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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


    runnin' away to the riptide; Scorch/Any
    #1
    lady, runnin' away to the riptide
    taken away to the dark side

    In the end, the lure of the Amazons pulls her back in for another time, though she gave Loess a good amount of thought. Heda seemed kind, and Loess beautiful, but something drew the wild and ambition in the grulla mare to the Amazon women’s new shoreline abode. She takes her leave of Scorch in the Field to return to the playground to fetch her daughter, and together they make the trek to their new home. Between Taiga and Sylva, along the river past Loess, and along the shore on the edge of Hyaline until they reach their destination.

    Sochi is growing quickly, already half a year old and quicker now on her gangly foal legs than she used to be; but it’s still quite a journey and they spend the night on the edge of the river, resuming their journey the next morning, and arrive in Nerine when the sun has just begun to set again, painting brilliant colors across the water that she can see below the cliff face. They are near the edge of the Kingdom because of how they arrived, looking out at the water. Sloene turns back towards the inside of the Kingdom, towards the sand dunes and, presumably, the residents.

    “Mommy, where are we?” the girl asks, turning to face the interior as well and looking up at her dam. “This is Nerine,” the mare answers, looking around and then smiling down at the filly. “We’re going to live here. Remember, be polite.” She rests her muzzle for a moment in her daughter’s downy mane and against her soft neck before she leads them forward, calling quietly for Scorch, or anyone else who can maybe show them around.

    SLOENE & SOCHI
    I've got a lump in my throat
    cause you're gonna sing the words wrong


    @[Scorch]
    #2

    WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

    She had left Sloene in the field that day with the knowledge that Nerine had won out over Loess, but that knowledge in and of itself did not guarantee Sloene and her daughter's safe arrival. So when a quiet call is issued not far from where Scorch stands grazing beneath some elm trees, a pleased smile comes to her lips. It's not smug, just genuinely pleased - the mutilated mare has always been fond of recruiting, and even more so when it bore her fruit.

    It does not take long for her sturdily built legs to carry her to the border at a quick lope. She pulls up to a trot and returns the soft call before stopping before the pair, her red-yellow eyes glimmering happily. Her head dips in greeting to Sloene, though the movement is directed to Sochi, as well.

    "Welcome to Nerine, Sloene, I'm glad you could make it." A warm wind ruffles their fur - or in Scorch's case, her skin - the sensation rare with winter coming just around the corner. But they often get such Chinooks here, being surrounded on all sides by the ocean, with Hyaline's mountains just south to trap their warm coastal air. In that way alone, Nerine is almost like the Amazons. But it isn't the scenery that brought any of these figures here today.

    "And you must be Sochi," Scorch says warmly, turning her admittedly intimidating gaze to the half-yearling. "My name is Scorch."

    Turning so that they are all facing the kingdom's innards and she is next to Sloene, she smiles again. "Shall we?"

    Their walk to the more populated areas passes through thin forests and grassy canyons, with the cliffs nearly always visible. For some time they walk in quiet, but Scorch picks up the thread of conversation again easily. "So, Sloene, have you any thoughts about where you'd like to sit in Nerine, station-wise? Residency is always acceptable, but we're looking for diplomats and warriors as well."

    "Sochi of course has the important role of being her rightful childish self - speaking of which, here comes my daughter, Philomena." She smiles, halting as the little appaloosa approaches, and bending her ears to what she has to say.

    Scorch

    Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle



    @[Philomena]
    [Image: scorch2.png]
    #3
    Her mother had left again on adventures the girl could only dream of. During her absence, Mina had busied herself with exploring other parts of Nerine (besides the beachside caves) for the past week the beach cliffs had interested her greatly. However, her mother never stayed gone long and when the girl heard her voice echoing through the trio's quiet stroll she is stunned that the hairless woman is not alone. She approaches them with her head high, for there was no need to be afraid of her mother's company! The girl greets her mother with a brief hug before stepping away once more.

    Scorch is joined by a mare and what Philomena assumed to be her daughter, she offers them a courteous bow of her head before smiling brightly at the group. 

    She had heard her mother introduce herself as she approached, so instead of offering a name she offers a soft, 
    "Welcome to Nerine, have you moved here?"
    Oh! How she hoped they had! How wonderful it would be to have someone to play with! For a while there Mina assumed she really was the only child in Nerine other than Vineyard. However, he didn't like her very much and so she stayed alone most of the time. 

    Maybe if the other girl liked her enough (and vice versa) she could show her the caves, and all the animals in the tide pools. She smiles at the thought and turns her hopeful gaze on the other child.
    #4
    lady, runnin' away to the riptide
    taken away to the dark side

    The sound of hoofbeats shortens their wait and Sloene is glad, turning to smile at the mare who has brought them here. The youngster at her side is not as quick to smile as Scorch arrives, her silver eyes that match her mother’s widening at the sight of the stranger. But – mother had told her to be polite, and perhaps there had been a little extra in that command; anyway the girl wavers for a moment but in the end the fact that the mare has a nice voice and is smiling wins out and she smiles back, even if it’s a little hesitant, and nods. She cavorts a little ahead and behind of Scorch and Sloene as they walk,  smelling the ground and the air, wishing she was not in horse form.

    Scorch speaks of what role Sloene might play in Nerine and she hesitates, her walk even pausing for a heartbeat, but before she can decide what to say or not to say, both sets of silver eyes are drawn to the filly who approaches. “Hello, Philomena,” Sloene greets the filly with a gentle smile and the girl starts to nearly vibrate with excitement beside her. “Hi! I’m Sochi! Yeah, we’re going to live here!” she leans forward eagerly, excited at the prospect of a friend to play with. “Do you know how to play hide and seek? And tag?” She is burbling in excitement but Sloene interrupts her tirade with a careful touch to the girl’s dark upright mane. “Don’t go too far, Sochi. Not until you know your way around.”

    She feels comfortable to leave the girls to their play, certain they won’t wander too far, and turns back to Scorch. “I’m not much of a fighter. I think I could be an excellent diplomat with some practice.” Another pause, and Sloene just decides to go for it. Perhaps she never felt at home in Tephra because she had tried to be something she wasn’t. If she was true to the Sloene her adoptive mothers had created, perhaps she would find a purpose here. “Actually, my adoptive mothers trained me to be a spy. I have talents that make that especially well-suited for me.”

    SLOENE & Sochi
    I've got a lump in my throat
    cause you're gonna sing the words wrong
    #5

    WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

    The pair seemed remarkably similar, at least by Scorch's reckoning; their silver eyes were equally guarded (though not in an unfriendly way), each of them hesitant to commit to what Scorch had to offer, though in the end they both did. The mutilated mare respected their commitment to themselves first, but even more so, she appreciated their willingness to trust both her and Nerine.

    They wouldn't regret it.

    A motherly smile spread her lips wide upon hearing and seeing the excitement of their daughters as they met for the first time. Knowing Mina well, Scorch could see the buzz of energy just below her skin that begged her not to be the prim and proper girl she had been raised to be. Well, such restraint deserves some reward, she figured. Tilting an ear to Sloene's gentle advise, Scorch did likewise and pressed her nose to Mina's spotted shoulder. "Watch out for your new friend, love. She doesn't know this place like you do yet." Nudging her rump, Scorch encouraged the girl to head off to somewhere they could still be seen, to play with and get to know her new friend.

    Turning to Sloene, Scorch perked her ears as they continued to amble through the cliff-side kingdom. Winter made the land slightly more unbearable than usual, but Nerine had yet to see its first snowfall - though by the look of those clouds, that may soon change. For now, Scorch focused on her newest recruit instead of the weather.

    A look of intrigue and surprise coloured her features at Sloene's final and abrupt admittance of secret talent - even Scorch did not expect such news from a mare as reserved and stand-up as this one. She nodded her head, brow cocked as she sees Sloene anew. "Well, the peace caste will be lucky to count you among its number... And I might advise a meeting between you and Nerine's Queen, Hestia." A knowing smile curled her lips. "Beqanna's air of peace and political naivety will not hold for long... and Nerine does not intend to stand by and watch as it happens. Rather, we want to make it happen."

    "But, more on that later. For now, you just settle in - you and Sochi are welcome at any time..."

    "Welcome to Nerine."

    Scorch

    Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle



    @[Philomena]
    [Image: scorch2.png]




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