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    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


    We are the wild ones // Jassal pony
    #1
    It was spring time. New babies, new flowers, new life. It erupted all around her, and the young mare drank it in. She adored this time of year, positively adored it, and everything that came with it. It was easy to fall in love with the idea of life when you were young. 

    She inhaled a breath that filled her from head to hoof. Her skin rippled, buckskin streaking through with crimson and gold. She'd discovered it when the wind blew cold this past autumn. A shower of leaves had blown across her, their colors stuck fast. Bled into her, and swirled back out with a thought. After that discovery, well, it only made sense to have a new look every day. It only seemed to work on the colored portions of her hair. White stayed white and that was that, but that was hardly a downside. Not when she could look like this. 

    Her eyes took in the surroundings. A meadow in full swing, so green it almost glowed. Dotted through with the sunniest daffodils she'd ever seen, and ringing with bird song. She giggled to herself, eyeing the fluttering creatures. "Fuck me! Fuck me!" She sing-songed in parody of the twitterpated things. Wasn't that what her father had said? Well, minus the profanity. Birdsong this time of year was mainly breeding calls. She grinned foolishly. 

    Her own wings stretched skyward, gold-tipped feathers catching the sunlight like they could touch the clouds from way down here. A joyous whinny joined the birds, and she trotted up to the nearest stranger, kicking the air as she came to a halt. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" She greeted, tossing her head and catching wisps of nut brown hair on the tines of her antlers. 

    @[Jassal]
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    #2
    i was alone, falling free, trying my best not to forget.
    His sister often enjoys the shape of a hawk when she takes flight, but he chooses a vulture instead. He never cared for the way others gazed up at him when he was something remarkable. Their jaws hung open in quiet wonder as they watched the sunlight bleed through vibrant red tail feathers. They found him beautiful in his heaven, and followed him when he landed. As a wild-eyed vulture, though, no one pays him any attention at all.

    Spirit gives a sharp croak as he lands, wings still outspread in a crude display of aggression. Slowly, his body grows and the feathers all shed to reveal the dark gray of his coat. Glimmering blue brindling catches the sun’s rays and illuminates him like a rare jewel. In another life, he might have hated this too, but it marks him as a member of his family. For this reason alone, he cherishes this body.

    He turns his dark head and looks to the girl approaching him. Her antlers are nice, he thinks, and he tries to remember what animal he’s seen them on. But then she keeps coming closer and he considers becoming a vulture once more. It’s too late, though. She’s speaking and he hasn’t the heart to be rude to anyone that shows him kindness.

    It is,” he agrees, unused to speaking to anyone other than Breach - and they rarely shared words at all. They mostly exchanged glances as they hunted or purred with their bellies full of meat. Perhaps he could use this practice, then. “My name’s Spirit. What’s yours?
    @[Laia]
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    #3
    The stranger was metallic, and her opposite in coloration. A fun contrast, she thought, silver and gold. Very glamorous. The wattage of her smile amplified as he returned her observation agreeably. And why shouldn't he? It was a beautiful day. Saying otherwise would just be pettish. 

    "I'm Laia, from Tephra." She answered, nodding in the general direction of home. With doe-eyed interest she glanced at the meadow again, then back to the brindled stallion. "Do you live here? Or are you like me, out for a morning of fresh air?" She asked, a faint air of conspiracy hanging on her words. Oh it was always a little bit of a thrill to do something on her own. Her sisters were a lovely lot, certainly, but it was nice to be Laia alone sometimes. 

    It was small talk that she stuck too. That's what you did with strangers. Talk about the weather, the food, how's the family? It was what she was good at. People liked you more if you didn't pry or look too far beneath the beautiful surface of things. It was so often ugly beneath the surface... No, it was much better to keep things light. 

    @[spirit]
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    #4
    i was alone, falling free, trying my best not to forget.
    A deer - that’s what her horns reminded him of. It had been so long since he took one’s shape that he’d forgotten what they looked like all together. Spirit remembers disguising himself as a young buck and running with various herds who wouldn’t chase him off. They never asked questions or spoke to him. They just ran, and grazed, and slept. He liked how quiet their lives were.

    He hasn’t run with the deer since his mother fell ill.

    And that’s all he’ll call it: an illness. Spirit doesn’t even allow himself to consider she may never wake. He just tells her body goodnight and asks his father when he’ll go to bed. Eventually, he always says, but he’s there each dawn with reddened eyes and thinning ribs.

    He pushes the thoughts down and brings his green eyes back to Laia when she gives her name. It’s a lovely name, he thinks, but he doesn’t know Tephra beyond the word itself. Spirit gently shakes his head when she poses a question of her own and he offers a faint smile.

    No, I live in Hyaline, with my family. I just like to get a break from the mountains,” he says, and it’s a lie. He loves the mountains and the lake. Hyaline is where he finally learned to swim and lead his first hunt. It’s where Breach died and arose a queen. The kingdom has only been good to them, guarding Sochi’s body and keeping them safe.

    What is Tephra like? It’s got a volcano, doesn't it?” he asks with a hint of wonder to his gaze now. He’s never seen one up close, but he imagines they’re impressive.
    @[Laia]
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    #5
    There's a heaviness about him that she tries very hard not to recognize. The weight of things that won't change, no matter how desperately you want them to. Her smile slipped for a second, then was hitched back on with lightning speed. Mother and father loved each other. They did. Still do, she corrected herself. Sometimes you just had to take a break from the one's you loved. 

    Here and now was what mattered. It was all that really existed, wasn't it? The past couldn't be changed and the future was undecided, so she had to live right now. With this new Spirit to talk to. She hummed musically at his answer, eyes alight even as they wondered at the shadows in his. "I've never been to Hyaline, but my grandmothers ruled there once. Before the old plague." Long before either of them had walked the world. 

    It was where her parents had met, too. They never went into much detail about that. It wasn't really a happy memory, as far as she could gather. Dark times in a dark world, and it had been why daddy couldn't talk much now. A chapter in their family history that wasn't often visited, and she wondered if Hyaline was a happier place now. She certainly hoped so. 

    In the way of such conversations, it was her turn to elaborate. She shrugged, trying to imagine the place from the perspective of one who knew nothing about it. "Yes, there's the volcano. And it's mostly jungle. Big plants, dangling vines, enough mosquities to drain a horse dry. Constant humidity to guarantee a girl's mane will absolutely never lay flat." Her nose wrinkled. "Home, sweet home." And it was. Really. It was the only home she'd ever known. 

    It was just that there was so much more world out there. 

    She dropped her head a moment, to smell a blooming wildflower and to gather her thoughts. Her colors had faded back to simple buckskin, the reality of talking to someone new more draining on her focus than she'd thought it would be. She wanted to be perfect, though. Lovable, if she was being honest with herself. 

    Her smile was back when she lifted her head. Easy, relaxed, like it was meant to be. "You're welcome to come see it in person, if you like. Lava is impressive, no matter how many times you've seen it." Which was also true. It was molten stone, she'd been told. Rock that stopped being rock because it was so hot. It flowed for a while before hardening again, and she imagined the process started all over. 

    @[spirit]
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    #6
    i was alone, falling free, trying my best not to forget.
    He watches her, his wild eyes carefully noting the momentary lapse in her smile and he wonders if his own facade cracked somewhere. But he keeps his secrets safe and forces a brighter smile across his features to make up for it. Perhaps she will think he was only lost in thought for a fleeting second rather than a man who has lost his way. She speaks of the plague and he remembers the story his parents told him when he was very small. His mother, the unsung hero. Sochi used to hold him close and she told him how afraid she was, and how she completed her journey anyway. He always drew strength from those stories.

    You should come visit it, then. The mountains are painted red and orange in the autumn,” he says, and his smile is a bit more genuine this time around.

    She speaks of her home, then - the good and the bad, but every word is spoken with love. He considers what it might be like to soar over their jungle and their volcano as a buzzard. Maybe he could prowl the shadows as a leopard and not even look out of place.

    Alright then, you give me a tour of your Tephra and I’ll show you around Hyaline. It seems like a fair trade, right?” he offers, shifting his weight as he watches her closely for any sign of her expression faltering again. He surprises himself at how easily conversation comes back to him and how attentive he still is to details. Spirit doesn’t share anything he’s noticed of her, though, and his eyes do no betray whatever thoughts lurk inside his head. He merely observes as she smells the wildflowers and lifts her head once more.

    If you could live anywhere, where would you go?” he asks suddenly, tilting his head.
    @[Laia]
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    #7
    Her head tipped to one side, the two-pronged antlers tipping with it. Would they be heavy when they got as big as mama's? Would they hurt, or would she even notice? They are both lost in their own thoughts, and trying very hard to pretend otherwise. She was not so astute as to realize this with any kind of certainty, not when she was distracted herself. 

    Instead she offered a smile of her own at his offer. Genuine or just a social grace, she wasn't sure, but the description was appealing all the same. "I think you'd like it," she offered with a half-shrug. 

    His counter offer was one met with intrigue. Tit for tat, one visit in exchange for another. Dad would say it was an opportunity to make connections, to get to know more of the world. Mama would say to keep her eyes open. You never knew when you'd see, or hear, something that would be worth remembering at a critical future moment. Her smile lay contentedly on her lips as she replied: "Perfectly fair." 

    She was ready to go then, eyes caught on the homeward horizon when his next question fell. Looking back to the metallic brindled boy, she stuck out her tongue a thoughtful moment before answering. "I don't think I've seen nearly enough of the world yet to know if there's one spot I'd want to stay for the rest of ever." Truly, there was not much outside of Tephra and the common lands that she was familiar with. Hopefully that would change soon, though. 

    "What about you? Happy at home, or do you have a bit of adventure in you?" She asked, a lilting challenge in her voice and eyes. One step brought her close to him again, her smile impish as she prepared to depart. "If you're ready, we can go now." 

    @[spirit]
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    #8
    i was alone, falling free, trying my best not to forget.
    He watches the tips of her antlers cutting through the air when she tilts her head. It’s been so long, he forgets how that feels anymore. He only recalls the way his feathers feel when the wind turns against him and ruffles them the wrong way. Laia smiles and he reflexively returns the expression with one of his own. Of course, he agrees that he would enjoy her home, so he doesn’t correct himself when he processes how he actually feels.

    Although his sister and mother concern themselves with politics, he and his father care only for their immediate surroundings. A moment is exactly that - a moment, a fleeting opportunity to create a memory. Kingdoms and their wars mean little to him. His mind is entirely fixated on what sorts of things he may see once he walks there with Laia.

    She turns his question on him, though, and he laughs softly at first. He has lived in many places and yet he finds himself equally drawn to each. “I think I just go wherever has my attention most. Usually, I just like to be near family,” he says with a light shrug of his shoulders. “But we never stayed anywhere for long when I was growing up. Were you raised in Tephra?

    Spirit follows her gaze to the horizon and he imagines that is the way to her home. He nods and takes the first few steps in that direction, careful to match her pace while also listening for her answer.
    @[Laia]
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