of direction in new places. Not until she had a better lay of the land.
And so the two of them galloped for quite some time, Zhenga more than once letting Ivar take the lead so that she wouldn't accidentally slip and fall down the hill they were going up. The sky was just beginning to turn a beautiful shade of light orange, a signal that the sunrise was almost upon them.
Spotting the top of the hill, Zhenga started slowing her pace until she got down to a walk. She edged the rest of the way up the hill, coming to a halt at the top and looking out over the expanse of land that stretched below. Though it was a bit hard to see since the sun hadn't fully risen yet, Zhenga stared at the horizon, already seeing where the heavenly body was trying to appear. A few seconds of silence passed before the sun finally broke over the horizon, casting a golden ray of light over the land beneath Zhenga's vantage point from the cliff.
As the filly watched, her eyes widened, glistening over with wonder and amazement as she witnessed a sight like this. She'd seen sunrises before, but from a vantage point like this, atop a cliff and looking down, there was a whole other magical sense about it. She couldn't even get her brain to process more than the two words she said next to Ivar.
"It's... beautiful..." she managed, a wide smile creeping onto her face as she continued watching the horizon.
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
The land that stretches before them is a vast land of rolling hills, stretching west towards the distant sea as far as the eye can see. Behind them, the craggy mountains stretch toward the sky, cloaked in nightfall still but for their snow-capped tips. The air around them is still cool, not yet heated to a more comfortable late spring warmth, and it tugs at the tangle of Ivar’s dark mane. His scaled sides are still heaving from their run. The sweat cleans away some of the dust that has accumulated on his scales, and a few of the opalescent white scales catch and reflect the growing light.
He glances down at them – it has been months since he’d noticed his glittering. Dry Loess with its shallow springs has not given the half-kelpie much in terms of water. There’s the small spring by his banyan, but he was made for deep pools, black lakes, the sea.
The piebald stallion does not look at himself for long; there are more interesting things atop this cliff.
Zhenga is watching the sunrise, and for a moment Ivar joins her. It is truly a glorious sight, one that has no match he has yet to see.
The view from Sylva and the Taiga was blocked by the trees, and Nerine, Ischia, and Tephra have only an empty ocean to watch. The young horse ticks off the comparisons, and finds himself lacking only an opinion on Hyaline’s sunset. He’s never spent a night in the mountainous land, so he cannot compare it to this sight. A day ago, he’d have reassured himself that surely Loess was better, that there was no need to find out. This morning though, as he watches Zhenga look out at the sun rising over empty hills, he finds himself curious.
Maybe he should go see all of the sunrises.
“My favorite so far,” he tells the roan filly beside him. The hesitation between the pair of words was all but impossible to catch; he’s not even sure he’d meant to add it at all.
Zhenga felt another presence next to her, telling the filly that Ivar had come closer and was now standing at her side. Content to watch the sunrise in silence with her friend, the filly's electric blue eyes shone like jewels as the morning rays peaked over the horizon, bathing the meadow in an array of colors from red to orange to gold.
The filly was so taken aback by this sight that she almost didn't hear Ivar's words, nor the fact that he was now looking at her. She'd been an adventurous young filly during her earlier years, but under the watchful eye of her dam, had not been allowed to venture to other kingdoms until she had proven herself ready. When she was old enough, she had journeyed out, but had remained beyond the borders, unsure of how to approach residents of a kingdom about just wanting to explore. She'd been trained by her dam to be one of the best fighters in Sylva, and also very observant of her surroundings, including words and body language.
If a strange horse had approached the kingdom where she lived and had asked to explore for the sole purpose of doing so, what would her first reaction have been? To allow them in but keep a close eye, or deny them the right in case they had an ulterior motive? Evidence of this way of thinking was how Taiga had been destroyed, according to recent things she'd heard.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ivar's words finally registered in Zhenga's head. The filly turned to look at him, a curious look in her eyes.
"Have you been to other lands to see the sunrises from there? Surely they are just as pretty if not more so," she inquired. "Sylva's was all right, but nothing like this. I wonder what Hyaline's is like, or Nerine and Ischia. I've heard the island territory is beautiful; surely the sunrise is too."
