"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
Ischia had become a good place to gain some footing in Beqanna; primarily in regards to learning the territory and the colorful fauna. But the knowledge alone that she had gained from conversing with Brennen would be invaluable some day—of that she was sure. Though the bay stallion had been the first to intercept her when she set foot on Ischia, she had yet to come across any other beings. The scents were there, but diminished to only stale remnants that whoever else inhabited the land had left behind. For now she roams the main island alone, wondering if she may finally cross paths with someone else.
With no present luck, an exasperated sigh falls from her blackened lips as her subconscious thoughts take over her mind with their ceaseless rambling. Lack of thought has her limbs carrying her towards a spot where she finds herself frequenting lately—the beach. Initially she was drawn to the sands at the fall of night, having found a new infatuation with the way the sands alight with shades of blue and green as the darkness takes claim of the sky. It is only when the coolness of the night caresses her spotted pelt that her awakened conscious returns and her gaze is drawn towards the vibrant beach.
Breckin smiles softly to herself, comforted by the familiarity of the glow. Her weight shifts easily into relaxation and her line of vision moves towards the mainland. "Is today the day?" She muses aloud, wondering, not for the first time, if tonight she would finally cross back over.
Durotan was tired, he had been going back and forth since he found Ischia and decided to settle here. He came without his adopted daughter Maiven and once he decided on the kingdom he had to go and get Maiven. Together the two ran into Hod the small pony, and Durotan has met Krone the Queen but surely there were others who lived here.
Not only was he looking for other equines that called Ischia home, but he was also excited to explore the land. He strolled through the main land, he stopped every now and then and gazed at the parrots that sang, sometimes they flew from one tree to another on the opposite end of the island. It was nice to be able to explore without worrying about Maiven, he knew that she was in good hands. Ischia was a safe kingdom, and she would be safe if he took some time for himself. He decided to go by the beaches shoreline, surely that had to be a hot spot with the equines.He enjoyed a nice swim every now and then, but he was not particularly fond of the water.
He had finally stepped out from the wooded area and onto the sand, it was not long before his eyes landed on another. It appeared to be a mare, one he surely never met. She was spotted, and stood out loud and clear on the islands green and tan scenery. He attempted to stay quiet, sure he wanted to meet others but god did he hope it would be a greeting and perhaps some small chat. He moves closer, closing the gap between the two. He was able to catch her muttering to herself, Is today the day His ears perked and he gazes with curiosity Is today the day for what? He looks at her awaiting a response.
What’s the definitive factor that coerces someone to move on with their life? Perhaps it is rooted in intense feelings of love or hate or maybe nothing more than sheer boredom. It could be several things really, not just answered by a simple thought. How nice and easy that would be. Breckin does not appear to be motivated by something so simple though, as she rests along the shoreline. Several times she had stood along the water’s edge now, contemplating at what point to move along and finally explore the other areas of Beqanna. After all, she had hopes of settling into one of the kingdoms, but not without first thoroughly examining all of her options.
The sounds of his approach are dulled by the pillowy sands—it doesn’t help that she was consumed by her thoughts. Caught off guard by an unexpected response to her question, Breckin hesitantly spins to face the visitor. She is startled, but quickly regains composure when she realizes the stallion did not seem to have any intent to hurt her.
“Hello.” she offers briskly in greeting. Suddenly feeling rather self-conscious, she clears her throat, “I didn’t realize someone else was here.”
She can feel his gaze lingering on her then, and she realizes she had yet to reply to his question. Any slight embarrassment she had previously felt begins to fade away, leaving a neutral expression on her face. Now she would have to outwardly verbalize her problem, but maybe it would make her decision easier.
“I was wondering if today would be the day that I left Ischia. I stopped by to visit Brennen so he could show me his home. I am hoping that I may choose to call kingdom of Beqanna home someday. Though that decision is yet to be made.”
A gust of briney air knocks into her then, sending her pale forelock to lay over one eye. With a shake of her mane, she clears the intrusion and her gaze reconnects with his.
She seems almost startled at his presence, but she quickly composed herself and offered a greeting. She admits she did not realize he was there, which explains the moment of startle. She moves on to answer his question, she was not a member of Ischia. In fact the mare was still deciding on what kingdom she should reside in permanently.
ahhh, I see. He says with a smile I did not mean to startle you, I hope that you will decide to stay in Ischia. He scans the horizon for a few moments, watching the water splash up onto the shore. His head moves to glance at the bright green trees, he could hear the birds singing together at the top of the trees. I am new here so I can not talk about all the great things it has to offer, but I enjoy it so far.
A gentle breeze brushes against him, it gently lifts his mane off his neck, setting it back in place once again. The mare introduces herself as Breckin, he repeats her name in his head a few times before catching she asked who he was. He dips his head Please excuse my lack of manners, My name is Durotan. It is nice to meet you Breckin. He gazes over the spotted mare curious to her own thoughts on Ischia How many other kingdoms have you visited? he asks, was she leaving because Ischia did not make the cut?
“There is no need to apologize. It is nice to meet you as well, Durotan.””
The bay stallion smiles easily at her as he talks and she cannot help but return a similar one of her own. To smile still feels so foreign to her, like she is using muscles not used to a movement that should come so easily. But it is getting easier she realizes. For the first time in her young life she feels as though she is fully awakened to the happenings around her, and likewise is becoming much more in tune with the simple reactions to whatever emotions are brought upon her. It will take more time, she realizes, but perhaps with every interaction with another being those simple reactions will become second nature.
For the briefest of moments her gaze is drawn upward at a flurry of movement. Brown eyes trace the aerial path of a colorful parrot as progresses from one tree limb to another. But Durotan’s voices draws her attention back to him again. Breckin finds some odd comfort in him mentioning that he is new to Ischia and her head bows slightly in appreciation. All this time she had been hoping to come across another being who had been a long time resident of the land, yet here she was feeling thankful that she could quickly find similar ground with this new acquaintance.
The sun has almost fallen completely beyond the horizon now as the bioluminescent glow of the beach grows brighter. The blue tones of the glow upon his bay varnished coat almost gives the appearance of a purple tone, and her smile widens to show through her eyes as she settles in to answer is question. “I’m afraid Ischia is the only kingdom so far. I will be travelling to Nerine to visit Scorch next, as soon as I can come to finally make the decision to cross back.” She quickly adds to her thoughts, ”I feel as though I cannot make a decision until I have visited the other kingdoms.”
The spotted mare’s gaze aligns with his, “I’m glad you found me, Durotan. Perhaps you can answer this question better than anyone else in Ischia since you so recently made the decision. I’m curious to know what it was that brought you to call this place home? Ischia is beautiful, but beauty is not everything. I know we have just met, but I'm hopeful you would share your deeper thoughts with me, if it's not asking too much?”
The spotted mare was examining the island, taking in the bright green scenery and even the colorful parrots as they flew overhead. It caused a smile to grow on his maw, it was a familiar feeling, seeing the island for the first time. Beautiful huh? he says as his eyes flicker back to the spotted mare from the flock of parrots overhead.
The sun was quickly setting and it created a scenery he has not seen yet. Hughes of blue and purple reflecting off the water, it was calming to watch but when Brecking began to speak his gazed found her. She admits Ischia is the only kingdom she has been to and she would visit them all before deciding on one permanently. He could understand the desire to see all of the kingdoms, it was only fair to choose one most fitting for each equines personality. Durotan has traveled through many of the kingdoms, and he knew that some were more devious than others, but the island was home, and he knew it instantly. I can respect that he dips his head in response.
The conversation shifts and she asks him a question, this time curious to know why he settled in Ischia. Hmmm he mutters, his gaze flicks to the left as he gathers the words to describe the feelings. Finding her gaze once more I have a foal, I needed to find a kingdom that was respectable for her to grow up in. I wanted one that was safe for her to grow up in, I found that Ischia fit it perfectly. Krone was also a bonus, of course he would not admit that. The bay and green queen was always on his mind and when he met her he had to get to know her more. The parrots are a perk he laughs, always enjoying the parrots that chirp, keeping anyone company on the island.
The answer Durotan offers is not entirely what she was expecting from him, but in line with what she had been presuming. The deeper rooted feelings of love, purpose, family, history, the promise of new beginnings—all fine examples of devoting yourself to settle into a home. His decision had been based on the premise of love, but not the kind of love she would have guessed. Though she could imagine the kind of love someone would feel for their child could even far surpass the kind of love one would feel for a significant other or lover. But it is only a guess, she muses, as she has no experience in either situations.
“The love of your daughter defined your choice,” Breckin summarizes with a soft smile, “An island seems a wise decision to raise a little one. I imagine you can keep a close eye on her if you feel the need to. What is her name, if you don’t mind me asking?”
The evening winds of the coast seem to pick up in aggression. Concerned that his reply may be lost in the gale she draws closer to his silhouette with a few long strides. Never before had she been comfortable with close proximities, but she is quick to realize that she might as well break down some internal barriers and begin to challenge herself. This was as good of a place as any to start—Durotan seemed friendly enough. Though Breckin wondered if he would mind that she had closed some of the distance, she can’t help but smile a little wider in amiable anticipation; he could always move away if he so wished.
Now that she is satisfied to know that his voice won’t be lost to her, she returns to a previous statement he made.
“It’s very beautiful here. Is my entrancement so obvious?," she quipped, eyes shining with the simple enjoyment of an easy companionship.
