"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
Who knows how long it’s been since Kiko left on her mission to find what she would like to call “home”. Well, as much of a “home” as she can find. Kiko gets to a clearing past the forest to what seems to be the mountain range. She stops for a quick bite of grass before she keeps moving on her way.
The lush grass changes to pebbles and rocks under her hooves and she stops when she hears her hoofbeats on the gravely pathway. She takes a few deep breaths to get acquainted with the new area.
She walks off, towards the shade of the trees and grazes under a cherry tree hidden in the shadows. She lowers her head and begins to chomp on the grass with her ears periodically twitching from the pesky flies that come to “bug” her. She snorts and swishes her shiny black tail between bites.
10-02-2018, 02:30 PM (This post was last modified: 10-02-2018, 02:31 PM by Warlight.)
A stranger stands grazing, dark, tall, and irresistible to the curious yearling. She doesn't question if she should approach her,she doesn't wonder if maybe someone else would be better suited for greeting strangers. She is at ease here - at home.
"Hello," she calls as she walks, her hard hooves crunching the gravel of the well-worn path as she goes. The air is thick with the fragrance of cherry blossoms as Warlight approaches, masking any scents the stranger may carry, and her curiosity builds. She takes a step off the trail and into the lush grove where the thoroughbred grazes, but think better of her action. Sometimes newcomers were flighty creatures, and she didn't want to be scolded for scaring one away.
"I'm Will," she offers as she halts, back leg in the gravel and her front legs in the grass. "Are you new here? I've never seen you before."
Kiko, perks her ears and stands tall once hearing the yearling come closer. She looks to the filly. “Hi, I’m Kiko. Yeah, I’m new.” She says, cocking her hind left hoof against the grass. She walks towards War but keeps her distance. “How are you?” She asks.
"My brother's name is Koko," Warlight volunteers with a slight bob of her head.
Koko and Kiko - she pairs the names together mentally and an amused smile makes its way onto her pale lips. "Well, one of my brothers. I have a bunch of siblings," she says with a tone that doesn't quite hide the pride she feels when talking about her family.
Kiko seems content to keep the generous distance between them, but Will is emboldened by the new mares friendly demeanor. She steps forward, extending her muzzle in greeting, and for an exchange of scents. There was so much to learn about this stranger. "What about you, do you have a family? Where are you from?"
Kiko extends her neck to sniff War as well. "I just wander I guess, trying to find a place to live. I don't have a family really. I do want a family though," she says. "I haven't seen my mom since, god knows when." she says sadly.
Warlight can barely fathom a life without her family. If she spent more than a day without them she would be incredibly lonesome by the end of it. The bay splashed filly thought of herself as independent, but she was so used to having someone with her to turn and talk to, talk at, or laugh with, that inevitably when she was alone, she would come across something surprising or interesting and find herself commenting over her shoulder into thin air.
She didn't like that feeling.
So when the stranger says she has been completely alone for... years Will's brow furrows. "I'm sure you can live here if you want... Hyaline can be anybody's home," she says, sure that that is exactly what one of her mothers would say. The yearlings short tail swats uselessly at the flies which land on her barrel and there is a short pause. But it doesn't last long, because one thing the other girl said is especially interesting.
"So if you've a wanderer and have been traveling for the last few years, got any cool stories? I bet you have seen some crazy stuff."
Kiko smiles and chuckles. "I honestly really haven't seen many exciting things. I have helped some mares have their foals. I guess you could say that's exciting. I mean, I'm just used to wandering, I really haven't settled down in a place for long."
She stomps her left hind hoof as the flies keep gnawing at her legs, swishing her tail periodically. "I appreciate the invitation to stay here. It's really pretty, I like it here so far. I hope one day to find a mate and have a herd of my own, but I just let time take its course," she says, walking closer to the filly.
"How about you? Do you have any interesting stories you want to tell?" Kiko asks in return, curious to hear from a younger perspective.
"Well if you really are staying, I should show you around," Warlight says with a smile as the mare walks towards her. Will returns to the trail, deciding to take the direction that will place them at the heart of the kingdom.
As Kiko asks about a story Will may want to share, she pauses for a moment, several different scenarios popping into her mind at once. She thinks of Clayton and their adventures, she thinks of the time she transported her grandfather to Hyaline in a dream, and of course she thinks of her brothers. But the story that wins out is one she doesn't think she's told before.
"One time I accidentally teleported myself to an island off the coast of Nerine," she begins as if everyone knew teleportation was no big deal. "And I was the only one there, and it was small and storming. I guess I had been thinking about the island when I fell asleep, we can just see it from the beach up north, and I woke up there. I was no frightened I couldn't fall asleep again until the storm passed. I had to wait it out, clinging to the rocks like the little crabs."
"But I was little then," she explains with mild embarrassment. "I'm not scared of storms anymore, and I'm better at controlling it now." She continues walking after that, glancing back to see what the newcomer thinks of her story.
Kiko smiles. “Teleportation, eh?” She asks, curiously. “That’s cool! I’d love for you to show me around,” she smiles as she follows the filly. “I think i am going to stay,” she smiles, glad she’s found someplace to call her home.
She listens to her story and smiles. “You’ve had quite the adventures, I can only imagine. Storms are scary, I still get scared sometimes,” she says trying to help make the filly feel better about herself.
"Yeah, I inherited it from my mom, Kagerus," Warlight elaborates as her new acquaintance express interest. "She's the Caretaker here. Well, one of them. My other mom is the other Caretaker... which is just the sanctuary version of a leader."
The yearling assumes all adults are interested in that sort of thing, considering the ones she knew were very often preoccupied with kingdom matters. But her own interest in titles is fading, and she is glad that her new friend has taken her up on her offer to show her around.
"Ok! Let's go to the lake. If you ever want to meet somebody new or find someone you know, the lake is a good place to go," Warlight informs her before leaping into a canter. "And it's fun!" She calls back over her shoulder, hoping Kiko has followed.
![[Image: Warlightpageddoll1.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/NMPHtrtV/Warlightpageddoll1.png)