[AW] and miles to go before i sleep

[Milena]

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Without a path, she wanders, hoofprints lost in icy drifts. The moon wanes far above, its face nearly extinguished in the night sky, its faint light put to shame by the stars, whose glimmering grants the slightest gleam to her dark coat, just barely frosts her delicate wingtips, only slightly illuminates her amber eyes. It is a peculiar mood she finds herself in this evening as she presses on through the snow. She is but a shadow in a strange land, for though she has joined them, she does not yet belong. She is a storyteller without a story to tell, a songstress without a melody to croon, a player without a stage on which to perform. Is it any wonder that she finds herself lost?

The fortress that is home to the Dawn Court lies above: above the forest through which she meanders, every bit as aimless as the river that crashes along the banks that she so recently left behind. Perhaps even more so; the river, at least, has found a track through the wilderness, has established a foothold in a land that, doubtless, fought its advance with every breath. She wonders how long it took for the Court’s walls to be forged, for its towers to be raised. Did the forest fight back, aching to hold onto the old ways, fearing that which was as yet unknown? Or had it given in, embracing the change, yearning for the glory that was, like it or not, someday to be? It seems so easy, gazing upon the stone towers that stand tall upon the cliffs above, to imagine that the fortress has always existed, that its inhabitants have always had a place to call their own. Do they all know exactly where they fit, threads woven perfectly into the great tapestry of life that stretches across miles and years?

She is at the foot of the last rise, the gates of the capitol suddenly in view. The path has found her again, or she it – but does the distinction even matter? So long as her hooves can follow those that came before her, does it matter how she got there, what road she once followed? Can she still leave behind all that once was in favor of a new mold, one that will transform her into a puzzle piece that will finally fit?

She plows on through the snow, a new determination in her amber eyes, and finds herself, before long, in front of the gates to the Dawn Court. What new adventures await her inside those massive walls?

Mask Image -- IgnisFatuusII
Poem Excerpt -- Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

[Radek]

Radek had parted ways with his new friend only a day before. They had traveled together for almost a week and he had learned much from the plain crossbred. Perhaps there was a story there he could spin and tell of lands beyond the sea and worlds beyond that. As his mind wandered, he found his hooves trodding a path he had taken many times before. Although he was born to the Day Court, he traveled to the far reaches of the lands and had visited the other three courts many times. He had a few friends to check in on and perhaps an open story night or two to attend. And if he was lucky, perhaps an invitation to tell a grand story he'd been working on to the Sovereigns themselves.

Although he appeared graceful and magnificent, the brightly coloured horse lacked a certain amount of coordination, particularly when there was no one around to impress. And as his mind wandered and he muttered to himself, debating the best ways to say particular parts of his new story, his pace quickened, until he found himself at the gate of the Dawn Court.

And how, might you ask, did he find himself standing there? Why, by tripping ever so slightly over a rather small rock and stumbling into another traveler who stood at the gate. He whinnied softly and tossed his white and feathered hair back as he retreated a few passes. Attempting to quickly regain his composure, he bowed deeply to the horse before him. "Apologies, friend, I was lost in my own mind and did not see you there. I do hope you have not been hurt." He lifted his head out of the bow and smiled at her, a sparkle bouncing off his perfectly white teeth despite the darkness of the night. There was a slight air of cockiness to his voice but also sincerity. Though he thought highly of himself, he was not too proud to admit it had been his carelessness that had cause the accident.


[[Hello and welcome <3]] || @Milena

[Milena]

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

There is no time to brace for impact, to prepare for the inevitable collision of two lost souls on an icy winter's eve. Milena's ear just has time to swivel towards the faint click of hoof on rock, muffled by drifts of snow, before she is assaulted by a rather small and compact creature who clearly has no concept of personal space. A startled, irritated whinny bursts from her lips as she stumbles to the side, dark wings flaring in an unconscious attempt to regain her balance, buffeting the bumbling idiot stranger as an unintentional side effect. When she finds herself solidly once more on all four hooves, Milena gathers herself to her full height, rounding on the poor soul who has wronged her so.

It is then that she finds herself speechless.

Even in the dark, she is dumbfounded by his beauty. Feathers in varying shades of green, blue, and yellow are all interwoven into a luxurious white mane draped perfectly along the side of his neck, framing an earnest, handsome face. She can’t quite make out the color of his body, but she can tell by the way it shimmers in the light reflected from the snow that she has never seen its like before. A long, dramatic tail drags in the snow behind him. She can’t quite make it out, but it appears to be a tail of long, intricate, colorful feathers. She wonders how on earth he keeps it clean.

He speaks to her, and his tone is so kind that she bites back the frigid words that had bubbled to her lips following their collision. It has been rare in recent months that she has found herself in the company of another equine; though she is loathe to admit it, she is starved for friendship. Perhaps, since his apology appears sincere, she can, as they say, forgive and forget his blunder.

She smiles tentatively, relaxing into a more inviting posture. ”I’m fine, thank you. Are you alright?” He doesn’t appear to be injured, but Milena supposes that he could have hurt himself just as easily as he could have hurt her. What was it he said? That he was lost in his own mind? ”I hope you were lost to happy thoughts,” she offers. It would be rude to outright ask what was so interesting that he did not see an entire equine in his path, but if he offers an explanation, she will happily listen.

Mask Image -- IgnisFatuusII
Poem Excerpt -- Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
@Radek

[Radek]

As a storyteller, he was trained to watch body movements and gestures, however slight, to understand if audiences are enjoying his tellings. So it was clear to him (if being smacked in the face by a wing tip wasn't obvious enough) when she shifted from the stiffness of being upset to her looser posture when she replied. He chose to ignore her previous display as it had been replaced with one more friendly. If she was hostile, he didn't want to agitate her by bringing it up or acting toward that assumption. ”I’m fine, thank you. Are you alright? I hope you were lost to happy thoughts.”


He laughed and flicked his head to one side, causing a single feather and the portion of mane surrounding it, almost as if by magic, to flip to the other side and drape delicately behind his ear. "Yes, I am up to the mark, as they say! All is well. They were neither happy nor sad, just focused on my work. A great burden of one who works on the road, you are followed everywhere and can never have peace or time away. But enough about me," what a lie, he could talk about himself all night if she let him. It was just a precautionary formality. What brings you out here, alone on an early-winter night? Are you traveling alone? Are you coming to or heading out of the Dawn Court?" He glanced around, looking for a traveling partner. He didn't see or hear anyone nearby, but perhaps she was meeting someone to start a journey or they had gone off on a quick errand. He looked back her, way, sizing up the mare who was more then two hands taller then he was. And people said draft horses were large! Perhaps it was the wings...they definitely added a flare of intimidation to match her size. He hoped she wouldn't be offended by his unintentional prying into her travel plans.




[[I am so sorry it took so long! I didn't see a tag on Discord and I don't keep this site open on my tabs >.>]] || @Milena