These lands are the same, just as he remembers. From the far off sands of Mors to the plains he now steps through.
Leviathan may have been gone for years, but he's back in familiar territory that brings a sense of home to aching bones. Even with his immortality restored, he feels old here. The ancient wound from shoulder to rear across his spine, once laid open wide by a Great Teryr, shines silver on an otherwise dark back, not allowing hair to regrow over the long stripe that runs down a broad back.
The warrior longs to explore, aches to rediscover old places he once knew. Perhaps, if he were lucky, he could recover the old pieces of bone that he had gained as trophies from the Teryr before. Those would likely lie in Solterra, far from here now, but he is in no rush. The titan wishes to find more here, to familiarize himself, perhaps find old faces. Part of him doubts that those faces would be around... not right now. It seems Novus has simply moved on in time, and friends and foes alike were likely gone.
Eden. Advtoya. Seraphina. Bexley. Torstein. The grizzled fighter doubts very much he'll lay eyes on any of them again.
A snort blows from his nostrils, his heavy horned head shaking before he relaxes, taking steps into a near trot through the plains, stretching his muscles and sending his bulky body into a smoother step. It doesn't take much to reach the stream, his feathered legs stepping down into the water and feeling the cold liquid coil through the hair. It brings weight immediately, and he keeps stepping forward, sinking further and further into the water until it almost touches his belly. At nineteen hands, it's quite the feat, and he only dips his head to touch scarred lips to the water, drinking his fill and relaxing himself slowly.
For now, he can drink and bathe, rinse away the journey here from Solterra.
I don't care what they're going to say, let the storm rage on the cold never bothered me anyway
The day hummed with the promise of adventure, as the mare had stretched upon waking. Or perhaps it was the serpent draped over her back, flattening her fin down awkwardly that hummed its annoyance at the movement. Yukime, ever drowsy this early in a day, cracked the ice at her collar to voice displeasure, a sound that caused the Treader to laugh with amusement and stretch a second time, elongating her spine, her fluked tail arching in the air. Her shoulders shifted, her muzzle touching the grass at her hooves, and with a playful buck, the serpent rolled down her spine and to the ground. Bel's laugh echoed through the air, light and playful as her bonded glared from the pile of scales and serpentine coils.
"Oh, don't get your fins caught on a rock! The sun rose hours ago! You've practically slept the morning tide away, Yuki! Time for us to start the day! Don't just start treading water! Time to get a move on, where should we explore today?" The serpent shot her mare a glare and tucked her head under her tail. "Come on, Yukime! Don't be such a grumpy octopus!" The dual-natured mare begged, both sets of eyes widening innocently at huffy ice serpent. It was like waiting on a sea slug, but finally her bonded uncoiled, using her forelimbs and tail to scale Bel's limb and lay back down across the mares shoulders, head resting against one shoulder blade, and long tail looped twice around the treader's neck.
Bel's smile was infectious as she kicked up her heels, leaving a trail of vapor from where the water steam escaped from her hock in smaller amounts than the vapors that escaped down her spine. The watery mist was already dropping in tempature to keep the two arctic beings from over heating in the sun as the mare left the Dusk Courts and made her way to some of the areas for mingling.
It took all of her will power to not immediately head to the ocean (as she was prone to doing), but she was determined to explore other aspects of the island today, which meant seeing more of the land. Exploring what there was. She was only passing through the plains when she saw a dark figure in the far distance. Large and powerful. Heavily built. Her eyes lit up with hope that Sol might be back on Novus, immediately turning direction in hopes of the large beat being the bi-winged mammoth she called friend. Her hooves carried her near, before watching the coat color lighten, even as the stallion stepped deeper in the water than Sol would have gone.
So not her friend, but someone new to meet! Caution, Bel. Hes still a stranger. Don't be too trusting. Remember these creatures don't care for those of the water. To many aquatics with a taste beyond fish. Bel nodded once at the words carried on the bond between she and the serpent from her species home planet.
Still she was hoping to meet a friend, stopping her approach to keep herself out of striking distance should her presence be unwelcome (she had no intentions of being snapped at like a fish swimming to close to a shark). "Uhm, hello!" Despite the friendliness in her tone, caution colored her words, but she kept her smile in place, making sure not to accidentally flash her fangs for when she dined on fish, "I hope im not disturbing you! I'm just out to meet new horses, and perhaps hear some new tales. My name is Below Zero, I'm an entertainer with the Dusk Court. A story teller, really. Do you mind some company?" She asked politely, even if a touch eagerly, her smile still firmly in place, and eyes earnest with sincerity.
"Bel" Yukime
@Leviathan Notes:: Hope you don't mind me throwing her in, he seems fascinating!
The lands are filled with new life, he's noticed. New faces, new leaders. It feels like only yesterday he had stepped into the canyon with Maxence and the others, had spilled ruby blood into the sands that had so greedily swallowed it up. Had nearly sacrificed himself for Solterra all in the name of hunting down a Teryr that had taken Maxence.
His jaw tightens for a moment at the thought, muscles tightening and working before he shakes his head instead, plunging his nose down past the surface of the water and rinsing his face. Lifting up, the droplets run in small rivers through his fur, and he shakes his entire body, taking steps toward the pebbled shore of the stream, kicking up rocks with hooves that are bigger than dinner plates.
The colossus is surprised when someone comes up from the right, his head turning sharply so he can fix his good eye on them, muscles pinching a little as he furrows phantom brows. She's awfully peppy, he realizes. Something warm and welcoming to her that he's long lost, and his body shakes from head to tail as he attempts to dry himself off, not answering for a good moment or two.
"Doing that will get you killed," he says in lieu of a greeting, squinting at her with his good eye. Wandering up on unknown horses isn't the brightest thing to do, but what does he know about these lands anymore? They could have gotten somewhat friendlier, though part of him doubts that a little too much. He's grousing, and he knows it. But age hasn't ever settled well with him, neither has change. "Leviathan, Solterra." He still squints, a little suspicious of her, with his eye even roving toward the serpent that keeps her company.
Both eyes look, but the milky right eye sees nothing but darkness. "I don't think there's a lot of stories you can tell someone like me, but you're welcome to try." The fact he's even agreeing to company says a lot about how he's changed a bit over the years. Who knows, maybe it'll be nice to not be so damn alone for once.
@Below Zero
I don't mind at all! Levi does but he's a grump lskdjflsdjf
01-23-2021, 12:26 AM - This post was last modified: 01-23-2021, 12:28 AM by Leviathan
I don't care what they're going to say, let the storm rage on the cold never bothered me anyway
The mare was cautious, even if being her usual cheerful self. It wasn't hard being cheerful though, always trying to be friendly to encourage others to look beyond her appearance. To not assume she was a Kelpie, or a Hippocampus, or whatever else from the sea that would prey on the others. She might hunt on occasion, but she was picky. She only liked fish small enough to swallow whole. And so she tried to keep a sort of distance, enough so that she wouldn't be effected if this were to go badly. Or at least get a running head start to get away.
She surprises him, but it certainly wasn't intentional . He turns quickly, and she draws up half a step, even as she makes a smile, determined to keep positive outlook. He doesn't seem to impressed however, his answer is nothing more than a word of caution, gruffer than she's used to. Almost like Sol before she thawed him out. She tilted her head faintly to the side at his words, blinking in surprise at his words. "I . . . I'm sorry?" She asked, finned ears slipping down faintly, confused, "How so? I stopped a respectful distance away, far enough to be considerate - and safe I would think, should you spring like an octopus out of it's cave." She added after a moment, before tilting her head when he introduced himself, and her eyes brightened considerably, "Oh, it's nice to meet you! You have an interesting name. Oh, uhm, Terrastella here . . . er, you probably already knew that when I mentioned Dusk Court. Sorry . . . you have me a little out of water." She admitted with an awkward laugh, before she notice him take in Yukime.
She glances back at the creature herself, "This is Yukime, my bonded, and my only connection to my home planet." She added the introduction quickly even as he turns his head towards her and she notes the oddness to his right eye. She blinks, first her primary set of eyes, and then the second and she offered a slight laugh, "I know better than to just offer stories to anyone. Most don't care for tall tales, after all. Besides, most have heard the majority of stories by the time they leave pup-hood, er . . . foalhood?" She added. "Mostly I was just offering my company though . . ." She added, her gaze shifting off the stallion, away, "Besides, my stories are mostly for foals." And learning that those stories were real had put a damper on her love of sharing them . . . enough so she was constantly contemplating the purpose of staying an entertainer when it gave her little joy now a days. But for a creature of the water just now learning to live on land, she wasn't sure what other good uses she might have. So, just finding some company for the time being might do well enough.
"Bel" Yukime
@Leviathan Notes:: Her moods are a little all over the place. She's in the middle of some character development at the middle anyways thanks to her thinking of switching from Entertainer to Soldier.
![[Image: i-jTNwWx8.png]](https://photos.smugmug.com/BelowZeroNovus/n-X9d9fZ/i-jTNwWx8/1/e09fb6c3/O/i-jTNwWx8.png)
