"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
It seemed that the early summer months couldn't come any sooner for Nalia, the excited filly having arrived at the ocean on the northern side of Nerine's territory in anticipation for her friend's arrival. All those months ago, when he'd brought her here, he'd promised a cave tour, save for the ones that were buried under ocean water when the winter months rolled in and drowned them.
She was obviously disappointed that she couldn't check those caves out, but her friend informed her that when late spring, early summer, came around, the water would recede and she could finally explore the niches of the caves that had once been inaccessible.
So, on that morning, Nalia was down by the surf, bright and early, eagerly watching each side of the shoreline as well as the grassy rolling hills above her for her friend. The filly alternated between walking the beach and going back up some of the smaller hills to keep a lookout for Ardashir, to see when he would be getting close, but so far, she hadn't seen anything. Nalia was excited to get going and see those caves, but knew she couldn't without a guide.
She could find other things here on the beach to busy herself with, couldn't she?
Seeming to answer the question, the filly heard a series of splashes out on the surf, turning her head to see what caused it. Imagine her surprise when a number of creatures jumped out of the water before landing with a loud splash, kicking up the tepid waves and disturbing some of the smaller wildlife underneath.
Nalia watched them for a few moments, trying to remember what these creatures were called. Gray bodies with long tails, and it seemed they made excited clicking noises to talk to each other. She racked her brain for the answer, remembering when Ardashir told her about some of the creatures that lived in the ocean outside Nerine.
Her eyes followed another as it leaped out of the water before it hit her like a bolt of lightning. These beings, dolphins, seemed to be having a grand time, leaping out of the water to play with one another in the early morning hours. Laughing at their display, Nalia suddenly had the urge to join them, spreading her wings and taking to the sky to head out on the surf.
When she neared the dolphins, the creatures disappeared beneath the surf, disappointing the filly. She hovered above the water where they disappeared for a moment, wondering if they'd come back up to see her. After a few moments, one of the dolphins surfaced by her, poking it's head out of the water before disappearing under, then surfacing again on her other side. One by one, the rest of the dolphins joined in, Nalia turning her head this way and that to watch them.
Her eyes curious, the filly flapped her wings to gain some air. The dolphins watched her as they continued their antics, one of them deciding to join in the game and jumping out of the water to try and reach Nalia, doing a flip to use it's tail to splash the filly with water. Shaking her mane free of the ocean water, the filly laughed at the dolphins before flying a couple feet away to see if they'd follow.
Sure enough, a few of them chased after the filly, jumping out of the water as they swam alongside Nalia while she glided over the surface. A couple of times, she dropped one of her hooves down to kick up the ocean waves in a spray, then would take to the skies and do a flip or two before returning to see what the dolphins would do next.
The filly soon lost track of time as she continued playing with the dolphins, knowing she still had to keep an eye out for Ardashir but having a grand time playing with the ocean creatures while waiting for her other friend to arrive.
The coastal kingdom started to give up its secrets to the world the waves pulled back into the depths and with them gone more of the caves opened. The ones he had promised to take her to. He did not fear the sea and its calming waves. He feared what could lay in wait for one there, ready to snatch them up and drag them away. Well, in all honesty that had only ever happened once. He had been lurking in the background of Nerine thinking and pacing where to take Nalia, what to show her. There were new feelings flustering the stallion and he shook his head and tossed up his feet trying to understand what was happening.
Had her started to have feelings for the mare? What was like to actually care for someone? Was he just letting his baser instincts drive him? He snorted and shook his head once more as he continued forward on his walk. The best place to start a tour of the coast was of course on the coast itself so, he started down to the beaches and out in the open the large white ghost was not hard to spot. The stag pricked his ears forward hearing some splashing that was out of character for the waves of summer. His blue eyes searched the summer ocean for the cause of the commotion as he continued forward.
The surf was being kicked up by some playful creatures indeed there was Nalia, and the grey sea creatures around her must have been dolphins. Ardashir had heard the name a couple times in passing and they seemed friendly enough as they dashed around and leapt from the surf willing playmates to the winged mare. He called out to her first with a deep nicker letting her know he was approaching. He tossed his head a couple of times before venturing into the waves a little ways but, not close enough to disrupt the playtime happening. “ Good summer to you Nalia!” He offered up his voice to her, “ I believe I owe you something.” He chuckled and looked around some. The warmth of the sun was nice but; Oh! Did the water feel so nice too. The ocean touched him and made his muscles twitch in a couple places and turned his white coat a pale pink as it soaked him.
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia]
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
Finally! After so long of waiting, it was finally the time!
Even though Nalia and the dolphins were making quite a bit of commotion kicking up the waves and splashing in the water, the filly heard her friend's voice cut through the air and reach her ears. She stopped flying after the dolphins, flapping her wings to stay in place as she looked toward the shore, seeing Ardashir standing in about knee-deep water and continuing to call to her.
Letting out an excited whinny, Nalia flew over the dolphins again, splashing the water once more before flying high in the air and turning around to head back to shore. She heard a commotion behind her, glancing back, seeing the dolphins kicking up the waves as if they were saying goodbye. Laughing, Nalia glided over the water and stopped a few feet from shore, flapping her wings to slow herself down before landing in the ocean.
Since she was shorter than Ardashir, and a bit further out, Nalia's hooves didn't touch the ground concealed by the ocean. She swam toward the stallion, going a bit further than him so she could stand up straight. The stallion greeted her with a wish of good summer before stating he had remembered his promise, something that made Nalia smile as bright as the sun.
"Finally! I was wondering it you'd remember your promise," she stated in a joking tone, shaking out her mane to get rid of the water. Then, her eyes looked up to meet Ardashir's, "So where are we going first then? What surprises do you have to show me in the caves?" she questioned, jumping around in the water a bit as her excitement got the better of her.
The dolphins were something that the white stag had observed from a distance and, they seemed to be a unique experience when they did swim this far north. The splashing and play that the expressed was interesting and it was pleasant to watch the winged mare frolic with them. Though, it seemed now that his presence had interrupted the games that they played. It was so good to see Nalia keeping herself busy and happy. The lords of beqanna knew that he had done his best but failed in some parts.
He was making it right though. He would keep his promise and show her some caves and maybe a couple beach fronts. The couple caves he had scoped out seemed special enough and the last item on the agenda was a fascinating sight indeed. Ardashir watched as Nalia flew over and soon lowered herself into the water. The stags height making her move a little further up the beach line so she could stand and not have to swim.
Her exclamation made his ears swing forward a bit in surprise but, then again he had not right to be. He had made her wait so why should she not be excited? He caught her joking tone though and chuckled a bit deeply, “ Well, I have a couple in mind. Though I am not sure if they are already named by others I have nicknamed them. But, only one for now and the other is a surprise.” He offered his muzzle to the mare and might have taken a few steps closer to her to press his pink nose against the top line of her neck. He did not nibble her like he had last time but, just a gentle touch.
The ghost turned and started out of the water speaking as he went and hoping that she followed, “ I call the first one, ‘ Dragons Ziggurat’ I hope that does not sound too funny a title.” He walked with Nalia along the beach for a few miles more talking as they went explaining about some of the caves they passed if any, and stopped a couple times at tidal pools to take a quick peek at what the tide had stranded for the moment.
The beach would start to give way to hard stone soon and the cliffs started to creep closer almost looming over the horses as they neared the entrance of the coastal cave.They would enter the rocky cavern from the beach and Ardashir explained, “ This cavern does not get completly covered with high tide but, it can get slippery due to the moss that grows here. Please be careful.” He let Nalia go first to explore the open cavern with its large rock arches leaving for a view of the ocean that crashed against the overhang a bit below. The rock was damp from the surf and Ardashir had to bend his head down a bit to continue forward.
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia]
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
Nalia was already tingling when Ardashir said he had plenty of ideas on where to take the filly to first explore the caves, something that had her neighing in excitement. Ardashir reached his muzzle out to Nalia, a gesture the filly returned by extending her own elegant neck, touching the tip of her muzzle of the stallion's.
Ardashir led the way out of the water, telling Nalia the name of what he called the first cave. Nalia didn't find it funny, but to be honest, she didn't quite know how to pronounce it, even after he said it. Trying to whisper and let it roll off her tongue, the filly eagerly followed her friend. Along the way, they took a couple of pit stops, looking at some of the other smaller caves, some of which Nalia already explored, and others she hadn't but still deserved a looking into.
They also took the time to explore a couple of the tide pools to see what the ocean washed closer to shore. Some creatures, like the ones that Ardashir called an 'octopus' or a 'starfish', Nalia had never seen before, and was quite fascinated. Especially when the filly put her head close to the water surface of one tide pool and one of the octopi darted away with a squirt of ink to mask it's disappearance. Nalia started, stepping back, wondering what that was, completely taken aback by such a display.
Nalia figured they were close to their destination when the sand beneath their hooves started turning into solid rock, the filly placing each step carefully to avoid slipping over the loose stuff before she set hoof on more, solid, bigger pieces closer to the caves. Ardashir explained a little to the filly, that the cavern wasn't completely swallowed up by high tide but that the danger lurking here was in the rocks; they became quite slippery when a fresh wave kicked up. But Nalia didn't put too much thought to it; she was sure-footed enough and had her wings. She felt she'd be secure enough as long as she wasn't careless.
The filly walked forward to get a good look at the cave's mouth, feeling a bit intimidated as she passed under the stone arches that led to it. But when she saw the inside of the cave expanse, her eyes went wide, mouth dropping in surprise.
"Whoa..." she whispered out, surprised by the sheer size of the space inside. She wanted to answer the next question for herself, but didn't want to get into any sort of trouble, so she turned back and asked her friend, "How far back does this one go?"
Felt that little tingle of what could the word be? Attraction as Nalia returned the muzzle touch and there was a part of him that wanted to get closer to her, to feel her pressed against his frame. The stallion shook his head internally though and had focused on the task at hand. He chuckled when the small octopus had startled Nalia and might have snuck another gentle touch.
The cave did not seem to scare the winged mare at all. But, the dragons he had spoken of were of course long gone; if they had ever existed at all. He followed close behind and kept his head lowered when needed as they continued to explore a little more. There was a dip at one of the arches that could have been used as a slide for water games in younger years for the horses. The stallion peaked out over the edge a moment and might have put a thought into sliding down and splashing into the waves.
He shrugged his shoulders a little and answered the grulla mare, “ I do not know. Do you want to check it out some more?” He asked continuing forward ears at attention as he listened to her and to the crashing of the waves. “ I have not known anything dangerous to be lurking in these caves. Though I know that some of them are home to large wild cats, and maybe some smaller hunting dogs. This one..” He looked around at the walls and the roof, “ I do not know much about.”
He took the lead only by a few inches as they worked back further into the cave. The waves echoing for a time and the light slowly starting to disappear. “ Stay close..” He said lightly to Nalia. There was a light it looked like up ahead and Ard flicked his ears forward listening for trouble. The cavern opened up more it would seem as they continued forward. “ Oh..wow..” He gasped as the roof started to lift away up above them now. There was a pool of water spread out under the deep limestone cave they had stumbled upon. The light that emanated from the roof and almost all around seemed to be a glowing type of worm that gathered in large colonies.
The stallion turned his head to Nalia with a smile, “ Seems we have stumbled on something here.” He chuckled and with a soft sigh came close enough to Nalia so that his shoulder touched her wing. He wanted to be closer to her now in this place it seemed ok to try to venture just that bit closer.
The blue in an ocean of gray..
@[Nalia] There is a link hidden.
Sorry about poop time between posts.
You’ve mistaken the stars reflected on the surface of the lake at night for the heavens.
10-20-2018, 04:45 AM (This post was last modified: 10-20-2018, 04:47 AM by Nalia.)
"Do you even need to ask?" Nalia questioned with a wide grin, already stepping in to follow the stallion further into the cave. The sounds of the waves crashing behind them echoed in the filly's ears, her feathers bristling to try and get rid of the multiple layers of sea salt that had accumulated there when first entering the cave environment.
Ardashir stated he was unsure if anything dangerous lived in the caves at the present time, knowing they could be housing predators like big cats or wild dogs. Nalia, as a prey animal, was nervous around such creatures and had gone up against them as individuals and groups before. Of course, as a gifted, she had a distinct advantage, but she doubted her wings would allow her much of a lead over a predator in an enclosed environment like this. That and the predator would have the home field advantage.
The stallion's gaze turned to look at the walls and ceiling, Nalia doing the same. Since she hadn't been inside this cave before, she didn't know what he might have been trying to find. The deeper the pair went into the cave, the more the light started to dim. Nalia allowed Ardashir to take the lead, trusting his instincts but stayed close to the stallion's side for reassurance. The waves were now more of a faint echo on the walls, helping Nalia keep a level head to remind her that all she needed to do was flap her wings to get her back outside. Then she'd have to remember to be careful since she didn't have a tremendous amount of space in here unlike a few feet back. For some others, this might start driving them a little crazy, but for Nalia, who didn't want to end up falling or causing trouble for Ardashir, she just made sure to step carefully and watch the stallion for signs of danger.
At his whisper to 'Stay close', Nalia pressed herself further to his side, a few millimeters of space the only thing separating the two horses. They only trekked through the decent darkness a few yards before Ardashir's attitude seemed to brighten, indicating he'd spotted something. Nalia's own head went up to see if she could identify what her friend saw, spotting some light coming around the corner a few feet away.
Her excitement building, the filly resisted the urge to charge ahead. The duo came around the corner, Nalia's eyes going wide and Ardashir letting out a whisper of surprise at the sight before them. The cavern not only expanded out to the sides but above, stretching a few dozen or so feet atop their heads. The light from the area appeared to be originating from a colony of small worm creatures living on the wall, casting an ethereal glow throughout the cave and out to where the horses had just come from.
Mouth dropping open in sheer amazement as her eyes scanned the room, taking note of the crystal clear water pool in front of their hooves, the filly really had no words to express the wonder she was feeling. She'd been experiencing this a lot lately, with the other caves she'd seen, the sea creatures she got to play with, the lands of Beqanna she'd explored, and the friends with magical gifts she'd had a privilege of meeting. But somehow, seeing this wonder in front of her, she didn't know if anything would be able to trump it.
Nalia didn't notice Ardashir turning his head to talk to her, but her ears turned to show she picked up on his voice. When she felt the contact of his shoulder on her wing, the filly shivered under his touch, not used to such a display, but for some reason, her body didn't want to move. Her wings were sensitive, which explained the first half of her reaction at least. Despite that, Nalia found herself content with Ardashir standing so close, keeping contact with her. She still stood a bit apart to avoid her wing getting crushed, but close that Ardashir wouldn't think that she was moving to get away from his presence.
Standing so close to the handsome stallion, Nalia felt that tickle in her belly again, unsure of what exactly this meant. Why was she feeling like a dozen butterflies had taken up residence in her belly? Why was being so close to the stallion giving her the sense of relief that she hadn't felt since she was a foal? She didn't know how to answer that, but she felt comforted, safe, so when Ardashir pressed himself closer to touch her wing, the filly returned the favor, her eyes continuing to scan the cave and wanting to explore, but her side close to Ardashir's to feel his comforting presence.
"This is beautiful," she stated in a whisper, wondering absently what it was about those worm creatures that made them glow inside of a dark cave like this one.
