"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
you smiled at the stars like they knew all your secrets
Sand swirled around the mare's hooves as she stood in the desert, her dark chocolate-colored eyes watching the horizon where an oasis rested. The morning sun heated her pale, dappled coat as it peered above the desert, turning the clouds a pale orange and purple against a light blue sky that seemed to never end. Wind danced around her, tossing her mane playfully. Neso looked at Yael with excitement in her eyes and a gentle, happy smile on her lips.
"Is that it?"
She asked hopefully with excitement and amazement tangled in her words yet they flowed smoothly as if she had finally started to calm down a bit after traveling so far. Sometimes, it was almost as if she were more of a foal rather than a fully-grown mare with her endless energy and her abundant amount of excitement towards the world. With a mind like that, the world can be a dangerous place, you can easily be tricked, misled, abused, or even worse. of course, don't think that Neso doesn't know that for a second... Maybe she simply acts that way so the full force of things doesn't hit her head on. Some might call it smart, others would call it cowardly. She knows perfectly well what happened and in no way does she deny. The memories linger in her mind every waking moment. She instead ignores and shoves away the feelings and pain they cause every single moment, essentially forcing herself to be energetic, happy, and hopeful because the second she isn't those feelings come back in full force.
She watched Yael with her charming wings and beautiful coat for a few heartbeats before turning her focus back on the oasis. Excitement buzzed down her neck and along her spine, making her want to run towards the trees and plants among the pink-tinted, windswept sand. She took a deep breathe which stretched her lungs and let it back out a moment later, making her smile grow a bit. They were so close now. So close to her new home. Whispers of anxiety buzzed in her brain but they were drown out by intoxicating joy and happiness.
She started walking again a bit quicker, almost a trot. The moon still hung in the sky but faded by the morning light cast by the rising sun. The stars had gone to sleep long ago, when barely a sliver of sun was visible and now clouds littered the sky. Neso thought to herself,
Sunrises and sunsets were quite the illustrious bookends to scorching hot days and cool - then cold - nights. They were almost always treated to a show, and today is no exception. Yael breathes deeply, inhaling the peculiar smells of home, and keeping it as a part of herself. Some said she smelled of spices: of saffron and cinnamon and even a little musky sweat. She glances over at Neso, happy to see such innocent joy in her face. “Yes, t’at ees eet.” Neso reminds her of Zilpah, a little bit, and her thoughts fly to her second-born, wherever she is out beyond Beqanna. She is safe, of course, with Zale and Rosalinde and Sawflesh. Everyone must have their own Great Adventure, and that was theirs.
She misses her children, of course. But she is also lucky, because she can be with them whenever she wants to be. Whenever they want her to be.
“Velcome xome, Neeso. Safest place in B’kanna.” Yael nods towards the interior of the Desert. There is something that the gray mare isn’t saying, but Yael doesn’t want to pry. Much. They break into a trot, throwing up sand in their wake, and because it isn’t quite so hot out (yet), Yael keeps talking. “So, xow deed you come to be xere, dear?”
The golden mare quickly wonders if anyone will meet them - the sands have been awfully quiet lately. She doesn’t want Neso to get a bad impression of the place.
08-26-2015, 08:05 PM (This post was last modified: 08-26-2015, 08:06 PM by Neso.)
you smiled at the stars like they knew all your secrets
It felt strange to be welcomed home somewhere that she had never been. It was a good type strange but strange nonetheless. The type of strange where you're so excited yet scared at the same time that it feels almost like a dream or that you're watching through someone else's eyes. She couldn't help but look back at the oasis for a few more heartbeats before Yael asked how about how she had come to this point in her life.
The question dug up flashes of memories from Neso's old home. She paused for a moment, thinking of how to explain what happened in the past four years of her life to Yael in a quick way, without telling her everything. A small sense of sorrow and longing for her home, for her family coated her words. It's not like it would hurt anyone if she left out a few details. Besides, she would not lie... She simply didn't need to include what that 'separation' was caused by. She had gotten over the homesickness long, long ago but happy memories that she is to never experience again still do sting.
"I was separated from my family when I was young, only after four, maybe five seasons. After that, I was too scared and too young to simply stay in one place. Sure, I knew it my home well but what would I do if other horses came? I would be forced to leave anyways or maybe I would have been forced into their herd and at the time that seemed like a horrible idea. At first I had run until my legs screamed for me to stop day after day. By then I was too far away to ever go back. I had no idea where I was so I simply wandered. That continued for a while until I ran into someone who was travelling as well. I had no idea if they were running away from something or running to something. It was a mare who would soon have a foal. She told me of a place where you can find a home so after a while, I went to that place and here I am now."
She cast a small smile towards Yael with excitement but and a good amount of nervousness shimmering in her earthy-colored eyes that didn't resemble much in this barren land. When she was home with was the color of the earth, of the tall trunks of the trees, and the animals that lived there. Here? Maybe a tree or two at an oasis but that's it. Her appearance in general seemed out of place but one world echo'd in her mind repeatedly.
And that world was home.
Neso
[it seemed fitting to change the background of the post to fit her new home :> ]
Her story starts out much like Yael’s does; separated from her family at a young age (older, but still - four is barely a woman grown), wandering around until some benevolent soul points her in the right direction. Much less drama filled (or so this version is) than Yael’s own life and death situation, but she would not wish that sort of thing upon her worst enemy. Ok, she might... but only one or two. Really. Queens tend to accumulate enemies, though Yael has tried her best to keep that number small.
The running, the legs on fire - her lungs scorched with impossibly hot air - the fear, the confusion. And then relief and peace and sense of hope, all with the appearance of a quiet stranger.
Yael smiles and continues walking towards the oasis. “I know xow some of t’at ees. I, too, vas separated a long time ago from my family…” She trails off, then chuckles softly. “I deedn’t even know ze langauge ven I came xere! Eet vas so funny…” Her mispronounced words and learning curve were amusing even to her. They draw closer to the crystalline waters (bright and blue, even for a kingdom with constantly moving sand) and eye-catching palm trees, and her eyes dart from side to side. She can feel the others out there, but they are… distant. She frowns slightly, and hums in the back of her throat. “I don’t know vhere ze ozers ahr… I vees I could introduce you to somevone.” She turns back to the mare and shrugs a little, genuinely a little distressed that the Desert was so quiet.
If Camrynn and Pevensie abandon their posts, she will have to pick up the kingdom again. And she is so enjoying semi-retirement.
you smiled at the stars like they knew all your secrets
Neso glanced around as she walked, trying to pick out any sign of life other than the plants at the oasis and themselves. She didn't see a single creature.
She drew in a deep breathe that made her lungs swell as she walked, only to release it as she entered her next stride. "It's fine! I'm sure we can meet someone soon maybe."
A small smile danced on her lips as she walked with her ears pushed forward with so much optimism that it was almost contagious. The kind that fills a small foal and truly that is all she might be. Not physically, but mentally... And not to imply that she is a childlike mess but more that she watches the world in a strange way, trying to find good in everything.
She could be dancing with the devil. Trust me, she would know perfectly well who she was dancing with yet she would simply choose to see the good in them. It's a dangerous yet wonderful quality to have. It can leave you blind and crushed but at the same time it leads you to see things that others might not dare see in fear of seeing a reason not to despise their enemy. It could maybe bring out a bit of a better side in others.
Overall, Neso is rather odd. She is willing to stand her ground over something she loves, staying as strong and unmoving as one of the oldest mountains yet she can be as flexible and adaptable as the grass that coats the plains, dots the mountains, and dances by the sandy shores. I suppose that might have been what has allowed her to live up to this moment.
She has never put much thought into the future and her mind tends to linger in the past often, mostly focusing on what is happening now. She was lost as to what to think about, what to do. Her mind buzzed with curiosity as the made their way closer to the oasis. She had no idea what it would look like, what it would sound like, what it would be like to be among a relatively large group of horses. She had been a loner for so long that her lungs squeezed making her breath shallow; anxiety squeezing her with every step until she suddenly stopped. Not of her own will but her subconscious' will. Her legs refused to move as though they had suddenly grown roots that had rapidly burrowed into the sand.
A thought flashed through her mind, barely a whisper but it almost escaped her lips. 'I'm scared.' Sure, she could talk to Yael just fine and those other two stallions but then, they were all strangers to each other, not quite sure what to expect of each other at first. Everyone there... They all knew each other. She would be unknown. A stranger. She had been fine being a lone for most of her life so far but now? She hoped for people to like her. To maybe have a few friends. The thought that she would be rejected, despite what Yael had said, terrified her. She wasn't one to be nervous about meeting others like this but to come to a new home? A home with many who she doesn't even know the name of! Put like that it almost seems absurd! Doesn't it?
Her ears flicked back for a moment with hesitation gripping her mind. She glanced at Yael who had been so kind to her so far. The anxiety seemed to release her consciousness slightly as she recalled how the golden mare had spoken to her, never using harsh, judgmental words. There has to be someone who will at least tolerate her other than Yael, no?
A small bubble of hope came back to her mind and soon was joined by other bubbles and thoughts that filled her mind with excitement. She looked towards the oasis with her ears relaxed and forward. After a moment she started walking once more, silently scolding her for her fickle mind.
Neso
| oh jeeze I feel so hypocritical right now for taking so long to respond, i'm so sorry ;^; school is super stupid |
