04-19-2018, 01:38 AM (This post was last modified: 04-19-2018, 01:39 AM by Roscorro.)
Roscorro
He stood amidst the others, waiting to hear of the things that they had learned. He returned K'yarie's nod of greeting when she appeared. He didn't notice Eira slip in as his gaze was drawn to Hope. She appeared like dawn, quiet and peaceful. He gave her a friendly smile, inclining his head in greeting. he had not seen the god since she had immerged from the pinnacle, awakened by their hope as it spread through the land. She was every bit as beautiful as Kis was horrific. The air about her was warm and soft, like the kiss of sunlight on a spring day.
He then became aware of Eira as she came near. He made to wrap his wing around her, should she let him, drawing her near as she had sought to be while offering protection against the rain and cold. His smile was as warm as the light that shown from Hope as he gazed down at her. She would find welcomed safety with him, always. An ear always remained directed towards Hope to show that he was not ignoring her as he checked on his little friend who had sought comfort. His head lifted at the mention of a herd before snapping back to the godly deer when she placed him alongside Rixen as leader.
He gawked at her, not believing what he heard. His mind did flips and seemed to tie itself in knots as it tried to wrap itself around what had been said. He blinked, firmly clamping his mouth shut when he felt the cold rain water begin to drip inside. Why him? He understood Rixen. He was a wise soul. Thoughtful and well spoken he was the sort that could be seen leading a herd with his wisdom and kindness. But him? He was nothing more than a bumbling, naïve fool that barely knew about the world. Heck, a year ago he hadn't even seen grass or trees before! This was far from providing a safe place for the young he had found to go. he had never dreamed of starting a herd. The voice inside his head laughed. 'She wants you? A monster with tainted blood? I think this god's brain was addled during her slumber.'
Rosco was inclined to agree with the nasty little voice that seeped from the darkness within his being. His feet wanted to run, to carry him far away from the staggering weight of this responsibility. He opened his mouth to decline, but stopped when his gaze met Hope's. That vile voice ebbed away, as her soft light seemed to fill him with comfort, and somehow, he found himself believing that he could do this. As a head of a herd he could provide better protection and shelter to those he cared for. Plus, he wasn't alone. Rixen had been named alongside him. The man's wisdom and poise far outweighed his own and he knew that he could come to him for advice. Even if Rixen did not agree to lead, the tribrid knew that he would always lend and ear and well thought out words. His gaze drifted to Kiada, seeking more reassurance as he mulled the idea over in his head.
He was not sure how long he had been standing there, a thoughtful expression upon his face, before he spoke. "You honor me." He breathed as he bowed his head. "I will do all that I can to be worthy of the trust you have placed in me, to serve those within this herd." He lifted his head to meet the gaze of each individual standing around him, his neck arching as he peered down at Eira. "I will accept the position, if you will have me?" He wanted to know the other's thoughts. How could he lead with Rixen if those who were to belong to this herd did not support them? If any remained after hearing what had been said.
talk talk talk talk
In your hands, there's a touch that can heal
But in those same hands, is the power to kill
Are you a man, or a monster?
It was well that K’yarie’s gently radiating warmth - that tantalising, teasing touch she so craved - was there to ground the impatient, prejudiced young pegasus.
Valkyrie stood beneath the shelter beside her favourite celestial mare, still properly aside from the stew of steaming bodies and abhorrent masculinity. Their simpleness, the irritating tediousness of their unnecessary chatter, began quickly to grate on her nerves and she shifted restlessly, casting her pensive gaze towards the ruined silhouette of the city beyond.
It wasn’t long after the ludicrous little gathering had settled into dumb conversation, when the flicker of the woken deity's fire-lit crown announced her unorthodox arrival before them; much like her materialisation from the glowing fissure of The Pinnacle before the Matron’s party, the goddess appeared through the plunging water as though fashioned by the very element itself. Where was Kisamoa the ugly? The outmoded…? Curious eyes skirted the fawn-like figure, half anticipating that his dead-like corpse should rise in contrast, from the grave beneath the earth which he’d clearly been pieced together from.
Smirking lightly at the thought, Valkyrie resumed focus upon the beautifully female, godly figure, with pointed white ears pressed forward against the melodic sound of each eloquent word given. But the admiring glint in her gaze fizzled sharply and an unflattering shade of indignation was swift to engulf her chiselled face. It was not the mention of a herd that soured her mind so suddenly, nor even the fact that the wisest had selected already two candidates to lead.
Nay…
The pale Shieldmaidens eyes swam hurriedly through the crowd until they were able to narrow upon the dark-hued face of Roscorro, the beast with the chicken legs, wings, and strange prickly face. She, by now, had accepted her ridiculous mistake: the assumption that the hybrid beast was any better than Vynter, or blessed like herself (like K’yarie, Kiada). She stood there bemused, under a cloud of disbelief, that a goddess as shrewd as she, before them, appeared to be, would believe that a man should found a herd.
The idea was preposterous and it took every ounce of her inner-strength to withhold a harsh, derisive snort.
Valkyrie’s menacing, icy-blue gaze followed the pattern of those gathered to find the second nominee, Rixen. She had seen him before, though she hadn’t the desire to figure out where, and recalled the rich manly tone of his voice in an instant. The young horse’s heart was thundering wildly, the pulse pounding in her ears…
This was a travesty!
As though expecting the same heat of horror to be swelling through the expression of the idol she was pressed (unknowingly) against, the young Daughter of Sunnmōre turned her face. “Can you believe this?” she hissed under her breath, completely unable to keep her low tone free of the vehemence writhing through her core, perhaps though, not even loud enough for the star-spangled lady to hear. Without the gift of maturity to draw upon and self-soothe, Valkyrie felt she could bear the situation no longer. Snapping the length of her luxurious tail loudly, enraged further by the returning rumble of Roscorro’s rich baritone voice, she fastened her ears backwards and turning with tightly gritted teeth, slipped away silently through the rain.
He had come along at the last minute. Like a thief in the night he had sauntered up to Eira's side, pressing his muzzle to her shoulder delicately before looking up at the beautiful one known as Hope. It had been some time before he had seen the beautiful creature; and much had changed about him in this time. But he wasn't focused on that now, what he instead kept his mind on was what Hope had to say. So with ears delicately floating forward as he pressed close to the blue filly, a sense of some emotion filtered over him at her words.
He couldn't describe it, but it didn't seem to be bad. It was a feeling that he would let simmer, eyes locking onto Rosco and the man who had hurt him. Of course, the man who hurt him didn't remember that he had actually hurt him, but he wasn't going to reflect on that either. His mind was focused on this new social construct that had been bestowed upon them. A herd, a gathering of them all living together in harmony with some sort of patriarchy. Letting his eyes rove over those that were now apart of his herd, he let his eyes fall once again back on Rosco.
He would do well as a leader. He didn't know about Rixen, but Rosco for sure would do well.
"You’re right, I had just been wondering where she might be." My brow furrowed as I spoke of the ram-horned mare, and as Kiada mentioned that she hoped Otem was okay, I agreed, a soft "Me too," escaping my lips in an indication that I felt much the same. I turned my head to look at the sky, which still a dark, brooding shade of grey. Rain had ceased to fall, however, and for the time being a damp rain smell hung in the stagnant air, a reminder of the torrential rains that signaled the arrival of drench.
It was not long before we were joined by more and more horses, many of whom I knew, and a few who I did not. Seiji, the stallion who I’d encountered for the first time at the Mangrove Tidepools, was the next to arrive. He remained silent, greeting the both of us with a polite dip of his head. Come to think of it, I didn’t think I’d ever heard him utter a word. Perhaps he did not like to speak… or maybe for some reason or another he simply couldn’t. Nevertheless, I returned his greeting with a warm smile and a tip of my antlers in his direction, glad to see that he’d heard Khairi’s call and had travelled to join us at the meeting.
The next to arrive was Waker, the black pegasus decorated with bright blue designs that contrasted sharply with the darkness of his coat. "Greetings, Waker." I said, moving back a few steps to make room for us all to gather comfortably within the protection of the stone walls. Shortly after Waker’s arrival, another mare appeared. A pure ivory color she was, with a long, silken mane and tail and blue eyes that did not bother to grace my own striped flank. Strangely, her wings did not sprout from her back but from the bones just behind her ears. With wings of that size, I supposed that she could not fly, but then again my experience with pegasi was quite limited. There was the possibility that’d I’d seen her somewhere before. But at present she was a stranger to me, though likely not to Kiada, for she greeted the golden girl with a mention of her name and a brisk nod. She did not acknowledge me, but I did not think to take her actions personally, offering her a polite "Hello," despite receiving seldom but a glance.
I listened to all that Kiada had to say with utmost interest, my eyes bright and my silver-tipped ears pricked forward in her direction. When at last Kiada spoke of Hope meeting us here, I began to wonder whether or not she would show up today. Secretly, I hoped she would. There were so many questions to ask, ones that there had been no time for at the party. Roscorro and K’yarie stepped into the clearing one after the other, and it was the dragon-stallion’s steady voice that interrupted my thoughts to bring news of the creatures he’d discovered over the course of the past moon. I was glad to see that so many horses had come to the meeting, akin to myself in that they found solace in a group setting where every horse would watch out for each other, as was promised at the previous meeting. A young colt and a filly made an appearance too, but I did not have an opportunity to ask either of their names.
Just then, Hope spoke out from where she had been hanging at the back of the group. As she addressed us, she stepped forward, and we spread out to accommodate her in the center of the circle. The Riftian deity who spoke the words that I, and many of the others, had long been waiting for. It was time for a herd, the first herd. It was as if a thorn had pierced my heart, though not necessarily in a bad way. A mixture of emotions washed over me, ranging from utter shock to fear to excitement. I was to lead alongside Roscorro? Part of me wanted to tell Hope that there must be some sort of mistake. I’d only just arrived in the Rift. There were certainly other, more qualified horses here than myself. But I also knew that there was no way I’d refuse such an offer to serve my friends. Stepping forward, my emerald eyes shining, I bowed before Hope as a show of respect, in the same way I’d witnessed the horses back in my homeland bow to their sovereign. "I- I don’t know what to say. It would be an honor." Humbled, I paused to clear my throat and collect my thoughts. When I managed to speak again, it was in a voice that was less shaky, instead laced with my usual air of nobility, "You have my word that I will do my best to serve this herd. Thank you." My emerald gaze shifted from Hope to Roscorro, who seemed to share my sentiments, and an approving chuckle accompanied my next words. "You will be a fine leader, Roscorro. Let's hope I may keep up with you." We'd established these meeting in the hopes that they would amount to something more, and it was now that the reality hit me. No longer were we a group of loosely connected vagabonds. No- with Hope’s blessing, we were a herd. A family. At last, we would have a place to call home.
More come. And more. And more. Some he knows. Some are new. Seiji's dark eyes pause on every stranger with a studious alertness, but in the end he always moves on. What he seeks is not here. He is content to wait a little while longer — where else to go? Maybe something will happen. And even if it doesn't, he knows Kiada. He almost knows Waker, Roscorro, K'yarie. The antlered man. He lingers, watching them, but in his heart a hole opens up. And a kind of frantic despair: what you seek is not here. He should go. He doesn't really know why he came.
But he is here, still here, when the great deer arrives. The antlered doe. That same sensation of quiet awe; Seiji's head turns and he gives her his full attention. She is the nearest thing to a god he's ever witnessed. If things were different, if he had come of his own volition, if this were not an errand, he would want to speak with her. He would want to watch her more carefully. But now, now he is here with other things in mind and her words aren't meant for him. He knows this.
All at once: the utter cold of being a total outsider.
He should not be here. He's silent still (of course) after she's done speaking. He supposes he should be glad — glad for Roscorro — glad for Rixen. But he feels something else welling up in him, some vague frustration. How much generosity can he ask of his overtaxed heart? He isn't glad for them. He isn't glad at all, in the moment. Just out of place. He doesn't belong here.
He doesn't want to be part of their herd.
He's slipping back, even as the others are talking. He won't draw attention to himself, if he can avoid it. He has no desire to ruin their gathering, but he has every desire to run — maybe all the way back to the beach. Maybe just until he can't feel anything. He is backing away, back, back, and then he is turning and putting his legs to use. Seiji knows how to run. If he didn't, he wouldn't be in this mess at all — he'd simply be dead.
04-20-2018, 04:02 AM (This post was last modified: 04-20-2018, 04:02 AM by K'yarie.)
K'yarie
She could not deny the sting of jealousy as Hope announced Roscorro and Rixen as the leaders of this herd. But she held her tongue, hid her disappointment. She could still see benefits to being a part of a herd. But when her companion, Val uttered outraged words and stormed out, she knew that she could not stay. She could not abandoned the arrogant girl to her fate outside the safety of a herd.
When the girl was safetly out of earshot and beyond view she gave a small bow of her head. "I apologize for my friend. I wish the all of you luck, I know the two of you will be fine leaders. I hope, that despite Valkyrie's reaction, that you will not hold ill will towards her. I look forward to seeing how you all thrive and grow and perhaps, one day we will join you. Until then I cannot leave her. I am all she has." She have another bow and made her leave.
talk talk talk talk
Moon dust in your lungs, stars in your eyes You are the child of the cosmos A ruler of the Skies.
The ivory mare from the river slips onto the scene—standoffish, every angle of her body screaming that she isn't one of them, her cold, haunting eyes landing only on Kiada. It's like she can't even see the rest of you. Baffled, one of your ears turn back, and you glance at Rixen's face. He seems alright with this, offering the girl a polite greeting. You wish you had the guts to do the same, but you decide that he speaks for you, too, when he greets her.
Kiada gives you her name: Valkyrie. A cold and hard name. It suits her, because she seems cold and hard. Dangerous, in some way, as if she might sting to touch; not dangerous in the way you imagine the sleek stranger to be. Sometimes, you think you see a knife hidden beneath the elegance.
She goes on to speak of why she's called you all, sharing a plant she's found. Intrigued, you step closer, lowering your head to peer closely at the mossy thing. It's unlike what was readily available in your home, vaguely reminiscent of the moss growing in the Wailers' mountains. One of your ears turn back, listening to Roscorro's arrival and tale of gruesome monsters; you shiver a little, looking up in time to see K'yarie come into existence somewhere behind Kiada. She nods at you, and you return it with a slight smile, pleased to see her again—but somehow, it withers and dies on your lips when you watch her touch Valkyrie's wings with fondness.
You dig another grave for that thought, out of necessity. Hope—elegant, bright, everything the Rift seems to need—materializes. She takes action where none of you have dared before. You remember the talk of deities, of patron Gods in the lost Helovia; is she your patron god? You study her with interest and a veil behind your gaze, as if there's something you want to hide from her burning eyes. She is not Kisamoa, the fractured monster you're so inexplicably fond of, and you're afraid she might sense your disappointment.
Is everything in this blasted place out to hurt you?
The sickly filly presses against Roscorro as Hope reveals her leaders of choice: Roscorro, and Rixen. They both look equally stunned, but you don't find yourself terribly surprised. Roscorro is a bulwark, his heart good; Rixen is noble, diligent. You think they'll be good, despite their doubts, and you plan on saying as much when your heart fractures further.
A hiss, the words of which you do not catch, originates from somewhere by Valkyrie and K'yarie—they're still painful to look at, and anger radiates from every pore on the icy girl. She turns to leave, a crack in your heart; you don't know her, but she's leaving, and she's not supposed to.
She's not supposed to.
Behind you, you feel the sleek, black stranger slip away. Quiet, quiet; you spin around, surprised at how far he's come, even as K'yarie makes excuses for Valkyrie and takes her leave.
You cry out, "Wait!", trotting out into the pouring rain, but he's already gone.
Like a shadow swallowed by the night.
Slowly, you turn your head to look at K'yarie's retreating form; bitterness and resentment welling up inside of you, a flimsy shield against the hurt. So easily has she replaced you with another broken thing—and your mind clouds as you think of the excuse offered. "I am all she has."
No, your numb heart says, darkly, she had all of us.
But like the sleek stranger, she discarded you. It presses on your ribs, from the outside, from the inside, your breath getting stuck in your throat as you stand there in the rain, a wet, lonely figure. It hides your tired tears, grounds you in your skin; beneath it, you buzz with confusion.
"It wasn't supposed to go like this," you say, to the rain, to no one in particular.
04-22-2018, 07:20 PM (This post was last modified: 04-22-2018, 07:24 PM by Roscorro.)
Roscorro
He greeted Vynter with a smile, happy to see his young friend. Roscorro chuckled, warmed by Rixen's words. "I believe it is I who will struggle to keep up with you." His words were warm light sunlight. But his smile soon faded. They left. Valkyrie was the first to go, her fury apparent as she stormed. He watched her leave with sad eyes. The midnight cloaked stallion left next, fleeing as if his tail was a blaze. As the man turned he caught something in those eyes that caused his heart to fill with concern for the man. Though he had only met Seiji once, he felt a certain fondness for the man who had helped save his first home. He would have followed, asked him what was wrong. But he was needed here. Then K'yarie was speaking and he gave her an understanding bow of his head. He had little time to utter a response before Waker was calling out to them. Each horse that left was like a stab to his heart. Not out of offense for them leaving the herd. he had no right to make them stay. No, it always hurt to watch your friends leave.
The giant came up beside Waker. He reached out to offer a gentle touch to his shoulder, should he be allowed. "Give it time, some may return." He said, ever the optimist. "It is a lot to take in. For some it may not be the right time." He fixed his large grey eyes on the man, his gaze ever gentle. He had been through so much and now it must feel like he was losing friends. It certainly felt this way to Roscorro. It hit him hard, and he could not entirely hide the pain in his own eyes when he watched the forms of Seiji and K'yarie disappear. He was afraid Waker would do the same after this. "I hope that you will stay with us." He looked off in the direction the other had gone. "I'm not sure I can handle watching another friend leave." His last words were whispered, barely audible for even Waker who he stood so close to. He looked back to Waker and smiled. There were only a small number of them. But he had faith that it would grow. They would find more members, more family.
But they needed to first establish their herd. Ranks, order, a name. This was what herds needed, right? It felt wrong to move on after the departure of the others. Perhaps he was being insensitive, or too timid. These were things they needed to discuss. His face turned thoughtful as he gave Waker and almost apologetic look. He didn't wish to overlook his sadness and hurt, but they needed to move on. No matter how much that made his own heart hurt. He looked over everyone that remained, stopping on Rixen. "Shall we claim part of the city as our new land?" He suggested. "It seems only fitting." He turned to Kiada, curious about the plant she had found. "I like the idea of greenhouses to grow herbs and food for the herd. Some of the land around here could also be good for growing addition crops as well." he looked to Kiada for this knowledge. She had suggested these greenhouses in the first place, having first hand experience them with. He welcomed anyone else who may have an idea on the matter, his gaze clearly searching for more input.
talk talk talk talk
In your hands, there's a touch that can heal
But in those same hands, is the power to kill
Are you a man, or a monster?
I am unworthy but I will build and break
and destroy and create for you
Roscorro was the first familiar face to appear, and she felt herself shrinking slightly at the sight of him from their adventures in the gasses of Ennunyenda. He hadn’t remembered them, but she did for the bits and pieces she could, and she found herself glancing at Rixen as embarrassment began to billow in her chest. But he wouldn’t know unless she had said anything, and she felt herself clamp her lips down despite offering Roscorro a warm welcome. As the others began to gather, she found Roscorro’s voice offering a bit of information in regards to some creatures in the Labyrinth that seemed rather dangerous and Kiada found her head swiveling toward Rixen with a raised brow, as if conveying that she was glad that they hadn’t encountered those during their adventures there.
She then dipped her head to Roscorro with a broad smile. “Thank you for the heads up.” She offered the dragon man before dipping her head to K’yarie. But then, a sudden presence distracted the painted girl – that same warmth from the party at the Pinnacle where she and Rixen had danced. And like a small child, she found herself drawn to the large doe, her glacial eyes watchful for whatever input the creature might have.
Then everything happened. She had announced that they were a herd and Khairi screeched an excited sound as he flapped his wings. She looked to Roscorro and offered him a bright smile and congratulations before looking over to Rixen, her heart pouring out with joy as she beheld her leaders. “Congratulations to you both. You will lead us well.” She uttered. But her happiness seemed short lived as she saw Seiji leave. Her brows knitted together and her ears strained forward, but he was too far gone to actually say anything to help him stay. She’d have to find him and try and get him to return, should she find a good enough reason to. Then, she watched as Valkyrie left and part of her wasn’t that torn up about it, until K’yarie began to leave as well and Waker trailed after them for a short time before stopping.
Roscorro moved toward the dark ebony stallion and Kiada found herself frowning slightly at the turn of events. Quietly, she looked back to Rixen with her head slightly lowered. “I’m sure some of them will come around. Perhaps they weren’t ready yet.” She offered, unknowingly speaking what Roscorro had told Waker, before the dragon man approached the gathering again and beamed his approval of her greenhouse idea. “I love this city and I’d love to call it home. We can rebuild and create a new part of Halyven with new memories.” She offered, smiling the best she could despite the tear within her she felt.
04-24-2018, 08:22 PM (This post was last modified: 04-24-2018, 08:24 PM by Eira.)
Eira...
Beneath the cover of his sleek, bronze wing, Eira pressed her cold, wet frame closer to the warmth radiating from his flesh. She was relieved, for the journey had been long and weariness nagged at her desire to stay present. Dark, ocean blue eyes ventured upwards, colliding with his friendly, stormy gaze before fluttering on to inspect further, the group of horses which were gathered.
The tall creature which had emerged from the glowing fissure of The Pinnacle stood present, and thoughtfully, the anorexic orphan admired her; though she spoke and the note of her voice was remarkably soothing, Eira scarcely understood the nature of the announcement which seemed to inspire Hope’s audience, nor the concept of a herd as they further discussed it. As she listened, focus slowly growing vague, memories of her family began to infiltrate her mind.
It had been raining all day and all night. Eira thought it would never end. Cirrus had been absent for a good part of the morning, because apparently the murky-green weeds which had washed in from the sea were less than palatable - the infant couldn’t know. Beneath the watchful eye of Kirrotu, the roan twins (though while wet Indra looked silver), strolled south down the beach and when they found the sheer cliff face at the end, they about faced ad began the slog back.
“…’member the story about the horses of the desert, Eira?” her brother asked along the way.
The sleek, flourishing filly nodded with a smile. Stories about grammpa Ázzuen, were very much her favourite; to further feed her enthusiasm and fascination about their family’s past, Cirrus given Indra the spear which had slain their great-gramma.
“…well, I’m gunna be a king like Kri of the Tuuli. ’N you’re gunna be the queen.”
Eria giggled softly.
“Kri's not a boy, silly!”
There was a rustle of movement as Vynter arrived beside Roscorro also, and extended his soggy lips in fond greeting. As the waif met his touch upon her shoulder with the velvety ball of her nose, she became aware of others moving around them. The white mare with the wings behind her ears was vanishing through the rain, and so too were others leaving the group. Curious eyes ascended to explore each expression on the horses remaining; she wasn’t certain what was happening.
"I am a book of snow,
a spacious hand, an open meadow,
a circle that waits,
I belong to the earth and its winter."
Halyven
