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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    [open]  They were the ones who could fly.
    #1
    The field looks lovely today. Soft golden grasses sway in a gentle breeze, brushing against the silver mare's legs and tickling her underbelly. She turns her elegant profile towards the sun and closes her eyes, relishing the warmth on her face. She tucks her wings tight to her side. The oily black of her feathers contrasting nicely against the steely color of her hide.

    Larentia had been gone for a long time. A sickness had stricken the land and that was the last she remembered. Pain, loss, all faded memories from a different life. When the blinding gates had opened she found the winds of Beqanna beneath her wings leading her home.

    Her wings stretch and shimmer in the summer sun, the scent of crushed grass and warm bodies drifting along on soft gusts of wind. A sense of drowsy calm seems to lie over the field today. The other horses milling about swat lazy tails at languid flies, nibbling on sweet summer forage. And yet. Larentia doesn't feel drawn towards any of them. She starts to wander towards various groups and stops when a sense of wrong tugs at her senses. She's missing something. Some long forgotten memory trying to rise to the surface but can't quite breach for air.

    She wanders the field, headed towards the water. Casually searching for someone or something that seems to be missing from the memories that tug at the corners of her mind.

    Larentia

    It's a long way to the bottomIn the darkness underneath

    Reply
    #2
    i feel
    a bad moon rising
    Lepis’ left foreleg is stretched in front of her, and she nibbles at the navy-striped knee. She’s brushed too close to a cactus while taking to the sky, and though the spines of the saguaro were not the type to stay in the skin, the spot is still tender. Not for the first time, she thinks of the regeneration her children had inherited: that ability to recover instantaneously from injury. Lepis has no such magics, and her own are of no use when it comes to such things.

    She is still using them though, a thin projection of relaxation extending several paces away from her in all direction. It’s harmless, and blends well with the languid ease that already seems to have filled many of the assembled horses.

    The itch satisfied, the dun mare lowers her leg. Having recently arrived in the Field, she has not yet taken the time to look over the horses, and she does so now. Most are in little groups, chatting or grazing. There are fewer kingdom recruiters than she recalls being usual – perhaps they have stayed home on this warm summer day. Lepis had considered doing so as well, but she had already spent the day before lounging beside the River, and a monarch can only take so many days for themselves before the whispers of concern begin. Lepis, still readjusting herself to the responsibilities of leadership, does not intend to give those whispers early teeth.

    She notices the sabino pegasus the second time she sees her, as the woman approaches a group, wanders away, and does the same thing a second time. A recruiter, Lepis wonders? One who reconsiders her targets after approaching them? No. There’s not quite enough purpose to her, and Lepis finds herself intrigued. When the other woman finally separates from most of the crowd and heads toward the water, Lepis follows. Her own golden wings are tucked to her sides, and she draws up just short of the other mare – close enough to talk, but not enough to spook her. 

    "What are you looking for?" She asks curiously. The question is one she’s asked dozens of times in the Field, a tool to determine the fit of what she has to offer with what a potential Loessian is seeking. That is not her intent today though. "I couldn’t help but notice you looking around earlier. Are you trying to find someone in particular?"

    @[Larentia]
    n | l
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    #3
    T O I V O
    There is lightness in the steps of a Tephran kid - carefree as far as he can, being away from Isilya and his home for some time. However, he feels quite up for the challenge; he loves being around people, he loves socializing, and most of all he loves helping. He might be an all-rounder as far as the more common Beqannan 'jobs' go, but he certainly loves this part.

    The Field.

    It's with a few tentative steps that the young male enters the grassland, just because it's his first time here. He soon enough remembers why he comes, though; as he passes by groups, less obviously approaching them perhaps than the sabino mare just earlier, he disregards them just as easily, almost similarly.

    It is the two mares by the water, both winged, that he feels more safe approaching. It's not that he's too young - heck, he's an adult now - but it still feels safer to approach two mares than a whole group, for a first time.

    He knows how to hide his unease with a smile and a joyful step; he has missed a mother - and a father for that matter - for most of his life, but he's found a pretty good surrogate for a sister of sorts, and he can't complain. He will never complain around her; so it is with practised ease that he sets aside any negative emotion to display an easy smile.

    His wings don't need to be tucked to his side, and yet he still does. Not because he's born with the sense of tucking them away, for he never knew anything else, but because he has learned from the other foals that it's not generally appreciated if you come at someone with as bright a light as his can be.

    The young adult nods his light-coloured head and his amber eyes shine bright at the idea of meeting two new horses in one go. "Good day, miss, and miss! I'm Toivo, out of Tephra," he greets them. "Can I help with anything?" he wonders, seeing as he just picked up on the dun mare's last words.
    Turn your face towards the sun, let the shadows fall behind


    @[Lepis] @[Larentia]
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    #4
    He was Healer of his new home, a title he found sat well with him. War had never suited him the way it suited his wife, had never fit so easily on his shoulders though he'd been asked to wear it before. Healer, though. He liked it. Enjoyed easing the suffering of others when they fell ill, enjoyed watching them get better. It seemed a task he'd been waiting his whole life for. 

    Today though he borrowed another mask. That of Seeker. It brought the burly stallion to the Field where souls wandered, each unique and searching. He was I no hurry, took his time to watch them move and interact between mouthfuls of sun warmed grass and sweet clover. A pair caught his eye as the sun passed guys highest point. Winged pegasi in shades of blue and black. His sealy pointed legs brought him to their piece of the pasture with steady confidence. 

    Blood-dipped muzzle dropping in a polite bow, Raul nodded to the winged pair as he came to a halt in their midst. "Good day," his quiet rasp emerged to greet them. Years had passed since the events that had led up to the plague, and he had never fully recovered the use of his voice. It remained a soft and husky thing, he could not shout if he wanted to. Most days, he did not speak at all, falling habitually into the muteness he'd once had no choice in. This task however required speech, and so he did. 

    His expression, rarely gentle, was at least not gruff today. A vague sort of smile bleed across his lips and softened his mismatched eyes as he observed the winged women. "What brings you to the field on a day like this?" He asked, tossing his nose skyward. "It's too beautiful to be lazing in the field all day." His smile deepened into something that could be called charming. 

    @[Lepis] @[Larentia]
    Reply
    #5
    Larentia gazes vacantly into the waters of one of the small creeks that run through the field. Her thoughts wander as she tries to collect fragments of the life she lived before. She remembers tall trees and the scent of snow and pines, soft words of comfort, and the chill of wolves and shadows. It all feels far far away and so different compared to the warmth of the summer she now finds herself in. She feels thankful at the very least that while her head may feel a little empty, her body is strong and whole.

    Years of flight have left her body lean and toned, she prided herself on having a svelte figure, so her wings could easily carry her. Her legs were long and strong leaving her as quick and agile on the ground as she was in the air. The steely color of her hide shined showing good health. So, yes. She may have forgotten the past, but she was well prepared for an exciting future.

    A sense of calm and peace settles over while she’s lost in thought. Things didn’t seem quite so insurmountable anymore. Larentia fluffs and preens her wings contentedly when she catches the sight of a pale winged mare out of the corner of her eye. She turns completely towards the other woman, giving her a quick up and down and flashing a quick smile. The mare exudes a quiet calmness about her, a confidence of self that puts Larentia immediately at ease.

    “I don’t quite know what I’m looking for yet.” Her eyes go soft and wistful for a moment, “I don’t remember much since I got back. Just looking for...home I suppose.”

    Larentia chuckles softly to herself, “where ever that may be these days. I’m Larentia, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.” She smiles easily at the other woman. It’s really quite easy to smile in her presence, so she takes advantage of the easy company to make small talk. As they speak two more join their little circle. Both stallions are polite, one with wings made of sunlight that draw a curious glance, and the other’s muzzle stained red.

    She turns her delicate head towards the two stallions. “It certainly is a lovely day, as to what we’re doing, we’re having a chat.” She chuckles lightly, “I haven’t seen the other lands in some time. How is Tephra this time of year?”

    Larentia settles easily in the company of these strangers. She shuffles her wings and cocks a rear hoof, enjoying the presence of others after so long alone.

    Larentia

    It's a long way to the bottomIn the darkness underneath

    Reply
    #6
    i feel
    a bad moon rising
    Many – perhaps most – of the horses that Lepis has met here in the Field have come from somewhere beyond. Their origins are as varied as the shapes of the summer clouds overhead; she’s rather sure she’s never met two from the same place. They come for as many reasons: looking for purpose, or freedom, or escape. Sometimes they are lost, and sometimes they linger here only a while before they are off again, their searching unsatisfied by what Beqanna has to offer.

    This silver-haired mare is not one of those, it seems. She is recently arrived, but returning rather than venturing here for the first time. What had sent her away, Lepis wonders, and what has brought her back? Those are probing questions though, and perhaps sensitive ones, so Lepis returns the other mare’s gentle smile and her greetings. "It’s nice to meet you as well, Larentia. I’m Lepis."

    "Your search is not an easy one," Lepis says, a nod of her head and the tone of her voice acknowledging the difficulty of such a search, as one who has made a similar pursuit. Before she can add more, the sound of hooves on earth and tall summer grasses against barrels pulls her attention away from her silver companion.

    It’s a pair of stallions, neither familiar. The first is younger, pale and with friendly amber eyes. His wings are ethereal, made of light rather than flesh and feather, and he is eager to help. Lepis smiles at his inquiry, knowing that it is directed more toward Larentia, and moves her blue-grey gaze to the second stallion. He is older, with bi-colored eyes and a face that is almost familiar. His rasping voice is not, though, and her ears flick forward as she returns his greeting with a "Hello," and a smile before looking back at their other companions.

    Larentia includes them both in the conversation with ease, a skill that Lepis admires. "Standing in the sun here is like standing in the shade back in Loess," Lepis answers the red-haired stallion with an amused upward twist of her dark mouth. "I’m here for more than relief from the heat though," the dun mare continues. "I was hoping to find newcomers to Beqanna who might be interested in making Beqanna their home. And -" she glances toward Larentia with a raise of her brow and a quick smile, "- I suppose for those returning here who might be seeking the same thing."

    @[Larentia] @[Toivo] @[Raul]
    n | l
    Reply
    #7
    It seemed he was not the only one interested in seeking out others today. His ears twisted, a small smile of welcome bowing his lips at the sight of their third member. Another Tephran, he knew, but not one he'd been formally introduced to as yet. He would have to change that soon. For now though, they settled back into polite discussion, the undercurrent of competition not going unnoticed. 

    His head hung low, cropping slow mouthfuls of grass while the conversation unfolded between them. Am appreciative glance was cast to the blue-tinged mare who gently steered the conversation in the direction they all meant it to go. He rolled his shoulders thoughtfully before adding his own words to the mix. "It seems you have options then, Larentia," he rumbled, nodding between he and young Toivo and the long-haired Lepis. "I am Raul, Healer of Tephra. Our kingdom is a lush one, especially this time of year, and it is possible the home you seek is in our jungles."

    His eyes were soft as his gaze circulated the gathered horses, resting on each of them in turn. His multicolored tail swung easily from side to side in the warm air, sweeping away whining insects and hot air. "Of course, home is not an easy thing to define. You may find it in fair Lepis' Loess as easily as in my own land. I hope, however, that I am not getting ahead of myself in saying that I think you would bloom beautifully in Tephra's care." His damaged voice was slow and measured over the length of his speech, each syllable thought before being released. 

    At the close he nodded once, his piece said, and dropped his head to continue his steady munching of the greenery between them. 

    @[Lepis] @[Larentia] @[Toivo] Thought I'd continue this as Nilla is on break
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    #8
    It is flattering to have so much attention centered on her. From darkness and anonymity three people competing for her favor. Though really it boiled down to invitations to two different lands. She remembered so little of either of them. Vague impressions of dry heat and winds for Loess, and warm humid foliage in Tephra. It was a tough decision.

    The two tephran stallions had been polite and straightforward so she would do them the same courtesy. She turns to the redhead who seems to have taken the lead with an appreciative glint in her eye.

    "Thank You for the kind offer. It seems that Tephra's residents are as welcoming as the jungles I recall are. I can respect that. But I'm afraid I'll be going to Loess first. I think the warm winds will do more for stretching these wings of mine."

    The steely mare bobs her head towards the two men before turning back to Lepis.

    "If you would be so kind to lead the way, I think I would like to see Loess very much."

    For the first time in forever, a giddiness seems to flow from the tip of her snout to the ends of her tail. For now, it seems that she'll have a place to call home. A smile fills her face and there is a twinkle in her eye as she readies herself to fly.

    Larentia

    It's a long way to the bottomIn the darkness underneath



    @[Lepis] @[Raul]

    OOC: So Larentia is going to Loess! @[kahzie] Do you want to me to do a post in Loess?
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