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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


    Like a flower waiting to bloom - Ivar
    #1
    kylin
    html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura

    Like a flower waiting to bloom.
    She had dared to hope that her family had come back. After returning to Ischia Kylin had searched the island, but none of her family’s scents had been fresh. None of them had recently been home. Basically it was only Kylin and Ea, their old-new queen, who called Ischia home. Not only was it too silent, but neither did the lavender tobiano girl – now woman – someone familiar around.

    Not that she disliked Ea, the queen had been noting but kind to her. Perhaps a bit reserved, but Kylin herself hadn’t been to open either. The loneliness ate her, but she had kept hope. Hope was all she had, but in the end, it turned out that her hope had been idle. Father, Mother, uncle Reilly, Kharon, Kali and Badden. None of them had returned home.

    To Kylin, home had always been enlaced with family, well, until they had one by one disappeared of course. Ischia was still her home, but at the same time it wasn’t. And after having spent so much time on the island waiting, she’s now desperate to leave. At least for a short while. She hadn’t told Ea, figuring that she was an adult now, and that she should be able to come and go wherever and whenever she pleased.

    Her destination? Loess. Not because of the land per say, but because of one of its residents. Kylin had thought that she and Kharon would always be one. Even after father had not so nicely told her that it was wrong. She simply didn’t care, but, she hadn’t had a chance to tell Kharon either. Apparently he did think it was wrong too. It left her not only alone, but also heartbroken. She’d loved her brother dearly.

    Anyway. Today wasn’t a day of sadness, to mourn the past, or think about losses. Today she would visit a dear friend. Enjoy his company and possibly – probably – the water. After all, they both had a special connection to it. Her trip had been across water too. First she’d crossed the sea that separated Ischia from the other Beqannan lands, then she had followed the river. They had been there before, that time when Ivar had shown her the baby turtles finding – fighting – their way across the beach to the sea.

    She had simply followed his directions, all the way to his new home. Kylin would’ve loved to see Sylva, she was sure she would love the place, based on his stories. But that was a visit for another time, as she stood at Loess’ border. Or what she thought was the border. With Ischia, it was clear, the island surrounded by water, but here, not so much. Not to Kylin at least. With a loud whinny she calls out to him.



    @[kahzie]
    #2

    I V A R
    i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
    Since the night with Heda, Ivar has been searching for water.

    It is everywhere, seeping up from the rocky ground in little pools and springs that cascade down stone and eventually flow north to the rivers or south to the flatlands before the forest begins.

    He is looking for more though, more than just a few small puddles to quench his thirst and splash in belly deep. Standing atop one of the taller bluffs at dawn, he had scented water nearby, but he has been circling the outcropping for nearly an hour and can find no way to reach what he is certain must be there. All he has found is a bit of water seeping between two large stones, a tiny spring barely worthy of the name. Frustrated, he bucks, kicking the sandstone behind him and doing nothing more than covering himself in a few displaced bits of stone and making his hooves sore.

    It takes him a moment to realize that the clatter of pebbles falling hadn’t all sounded as expected. Most of them had settled with taps on the dirt and grass around him, but there had been an unmistakeable plink of something being swallowed by the water. He turns to the boulder he had just kicked, his brown eyes wide as though expecting water to have suddenly appeared.

    It’s just the same rock as before: tall and dusty orange.

    Behind it, maybe?

    Ivar is a bit clumsy on his still-ringing hind hooves, but the scaled young stallion is at peak strength. He is soon clambering atop the stone, aided by a few smaller rocks and a childhood spent climbing boulders in Sylva. Balanced precariously, he can see what he could not from the ground or even the taller bluff this past morning. The small spring he’d been frustrated by was not a spring at all, but rather the overflow of a much larger pool of water. The rock he stands on (along with those nearby) is the barrier that keeps it from overflowing. The bluff face has been carved back by eons of dripping water, effectively shielding the pool from overhead sight.

    Ivar steps into the water with hesitation, sinking only to his withers, but he can tell from the shadows that the water is much deeper farther into the overhang. It is not an exceptionally large body of water – barely ten feet wide where Ivar stands, and perhaps fifty feet back to where the overhand slopes back down to meet the water, but it is by far the largest spring he has found in Loess.

    He is content to spend the rest of the day there –and the next day as well – but he eventually climbs back up to the orange stone and down to dry land.

    Shaking his head and neck, Ivar enjoys the cool drip of water down his spine. It has been too long since he was submerged, and it is almost as though it has given him more energy.

    Perhaps he’ll go to the River, today, he thinks, and remind himself what a current feels like.

    The smoky black piebald is on his way to that common land when he sees something – someone – familiar.

    “Kylin!” He calls out, spotting the familiar pattern of lavender and white even from a distance. Ivar changes his path to intercept her, drawing up closer to the smaller horse and offering her a wide smile.

    “You decided to come!”



    kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis



    ooc: sorry for the novel. He needed a water Tongue
    #3
    kylin
    html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura

    Like a flower waiting to bloom.
    It’s not diplomatic knowledge that has her pausing at the border. Nor is it the feeling that she has to. There wasn’t anybody here to stop her and it wasn’t as if it was a clear bother. No wall, no line, nothing. Ischia was far easier to read. Kylin remembers how Father had disliked someone just walking onto their lands, Kharon hadn’t been a fan of that either, and thus she waits. However, somewhat restless.

    The longer it takes for an answer to come her direction, the more restless she grows. Was Loess so big he wouldn’t have heard her? Or perhaps he wasn’t even home. Would that mean someone else would come to her to say hello, or would they just ignore her presence? Kylin would’ve gone to check it out, but she was always eager to meet new people. There had never been much habitants in Ischia.

    As she waits, she’s torn between just crossing the border into Loess, and to simply turn back home. Kylin could count the times she had left Ischia on four hooves, the times she had ventured out alone were even more rare. At home she at least knew what to expect. But before she has time to either cross the border or leave, her name is carried towards her by a breeze. Ivar!

    With a wide grin the tobiano girl lifts her head, both her lavender ears now pinned forward. ”Ivar!” she calls out in return. She doesn’t know if his arrival is permission to enter, but she decides it has to be enough. It more than thrills her that he had come to her, that he recognizes her. Both taller now, mature and filled out into the right places. ”Of course I came” she replies with a grin. Eager to be close to someone familiar again, Kylin steps even closer to the point that she finds herself invading his personal space.

    Within moments the velvet of her nose is pressed up against his shoulder. As she breaths in his scent, her eyes fall closed. It had been too long. And she has been so so lonely. Her emotions hit her like a bomb, overwhelming her before she’s able to push them away. Kylin does pull back a little, but refuses to move far from his side. ”And, does Loess hold as many adventures as Ischia and the river?” she asks, gently bumping her shoulder into his as if she’s challenging him to defend his home.




    OOC:
    No worries, I enjoyed reading it. Ivar needs water, and Kylin would happily help him discover it Tongue.
    Sorry for the wait!
    #4

    I V A R
    i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
    While Kylin is still familiar – will always be familiar – some things have changed since their last meeting. He is no longer the gawky boy just coming to terms with his heritage, and she is no lanky filly. The scaled stallion cannot control the way his eyes take in the new (and beguiling curves) that Kylin has developed, but he remembers their decision to be friends, and meets her gaze instead with a warm smile.

    Holding her tightly, he can smell Ischia. The sea is in her air, and the hibiscus flowers, and the cloying scent of too many plants in too warm of a place. It reminds him of a simpler time, and he is less than eager to release the hold he has around her neck. He does though, drawing back to meet her eye, but he keeps his pied shoulder pressed to hers, unwilling to let her get too far away. She might disappear, he reasons without logic. Best to not give her that chance.

    She asks if Loess compares to Ischia and the River, and he feigns mock affront. Holding his handsome head high, he looks down the length of his pale nose at Kylin.

    “For your information,” he says, the uncharacteristic condescension in his voice metered by the laughter in his brown eyes, “Loess has a great many fascinating things.”

    He cannot hold the expression for long ,and is soon smiling, reaching out to nudge Kylin’s shoulder playfully.

    “I was actually on my way to the River, but I think showing you the kangaroos sounds much more exciting.” The black and while stallion watches her for a reaction, remembering how excited she had been to see the turtles. He remembers other things from that evening as well, and pulls away a bit more quickly than he might have (though his expression never changes). He is certain she will be enthusiastic though, and so he steps a bit to the side, clearly intending to lead her to what he has suggested.



    kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis

    #5
    kylin
    html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura

    Like a flower waiting to bloom.
    The definition of being friends wasn’t as set for Kylin as it was for others. Nor is she aware of borders that she should not cross. She happily presses herself up at Ivar’s side, content to feel his scaled form touching hers. Too long had she gone without this close proximity and the lavender tobiano girl desperately longs for more. All the same it had been with Kharon. She’d felt more for him than siblings should – according to father. So no, ‘being friends’ wouldn’t rule anything out according to Kylin herself.

    She laughs softly, gently nipping at his neck just behind his ear, but she doesn’t pull back nor break the hug. It was like she once again learned how to smile and how to enjoy life, even if it would only be for a while. Kylin is just as hesitant to let go of him, and since Ivar doesn’t pull away, she happily settles as close to his side as she can. He might not have wings like Kharon to pull her close, his side feels just as comfortable. She grins innocently at him, her dished head slightly titled to the side. ”Oh, is that so? It’s better than Ischia?” she teases him, but still hoping for Ivar to continue. She’d always been slightly jealous of his adventures.

    ”To the river?” she asks. For a moment she’s feels slightly like intruding, as he now stays in Loess with her for her sake, but at the same time Kylin cannot be more flattered. All of him made her stomach flutter pleasantly and she instantly regrets not visiting sooner. ”Kangaroos?” she repeats once again, pausing for only a few seconds but with an enthusiastic twinkle in her eyes. ”What are kangaroos? Are they just as fascinating as the babies on the riverbeach?” She never heard of such thing. Ischia only knew parrots and horses. And from the latter there weren’t much around lately.

    A pang in her chest. That’s how it feels when he steps away. It confuses Kylin for a moment, as the expression on his features – rather handsome features – never changes. Her smile had fallen, the thought of rejection opening the deep wounds she already carried. She knows he intends to lead her, to show her, but couldn’t they walk side to side?

    Her internal struggle last for only a couple of moments, and the lavender girl – no, she was a woman now – tries to shake feeling away. While she forces a smile out she nods, as if to tell Ivar to lead the way. But not without taking a step in his direction, and press the velvet of her muzzle up to his shoulder. Kylin shudders, hazel eyes closing for a moment. The simple touch was reassuring to her, even though she was the one touching Ivar. This time her smile is genuine. ”Where to?”

    #6

    I V A R
    i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
    Ivar sees the way she wilts when he pulls away, and he reacts without thought, removing the space between them even as she reaches for him.

    Kylin should never be sad; that is a certainty of his existence. The pied creature has always been akin to beam of lavender sunlight - bright, cheerful, happy.

    When she closes her eyes at their contact, Ivar manages to stifle his instinctual reaction, but it is near thing. He does bend his head down, twisting it to place a soft kiss on the thin skin above her throat. It’s a better reaction than the one he’s muffled, the urge to swing a pale leg across her withers and press her down into dark waters until her eyes close in a far more intense sort of pleasure.

    Friends, he tells himself.

    Friends.

    She wants to see the kangaroos, and that will be a distraction. “Kangaroos,” he repeats, “They’re nothing at all like the babies on the beach, but I’m sure there will be some babies there.” Imagining her surprise at seeing exactly where the babies are brings a wider grin to his face. A playful buck releases some of the pent-up pressure he feels, and he jumps forward and toward the west, where the rolling hills are less covered in flora.

    “They usually stay over this way,” he tells her as he moves forward, winding through the familiar landscape in what he knows will be a quick journey. He slows before the crest a final rise, gesturing for quiet as their procession slows. Below them, a mob of grey kangaroos is browsing or resting in the afternoon sun. Most of the joeys are too large to fit in their mothers’ pouches, but here and there he sees a pair of small ears hiding in pale belly fur. The apparence of these odd creatures is sure to be enough of a surprise for Kylin, so he doesn’t point out the babies quite yet. Instead he watches Kylin, far more interested din her reaction than in the half-dozen animals on the hillside below them.

    “What’d’ya think?”


    kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis

    #7
    kylin
    html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura

    Like a flower waiting to bloom.
    The moment Ivar draws near again, she realises that she’s not meant to be alone. His touch pulls a relieved sigh from her lips and she revels in their close proximity. During the first couple of years of her life Kylin had never been alone. Her twinbrother had always been around and if not, there was either Badden, Kali, uncle Reilly or one of her parents around. And now? Now Ischia was just her and queen Ea.

    It all makes her desperate for Ivar’s attention and touch. She allows him to touch her, even sighing softly in approval. She is not alone, Ivar was still here with her. And they were ready to go on a new adventure. This time it was Ivar showing her around Loess. It excites her and she doesn’t need Ivar’s gift to induce her.

    When he leads the way she’s not far behind him, making sure to keep up and her muzzle bumping into his shoulder from time to time. Just to reassure her he’s still there. And she just likes to touch him. A lot. ”What are they like?” she asks, her hazel eyes on his face as they walk. Kylin gives him a soft hum, to indicate she had heard him, following him up the hill. One hoof is place before the other and without realising she’s holding her breath. The lavender girl is very aware of the excited beating of her heart, both ears perked forward.

    Once she’s able to look over the hill, she’s amazed by what she sees. There is a twinkle in her hazel eyes and slowly her lips curl up, until she’s grinning widely. ”Oh” she sighs softly, taking another small step forward as her eyes move over the figures. Their build is so strange, as they stand upright on two strange formed but strong hind legs. Unlike horses they don’t walk, just like the baby turtles on the beach or Ischia’s parrots. They hop, and secretly Kylin wants to explore how far they could jump with those legs of them. ”Just look at how they move, like, on two legs only!” she excitedly whispers to Ivar, turning to look at him only a short moment before her eyes move back to the kangaroos.

    ”Do they live in groups like this? Will they run if we near them?” Oh, how much she longed to see one up close, like she had been able to study the turtles while they fought their way down the beach towards the sea. That has her looking back to Ivar again, almost pleading him if she can go see them. She’s practically bouncing on her place, eager to move foreward.

    #8

    I V A R
    i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
    Knowing the intentions behind Kylin’s actions are wholesome does nothing to stifle Ivar’s reaction to them. There is no obvious physical response to the way that she sighs at his touch or the desperate way she seeks connection, only a momentary slowing of movement. The lavender and white mare has always been affectionate, he knows, but now is not always. Now they are adults, now it is autumn, now he is hunter, now she is

    (prey.)

    The scaled stallion stifles the urge to return her constant touch. The intent behind Ivar’s touch would not be as innocent as her own; he barely manages to brush her shoulder companionably rather than bite down on her crest in a primal need to claim her as his own.

    It’s the season, he reminds himself, pulling ahead of her to lead the way (and to clear his head). Breeding season, hunting season – they’re the very same to the black and white creature. It’s beter to focus on other things, he knows, and the proposed kangaroos are the very thing.

    The joy on Kylin’s face is perfectly pure. Ivar watches her, clearly enthralled, and when she looks back to him for a brief moment her gives her an encouraging nod. The scene is reminiscent of his time spent with the star-strewn fillies; Kylin’s reaction is as simplistic and innocent as a child’s. He is reminded of their time as children themselves, her enthusiasm for life, for adventure.

    “I usually find them in groups,” he says, taking his attention from the mare for the first time in a while, looking back down at the assembled marsupials. “But I’ve never tried to get any closer. I saw a big one kick a komodo dragon silly one time to protect a baby – enough to make me keep my distance.”

    Kylin doesn’t intend to steal a baby though, he reasons – perhaps they won’t react so negatively to the presence of horses among them.

    “We could always go down and find out?” Ivar suggests, stepping closer and pressing his shoulder to hers even as he keeps his brown eyes on the kangaroos. “I’d protect you if things went sour, of course.” Here he glances over at her with a sly wink, a teasing grin on his handsome face.


    kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis

    #9
    kylin
    html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura

    Like a flower waiting to bloom.
    The sight of the kangaroos – and the presence of a friend at her side – has her forgetting about her reasons for leaving Ischia completely. Right now she isn’t alone and thus the feeling of loneliness isn’t holding her down. And honestly, who wouldn’t forget about his or her problems when looking at a wonderful sight?

    Her excitement courses through her body like electric pulses, keeping her on a high. This time it’s not artificial, not caused by Ivar’s touch. Last time it wasn’t entirely his doing, she hád been thrilled by his visit and stories, but this time it’s all her own doing. Perhaps a little fuelled by her own desire to get distracted. It would be a lie to say that Ivar’s approval didn’t add a little extra too. Kylin’s head drops a little towards the ground as she takes a step forward, careful not to spook them, but eager to get closer.

    Ivar’s voice makes her ear flick in his direction, but she doesn’t glance back. Her hazel eyes are glued to the hopping animals down the hill. Well, until he tells her he has seen one of them kill. ”They’re that strong?” she whispers under her breath, eyes widening ever so slightly. By the time she looks back at the kangaroos it’s with a whole new level of amazement in her eyes.

    She’s unaware of the small step she has taken back Ivar’s revealing, but by the time her eyes seek his again, she’s pressed up at his side. And with his guidance, she takes a little step forward again. ”Oh yes! Can we?” she replies, almost bouncing in place from the thought only. Before they can start their way down the hill, Ivar causes Kylin to giggle softly. With a grin she looks up to him, playfully nipping his shoulder. ”Is that so? And how would you do that?” she teases him back.

    Kylin doesn’t wait for him to continue – either defend his pride or guide the way down – and instead bounces forwards. Only two or three steps, before she slows down to carefully approach the kangaroos. Both her ears are pinned forward and her nose dips towards the ground. What would they do?

    #10

    I V A R
    i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
    “It’s instinct, right?” he replies as he follows her closely, “Aren’t all stallions born knowing how to defend their mares?”

    She might not see the grin on his face, ahead of him like she is, but the barely contained laughter contorts Ivar’s handsome face. His own ability to defend Kylin would be a result of his time spent training, but it doesn’t hurt to tease her a little as well. “though I’d probably use all the battle training to took me to get to General of Loess if it came down to it.” Ivar says it casually, because in truth his position is as a leader of no one. He has taken it seriously though, and does not doubt his ability to keep Kylin safe if the need arose.

    “I don’t think they’re going to attack,” Ivar murmurs. A few of the grey creatures had look up at their arrival, but most had gone back to grazing. Clearly they don’t interpret two equines as posing any sort of danger. Ivar is perfectly content to watch them from afar, and he is this close only to satisfy the lavender mare’s curiosity. “They look less soft up close,” he observes mildly.


    kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis





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