"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
Born in a wilderness far from this place, Leander had spent most of his adult life on a singular mission: to find his parents’ homeland, and to discover whether any family ties remained to him therein. And finally, after years of nomadic explorations, the winged stallion had done just that. At first it seemed like he’d been dealt a stroke of luck, for shortly after his arrival to Beqanna, he’d encountered Kagerus. Upon learning that they were cousins, the antlered queen had brought him to Hyaline.
She’d introduced him to her father – his uncle, Kavi. It had been a warm meeting, one he instantly held as a fond memory. There had been much laughter as they exchanged stories of growing up with Rayelle, whether as a sister or a mother; and when Leander had recounted her gentle passing alongside the love of her life, they had shared a quiet moment together to honor her bright memory. According to Kavi, his eldest uncle was somewhat of a recluse – but Leander had felt unhurried then. After all, he thought he would meet Rodrik (and many of his other relatives) in due time.
He thought he’d have all the time in the world.
Yet a cruel trick of fate was at play – for the bodiless voice had spoken, broadcasting a name he recognized as a possible relative on his father’s side. Rhonen. He had flown to Pangea in reckless pursuit of someone he didn’t even know... and never would... Someone he couldn’t save. Now as he made his way back to Hyaline, Leander felt sure of the sickness. While it had started as a cough and a tightness in his chest, he had noticed a searing fever creeping in over the past few days. It was taking root.
And it was spreading.
For as long as he could remember, Leander had yearned to reach these very lands – and now a part of him had to wonder whether he’d only come to die here, mere months after his arrival. The racking sound of a cough echoed against the craggy rocks as he climbed arduously toward the kingdom’s lake. It was seemingly quite empty here. Some days past, he’d seen the beam of light that had radiated through the skies to the northeast; and as Kagerus had spoken of Solace and her abilities, he hoped that it meant at least some of his family was safe. As for himself, he refused to head to the safe haven and made for Hyaline’s mountaintop instead. The winged stallion did not want to risk passing on this infection – not if he could help it, at least.
leander
take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake
News travels fast across Beqanna: the plague is spreading at a deadly rate and there are only a few safe havens. Silver Cove being one of them, Lie knows that most of Hyaline’s former residents will not be too keen on leaving its pure embrace. Responsibility follows all, though, and he cannot refuse the way it taunts him. Hyaline is still his heart - he will traverse its welcoming mountains as if nothing ever happened (at least that is what he thinks, for he is unaware of the way his body tenses).
Solace and Kagerus are truly wonderful leaders: listening to their people and doing what is right while also abiding by what the Kingdom wants. Lie admires their leadership, wonders if he will one day be as wise and as kind as they are. He hopes that in protecting Hyaline (or at least that is what he calls it), hovering about the land that will always be his, he will learn something of the sacrifice and care they express.
Lie wanders, no end in sight, for he can stay amongst the cold air of the mountains forever.
Upon the breeze a stranger’s scent floats - ears pricking forward, poised and primed to follow whoever is wandering through the territory. Lie picks up his pace, cantering until he can see the palomino and white stallion. Without thought or hesitation he calls -
“Hey!”
- now slowing to a friendly trot. He moves to catch up with the man: pressing further up the mountain with slow determination (he will not allow him to escape).
“What are you doing in Hyaline? You can get sick out here . . .”
i don't want your pity, i just want somebody near me guess i'm a coward, i just want to feel all right
At the sound of someone fast approaching, Leander stumbled on the shale beneath his hooves. “Wait,” he tried weakly, though he wasn’t entirely sure the stranger could hear him over the clatter of the rocks underfoot. Hey! The call rang out in an exact echo of the black mare’s shout in the Forest only days earlier. This time, however, it was a stallion coming after him; and as the stranger ascended nearer still, the white of his eyes flashed fearfully.
“Stay back!” he croaked, remembering just how quickly the disease had latched onto Element by mere proximity. Instinctively, his wings unfurled and began to momentarily lift him from the mountainside – but the effort proved to be too great as his lungs squeezed and a sickly cough wracked his body. It rattled through him as he landed heavily once more, his breath wheezing past flared nostrils as he shook his head. He didn’t recognize the oncoming cremello, though he didn’t expect to; Leander hadn’t been in Hyaline long enough to familiarize himself with any other residents before he’d left for Pangea on that fateful day.
His blonde forelock splayed wetly across his face, obscuring the star on his forehead which was so like his mother’s. How it would have broken Rayelle’s heart to see him like this now. “I’m already sick,” he explained hoarsely, though there wasn’t any need. Propping his exhausted weight against the craggy wall, Leander closed his eyes to ward off the pit in his stomach as he hoped the stranger would have the good sense to leave – and quickly. After all, he had to believe that there was still a chance that Litotes could save himself before it became too late for him, too.
leander
take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake
There is one thought that Litotes did not consider upon his initial reaction: perhaps this stranger is already sick. Upward and onward, he continues to climb, thin and dark shale crumbling and rolling beneath his ascent. How foolishly he thinks of the sound of the rock more than the fate of the stallion before him. Too late - a feeble wait from the stranger finally processes. The General falters, slowing to the quietest of trots (more prancing in place than pressing forward).
Wind blows uncomfortably over his lifted head and pointed ears. He halts.
Again, words fall on deaf ears. Lie is watching the other attempt to lift himself from the earth before her realizes the warning. The cremello releases a breathe he only now realizes he was holding. Two words (stay back) that stand for two more: I’m sick. He closes his eyes and considers as the sick man’s cough rattles tauntingly in his ears. He knows his duty. It is not that he worries for himself, but that he worries for those he cares for. Even through the sickness, he will follow his orders, but the idea of incapacitating those that Hyaline needs most . . .
Litotes’ indecision is broken by the dual-colored man’s confirmation. His decision is made by the exhausted tone of the stranger.
“That’s okay. You need help more than I need to avoid sickness,” he replies.
Hurriedly, he canters closer, concern furrowing the muscles of his face. As Litotes pulls up next to the stallion, he leans in to offer his shoulder to lean on.
“I don’t know if you are a part of Hyaline, but the herd has moved to Silver Cove. Even if you are not a part of the herd, we welcome refugees. It’s safe there: we have shelter, food, company . . .” he pauses, hesitant, “and a healer.” So far he has been peering ahead, but now he looks imploringly at the pegasus to say, “Please, let me take you there.”
i don't want your pity, i just want somebody near me guess i'm a coward, i just want to feel all right
11-18-2018, 11:57 PM (This post was last modified: 11-18-2018, 11:58 PM by Leander.)
Feebly, Leander shook his head in protest of the other stallion’s reply – but it is too late. Litotes hurried to his side, offering him a shoulder. A streak of stubbornness caused Leander to push off the rock wall and take a step away as he attempted to distance himself from the helpful stranger, but all of a sudden he was swaying dangerously as a faint spell overcame him and his vision blurred. Truthfully, if the cremello hadn’t been there, Lee might have tumbled down the craggy precipice just then – but instead his weight bumped against the other’s solid frame.
He leaned gratefully on Litotes then, concentrating on drawing in breath as the blurriness slowly cleared from view. “I guess you were right about my needing help,” he managed resignedly, his voice rasping past the sickness within. “Thanks,” he said, gesturing weakly once he had recovered his own balance. He listened as the man spoke of Silver Cove next, and at the mention of a healer, his ears twitched. Litotes certainly made his offer a tempting one – and yet Leander still felt uneasy about the possibility of introducing contagion to the haven, no matter how safe it was reputed to be.
The winged overo sighed heavily. “It’s not that I don’t want to go,” he began. “But I can’t risk anyone else’s exposure. You shouldn’t have come near me, let alone touched me – although I am grateful. It seems I owe you one.” He gave a short laugh, though it came out sounding like more of a choked cough than anything else. “That is, if I survive this thing.” At that, Leander’s mouth twisted with the ghost of a crooked grin. Given the rate that the disease seemed to be progressing, he felt all-too aware of the fact that there was a chance he simply wouldn’t.
leander
take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake
Litotes listens, patient and all-too-sure of what Leander’s response will be. He twitches his ears back and forth, over and over again, now uncertain as to whether he will be able to convince him to go. It would not be the end of the world if the two-colored stallion chose to stay; in fact, Lie would not mind knowing someone else hovered in Hyaline (as selfish and repressed that thought may be).
The dark words and laugh made cruel by a cough force a cold smile across Lie’s face. He shakes his head and laughs in response, too loud and mildly desperate sounding. That is something the cremello can understand: self-deprecation. His journey through self-worth and anxiety has been a long one; the somewhat crude humor is something he still relishes. His grin matches the other’s, and when he looks Leander in the eyes he does not mind that he may not go to Silver Cove.
“You owe me nothing - I’m the General of Hyaline. This is my job,” Lie begins, pausing to ponder how it feels to tell a stranger he is the General (it feels weird, not good just yet - mostly scary). “I won’t force you to go to Silver Cove, though I do not believe you can get others sick even if you are.”
He stops again, takes a breathe, “My name is Litotes, by the way. What’s yours? And what brings you to Hyaline?”
i don't want your pity, i just want somebody near me guess i'm a coward, i just want to feel all right
“The General,” he repeated, slotting the information away in his mind despite his weariness. “Then you’ll know my cousin, Kagerus.” While he afforded Litotes’ next words some consideration, he still gave a stubborn shake of his sweat-dampened blonde mane. An introduction followed, and at that, Lee relented and smiled a little. “I’m Leander,” he began, “I arrived in Beqanna for the first time a few months ago, actually.”
“My parents used to live here, before the lands changed. I came to find any family members that might still be around. Luckily enough, I met Kagerus, and she brought me here. But then I – ” he paused, coughing heavily. His ears went lax as he worked to catch his breath again. Once he had, he shrugged somewhat helplessly. “Well, I suppose I suffer from good intentions.” His thoughts turn once more to Rhonen’s murder, causing a muscle in his jaw to flicker before pushing it from his mind.
“I don’t suppose you’d know either of my sisters, Rhy or Kora, would you?” It was a feeble hope, but he still had to try – in spite of this ominous sickness, Leander was compelled to continue asking after them. “Or anyone related to my father, Riagan?” He was glad to have found relations on his mother’s side here in Hyaline, but with Rhonen’s death and the apparent felling of one of his daughters and the disappearance of another in the chaos that had taken place, any leads regarding family on his father’s side now seemed few and far between.
leander
take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake
