i won't leave you lonely tonight
i want you to hold me all night
it's gonna be alright
The stallion was curious . . . So much to see of this world, this island, so much he was having a blast to uncover (and the chance to run with Tyee - and of course, Keokuk; only made it all the better). And it was this need to explore and just run that had him covering the distance south, his gaze curious, eager to find out what was past the oasis, past the canyons of Solterra. What more did this land hold in secrets that the youthful stallion could grasp with both hooves and shove out into the open! Who would he meet along the way? What sights were there waiting for him to lay his eyes on! And so the stallion didn't hesitate to run, to explore, to see it all.
Of course, he knew to be careful. The slow walk along the edge of Elatus Canyon was proof enough of that. The walls seemed so impossibly tall, drawing an alarmed breath from him as he twisted and turned in awe before starting to trek his way - ultimately having to rely on Keokuk to help lead him through narrow passageways, out of dead ends, and finally to the other side so he could continue his journey south. South across the lands between Solterra and Denocte - his end goal destination for the day.
His steps slowed as his gaze came upon the natural barrier that kept the other tribe, the tribe of Night; separate from the world. The boy grinned, a crooked smile as he stared up at the mountains, his eyes crossing the horizon the peaks seemed to break. He turned his attention to the wolf-dog sniffing at small prey trails before he glanced to Keokuk, "Well ol' man, let's see ya keep up? Giddy-up, Tyee!" And with a youthful, playful laugh, the young stallion went racing up a random tail, the dog instantly giving a delighted bark that turned into a howl as he took chase. Left behind Keokuk could only sigh in annoyance as he turned to follow them up the path.
The trek wasn't easy, as the conditions of the mountain path got more dangerous, more treacherous. Steep climbs that had the stallion hosting Tyee to his shoulders to keep the pup from running off and plummeting to his death. The tiny ledges seemed to force the stallion to walk in the most awkward shimmy of one hoof in front of the other. He finally found the right path, the right trail and it was with a relieved sigh that the stallion finally found himself off of the face of the mountain, collapsing in the more densely wooded interior with a relieved grin, "I'll tell ya, I wasn't sure we weren't in a might o' trouble back there." He stated, grinning up at the ghostly silhouette of his first, and best friend, bumping his muzzle against the partially solid shoulder of the spirit stag, "Mighta joined ya a bit earleh in the afterlife, huh, Keokuk?" He chuckled, leaning against a tree trunk to catch his breath from the climb, tilting his head up to the sky, feeling a breeze ruffle his dark mane, his necklace thumping against his chest, the solid weight of the arrowhead just as comforting as the feather whipping against his muzzle. "Well, ain't no reason ta rest now. Let's see what else we can find in this 'ere land, yeah?!"
With that eagerness to explore, the trio set off along the path, the stallion curiously staring at the world around them in awe at ever new type of plant, tree; and animal, even as Tyee had started to chase smaller critters through the nearby trees, barking and yipping (in the same excitement he'd destroyed a half a dozen stalls in Solterra), that had Ry relieved they were out and about, "Now don't ya go wanderin' too far, Tyee!" He called to the pup, "Heel!" The command was followed with a whistle that had the pup angling closer to Ry again, even as he continued to play.
i won't leave you lonely tonight
"Speech" Thoughts
Keokuk
@Tristan Notes: PLEASE, RYLAN, THERE NEEDS TO BE CHEMISTRY HERE BOY!
imagine, the air filled with jasmine
the breeze blows with passion
you and me dance with desire
I'll come to thee by the moonlight,
though hell should bar the way
T
he lingering silence was as familiar as it was oppressive. His most steadfast, toxic companion, bitter in its revelry of his misery.
Today was a poor day.
The old knight had gone to Denocte’s bustling markets to purchase a few bundles of meager supplies and simple necessities. The din of the patrons upon the streets had been loud and cacophonous, seeming to rise up and swallow him from all angles. His pulse had quickened and his heart had raced, and beneath his mantle, a sweat broke out upon his skin. Tristan had taken care of his purchases as quickly as was able and had fled the city, resolutely not looking at the looming citadel as though it had ever held a beacon of anything other than uncertainty.
The supplies within the twin packs slung low across his hips carried his precious cargo, but he paid them little mind. Merlin, Gods bless him, had flown on ahead to scout and keep an eye on their surroundings. Now that they were out of the city proper, he could breathe. He could focus. His thoughts came clearer, his awareness sharpened, but the aftermath adrenaline of an anxious episode left him jittery and tongue-tied. Luckily, Merlin hadn’t needed him to say a word and had instead flown off to do his duty.
“You would be proud of him, Papa,” the grizzled stallion murmured sadly, a tone of yearning unhidden within his voice.
The thought, however brief, was quick to vanish as the sound of yipping and yowling from a canine broke through the trees the very same moment that Merlin’s little black body came crashing back through the forests of the Arma.
Tristan bristled. “What is it?” He asked the dragon, who swooped in low and immediately latched on and swung around the stallion’s neck, claws digging into the strands of his thick, greying mane.
’I don’t know,’ came the small dragon, their mental link giving Tristan a feel of Merlin’s heightened fear as the little wyvern buried his face within the knight’s mane as though to hide himself, ’A hunting party?’
A hunting party? In Novus? Whatever would they be hunting for?
Deciding not to draw his sword at the moment, Tristan hummed and narrowed his eyes before pressing on through the thicket of trees. The sound of barking grew louder, as well as the sound of bodies moving through the underbrush and surrounding thickets. It only took a few moments, but Tristan was already riddled with anxiety from the markets, so when the body of a buckskin fellow with two companions, one of which being the yipping dog, the old knight called out.
“Who goes there? State your business!” He did not draw his blade, not yet, but already the arcane hummed within his veins, a rich glow emanating from the turquoise of his eyes
.
i won't leave you lonely tonight
i want you to hold me all night
it's gonna be alright
There was laughter in the buckskin heart, the familiar thump of the arrowhead at his chest timed with each strike of a hoof to the ground. Keokuk kept up, though it was more to keep an eye out, fading in and out of view as the stallion played with the young wolf pup. The warmth to his turquoise gaze lit upon the small wolf-mix, enjoying seeing the tyke where he could run free, be free. No worries that he's going to cause issues. No stalls to break apart. No hooves to nibble on. No wares to eat. No leather for him to teeth. No trash for him to dig through. Out here, the pup could run and explore, and now that they were away from the edge, beyond keeping the pup close enough he could see, there was a freedom to the run.
Then Keokuk seemed to pause. He kept pace well enough, but it didn't stop from keeping pace, even as his gaze searches for what had sent him on edge. Rylan notices enough to slow his steps, trotting after the pup and his gaze concerned, "Keokuk, you a'right?" The native raised man asks with the faintest dip of his brow. The bonded glances towards him, half faded, a silver sheen of a phantom; Yes . . . I just sense something. The chittering has both of them looking ahead as the small pup also looks towards the sound of something small and black and flying. The pup starts to wag its tail, and Rylan immediately lunged forward, voice sharp in command, "Tyee, Leave It!" The man growled.
The pup seemed to pause at that moment, even as the small creature took the time to escape. But it's not a long reprieve. The trouble with all youth is that they were prone to the whims of curiosity and playfulness. And as a response; the pup is soon barking and yipping after the fleeing creature. "Shit." The stallion growled, ignoring the sharp look from the stag that had been a father to him for most of his life. "We gotta round 'im up fer he causes a ruckus." He sighed and took off after the bounding canine.
Keokuk followed more subtly, but it doesn't take them long to track the pup's trail as it bursts from the brush, out to the open. Rylan followed with Keokuk at a more sedate pace. However, upon the shouting voice, Rylan pulled up in shock, eyes snapping wide his face. Tyee didn't bother slowing, the eager pup wagging his tail at a new face, a new friend, a new companion. Already the pup was bounding towards the new face, even as Rylan noted the weapon at the stranger's side and the way he seemed to glow. The man felt his blood run cold for the wolf-dog pup, "Tyee! No. Come!" He shouted out, following it with a sharp whistle, pitched for the return command. The pup slid to a stop, pausing to stare between master and stranger with the black flyer that had chirped, clearly torn. Keokuk had immediately faded from view, immediately appearing before the pup, rounding it up with angled down antlers, so it would be one last thing for Rylan to have to worry about.
Be cautious Rylan. This man hums. Was the quiet warning from his bonded, and Rylan briefly met the cloudy gaze of the stag, as he used his own hoof to guide the pup to his side, and keep it corralled close by. Keokuk disappeared until he was little more than a faint glimmer if you looked hard enough for him, and Rylan's attention was on the buckskin man before him. Rylan would be the first to admit how plain a buckskin could be. With his simple looks of toffee and chocolate. Grateful for the thick mane and tail that gave him a bit of character, the slight feathering around his hooves from a draft father - only his accessories marked his appearance as remarkable.
But this beast made buckskin look beautiful, with ivory markings that rimmed his eyes, a sheen to his coat that spoke of health. Rylan couldn't deny he was handsome. But there wasn't time to admire . . . he needed to save the situation before that weapon was drawn, "We're just passin' threw. We ain't meanin' no harm. Mighty regretful iffin Tyee startled ya, or yer . . . . well, whatever it is? He ain't but a tyke still. Pup full of pup energy, ya know how that goes, right?" The stallion offers, keeping that distance in place, a boyish, awkward grin on his face.
Had he been human, he'd have likely been shuffling his feet, hands shoved deep in his pockets, as he tried to appear collected when it was clear he wasn't. He offers a friendly smile regardless, "Really, we ain't got no business but ta explore. Ain't been in Novus long, 'n' we're wantin' ta see what's around. My name's Rylan; I live up in Solterra. The pup is Tyee, and Keokuk is my bonded - the stag. Been with me since I was a tyke myself." He offered, never one to shy away from oversharing as he turned to smile briefly at where he knew the spirit stag to be. The antlered beast slowly faded back into view, shimmering and ghostly as it watches the strangers with more caution than Rylan even considered showing. "Hey now, it ain't fear ta make too many demands of us, when yer not sharin' yer name? Ya got a name ta . . ." The flirting died with the rush of embarrassment before he could finish up the ta go with yer handsome face. Instantly the stag was snorting faintly, even as Rylan ignored him, and instead offered a grin as if he hadn't paused half thought, "'N' one fer yer little friend ta. Ain't seen no'in' like 'im either. Mind me askin' w'a' it is?" He added, ever the friendly stallion, even if he couldn't flirt out loud anywhere where someone could see him - all those lines are hidden in his head, to never be out in the open.
Thankfully, he hoped he could still pass for cute enough.
i won't leave you lonely tonight
"Speech" Thoughts
Keokuk
@Tristan Notes: PLEASE, RYLAN, THERE NEEDS TO BE CHEMISTRY HERE BOY!
imagine, the air filled with jasmine
the breeze blows with passion
you and me dance with desire
