"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
Life was easy on Ischia, and the purple and mauve girl certainly had not asked to leave. In fact, she had scowled and snorted all the way, but she was dropped off nonetheless. It was pointless arguing with someone who had their mind set on it - a day without watching their child, obviously. Stupid adults wanting to do stupid things.
Nevertheless, the playground, now that she had gotten used to the temperature, was pleasant enough. It was not home, it had no endless summer, but it it was spring and it had lots and lots of flowers, greens, and ponds that were hidden between the rolling hills. In fact, in running after the other foals, she was easily distracted from the fact that she had but a moment earlier, stamped her hoof at her dad for bringing her here at all.
Now, she chased a butterfly, her buttercup-butterfly wings fluttering to match the creature she was following, not paying attention at all at where she was going. As the butterfly disappeared between two trees, she came to a sliding stop, her metallic mane falling over her equally golden eyes. Oof - almost hit a tree there. In a fluid motion, she draws her head up and backwards, then turned in place - almost prancing - to investigate the rest of the playground.
Once again, her mother nudges her into the Playground.
Nalani has yet to make any friends her own age. Perhaps it is their nomadic lifestyle; Nalani and her mother rarely settle in one place for too long, preferring to move wherever the day takes them. Or perhaps it is her preference for the night time that is not conducive to friendship. After all, she has bonded with a fallen star.
At first, she thought it was a dream. The glowing ball of otherworldly light hung over her while she slept, basking her in a warm, comforting glow. She soon realised that it is real, and that it returns to her faithfully every night. When the sun sets behind the mountain and the moon rises in the sky, the star keeps her safe from the shadows and the dark creatures that lurk within them. It stays until the morning light.
As her time with the star has grown longer, so too has her bond with it. She has discovered that it is a sentient being, just like herself.
“Flash twice if you can understand me,” she ventured boldly one night.
The star’s light flickered and Nalani beamed.
Every night she stays awake as long as she is able, asking polar questions (and waiting for the star to flash once or twice in response) well into the night. By day, she usually sleeps as much as possible—but today her mother, concerned about the lack of sunshine that she is receiving, told her she needs to spend her day in the Playground.
Nalani is tired. With her protests to her mother falling on deaf ears, she ventures into the meadow and lays rebelliously beneath a shady tree. She will simply nap here until her mother collects her. She settles in, and as she becomes still the butterflies rejoice in the flowers blossoming in her rusty coloured mane. She is rather fond of the tiny creatures, which is fortunate, as they adore the daisies and salvias growing in her hair.
Suddenly, a whirlwind of purple and gold races past her. Nalani scrambles to her feet in alarm, and as she does so, she notices the colourful creature is a foal. She is chasing a tiny butterfly across the field of wildflowers. She has wings just like her prey, beautiful dainty wings that flutter upon her back.
She has nearly reached a tree and shows no signs of slowing—
“Be careful!” Nalani blurts out, but the girl skids to a stop just in time.
Though she was quite vehement when she told her mother she had no intentions of making friends today, Nalani finds herself drawn to the pretty foal. She ventures over cautiously, offering the stranger a shy smile.
“You’re like a real butterfly,” she marvels, observing the girl’s fluttering wings with wonder. “Can you fly, too?”
There’s a shout but Elayne is already going to fast to really register it was for her - but it does, later, and she turns towards the squeak’s origin, another filly. The champagne girl is pretty herself, too, And the mauve-and-gold girl giddily looks at her as she approaches, her eyes taking in her creamy form and concerned, but interested face. ”Only when I want to,” she offers, the butterfly wings showing hints of water in their structure before settling on what they were before. ”I swim better than I fly. Maybe when I’m older I can follow my dad around when he feels like a bird.” she admits, but then her eyes land on the little light that follows the other filly around. ”Ooh, what’s that?” she exclaims, taking a few hop-skip-steps forward, and stopping only a few steps before it, suddenly remembering that she’s probably rude. ”I’m Elayne!” she tells both the light and the girl - unsure which would need the honors first.
