07-27-2015, 08:40 AM
It had been ages since Leiland had dreamt of the mystery man. Dark as steel he had come in the night, stealing the silver boy away into the dark away from his mother and father.
Years they had spent together, living in the mountains and with a determined and fatherly nature, he taught Leiland how to speak, lead, and direct until one day the dark man left him with a gift. A gentle brush of the lips against his forehead at the age of three and suddenly the world went dark. Slowly he found himself curling up on the ground underneath a large oak and the deepest of sleep seemed to overtake him. The total of a year passed as he slept, and when he awoke he found himself covered in vines and moss and the soft pit pat of rain sung softly in his ears.
Standing slowly, he tore the vines that held him in a gentle cocoon and shook them free. With a soft gaze he looked around slowly before catching sight of a faint trail close by. "Father?" voice cracking from a lack of use he took a step forward before hesitating momentarily. The silence of the forest surrounding him was calm and peaceful and with sudden assurance he began to walk down the path that laid so carefully amongst the trees. Slowly over time the forest grew brighter as the trees became less dense and the soft glow of the morning sun licked at his silver coat as he stepped into a small clearing and up to a ledge, looking out over miles of land.
The beauty of it all was unmistakable. The grass was a deep shining emerald, tall and thick as it blew calmly in a soft breeze. The trees were full with leaves, the streams twinkling and crystal clear as they flowed gently through the hills. Small families dotted the clearings, foals running inbetween their mothers legs in joyous excitement. The birds overhead flew through the skies with grace and sung their morning songs as the small creatures of the forest made their way to forage and hunt for the morning meals. Butterflies dotted the fields of wildflowers and turtles happily rode on the backs of the crocodiles as they traveled through the lake.
Everything and everyone seemed to move in harmony. Arguments were nonexistent, hatred had become obsolete. The land as he once knew it was no more. His home had become the perfect place and as the sun reached it's full height he looked down once more only to notice every creature and horse staring up at him momentarily before going back to their morning activities. It was only then he noticed the smile on his face that had appeared the moment he saw them all staring up at him and the feeling of peace that filled him made him slowly close his eyes.
With a sudden jolt he awoke from his dream, a memory from the first time he found himself in the world he been given by the mystery man. A gift that seemed worthy enough to be passed down from father to son. For over those few years the pair had become just as much, and every day Leiland missed the man like a true son would miss his long lost father. Silently he moved forward, pushing through the brush into a small clearing and looking down he saw the golden mare he had grown to love over the last five years and at her side lay a cremello filly, the princess of their beautiful kingdom. With a gentle touch he leaned down, kissing her forehead as she woke and he breathed her name quietly in order not to wake his queen. The blue eyed girl stared up at Leiland and smiled sleepily before standing, her tail flicking back and forth and with ginger steps she moved towards him, pressing her side against his chest.
It was in this moment his heart filled with the most joyous love a parent could hold within them as he leaned down and wrapped his neck around hers, pulling her into a hug. He only pulled away slightly when he heard her gasp softly and then looked up to see what had filled her with wonder and excitement. Elegantly dancing through the air were dozens of fireflies surrounding them with a soft neon green glow. His daughter slowly reached her nose out towards them and one by one they flew down to bounce against her nose before all coming together and forming a small crown atop her her head inbetween her tiny ears.
The sight caused Leiland to smile, that is, until she sneezed making them all scatter in shock and it was then he began to chuckle before noticing the next sneeze, and then the next. And then the sneezing turned into coughing and with each cough came specks of blood. Then slowly with wide eyes and a gentle whimper the tiny girl, so young and delicate, looked up at her father before slowly crippling down to the ground. With a silent yell of desperation, he fell to his knees, trying to wrap her small frame in a tight hug but as his skin made contact with hers the small girl changed to dust and quickly blew away in the wind. With desperate screams, he found himself looking up towards his lover, his queen, his soulmate and as she stood up, tears rolling down her face with a silent scream caught in her throat he watched her too begin to turn to dust and then blow away.
And then it came, the agonizing screams and the pain of a true heart broken filling his chest and spreading to every corner of his body until he was too weak to stand and he collapsed completely onto the ground. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he gasped inbetween sobs until he heard the soft snap of a fallen branch and looked up, eyes wide in shock and fear, only to see himself surrounded by the creatures he had become friends with. Or for so long, had thought were friends. In these few moments, Leiland realize instead of being their friends, he had made them their servants, and finally they were turning on him. And their first move was taking the only two things that meant more than anything to him. Standing suddenly, he turned in a tight circle until finding the only opening and quickly he bolted through it, wolves and coyotes and bears following in pursuit.
Yet down the Mountain he ran, willing the power inside him that he so rarely used anymore to heighten the sound of his voice and suddenly he called out to the others, "Run!" he screamed. Over and over he yelled it as he watched the others turn and begin galloping towards the outskirts. And one by one, he watched them taken down by the predators of their world. Those who were not harmed he watched let their fear take over and within seconds, they were battling against eachother, their minds suddenly cursed as the used their teeth to rip out their own lovers throats and their hooves to bash in their own mothers skulls.
It was these sights that made him turn to the lakes, forgetting of crocodiles and other things that lurked in the deep waters. Racing towards it, he saw the water as hope and without looking behind him, he could hear they were gaining on him and right as he crashed into the water the closest wolf took hold of his ankle inbetween sharp teeth, causing him to come crashing down in the waves. Struggling, he kicked, hearing a loud squeal as he made contact with the wolf's jaw and then he found himself sinking below the waves. Tumbling he forced himself to kick despite the pain, trying his best to make it to the surface. And when he broke at the top, he gasped a lung-full of air before suddenly being pulled back under.
With desparate kicks he felt whatever it was that had taken hold of him let go and again, he broke the waters surface only to be pulled back under. Each and every time he could get a gasp of air, he was pulled back and then released. Finally he felt his lungs begin to burn painfully and each time he began to swallow more water and lose more energy to hold himself up above the surface. It was only when he finally started to sink on his own that he saw the crocodiles closing in, their eyes glowing bright orange and yellow before opening their jaws wide. The fear that consumed him then was nothing like the fear he would feel later. When he'd realize this was all a different reality.
And then their jaws clamped down and with a water filled scream he found himself truly waking in the Amazons, his first real home and with shock he took in sight of the smoke filled jungle and the flames licking at the tall trees. Moments passed as he took it all in, memories all rushing back to him of what was truly real, and stumbling to his feet he backed and then found himself turning on his haunches desperately searching for an escape route. It took only moments to realize he would have to run through the flames in order to free himself and start making a way to somewhere that may not be ravaged by the fires. Trying to decide which way to take, it was at this moment he heard the distant screams of others being unable to escape the flames.
It was the sound of their traveling agony that caused him to bolt and run through the line of flames, screaming painfully as they burned his legs and the underside of his stomach. Despite the searing pain and smell of burning skin, he pushed himself to move as quickly as he could as the fires overtook the lands behind him. Again he was running from the beasts of the land. Just this time instead of predatory and rabid animals turned against him, it was the wildfires destroying his homeland. He watched as trees snapped at their centers and came crashing down on others trying to escape and quickly he curved towards the mountains when he noticed the earth began to open and swallow unaware escapees.
The land was destroying itself it seemed, and taking its residents with it. Tears streaming down his face, he gasped ragged breaths as he continued to run soon joining a small herd of others and running alongside them. That is until he watched as each one by one fell behind and tired and were overtaken by the flames or collapsed from running themselves to death. Each time he'd look back and yell encouragement until he saw they weren't going to make it and each time he cried a little bit harder until finally there were only three of them left, including himself. It seemed like years before they finally reached the mountainside and together began to climb as quickly as possible, forgetting simply to be careful.
Fear had overtaken them all and it pushed them to move faster and faster as they moved further up. It was the lack of focus on his step and true direction that caused Leiland to not react in time when the one infront of him came crashing down, their hooves having caught a loose set of stone and losing their hold. Quickly they fell and took Leiland with them, knocking him down on his front knees and his face slamming against the ground. Gravel met skin and on the left side of his face they cut jagged lines down his cheek and over his eye. Stunned he slowly looked up, watching in what seemed like slow motion as the other rose back to their feet and looked back at him before turning quickly and moving quickly up the trail to the top of the mountain. With shaky vision, he willed himself to slowly stand, knees shaking as he reached his full height, before shaking his head slightly.
There was ringing in his ears, and he stumbled slightly as world spun around him before he was finally able to stand still and close his eyes. He could smell the destruction of the land, hear the dying screams, sense the pain, anger and desparation of those who made it. And then he opened his eyes slowly and looked around him before finally stepping forward, pushing himself to crawl up the rest of the trail to join the others. By the time he reached the gathering crowd that stood and watched as Beqanna burned, the left side of his face and neck had become soaked in his own blood and sweat and despite the throbbing pain he felt in his legs and face he pushed himself through the crowd, to get a front seat viewing of what the true damage was.
It was then he realized all of it was gone. And the only remaining things left alive where those who stood on the mountainside, lucky enough, or even tragic enough to escape the worldwide destruction. Against the midnight sky, the red and orange glow of the fire and the sky blackened as smoke drew a painted picture of total and utter chaos. Charred earth, and crumbling bodies lay for everyone to see for miles. And as he turned to look at those amongst him, he realized he saw nobody. Not his family, nor the others he grew up with. And somehow deep down he realized that he was alone. They were gone. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Slowly he lowered himself to the ground, allowing himself to lay down before his legs finally gave out and with an exhausted gasp, he found himself crying once more. He cried for the lives lost, and the destruction of everything he knew and loved. He cried for those who lost children, and lovers. For those who lost their mothers and fathers, their brothers and sisters. He cried for their hearts. And he cried for a world charred and black.
Their world and their lives were no more.
The only question left was, "what now?"
Years they had spent together, living in the mountains and with a determined and fatherly nature, he taught Leiland how to speak, lead, and direct until one day the dark man left him with a gift. A gentle brush of the lips against his forehead at the age of three and suddenly the world went dark. Slowly he found himself curling up on the ground underneath a large oak and the deepest of sleep seemed to overtake him. The total of a year passed as he slept, and when he awoke he found himself covered in vines and moss and the soft pit pat of rain sung softly in his ears.
Standing slowly, he tore the vines that held him in a gentle cocoon and shook them free. With a soft gaze he looked around slowly before catching sight of a faint trail close by. "Father?" voice cracking from a lack of use he took a step forward before hesitating momentarily. The silence of the forest surrounding him was calm and peaceful and with sudden assurance he began to walk down the path that laid so carefully amongst the trees. Slowly over time the forest grew brighter as the trees became less dense and the soft glow of the morning sun licked at his silver coat as he stepped into a small clearing and up to a ledge, looking out over miles of land.
The beauty of it all was unmistakable. The grass was a deep shining emerald, tall and thick as it blew calmly in a soft breeze. The trees were full with leaves, the streams twinkling and crystal clear as they flowed gently through the hills. Small families dotted the clearings, foals running inbetween their mothers legs in joyous excitement. The birds overhead flew through the skies with grace and sung their morning songs as the small creatures of the forest made their way to forage and hunt for the morning meals. Butterflies dotted the fields of wildflowers and turtles happily rode on the backs of the crocodiles as they traveled through the lake.
Everything and everyone seemed to move in harmony. Arguments were nonexistent, hatred had become obsolete. The land as he once knew it was no more. His home had become the perfect place and as the sun reached it's full height he looked down once more only to notice every creature and horse staring up at him momentarily before going back to their morning activities. It was only then he noticed the smile on his face that had appeared the moment he saw them all staring up at him and the feeling of peace that filled him made him slowly close his eyes.
With a sudden jolt he awoke from his dream, a memory from the first time he found himself in the world he been given by the mystery man. A gift that seemed worthy enough to be passed down from father to son. For over those few years the pair had become just as much, and every day Leiland missed the man like a true son would miss his long lost father. Silently he moved forward, pushing through the brush into a small clearing and looking down he saw the golden mare he had grown to love over the last five years and at her side lay a cremello filly, the princess of their beautiful kingdom. With a gentle touch he leaned down, kissing her forehead as she woke and he breathed her name quietly in order not to wake his queen. The blue eyed girl stared up at Leiland and smiled sleepily before standing, her tail flicking back and forth and with ginger steps she moved towards him, pressing her side against his chest.
It was in this moment his heart filled with the most joyous love a parent could hold within them as he leaned down and wrapped his neck around hers, pulling her into a hug. He only pulled away slightly when he heard her gasp softly and then looked up to see what had filled her with wonder and excitement. Elegantly dancing through the air were dozens of fireflies surrounding them with a soft neon green glow. His daughter slowly reached her nose out towards them and one by one they flew down to bounce against her nose before all coming together and forming a small crown atop her her head inbetween her tiny ears.
The sight caused Leiland to smile, that is, until she sneezed making them all scatter in shock and it was then he began to chuckle before noticing the next sneeze, and then the next. And then the sneezing turned into coughing and with each cough came specks of blood. Then slowly with wide eyes and a gentle whimper the tiny girl, so young and delicate, looked up at her father before slowly crippling down to the ground. With a silent yell of desperation, he fell to his knees, trying to wrap her small frame in a tight hug but as his skin made contact with hers the small girl changed to dust and quickly blew away in the wind. With desperate screams, he found himself looking up towards his lover, his queen, his soulmate and as she stood up, tears rolling down her face with a silent scream caught in her throat he watched her too begin to turn to dust and then blow away.
And then it came, the agonizing screams and the pain of a true heart broken filling his chest and spreading to every corner of his body until he was too weak to stand and he collapsed completely onto the ground. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he gasped inbetween sobs until he heard the soft snap of a fallen branch and looked up, eyes wide in shock and fear, only to see himself surrounded by the creatures he had become friends with. Or for so long, had thought were friends. In these few moments, Leiland realize instead of being their friends, he had made them their servants, and finally they were turning on him. And their first move was taking the only two things that meant more than anything to him. Standing suddenly, he turned in a tight circle until finding the only opening and quickly he bolted through it, wolves and coyotes and bears following in pursuit.
Yet down the Mountain he ran, willing the power inside him that he so rarely used anymore to heighten the sound of his voice and suddenly he called out to the others, "Run!" he screamed. Over and over he yelled it as he watched the others turn and begin galloping towards the outskirts. And one by one, he watched them taken down by the predators of their world. Those who were not harmed he watched let their fear take over and within seconds, they were battling against eachother, their minds suddenly cursed as the used their teeth to rip out their own lovers throats and their hooves to bash in their own mothers skulls.
It was these sights that made him turn to the lakes, forgetting of crocodiles and other things that lurked in the deep waters. Racing towards it, he saw the water as hope and without looking behind him, he could hear they were gaining on him and right as he crashed into the water the closest wolf took hold of his ankle inbetween sharp teeth, causing him to come crashing down in the waves. Struggling, he kicked, hearing a loud squeal as he made contact with the wolf's jaw and then he found himself sinking below the waves. Tumbling he forced himself to kick despite the pain, trying his best to make it to the surface. And when he broke at the top, he gasped a lung-full of air before suddenly being pulled back under.
With desparate kicks he felt whatever it was that had taken hold of him let go and again, he broke the waters surface only to be pulled back under. Each and every time he could get a gasp of air, he was pulled back and then released. Finally he felt his lungs begin to burn painfully and each time he began to swallow more water and lose more energy to hold himself up above the surface. It was only when he finally started to sink on his own that he saw the crocodiles closing in, their eyes glowing bright orange and yellow before opening their jaws wide. The fear that consumed him then was nothing like the fear he would feel later. When he'd realize this was all a different reality.
And then their jaws clamped down and with a water filled scream he found himself truly waking in the Amazons, his first real home and with shock he took in sight of the smoke filled jungle and the flames licking at the tall trees. Moments passed as he took it all in, memories all rushing back to him of what was truly real, and stumbling to his feet he backed and then found himself turning on his haunches desperately searching for an escape route. It took only moments to realize he would have to run through the flames in order to free himself and start making a way to somewhere that may not be ravaged by the fires. Trying to decide which way to take, it was at this moment he heard the distant screams of others being unable to escape the flames.
It was the sound of their traveling agony that caused him to bolt and run through the line of flames, screaming painfully as they burned his legs and the underside of his stomach. Despite the searing pain and smell of burning skin, he pushed himself to move as quickly as he could as the fires overtook the lands behind him. Again he was running from the beasts of the land. Just this time instead of predatory and rabid animals turned against him, it was the wildfires destroying his homeland. He watched as trees snapped at their centers and came crashing down on others trying to escape and quickly he curved towards the mountains when he noticed the earth began to open and swallow unaware escapees.
The land was destroying itself it seemed, and taking its residents with it. Tears streaming down his face, he gasped ragged breaths as he continued to run soon joining a small herd of others and running alongside them. That is until he watched as each one by one fell behind and tired and were overtaken by the flames or collapsed from running themselves to death. Each time he'd look back and yell encouragement until he saw they weren't going to make it and each time he cried a little bit harder until finally there were only three of them left, including himself. It seemed like years before they finally reached the mountainside and together began to climb as quickly as possible, forgetting simply to be careful.
Fear had overtaken them all and it pushed them to move faster and faster as they moved further up. It was the lack of focus on his step and true direction that caused Leiland to not react in time when the one infront of him came crashing down, their hooves having caught a loose set of stone and losing their hold. Quickly they fell and took Leiland with them, knocking him down on his front knees and his face slamming against the ground. Gravel met skin and on the left side of his face they cut jagged lines down his cheek and over his eye. Stunned he slowly looked up, watching in what seemed like slow motion as the other rose back to their feet and looked back at him before turning quickly and moving quickly up the trail to the top of the mountain. With shaky vision, he willed himself to slowly stand, knees shaking as he reached his full height, before shaking his head slightly.
There was ringing in his ears, and he stumbled slightly as world spun around him before he was finally able to stand still and close his eyes. He could smell the destruction of the land, hear the dying screams, sense the pain, anger and desparation of those who made it. And then he opened his eyes slowly and looked around him before finally stepping forward, pushing himself to crawl up the rest of the trail to join the others. By the time he reached the gathering crowd that stood and watched as Beqanna burned, the left side of his face and neck had become soaked in his own blood and sweat and despite the throbbing pain he felt in his legs and face he pushed himself through the crowd, to get a front seat viewing of what the true damage was.
It was then he realized all of it was gone. And the only remaining things left alive where those who stood on the mountainside, lucky enough, or even tragic enough to escape the worldwide destruction. Against the midnight sky, the red and orange glow of the fire and the sky blackened as smoke drew a painted picture of total and utter chaos. Charred earth, and crumbling bodies lay for everyone to see for miles. And as he turned to look at those amongst him, he realized he saw nobody. Not his family, nor the others he grew up with. And somehow deep down he realized that he was alone. They were gone. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Slowly he lowered himself to the ground, allowing himself to lay down before his legs finally gave out and with an exhausted gasp, he found himself crying once more. He cried for the lives lost, and the destruction of everything he knew and loved. He cried for those who lost children, and lovers. For those who lost their mothers and fathers, their brothers and sisters. He cried for their hearts. And he cried for a world charred and black.
Their world and their lives were no more.
The only question left was, "what now?"