"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
odOnce upon a time, In a land far, far away, a girl was born. Beautiful and kind, She was not like the other girls born in this land, for it was plagued with spiteful and haggard beasts. Her own mother was blessed with beauty and cursed with rage, though the day her daughter was born something changed.
Fearing the worst for the girl's pure heart, her mother sent her away in a wind storm. The precious child was bounced across the oceans and pivoted over the mountain tops. Finally the wind placed her on an island, isolated from all beings like her. However, kind fairies inhabited the island, and raised the girl like one of their own. They named her Nesta, meaning traveler, for she had come a long way to be with them. Under their care Nesta learned only how to love and be honorable but something was missing. Everyday Nesta would speak with the fairies and learn from them, but they would not play or romp. They were respectable creatures that did not understand the concept of a child mind.
Nesta was left to chase dolphins from the shoreline, and giggly lonesomely at the butterflies that flitted prettily through the rye. Despite their inability to fully understand why she was so lonely, the fairies noticed. And on her second birthday, the fairies decided it was time to say goodbye. They wove moon flowers in her hair (to always light her way), dusted her fine pink coat with island sand (so she would always remember them), and last of all they wove an amulet from 'enchanted' sea glass. If she ever became homesick, or sad she should hold it to her heart and one of the fairies would think of her.
-Really it was just sea glass that would be tied to her ankle until it fell off, but to her everything the fairies said was true. It had to be true. -
Once more she was sent upon a windstorm to a far away land. Nesta was placed upon another island (though this one was inhabited by many like her, good and bad alike.) and all memories of her fairy friends faded, replaced with a simple knowledge of her own kind. It is then that her story in Beqanna begins.
Chapter I: The arrival.
She breaks through the brush, throwing her head madly to detangle ivory tresses from the low hanging branches that snaggle her mane. The girl (almost a woman) is confused and utterly lost. For hours she has been following a faint scent of other equines.
As she fights her way through the maddening trees the sun breaks open as the woods do and the painted beauty finds herself in a field full of curious eyes.
Theres many like her here , all colorful and odd looking. They stare for only a moment at the rosy toned lady before turning their attentions back to what they had at hand. Oddly, this comforts the maiden.
Suddenly intrigued by the field she steps forward, giggling at the feeling of autumnal grasses tickling her pinky undercarriage. She sets forward on a path to a stream that bubbles merrily through the center of the common land, its bright tune luring her in. Nesta stands at it's side and stares curiously into it. Small fish dart beneath the crystalline surface, their scales glinting rainbow under the afternoon sun. It twinkles against the opal pendent upon her leg and her mind wanders to it briefly....How had she gotten it? As her fragile mind wanders a stranger approaches... who could they possibly be?
Water is my domain and I am content to claim it all as mine. Very few of us inhabit it as frequently as I do, so I am fairly positive no one would rebuke my declaration. Having left the solidarity of my pond, I venture forth to other lands in search of adventure. My constant need for more was perhaps something of the creature that attached itself within my chromosomes.
The sun was beginning to dip just slightly in the sky. That was my queue that I would not burn in the mid-heat of day. Though fall, these shoreline regions offered little escape from the warmth. I am not complaining in the least, but my flesh being of onyx, heats quicker than most. It is why I mainly travel by water sources. That and it is much faster for me to swim than walk. The paddle of fin when I am in my alter form propels me quickly through the white capped waves. I seek out an inlet of water that will bring me deeper within the territories. Finding a smallish flow of aqua that is surprisingly cooler than my open sea. It tastes crisp on my tongue, similar to that of my pond. My lagoon does not travel though and this new discovery lures me up its current. The depth of it is low and soon I find myself with little room for such an asset that I sport in my kelpie form. Only when I near shore and my fore hooves plant among the rock bed, does my back-end follow suit. Again my legs morph and I can walk easily on dry land.
As I pull myself further onto land, and hoof by hoof emerge from the crystalline waters, my sapphire eyes scan the area. Much to my surprise a land dweller is gazes at my waters not far from me. My nostrils draw in the scents of the stranger before I dare approach. She seems harmless and normal . My reservations are put on hold and I kindly call out to the local, "Hello there. Beautiful day for a swim isn't it... I'm Deiti." A gentle smile christening my lips as I await the young mares response. My obsidian equine form has a natural allure that even I am unawares of. As of now it is sleek from the waters that sooth it. Droplets fall from the tangles of my mane and soak the earth below me. Refreshing -unknowingly- the dried grasses of fall....
From the copse where he stands, half-hidden in the late afternoon shadows, Ivar has been watching the Field. The pink filly prances across the autumn grasses, settling to peer into the gurgling stream, and Ivar leaves the thicket to cross the short distance between them.
The early autumn sun illuminates his hide, which shines brightly despite the crusting of salt that has dried since his last swim. Since his defeat in the alliance his once-dark coat has lightened, and the patches of smokey dun are now brilliantly sapphire blue. Around the edges of his tobiano markings is a thin lacing of golden scales, which match the scattered handful of scales the blue and the bright molten of his eyes.
Yet even without the striking coloration, the kelpie stallion would be eye-catching. He is tall (taller by far than both of the young mares he approaches), and his scaled hide covers a well-tone physique that is sleek rather than bulky, a result of years spent beneath the sea. The smile on his pale mouth is easy and charming, and despite the glint of razor sharp teeth behind it, Ivar stops far enough from them to avoid seeming at all dangerous.
He is dangerous, of course, but he does not truly hunt on dry land.
Closer now, Ivar takes a moment to look over the pale filly, with her hide as pink as the inside of a conch and her hair like the seafoam. She's a young thing still, just on the edge of adulthood, and he decides that he wants her. That decision made he looks then to the darker female. For a moment a puzzle frozen rests on his brow, but it clears into a look of recognition and a pleased smile.
“Deiti,” he says, his voice salt rough and charming, “You’ve certainly grown up since I saw you last.” She’d been a child at her father’s side in Loess at their last meeting, but she is certainly not a child anymore. The look he gives her is appreciative and without lechery, and it lasts for just long enough for him to decide that he wants her as well. As he does not intend to exclude the rose mare from their breif reunion, the handsome kelpie turns back to her with the same easy smile.
“I’m Ivar,” he tells her before asking curiously: “Are you new to Beqanna?”
I know my lies could not make you believe in my dark times, baby this is all I could be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Like the fish that swim happily through the singing stream, the ebony mare emerges. Following her bodice is a tail (not unlike a fish's own) that morphs into equine legs as they reach the dry land. Her hooves click and clack upon the stream bed as she approaches Nesta, her velvety lips parting ways to display the razor edges of her teeth as she speaks. Her name was Deiti, and she was rather pretty. (Though it wouldn't occur to Nesta until much later, the stranger reminded her of what fleeting memories she shared with her mother. Beautiful and yet a mystery to her still.)
"It's a wonderful day for a swim, so pleased to meet you Deiti."
Nesta speaks, her voice just as pleasing as a summer wind. As the blush colored maiden steps forward to speak her own name, another approaches.
She turns her head to catch a glimpse of the newcomer and finds him standing a few yards from both Deiti and herself. Theres a glance he offers her before his magnifying gaze settles upon her ebony acquaintance. His temporary discussion with the aforementioned allows Nesta a brief time to admire him.
He was tall and devilishly handsome, scales shone brightly beneath the setting sun, and razor sharp teeth (much like Deiti's) glint dangerously behind his smiling lips. But perhaps most striking of all was the brilliantly blue splotches that painted his hide.
As she stares he turns his attention to her, his own gaze lingering over the silky pink of her coat. He introduces himself as Ivar, and apparently he knew Deiti as a child.
Nesta turns to face both equines fully, petal shaped ears tilting forward as she began to speak. (Silently she hoped he would come closer, she wanted a better look.)
"My name is Nesta, Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ivar," Its almost the same as what she said to Deiti before. Theres just a higher hint of curiosity. (Even what small pieces of her memory the fairies left her told her she had never met a man before. Not even her own father.) He intrigued her, but then again so did the ebony female before her.
"I am new to..." What had Ivar called these lands? "Beqanna. I have stumbled across it recently." She smiles then, her memory not reaching quite far enough to tell her just how she got here exactly.
None the less she was here now.
(OOC: Kind of crap, but I wanted to get something out before my day starts! <3)
@[Deiti] @[Ivar]
Your beauty is beyond compare - oh, if I could hear but one song from you
I shall hail thee Queen of Birds...
The field is not Leilan’s favourite place to hang around, favouring the meadow or the river mostly, as if the foliage there is more kind than the dry grass. Nevertheless it lies between Loess and Ischia, at least today where his favourite crossing off the islands takes him south mostly and not so much west. He picks up a scent he remembers from said island, and with a knowing smile he follows. She must have grown by now, the little predatory mermaid. He wonders what she’s become in his absence.
Oh, but Deiti appears to have changed indeed. The kelpie girl he spots from afar is accompanied by another horse, scaled like she - he wonders if he is family to her, or some other fishlike shifter. The girl they are talking to is rose gold, and he’s quick to enter the conversation. ”Now Deiti, don’t make the girl blush all over please.” he comments, sliding his body between the (unknown to him) kelpie man and the rosey girl. He looks them over, and smiles. ”Good day all.”
there's something here that doesn't make sense
let's go and poke it with a stick
@[Deiti] @[Ivar] @[Nesta]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
The dry winds of fall are thick here and suddenly I feel rather parched. Faster than I'd have liked, the air wicks away the moisture clinging to my charcoal sides. Even the approaching evening couldn't spare my pelt here. It was a minor irritation but if I wanted to mingle with others, I would live with it. I had for years before discovering my ability.
With no more than a flick of my lengthy train, I focus on the young mare before me. She is resemblance of a summers day on the sandy beaches of my isle home. The fading glow of daylight surrounded her in an aura, and for a moment, I am jealous of her beauty. It does not show and I smile happily at her response when it is given. She seems sweet and kind.
I have reached the banks and stand face to face with the mare(as she was facing the waters as I approached, I face to the fields). It is then my eyes catch a flicker of movement amongst the drab grasses. Narrowing my gaze just over the girl(who was interrupted in giving me her name), that causes her to shift slightly and meet the approaching newcomer. I watch him with suspicions, emitting a low rumble from my chest and placing my dark ears against my crest. Instinct tells me to step forwards to protect my new friend, and as I do I note the contrasting shades of his slick hide. His well formed muscles and expansive height become more apparent as he nears. I can sense my company lean slightly forwards as well, nearly tempted to draw nearer to him. With a quick shake of my head, I wash away the natural lure of him. Ears perking in the slightest to capture his words, Deiti... He says and I am surprised at my name on his lips. Focusing harder and tracing memories of his form offer me little answers.
I am about to ask who he was but I am silenced by him giving his name, Ivar. Immediately my eyes lighten in recognition and may defensive nature melts. "And you have changed as well..." I jest, before my sapphire gaze follows his to the rosy mare when she introduces herself. A soft name for a kind soul and so it suits her. I listen of her travels and I am quick to respond, "Welcome! Thankfully you made it safely." I am about to look towards Ivar who stands at one corner of their triangle gathering, when my eyes catch more glittering gold. I nearly have to lean forward to adjust my view around the pied cobalt stallion, but when I hear the voice and my name again on familiar tones, I know who has joined us...
The roany male slides between Ivar and Nesta, completing now a square with a mischievous grin on his lips. I shake my head with a light grin on my maw and an upwards roll of my eyes. He sure knew how to make and entrance."I'll try harder next time," I state with a coy wink in his direction. It had been years since their run-in at my pool and I am surprised he remembered my name. My view slips from the golden laced stallion and to the other male present. Gauging his reaction before turning back to the roan, "Nice to see you again... Nesta. Ivar. Meet Leilan." I want to laugh wholeheartedly but I settle for a snicker. Waiting for the others to respond...
Deiti
A God's Creation ~ Carnage X Dynast
@[Nesta] @[Ivar] @[Leilan] let the festivities begin! lol jk But for clarity, I haven't officially activated Deiti's scales and eyes cuz I am waiting for something to bring them forward... I'm leaning towards hot Kelpie sex but murder would also do
The tension in Deiti is not mirrored in the scaled stallion, though the edges of his pale mouth quirk up in mild amusement at the protection she gives the pink mare. It’s futile, of course, but the kelpie finds it rather endearing that she would even try. When the recognition appears in her eyes the defensiveness vanishes. Ivar shrugs his now-blue shoulders in response, the sapphire scales glinting brightly in the sunlight. His color has changed since their last encounter, but Deiti’s transformation was far more striking. She is no longer a gangly girl beside her father; Ivar finds himself eyeing the soft fall of her mane and the curve of her shoulder.
His attention to the smoky black mare is not paid to the exclusion of the soft pink female beside her, and Ivar’s molten gaze slips across her figure as appreciatively as her companions. Nesta is soft spoken and polite, and Ivar takes a step nearer, encouraged by the curiosity in her honey-colored eyes. He cannot come much closer, for there is suddenly a roan stallion between them.
Ivar makes no attempt to hide his instantaneous displeasure – his dark ears flick back into the tangled mess of his corded mane even as Deiti responds to the male’s greeting with obvious familiarity. The kelpie has never been especially good at sharing. Still, it seems Deiti knows the stallion who has inserted himself into their conversation, and so Ivar’s ears turn forward again fairly quickly, though the smile he gives back to Leilan is perhaps more toothsome than is called for.
To Nesta he says, “Beqanna is fortunate you made it,” though the directness of his golden gaze suggests the good fortune is personal as well. “Do you intend to stay?”
I know my lies could not make you believe in my dark times, baby this is all I could be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
you know ivar will gladly volunteer to help her express those
It's sweet really, when the shapeshifting mare steps forward to protect her from Ivar, only stepping away when the connection is finally made.
"Thank you kindly Deiti..."
Nesta moves to ask a question about the lands when a stranger approaches, her words falling short.
She cant help but smile as the roan man slides into their group. He's quick to begin speaking , and Nesta's gaze is drawn to his golden hues easily. The stranger is bright and bubbly -much like she- and makes himself known to them almost forcibly.
The girl likes his energy and is quick to respond to his greeting.
"I agree, it's a lovely day indeed." The twinkling tone of her voice is caught by Deiti's own magical tune as she greets whom Nesta could only assume to be an old friend. She introduces Leilan to the group and instead of speaking once more she opts for a polite dip of her ivory painted poll.
Ivar ignores this and offers a razor toothed grin before speaking to Nesta once more.
She stumbles over the answer slightly and turns her gaze to the scaled stag.
"Y- Yes. I intend to stay." She replies, that almost ditsy smile returning once more.
"If you dont mind me asking," She turns her attention to all of them now, her honey gaze flicking over them each.
"Where does one go once they've decided to stay in Beqanna?"
Theres a curious lilt to her voice as the words melt into the air. She wants to know, and is scared they'll say they live all over. She'd like to think they are her friends now and nothing hurts more then having to see your friends go.
((This is all over the place because I waited too long to reply :| Sorry if I missed something, feel free to power play an action or response if I did!!! <3 ))
@[Deiti] @[Leilan] @[Ivar]
And oh, how it feels so real. Lyin' here, next to you.
The rosy female is kind, this I am sure. Often kindness can be a weakness, this I know. I was not unkind but I tiptoed the balance of both. Often teetering the alter, as of late. Something was stirring inside me, begging me to release my stronghold over it.
My amusement is dimmed by Ivars' sudden irritation at Leilan joining us. I contemplate why but soon my thoughts redirect and Nesta is speaking again of her arrival here. I smile at her musings and am quick to offer her an option, "Ischia is a wondrous place Nesta. It is an island just off the northern coast. Not far from here." My face turns to the direction in which I had come and then back to the group,"I live there, as does Leilan." My eyes flicker to the roany stallion quickly with a smile upturning my lips, thinking of how amazing it would be to have a female friend on the isle. I am unsure where exactly Ivar resides these days but I do not overlook him here now. The sunlight sheening off his peculiar skin is radiant. The shift of blue and gold hues catch my eye and then attention. My body shifts almost instinctively closer to him. Not because of his enchanting draw, but because something inside me churns. Something that is familiar in him, calls to the depths of something in me...
Your beauty is beyond compare - oh, if I could hear but one song from you
I shall hail thee Queen of Birds...
As soon as he steps in, he gets a negative vibe from the blue and white male; but he seems so willing to please the ladies present, he settles with a very toothy grin. Leilan knows exactly why, unlike the girls, and while he winks at Deiti for her own little jest and wink, he can't help but push the kelpie male a bit further, and touches his nose in the old way of greeting. After all, he can't say he isn't polite; though when he does so, he murmurs a little something for only Ivar to hear. "Can't have them all, my friend... not at the same time anyway." He flashes the man a quick grin in return, and listens to Nesta and then Deiti converse. There's two of them here, so Ivar should not be bothered about sharing. At least, in Leilan's opinion. But he guesses some men are more possessive than others.
At Nesta's question of where to go, Deiti does not really offer an open answer - it's like to her, Ischia is the only viable option. Well, Leilan certainly has absolutely no problems with the pretty rose-golden female being on the tropical island, and he simply nods to Deiti's statement. Guilty as charged, one would say, only that he wouldn't feel guilty for living on the most colourful part of Beqanna.
Standing so close to Ivar, he vaguely notes that the man has a bit of a similar smell to him also, but he could also just have travelled from there the most recently. Definitely someplace salty though. And wet. But he couldn't spend his entire time in the sea, could he? So perhaps he had escaped Brennen's notice and lived on a smaller island. Who knows. It's not up to Leilan to forbid him coming, in fact, the brotherhood was supposed to be chivalrous, and although even Leilan didn't always (or often) fit that bill, he could at least try to be polite. That meant to Ivar, also.
Deiti smiles warmly at him, for which he is glad, although she is sharing that gift with Ivar easily also. He'd agree with her on anything though (except that Ivar was attractive because, hey, he just isn't attracted to males in that way), so he nods and turns to talk to Nesta. "The little mermaid is right though. Ischia is probably the best place to live in all of Beqanna. Unless of course, a parrot shits on your head." he adds pointedly, but with a twinkling in his eye that reveals he's not serious about that; at least, it could happen of course but, it's easily washed off, and he's only heard of it once or twice. He moves his tail, slightly -not wholly accidentally- brushing past Nesta's hind leg, and Ivar's after that, as if chasing a fly away casually. Lifting his head, he notices the way Deiti seems to lean into the other stallion just a little bit, perhaps it's even subconscious. She's still enchanting, perhaps even more now that she's older. He's thinking he's just in time to see her shift into a woman in more than just the ageing way.
there's something here that doesn't make sense
let's go and poke it with a stick
@[Deiti] @[Ivar] @[Nesta]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
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