You gotta have the patience and believe you're gonna make it
Gotta hold on
She had to hand it to Volterra, he did know how to calm a mare down. Because she did, eventually, as soon as the voice had faded and the flames had quieted, merely smoldering at the tips of her hair and the rim of the feathers of each wing. It alarmed her at first, but when she found that the dripping flames did not harm her or set fire to the ground - that would have been a feat for any magician in these conditions - Erthë was able to accept it. Elemental effects had been a common occurrence in Helovia - it was just that she had never been party to something quite so dramatic before.
Closing her eyes to shut out the madness of this new world for a moment, the little mare nestled herself deeper into Volterra's embrace, permitting herself the luxury of his touch for a moment. Magic surged and pulsated around them and within her, wreaking havoc with the innate magic she possessed. The coldness of her skin grew more intense, made feral by the dark energies of this wild place; without being able to control it Erthë felt it rear a biting cold head against the stallion.
Quickly she tore herself away, hoping that the frost within her had not been able to do any harm to her friend - and lover? - and her eyes were rather wild as she added this to the ever growing list of reasons why someone ought to throttle Kisamoa. It was his fault, all of it. The death, the pain, the fear, the fire and this place - and she was sure he was to blame for the foals too, even though the dark-coated little devil had finally stopped playing at being a sprinter and collapsed in an undignified pile on the ground, panting and moaning with a soft voice that did nothing to make her care.
Poor kids, she thought. To have a mother like her.
Too tired and wrung out to object, the little mare nodded her acceptance of Volterra's offer. Company meant safety, and while she did not enjoy the thought of being part of the exiled king's harem - she was not going to be his broodmare - it was far better than spending the night alone in this forest.
"Yes... We'll come" she mumbled, and began to pick up the objects she had strewn about herself. The large purple feather from the Goddess' wing, the black fang, the now useless bow... should she leave it lie, and let the demons of this hellish place do as they wanted with it? But no. Better not... if Kaos had interest in it, then Erthë would not dare to throw it away. The little acorn gave her pause however, for the gentle glow had disappeared and instead it looked as if the charm was absorbing all the light around them, until the eerie luminescence of the trees and plants appeared to fade entirely.
She was about to leave it, but then the dark-coated colt came waddling towards her, and nosed it curiously.
"You can have it" she told him, and felt a lump begin to form in her throat as he looked up at her with big, luminous purple eyes.
Her mother's eyes.
That's right, the kids needed names. She had almost forgotten. Hastily she raffled through a few different alternatives in her mind, then turned to the boys one at a time, from oldest to youngest.
"I will call you Van" she told the boy with eyes of gemstone and those funny leathery wings, "after your father and... and mine... "
Her voice trembled, the grief in it so raw that there could be no doubt about his fate. May this child escape the shadows of death that had haunted her family for so many years.
"And you, " she turned to the pale child, so peculiarly similar to herself, "I'll name Alvah. And now, let's hurry up and leave this place before something else happens. Please!"
Without further ado she rounded up the foals and nodded to Volterra to leave the way.
I know you're tired of surviving but you gotta keep on trying
Hold on!
Erthë out :D
• Magic and violence may always be used against Erthë!
Not entirely sure why the mare was staring at him like that, the colt still felt a warmth of contentment well up inside him. Pleased with both her and himself he snapped up the light-swallowing trinket and carried it proudly between his teeth as he sauntered back to his brother. With a smug look on his face he flaunted it before the pale boy, in that infuriating 'look what I've got that you don't' way that was sure to start a number of arguments down the line.
The big stallion was spared only the most passing of glances. Compared to the thing that had bit him, the man didn't appear frightening at all.
Of more interest was the things his mum was saying. She was telling them things, her mouth forming sounds that were fraught with meaning. Van she told him, and Alvah she said to his other half, and the colt tried them out on his own tongue, thoughtfully turning them over to himself until they felt familiar and comfortable. Not bad... it would serve him well, that name. Simple, easy to remember, no complications there.
He kept mulling it over even as the mare began to usher him away from the clearing, her eyes full of an agitation he did not understand. Quickly Van looked around to ensure that Alvah was still there - only then did he come along quietly, content only as long as his other part did not stray too far away.
07-16-2017, 07:03 PM (This post was last modified: 07-16-2017, 07:04 PM by Alvah.)
,The lights we burn
have all faded out.
Maybe in time he'd hear about how this place was not his actual home, but another land, swallowed by Gods and Monsters. That he was conceived and supposed to look as his brother did, except a pale reflection. Instead he is cloaked in scales that reflect the neon colouring of the plants and the strange lighting overhead. Changed and forever altered by this upside down world struggling to crawl back from the brink.
His sir's greeting pulls a slight smile from his pale maw, reddened eyes alight as he huffed a breath back. A good impression, seeing as his mother has not managed to show a sliver of affection towards both he and his brother in the way he demands, as a soul so young. "...Hello." He managed back, hearing his voice for the first time. It's innocent and light, but there's an edge behind each word, like a serrated flower ready to bloom.
The ringing laughter assaulted his ears in the next instant and his head snapped around wildly, ruby gaze fixated on his brother as the darker of the two squealed and sprinted around. "Brother?" It's higher than he wanted it to sound, bleated in surprise as he watched the darker twin sprint until he collapsed, eyes finally pulled from his suffering frame to his mother and then his father.
What was going on here Even for a new babe, it easy to tell there was something not quite right and he moved, long tail flicked behind him as he placed himself between his mother and father, a mild look of irritation already on his youthful features. He tuned out what happened next, until their mother spoke of names. His head tilted, a dusted ear tipped toward her words until she turned her attention to him.
Alvah.
Alvah. He liked it, a good name and he nodded once to himself. Before he could comment however, inquire with that innocence and curiosity all foals had, to the trinket their mother had gifted Van. The dragon child was rounded up with his brother, urged forward toward the swell of skullfaces.
V O L T E R R A
IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE
HEROES ALWAYS GET REMEMBERED BUT YOU KNOW LEGENDS NEVER DIE
She seems to calm, and he's deeply relieved. This must be unnerving for her, to find herself pregnant and to then have to give birth shortly after witnessing the downfall of her home and a painful teleportation through the portal.
He unleashes an unwitting grunt as the place where their flesh touches suddenly grows cold, so cold he thinks his skin is going to freeze solid and fall off. She moves away before it can do any real damage, but it makes the stallion deeply concerned about his own magics. Could they have been corrupted by the Rift like his dragon had been? He'll have to test them at a later date. She agrees to join him and he nods with relief, and also notices that the second colt has stopped his hellbent gallop around the area. "They both need to suckle as well, to make sure they have the strength to survive." His voice is gentle, not wishing to dominate the situation as it's a mother's job to feed her offspring, but wanting to ensure that his newest sons get the best start in life.
Erthe names both of them and Volterra nods his approval. Slowly he begins to lead the little trio over to the rest of his family, unable to worry about how they'll react to their newest siblings because there's far more important things at the moment than familial jealousy.
The Portal
