She was here. He knows, as he always knows. It is the scent of the sea she leaves behind, spilled across the world. Yet, none are keen enough to pay attention to the secrets she's bleeding before them. Sebastien follows her scent until the steppe swallows it up. Pools of water pour over the stones. The sea always did have a way of hiding her from him. The silver bronc peers downstream from where he stands. There are hoofprints in the soft sand of the banks. He can't be sure that they belong to her because the water has stolen the scent. Sebastien frowns to himself because he has let her get too far away from him. Meira must have forgotten that she still belongs to him. It is the way of all things. Sebastien is destined to consume and possess those who are swept up in his gravity.
The bronc carries on, following the hoofprints until they vanish in the stream. The ones that are still visible beneath the flowing water are nearly indiscernible from the grooves carved out by the stones. Sebastien finds himself standing in the stream and peering down into the water. His gaze is caught somewhere between watching his reflection and peering beneath the water. Then all he feels is anger. It is hot, so hot it burns his skin. His tongue roves across his enamels. Sebastien wishes he could sink his teeth into her again. Make her beg the way she used to beg. He kept moving. Forward and down. Down along the falling stream of the steppe.
How often has she turned him into a hunter? He wonders as he stalks through the swelling darkness and cries of the night. It is the element of the deity that is said to have cursed his house. Each night, he can feel the way she breathes down his neck with her moon. She cuts her teeth on the stars in preparation for the war that she will never win. The day will always crawl out from the crypts of night. This ritual will repeat each day, it is as inevitable as he and Meira.
the whole place was dressed to the nines
and we were dancing, dancing
like we're made of starlight, starlight
The cave mouth was foreboding, and a part of her was nervous about entering.
The last time she had to enter a cave like this, the kraken had emerged angrily, tentacles waving, wanting to smack her, hunt her, grab her. She remembered the snapping of it's beak, the baleful anger in its eyes. Shard had shoved her out of the way then, the two escaping in the kind of speed only true fear could escape. Today, though, she was alone . . . No, not alone. The soft croon from her spine, the cold feel of icicles against her neck as Yukime rubbed her forehead and crest in reassurance. Yuki kept her from being alone. So the two walked in. Or rather, Bel walked in while the ice serpent rode on her shoulders. She moved with a soft click of hoof on rock the only sound. Around her, the vapors rolling off her spine dropped in temperature, seeming to coat her in mist, but her nervous became more obvious as a lattice of frost began to grow up her hooves and legs, the fluke of her tail, leaving frost patterns on the ground with each step she took.
Be at peace The telepathic whisper reached her thoughts.
She turned her head, glowing cyan eyes meeting the glowing navy of her companion and it was only then that the mare realized she had walked far enough for her bioluminescence to activate. All down her spine and along her face, the dark blue striping and dots where now a cyan, the glow pitching the color out to light up the rock tunnels around them. Atop her back, her companions stripes where doing the same, but in a deep navy, the two creating their own light to walk with.
The light was a comfort, left over from her time with the pod.
She felt herself relax, the frost disappearing until it shined on her hooves and the ground she walked over only - hinting she wasn't as fully calm as she would like to be. But it was a start, the adventure was beginning to feel exciting again, unknown. New. And for the marine mammal, that was exciting.
welcome to the tea party, want to be my VIP?
didn't RSVP? that's okay, that's okay
A light pack was clipped into place at her side.
Mostly empty beyond a few herbal pouches, a small portable tea pot and some tools for harvesting, she barely noticed it as she fluttered about her shop, and checking her stores for how much empty storage space she had. She was making a mental list of common herbs to collect on her way to her exploration point. Some of it grew in her gardens: Chamomile, Peppermint, Mint, Lemon Balm, Jasmine. Other herbs she would have to pick up along the way. Not because she didn't have them, but that her garden was slow to grow.
Most importantly, she wanted to find new things.
Which was her ultimate goal of the day. She stepped out of her back door, pausing to take a few clippings from her gardens, before her wings carried her into the air and out of Denocte. She ignored the glance downwards, crossing over the ocean. She always hated flying over the sea, but it was the fastest way to get to her destination of the day, and she knew she could cross it with no issues, she flew more than she walked anyway.
The flight was a distance, with no place to land, but she didn't mind that part.
Settling into Terrastella terrain, she paused long enough to announce her presence to the court, that she was on a gathering mission for medicinal and tea herbs only. And gave them a general run down of where she would be - Mainly the swamp. And so she took off in the pointed direction, thanking them for pointing the way and flew until she could finally find the marsh lands and darker terrain.
And the trees . . . Such dense trees.
The mare landed, trying not to flinch as delicate limbs, fragile and thin sucked down into the mud. She needed to see this swamp from ground view, not bird, deeming it safe enough to fly at low altitude as long as she was careful, the little fae fluttered those delicate fae wings and flew inside, mindful of limbs that could potentially rip the then material of her wings.
She wasn't prepared for the humidity.
It clung to her, and the further she flew in, the longer she flew, the heavier her wings felt, until she had no choice to land due to the moisture clinging to her wings. Landing on the driest part of land she could find, the mare chose to make the most of her situation, and began hunting around for herbs she might find. Her first find was Sweetflag, the mare uprooting a few and carefully preserving the root in some fabric wetted by the swamp, leaving the leaves and stems to mulch the remaining sweet flag.
She found Water Plantain and Angelica next.
Both plants were harvested carefully, taking a whole plant of the first, and carefully collecting leaves and some root samples of the second. Caelum soon had those secured in her pack before continuing deeper into the swamp to see what else she might find.
"Speech" Thoughts
@Grimwyck Notes: Swapping of Recipes and Samples! Brewing buddies man!
i got the goodies baked, got more than you can take
just try and nibble on my biscuits and rainbow cake
Posted by: Grimwyck - 08-19-2021, 10:46 AM - Forum: Archives
- No Replies
I HAVE LOVED THE STARS
too fondly to be fearful of the night
Terrastella has become more of a home than he had ever hoped for , as had Novus .
The rituals can be done in peace , and he can worship his many earthly deities as well as the ones here on Novus . Find peace in life and death , and grow his herbs , and dig out his little garden .
Grimwyck had found himself a little home on the outskirts of the swamp , the soils rich and perfect for his herb and tea garden . It had been easy to dig out an area to put down stakes , to lay out his home . To build himself a small shack with reeds and foliage and steadily make it sturdier and sturdier over time . After all , time is all he had , ever since he had been gifted immortality . Grim lost the track of the seasons he had been in Novus , too , of when he had been in Terrastella . The little ramshackle lean-to became an honest to goodness hut that protected him from the heavy rains of the Spring and the snows of the Winter , a place to hang his ritual gear when he wasn't using it , which was most of the time .
Even now , it all rests hanging on a small peg on the far wall as he busies himself pulling small leaves off a tea plant to cure for later use . It can be dried out in the summer heat , and he has a place set up for it , away from the glass of the greenhouse , and he carries the leaves by the bundle , easily setting them out on drying racks and shaking the sweat from his brow and huffing out a breath , smiling and letting himself laugh a little , head tilting back before an ear flicks as he hears steps . There aren't many that come out this way , but already , he's reaching out to put a kettle on the ever burning fire in the little hut , mulling over tea options as he turns himself toward the edge of his little greenhouse .
" Don't get many out here , " he calls out softly , smiling as he peers a little , mismatched eyes glinting with a warmth as he lifts his head to his full height . " So I know it's you out there , Ophie . " He laughs , a deep and throaty noise , warm . But his tone is always deep , so deep . Baritone and rumbling , a voice of the earth . " Peppermint tea this time ? "
Posted by: Asta - 08-17-2021, 08:14 AM - Forum: Archives
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A s t a
do you believe in reinarnation?
'cause i thought i saw your soul
There's a stark reality, I've found; that forces you to open your eyes eventually.
A cold sort of understanding to the world.
Foals, Youth, the naive; may trot the path eventually, but in the end we all know the dangers that lurk around corners.
Perhaps, I'm just melodramatic in my apparent young age. That's what my parents assume, but don't look at my pretty face and make the same assumption, I'm a lot older than I look after all. I've learned a lot in my time, Had to accept a lot of cold hard truths. Now, that knowledge is like a wall, each fact another brick to keep outsiders away from me, and my own self safe. Because eventually they die, we die, and I'll remember the pain of losing them even after death.
Reincarnation, often whispered as a wonderful idea. To come back, to find your fated other life time and life time. My sister's story is of this. But mines a harsher truth. There is no happily ever after waiting for me to find him. We won't touch noses and suddenly remember a life time of love previous. No, my truth is far more horrific. My sister is blessed to live life after life with her beloved. I'm cursed to come back, and always alone.
I wonder if somewhere a good laughs at my plight.
I would if I wasn't in my own hooves. Forced to play a part on repeat. It wouldn't be so bad if I started every reincarnation off with a blank slate. But that's not the case. Every life, I remember the hundreds before it. My first life, so long ago is still a strong memory in my head. Perhaps I'm special, I think I'm just the unluckily.
I move silently through the Plains, having escaped from the manor home of my current life. Mother and Father liked to keep me contained, a kept princess locked away in her ivory tower, protected from the world. I craved more than what they could give me in life, though. Most days were easy enough. I could keep in solitude, not see more than a few staff for days. But eventually I had to be social, or I had to tolerate a party where I was put in display.
Why have a treasure if you don't show it off, after all.
A part of me realized that I was cynical over the entire situation, I blame it on lifetimes of unhappiness, but perhaps something broke inside me too many life times ago, and hasn't been repaired yet. Maybe it never will?
I glanced around, my muzzle twisting slightly at the frolicking equine who walked up to strangers like they were no threat. Finding a low hanging tree to take shelter from the summer sun, I leaned my dusk-painted hide against it, letting the shade darken my colors, even if just a little. My attention starays from the idiots who frolick with out a care in the world, and instead my gaze shifts up, following the sound of birds, their sweet melodies.
Maybe I am broken.
Because not even that seems to be able to bring me to smile.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Leviathan Notes:: Asta escapes Terrastella alot, so I figured I'd make this outside of her court.
flashing and dancing on the horizon
shades of jade and emerald
It hadn't been too hard a decision to choose the forest over the desert. The heat on the sand wasn't too much of a deterrent but when given the choice it seemed more likely that the choice to live would be within the trees. Of course there had been a desert kingdom in his homeland too so he wasn't completely ruling the idea out. It was never a good idea to go off of an assumption instead of just going and getting proof yourself. In the end spending the time to confirm something would always be better than being wrong. Kazi had spent almost a week searching his home and the area surrounding it for his sister before eventually giving up on that plan. Traveling with his father would probably yield more answers than being on his own anyway. Leaving his mother had been rough but knowing she was in the care of family was reassuring enough to allow the boy to continue on his way.
The trees offered relief from the sun that had been beating down on the plains, though the young stallion had to admit that he'd prefer the heat of the open grasslands to the bit of shade. Lack of vision was more dangerous than the sweat that wet his coat but the forest was more familiar and in the long run he would prefer to explore the desert when he had more of an idea of the other surrounding areas. Knowing which lands were ruled over, and by who, would be vital information at some point. Until then he would gather what he could and learn from whoever would teach him.
He just had to find the right people and for that the boy would have to search wherever he could. At least until his father arrived, then Kazi would see what he had planned. Sure he had his own agenda for being in this new area but that didn't mean he couldn't cause a little chaos or do whatever the older stallion wanted to do. The boy wanted to have plenty of stories to make his twin jealous of whenever he did find her. They still had plenty of their own problems to cause and places to wreck havoc on.
With his thoughts turning towards dangerous areas the young stallion returned his attention to the trees, silently scolding himself for becoming distracted in unknown territory. He'd have to get better about that, especially once he started running into others. Kazi was still young but he felt as though his features didn't give him the benefit of being thought of as innocent or harmless. Which if he were to really think about it the boy would find this rather satisfying, though being underestimated did come with certain perks. Hopefully those that found him not so immediately innocent would also underestimate him. It would be a joyful encounter to prove them in the wrong but he would have to hold himself back from going too far. Fear was power but it would only put a target on his head that would be hard to avoid at the moment. Scouting would be his only act until he could find a more permanent home from which to work.
"... before I break them."
<>:X:<>
@Liam He's become a lot darker and he's not a happy camper at the moment, you've been warned <3
"The world may be burning but all I see is progress"
For just a moment the young stallion wondered if he had somehow turned around and ended back up in the place he had been born. At first glance the plain he was in could have been mistaken for the one that had been an area of exploration for himself and his twin. Of course there wasn't a possibility of that being the case since his old home was long gone, as was the sister he had been born with. Kazi allowed himself to imagine, for just a moment, that this wasn't the case and that at any moment he would feel Kaja's annoyance or excitement, anything that would provide proof that the link between them wasn't broken. The two necklaces hanging around his neck was proof enough that it was anyway. It was a moment of weakness that wouldn't have been present if anyone else had been around.
Piercing blue eyes reopened to scan the area and take note of the differences between his memory and the present. It was easy enough to make his brain understand that this was not his home and go back to what he had been sent to do. The role of scout hadn't been something that the boy had thought would be added to his repertoire but he had been eager to accept the position. Kazi would do anything once just for the experience and chance to learn. So far there hadn't been much worthy enough to take note of but there was plenty more to explore. He wasn't about to return to his father with so little information.
With nothing left to do but continue walking the stallion started back up again. His steps were casual while he scanned the area, searching for anything of interest to head towards. So far all there was to see was a desert to his left and a line of trees to his right in the far distance. From Kazi's time exploring his old home he felt that it was likely a more populated area probably lay in either direction but the idea of staying on more familiar ground was far more tempting than testing his theories. There would be enough time for that later. For now the boy continued walking between the two areas, heading for the distant mountains. He'd decide which direction to turn once he reached the base.
you are a vast forest
full of beautiful and vibrant stories
N
ight drips away like ink. It always disappears in the same manner that it appears. It is a liquid that fills the sky. It pulls the stars in, as though they belong to the night. As if they could ever belong to anything at all. Cordelia peers up into the early morning light of dawn on the steppe. Autumn is gnawing on the edges of summer, but she does not yet hold a claim to the season. Elk roam across the step, with puffs of vapor. The kind you can only get in the cool early morning just before dawn. There is a stillness to this world of early morning, it is unlike any other. Cordelia is waiting for a flower to bloom. A flower they say only blooms once every seven years. A rare lily, or at the very least related to it. The botanist has a glass bell jar readied to scoop the flower up and nestle it inside.
Cordelia wonders if she will be able to catch the flower before it goes to sleep again. Then, in the gentle cascading rays of early morning light, the flower begins to open. It has pastel blue petals. Somehow, this seems fitting to her. As though it should be a pale blue when it first stirs. She carefully inserts a trowel beneath the ground. Cordelia takes great care to insert the blade as far down as she can. She wants to avoid damaging the roots. If only the old adventurer were a mage. What she would give to have magical control over the flora. A wistful sigh escapes her lips as she carefully scoops the flower from the ground and into the bell jar. There are tiny holes in the glass to allow for oxygen to permeate the environment. Her goal isn't to kill the flower, but to preserve it in this state.
She fastens the top of the jar securely before holding it up to view in the early morning light with a satisfied smile. "There. Now to get you home." She proclaims to the flower before tucking it into the pouch she wears at her side.
Kaelix "through light and darkness we shall prosper"
It wasn’t often Kaelix found themselves outside and wandering once they found a place to stay. Yet the drive to learn more about the lands surrounding them brought a different path to choose from. It was about the time they stretched their legs from sitting around in books all day too.
They weren’t particularly looking for anything in specific when they set off, but the hot summer air did bring some nostalgia back from his homeland. This was weather Kaelix thrived in, it made the golds and oranges in their coat shine through, along with the brightening of their already strikingly blue eyes. While most would avoid doing much walking around during this time of day with how hot it was, Kaelix didn’t really mind it and even enjoyed it without even breaking a sweat.
While being used to the desert, the path their feet had chosen for them on their current walk couldn’t be more different with greenery surrounding every step they took. The forest did provide some shade for those needing it, but to their feeling it was just as hot – albeit more humid than outside of it – but it still did not bother them.
The deeper they went inside the lush forest, the more they focused on hearing and sight, taking careful note of their surroundings – pausing only once they arrived at a clearing that had a very strange aura surrounding it. From reading Kaelix had round out there had been portals appearing, and to their understanding this must definitely be one of those, even if it didn’t look all that different when they came closer and looked through it.
Their logical brain aggressively yanked their reins, telling them to go back – but the knowledge obsessed part begged them to go through, explore.
In the end the curious part won, and Kaelix took their steps through the portal.
Wandering is part of their blood , it seems . No amount of being brought into a herd would keep them in place , and part of them loathes it . Loathes that their wanderlust burns bright , that they can no longer find an anchor to keep them down . Novus had meant to be different , but even Caligo herself couldn't keep them around for long . Yet ... here they are , back in the lands they had wandered from , away from the Court out of sheer humiliation .
They cannot go back to Denocte , not when they know that they may be very well hated . It's deeply disheartening , that their own fears prevent them from returning to a Court they had loved so much .
Carefully , they pick their way around the sands of the beach , the heat of the day sweltering around them , the sun bright enough that the gold of their halo seems to vanish in the air . A shake of their head is given , and the cloak shifts before their teeth grab the edge of it carefully , releasing it when they're sure it won't fall off their head .
Slowly , Cicatrix draws in a breath , releasing it when their shoulders drop a little and they tilt their gaze out over the waves , watching as the Sea itself dances and moves with the motions of the world . This early , there are no stars , and even the moon itself is hard pressed to be found . But Cicatrix hasn't found solace in the moon and stars in a long time .
