I'm ready to bleed to make amends And sleep in this dirt we call our bed So tell me your secrets And join me in pieces
To fall and rewrite the bitter end
The chill in the winter’s night whipped his sensitive healing flesh. Patches of charred skin could still be seen clinging onto his skin. It was healing, gradually. It would be some time before the true appearance of the growing colt would be seen. His feathers remained ragged but fewer, they had steadily been falling out. He didn’t miss them. They were a reminder of his continual struggle for survival. He had seen the mountains in the distance, some bizarre yearning for familiarity had pulled him towards them. He didn’t miss his previous situation, but he missed the structure he had built for himself.
He had spent his days fighting for survival, scavenging for food and avoiding the ire of his superiors. He was a blight to his herd - incapable of flight. Unable to rise high into the sky to meet his kin truly. He rarely wondered how possible it would be to fly back when his feathers regrew and his wings caught up to his body size. He hadn’t bonded with them particularly, due to being ostracized. It didn’t make for good relationship building.
He found himself meandering and picking his path carefully amongst the loose rocks. He wanted to stand on the top of the mountain and get a better view of the landscape. Of what else Novus had to offer. Or perhaps to imagine with the roaring wind what it might like to fly. He wasn’t sure how much he’d be welcomed in this particular place. He hadn’t made any contacts that were anything but friendly. Social interactions weren’t really his concern at this moment.
He stopped for a break halfway up the mountain. His lungs were used to climbing the lower ledges of his previous home; but the frozen and slippery landscape made the trek much more difficult and precarious. This mountain was almost the direct opposite of his previous home. Frozen and chilly, reaching very high but climbable to those that were brave enough.
How had he found himself here? Sliding down the path from the top of the mountains that overlooked Denocte. All he had wanted was to view the city from overhead as the sun began to wane. Reinhart cursed himself for foolishly thinking that he could manage the trek up here in the middle of winter when the paths were coated with a mixture of ice, snow, and mud. The gray Appaloosa dug his hooves in and reeled himself backward in an effort to slow himself down before he really tumbled off a dangerous part of the mountain. His eyes were half shut from the wind and cold as he finally seemed to be able to slow himself down enough. Reinhart was cold and covered in snow and mud now.
The noble son looked even more like a street urchin now that he was covered in snow and mud. It was on his face and matted in his hair. It was quite literally everywhere. Reinhart took his focus off his hooves for a moment just in time to see another equine on the path below him. The irony bit into him as he recalled the crash landing of the handsome red man near the lake. Fang was his name. Reinhart frowned as he grew closer and closer, he still had a decent amount of momentum as he continued to slide. "Hey! Watch out!" The gray man bellowed to the equine below. The sliding man threw himself off the trail and into a few of the rocks so that he did not collide with the stranger. Pain radiated up his side as he landed, but at least he had stopped himself before proceeding further down the path.
Reinhart quickly stood on his feet and appeared as nonchalant as possible as he peered at the stranger he'd narrowly avoided. "Now then... I would maybe think twice about climbing any higher... If my disheveled appearance is anything of a warning to you. That or my turning into a literal horse-cannonball. I'm Reinhart by the way." He introduced himself with a soft smile, doing his best to hide the embarrassment from his impromptu sledding adventure.
I'm ready to bleed to make amends And sleep in this dirt we call our bed So tell me your secrets And join me in pieces
To fall and rewrite the bitter end
Time had quickly gotten away from the young colt, he had really thought this adventure would be over by now. The issue now wasn’t bravery but the fierce weather. The challenge of ascending to the mountain peak was greater than what he had anticipated. Some fighters from his homeland would take on massive voyages to keep themselves in fighting form. Those who habitually flew everywhere, didn't have the training to maintain their physicality for fights on the ground.
His mind was ripped from its internal cogwheel by the shout of another and the sound of sliding. He couldn’t really move, or risk meeting a similar fate to the sliding stallion. Fear and shock froze him inplace. Would this be how he would meet his fate? knocked from one mountain, only to climb another and fall again. It drew into perspective the folly of climbing this mountain in the middle of winter in poor weather.
He was relieved to see the stallion had managed to hurl himself in such a way to break his slide. “I think you are right. I don’t really need to add another mountain tumble to my collection.” he replied with a sigh. He was still recovering from his first tumble down the volcano that had landed him in Novus. “Have you been to the top before?” he asked gently with a curious tone.
He paused for a moment before realizing he had missed the social queue to introduce himself. “I am Aeon, it’s a pleasure to not collide with you.” he added with a chuckle. Aside from the colour of his hide Reinhart could have been a member of his home tribe. Curled majestic horns that were similar to the trait of his mothers. Mighty formidable muscled fighters.
“Are you ok? Are you hurt?” he enquired with a concerned tone. He knew personally how painful sliding and losing your footing could be. “We should think about the best way to get off this mountain before the weather gets any worse.” his breath visible in soft huffs.
The pair had narrowly avoided colliding with one another. Reinhart butt-first down the mountain and nearly colliding with a stranger was certainly some sort of first impression. It might even be his most impressive entrance yet, and he couldn't even take credit for it. It had been one wrong step near the peak of the mountain that sent him careening down its face. Thankfully, the stranger seemed to be of the good-natured sort. They quickly agreed that it was probably wise not to continue their venture up the icy path. Reinhart managed to drag himself back onto his feet with a nod of agreeance to the stranger. They quickly introduced themselves as Aeon. "Yes, it is nice not to collide with you too, Aeon." Reinhart responded with lighthearted tones.
At least neither of them would be alone as they continued on down the mountain, and hopefully, both could avoid any further incidents. Aeon asked if he was injured, and Reinhart shooks his head while appearing a little embarrassed as he did so. "No no, I'm alright. Just clumsy and cold now. It's not my first time sliding down a mountain, although I wasn't quite so high up before. I've been up this peak before but in better weather." Reinhart answered Aeon, suddenly remembering that he'd been asked a question about the peak. Aeon expressed that they should probably find the best way down the mountain so that they both wouldn't get hurt or risk an even deadlier slide down. Reinhart smiled slightly and nodded his head. "I don't think it'd be good if we both became cannonballs on our way back down toward Denocte. I don't think Israfel or Luvena would appreciate that very much. The path is probably the safest way back, come on I can lead the way. " Reinhart gave a nod down toward the path that lead to Denocte.
So tell me your secrets ; and join me in pieces TO FALL AND REWRITE THE BITTER END
He listened to the older stallion intently. Smiling and chuckling at his responses about their near collision. He had yet to meet anyone from Denocte before but he could understand how two large stallions sliding down their mountainside would be unwelcome. The next question struck him as he followed Reinhart’s path.
What exactly had he been looking for up the frozen mountainside? He wasn’t entirely sure how to phrase it. Or exactly what he had expected to find. “Something about getting back up high, thought I might get some answers about my arrival here.” he said simply almost embarrassed by how stupid it sounded. It was interesting how when thoughts were spoken out loud their intent and purpose seemed to shift. They no longer sounded logical. It sounded crazy.
“I tumbled down an erupting volcano in the sky, landing on the grass in the dusk lands. I don’t want to return there, but some answers as to how these worlds are all connected would be nice.” he said with a soft snort. He simply wanted to better understand the world about him. Maybe Vespera would see his struggles and offer some kind of advice eventually. Why or who plucked him from that suffering existence and placed him here? Or were the events random?
“But why were you up there?” he asked softly, wondering why the stranger had chosen a similar path to his own.
ooc: I am so sorry you waited so long for this! <3
