"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
We got older and I should have known that I’d feel colder when I walk alone
Taiga - the Free Land. Yet that also made it the Silent Land, and when one really thinks on it, almost a Common Land. Was that what it was meant to be? Surely not. Yet the silence is rather eerie.
He hadn’t heard the call Aten had made so he wasn’t here for the meeting. In fact, as always, he was more or less just passing through. Curious. But when he heard voices, he felt like maybe there were in fact people living here, discussing things, and the ice dragon had stopped and waited for them to finish at a distance.
His draconic vision allowed him to see them from afar, without having to listen in. And so he’d waited for them to part ways, now spying one heat signature coming somewhat his way - and started moving to alert them to his presence. Let’s see what had become of the Taiga, then, after Lilitha stepped down.
Leilan
no. 7 | ice forged in fire
Quite literally @anyone
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
04-25-2019, 07:31 AM (This post was last modified: 04-25-2019, 09:43 AM by Crevan.
Edit Reason: I didn’t proofread
)
Our skin gets thicker, living out in the snow
CREVAN
Aten had (quite literally) said that Crevan could stay, so (quite literally) that’s exactly what the wolf-shifter was doing. Staying.
Not that the other horse could exactly make him leave, but more so that he was invested in the opportunity awaiting him here. Whether it came now or later didn’t matter - time was suspended indefinitely for Crevan so he had plenty of reason to simply lie in wait.
Like all creatures of his kind though, it was hard not to be restless in that suspended state, so he was busy entertaining himself by roaming the Taiga expanse in his wolfskin and looking for fresh meat to hunt and devour. The plague, however, made that nearly impossible.
Suddenly, his nose jerked away from the forest floor to whuff the air and a fresh scent it carried along with it. He smiled a toothy grin, whipped his tail back and forth at the thought of a newcomer, and shifted his body from the hunched, pale predator he usually was into the thick, iron-strong shape of a stallion before weaving along overgrown trails to where Leilan waited.
Slipping out from behind the cover of Taiga’s redwoods, he gave the bay roan a rolling sort of call instead of speaking first. When he came close enough to see the pattern of layered scales across the spotted visitors hide, Crevan asked, “See any healthy animals on your way in? I’ve been searching all morning with bad luck. The sickness is spreading.”
He clicked his tongue against his teeth and shook his heavy, night-blue mane. “Probably didn’t come here for that anyways; you look like the serious type.” He sighed and then shrugged. “Call me Crevan if you like. There’s a slight chance I can help you… if that’s what you’re looking for.” The dark horse chuckled briefly, relaxing into his position.
The sharp tilt of his ears flicked back and forth, waiting to see if King Midas (as he’d so favorably nicknamed Aten) and his pet songbird would come along. It would certainly make things more interesting than they had been around here.
The meeting had not really gone as Aten had planned, had been hopeful about, but really, what could he ask for that Taiga couldn't offer? There weren't that many horses living here right now to begin with, it was understandable that the kingdom seemed... quiet, almost unnerving.
Following his encounter with that wolf, Aten had left the scene with his falcon companion, letting his friend know he was all right and telling him to go take flight to stretch his wings out in a fun manner since he'd only been gone earlier in search of his next meal. Turul opened his wings and flapped them a few times to gain some height, staying within Aten's eyesight but taking to the skies to do what he was born to do.
The golden stallion, deciding to wander Taiga's meadows to clear his head, allowed his hooves to glide over the grass as he walked on. Turul would swoop down a few times within range to check on his friend, and then would retreat to give him his space. After some time, Turul seemed focused on something, diving away and toward the grass. Recognizing the display, Aten figured his friend had located his next meal, watching wordlessly as he continued to walk.
Not possessing the ability of dragon vision like the ice king, Aten was at first not aware that Leilan had come here to Taiga. But that was another upside to having a newfound sky-bound companion like Taiga's new leader; Turul was his eyes up there. The Gyrfalcon, still feating on it's meal, more than a dozen yards in front of Aten, spotted the much bigger creature first. Tilting his head curiously, he waited a moment to see if anything of bad consequences would happen.
What it seemed this other horse wasn't here to case ill intent, Turul took to the skies again and flew back toward Aten. When he landed on the stallion's back, it took but a minute for Aten to figure out what Turul was trying to imply.
The golden stallion picked up his pace to a faster walk, also spotting the ice king when he moved against the meadow's grass. Leilan was easily recognizable from this distance, and, being on good relations with the king, Aten decided to approach and greet him. Unfortunately, another beat him to the punch; a dark stallion with a blue mane and tail. Catching his scent, Aten couldn't help but think that he smelled like the wolf he encountered a short time ago. He vaguely wondered if the creature was still around, since Aten extended an unwilling invitation for him to stay in Taiga if he so wished.
Approaching the two stallions, Aten did nothing but glance at the champange coated one before focusing his eyes on the ice king.
"Good to see you Leilan," Aten piped up, dipping his head in greeting. "How have you fared in suns past?"
We got older and I should have known that I’d feel colder when I walk alone
The ice-clad roan didn’t recognise the horse-form before him; dipping his head slightly to acknowledge him after the -slightly strange- call, he awaited the introductions, yet they came late and he could frankly shake his head when asked if he’d seen any prey. No, the colder seasons weren’t kind to anyone - and Leilan kept a mostly omnivorous diet anyway. Having been a horse longer than an icedrake (even though with years passing, that number of equality would be nearing them soon), he still only took flesh when there were no other options.
When he got called the serious type, a spark of defiant boyism lingered, his eyes taking a slightly more turquoise shade as he kept listening. Crevan - ah, but wasn’t that interesting. Though Leilan honestly looked a tad different back then, too, he’d not forget the name of the half-wolf who had chased who was now the mother of his firstborn.
Life had a way of coming back at you, and Leilan outs a short laugh. ”Did you leave your wolf-skin in Sylva?” A grin follows, then a shake of his mane. ”I won’t be needing help any time soon I hope, unless you’d like to direct any winter-like shifters my way? Thank you for offering though.” That’s not, exactly, what Crevan had said or meant to say, he’s certain. But he rather likes teasing anyway.
Looking up, the falcon just about leaves them to sit on Aten. ”Ah, Aten. I see you’ve found a friend.” Not quite explaining if he meant the falcon or the wolf, the dragon-like stallion doesn’t really mind however such a comment is taken. ”I suppose Heartfire would like to know where you stand, but I reckon this is still the Land of the Free, hmm?”
A fly annoys him and he doubts his niece isn’t spying on them now, but he wouldn’t quite assume it is this particular fly - and he swats it. Even if she was with the bug she would find another soon. Or she could actually ask him what happened. Either way, he’s more interested in the tension he feels between the two men. ”I’ve fared better in the ice than under the sun, as you well know.” he answers Aten in his own time. Then he looks between the two of them. ”So what can this piece of ice do for you two lovebirds, hmm? Need some cooldown?”
Leilan
no. 7 | ice forged in fire
Slow, slower, slowest
@[Crevan] yer turn
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
Despite his less-than-casual demeanor, Crevan barks a loud laugh in Lelian’s direction at the mention of his wolfskin. By gods! He thinks, eyes widening at the devilish newcomer, trying hard to pin where and when he’d revealed himself to this one. He doesn’t remember because it’s the mare that would’ve stuck out in his mind that day, but either way he brushes the curiosity aside and bellows deeply in a tone that never quite suited him. He missed the short, whuffing sound of laughing through a wet, pointed nose.
In fact he almost shifts back simply to experience the pleasure of being his normal self, but the crash of heavy footsteps makes him pause.
Aten; or good old King Midas and his songbird. The elder horse (and boy is he truly an elder, listening to him talk) glances sidelong at Crevan but says nothing, to which Crevan grins happily in reply. Words didn’t seem necessary between them. Aten knew exactly where the wolf-horse stood and that was fine with Crevan. Nothing in this world scared him, and no cold shoulder could anger him.
“Oh I think Aten’s capable of that himself, no help from you.” The muddy stallion sighs, “Nice and cool, and empty. And cool.”
“But you keep mentioning ice Leilan. It’s been a minute since my return, help jog my memory. What place in Beqanna has ice?” He asks, leaving the question open for either the scaled horse or his loving buddy Aten to answer.
"For the time being, yes," Aten offered. "I plan to keep this land as a free one, a haven for those who wish for a home. But Nerine was kind enough to offer protection and an alliance in the past, and I wish to return the favor when Taiga has grown more. I have approached Heartfire with the question shortly before today, and I offered her the time she needed to make her decision."
The golden stallion wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't bristled by Leilan's comment about the tension between himself and Crevan, but he did not let his negative feelings show. Instead, he offered, "Well, in terms of what you can do for the two of us, I can't think of anything," he stated flatly.
"However, in terms of Taiga, I still to this day am seeking those who would potentially be willing to help by spreading word of the kingdom, much like how I approached Heartfire in Nerine. Would you be willing to discuss that, if that was not the reason you came here today yourself? Now that I recall, I do not believe I asked you why you had decided to come here today."
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