"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
02-07-2016, 08:01 PM (This post was last modified: 02-13-2016, 10:23 PM by Lucrezia.)
It’s been months now since she’s been caring this thing around in her stomach. At first, there had been no sign that she was with child physically but she knew deep down, her maternal instinct telling her, that she was. And then suddenly she blossomed into one huge balloon. This would be Lucrezia’s first child and since she is rather unexperienced mother, but somehow instinct drives her course and decisions, she had some hope of what to do.
The days went slow and she did little to only allow herself to eat and rest – she wanted the child to grow strong, while deep inside she felt weak. Lucrezia was doing this on her own. There had been little sign of Tarnished around in the sandy kingdom but she knew he was surely around. She didn’t think of him to be the type to not see his own blood once. However, she had no idea if he even would stick around. Lucrezia would need to make her choice fast, claiming who the father would be. And she wonders who the likely ideal father would be. She thinks Kreios is a good idea. He was always there at her side and their friendship has grown deeper over the years (and he saved her life too in purgatory). But she hasn’t seen him either since he disappeared after she found him returning from purgatory. It was rather a mess, all of this. In the end though, her child would be raised properly, with a strong family unlike her own bringing up.
She walks slowly across the oasis. The sun is shiny brightly on this spring morning. Lucrezia enjoys the warmth more, it makes her feel alive and she’s rather lovey dovey right now and except any day for her child to come. She isn’t sure what gender it will be but it doesn’t matter to the amber champagne peafowl mare since she will love all of her children equally. It was the best she could give them right now despite her certain circumstances. Lucrezia knows she has a lot learn still in her life and someday that might require more than she would ever truly do – if she must, she must.
Lucrezia finds a shady tree within the oasis, off from the center of the garden. She doesn’t want to be disturb right now, not with the birth of her foal coming so soon. The mare lays against the base of the tree, also enjoy the cool of shade. Suddenly, she feels pain and she knows now is the time. Lucrezia allows her body to take over, instinctively the way of how to give birth comes to her mind and she goes with it.
A little while later, her body soaked with sweat and salt, she hears the first cry of her newborn baby. Lucrezia slowly rolls over from her side onto her stomach. The pain had not been too bad, but she is sore from the event of the birth (and hoping next time might be a little easier). Her nutmeg eyes instantly find the newborn foal and she is surprised to find something more than a horse. The foal is definitely a horse but there is similarity of a wild cat within her son’s genes – it reminds her of Kreios in a way after she recalls the moment he saved her life in purgatory. And right at that moment she knows she must claim Kreios as her son’s father. After all, there was no obvious signs of Tarnished in her son.
At least not yet.
Lucrezia slowly gets up onto all fours while her spotted remains curled up. He is too busy looking at the world around him, reaching his muzzle out to sniff at the sand and the tree around him. “Curious fellow aren’t you,” she says with a slight smile, naturally curving her lips upwards. She remembers her first time observing the world and that was when her love for adventure had grown. Lucrezia begins to clean the colt at her feet, he wiggles her and there but there is obvious sign and noises he makes that he enjoys the first experience of a bath. Lucrezia laughs a couple of times and whispers sweet nothings to her new son.
However, she has yet to come up with a name for her son. She hadn’t thought of that at all, which causes her to pause for a moment and stare at her own son. His eyes matching eyes watch her curiously as well. Eventually, she nuzzles his small neck and tugs at his short mane playfully. “Your name will be Rome.” It is a name of a place her father told her about as a child, in a world far away from her own, but she remembers the stories well. There was strength and potential in the name of Rome.
kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash
It has taken six months in a foregin kingdom, but I finally feel ready to return to the Deserts. It will be a short trip, I tell myself, just long enough to see my father. We have things to discuss, he and I, and I know that I’ve put them off for far too long.
I do not wait at the border of the kingdom (I am unaware of the rumors of war), but rather press into the heart of the place, feeling the familiar slide of sand beneath my feet. These are the dunes that I grew up on, the dunes that I had slid down with Dorne and Kratos while our parents looked on, smiling.
The thought of my mother hurts, and I push it aside, focusing instead on the oasis in the distance. There will be horses, gathered there, I know, it is the best place to seek shelter from the midday sun.
A hot breeze suddenly brings the coppery tang of blood to me. I freeze, and instinctive reaction, and look for the source. A second gust of air tells more of the story though, and I resume my journey toward the oasis, knowing that somewhere nearby a mare has just given birth. When I reach the oasis and see exactly which mare it is – and the spotted child at her side – I freeze again.
“Lucrezia?” I say, but my eyes remain on the catlike child beside her.
02-08-2016, 11:20 PM (This post was last modified: 02-08-2016, 11:43 PM by Vanquish.)
ooc- My bad, I couldn't help myself. Just ignore grandpa if need be.
Oh and since ive half-written a Nish/Lu post I decided i'd just pretend he has already seen her in the Deserts. Sorry thnx.
The black titan is drawn from the long shadow of His Great Oak by the scent of familiarity and blood. And because he is no virgin to loss nor death, the mingling of those scents in his home carry him quickly on long-stroking dragon’s wings across the Deserts – a dark wraith tearing across the glaring red sky. The smell of blood was thickened on his tongue as he traveled closer to it's source. Then came Lucrecia’s scent, one he had known since a young girl – given away from her country by a father that bargained her away like a chess piece. One he had recently seen here with his son Tarnished.
Vanquish is a breath away from lowering himself into the sands around the oasis in which she lay with a spotted foal (he has spotted sons himself, he thinks), the bloody scent giving way to the sweeter smell of fresh life. But then the king hesitates - his own child’s (child - hardly, Kreios was now just as much the titan as he) scent came up from beneath it, as if summoned by the previous passing thought. It was too late to change his course or go away unnoticed, Vanquish was easily one of the most visually commanding things about the Deserts.
So, the leviathan lands a few strides from the palms that covered the perimeter of the oasis - wavering at the idea of intruding on what (looked to be) a pair welcoming their child - from appearances, his grandchild. Vanquish would stand watch, smiling to himself at his growing brood – oblivious to the turmoil that toiled in Lucrezia’s heart. Besides, the child was of Nightwalker blood, either way....
02-09-2016, 09:32 PM (This post was last modified: 02-09-2016, 09:38 PM by Tarnished.)
"Those eyes of yours could swallow stars, galaxies and universes.
What hope did I ever have?"
Sometimes, things don’t go according to plan.
Sometimes, we make mistakes.
Tarnished knows this better than most, he’s made more than his fair share over the course of his life; he has done terrible, awful things that have led to even more terrible, awful things, but the few things he has done right and doesn’t regret in the least are his children. No matter how they might have been conceived. He is there for the birth as he has been there for most of their births, a silent nearly-undetectable guard; Lucrezia is as safe as she’s ever been whilst bringing little Rome into the world. Not that she knows, of course.
He prides himself on being incredibly stealthy, if nothing else.
The sand near Vanquish rumbles, pulling itself together to form his wanderlust-prone son. He sighs, casting his father a sidelong glance. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Nish asks, motioning with his head towards the trio—grains of loose sand tumbling from his head and mane. “It’s funny, happens every spring and yet it’s still such a rare thing to actually witness.” He seems to muse, though purposely gives no hint at the boy’s lineage. Lucrezia never announced it, after all. So he figures it isn’t his place to openly proclaim the child his. Besides, a disgraced prince isn’t much in the way of a father figure anyways. She probably has a plan. It’s what her family is known for, though Lu is by far the most benign. He trusts her to do what’s right by Rome.
Even if it means cutting him out of the picture.
It leaves him with quite the dilemma, however, since he can’t just leave the boy.
That would make him no better than his own mother.
Bright and Woolf didn’t need his protection, they were his crowning achievements.
Perfect little creatures.
Nyxia, on the other hand, had required much care and he wonders what happened to her sister.
If she is still alive.
He doesn’t even know her name, nor does he know the name of the one Bright stole away. Silly girl.
“Mine,” she claimed.
‘Mine,’ he inwardly claims, watching Rome with a sort of pride he hopes can be passed off as 'unclely.'
All of them are his, even if he must watch over them from afar.
“I was only passing through, you know,” Tarnished grins, recalling his father’s earlier jab towards him. Their relationship has always been rocky, through no fault of their own, and he cannot blame the old King for finally being fed up with it. “But would it please His Highness if I were to stick around for a while this time?” He tries to joke, tries to make light of the situation and whether or not the humor is lost on his father he has no idea.
“Who knows,” he shrugs. “Maybe you’ll keep me out of trouble.”
TARNISHED
[...Do we just carry on from this thread? BECAUSE ROME. <333]
Vanquish x Nocturnal equus mutatio, immortality, disease manipulation, trait immunity
02-13-2016, 11:18 PM (This post was last modified: 02-16-2016, 01:51 AM by Lucrezia.)
Lucrezia continues to groom her newly born son. She is fascinated by his physical characteristics – the spots, the tail and paws. Her most favorite part about her son so far is his tail that twitches back and forth. She cannot help herself to nip at it gently and tug it. Rome at first wiggled out of fear, but eventually he found it to be safe and only a teasing manner. Eventually, Lucrezia would find it easy to chase him in a game of tag. However, there is one thing she fears in her newborn son. It is the size of him. He appears to be much smaller, but Lucrezia has never been a mother so the idea does not really stay in her mind for long. She is simply too distracted by her newborn and enjoying her first moments of motherhood.
It is the approach and smell of another that quickly draws her away from the world of just Rome and her. Lucrezia is quick to draw herself between the other stallion and Rome. Her nostrils flare and she lets out a distasteful sound that she is not pleased. However, her instincts are quick and get the better of her though once she realizes who it is. “Oh it’s you, Kreios,” she says happily and feeling relief at the same time. She is quick to pick up his feelings on the scene before him. Lucrezia has never failed at reading others. Kreios also makes it obvious for her to see this too as he only has eyes for the child. Lucrezia smiles though. She must play the part that she has chosen and planned. After all, her family was known for preparing for the worst and taking advantage when opportunities came. This indeed was the one she was waiting for.
Though it seemed that her spotted little cub had other ideas. Rome is already beginning to wrestle around with long-limbed legs and overly large paws that don’t seem to fit his body size quite yet. It is her motherly nature that quickly causes her to turn away from Kreios and face Rome. She doesn’t help him up as he tries to find his balance on four paws. Rome fails a couple of times, but she knows it is only natural. Lucrezia encourages him with soft whispers. She knows he can do it. It will be the very first time he will need to be independent. Lucrezia would ensure her child grew up to feel ready for the world and not so needed on her (surely though she would enjoy that). Eventually, Rome finds his balance and she lets out a soft approval and touches her muzzle with his tiny one. “Well done, my little cub.”
Lucrezia then turns her head back to Kreios. “Kreios,” her voice is soft and a little uncertain, “This is your son, Rome.” A soft smile then slowly spreads across her thin lips. She must begin to play the part again although she is already pleading to herself not to do this. I’m sorry, Kreios, she thinks to herself, apologizing for whatever the consequences will come from this decision. Yet, she doesn’t have to dwell on her thoughts for long. Rome is quickly finding how to walk and sticking his nose out to smell the air and all that it holds. It is a great wonder to him and she enjoys every part of this moment now with her son. “Go see your daddy, Rome.” She nudges at him softly while Rome looks at her uncertainly but she encourages him again. Rome looks towards Kreios, curiously his ears flick back and forth. “Daddy,” he muffles his very first words. Rome wobbles forward, awkwardly falling here and there as he makes his way towards Kreios. When he arrives in front of Kreios, he reaches his muzzle out and flares his nostrils inches from his “father’s” skin. Rome lets out a quick snort and runs back awkwardly to Lucrezia’s side. She laughs softly and tugs at Rome’s little ear.
Her eyes then dart towards the perimeter of the oasis, not entirely hidden between the palm trees and nature’s vegetation. She spies the duo, Vanquish and Tarnished. Lucrezia’ heart races a little at the sight of Tarnished. The mare had not intended for him to be here so soon. She wonders if she heard what she had said to Kreios. Would he try to claim Rome as his? Lucrezia swallows hard and lets the distress from her face fall away quickly. “No need to hide away you two! Come meet the newest member of the Desert’s family.” A large, welcoming smile spreads across her lips. Her heart is still beating faster. I am brave, she reminds herself and looks down to Rome for reassurance of her decision.
kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash
Her defensiveness is not unexpected, and even as Lucrezia puts herself between us I am craning around her for a better looks at the little colt as he finds his feet. I step forward again when she turns back to the boy, and though I do not speak I do press my shoulder against her in a greeting, trusting that she will understand that it is not that I am displeased to see her, only that I am more enthralled by the child.
Our son, she says.
Yes, I think, yes, I can see my occasional spots on his hide, and the way his tail flicks about.
My son.
“Hello Rome,” I say, lowering my head so that the two of us are at eye level. I wuff out a heavy breath when he’s close enough, and then chuckle as the sound – or something – causes the boy to turn and flee back to the safety of his mother’s side. I follow him, but this time my amber gaze stays with Lucrezia. “He’s wonderful,” I tell her, pride and honesty clear in my voice, “You will be a wonderful mother.”
I will be a good father too, my stance at her side suggests. I will do my best, as I have always tried to do for my children. If I’d known she was with child, there would have been much less of a delay in my return to the kingdom. Accidents happen, I remember my mother saying, though as I look back down at Rome I think that perhaps sometimes accidents can turn out to be blessings in disguise.
The load beat of wings has been drawing closer for some time, and when I look up to see my father landing near the palms I am not startled. Though when the sand shifts at his feet, I take a step between him and Lucrezia. It is only Tarnished, I see as the sand takes shape, and I move back (somewhat pridefully - I would like them to see my son) to my original position.
Lucrezia beckons them forward, telling them to come and meet the newest member of the Deserts’ family. Yes, I realize, they do belong here. They really belong with me, of course, where I can keep them safest, but I’d not presume to ask it of Lucrezia – no more than my father had asked it of my own mother.
“His name is Rome,” I say to the black stallions as they come forward.
i'm clearly super great at threads bc i totally forgot about this one entirely D:
