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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    Any;
    #1
    Azar

    The willowy girl was no longer such a willowy girl. A willowy young woman, now.

    She had no notions of where her daddy had gone, the bear-man that had adopted her, raised her. She'd lost him after the apocalypse stole the first Taiga away and left this one in its wake. In truth, it was not that much different, now that the land had had time to recover. Perhaps quicker than the people who had lived here Before. She hadn't seen any but herself return, but then, she wasn't really looking either.

    There was a beast she did avoid, though. Often taking flight the very moment she caught his scent.
    He was frightening. A predator.

    She was less afraid to fly now that she'd had the time to practice, and she had no opinion on the fact that her soft-feathered wings disappeared when she did. The moment her feet were off the ground, they just simply vanished as though they had never been.

    She wasn't flying today, though. Not yet. Later, she would. For now she was only out in a quiet clearing in the forest, gazing sweetly at dainty little butterfly friends that danced around her dark mane. Her coat had always been a bit dark too, a pretty bay red except around her roaned middle, but lately it had gotten a little lighter. A faint lavender sheen brushed over her ribs, her face and legs still as dark as a natural bay, her hair still dark. For now.

    Like the rest of the world, as nature often did, she would change with time.

    She didn't speak to them aloud, all the forest creatures that had long accepted her as harmless, as one of their own. A friend. Instead, she spoke their language, a language she vaguely remembered the leader of this place used to speak. She could hardly recall him now, only the bright blue of his eyes set in a dark, handsome face. Forest critters like her often didn't hold on to such memories, and so that was the most of his appearance she could recall, and didn't spend time on wondering what else she remembered.

    She did remember her little brother, the baby bear. She would always miss him, though she'd only seen him so briefly. Still did, sometimes. Without disturbing the family he's found. Perhaps he had grown up to be an enemy, even. On that thought, she hoped she'd never know. But she missed him just the same, that wild and playful light in his eyes, the way he looked just as the leader used to look. Swapped appearances, except that he was a baby bear, not a wolf. But his horse was exactly as Ruan used to be, rich smoky black with a creamy middle and deep purple spots. Brown eyes instead of those bright blue.

    But that was another story.
    Perhaps she'd never truly know the bond of family.

    She did remember a painted boy. One she met in a different forest. He'd smelled like water, oddly. She'd never learned why. Like many things in life, perhaps she never would. And she'd forgotten his name. Again.

    tell me what your heart wants, such a simple thing
    my heart is like paper; yours is like a flame

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    #2

    He was searching for his sister. Again. It seemed his lot in life to be forever seeking out family – though in Kora’s case, he knew she didn’t always want to be found. Of course, he had looked for her anyhow. The first place he’d checked had been the cavern at the northernmost reaches of Icicle Isle, but the scent of her was faded, as though she hadn’t been there for weeks. Nor had he found her in any of the rest of her usual haunts.

    It frustrated him. His niece or nephew would be months old by now. Leander had never known what it felt like to be raised amongst family, and thus he wanted desperately to be a part of the child’s life. It had only ever been him and his parents in the lands beyond Beqanna – and now that he was here he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be involved. It seemed a second chance, of sorts. And yet Kora was nowhere to be found.

    In the Pampas she had told him she was going back. Naturally, he’d assumed she’d meant back to the cold island for which she held such a strong preference, but now he wasn’t so sure. So he took wing, and, all over again, he began searching. He’d alighted in the forests of Taiga a few days ago, wandering about on foot; he wouldn’t have been able to see anything past the seamless canopy of trees from above.

    It was pleasant here, he thought. Shaded from a hot summer sun, he listened to the rustle of forest life as he picked his way past verdant poplar and rugged oak and sweet-smelling spruce. Turning a corner, he came upon a winged mare, her faintly roaning bay coat illuminated in the shifting sunlight that filtered through the leaves. “Hello,” he said, his brown eyes kind as he came to a stop. Having been confined by illness to the Isle with his less-than-talkative sister for much of the past year, he found he wouldn’t mind some friendly conversation. “My name’s Leander,” he smiled in simple greeting.



    leander
    take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake

    @[Azar]
    Reply
    #3
    Azar

    It was a gentle movement that captured her attention, tilting her head toward it and glancing over with green eyes. He approached so quietly, so calmly, that she found she wasn't at all spooked by his entrance like she might have been. She straightened from her inspection of a new plant she hadn't seen before, turned to him to watch curiously. Her delicate wings fluffed up a moment, then flattened again with a little shudder as she settled contentedly in his presence.

    She hadn't been so comfortable with a stranger before, but he was so peaceful.

    Leander, he introduced himself, and she wondered briefly if it might be another name for that gold color over him. His wings were beautiful. He may even be the first with wings that she'd met, and she couldn't help but be a little intrigued. But cautiously. And his eyes, so rich brown and gentle.

    A soft smile tugged at her lips helplessly, so strangely comfortable with him as if he'd been here all along. As if he'd always lived here. "Azar," she offered in return after a pause. Embarrassingly, she'd nearly forgotten her own name and had to think about it. She'd kept to herself for so long, it'd been years since she recited it to anyone. Or spoke to anyone.

    "Is this your home?" she asked, her voice as soft as the breeze through the canopy. Would she be seeing him here more often? 

    She turned and faced him a little more squarely, her shoulders and hips slender despite her age. A late bloomer. Red highlighted strands in her dark hair caught the sunlight and flared brighter, and her forelock was swept across her face. Her eyes were bright and interested, looking him over so openly and unaware that it may be rude or unwelcome. She'd been born in the wild, raised in the wild, and she wasn't aware of common courtesies. Like not to stare.

    tell me what your heart wants, such a simple thing
    my heart is like paper; yours is like a flame

    Reply
    #4

    It was true that Leander had an easy way about him – after all, his mother’s charm and vivacity and his father’s calm and kind ways had permeated his childhood, and they had raised him to be a good person. A gentleman, if you will. This didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed the brightness of her green eyes, the softness of her wings, or the lilting of her voice, though. “Good to meet you, Azar.” Though his expression remained friendly, Leander’s smile faded a little as he considered her quiet inquiry.

    “It’s not, I’m afraid,” he ventured, wondering if he should leave it at that – it seemed impolite to burden her slender shoulders with the sudden weight her words had stirred within his chest. Still, there was something about the way she squared off to him, something that was bold and yet unassuming all at once. “If I’m being honest, I haven’t had a place to call home in a very long time,” he blurted. Leander had to admit that he felt better for it, though he gave a wry shake of his head as though in dismissal of himself before changing gears.

    “How about you, Azar, do you live here?” He had noticed that she’d been gazing intently at something amidst the mossy foliage before his arrival had drawn her attention. “It’s certainly an interesting place.” There was a mysterious air to the woods, and it seemed that with every shift and sway of the leaves, the filtering sunbeams revealed something new to catch one’s eye. Like the hint of fiery colour in her dark forelock as it curled becomingly about the planes of her face.



    leander
    take a bullet to the heart just to keep you safe; like a dream in my arms but i’m wide awake

    @[Azar]
    Reply
    #5
    Azar

    Oh, she might've said something a little wrong. His expression dimmed and he told her it wasn't his home. She wondered if he'd lost his home, or maybe lost his family like she had. She hadn't had one for very long though. It must be harder on others that grow up with families then lose them later.

    "If I'm being honest," he continued, "I haven't had a place to call home in a very long time." He shook his head then, dismissing it as if he hadn't meant to say it to her, but his mouth had just done it anyway.

    "How about you, Azar, do you live here? It's certainly an interesting place."

    A gentle, pleased smile curved her lips and her head lifted an inch higher. "Yes," she whispered as her eyes slid to the side to take in the forest. Some trees were still so new and young and flawless, their bark bright and promising; and the older ones were scorched and scarred like hard soldiers standing their ground against all the catastrophe that had been thrust on this wonderful place. There was a haunted darkness and fear in her eyes at the memories, but the Taiga still stood strong despite everything, just as the Taigans had.

    Just as she had. She was soft and quiet, often so cautious like a wild little doe, but what she'd survived had proven to herself that she was also strong. She was also Taigan. This was definitely home.

    "The Taiga has seen more than its fair share of tragedy," she offered quietly, her gaze returning to his handsome face. "But it will always be home for me. I think... I belong here," she said in soft awe as if she was only just realizing it. She'd never really belonged anywhere before, or with anyone. But she belonged here in this forest that had sheltered predators and shape-shifters and loving families for its entire existence.

    "Why don't you have a home for so long?" she asked with awkward phrasing, unwitting evidence that she wasn't used to conversation. Sometimes she was clear and sometimes she wasn't. Her wings fluttered at her side, wide green eyes innocent and curious as she leaned forward a little and watched him.

    tell me what your heart wants, such a simple thing
    my heart is like paper; yours is like a flame

    Reply




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