"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
{ and in my dreams i've kissed your lips a thousand times }
After the hassle and relative nightmare of getting everyone to Icicle Isle, I have to breathe a sigh of relief when the night comes for Ilma and I to teleport to the Brilliant Pampas. It's not exactly close, but only having to bring one person with me instead of two happens to be super helpful. Plus, my most long-standing council member and I haven't had a moment to ourselves since... Well, since I "had" Abysm, I think. God, that was ages ago - literal years by now.
As twilight sinks into dusk, Ilma and I stand along the base of a mountain, quietly grazing as our eyelids grow heavy. Occasionally we speak, our voices hushed, for there is not much to speak loudly about these days; the plague has sank its teeth into many of our loved ones, and that alone is worthy of silence. When a particularly strong gust of wind blows and Ilma's feathers become ruffled, I step to her and restraighten them, though they are quickly fading with the fall of the sun.
Eventually, we fall asleep. I think of Solace for some time, visiting her for a few hours since we've been apart for nearly a week due to these diplomatic trips, before finding myself in Ilma's consciousness. I make sure she is comfortable with my presence, continuously reaffirming the reality of what is going to happen to her potentially disillusioned dream self, before finally feeling confident enough to commit to the leap. Readying myself, I attach my mental self to hers, and we teleport.
Arriving whole on the other side, I open my eyes to true brilliance - the Pampas' name holds up.
"Hopefully this goes well," I murmur to Ilma. "I haven't the slightest clue as to who lives here."
KAGERUS
Caretaker of The Sanctuary Lover of Solace Immortal, antlered Dreamweaver
The circles that I draw on Pteron's back grow slower and less rhythmic as I drift off to sleep. He stirs when they are too slow, greedy for affection and not yet truly ready for rest, and I smile drowsily and resume them. This repeats for a half hour until his breathing finally steadies, and I step away from the bed of sweetgrass and clover in which he rests.
Though my son is protected from the brisk summer breeze by the slope of the hill where he rests, the wind tugs at my navy mane when I stand atop it, and it toys with the long golden feathers of my wings. I might have taken flight then, circling the Pampas with Pteron always in sight, but the wind brings with it the taste of someone - no, someones - unfamiliar.
The deep grass and my small height make visually located them difficult and so I take to the sky after all, a brief canter and a leap from the hill on which I stand making me airborne in no time at all. Bright moonlight and the pale coat of one of the strangers makes finding them easy, and I land a few meters away, positioning myself between them and my sleeping son, though he is some distance away.
When I break through the tall grass I recognize of them immediately. Ilma is not a stranger at all, and it takes no time at all to surmise the antlered mare beside her is Kagerus. The pleasant smile I wear never once falters as my blue-grey eyes flick from one to the other before speaking aloud.
"Welcome to the Brilliant Pampas, ladies." I say, making no mention of their evening arrival. While Kagerus is a renowned warrior, Ilma was decidedly diplomatic and I do not suspect them of any notion of violence. They represent a sanctuary, after all, or at least they had a few years ago when they stolen me away from my son and threatened war on my kingdom.
Hyaline had not been the recipient of my very best behavior on that occasion, but while I might acknowledge that privately, I am equally certain that they had gotten exactly what they deserved and nothing more. Still, that is in the past now, and I can only hope that they learned from it and have done better since.
I glance over my shoulder for a moment, scouring the skies and rolling hills for anyone else who might be arriving to greet these visitors, but the wind is against me if they are, and I soon turn back to pair of mares.
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
Ilma hasn’t had a child of her own for some time, which perhaps had caused her to adopt two foals this season. Finch and Kleo seem to get along very well as brother and sister, and they seem to accept their ‘angel momma’ as Finch likes to call her, also. For now, of course. A time will come next year when they think they’re grown up, while they aren’t; but for now they just accept her telling them that tonight after they all sleep, she will disappear, but not to worry, it’s only because queen Kagerus took her away for a little trip, and she’ll be back in a day.
Her dreams are rather chaotic, to be honest. She sleeps late, wondering who they’ll meet tomorrow. Perhaps some from Loess and Sylva have moved there. She will also accompany Litotes on a trip to Loess, and she’s quite certain who will be in charge there. After all, Loess had not changed leadership for a long while.
Neither had Hyaline. The council had expanded since, with the addition of the Cove and even Pangea to look after. She wonders sometimes where Svedka went, but a nagging memory of him shifting into a lion accompanies it, and it makes her sad. A little scared too, scared for the Sanctuary people, but also for him, for if he attacked a horse he might get killed by some guard.
But it’s not her dreams what this is about, and as Kagerus reminds her, she’s about to visit an unknown land. When she wakes, it is still dark, having been transported in the middle of the night. ”Probably best to wait out the night,” she whispers, looking towards the Pampas. There’s not much to do however, and not much space to hide from the wind either. Kagerus moves to settle Ilma’s wings, but the light is hardly manageable - in fact that’s why Ilma hadn’t bothered to change them much.
In the night, the wings fade completely, and they settle in to wait. Not as long as Ilma had thought - though perhaps, if someone had arrived at the Cove in the middle of the night, she might also have approahced earlier than the morning.
Lepis greets them, not completely a surprise, but it settles Ilma’s thoughts of who live here, rather quickly. Loessians, then, and not many Sylvans probably. She bows her head a little to the girl, she smells of milk so perhaps it’d be better not to make the meeting too long, if there’s a little one to attend to.
”Hello Lepis. We thought it might be time to explore relations with the new lands. We’d be happy to wait until morning if you prefer,” she offers with a soft voice, not wanting to disturb any more of the residents of this place if she can avoid it. The question remains how many members of Loess live here currently, and if any Sylvans have joined them, but she will await the younger mare’s answers for that one. Perhaps it is indeed better to wait; at any rate, the visitors aren’t the ones to decide this.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[Kagerus] @[Lepis]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
She is on the verge of sleep, tucked away with wings folded around her in grasses so tall that they hide her completely. One of the few advantages of her small and slight frame – one of the very few. The day-flowers have closed in the twilight, but a few special night-flowers are open, their soothing scent lulling her further towards slumber. But the sound of unfamiliar voices jars her, bringing her back to wakefulness. Thankfully it is not only unfamiliar voices – she recognizes Lepis’ added voice and that is reassuring to her. Still, this is to be her home at the end of it all, and she knows that means this is her conversation to join.
That, and, she doesn’t sleep well anymore. Every night she relives watching the mob kill her father, and that doesn’t make for peaceful sleeping, even surrounded by her newly beloved flowers. So she rises from the flora, within eyesight of the other three mares, and gives her mane and tail a shake to free them of grass and dirt from the ground. Not in any particular rush, she takes a moment to preen her dark red wings back into order and then reaches down to the ground, almost reverently, and brings the crushed grass and flowers from where she had lay back to full health. Only then does she close the distance between them, eyes flitting back and forth. One of the strangers is white, the other pied with bold antlers growing from her head. Noah settles herself beside Lepis and answers the white mare’s question in her quiet, almost whisper-like voice.
“No need to wait until morning.” she does not question the strange arrival time of the mares, welcoming instead the excuse not to sleep. She glances briefly at Lepis, because clearly the gold mare knows their visitors, but Noah does not. Still, she chooses to take her lead from Lepis, who is unworried. “I am Noah,” she tells the two visitors. “While the people of Loess are sheltering here for the time being, and are quite welcome,” a quick, sweet smile aimed at Lepis, “The Brilliant Pampas are mine, I suppose. But we will be under the protector and banner of Loess, so it is really Lepis and Wolfbane with whom you should address diplomatic concerns.” Still. She would like to know about the other lands, and she hopes they won’t hurry away.
12-17-2018, 03:50 AM (This post was last modified: 12-17-2018, 05:16 AM by Kagerus.)
{ and in my dreams i've kissed your lips a thousand times }
In the bright moonlight, the leopard markings atop my coat shimmer beautifully, their black nearly liquid; I take a moment to admire them, as it is not often I am in such direct moonlight. Briefly, I close my eyes and say a prayer to the gods and to my grandmother, thanking her for all that she did in her lifetime, and for what she did the night she and I were allowed to share nearly six years ago. Lots has changed since then, but the fact that she was such an excellent leader never will; it is my mission every day when I awake to travel the path she trod, and to go further still.
Father says that I make her proud, but that does not lessen my ambitions, nor my great success in the matter.
Ilma mentions that we ought to wait out the night, and I dip my antlers in agreement. "It would be a shame to piss off the residents due to my inaccuracy. I hadn't meant to come at this hour." The confession comes a bit tight-lippedly, though not because I am ashamed of my natural tendency to err, as is equine, but because I fear I may have placed us in danger. But Ilma seems relatively at ease, and I feed off of my friend's strength, settling my head at a comfortable height and dozing gently as the minutes pass.
My nap, however, is cut short by the scent of another arriving. When my eyes lift (immediately bright and awake due to the dutiful nature of our visit), I catch sight of the small-set mare almost immediately, and am reminded of two things: first, that she looks a lot like Wolfbane whom I'd once battled over a problem caused by her, and second, that she caused a lot of problems for my kingdom by trying to play coy in a time when such acts were not tolerable.
Swallowing these past grievances with nary an indication that they occurred, I perk my ears attentively to listen to her speak. By the steadfast smile plastered across Lepis' lips, it is clear that she also is willing to put what happened behind her, or that she already has. As a matter of fact, I am willing to do the same; so much has changed since then. If her kingdom is anything like mine, we are both suffering the consequences of this damned contagion.
"Our thanks, Lepis," I reply with a heartfelt tone and a dip of my head. It is very courteous of her to receive us so late; luckily, Ilma covers our bases there, excusing us for our tardiness with excellently polite language. Although I expect no less of my ambassador, I still give her a smiling side-glance; after all, there'd been a time not so long ago that this pair hadn't been able to be so cordial.
Straightening, I am about to answer Lepis' former question when the sound of another arriving cuts me off. Craning my head some, I watch as the strawberry roan creature approaches, her wings glistening prettily in the silver moonlight. Whickering softly, I perk my ears to catch the mare's whisper-like words, intrigued by the arrival of someone who seemingly matches Lepis' rank of entitlement in this region.
No need to wait until morning. I smile a little at this, but wait for the roan to go on before voicing my own thoughts. She introduces herself as Noah, and goes on to describe both the nature of the Pampas (including her ownership over it) and its relation to the kingdom, Loess. So - that makes Sylva also a subkingdom. I chew on this realization quietly, then part my lips to speak when it is the appropriate time to do so.
"Noah, it is nice to meet you." I would say a pleasure, but the quiet, confident woman seems too endearingly simple for such a cliche phrase; I find myself being more raw with her as I go on. "I am Kagerus, one of the Caretakers of The Sanctuary, and this is Ilma, a most paragon council member." (Turns out that my 'raw' is still wordy as fuck, apparently). "Lepis, to answer your prior question - we come to deliver information, and to receive some, too, though Noah has mostly sated that need."
"Well, I suppose I shan't waste any time. Not long into the release of the contagion, the East settled peacefully; hence, The Sanctuary was established, though we have kept this news to ourselves while we waited for the remainder of Beqanna to organize, or at least, that was our intent in keeping our emissaries home. The Sanctuary is comprised of the kingdom of Silver Cove, where Solace and I yet lead, of the subkingdom Hyaline, where Caretakers Kensa and Litotes lead, and of the subkingdom Pangea, where Archon Yidhra leads. Each of the individuals I have named are also a part of The Sanctuary's council."
"The Sanctuary functions as its name suggests; we accept refugees mainly into the Cove, while allowing them the option of maintaining Hyaline beneath Kensa and Litotes should they choose to. Yidhra's Pangea functions as the scientific branch, whose aim is to learn more about the plague; while this may sound ominous, please be reassured that Yidhra has agreed to abide by all of The Sanctuary's terms."
Huffing a long breath, I look from Lepis to Noah with an apologetic smile; that ended up being a longer spiel than intended. Then, glancing to Ilma, I speak a final phrase into the moonlight.
"Did I miss anything?"
KAGERUS
Caretaker of The Sanctuary Lover of Solace Immortal, antlered Dreamweaver
@[Ilma]
@everyone heh, I obviously failed to effectively communicate that they arrived in the morning, hence Kagerus spending the first hours of the night with Solace instead of immediately teleporting (which takes a couple hours to accomplish, in my mind). I don't mind continuing the thread as is, hopefully the misinterpretation won't result in any diplomatic failures oof XP, so sorry for not communicating more clearly
The Brilliant Pampas had sprouted from the earth not much differently than spring flowers, and while I have not set hoof elsewhere to confirm as much, it looks (from the sky) as if similar things have happened across the entire breadth of Beqanna. I've assumed their late arrival is due to traversing unfamiliar territory given lack of an alternate explanation and so as Ilma offers to wait until morning I begin to shake my head.
My refusal isn't needed, joined as we are by the roan Noah. I turn back toward her, having caught the sound of a landing but not the horse themselves, and while I am mildly disappointed that she is not my golden mate it does not show on my smiling face. We don't really need Wolfbane, I remind myself, and odds are that he is back in Loess tonight anyway. I am not fond of the nights I spend away from my husband, but such are the compromises I must make to live the life I have chosen.
Kagerus speaks next, rather verbose for a warrior, but I suspect it takes a rather large array of skills to lead the multifaceted system she proceeds to describe. The Silver Cove is not a familiar name, but I can only assume it is a new land like this one, safe from the Plague. A sensical seat for a kingdom, I think to myself, though I have never considered leaving Loess - at least not forever. The Pampas are, well, brilliant, but they are not my homeland. They belong to Noah.
Listening to Kagerus, I make note of the names and titles she lists. My eyes widen slightly, an expression which nearly looks like concern regarding this Yidrha's activities, and it does not soften at the leopard mare's reassurances that the mystery mare is abiding by the peaceful rules of her overlords. I will treat with them as a good diplomat and queen, but I have found that my distrust of their true intentions remains constant.
The Sanctuary is not alone in my suspicions, of course; I find most things worthy of skepticism. I prefer to think this is the natural order of things rather than delve into the messy tangle of coping mechanism and disorders of the post-traumatic sort. I''d rather the world see me as too hard than even slightly weak, after all.
I blink away the expression that might be concern as Kagerus glances back at Ilma, asking the white mare if there is anything she might have forgotten. At that I cannot help but smile, a brief tick upward of my navy mouth at the idea that the pied mare might have said all that and still forgotten anything. I appreciate her thoroughness though; it tells me far more than I knew before about the way that the world of Beqanna is shaping itself in the aftermath of the plague.
When it is time for me to speak I do so, having waited - or not - for whatever Ilma might have to add to her leader's words. "Most of Loess came to Brilliant Pampas when the Plague struck," I tell them, "The proximity allows those of us willing to risk exposure to protect both lands, and we are fortunate enough to have healers when the symptoms grow too strong." Here I glance at Noah with a grateful smile, indicating her as one of the healers I refer to. "Sinner and Mary rule Sylva in Arthas' stead, a subkingdom that is mostly self-sustaining." They'd not like that description, of course, but they are not here to defend themselves. This is, of course, because I've done my best to banish the lot of them from this plaugeless sanctuary; another thing I do not share.
"We've every intent to return the seat of our kingdom to Loess when the Plague is cured; I'm sure Noah will be glad to have the lot of us out of her hair." This, at least, is said with fondness that matches the genuine emotion in my blue-grey eyes as I glance once more at the small mare. I intend to ask her when this meeting is over if she might have any knowledge that could help this mysterious Yidrha, but I do not wish to press the issue in company lest she have objections.
ooc: i stg i did not mean this to turn into a novel that basically says nothing D:
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
Lepis’ greeting does not come alone; another, a pink-ish roan young mare approaches. She has a soft, whispery voice, sounding fragile to the unobservant onlooker, but there is also a strength at her core, apparent in the way she carries herself.
Noah announces herself as the leader of the Pampas, and Ilma nods to take in that bit of information. When the Plague is cured (the white mare is positive that in the end, the current unbalance in the world will be largely healed), Lepis will probably want to return to Loess, which would leave Noah in charge of the people here. For now, they’re all refugees, more or less. Not unlike the Silver Cove.
Kagerus sets off in a long speech, which makes Ilma smile to herself. It is rather a display of power, in a sense, since she’s basically naming all the territories of the Sanctuary and how many a people are now in leadership posistions there. As she waits for her friend to finish, Ilma visibly muses over something until the splashed mare asks if she mised anything. A smile can’t be helped, and is to be heared in her amused voice also, though not in the unkind way. ”The most important thing, I believe. The Sanctuary,” she adds as she turns back to Lepis and Noah to address them properly, ”would like to continue on Hyaline’s old beliefs. We’ll take in any refugees, whenever needed and for whatever reason, and we will defend them until they ask us not to. Most of all, we will remain neutral throughout any other kingdom’s quarrels, and thus would like peaceful relations with any and all kingdoms and, perhaps, other sanctuaries as well.” Looking to Noah at the last sub-sentence, she smiles a bit. After all, it’s the same thing Noah did, she thinks - take in refugees. But the current Sanctuary in the East acts and thinks beyond the current plague; if any kingdoms go to war, their children and diplomats must and will be safe in the Sanctuary, and the Sanctuary bows to no-one. Having peaceful relations with all kingdoms means no promises of sending warriors to any other kingdom, because that would benefit one ally over another - they will be staying neutral at all costs. Lepis, Ilma thinks, already knows that the sanctuary will not sit idly if one of their harboured gets stolen or otherwise compromised. But that goes unspoken - what’s past is past.
Lepis continues to explain the concept of the South as it currently is (it might be different from what Kensa will tell them when she returns from Sylva, or not). This earns her a smiling nod. ”Have you decided what your kingdom will be like, by then? Will Loess and Sylva be as they were before?” she inquires with the winged mare. Ilma knows very well that there were quarrels between the two kingdoms, but perhaps that has settled? If not, Loess might have use of a safe place for their children, Ilma thinks. She’s not quite sure how far Noah’s protection goes in case or an uprising.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[Noah]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
There is so much diplomacy amongst the Kingdoms. Noah has heard stories about it, or at least about the Kingdoms of old. Rhonen was a prince of sorts, after all, the son of one who was once a Queen and another who was a Prince. But he’d never ascended any sort of throne, and he’d raised his daughter half-wild in the common lands, choosing not to settle anywhere since he could not go home. Noah doesn’t think Rhonen would have lived as long as he did, except that her mother had dumped her into his lap and disappeared, and he was the sort who couldn’t not raise his child.
All of Rhonen’s stories had centered less around the ruling of Kingdoms in itself, and more about his family, with the dramas of Kingdoms simply the setting in which the families’ stories played out. Sometimes, Noah dreams about them, dreams herself into her family’s lives, though she’s never met a single one of them. The Sanctuary sounds like someplace Rhonen had always described, a place he would have been at home, and it makes her heart hurt. The little mare ducks her head for a moment, fighting back the emotions, lifting her face back to Ilma only when she is sure there will be no tears.
“I don’t know what importance the Pampas will have,” she says tentatively, “as I simply intend to keep it as a place for the family I hope to find. I doubt we will have many warriors to protect anybody. But anyone peaceful is always welcome, and we will provide what aid we can to our allies.” She hesitates, and in the end doesn’t mention healing – for now. If Lepis and Wolfbane form an alliance with the East and think she can help someone, she’s sure that they will tell her. In the meantime, she doesn’t trust strangers well enough to advertise her gift, and she doesn’t really trust the gift itself.
She can’t speak to what Loess and Sylva have worked out, but she can’t help but add; “The Pampas is aligned with Loess. While I hope that Sylva will remain peaceful, we don’t have a relationship with them yet.”
{ and in my dreams i've kissed your lips a thousand times }
Listening to what they all have to say with a quiet, pleasant disposition, I flick my tail softly to clear my skin of flies. Whatever animosity existed between the mares gathered here today has clearly dissipated, at least to such an extent that peaceful relations will be upheld. The story that Lepis tells of the South's rebuilding interests me greatly, and I listen keenly to that which she says. Sinner and Mary, Wolfbane and Lepis, and Noah. A fairly even lot; much less evil than the last time we checked in with this bunch.
Ilma chimes in next, helpfully clarifying that we seek a peaceful relationship with the Pampas, if not the South as a whole. I nod my head in quiet agreement with all she says, peering at the two mares before us to gauge their reactions to this. Lastly, my angelic companion asks how the South's kingdoms will function in the day to day, a question I am also eager to have answered, though to be fair, this quadrant may not have gotten this far yet. After all, the North had been an utter mess, even after all these months to decide their roles amongst themselves.
By the sounds of Noah's answer, the Pampas will be something akin to a herd. She also adds (interestingly so, considering her rather low position in the chain of command) that the alliance between Loess and Sylva is not as certain as perhaps the rest of Beqanna perceives it to be. Not letting on that I am thinking these things, I smile a small, regal smile towards the kind-hearted mare, dipping my head to acknowledge her words.
"Well, it would seem that that is all the information we needed." I take a step back, indicating that we are no longer in need of their company, although the sea still sits directly behind me. "Thank you so much for meeting with us, and feel free to visit the East at any time. We love visitors. Otherwise, we will be on our way, if not now then by morning." Smiling again, I give one last dip of my antlers. "Peace be with you, and with your kingdoms."
KAGERUS
Caretaker of The Sanctuary Lover of Solace Immortal, antlered Dreamweaver
![[Image: kag]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/2e8039018ce4dff6112c167ec23e886a/tumblr_p72zjit7wC1s5a0qvo1_100.png)
