Alone she stood, watching as the sun dove below the line of the horizon in the west. Summer and spring had come and gone and the crisper air of autumn shook her as it passed by. Shivering, she looked skyward again as the milky blue of dusk deepened to midnight, eager to see the first stars come alight on their stage. Tonight the clouds were as slow as sap in the dead of winter and seemed to be in not much of a hurry to move along. Catcher scrunched her eyes into a sour expression, as if the pouting twist of her mouth and string of internal begging would suddenly make them change their mind and hurry it up. Of course they ignored her, but she stayed put all the same, still hopeful to get a peek at some of the brightest flecks of gems that the world beyond could offer.
It’s possible that she might’ve been able to dream something up and keep things up to pace with the way she preferred them, but mother’s warning rang stubbornly in her mind. Multiple times, the aging mare had pegged her for getting lost in the dream world, reminding her that the world she could create when she closed her eyes would never really be living. The young unicorn would never disregard her mother’s supposed wisdom, but at the same time, she was still a girl and still naive and the ways of the world would have to be learned in her own way. But that would come later, because tonight her only goal was to feel small against the backdrop of a million glittering specks.
And when the last of the stubborn clouds finally parted, she looked up at them as they gazed down upon her. The fired splashed girl wondered if they were passing judgment, sizing her up and assessing her and debating what she could become or who she could be. Were they hopeful for her? Did they wish her all the best on her journey? Did they think she would amount to nothing? What did they think so far? Would they end up loving her in the end, no matter what happened? A part of her scoffed at the thoughts, while another part hoped that she wouldn’t disappoint them.
@[Santana]
The meadow had given him all sorts of folk to talk to, and he was pleased to see that it hadn't changed that way. There were horses of every age and description scattered along the stretch of yellowing grass, taking advantage of the neutral territory to socialize. The spilled cream stallion watched it all with a wistful air. The whole scene held the feeling of peaceful predictability. It was something he found himself missing.
As the sun fell behind the horizon, individuals left the open space. While it had always been a popular meeting area, few called it home for long. They had safer places to be, with loved ones and familiar estates. Darkness came quickly, and brought the emptiness of night to cover the world. There were precious few souls left to haunt the dusk deep backdrop now before him. Those that remained kept themselves to the fringes, mere shadows in the unusually dark night.
It did not bother him so much. A benefit given by his sire, darkness was not so disabling to his empowered eyes. They soon adjusted to the dimness, and fell on a lone girl in the middle of the field. She stared above her with a look like wonder and fear. The cottony cloud cover had faded from its sunset show, and now hung heavy and low with ragged edges. Here and there, starlight peered through, gleaming on his own fractional coat, and the still growing spire of the girl's horn.
The stillness of the night made for deep thoughts, and Tana knew he'd rather not be alone with them. Instead, he chose to risk alarming the girl, and approached her as unthreateningly as he could manage. For all that he was not a large stallion, his leather wings added much to his bulk, especially at night. Still, he stepped nearer.
"Heavy thoughts?" He asked once he'd neared, noting the inward look the girl had etched into her eyes. Now there was a child who knew just how vast the world was.
@[catcher]
The starscape tonight left her feeling a bit homesick in the end, not for the lack of a physical home per se - she viewed all of Beqanna as her home - but simply the absence of her mother and father. Father was perhaps more fleeting than even Mother, but at least they had all parted on the best of terms and well wishes. It wouldn’t take much to find Kerrigan, she knew, she had fervently been told just as much by the greying mare, but still. A sliver of pride and stubborness kept her from turning tail and back into the arms of her dam.
She had faith she would find her own way eventually. It might take awhile, but she’d do it.
Not yet a mare and not quite a girl, the young unicorn held a contemplative audience with the stars awhile longer. That was until, the sultry peace of the autumnal night started to awaken with the rustle of someone heading towards her. Though she hears her freshly mantled companion stepping nearer, she does not look towards them, not yet anyway. Instead she waits patiently, washed in the filtered glow of the night sky, for them to comfortably rest.
The voice hints towards a fellow and she smiles at him even before he’s finished his question. “Hmm,” she replies thoughtfully, squinting her eyes in consideration, “I supposed they are.” Now that he pointed it out, they did seem rather deep and philosophical.
Without hesitation, she rounded about, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with him where he stood. As she moved, she caught the gleam of the stars brushing against his opalescent wings. “I’m Catcher,” , she offers as she settled alongside him. Again she cast her gaze upward, but not before stealing another glance at him out of the corner of her iron hued eyes. Unable to keep from smiling at the peace of the night and the pleasant surprise of someone to share it with, she nods towards the glittering orbs, “What do you imagine they are?”
@[Santana]
08-26-2019, 09:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-26-2019, 09:11 AM by Santana.)
The ruddy girl seemed unoffended by his approach, barely seeming to even notice as he reached her side. Her eyes remained transfixed on the celestial bodies shimmering above them. When she does look to him, it's with a solemn happiness, like she's fully content to spend the night contemplating the stars beside an utter stranger. He smiled in turn, realizing that that plan sounded just fine to him too. It had been a long time since he'd just stared at the sky, happy just to be.
Her smaller form tucked into the space beside him, a calming presence distracting him from the labyrinthine twists his mind had been taking lately. The glittering stallion dropped his head to ruffle the younger horse's forelock in a friendly way, bumping against the bony spire of her horn. "Nice to meet you, Catcher. I'm Tana." He smiled, big and goofy, at the fluffed up mess he'd made of her hair.
Belle would never let him do something like that, even if she'd had a mane that could be fluffed. But that girl was prickly and hard all over, and it wasn't a surprise. Still, he'd wanted a little sister, and while he loved his, it still hurt sometimes that she wasn't the cuddly sort. Hardly even the sister sort. He'd always felt affectionate towards those smaller than him. Some protective instinct that his dragon blood made him especially adept at.
Her question made him look back skyward, thoughtful again. The infinite flecks of light spread in all directions above them. They came in different colors and sizes, each one unique if you looked hard enough. He smirked. "Space lice? If you were a pegasus, I'd warn you to mind how high you fly, or they'll make your wings itch and feathers fall out. He suggested flippantly. He chuckled at the idea, then sobered.
"Nah. When my brother and I were very little, our mother told us they were the souls of the horses who've traveled past the Beach. They live in the Nightlands now, watching over us as we sleep." He shook his starlit head, chargrined. "Probably just an old mares tale, but... I'd like to think it's true." There'd been many lonely nights where the thought of watchful ancestors had made him feel braver. He shrugged, wings fluttering at his sides gently.
"What do you think?" He asked the young unicorn, eyes glowing softly with contentment.
@[Catcher]
“Space lice?” she repeats, scrunching her face in an obvious show of disgust and incredulity. Never would have thought of that one on her own. And really, until the day that she would pass, she would never really know, would she? All the same she laughs, “I’ll keep that in mind for next time though.” she says wistfully, her mind already weaving the possibilities his suggestion could amount to.
“That’s a good answer, Tana,” she said, mimicking his own goofy smile, “I like it much better than sky bugs.”
It’s not entirely surprising when he asks her the same thing in turn. In the world she knew best, she could imagine them to be a million different, in a million different scenarios in a million different worlds. But she thinks again - not for the first and not for the last time - that it would never be real, it would never give her the answer to the question she had first begged of him.
“I’m not really sure,” she murmurs honestly. “But I imagine, that whatever they are, that they must be lonely. They look like they’re surrounded by their friends and family, but just out of reach and never really connected. It’s sad.” For a moment her expression and stormy gaze falls to the autumn skimmed ground in front of them. But it is fleeting; because the draw of young hope wastes little time in eclipsing any feelings of remorse that the black spired girl had felt overcome with.
“We’re lucky down here in that way, I guess. I can just reach out and touch you if I want to.” as if to reiterate her point, she pressed her fire stained muzzle into his shoulder gingerly. Perhaps she should regard relative strangers with more care, or maybe one day she would learn such a thing. But she is more than content in just being the naive and whimsical girl her mother had always worried of her becoming. And when she pulls away, she is smiling victoriously, shaking her head to finally correct the puff of forelock he had so kindly untamed. Crossing her grey metal eyes to get a better look, she laughs again at how absurd she must look. But it didn’t matter, she still held her head proudly and look up and over at him with a newfound curiosity.
“Do you always roam the night alone, or do I have someone or something else to thank for your company tonight?”
@[Santana]
They shared a chuckle over his lame joke, and he was happy he'd been able to surprise her. It was easy to talk to the copper girl. His eyes hooded with a contented glow, utterly relieved that he didn't have to watch every word he spoke. It was a nice change of pace from the life he'd been living lately.
His real answer seemed to please her too. That made him thrum with satisfaction. "Yeah, sky bugs aren't all that nice." He admitted, watching as she fell into deeper thought. She seemed to slip in and out of focus with very little encouragement, a melancholy cast drawing over her face. Her answer to his own inquiry is as gently sad as anything he'd ever heard. His shaggy head shook roughly.
"Ack, not so sad," He scolded lightly, "What do you think the day is for? If they stand watch all night, I'm sure they must rest and spend time with the ones they love during the day." His words were filled with confident reassurance. A lot of confidence, considering he was pulling his tale out of thin air. Not much better than an old mare, was he?
The gloom didn't seem to last her long, as she reached over to cautiously touch him. He held perfectly still as she did, only shifting his weight when she'd let go. They were lucky, he supposed, even if he'd lost sight of that lately. Lucky to be free and alive. Lucky to be making friends.
"Night is a good time to think. More peaceful. I understand why the stars prefer it." His nose lifted to bask in their faint light. He shrugged, not really wanting to ruin the conversation with talk of his kin. "What about you? Any purpose to your night wanderings?" He grinned again, hoping the spangled filly had a happier cause to be out and about so late.
@[Catcher]
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