TORIELLE
It's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams
Torielle chuckled, amused that the young lad seemed, perhaps not shy, but at least a bit self conscious that she had caught him scratching his growing appendages. His words spoke of a curiosity and an understand that only children could have, and it was incredibly refreshing. It was the kind of feeling she hadn’t realized that she had been missing and there was a sharp pang in her chest. Before she had walked the astral, there had been a few of the younger students that she had taken a liking to in her temple. The Sages hadn’t been pleased that young minds were drawn to her, but they had hoped providing her with some amount of responsibility would keep her mind in books and out of trouble. Her soul ached for the loss of these children, who saw the world in ways that she had long since forgotten how to see. She found a little bit of that magic here in the way this colt spoke, and while part of it pained her, it was like that of an ember, burning warm in the hollow of her chest.
“No, I don’t suppose the trees mind at all. They are far older than we could fathom and I imagine you are not the first creature to have sated their urges with their bark.” The mare kept her warm visage as the young boy’s gaze wandered, and she supposed that perhaps she might look a bit different to what he was used to. The way he spoke echoed of other worlds, of places that she may have visited while Planes-Walking, in a time before Gaia pushed her into Novus. It solidified her theory that he was not native to Delumine, at least, if nothing else. In this, they shared a bond, and she was more grateful to have it than she wanted to admit.
She moved slowly to a stack of pillows near to him, aiming to settle down among the plush fabrics that had shown comfort to many an equine before her. She didn’t want to intrude on his space, but she felt that they may talk for a while and though she had an inkling he might stand as tall or taller than she, he was laying down and Torielle was not in the business of looming over anyone. The maiden made sure to position herself in such a way that he would not have to shift much if at all to continue speaking with her. Though he gave no outward sign of discomfort, the flaking of burned skin could not be an enjoyable sensation, and she didn’t want to exacerbate it at all.
“I believe that all living things can breathe, and think and feel and speak. It’s mostly a matter of whether or not they do so in a way we understand.” She lifted her tiara to a branch above them where a winter bird was preening itself, uttering little sounds as it did so.
“Take her, for example. Birds can speak with other birds through song. While we can hear it and appreciate it, unless we are blessed with certain gifts, it’s not likely that we will understand them.” The mare lowered her gaze once more the colt, cool blue meeting vibrant red. “Not unlike how she can hear us conversing, but probably does not know what we say.”
Her eyes passed over the trees around them as she continued to speak, the tinkling of the bells soft as they swayed between her antlers. “These trees are far older and I’d bet wiser than we. I would not be surprised if they have found a way to speak to those who listen.” The mare beamed as she returned once more to the would-be pupil in front of her. “Not everyone knows that they can hear them, but places that are old hold a certain power to them. There is ancient magic from when the earth was created buried deep in the soil, and the oldest trees know those memories. I think that when we pay attention, really stop to listen, we can feel that same pull in our bones. We come from the earth and will one day return to it, so do we not share a little bit of the same magic in our blood?”
Torielle cocked her head slightly, eyes brilliant with a delight she had not felt in an age. Perhaps it was the memory of her studies, a desire to teach something new to a fresh young face. Maybe she was too influenced by the nostalgia for her home and the words she had spoken would be too much for the unknown colt. It did seem, upon reflection, at least a little pretentious on the surface. But something about this young lad told her that he was much like her at his age- a sponge for new experiences. Not everyone was drawn to the old places, and there was a certain level of comfort and familiarity in that- those who found themselves pulled to the ancient parts of the land always seemed to share a kind of kinship. At least, that had always been her own feelings on the matter, and it had been solidified by her upbringing.
Whatever the case, her soul felt the most bright it had been since she had come to Novus. Relaxing under the canopy of the library trees, conversing with a young and eager mind, she felt at peace. Dare say, she almost felt at home.
art by the-day-of-shadow character by scapeh table by sunny
