08-19-2019, 05:56 PM
Kildare's existence (up until this point anyway) had been a simple one. His parents loved each other, were devoted to each other. There was no one that Malachi had called to his heart. It had been Kalina, always had been Kalina. It was a favorite story of his sire with his dark eyes dancing, with them glowing with love and mirth. He had told it so many times that all his children knew it by heart but there was comfort in the repetition of it, in the knowledge that his dappled father would have moved mountains and heavens for his mate and children. The black colt had long pretended to outgrow those stories, the sappy ones that made his sister's eyes go round and soft with romance but Kildare would glance to his mother in those moments.
Kalina had been born with, cursed with half a heart. She shouldn't have been allowed to love. And yet there had been stubborn Malachi, so sure in his belief that Kalina loved him and their children. He was unshakeable in that. In those moments though, he thought he saw what his father say. He saw love and compassion and kindness in her dual-toned gaze. He had seen faith and hope and empathy. There was too much emotion in Kalina's eyes to believe that she couldn't feel them, had never felt them before.
Kildare thought that like perhaps like a departed spirit, like an intangible feeling that wraps around, they had been there all along. All that was needed was the belief like his father had fervently believed, that Kalina had always been capable of it.
Malachi is the reason he can't leave Astana alone. He can't leave her behind without knowing that she is truly safe. No matter where he is, who he becomes, there will always be a part of Kildare that remains true to the Legacy blood that flows in his veins. He thinks, he hopes anyways, that by knowing where Astana is, that where she is staying is safe, will allow hi to release the hold she has somehow put on him. He hopes that like a fledgling bird, she will be able to leave the nest and he can move on.
But the truth of it all is that Astana has already flown. She is soaring and Kildare isn't quite ready to give her the sky yet.
When he finds her again, it is mingled with relief and some aggravation. By finding her again, he can no longer deny that his concern for her welfare is a fleeting one. He is admitting to himself that this relationship they have forged will be lifelong and there will be more meetings like this, Kildare's way of trying to ensure that his fellow Beyonder is safe and content and perhaps (does he dare to aspire to this?), happy. Somehow this has fallen on him and Kildare accepts its tentatively, unsure what to do with yet.
When she says his name, a smile curves on his midnight lips. His green eyes flick over her, making sure that all four legs are accounted for and there are no open wounds, gashes, anything that indicates pain and peril. Finding nothing, they come to rest on her pretty golden face. He listens to her, coming slightly closer to invite further conversation. At her words, his emerald eyes spark. "Did you?" and he really grins then, reckless and wild. "He can't be as tall or dark or handsome I am though." His face glows with pleasure, warm and inviting Astana to laugh along with him.
Heartfire, she says. Kildare wants to think that this is it. She is safe and this Heartfire is the releasing has been looking for. But something nags at the colt and refuses to completely free him of this bond. The smile recedes and becomes more contemplative as the colt tries to convince himself that Astana will be fine. "I'll take you up on it," he adds as he comes to the decision that the only way to be sure of anything is to see Nerine and meet Heartfire. When he has done that, the wide world and all its promises will still be waiting. At her next question, the grin comes back, lopsided and complacent. "Where have I not been?" he asks, a dimple emerging in his left cheek. "There's a whole world to roam. It seems a shame to stay in one place when you have it waiting for you."
@[Astana]
Kalina had been born with, cursed with half a heart. She shouldn't have been allowed to love. And yet there had been stubborn Malachi, so sure in his belief that Kalina loved him and their children. He was unshakeable in that. In those moments though, he thought he saw what his father say. He saw love and compassion and kindness in her dual-toned gaze. He had seen faith and hope and empathy. There was too much emotion in Kalina's eyes to believe that she couldn't feel them, had never felt them before.
Kildare thought that like perhaps like a departed spirit, like an intangible feeling that wraps around, they had been there all along. All that was needed was the belief like his father had fervently believed, that Kalina had always been capable of it.
Malachi is the reason he can't leave Astana alone. He can't leave her behind without knowing that she is truly safe. No matter where he is, who he becomes, there will always be a part of Kildare that remains true to the Legacy blood that flows in his veins. He thinks, he hopes anyways, that by knowing where Astana is, that where she is staying is safe, will allow hi to release the hold she has somehow put on him. He hopes that like a fledgling bird, she will be able to leave the nest and he can move on.
But the truth of it all is that Astana has already flown. She is soaring and Kildare isn't quite ready to give her the sky yet.
When he finds her again, it is mingled with relief and some aggravation. By finding her again, he can no longer deny that his concern for her welfare is a fleeting one. He is admitting to himself that this relationship they have forged will be lifelong and there will be more meetings like this, Kildare's way of trying to ensure that his fellow Beyonder is safe and content and perhaps (does he dare to aspire to this?), happy. Somehow this has fallen on him and Kildare accepts its tentatively, unsure what to do with yet.
When she says his name, a smile curves on his midnight lips. His green eyes flick over her, making sure that all four legs are accounted for and there are no open wounds, gashes, anything that indicates pain and peril. Finding nothing, they come to rest on her pretty golden face. He listens to her, coming slightly closer to invite further conversation. At her words, his emerald eyes spark. "Did you?" and he really grins then, reckless and wild. "He can't be as tall or dark or handsome I am though." His face glows with pleasure, warm and inviting Astana to laugh along with him.
Heartfire, she says. Kildare wants to think that this is it. She is safe and this Heartfire is the releasing has been looking for. But something nags at the colt and refuses to completely free him of this bond. The smile recedes and becomes more contemplative as the colt tries to convince himself that Astana will be fine. "I'll take you up on it," he adds as he comes to the decision that the only way to be sure of anything is to see Nerine and meet Heartfire. When he has done that, the wide world and all its promises will still be waiting. At her next question, the grin comes back, lopsided and complacent. "Where have I not been?" he asks, a dimple emerging in his left cheek. "There's a whole world to roam. It seems a shame to stay in one place when you have it waiting for you."
@[Astana]