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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


    [private]  A Friend Will Never Get In Your Way... Unless You Are Going Down [Izora Lethia]
    #1
    Despite the heavy rapids that nearly constantly flowed and thrashed in the heart of Beqanna's river, there were very small spots that an experienced swimmer could at least handle until the weather changed and the current with it. On this day, Aten, desiring a swim, followed the river until he found one of the spots in a softer current, testing it until he was sure it was safe.

    The golden stallion's powerful legs helped carry him through the current toward the middle, then he turned and started swimming upriver to really test his strength. When he was feeling some fatigue, he turned around and went with the current for a small break, sometimes drifting toward the bank so his hooves could touch ground and he could rest. He continued this same cycle for some time, feeling a rush whenever he became weightless in the water. It was still a small bit unnerving since in the water, he could be easily overpowered by the current or creatures in it, but at the same time, he felt... at ease.

    This was also a small stepping stone for him, for the stallion displayed hesitation whenever he went near the ocean. Ever since the attack from the squid that left him with claw marks and pieces of flesh missing that resulted in large scars on his flanks and legs, he had been traumatized to a similar degree from when Taiga was on fire all those years ago.

    Everything he did that involved fire or water was a stepping stone for him. The fire one was a bigger issue since he didn't make a habit of seeking that source of destruction out, but he found substitutes.

    The stallion's thoughts drifted back to the present, having been reminiscing, and, satisfied with swimming for the time being, he headed for the bank. When he touched solid ground and hauled himself to shore, he gave his body a good shake to try and get rid of the water. Though he was still soaked to the bone, he was no longer dripping heavily, his golden coat now sparkling in the early morning sun. He appeared darker than normal since he was wet, but still a brilliant shade that highlighted his dark mane and tail, and the muscles under his skin.

    A small bit of hunger knawed at Aten's belly, and the stallion made his way to the large oak tree not far from the bend in the river. He settled for grazing near the edge of the shade, not seeing any reason to be near the trunk since he also wanted the sun to help dry his coat. Nudging at the grass with his muzzle, Aten gripped with his teeth, pleased at the tasty flavor of the summer blades. Content with the peace and quiet, the stallion's coat warm from the summer sun, Aten would enjoy this while it lasted.

    @[Izora Lethia]
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    #2
    In time the wounds will heal, or so they say. but it had been months since Lethy's world came to a screeching halt and shattered into a million pieces, losing her baby before she was even born. It had been years since her parents had given up their lives to protect her from the beast that left behind the bright pink scar that decorated her brown dipped muzzle. Both wounds seemed to hurt in equal strength. So the world would have forgive her if she didn't believe in the power of time.

    The heat of the summer day clung to her golden torso, beads of sweat slipping from beneath her black unkempt mane. She followed the river aimlessly, thinking every now and again how easy it would be to simply walk in and let it take her away back to the ocean that had brought her here. Maybe this time it would keep her instead of spitting her back out. She didn't have a death wish, more like she simply didn't care. She had noone to call family, and no where to call home.

    She had grown accustom to not acknowledging those she passed through out her day, and didnt notice the golden stallion bathing in the sun not far from the rivers bank.

    She made her way closer to the rivers edge, a soft embankment making the task of entering easy in the soft current of this particular bend. A good place to wash away her early morning journey.

    The cool water parted around her fetlocks but then reconnected and continued on as if she hadn't just disrupted it's path. If only life was that simple she thought as she moved further in until the water reached her forearms. The current stronger than she had expected. She closed her eyes letting the water wisk away the exhaustion that that seemed to settle deep writhing her bones every chance it could. The plague long gone but yet she still suffers from its damn existence.

    Enough was enough, she needed to keep moving. As she turned to exit the river she glanced up for the first time noticing the stallion staring. Her composure faltered, her hoof slipped on a moss covered rock. Lethy had lost her balance as a small shriek escaped her lips before she was encased in the rivers waters, the current pulling her a few yards from where she had been.
    forget me not; but never remember
    Lethy

    @[Aten] she missed his showing off lol
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    #3
    Even though Aten's senses were trained on what was happening around him, the wind was going the other direction, which meant the stallion did not pick up on the scent of the mare as she got closer to the river bank to cool herself down in the water. He also didn't see her since his back was turned, his eyes on the grass as he ripped up the blades to consume them.

    It was only when the mare let out a shriek as her hooves slipped from under her body did Aten realize what was happening, and his head shot up at the terrified sound. He just barely glimpsed the mare before she went under the water a moment, not surfacing within a moment which sent ice through Aten's veins.

    He may not have known who just tumbled into the river, but he couldn't just stand by and watch as the water claimed a life. Hell, it almost claimed his, and he wasn't willing to let it take another.

    The stallion galloped toward the river, looking for any sight of the mare that had gone in. He soon spotted her a few yards downstream, the rapids beating at her like two stallions in a fight over a herd.

    Without hesitation, Aten galloped in her direction and charged into the river, trying to ignore his fatigue from his earlier swim. The stallion's muscles were strained as he swimmed toward the mare, heading downriver to get ahead of her to provide some support. When he was a good enough distance that he could catch her, Aten turned his body so that he was lined perpendicular to the bank, providing a 'wall' so the mare wouldn't go any further downstream.

    He felt the mare's body collide into him, almost knocking the wind out of him since he wasn't able to get solid footing under the water due to it's depth, but he managed to hold on enough that he wasn't knocked out of place. He kicked against the current to help the mare get to the bank, letting her lean against him if she needed to.

    It took some time, but eventually, the pair made it back to the bank, Aten finding his footing sooner than the mare due to his height. He waited until the mare got onto the bank first, hauling himself ashore and giving his coat a good shake so he could catch his breath.

    Head down as he took a moment, he looked to the mare, noticing that despite her darker coloring from the water, she was a pretty buckskin shorter than himself, with dark markings.

    "Are... you all right?" Aten breathed out, his chest heaving from exhertion, the water dripping down his coat.

    @[Izora Lethia] I think I powerplayed just a little in having Aten help, so if you want me to change it up, let me know.
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    #4
    Her sides heaved, sucking in the sweet summer air as she clumsily scrambled up the river bank, the soft ground a relief beneath her hooves.

     Spinning around once the pair were far enough away from the water her big amethyst eyes found the stallion that had saved her a couple steps away. 

    She closed the gap and embraced him for a quick moment then retreated, "Thank you," she sputtered still a little frazzled by what had just happened, " I think I am okay, are you?" she questioned searching the stallion for any scapes or bruises. Water clung to his golden coat, the sun glistening across his back, he was quite handsome. 

    A blush crept across her face. As the reality of what just happened settled in so did the embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. I lost my footing and.. and.. well he knew the rest. 

    Lethy stopped to catch her breath and to shake some of the water that clinged to her own golden and brown dipped hide. Her black forelock falling aimlessly around her bright purple eyes, and tickling the scar that splayed across her muzzle.  
    forget me not; but never remember
    Lethy

    @[Aten]
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    #5
    It was not that Aten was expecting a thank you or a huge show of gratitude from the mare, but he definitely didn't expect what happened next. The mare, without warning, gently embraced him as she thanked him for saving her from the rapids, retreating to a respectful distance and asking Aten the same question in return.

    The golden king had not been hurt by his escapade in the river earlier, nor the one just now. He was well aware that the mare might see his scars and assume something at firs, but he would clarify and say he was not in any pain. The golden king nodded, "Yes, I am all right. No bones broken."

    The water clinging his forelock to his forehead made the stallion shake it some to try and get his mane out of his eyes, resulting in half of his forelock resting down his nose, the other tucked in the groove between his left eye and ear. He didn't see the blush creeping across the mare's cheeks, for in that one moment, for only a moment, he was mesmerized by something very unique.

    He'd seen a myriad of colors before, but this mare's eyes were something else entirely. A lovely shade of purple that somewhat resembled some flowers that grew in the meadow in springtime, the golden stallion almost found himself speechless. He quickly composed himself to avoid seeming like a fool, briefly also noting the scars she had across her muzzle. Aten wondered what could have happened to cause those; it could've been any number of things. His own ranged from big cat predators to water monsters, everywhere on his body from his pasterns to his belly to his flanks to his face and neck.

    He had a somewhat visible one that went from his right cheekbone to the underside of his chin where that squid had gotten him with a clawed tentacle, but unless one was at a good angle it was rarely noticeable. So, in other words, the stallion knew the shadows some scars carried.

    The mare began apologizing for the fiasco that had just occured, to which Aten just shook his head and gently intervened once she'd finished speaking, "There is nothing for you to apologize for. I am just glad to see that you are all right."

    He wanted to continue, but first, the stallion thought better, and said, "Perhaps we should move away from the bank some so we can talk. I do not want either of us to take a tumble on those slippery rocks again."

    Once Aten himself had moved away, grateful for the warm sun drying his coat, he smiled gently at the mare, "And I believe proper introductions are in order. My name is Aten, from the Taiga kingdom. Who might a fair maiden such as yourself be?"

    @[Izora Lethia]
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    #6
    She followed him away from the river thankful for the distance between the pair and the babbling waters. The summer sun began to work quickly at the rebellious water that clung to her sides, and she closed her eyes for a moment welcoming the warmth. It had been a while since something had shook her enough to make her appreciate something so minuscule.

    The stallion introduced himself as Aten from a place called Taiga, somewhere she had never been. Who might a fair maiden such as yourself be? he asked.

    She had not expected those words to describe her, and her tongue faltered for a moment. Izora Lethia she mumbled as her gaze stumbled from Aten's but quickly returned. She had not had a solid conversation with anyone in a while, but she knew that couldn't last forever. My name is Izora Lethia, but you can call me Lethy she said her confidence returning enough to make something that could maybe be defined as a productive conversation. I've only been in Beqanna for a year, brought here  by the oceans currents.I have yet to find a place to settle down. as the words left her mouth the thought of her daughter who never made it through pregnancy made it's way to her mind once again, and the sorrow seemed to play in her eyes no matter how well she composed herself.
    forget me not; but never remember
    Lethy

    @[Aten]
    IMG-20190524-092123-677
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    #7
    Aten found it quite... adorable, was the only word he could use to describe it, when the mare blissfully closed her eyes a minute to enjoy the warm sun on her coat that was working to dry her as it did the same for him. She then introduced herself, mumbling at first but then seeming to work up the courage to say her full name and a nickname as well.

    Her upbringings were not what Aten expected, but the golden stallion had been born in this land and had not yet encountered, much less spoken with, a horse who hailed here to Beqanna in the same fashion that his dam had years ago. It also seemed that Lethy did not have a place to call home yet, and Aten sympathized with her. He'd experienced the same struggle long ago before he found his place in the Taiga prior to it's destruction.

    Aten gazed into the mare's eyes for a minute as he listened to her, glimpsing something else besides the happy and still somewhat frightened look. There was a third emotion in there, something... buried, deep, the mare seeming to try and cover it up by striking conversation and putting on a facade. It was obvious that she was hiding something, but Aten would not push this matter with her. If she wished to tell him, in her own time, once they were friends, she could tell him.

    Aten only wished she would want to be his friend first. Secrets could come out at a later time.

    The stallion offered another gentle smile, "Well, Lethy, though we have just met, since you are searching for a place to call home, I would be honored if you allowed me to show you mine. It is a beautiful kingdom nestled in Beqanna's heart, and while it may not seem like much, there is plenty of beauty to behold."

    The golden king began to step in the direction of his home, turning his body so that his left side was facing the mare. Then, at the end, he added, "And, if I can say, I think I prefer if I could call you Lethia."

    @[Izora Lethia]
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    #8
    Lethy contemplated the idea of a home as Aten offered to she her his. Watching him start to leave she sucked down some fresh summer air, she needed to start some where. She had quested at the mountain and soon wouldn't be so fragile, if she waited until then she might pass up something she couldn't find again. She took a tentative step to follow Aten, making her decision. As they started on their way Aten surprised her by asking if he could call her Lethia instead of Lethy like everyone else. Only her adoptive mother had ever called her Lethia, and though memories before Beqanna seemed to be slipping away, this simple thing seemed to bring her some comfort. "I'd like that." she said before continuing towards her new possibilities.
    forget me not; but never remember
    Lethy

    @[Aten] go ahead and make a new thread in Tiaga!
    IMG-20190524-092123-677
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