"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
The last vestiges of snow crunched under Nalia's rock-hard hooves as she crossed over the flat meadow grass, every so often lowering her head for a bite and wishing that the healthiness of spring would soon kick in so that the grass would be edible. Or, at the very least, tastier than it was right now. Nalia wasn't a picky eater, considering her species, but she could definitely go for something more appetizing.
The winter chills in the wind had by now disappeared, cleared up by the warmth of the sunlight shining down into the valley. The rolling hills of the field were peppered with groups of horses that no longer had to turn to the forests to shield themselves from winter's fury, eager to get out once again and stretch their legs. And not just the adults too, but the new lives they brought with the spring season.
Among the other horses, Nalia saw a few foals scattered here and there, the tiny creatures getting used to their wobbly limbs and establishing a pecking order within their play groups. From afar, Nalia glimpsed a bay colt and a chestnut filly grooming each other's withers before being joined in play by a young gray foal, by the looks of it no more than a day old. Their dams watched carefully, but allowed their young ones freedom, grazing together while keeping an eye on the foals.
Nalia's eyes darkened with sadness, remembering her younger days and when she was happy in her home as a foal. She still to this day cursed the stallion that killed her sire and motivated her to leave. She wasn't necessarily mad that she had to end up leaving, for she'd been a free spirit since her birth, but she was angry that to this day, she still did not know if she had a younger brother or sister by that evil creature. She felt sorry the poor thing would be related to him.
One of the foals skidded to a halt and reared up, his stance proud and confident and reminding Nalia a little too much of herself and a yearling colt she'd befriended. The filly shook her head; she couldn't look back on those memories now, not when she had a potential life here once she found somewhere to stay.
She still hadn't made a move to visit any of these other 'lands' in Beqanna that she heard the other horses the field gossiping about. The main reason was because she wanted to familiarize herself with the field first, have a safe haven she could return to should she decide she didn't like the other lands. She had been here for only about a month now, since she arrived in late winter, and while she felt familiar here, she wanted to give herself a little more time.
She didn't know if she was scared exactly; there was some sort of feeling in her gut that kept her tied to this place, but Nalia couldn't quite name it. No matter, she wouldn't let it bother her now. The filly settled in a distance from the group of mares watching their foals, lowering her head to graze on the bunches of grass that had yet to recover from winter's biting grip and turn back into the lush green color she loved so much more.
OOC: Nalia is free to be claimed by a stallion or approached by a kingdom member.
07-20-2018, 06:10 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2018, 06:11 PM by Ardashir.)
Ardashir
The field in spring. Ardashir might have come to the field at most once before. It had not been in spring with all the flowers ready to bloom or already in bloom. The scents of all the effervescent blooms was a bit overpowering at times. The spring sun was not as harsh on the alabaster colored stag. Of course along with all the plant life came the other forms of life. The rabbits that skittered sometimes under foot, a sage hen called somewhere a ways off to her brood.
A number of flying insects were already out buzzing away to gather nectar. He tossed heah a couple times as he walked keeping some of those pests out of his ears and away from his face. The scents of other horses flicked across his nostrils and not just mares but of course stallions as well. The stud piles hidden subtly from the green rapid growing grass. He had no interest in adding his own scent at any of these of course. He was a ghost in these lands leaving almost no trace of himself.
The sight of a grulla paint winged mare made his ears swing forward a bit though. He offered his voice to the air between them. Ard knew better than to crowd a lady and as she was a stranger to him as well. He did not stalk up to her; he wanted her to know he was there and that he was not a threat. “ Greetings and good spring to you.” He offered his silvery voice to the ether between them. He had paused his forward movement and swung his tail around a few times.
He took a look around for a moment as well and then back to the painted doe before him. “ What brings you to the field today?” He did not mean to fire off so many questions on top of eachother but you never knew who could slither in on conversations these days.
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia]
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
Similar to the last time she'd met horses here in the field, the approaching creature called out to alert her of his presence before getting too close. A smart thing to do, considering Nalia didn't like others getting so close until she gave the all-clear.
The grulla filly lifted her head after finishing her bite of grass, expecting to see a creature around her height to meet her eyes. Instead, her line of sight ended up being the other horse's neck, so Nalia had to tilt her head up in order to see his face. The stallion who approached her was a massive creature, well above Nalia's own standard height, his physique fit with muscles covered by a tight layer of skin. His fur was colored white, like snow, save for a number of bald areas she spotted on his legs.
Based on the fact she saw skin, Nalia could only guess they were scars.
The stallion also sported very long, thick feathers around his hooves and fetlocks, telling Nalia he came from some sort of draft-type horse to have inherited such a trait. More than likely, that also explained his height. His mane and tail matched his coat color, thickly cascading down his muscled neck and dock. His chin also sported a thicker layer of fur, giving the impression he had a second mane.
But his most catching feature was definitely his eyes, a brilliant shade of electric blue, something Nalia was surprised by.
His voice was quite sultry in volume, as if trying to draw Nalia in like the hiss of a snake. He gave Nalia her space before looking around as if to check that they were alone. Still not taking this as a sign of danger yet, considering the stallion's body had not tensed, the filly gave him a kind smile. Se ruffled her feathery wings before offering her reply.
"Well, I still live here for the time, so that explains why I'm here. I wanted to get out and stretch my legs some, and check out the newborn foals."
Ardashir was a giant at times among the other horses that lived in these lands. There could be taller or even wider out there though. He was not as unique as most of the horses that called all these different lands home. Others, had wings, or horns, or fins for swimming. He had not witnessed magic though, that was a series of rumors that drifted to his ears. The painted mare before him was winged. The skies were her playground if she wished it.
He was reminded a moment of his adoptive mother with her own white wings. She had once wrapped him up in those feathered arches and tucked him close. That, however was the past. He did not know where his mother was now and, if he was honest with himself he did not want to find her. His attention was drawn to her smile and the stag let his own relaxed smile pass across those pink lips of his.
I guess that does make a good deal of sense. It looks like a nice place to live, and to stretch one's legs. The flowers, the grass, and of course getting to see the newborns play. ”He looked around once more and took in a nice long breath of the spring air. “Are you also keeping an eye of your own? ”Ardashir always tried to exude an aura of friendliness and calm. At least around mares that were new to him. He had another side around the ones he knew, still calm but more serious and protective. He was a guardian.
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia] Sorry took a moment and its short.
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
07-23-2018, 04:20 PM (This post was last modified: 07-23-2018, 04:20 PM by Nalia.)
Nalia, ever the perceptive one, didn't fail to notice the smile make it's way onto the stallion's face, and, suddenly feeling a little bashful, her wings fluttered at her side again. Even though the stallion was many times bigger than her, he was a handsome fellow, and Nalia, still young and not really understanding what sorts of feelings she experienced when in the presence of such company, didn't know when she was behaving in such a way that the stallion might consider it 'flirting'.
However, the filly kept quiet, afraid she would say something stupid. Instead, she turned her eyes back to the stallion, her ears going forward as she heard his question.
"No," she replied. "I don't have any foals of my own yet. You? Did you come here for the same reason?" she asked in return.
The stallion didn't look old, much less older than Nalia herself, but Nalia's own dam had been rather young when she foaled Nalia. The filly wouldn't be surprised if the stallion had already sired a foal or two in his young (in her eyes), state, since she figured many mares would be attracted to him for a number of reasons.
Ardashir chuckled once again and shook his head. “ I do not either.” Her next question reminded him that he needed to start conversations and greetings properly. “ Forgive me. I am Ardashir and, I hail from Nerine.” He bowed his head to the mare. “ Spring brings out the wanderer in me. I can not stay in my sea ringed home while the world is in bloom and seemingly waiting to be explored.” So, he had shared his name and where he was from at least. The last part of his answer might disappoint though.
He picked up on the flutter of her feathers. The white stag’s ears swinging forward and then back a moment in contemplation. Ard was mature at least in his physical build it might take him a few more years to catch up mentally. He was not slow he just did not have a lot of experience around a lot of mares. Strange to think when he lived with the newly formed Leviathans a rebirth of the amazons. The way she fluttered her wings to her side though did make him stand a bit straighter and he might have puffed his chest out as well.
The foals in the area squealed at fled from a bay foal in some game of tag. Aradshir lifted his head at the noise looking around a moment before releasing it was just the sounds of play. The stallion was not jumpy about loud noise but, just cautious. He had also not grown up around loud foals, even play had been a stranger to him in his foalhood days. It was good to see the young ones out though and playing, not hiding away in some cave.
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia]
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
For some bizarre reason, Nalia was almost disappointed that the stallion didn't have any foals he'd come to visit. She thought it would be rather interesting to see him interact with the young ones, find out more sides to his personality that only foals could bring out.
The stallion then went on to introduce himself by the name of Ardashir, a handsome name befitting the powerful creature. He told her he hailed from one of the nearby kingdoms, one called Nerine. Nalia had heard the name among Field gossip, but she had yet to go see how beautiful it was for herself.
She'd heard the kingdom was quite lovely and had many sights for one to see. The stretching mountains that created the kingdom's natural land border, while the ocean surrounded it on most other sides. The force of nature was usually calm, but took on a very impressive brute force when stirred by a storm or the fury of winter ice. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to visit.
Nalia looked back to Ardashir, noting how he puffed out his chest to stand a bit taller. She thought her cheeks felt a little warm before she offered, "But surely your home is beautiful too. The Field had its merits but I would love to see Nerine. I've heard many things, how pretty the ocean looks when the sunlight hits it just right.
"Oh, my name is Nalia. What can you tell me about Nerine? Is it really as pretty as they say? What is the ocean like? I've never seen it for myself." So the order of her answer was a bit jumbled; the filly couldn't help it. She often floundered over her words when she got excited and the matter wasn't of extreme importance like dealing with a kingdom matter. Not that she'd know, but the point remained the same.
07-29-2018, 01:21 PM (This post was last modified: 07-29-2018, 01:31 PM by Ardashir.)
Ardashir
Ardashir had never tried to court a mare either in Nerine nor out in the free lands. He either did not have an interest in doing so, or maybe had not met the right lady. He also did not want to populate the world with foals and colts that had a potential of not knowing who their father was. The white stag wanted to give his heart to one mare alone. His eyes wandered a moment back to the foals at play and to a few who stood with their dams nudging and cuddling close.
The ashen stallion knew the merits of his kingdom and all the beauty that it could hold close to its heart hidden away waiting for someone with its walls of mountains or, the coastal caves to find and delight in. He had his own hidden place he would sink into for months at a time. “Nerine has its merits but, one can start to feel a bit cooped up staying in one spot. We have legs for walking and so must wonder I feel. Unlike the trees whose roots keep them in place.”
He bowed his head to the painted winged mare as she offered her name as he had done his. ‘Nalia’ She seemed like a nice mare friendly and eager it seemed to explore. Ard thought it over a little whether to take her to the sea kingdom. There would be no hard in showing her a little more of the world. And, a companion to walk and talk with was never bad either. He ventured a step or to closer to Nalia taking in her coloring and the pattern of her painted coat. Ard offered his muzzle to her and then his breath so if she chose she could take in his scent to memorize.
"It is nice to formally meet you Nalia do forgive me for not greeting you properly.” He nodded his head a little bit, “ Nerine is quite beautiful. The ocean has its charms with how the sunlight plays on the distant waves at dawn, and of course the sunsets. I do not know if I have ever seen the sun hit those waves just right however. I must admit that Nerine is not the most tropical kingdom like Ischia, or maybe Tephra. Kingdoms I have not had the pleasure of journeying to.” Better to get the question out in the open then, “ Do you want to come to Nerine? For a visit? I could be your escort and, you are under no obligation to stay if you do not like what you see.”
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia]
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
Nalia listened with great anticipation as Ardashir began telling her of Nerine and it's hidden wonders, the filly struggling to contain her excitement. Even if Ardashir felt the need to get out and explore, Nalia knew that if she paid a visit to Nerine, she would no doubt be content to search every nook and cranny to see what secrets the kingdom had hidden deep within. Perhaps after a long time, she'd want to get out and explore as well, but she'd always want a home to return to, a quiet place where she could feel safe and secure.
Ardashir surprised Nalia by stepping closer to her, his nostrils slightly flared as he took in her scent. The filly had seen displays like this before, so figured there was no harm in reciprocating. She stretched out her finely shaped neck, flaring her nostrils and taking in the stallion's scent. He then apologized for not greeting her properly, then talked about Nerine more before offering her the one thing she wanted most right now.
As soon as Ardashir offered to escort her to Nerine so she could see its beauty for herself, the filly crow-hopped onto her front hooves and shook her neck and head a few times, her mane flying up around her dark and white colored fur before coming to rest over the left side as it usually was. Her forelock fell messily into her eyes, her wings flapping in excitement before she finally, verbally, expressed her enthusiasm.
"Of course I want to come to Nerine! After all I've heard, from other mares and you, I'd love to see it!"
