this new air feels hard to breathe, is this how it's supposed to be? if sweet dreams are made of these then why can't I be sure?
{BLAHHHHH SRRY FOR BEING AWAYYYY} |
"Oh," you simply state in response, not quite blurting it out, but almost; it's evident by the way your gaze spaces out that you're thinking, digesting. Not because it is a startling concept, but because it shows that other side of the coin again. Someone, somewhere in this gathering, believed you needed gods to back up your herd—what? You come from a godless land, where deities were nothing but myths and stories travelers brought with them. You worshiped the wind and the rain and the thunder, but you did not believe them to be sentient beings. Your kin ruled by the grace of their wisdom and experience, just like your warriors won their battles by their prowess and skill. The divine has nothing to do with ruling, and this is what you're mulling over—the idea that a land exists where things are not like that.
Kiada, the victim of your snowball, introduces herself, followed by the mare you'd been watching. Aurelia. And the gray unicorn having trudged up the path is introduced, by the massive mare, as Rixen. You figure it's your turn. "I'm Waker," you state, your mind still going too fast. Gods? Like, real gods? You've seen Kisamoa, but he's not a god, is he? .. is he? You shudder slightly as you remember the way his body kept on shifting, as if it couldn't settle for a single shape to hold. Powerful, yes, but a god?
But the conversation isn't going to wait for you, so, you snap to, noticing another of the massive inhabitants lurking on the edges. You offer the dragon-like creature a quick smile before settling in to listen. It seems the theological debate about whether or not to call yourselves a herd has been dropped in favor of the logistics.
And you learn of a place called Helovia, where Otem presumably came from.
"I think," you begin, gently inserting yourself into the conversation after Otem has finished suggesting you keep some sort of constant fire around, "we have two options. Either we decide a set interval of days between our meetings, or we do what Otem suggested, or something similar. It's just, this place is so vast.. would you see the smoke from the other side?" You tilt your head to the side. You barely notice that you've jumped head-first into this. It's just a problem that needs solving.
Strangers rarely agree on anything, much less enough things to get along without conflict.
I do not notice the approach of the black pegasus until another individual addresses him. My misleadingly delicate face turns to view the newcomers with a bored expression, noticing how the stallion stands with a forced sort of confidence. The mare, however, is painted with vibrant patterns in a natural palette, decorated by flames and a strange teal ooze on her chest. Frankly, I hope she stays the hell away from me.
A large bird - a vulture, perhaps - comes to rest on her back from the sky, which causes a brow to raise on my face and my permanent frown to deepen. She introduces herself as Kiada, and I make a mental note of it but otherwise don't acknowledge her much. Aurelia, the golden mare who arrived before me, offers up a name, followed by the nervous dark stallion, Waker.
She praises the idea of Otem to form a meeting place, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Praise for nothing more than doing what these morons should have done from the start. Well, at least it's a step in the right direction. Before the loudmouthed golden girl speaks again, another stallion shows up but remains quiet near the edge of our gathering. He is clearly listening and waiting for the opportunity to interject something of value - an asset so far lacking from many of the comments made by the gathering thus far. Otem introduces him as Rixen, and I look around for a moment before realizing I would be rude not to at least offer my name.
"Raein," I say, my gaze scanning the group for a moment.
Though she is opinionated, Aurelia at least asks the right questions instead of falling back into empty praise. My teal eyes slowly hover back toward Otem, awaiting her response.
The young woman, true to her think-later-act-now personality, jumps into a demonstration of how magic can help.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Magic was a bedtime story in my old home; something you used to quiet children and force dreams upon them of better and greater things. Now, I've seen magic plenty of times since my arrival, but the quick little demonstration of Otem's still unnerves me quite a bit. I cock an ear back as she builds a... creature from the earth. Then, her voice interjects, unwelcome, into my mind. I resist the urge to snort and settle for simply looking displeased.
Does anyone else have magic?
I shake my head no, for I do not. Aside from the ball of hope following me like a lost puppy and the scars on my back, I am for all intents and purposes a regular horse. I have no fantasic coloring, no flames sprouting from my back, no ability to shape creatures from the earth, and no unnatural glimmering in the sunlight. Ordinary, normal.
Thankfully, Waker interjects with a more reasonable suggestion and clears my mind. He notes that the fire would have to be fairly large to see from far away. A set number of days sounds much better to me. The boy still speaks gently, as if he's not sure of himself completely. "That sounds more likely to work," I say, offering support to his suggestion. "Whether it's every quarter moon or some other period of time. Fancy pyres risk wildfires and attracting unwanted attention."
""
R I X E N As Otem spoke, I realized that my assumption on the group’s topic of discussion was correct. They were talking about a herd. Well, a “meeting place,” for now, but a herd was what was on everyone’s mind, including my own. I didn’t know about everyone else, but I had not come into the Rift in search of a herd. I hadn’t even intended to come here at all. But now that I was here... Otem was right. We would need to first establish some sort of meeting place. We needed to put our collective skills together if we were going to restore the Rift and make it our home, which I presumed was the common goal among us all. This was no longer about individuals but about cooperating as a group to achieve success for all of us. To some extent it was true that we all defined success differently, but if together we could do something to make sure that everyone safe and happy, then there was no doubt that was the definition of success. Connection undoubtedly made everyone stronger. I, for one, much preferred having some sort of social network to being completely alone. We were no herd. But coming together was a good beginning. And maybe if we worked together, something even better would come of it. Though I didn’t know for sure how all of the other horses felt, I thought that we should maintain this connection with each other, be it through smoke signals or designated meeting days or something else. With a nod of my antlered head in response to Otem’s warm greeting, I advanced toward the circle of horses. As I came closer, my green gaze bounced from horse to horse, listening to what each of them had to say with my ears were pricked attentively forward. Still not wanting to interrupt the flow of their conversation, I waited patiently for an opportunity to interject and speak my mind. Did the sphere of hope count as magic? It was certainly the product of some supernatural force. Other than the glowing orb floating at my shoulder, I had no experience with it. Nor was there anything magical about me. Magic amazed me, but I did not possess it. Unlike Otem, I could not command small forest critters or make plants grow or speak directly into others’ minds. Such things were the stuff of legends in the land where I was born. "Unfortunately I have no magic to offer you." Stepping in beside Kiada and the blue-accented stallion who was called Waker, I spoke up for the first time since arriving at the meeting, my voice emerging steadily from my velvety lips, resonating with purpose. "However, what I can offer to you are the skills that I already have. Even if they are not nearly as powerful as your magic and cannot exactly be used to connect us all, surely they will be useful to our purpose at some point or another." Even without magic, I was determined to contribute in other ways. The last thing I wanted to be was useless. Another gold stallion who I had never seen before introduced himself as Raein. Like me, he did not have any magic to contribute. Up until now, he had looked kind of bored and had not said much. When Raein finished speaking, I picked up the discussion where he left off. "I think Waker raises a good point. Raein, too. I’m not sure that a horse somewhere far away, say from the Unwaritace, would be able to see a smoke signal, even if said signal was very strong. And a fire is a hazard. Maybe there is some other way to use magic to suit our needs." I paused momentarily, as if I had lost all of my thoughts and had to recollect them again before continuing. "If not, it would be a good idea to establish certain days to meet on. Maybe once per moon-phase? That way we won’t have to travel here too often, because I know some of us must cross the entire Rift to get here depending where they’ve been living, and there won’t be too much time passing by inbetween meetings." I suggested thoughtfully. "Talk." they heard me singing and they told me to stop quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock |
this new air feels hard to breathe, is this how it's supposed to be? if sweet dreams are made of these then why can't I be sure?
If Otem ever did have the chance to lead a herd, she would quickly learn two things which were becoming increasingly apparent here. The first was that she did not know everything and would have to rely on the wisdom and council of others. The second was that it was always easier for others to cut down your ideas, rather than to offer any of their own. |
this new air feels hard to breathe, is this how it's supposed to be? if sweet dreams are made of these then why can't I be sure?
Otem didn't want to feel sorry for herself. The only time she'd really allowed her mind to wallow in its own self-pity was just after Isopia had died, and her twin and father had vanished. It had seemed appropriate then to play the abandoned child, but now, standing in front of so many who had come just because she had called, it seemed absurd and stupid. |
He blinked, surprised by the thoughts that whispered in his mind. No. That was not at all what made fire beautiful! He mental throttled the thought, disturbed by how naturally it slipped into his mind. How right it felt. He stepped closer to his piece of hope, letting its light fill him. As quickly as that darkness came, it vanished, chased away by the light. But that did not erase the memory of it from his mind. Someone was speaking again and he had to refocus on what was going on before him. Right. Meeting places and signals. So this was not a herd, but a support group? He did like the idea of coming together and pooling their efforts. Even having a place to go to ask for help. But what he had wanted most, what he craved, was a herd. Though it did not seem like the world was ready for one just yet. He would need to be a bit more patient. No matter. This was still a good cause that he could get behind.
His head cocked at the mention of shifts being implemented to ensure that someone was at the meeting place at all times. it wasn't a bad idea. Her certainly would not mind pitching in on that regard, but did they had enough horse power? There were so few here that having one to the East and another to the West might be a bit much at the moment. But what did he know about organizing such things? He lived in a cave for six years and found the most common things new and fascinating. Like ants, and clouds. His head swiveled towards Kiada as she spoke and he found himself nodding. Yes. The castle would certainly be an easier landmark to point to. And easier to access for the wingless. He looked to Otem again as she piped up once more. Every half moon. That did sound plausible. So he gave a nod in agreement and understanding. Though he doubted anyone would really be paying attention to him.
talk talk talk
R I X E N I didn't really know what a good solution was, but perhaps like everyone else, I was reluctant to admit it. Everyone, myself included, was sort of throwing ideas against an invisible wall and hoping that one or two would stick. The group continued to debate about where and when it was best to meet. After contributing my initial thoughts, I fell back to silence for some time, listening to what everyone else had to say and trying to think of a solution. Otem appeared to be processing what everyone else had to say, weighing the merit of each point. She would nod her head as each horse took his or her turn to speak. Though many of our opinions differed from her own, she seemed to be handling everyone's criticisms of her proposal well. The burgundy mare said nothing in the way of outright disagreement with others’ ideas with the exception of Raein’s words, after which she quickly defended her fire idea. While I found gaps in her thinking, Otem made good points overall. Updates every so often were not enough. We would need some sort of system for emergencies or urgent messages, in case something were to happen. No one, not even myself, had given that problem much consideration thus far. Her fire idea was good, and it was true that smoke was not nearly as hazardous as fire was. But an awful lot of smoke would need to be produced for someone to see it from far away. And there was always the chance that on a particularly gusty day, wind could interfere with a smoke signal. Though I refrained from mentioning it, as everyone had already begun discussing other aspects of said meetings, I didn’t think it was safe to just hope that someone else would be nearby in the event of an emergency. Something more reliable would be safer. Someplace more accessible too, in terms of location. The more I thought about it, the more complex everything became. As soon as Otem finished speaking, Kiada began. Demonstrating her own control of the flames, she summoned a fire-tornado that gyrated around an invisible vertical axis, its tail touching down lightly on the earth’s surface. After enough time had passed for everyone in the circle to get a good look at the dancing funnel of bright light, heat, and smoke, Kiada extinguished it with apparent ease. On the ground before the spotted unicorn, there was a little blackened patch where the flames had charred the earth. More than skill alone was required to manipulate fire like that. To me, magic held an immense power that no amount of skill could make up for. Unlike mere skills, magic seemed to have no limitations to what it could do. Magic could appear in any shape or form, and I was certain there was magic that could do anything imaginable, and even things that I couldn't possibly fathom. I leaned into the circle slightly, focusing my attention on Kiada as she continued to speak. Her words also held merit. One of Kiada's suggestions was that different horses should play the roles of messengers, staying in the east and west to relay information. Interesting. This could also be useful, but how we would go about implementing such a complex plan? It was probably best if we discussed it when everyone could agree on the simpler things. My response to the curve-horned mare was but a few soft-spoken words. "I couldn't have thought of that myself." Aside from that, I offered no more on the subject. I did not want to tackle a problem without having any idea how to go about solving it. However, the polite thing to do was to at least offer some type of acknowledgement, and so that was what I did. Next, Kiada suggested we meet at Halyven rather than here. Given my fondness of the place, I was glad to hear Kiada’s idea to hold our meetings there. Of all the places I had seen and explored in the Rift, it was by far the most fascinating, a ruined city distinguished by its many pointed spires. The ruins were as beautiful in death as they must have been in life. If anything, traveling there for meetings would give me an excuse to visit the ruins more often. Bobbing my head approvingly alongside Otem and Roscorro, I hastened to expressed my approval in both speech and action. "Right." Following several looks of approval, Otem took up the reins of conversation again. As she spoke, Otem collected everyone’s thoughts together and presented them in a more organized and clear manner. Halyven. Every half-moon. The idea was agreeable enough. "That sounds fair." I said at last with a hint of a smile showing on my lips. Then, turning to face Otem, I addressed her directly before posing my question to the whole group. "Otem, earlier you mentioned the possibility of a serious, unexpected, or dangerous situation arising that would require immediate action. What are we to do in the event of an emergency?" "Talk." they heard me singing and they told me to stop quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock |
this new air feels hard to breathe, is this how it's supposed to be? if sweet dreams are made of these then why can't I be sure?
Remember to post 3 times if you haven't already to get the RF, yo! Also feel free to keep replies short if that's easier! Perhaps it was simply because of his silence, or perhaps it was because deep down Otem still thought that perhaps Roscorro might eat her, the sap and soil coloured girl caught his nod of approval at both Kiada's suggestion of meeting in the broken city, as well as the idea of meeting every half moon. No one else seemed to have much to say, and so Otem let out a small sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps this self-started trial of gathering everyone together had finally come to an end. Who would have known public speaking could be so exhausting? Just as she was about to say something in closing, Rixen spoke up. Otem, earlier you mentioned the possibility of a serious, unexpected, or dangerous situation arising that would require immediate action. What are we to do in the event of an emergency? Otem's inner monologue in that moment was something like this, Can't one of the adults answer? Wait. Not that. I don't want to be thought of as a child...so maybe just an adult who has been an adult longer than me? Otem's eyes scanned those assembled, but no one seemed to be offering any suggestions. So Otem decided to do something which she might instantly regret. She decided to ask her necklace. "Any ideas?" The girl mumbled to the oak-charm hanging around her neck, closing her lips on the word mom that wanted to settle itself at the end of her question. Silently Otem prayed that the screechy voice would not be the one that answered, but instead the rational voice of her mother. But her wish was not granted. "Maybe you should leave trails of BREADCRUMBS TO FOLLOW." The necklace screeched in a voice that sounded like laughter and nails on a chalkboard. Otem winced, but knew there was nothing she could do to stop the voice now that it had started. "or MAYBE you could cry WEEE WEEEE WEEEEEE all the way home like the little blundering PIGGIES you are." Regretfully, Otem looked around the group wanting to apologize. But before she could, the academic and sterile voice of Isopia suddenly replaced the obnoxious voice which had been previously grating on their ears. "This question underscores the importance of having a formalized system in place. Although beginning a herd might seem merely an exercise in nomenclature, it is not. A herd is an agreement to uphold certain responsibilities - responsibilities precisely like being accountable in a time of need. As you are now, no one here has committed to such an agreement, and, despite being present here, is under no obligation to aid any one else in a time of crisis." The voice fell silent, and Otem waited for it to continue, wanting the voice of her mother to follow up with a, so here is what you need to do suggestion, but it did not. Swallowing, Otem turned her burgundy and gold stare to the group. "So .. I guess even if we aren't a herd yet, it would be good if we at least committed to helping each other out, if we see each other in need?" Otem tried to sound confident and sure of herself, like the voice of her mother had been, but found her gaze wavering slightly as she looked to those assembled. It would be all too easy for them just to say no and walk away at this point. But something about this felt important in some hard to specify way. Or perhaps it was just that Otem didn't want to be alone again. "We aren't a herd yet, I know that. We don't have ranks, or roles, or jobs or anything ... But can we all at least agree to help out if someone is in need? For now anyways, until we have more information?" |