"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
They make the journey in the air - thankfully, the flight from Tephra to Ischia is short, because his baby wings can’t carry him much farther than that yet. It helps that he can fly directly behind his dam, soaring in her wake the way migrating geese do to put the most strain on one well-rested bird at a time. Father doesn’t come - he doesn’t have wings, and Mother doesn’t want the journey to take forever and a day there and back. So Grye said farewell to his papa back near the volcano, knowing that it might be the last time he sees him until he is strong enough and old enough to make the flight back and forth himself.
Once they land on the shores of the island where she says his grandfather lives, Mother is noticeably anxious. Grye knows it’s because she’s away from Father - but it makes her short-tempered as well as she herds him along the beach looking for an older relative to drop him off with. Grye is not certain, entirely, why He must leave Tephra, where he was born, to live with grandfather in Ischia, but his parents have been less than entirely forthcoming. Dagny brushes him off with a ‘because that’s the way it has to be’, and honestly her maternal skills are lacking anyway. Oh, to be sure, he knows she cares for him; he is occasionally rewarded with affection for just being but more often Mother doles out those maternal reactions in response to him learning a new skill, or asking the right questions, or showing maturity far beyond what Father expects of him.
Despite his solemn and reserved facade, Father has been the more better parent. He expects his son to act like a child, and plays with him and is unreservedly affectionate. Grye already misses him as he trots along to catch up with Mother, and wonders which parent his grandfather is more like - because he is both of their fathers, and they couldn’t be any more different. Finally Mother notices him tiring and lagging behind, and she leaves him in the shade at the edge of the jungle and goes to look for Brennen. She expects him to nap, but he is wide-eyed at the new sights and sounds and stands near to quivering in anticipating instead.
Grye
Olivier x Dagny
devin's∇designs
@[Dario]/@[Drax] if you’re not too busy with other threads, he’s technically their uncle but he’s their age <3
Another day on the island, father had told the twins they were not allowed to leave the island without an escort. how annoying they lived on an island, with barely any other foals to play with! Father had his own family with Galile, of course he was great when they got to spend time together but now that he is king it is scarce. The twins searched the island today, perhaps for they could find a new species of lizard? They grew bored and the desire to leave the kingdom unnoticed grew stronger with each passing day.
Today the twins frolicked near the jungle, Drax testing his flames as usual, the pyro he was. He aimed at leaves that dangled on the trees, watching them crisp and fall to the ground, becoming apart of the earths dirt. Dario trailed a few paces behind him, he sighs watching his brother spit flames all the time, but I guess better the trees than himself.
Drax halts in his place, spreading his wing nearest Dario stopping him as well. Do you smell that?! He quickly gazes to Dario that is not the scent of Ischia he snorts and quickly bolts off to investigate. WAIT! Dario snorts following after him, although he was right, something was not right. It was not long that Drax found the source, but he was not afraid of this winged foal, he charges full force. HEY YOU! He yells, sliding to a halt scattering dirt about, Dario joins in, a much gentler entrance, he was really here for crowd control.
Why are you here?! You are not an Ischia foal, you shouldn't be here! He demands, his ears were pinned, and he takes a deep breath, preparing a warm flame. Dario is quick to shove his brother Stop! relieved he was able to distract his brother enough to lose his concentration, his gaze flicks back to the champagne colt. My name is Dario, this is my brother Drax, why are you here? Yes he was curious as to why the stranger lingered in the island, but he was much gentler than his unruly twin.
Despite his excitement and anxiety, he really is tired. Mother is gone long enough that the sound of the crashing waves and the breeze in the trees has started to lull him to sleep, but he snaps wide awake when someone yells and the sound of scrabbling hooves in the sound is heard. For a moment everything is a confused jumble of brown and green, but he blinks a few times and it resolves into two colts, the one with wings like Grye’s is the one yelling, puffing up to his full height and looking threatening, and Grye is a little frightened. He shrinks back, digging into the sand with his talons to get purchase – and glances down at his own feet in confusion, because he hadn’t meant to shift from hooves to talons, but there they are on the end of his legs, long finger-like appendages tipped in nasty claws.
He crunches them up into a fist-shape, not remembering how to turn them back, just as the green colt shoves into the bay and tells him off, before turning to Grye with much gentler words. He introduces them as ‘Dario’ and ‘Drax’ – brothers. “I’m Grye,” he answers quietly, green eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them. “Um, my mom brought me here. I’m going to live here now, with my Grandpa, Brennen. She says it will be better for me than where she and Father live.” If anything, he has a tendency towards over-sharing in his quest for honesty. Perhaps it’s an overflow from his ability to detect lies, or perhaps it’s just something about his youth that he will grow out of. “She went to look for him, to tell him I’m here.” Father always approves of his forthrightness, but Mother has told him several times that he’d be better off learning to keep some things to himself.
While he awaits a response, he inspects them a little closer. They are the same age so he supposes they must be twins like his own parents, though unlike Dagny and Olivier who are night in day in size and coloring, these colts have a lot of shared qualities. Grye has been a little lonely so far as the only colt his age in Tephra, but he isn’t sure he would have wanted a twin either – his egg was cramped enough with just himself in it, thanks so much! Perhaps Mother will be right – maybe it will be better here; maybe he’ll even make friends.
Grye
Olivier x Dagny
devin's∇designs
Apparently this has sparked my muse for him, he insisted on being the first post I wrote tonight
Drax is to self-absorbed to notice the fear in the opposing colt. Although Dario is all to aware, he notices the little claws that poke out from his feet, his gaze grows wide in amazement. The colt quickly tucks the claws into the ground, in an attempt to hide them. Dario is much to kind to point out the claws when the colt is trying to hide them, instead he dismisses it and looks to him as he introduces himself.
I'm Grye he introduces himself, I'm going to live here now, with my grandpa, Brennen. The colt speaks and the twins quickly turn to each other. They both crack up laughing, uncontrollable. Only after a few moments are they able to reel it back in Did he just say? Drax speaks looking at Dario he did Dario says with a hint of laughter still in his voice. The bay colt turns his gaze to Grye Sorry its just...Brennen is our father. Drax steps closer, he flocks out his wing harshly nudging the colt Guess that makes us family a smirk on his maw.
Why don't your parents want you? Drax asks, his head was raised up high trying to make himself look bigger than he really was. Dario gazes at his brother and with a slight roll of his eyes he turns back to Grye Our mother did not want us either, our father kept us though. He will love to have you, and so will we. At least Dario would, another colt there age. Dario can only hope that Grye is more like Dario than Drax.
When Drax makes the announcement that Grye’s grandfather is their father, the smaller colt’s eyes go wide, and he stumbles a bit when shoved by his uncle’s wing, but is excited enough by the revelation that he finds himself uncurling his talon-fingers, splaying them to keep his balance while his own wings spread a little. That’s about all he can manage, because he is simply shocked, green eyes flicking from one colt to the other and back as he tries to absorb the information. Neither of his parents had said anything about any other family – simply talked about their father, and that there might be aunt and uncles. But Grye hadn’t expected any of his uncles to be his own age!
He smiles at them, but his smile slips to a frown when Drax asks why his parents don’t want him. “I…” he hesitates; he has no idea why Dagny and Olivier have insisted on sending him here, besides some vague explanation about Brennen being a better caregiver than they. He didn’t believe Father – though he did believe Mother. “I don’t know,” he admits, but is saved from trying to formulate any other response when Dario speaks again, and he gives the green twin a bright little smile in reward for his kinder words. He can feel the truth in Dario’s words of welcome and that warms him from the inside. He also knows it’s unlikely that Dagny will miss him if he wanders away, so he hesitantly steps forward to join the twins on the sand.
“Can you show me around?” he asks. But then also - “I’ve never had any friends my own age. I suppose uncles are even better than friends,” just brave enough now to offer that tiny little snippet of teasing, and hoping for a positive response.
The twins gaze at the sabino colt, his eyes grew wide, he was just as amazed at the new information. The twins had barely known of any siblings outside of Ischia, in fact they barely knew of any equines outside of Ischia. They figured there were other siblings, but they never figured they would be uncles to another equine of the same age.
As usual Drax is rude, his comments are uncalled for and it noticeably makes Grye uncomfortable. Perhaps he was projecting his own pain of there mother abandoning them, but Dario was not sure how he could find joy in others pain. I don't know Grye says, both twins could relate, no explanation on why there mother left. They had a rather similar life, born to there mother and brought to there father. Dumped on him really, they almost felt like a nuisance breaking up his perfect family with Galile.
Grye asks for them to show him around the island, Dario quickly perks up with excitement Of course! Drax on the other hand rolls his eyes. A huff escapes his maw and he quickly moves back in the direction they first came from you better keep up! he mutters as he keeps pressing
Dario watches his brother, rolling his eyes as he sets off. Dario gazes back to Grye I'm sorry for him....he is not the nicest. Dario had gotten the worst of it, always bullied by his brother, although he was used to it, some days he could zone him out completely. I am glad you are here! and in truth he was, he finally had a foal his age that he could play with! One that will hopefully not shoot flames at him, Come on! Lets catch up with Drax we will show you the ocean! Exciting to see, and plenty of it, the whole island was surrounded by water.
@[Grye] OOC: Oh my gosh! I didn't see your reply, sorry it took forever!!
Grye has no idea how his grandfather will react to his arrival, but he’s already happy to have come to Ischia just because he has found the twins. Drax is short-tempered clearly and warns the little creamy-colored colt to keep up as he whisks himself off the way they had appeared from, towards the very ocean Grye and his mother had had to fly over to get here. Dario is predictably nicer, and his kind words draw the shy colt from his hiding place entirely, and he scrambles to catch up with Drax’s words ringing in his mind.
His new friend mentions going to see the ocean and his curiosity rises; he and Mother had flown over the ocean, but he had little chance to do anything except to do his very best to keep up with her as they crossed; she was bigger and a better flyer, and had little patience for Grye’s insatiable appetite for knowledge on the way over. Usually she encouraged him to ask questions and touch everything and pry into the deeper secrets of life, but once she’d made up her mind they were leaving Tephra for Ischia, that had all changed, as if as soon as the decision was made she had no more obligations to him as his parent.
For a long moment he falters, thinking of his parents and being immensely homesick, but it passes when Dario calls back to him because Drax has picked up the pace again, the crashing waves of high tide looming bigger and bigger now. His green eyes go wide, and he tucks himself closer to his brave uncles, particularly Dario, and murmurs his questions into his relative’s green ear. “Is it always so fierce? How does anyone even get here if they can’t fly? Are there seamonsters?”
The trio made there way to the ocean, it was not hard to find the salty water as it bordered the island. Drax was pretty adamant on remaining ahead of the pair, although Dario did not mind much. It was a nice break from his terror of a brother, perhaps Grye would be a nice change that the pair needed. Dario noticed the change in Grye's demeanor, but who could blame him. The colts family dropped him off on the island for his grandfather that he never met raise him. It was odd but Dario felt almost like Grye was the twin he was always meant to have.
Come on you slow pokes! Drax yelled as he floated in the air but only a brief moment as his wings were still to weak to carry him long distances. He lands on the ground and bolts off once again; Dario rolls his eyes and quickens his pace slightly.The waves of the ocean grew closer and closer and they were particularly loud today, roaring with every slap on the shore. Grye tucks in closer to Dario, his pelt gently brushing against his own, he whispers a few questions and Dario couldn't help but chuckle softly.
He turns to Grye, ensuring his voice is quiet so Drax wouldn't notice I'm not sure! I haven't ever left the island. But I heard there is a bridge of some sort! his answer is truthful, he has been bound to Ischia since his mother dropped him and Drax off. The pair had quietly lived here, but Drax grew more and more eager to see the rest of beqanna, the whispers of the outside was no longer cutting it. I haven't seen any seamonsters though......Did you see them when you flew over?! he shoots a worrying glance to Grye, he had never thought of it but surely the ocean was large, it was possible right?
