Used to Be

The roar of chaos had not yet quieted in Roland's mind as he was spat out into the dark of night.  The air was punched violently from his lungs as he hit the ground, hooves scrambling for purchase on a surface slick with rain and molding leaves, and he crashed down onto his side under the weight of exhaustion and shock. His sides heaved with every breath, limbs trembling beneath him as adrenaline continued to race through his system with all the tenderness of an electric shock. In the moments before, he had feared for his life, for all of their lives, watching as blood soaked the ground and stained hides. Now he didn't know where he was, nor could he see any other shapes moving in the dark of the forest. The pinpricks of cold that sparked across his skin, he soon realized was not the dancing of his nerves, but icy raindrops slipping past the canopy of leaves overhead. He struggled on the ground for a moment, pulling his knees beneath him and pushing himself to his feet. A curse, out of place for him, was uttered beneath his breath.  Roland's eyes were wide when he looked about, trying to piece together any fragments of familiarity the forest might have carried. Everything that had transpired before the portal was now a blur in his mind, a cacophony of fear and anger, and now he was no more at ease than he had been while being marched across the northern fields of his homeland. A home no longer, he supposed with a heavy heart. The air smelled different here, felt different, and the collection of plants and trees surrounding him were unlike any he had ever seen before.  The collective cry of friends and strangers alike still rang in his ears like a crack of thunder, his mind still caught, trapped, replaying what he had witnessed before the sudden embrace of darkness. He felt a wave of relief knowing he had escaped alive and relatively unharmed, and also a crushing, sickening sense of guilt, sitting like acid in his chest, for the very same reason. How many had fallen before Kaos while he still drew breath, as he escaped through a portal with the rest of those fortunate enough to evade the God's wrath? He took a few, shaky steps forwards, attempting to orient himself. Nothing else stirred in the shadows or called out to him, no one fell through the portal at his side. Perhaps he had arrived late, or been transported somewhere else, apart from the rest. It wasn't an easy notion to swallow, and he tried to calm the anxious pounding of his heart as he searched for a familiar face, hoping for one in particular. He refused to fear the worst, to think she had not made it through, that he had not been there for her again, when she needed him most.  There was a faint glow lingering between the trees, something off in the distance that he had not yet the courage or energy to explore, and so he stood and he listened, the pain blossoming from his knees a welcome distraction in the face of what he had been confronted with. As he waited, he was embraced only by the most unnerving thing of all, lurking beneath the gentle drum of rain upon the ground. Silence.  --- Magics: (SAFE) :: [ Magic: Light | The ability to mask his true form by taking on another appearance. ]  :: [ Restrictions | Magic is illusory (not receive traits of identity); limited to: pure white pegasus, black friesian with 2 golden horns, palomino equine (gliding rules apply). ] Enchanted items None Rift-god / Kaos items None Amulets : 1 Companion/s :  None Species change (if applicable) : none Requests: :: [ Item: Horn Circlet | Circlet wrapped around the base of horn with a ruby in the middle  :: [ Item: green leaf charm | a green leaf charm that glows green in the dark ] Push your luck if it makes you a promise that turns con men honest.