and, when the friendly sunshine smil'd,
and she would mark the opening skies,
i saw no Heaven—but in her eyes
and she would mark the opening skies,
i saw no Heaven—but in her eyes
There is something peaceful about the sea. Something reassuring in the fact that it is always there, in the way it draws away from the shore but comes rushing back again, again, again. Eulalie listens to its breaking waves like a heartbeat, watches the way the sunset paints it in twilight. Behind her on the far eastern horizon the sky grows dark, the first stars blinking into the oncoming night. But ahead of her there is color, bright and warm and dazzling.
She stands with her hooves in the sand, letting the water wash up around her, gently caressing. The breeze tugs on her golden hair, brighter, gilded by the hour, by the slanting light of the sun. Behind her stands Tabbris, her bonded ever as vigilant and faithful. “You should not be out alone,” his voice breaks through her wondering, though she doesn’t look at him, “I’m not alone,” she responds, and cannot help the mischievous smile that turns up her lips. She can almost sense his serious, all-business expression.
“Do not worry, Tabbris. We’ve no evidence the beast even would come so far from the forest. Besides, I can take care of myself, and I’ve got you don’t I?” The ivory woman won’t admit her fears, not even to her bondmate. In truth, they are no closer to discovering what had killed their friends and it bothers her greatly. She is convinced the perpetrator is an it and not a who, for she cannot imagine any sort of equine that could do what had been done to them. Still, the images of their gruesome death imprints in her mind. She cannot forget.
“I really think we should go back to the court before it gets dark,” the gryphon continued, his tail lashing behind him, his dark eyes trained on his bondmate’s back even as his ears tuned into the world around them. Eulalie took a few more moments to watch the sun on its descent to the horizon and then sighed, “Perhaps you’re right, after all,” she concedes. But when she turns to face Tabbris, she hears her name called.
Both equine and gryphon turn toward the sound, and there in the distance is a familiar face. Ipomoea, headed toward them. Her eyes brighten and she glances at her bondmate, “I can’t very well leave now, that would be rude Tabbris.” He only clicks his beak unhappily and follows as Eulalie makes her way closer to Ipomoea, smiling warmly at the younger man. “Ipomoea, what a pleasant surprise,” she greets, stopping once they have closed the gap between them, “And Odet, a pleasure.”
At his question something in her yawns open in memory. The reason she even had come to beaches, to stand and stare at the ocean in the fading light of day was to think, to clear her thoughts and allow her brain to do what her heart was holding it back from. But Eulalie knows well the feeling of being trapped; imprisoned. She remembers it like she remembers which stall in the market carries Regis’ favorite apples or which shelf in the library holds the books that Somnus seems to return to again and again. And when she looks upon Ipomoea, she understands what he is standing here for.
“Come, why don’t we walk together Ipomoea? Stretch our legs a little bit,” she turns and indicates for him to join her, “It’s a good thing you are here, Tabbris was beginning to worry we’d give Somnus heart failure if he found out we were out here alone. But now we’re together, and all is well.” She gives a wink to the gryphon, who pointedly does not look at her as he turns to follow them. Oh, his grudge will not last long. He is a softy at heart, after all, but she does understand his concern even if she has thrown some caution to the wind traveling outside the court walls by herself.
The ivory woman looks at Ipomoea and can sense his troubles, so instead she tries to distract him. “Do you fancy a race?” And if there is a mischievous sparkle to her earth brown eyes, made warmer by the golden hour, she does not hide it. The stretch of beach before them is empty, and in the distance looms a dark shape. Rocks, she thinks, perhaps. “To that point, down the shore,” and she lifts her nose to draw his attention to it, deftly shifting her weight. A smile stretches across her face of a different meaning this time as suddenly she takes off in a sprint, her laughter drifting back on the air. “Come on!” Tabbris takes to the skies to follow, his great wings casting a shadow on the sand below.
She stands with her hooves in the sand, letting the water wash up around her, gently caressing. The breeze tugs on her golden hair, brighter, gilded by the hour, by the slanting light of the sun. Behind her stands Tabbris, her bonded ever as vigilant and faithful. “You should not be out alone,” his voice breaks through her wondering, though she doesn’t look at him, “I’m not alone,” she responds, and cannot help the mischievous smile that turns up her lips. She can almost sense his serious, all-business expression.
“Do not worry, Tabbris. We’ve no evidence the beast even would come so far from the forest. Besides, I can take care of myself, and I’ve got you don’t I?” The ivory woman won’t admit her fears, not even to her bondmate. In truth, they are no closer to discovering what had killed their friends and it bothers her greatly. She is convinced the perpetrator is an it and not a who, for she cannot imagine any sort of equine that could do what had been done to them. Still, the images of their gruesome death imprints in her mind. She cannot forget.
“I really think we should go back to the court before it gets dark,” the gryphon continued, his tail lashing behind him, his dark eyes trained on his bondmate’s back even as his ears tuned into the world around them. Eulalie took a few more moments to watch the sun on its descent to the horizon and then sighed, “Perhaps you’re right, after all,” she concedes. But when she turns to face Tabbris, she hears her name called.
Both equine and gryphon turn toward the sound, and there in the distance is a familiar face. Ipomoea, headed toward them. Her eyes brighten and she glances at her bondmate, “I can’t very well leave now, that would be rude Tabbris.” He only clicks his beak unhappily and follows as Eulalie makes her way closer to Ipomoea, smiling warmly at the younger man. “Ipomoea, what a pleasant surprise,” she greets, stopping once they have closed the gap between them, “And Odet, a pleasure.”
At his question something in her yawns open in memory. The reason she even had come to beaches, to stand and stare at the ocean in the fading light of day was to think, to clear her thoughts and allow her brain to do what her heart was holding it back from. But Eulalie knows well the feeling of being trapped; imprisoned. She remembers it like she remembers which stall in the market carries Regis’ favorite apples or which shelf in the library holds the books that Somnus seems to return to again and again. And when she looks upon Ipomoea, she understands what he is standing here for.
“Come, why don’t we walk together Ipomoea? Stretch our legs a little bit,” she turns and indicates for him to join her, “It’s a good thing you are here, Tabbris was beginning to worry we’d give Somnus heart failure if he found out we were out here alone. But now we’re together, and all is well.” She gives a wink to the gryphon, who pointedly does not look at her as he turns to follow them. Oh, his grudge will not last long. He is a softy at heart, after all, but she does understand his concern even if she has thrown some caution to the wind traveling outside the court walls by herself.
The ivory woman looks at Ipomoea and can sense his troubles, so instead she tries to distract him. “Do you fancy a race?” And if there is a mischievous sparkle to her earth brown eyes, made warmer by the golden hour, she does not hide it. The stretch of beach before them is empty, and in the distance looms a dark shape. Rocks, she thinks, perhaps. “To that point, down the shore,” and she lifts her nose to draw his attention to it, deftly shifting her weight. A smile stretches across her face of a different meaning this time as suddenly she takes off in a sprint, her laughter drifting back on the air. “Come on!” Tabbris takes to the skies to follow, his great wings casting a shadow on the sand below.
@Ipomoea <3
