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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


    [private]  keep a light on in my soul
    #1

    let my shadows prove the sunshine

    It did not take long for Tephra to become something he had never imagined it could be - a place of horror, a chaotic descent into what Svedka had tried so terribly to forget. It felt as though the earth had swallowed him again, digesting him in the void of blackness that he once slumbered and nearly immediately - without any hesitation or thought - the two-toned stallion knew it was time to leave.

    He never found it possible to be linked closely to something so physical, like a kingdom. Even though there was no heartache to leave what is his homeland behind, there is no pause in his step, no uncertainty in the swiftness in which he had gone searching for his children and their mothers. The light of his armor led them away from the disastrous darkness that seems to now envelope the once peaceful volcanic land, guiding them through the glowering channel pass that allows them access to the nearby island of Ischia.

    Svedka had searched for Warden and Wishbone, but the nightmares were too torrential for him to reside there a moment longer. He only had hope that perhaps his siblings would escape the clutches of the shadowy magician who had easily overtaken their home. Warden had been gone long before Gale had ever set foot inside the peninsula and though Svedka never worries, he finds the bitter taste of it growing in the back of his throat.

    “I’ve always loved Ischia,” he murmurs to the dampness of Vastra’s tawny coat, attempting to smooth the sharpness of her taut muscles beneath her supple skin. He already knew she wouldn’t have been a fan of the swim and sweeps the pink of his warm lips across her slender sloping neck, already expecting the cautious growl that would slither from her half-smirked lips. The girls, however, found the lukewarm water and the swim through the pass riveting - it gave them a chance to practice their immense shifting abilities, albeit choppy and unrefined. 

    Ciroc had made landfall as a young harp seal, rivetingly white with cascading sky blue sweeping across the pup’s thick skin. Upon reaching the fine, white sand of Ischia, however, the filly took her natural shape - a young blue mare with outspread wings, grateful for land without nightmares and new scenery to explore. With a toss of her head upward and a decided snort, she leaps into the jungle. Squawks of startled parrots echo the air, accompanied by the twinkling sound of Ciroc’s laughter.

    Svedka smiles, finding that it is no mystery that he favors his daughters, especially when their happiness reminds him so much of his own. The light he had used to lead them out of the dark of Tephra is no longer needed in the enchanting isle of Ischia and it dims sullenly, his bright blue gaze shifting to Vastra as they are left alone for a moment wading in the tidepools. “Thank you,” he tells her genuinely, knowing that she hadn’t needed to come with him - they are not promised to each other and could come and go as they pleased, as they have done for years.

    As always, though, he rather liked knowing exactly where to find her. 

    svedka




    @Vastra
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    #2
    The ache that Vastra feels when leaving Tephra does not belong to her - she grieves for Svedka’s loss of his home, for his missing siblings, and that the safe home she had invited Brunhilde to had turned, literally, into a nightmare. Their sights instead turned to Ischia, a nearby island. Close enough to be similar to home but far enough, hopefully, to escape the nightmares.

    There had been a reason why Vastra had chosen to swim with the rest of them instead of fly, but as soon as her wings became too soaked to be useable she had forgotten what that might be and had spent the rest of the short trip with a scowl darkening her storm-grey eyes. She had the same aversion to swimming as the feline shapes that she favoured, and it did not occur to her to try something that was more aquatic until she spots Ciroc as a harp seal making landfall and Sundari right behind her moving from a blue-striped dolphin to a giggling beaver as she trots the heavy body up the sand.

    Their daughters are smarter than her, which has only been slightly aggravating as they get older.

    A wordless grumble accompanies Vastra as she emerges from the water, feeling more like a drowned rat than a cat, but Svedka is right there and the grumbling turns into a small noise of appreciation as she leans into his touch. Feeling her body relax under his attention while her gaze sweeps the sand and the island. It has a similar look to Tephra - and the tropical climate has become a favourite. She watches as first Ciroc and then Sundari disappear into the trees, feeling no concern for them. They are bright, but if they get pecked in the process it will only help them learn.

    And it is not very difficult to keep her attention here in the shallows with Svedka. “Of course.” Vastra tells him, a small smile - and that damn sparkling - removing the edge from her gaze as she brushes her muzzle against his skin. She doesn’t have the right words to expand further, to tell him she’d always follow him. She could survive the nightmares, but she wanted to be in a place he could find her and the decision to be with him had been an easy one to make. For him, for their children, and for Brunhilde and the ones she was carrying as well - the fire mare had experienced enough nightmares in her lifetime. To have them all together, somewhere she could keep them all safe, was a dream.

    Vastra also does not know how to say her hopes, that the darkness over Tephra will be temporary like the one that had stolen him from her or that his siblings will find them here before long. A plan forms for her to scout Tephra every day for the once-rulers if she must, herding whoever she might to safety. But though these kind thoughts churn in her brain she instead asks “Have you been here before?” before stepping further onto the sand.

    She does not want any distance between them but it's required for what comes next - the unfurling and shaking of her wings to get as much water out of them as possible. And maybe, maybe she doesn't make much of an effort not to send it his way as a playful light dances across her expression.
    VASTRA


    @Svedka
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    #3

    let my shadows prove the sunshine

    Svedka’s golden ears flick towards the tropical jungle, (one that is bright and vividly green, with flowers blooming lush and unhindered, so unlike the jungle he had just escaped from) the sound of his twin daughter’s laughter and giggles echoing through the sunlit expanse of pristine beach. He wonders idly to himself if their arrival had already been announced to those who lived here but if that wasn’t the case, it certainly would be now. The twins are rambunctious and impulsive, traits he is sure are mostly from him than from the tawny winged shifter beside him. They are, however, mischievous and cunning (and already becoming quick experts in their shifting) which can easily reflect the woman standing next to him.

    As the soft blue of his armor fades into his skin, Vastra’s gentle glittering replaces the glow. The stallion smiles and though he may have once attempted to hide it, now grins at her unabashedly as the sparkling takes full effect. She is as nearly as glittering as the clear blue water that shines in the shallows beneath their hooves, silvery fishes caught in the pools darting in between them. She steps away from him and for a moment he only appreciates her, his gentle blue eyes soft with fondness.

    “I have,” he replies, and for a moment, he wonders if Aquaria still resides amongst the brightly lit island. It would be a shame if she wasn’t, he thinks, because despite their brief meeting Svedka could already tell that Ischia was truly her home. “Hopefully they’ll let me stay this time.” He’s joking, of course, but the grin seems secretive as if to allude to something more. “You may have to vouch for me, or we might be taking another swim.”

    The ocean water falls from her wings in glittering diamonds and he welcomes their cooling splash with laughter. Almost immediately Svedka finds his way to her in a dancing trot, his pale nose wrinkling as if to feign offense. “Nice try,” he boasts, snaking his head out to graze his teeth against her deep golden neck, “but I actually like the water.” His sneer fades quickly as he settles in to assist in preening the many feathers on her wings, attempting to set them back in place if needed - his mother had done the same for his father and even Svedka had witnessed Warden struggling to get the feathers to lay the correct way without some help. The stallion smiles to himself as he works, delighted that even the feathers have a glittering sheen.

    “We should be safe here,” he murmurs quietly, knowing that she would be as worried about Gale as Svedka would be. “At least for a while.” He could stomach the nightmares (years underground were nothing compared to them) and he is sure even Vastra could, but his mind drifts to both Ciroc and Sundari, still so young and innocent. Neither of them would let their daughters grow up in a place seeping with darkness. In truth, he didn’t know how far the nightmares could possibly stretch. Their stay in Ischia might not be for long at all.

    svedka




    @Vastra
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    #4
    Svedka’s boast about liking the water is met with a scowl, though it is half-hearted. It is difficult to be truly annoyed with him when his teeth graze against her neck, sending a ripple of sparkling across her skin that follows the path of a shiver, or when he had closed the space between them even after a few second apart. But even with the pleasant sound of his laughter still ringing in her ears, she manages to grumble a response. “I can’t imagine why.” The feathers of her wings are ruffled as she gives them another smaller shake. She had exactly one good memory of water, and that had been when she had seen Svedka again after he had been taken.

    It was a very good memory.

    A low and appreciative noise escapes Vastra as Svedka begins to preen her feathers, and that sparkling she hates so much intensifies even more under this attention until she is sure there is not a hair or a feather left untouched by it. Vastra’s ears flick backwards in more mild irritation as it catches the corner of her gaze and the tip of her nose but all it takes is seeing Svedka’s smile as he words on adjusting a few unruly feathers for her to be grinning as she turns away again to scan the beach and the trees.

    She is more alert here in a new place than she usually had been when they took time together in Tephra. There the trees and scents had become familiar up until recently. She had known what animals to expect and which faces not to scowl at. Everything was new here.

    His murmured words deflate the watchful tension in her and she replies quietly with her storm-dark eyes on the trees where their daughters disappeared. “We’ll keep them safe.” And then she turns her head to look at Svedka - all the affection she feels for him shining in her gaze as she vows “And I’ll keep you safe.”

    Whatever came their way, she intended not to lose him again. Not in such a permanent way.

    A moment later, the seriousness of those words is lessened by the smallest twitch of the corner of her mouth as she unashamedly lets her eyes trace the patchwork of his skin and the soft blue of his hair. “Even if your reputation makes them want to chase you out, they’ll have to get through me first.”

    VASTRA


    @Svedka
    Reply
    #5

    let my shadows prove the sunshine

    The shimmer of her skin is even more beautiful in the tropical sunlight, matching the gentle glittering of the clear and calm waves just behind them. “Perhaps it’s because I’ve never been able to fly,” he muses lazily, his pink mouth lipping at the tawny feathers of her wing in the midst of his careful work, being sure to place gentle kisses on her withers intermittently.

    When he is satisfied with his work, he chuffs softly with a toss of his head, scattering his flaxen and blue forelock across the pale white of his face. Svedka had never been a fighter (which perhaps is why the lion had been such a disease to him) and despite his tendency to be fiercely loyal, never really had options when it came to defensive and offensive attacks. The armor is helpful, he realizes, but he is sure it would do nothing to prevent harm from those around them if Gale (or any magician) were to put his family and friends within their scope.

    It made him even happier to have found Vastra, even when it had been in such a trying time in his life. Her roughness and ferocity (which are two reasons he loved her) not only were beneficial in intimacy but also would make her a force to be reckoned with if anyone were to threaten himself or the girls. It made him at ease beside her, knowing the truth behind her solemn vow and what her protection really means. The shine of her skin only proved her affection, the glittering reflecting in the crystalline blue of his irises.

    “Then it would definitely like to see them try,” he replies with a mischievous grin.

    He stifles a yawn, already feeling somewhat sleepy from their trek. The warmth of the sun on his back is soothing to the gentle ache of his muscles, nuzzling into Vastra’s sea-soaked, sparkling neck unabashedly with a sleepy smile. In the near distance, the twins are still rummaging through the jungle, random squeals of excitement disturbing parrots and monkeys close by. “We should follow them, right?” Svedka yawns when he says it, leaning into Vastra’s side.

    svedka




    @Vastra
    Reply
    #6
    A low chuckle escapes Vastra at Svedka’s response about her defending him, her eyes shining in a way that blends well with the glittering of her coat. “Maybe we’ll find them later then.” She teases him back. Picking a fight would not be the best way to introduce themselves to the islands but Vastra would absolutely enjoy it. Both the fight itself and getting to show off her strength for someone who would appreciate it afterwards.

    For now, their arrival is not met with any angry faces emerging from the trees or from further down the beach. The only interruption to the gentle sound of Svedka stifling a yawn and the ocean are the squeals and squawks coming from the jungle. Her head turns in that direction, eyes narrowing a little.

    Still, she shakes her head at his question as he leans against her and she presses back just a little. "No." Whatever trouble the girls might be getting into, Vastra was pretty sure she was happier not knowing. They were both smart and had both her shapeshifting abilities and Svedka’s light armor to keep them safe if they did get into any trouble. A scream would get her moving in their direction without hesitation, but since it only sounds like the native wildlife having objections - she’s assuming the girls are having a wonderful time.

    “Let’s find a quieter spot.” She motions up the beach to where a few palms overhang the sand, providing some cool-looking shade. Vastra wouldn't be able to nap here until she scouted the entire place, until she knew it was safe. But she could remain alert next to Svedka while he slept and it would be close enough to relaxing for her.
    VASTRA


    @Svedka
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