08-27-2021, 09:50 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-27-2021, 12:42 PM by Cassiell.
Edit Reason: Added image credit.
)
Dawn came upon the land slowly, golden tongues of light devouring the last remaining vestiges of the night. And with it came a dark angel on raven wings, soaring far above the shifting terrain which unfurled below as had become his wont of late. Each day saw his explorations ranging a little further out and the map he was charting within his mind's eye became that much fuller, more detailed. Each night saw him returning to the far more familiar embrace of the "common lands" -- the forest in particular where he had landed that first night within Beqanna and met that golden beauty deep within the shadows of the trees.
Beqanna. The land of his sire. A land which called to him just as surely as a siren called to her latest victim, its sweet song shivering through his blood. And yet it had been but a name to him all of his life -- a weak collection of myths and legends, uttered from the velveteen lips of his dam when he was but a colt. But now it was far more. Now, it was a reality. A reality he could touch, taste, and --
The glint of gold reflecting upon silver flashed far below, catching the molten gaze of the brute as he surged through the sky like an oversized carrion bird. He had been "mapping" this territory all morning, eyes of golden ore studying the autumn-tinged forests, the craggy outcroppings, and of course, this lake which dominated the very center. Though this was his third pass, this was the first time he had spied movement down below. The movement of another. A very small other.
Expelling his breath on a huff, the brute began to descend slowly, his wings carrying him in an arcing path which saw him circling about at this other's back, perhaps out of their direct line of sight. Though he possessed no magic which might mask his reflection in those crystalline depths of the lake in question. Magic. He smelled it now that the land which had once been but a patchwork below him was now rising up to greet his massive frame. It was a scent he was becoming more and more familiar with since his short stay in Beqanna so far. It was a scent that reeked of otherness and left a metallic tang on his tongue.
It was a scent which flirted about the petite stature of the little filly as he drew close enough to observe that she was, in fact, walking on water. But no. Not the water. The light shimmering just above it. Ebony ears momentarily pinning to his skull, the stallion hovered there in the air at her back while he watched, his golden eyes fixated upon the foal as he lingered just far enough away that the chill wind kicked up by his wings would not disturb her. Seconds ticked into moments. Moments into minutes.
Eyelids lowering just enough to see his molten gaze half-hooded, the stud finally touched down within the lake, sending the cool, clear water rippling toward the filly as his tarnished hooves sank into the rocks and mud below the surface. He was a stranger here. An intruder. Unbeknownst to him, the magic that tainted this land was sending out an alarm to all the residents, alerting them to his presence at this very moment.
He would have landed even had he known. Probably sooner, in fact, just to test how quickly said residents responded to potential threats.
When he spoke at last, it was to see the deep rumble of his baritone skipping across the surface of the lake like a stone to greet the gold-tinged foal with an utterance of: "That is quite interesting." Letting the words linger for but a moment, punctuated by the rustle of his dark wings as he tucked them against the expanse of his scarred torso, the brute then continued with a question of, "Something you inherited from your dam? Your sire? Or something you picked up elsewhere?" No hint of curiosity tinged his tone. In fact, he might as well have been remarking upon the weather for all the dullness woven throughout the rise and fall of each word. But his eyes? His eyes betrayed him with their molten intensity.
Beqanna. The land of his sire. A land which called to him just as surely as a siren called to her latest victim, its sweet song shivering through his blood. And yet it had been but a name to him all of his life -- a weak collection of myths and legends, uttered from the velveteen lips of his dam when he was but a colt. But now it was far more. Now, it was a reality. A reality he could touch, taste, and --
The glint of gold reflecting upon silver flashed far below, catching the molten gaze of the brute as he surged through the sky like an oversized carrion bird. He had been "mapping" this territory all morning, eyes of golden ore studying the autumn-tinged forests, the craggy outcroppings, and of course, this lake which dominated the very center. Though this was his third pass, this was the first time he had spied movement down below. The movement of another. A very small other.
Expelling his breath on a huff, the brute began to descend slowly, his wings carrying him in an arcing path which saw him circling about at this other's back, perhaps out of their direct line of sight. Though he possessed no magic which might mask his reflection in those crystalline depths of the lake in question. Magic. He smelled it now that the land which had once been but a patchwork below him was now rising up to greet his massive frame. It was a scent he was becoming more and more familiar with since his short stay in Beqanna so far. It was a scent that reeked of otherness and left a metallic tang on his tongue.
It was a scent which flirted about the petite stature of the little filly as he drew close enough to observe that she was, in fact, walking on water. But no. Not the water. The light shimmering just above it. Ebony ears momentarily pinning to his skull, the stallion hovered there in the air at her back while he watched, his golden eyes fixated upon the foal as he lingered just far enough away that the chill wind kicked up by his wings would not disturb her. Seconds ticked into moments. Moments into minutes.
Eyelids lowering just enough to see his molten gaze half-hooded, the stud finally touched down within the lake, sending the cool, clear water rippling toward the filly as his tarnished hooves sank into the rocks and mud below the surface. He was a stranger here. An intruder. Unbeknownst to him, the magic that tainted this land was sending out an alarm to all the residents, alerting them to his presence at this very moment.
He would have landed even had he known. Probably sooner, in fact, just to test how quickly said residents responded to potential threats.
When he spoke at last, it was to see the deep rumble of his baritone skipping across the surface of the lake like a stone to greet the gold-tinged foal with an utterance of: "That is quite interesting." Letting the words linger for but a moment, punctuated by the rustle of his dark wings as he tucked them against the expanse of his scarred torso, the brute then continued with a question of, "Something you inherited from your dam? Your sire? Or something you picked up elsewhere?" No hint of curiosity tinged his tone. In fact, he might as well have been remarking upon the weather for all the dullness woven throughout the rise and fall of each word. But his eyes? His eyes betrayed him with their molten intensity.
cassiell
temperance is a virtue
Dark Pegasus by Tatiana Yamshanova used with permission.
@Anath