"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
11-04-2015, 10:39 AM (This post was last modified: 11-04-2015, 11:10 AM by Gaza.)
gaza
This isn’t exactly weird for Gaza, because he doesn’t have enough experience under his belt to say whether or not he’s the type to make familial connections or the type to just let them go after a certain amount of time. He’d wanted something with Eld, but she left, and he was a little sad he never got to see his firstborn. Lyris is incredibly self-sufficient, so he doesn’t feel the need to go knocking at the Amazon’s door to see how she is. Wichita is another story; she’s timid and already has a horde of children. He wonders why she does that, why she pops them out without keeping the fathers around. His Ima had always pushed the idea of a family and that a kingdom is a family in itself, so maybe she’s going with that strategy.
He isn’t going to pry. That would be rude.
However, he does want to get to know his son. Gaza usually has one ear turned towards the black colt when they’re in the same area. With his spidey senses, he can usually figure out what the boy is up to, even from far away. So when Rucker is off gallavanting and exploring by himself, Gaza follows him. Instead of calling out like he would with anyone else, Gaza makes a wide circle and comes in front of the boy, looking very spirited and lively. His ears are raised and alert, and there is energy and a spring in his step. He smiles a big ‘ol, cheesy grin towards Rucker, and then sort of jerks his head towards the open land in an invitation. It may bee too far for the lad to see from where he is, but Gaza's eyes are a similar golden color to the strands in his hair. Yael has a way of subtly getting into everyone around her.
Gaza might look rather foolish prancing about, trying to invite Rucker to run with him. But it is what Vanquish and he did - only there were camels and sand instead of endless swathes of green, green grass.
FAMILIAR BREATH OF MY OLD LIES CHANGED THE COLOR IN MY EYES
Wichita finds herself overwhelmed lately. So much so, that she often feels like she will pass out; once she almost did pass out. The concept of Gaza staying in the Gates was beyond alien to her mind, it caught her completely off gaurd- not that that was a difficult thing to do. Still, it's so unusual that she doesn't really know what to do with herself, and he's taken a liking to staying close. On the inside she was a big ol' pot of crazy, but on the outside she did her best to remain a lady.
It's the boy, she tells herself as she watches them both traipsing through the garden of emerald stalks. She is far from angry, she was thankful, that even though Rucker was born deaf- he was loved. Not just loved by her, which would go without saying because Wichita loved all her children very,very much. He was loved by his Father, now that, that was a first for her. They tended to not stick around very long, something was probably wrong with her, kept them away, or made them go. Most of them had not even bothered to meet the children, for that she was sorry, but there was nothing she could do about it. For some of them it was too late, like Tioga, though she can't say she would have ever introduced them anyways. For others, like Bly, well it was just too painful.
That one time, she thought things might work, that she was worthy of companionship. Craggle had been so very kind, whatever he had seen in her, she thought she had seen too. For whatever reason, that romance had fizzled out and faded away, she was right back where she had always been. Where she was now growing comfortable, and confident. Wichita wasn't good for much, except she was good at raising children, at making beautiful babies.
Her chocolate eyes, are both warm and sad as she looks on. He seems a good pa so far, much better than hers had ever been, and he takes time to play with Rucker. She herself had never been joined by her father for a game of chase, hide and seek, any game really. Part of her wants to simply join in on their fun, whatever it was, but she remains rooted to the spot. A small smile graces her charcoal mouth, the antics of the large stallion were forever humorous. She even laughs, a short sweet sound that abruptly ends, she hadn't meant to make a peep at all.
Rucker has noticed Mama growing fatter, and though he doesn't know why, there are two things he does understand. One, mama's belly sometimes kicks him when he nuzzles her side (a fact which makes him rather grumpy) and two, she can no longer play with him like he wants her too.
So Rucker is pouting, just a little, at a distance from the silver mare when he sees a flash of black come into his vision. With his inability to hear he often has someone within eye sight, but as a sign of his displeasure with his mother's growing and opinionated stomach, he has turned his back on her (and the intruder in her tummy) completely. But curiosity perks his ears up and he turns blue eyes, his fit of pique forgotten.
It's a stallion, as dark as he is, but without the white marks across Rucker's own face and feet. His body language is easy to read and his own growing body thrums with excitement. He prances in place, his slow country boy smile growing wider by the second. Without a second thought, the boy lunges forward, accepting his father's invitation to run with a clumsy canter.
For a moment, he is outpacing the black stallion and Rucker turns his head to offer a triumphant grin, before tumbling head over heels. Embarrassed, the colt lands in a tangle of limbs and an annoyed whuff, his blue eyes searching for the laughter he cannot hear but is sure will come. A giggle bubbles up from his own chest and he flops onto his side dramatically.
A good natured guffaw splits Gaza’s sides when his son goes tumbling head over heels. He’d done that many a time, though it was down into the soft, ever-shifting sand instead of hard, compact ground. Briefly, he wonders how well Rucker would do in his homeland - the Desert can be a harsh place at times, and certainly does not have the stereotypical beauty of the Gates. That’s probably why Gaza is so freaking obsessed with the sweetgrass (and also probaby why he’s put on a little bit of weight with his change of residency. He’s a hunk of dad-bod now.
Vanquish would probably just shake his head at him and tell him to do a lap around the edge of the Kingdom to work that fat off. Every day. Multiple times a day. It’s a wistful thought, one that makes him both happy and sad at the same time. Never, he thinks. If he can help it, he will never leave his children alone like that. He’s known Wichita is nearby for awhile now (not many can hide from him these days, unless they have some magic at their side), and he throws her a glance when he hears her laugh. He likes it. It’s… cute.
It is a poor promise to make, and one that Gaza will soon break.
Gaza pulls up quickly, stopping just on the other side of the fallen colt. He noses the boy’s barrel in a roughly gentle sort of way - as if they were two colts roughhousing and playing at being stallions - urging him to get up. “Get up you goof!” Come onnnn, there are things to see and learn and eat and watch and smell. Get up, get up, get up!
If nothing else, Rucker will have this pleasant memory of his father, to tuck away next to his Savta.
FAMILIAR BREATH OF MY OLD LIES CHANGED THE COLOR IN MY EYES
She is watching them run, hanging back where she could simply keep an eye on Rucker. Not that his Sire isn't capable of watching him, but he's her baby boy. He's her baby boy that's growing, just like they all did, soon she imagines he will have outgrown her. Some of them did, like Tioga. Towering like her Father, but still they were both hesitant to speak on the fact. Then again there was little Bly. She had returned in the Gates meadow one day, acting everything of a stranger to her, and then she had left.That had broken Wichita's heart, the little mare wondered just how much of the thumping organ she still had.
It's exhilarating to watch them frolic, carefree if only for a while. Then Rucker takes a spill, and she instantly becomes a bundle of nerves. Making her way over, quick as he short legs take her, she is ready to asses any damages. To place kisses on any boo-boo's because some of Momma's sugar always fixes that. As she nears him, she begins to fret, "Hon, you all righ'? Are ya hurt?" He can't hear a word of course, but that doesn't always keep her from calling out to him. It's not until she is close that the little black colt giggles, and flops over. Gaza is soon, nosing at him, telling him to rise and she knows that everything is okay.
Still, a quick look herself won't hurt, better safe than sorry. She sides up, slipping her nose to the sleek black of her son's. She sniffs, then lips at his skin before placing a kiss on the tip of his nose. "Well now lil' britches, you look okay to me" She gives a warm smile to display that she is not angry, nudging at his rump in efforts to bring him to his feet.
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