The world is so big. Everything is so big and Charlie is small. How is she ever going to explore all of it? To be great and strong like the pirates in her favorite stories. Oh, if she is the ship then the world is her ocean (real ocean, too, of course). She is going to sail it all, find all the new and exciting things that there is to find.
Her and her best-mate, Indy.
Charlie sneaks down the streets, bumpy and hard beneath her skittering hooves, with Indy sitting just between her shoulders. "Where we going?" the young osprey asks, tugging on a bit of Charlie's mane. "Dunno, s'mewhere fun," the filly answers, but her vermilion eyes are sharp and focused.
The pair make it to the ocean without getting caught, and that makes Charlie more bold. She slides to a stop in the sand and looks out over the water and her eyes squint in the sun. That's when she sees the bridge, just sitting there, calling to her. "Look, Indy, there!"
Her bondmate peers around the side of Charlie's head and spots the bridge, ruffling her feathers. "Okay, we go, but be careful. And don' drop me!"
Charlie's brow draws down and she blows at her forelock that is sticking across her head. "I won't, promise," and begins to make her way toward it. Further and further the pair walk, to the bridge and beyond. Neither considers the distance, or the danger. Charlie is too brave for silly things like that.
So they walk, and explore, and discover. And they never find the wall of ivy that stopped so many from going all the way. No, eventually the bridge ends on a beach, with sand as pale as her momma or as Indy's belly and lots of strange little birds that don't look quite like birds.
Charlie springs toward one, stopping a foot or so away and says with a cock of her head, "What're you?" The bird flaps its wings and hops a few steps away. The filly extends her own wings, not yet strong enough to hold her, and flaps them, too. As if to say "I'm a weird bird too, be my friend."
The bird doesn't seem to care.
Bored, Charlie turns away and looks back toward the world itself. "I dunno where we are, Indy." Indy, sick of not being able to see scrabbles her way to the top of Charlie's head and rests on her poll. "We here, go further, then. We can find out."
Open to whoever wants to corral this child who probably doesn't belong here
Chased by the sun
Escaping flatlines
Dreams are a curse
Wake up, you're alive
Above, a solitary bird of lore crests through the skies.
Her eyes watch the youngling and her osprey companion, lavender in their narrow stare as she circles in wide arcing circles. A massive wingspan of ivory and gold spread out, feathers fanned and carrying her large body along the breeze. Solaris had been given a command and she would fulfill it to the best of her abilities, despite the fact that Charlie could be quite the elusive little devil and make her job horribly harder than it needed to be. Regardless, she couldn’t fault the child for her curiosity. Charlie was only a girl, young and inexperienced to the world and its mysteries… And the tales told by Israfel did not help from keeping such tales of glory and mischief from the little girl’s head.
Allowing her chosen child’s daughter to see her, Solaris gave a mighty cry as she soared overhead, tucking her gilded wings close to dive down, down, down. The island that had emerged was nothing good, she was certain. It had a mystery about it, an energy that did not bode well. It would be foolish to trust it despite its general utopian appearance. The Phoenix dove until only a few meters from where Charlie and her osprey had halted to play and converse with the beachside avians, wings snapping out to slow her descent. Talons reached out to brace her landing, and with a spray of white sand Solaris landed just a few feet from Charlie and Indy, sending the other oceanside birds scattering with indignant squawks.
Solaris paid them no mind. Her eyes of crisp lavender focused instead on the young filly, tilting her head as though to say, ”Should you be wandering so far from home?” Charlie wouldn’t understand her, of course not, but surely by now the would-be child of the sea could read her stares and mannerisms quite adeptly.
Thinking to her own bondmate that loomed nearby, Solaris spoke through their mental connection. ’I’ve found your wayward daughter. Best hurry.’ There was a touch of exasperation as her only confirmation, but she knew that Israfel was on her way.
It did not take long.
Israfel arrived only moments later, soaring overhead with an impressive speed, her wings aflame and burning bright as she landed amidst the white sands of the mysterious beach. Vermilion eyes immediately sought out the blue roan form of her daughter, seeing Charlie and Indy standing only a few paces away with Solaris puffed up and proud just in front of them. She sighed, dismissed the flames from her body, and crossed the distance between them.
“I was wondering where you ran off to, squirt,” Israfel stated rather jovially, her rose-kissed lips twisted up in a knowing grin as she regarded her feisty daughter with a keen eye, “Is the Pirate Queen seeking treasure on an unknown island?”
Parenting was… Weird, Israfel had decided. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard. It just was, yet determined little Charlie gave her a run for her signo and tested her patience like no other. She was a tough little thing, Charlotte, and Israfel saw a lot of herself in her… But she also saw Ulric, and if that wasn’t the most terrifying thought in the world then the Warden didn’t know what was.
Straightening up, Israfel glanced about the beach. She could feel Solaris’ unease about the whole damn place and honestly, she couldn’t blame the Phoenix for being so apprehensive. It was fucking weird and they definitely shouldn’t trust it… Yet Israfel had no qualms with Charlie being here, so long as she wasn’t here alone.
The island is watching them: each curl of the waves is a new sentry, each whisper of wings overhead another spy checking in. When Solaris scatters the flock of birds, more quickly take their place, even as the phoenix’s bonded is landing.
And as Israfel addresses her daughter they all creep forward, a few steps at a time, craning their heads as if to listen. Before the horses know it, they are surrounded by a flock of strange birds, all of them different colors, dressed like a sunset, with large crests of feathers crowning each one.
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Charlie has ignored the shadow soaring above them in favor of more interesting things, until it lets out a loud cry. The filly lifts her head and squints into the sky as the bird drops closer and closer toward them. Only once it lands does she recognize what, or rather who it is. “Hi Solaris,” she says, rather nonchalantly for a child who has run off from home on some wild adventure, alone. “Don’ look at me like that.”
She does, of course, recognize the look. It is one she receives often, but that never really seems to change her mannerisms either.
It isn’t long until her mom arrives and Charlie huffes a little. It is never cool getting busted by your mom’s bird, but her mom’s wings do always look cool when they’re all lit up and on fire. Charlie doesn’t really understand how it works, but it’s neat enough that she can almost forgive her mom for crashing her party.
“A good pirate explores the far, far parts of the world,” Charlie responds, standing a little taller and puffing out her chest. “Treasure can be anywhere,” she turns and looks out over the island, or as much of it as she can see from the white beach. The girl wants, more than anything, to go farther in, but now she has two babysitters to stop her from doing the really fun stuff.
She perks up a little at the mention of finding cool stuff, “I found some weird birds, see look!” she says excitedly, turning toward the ocean. Solaris might have scared some away, but she notices that they are back. And, actually, that it looks like there are more of them. “What kinda bird do you think they are, mom?” They’re not like Indy, or Solaris.
They’re just standing there, watching, and Charlie doesn’t seem to have the same feeling about the island as the adults do. She considers the birds for a moment before bounding toward them again, spreading her wings. “Hi,” she says, even though they don’t respond, “this is Indy; she’s my best-mate. We’re pirates.” she lifts her head with pride and tries to look very impressive and serious.
“Do you want to be a part of my crew? The more eyes the better!” Besides, she can't fly yet and having them in the sky would be really good for finding more cool things.
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