The lithe aquatic mare sighed happily as she gazed at the lake before her. The lake within the Court that she had claimed as her own. The idea of a home echoed through her, a sense of belonging making her smile. She had a feeling of peace that calmed the emotional turmoil left by rage and hurt. Left by betrayal and abandonment. The nomads that had saved her had been great... but it hadnt been home. The group moved constantly and were always busy trying to survive. It wasnt a stable place to grow up and recover from the trauma of her youth. Everything was always temporary. The medic had helped her, stepping in as a stand in mother, but it was never the same.
Never the same as the sister, mother, and father that she had once had. Her mother had died defending her from the awful shark that had nearly killed her. A momentary surge of panic gripped the two year old as she searched the surface of the lake. Even though she knew in her mind that there would be no sharks in a lake, she was still overwhelmed with the fear of those dorsal flukes and razor like teeth. She could still feel the pain of the jaws ripping and shaking her when she was a mere four months old. Taking a few deep breaths, Pol centered herself and reminded herself that she was safe from the cold blooded predators. A snort escaped her as she remembered that her dearest friend was closely related to sharks, being similar enough to her own species that she had been able to work through her fears and become friends with him.
"I am safe. I have a home. There are no sharks in the lake and they cannot reach me on land." Pol murmured to herself as she gazed at the cool blue waters before her. The young Vapor Treader rarely ventured into the water, feeling much more at home on land thanks to the nomads that had raised her and the pod that had left her for dead. In honor of the mare that had saved her, she had decided to dedicate herself to healing arts, aligning herself with the medics of the court. She wanted to learn so that she would someday be capable of saving someone else if the need arose.
"Speaking"
@Caelum Notes: Here she is! Eventually the poor girl will be less afraid of everything lol
"the sharp knife of a short life
i've had just enough time"
A winter wonderland.
Winter had come while Caelum wasn't looking, but with as the world turned white from snow fall, and jack frost brought ice to tree limbs and foliage alike, the fae couldn't help but smile at the scenes it made. Winter wonderland indeed. The air around her was crisp and cool, sending darting breaths like ice into her lungs. The snow around her ankles, her calves sent chills to the bone, but she didn't let herself think on it too much. It was beautiful, it was clear - and she'd never truly experienced a place like it before. Her home land stayed too long all year round for snow - and this. This was magnificent.
Worth a flight.
Her wings fluttered slightly at the thought, acknowledging that it was what she wanted, what she would like to do. Take to the sky and see the scenes dusted with snow and touched by Father Winter's hand. The lattice work of frost collecting up trees and over the more shallow, slower moving waters. The natural dip and pull of the snow banks that broke up the otherwise flat plane of snow. So much to see. Her wings fluttered a touch faster and with a slight hop, skip and jump she broke free of the snow and was dancing through the air, her wings fluttering quickly to keep her in flight as she looked around with delight. It was pretty from the sky, the aerial view giving her so much more to see.
So this was winter?
How could she have missed this for so long? How could she have never known how lovely it could be? How beautiful? How wondrous? A sudden harsh wind blew that wondrous cold straight to her center and the female almost forgot how to fly as she was forced to bare the brunt of the cold front with out any sheltering trees. Her teeth chattered, her brown eyes wide with shock, and suddenly her limbs were curled close to her body and her wings angled to allow her to dive into the trees that surrounded Vitreus Lake. Her body shook against the cold, trying to encourage the blood to circulate and warm her up again.
What a horrible season!
She grit her teeth against the cold and headed in a random direction, trying to find a good place to warm back up in, already regretting her flight into the air - was that what it was like to fly in winter - to face such frigid temperatures with out any shelter from that cold! Why would anyone want to do that?! And for a creature who preferred to be in the air, she was now hating the snow that forced her to plow through it just to move. Such a horrible season. It was like a poisonous flower - pretty to look at, but harsh to the touch. Perhaps rose would have been a better analogy.
Yes, Winter was but a rose.
Beautiful and innocent in appearance, clear and pure in it's white blanket of beauty, but once you have gone to pluck it and stare at it's beauty, you feel the prick of the thorns, as the cold wind blows against you and the snow snakes itself into a frozen death trap. Caelum was starting to feel less enamored by it. She pushed forward until she was clear of enough snow that she could flutter her way between the trees rather than continue to plow through the icy snow that was making her limbs quiver from the cold. Oh, she wanted warmth now. A good bonfire, a warm, and cozy place to relax. What a horrid idea, to go look at the winter-laden lands. Lesson learned.
Stay inside.
A vision of lavender stood out against the ivory that Caelum was now beginning to feel was an overused and boring color (so much snow, so much everywhere - horrible stuff it is), and curiously the mare turned towards it, fluttering through the trees before breaking free of them and realizing it was a figure by the lake. She blinked a few times, taking in the odd appearance before stepping forward slowly, her ivory locks carried aloof on another breeze of cold, teeth-chattering air. She landed a short distance, tilting her head at the stranger, "Are you alright, you seem a touch lost in thought." She voiced with distinct concern, even as she kept her features gentle and friendly least she frighten the unfamiliar . . . . horse.
"Are you alright, you seem a touch lost in thought." Pol jumped as the striking mare arrived. Lavender eyes widened as she took in the smaller, much more delicate mare. Her thick, silky looking mane and tail looked as pure as the snow around them, though there was a look about her that hinted that the smaller mare might not be too impressed with the cold. Not that Pol disagreed. Ever since her accident, she had avoided cold whenever possible. It hurt her tail where the half of her fluke was missing.
"I was thinking about home, actually. I havent ever called any place home... Not since I was a foal... pup. Sorry. Life was a mess back then and my head still doesnt wrap around everything as well." She laughed softly as she fumbled through speaking. "I am Polar North, but you can call me Pol." Might as well take a stab at finding friends since she was here and planned to stay. Her meeting with her sister had been a mess, but Pol was determined to make the best of her life now that she had a place that she could belong. A surge of loneliness wrapped around her heart and she thought about the vibrant bull that she had met on her travels. He was the only one that knew all that had happened to her.
"So is Denocte your home as well?" She asked, trying to strike up conversation with the flying creature that had found her.
"the sharp knife of a short life
i've had just enough time"
Instant regret.
It was never the gentle fae's intention to alarm another, to make the poor creature jump. She tilted her head as the other seemed to take her in, and not for the first time, the fae princess wondered what another saw, what another thought of her. Did she think her eyes too wide and bright - filled with plans of chaos? Did she think she was to thin, despite her size and delicate lean build lending to her ability to fly with the filmed wings. Caelum couldn't help but accept if the other was judging and drawing conclusions.
She was surveying the other too.
She was an odd creature, and Caelum had so many questions about, so many curious thoughts about what this other horse was, how the scaring on her fin happened - she only had half a fin too. She was curious about a wide variety of things, and she was eager to know more about this curious creature in the snow. The other spoke soon though, and Caelum's smile faltered a second. Thinking about home. Caelum could understand becoming lost about a thing like that. She allowed herself to be distracted by the other's fumbled speech though, as if to tangle her thoughts off before she could get to lost in the past. The other gave her name and Caelum latched onto the new topic matter.
Oddly her name fitted her.
Caelum smiled warmly as she dipped her head regally, a perfect angle, a perfect height - respectful but not subservient - her mother would have been so proud of her manners, "A pleasure to meet you, Pol. My name is Caelum Bella Knoxx, or Caelum, please feel free to shorten it any way you wish - I promise I've heard it all." There were very few nicknames she'd forbid, most wouldn't be an immediate nickname used. Some where just to painful to touch on. The other spoke again, and once more Caelum was eager to latch onto a conversation that could silence the screaming memories that waited for the silence to assault her mind.
She wasn't expecting the question.
Was Denocte her home?
Caelum's muzzle opened briefly, and then closed . . . and repeated the process another two times before she seemed to come up with an answer, "I am part of the Denocte herd . . . It's where I live now, yes." It wasn't home though. No one could pull her heart from belonging with Florumian. Her kingdom would forever be her first, and most precious home, and in time she had hope that her heart would grow warm for Denocte, and Novus; as well.
"A pleasure to meet you, Pol. My name is Caelum Bella Knoxx, or Caelum, please feel free to shorten it any way you wish - I promise I've heard it all." Pol smiled at the other mare, eyes twinkling softly. "Your name is beautiful." She answered, feeling a shiver run down her spine and a pang of cold echo from her tail. "This darn cold is terror on old injuries." Pol laughed as she winced tried to tuck her tail to a warmer spot as well as she could.
"I am part of the Denocte herd . . . It's where I live now, yes." Pol flicked an ear as she watched Caelum seem to struggle with the question. There was a story there, though she didnt want to pry into this mare's life. "Pleasure to meet another that lives here. I am personally hoping to find a home here... I havent had one since the incident that lost me half of my tail." She tried to turn it into a joke, though the stark terror that the memories seemed to constantly invoke made her glance at the water nervously for a moment.
"the sharp knife of a short life
i've had just enough time"
An introduction lends to a story.
There is much to be said in how someone introduces themselves, just as there's a lot to be said in how someone responds. Lets look at Caelum first, introducing herself with a full name that includes a surname. It speaks of manners to introduce yourself, but to also be aware that no one will use her full name, and offering which of the names she prefers, but not forcing the shortening to a desired method. Cae has heard it all, and the few names not allowed to be used were rare and far between. Of course, allowing anyone else to use Princess as a nickname would be met with a fire breathing dragon refusing to every allow anyone else to use her title as a term of endearment. That was special for just her Dark Knight, and now that Tremaine was gone, she'd never allow it as a nickname again.
Some things were sacred.
Now, for Polar North you have a less standard greeting of those with long names - giving the full followed by a preferred nickname, rather than introducing themselves with the nickname. A need to hold onto her roots perhaps, a memory she is keeping alive, even if she's reinvented herself into the nickname. Her compliment to Caelum's name spoke of good upraising as well, and Caelum couldn't help but smile faintly, "It's tradition in my family . . . to use the latin names. Mine means Beautiful Sky, oddly enough - a reference to my pelt color." She explained before tilting her head when the other spoke of old injuries against the cold. Caelum's frown deepened at the sight of shivering, and the obvious attempt to tuck her tail out of the cold wind, "Can I get you anything for the pain? Spinach Leaf is supposed to help with pain, especially as it can counter old joints that are susceptible to the cold - it might work for old injuries as well?" She offered with distinct concern.
She always had to help.
At least she limited herself to medicine now. After the loss of her son and Calico, never again would she give her whole self over to a cause like that again. But healing and helping to heal the injured, she could do that. It appears that she had found a companion of Denocte as well, however, and Caelum smiled faintly, even as she was concerned at the thought of the female not having a home since she had the incident with her tail. The wound looked very old, thoroughly healed with scaring that had softened with age and use, so they would pull less. She had to have been a foal when it happened, and no home for so long, "I am finding that Denocte is very welcoming, I think you'll find a home here well." She assured with a warm smile, "And now you know me as well, and I have a tendency to mother those around me." How often had he complained about that - that she mothered him worse than his own mother had. He'd always flashed her that flirty smirk when he had teased her about it too.
She missed that smirk.
She turned her attention fully back to Pol, and returned her attention to her tail, "Seriously though, is there anything I can get you for your tail, to help at all? I'm a medic, so I'd be happy to help in any way I can." She added with deep rooted concern, and being able to use a title - medic - again too was a relief as well, one she hadn't realized she would miss.
"It's tradition in my family . . . to use the latin names. Mine means Beautiful Sky, oddly enough - a reference to my pelt color." Pol took a moment to consider the name, lavender eyes taking in her form like an artist trying to match a paint. "I can see it. Your pelt is beautifully hued, reminding me of an early dawn sky. My pod was mostly descriptive names... Polar North, Ice Shard, Below Zero, Northern Caps... Sea- Seascape." The final name was like dragging glass through her throat. It was a name that she had not uttered since the day that her life had been destroyed. Each name had registered small facial changes, a wince, as well as a glow of love in her eyes, with Below Zero, furious furrow of her forehead with Ice Shard, a mix of the same furrow and a tinge of sorrow with Northern Caps. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered her composure and carefully tucked the names of her mother and sister back in their special places in her heart.
"Can I get you anything for the pain? Spinach Leaf is supposed to help with pain, especially as it can counter old joints that are susceptible to the cold - it might work for old injuries as well?" Pol tilted her head and thought about it. "I didnt know that one! I am fascinated by medicine! I have used Turmeric for pain before, but not spinach leaf. Ginger root is also good when there is more swelling rather than just aches. I am more than willing to try something new though... This tail is often achy, though the cold does not help matters."
"I am finding that Denocte is very welcoming, I think you'll find a home here well. And now you know me as well, and I have a tendency to mother those around me." The idea of a mother made Pol pause. "I havent really had a mother. I am not sure what it would be like to be mothered. My mother... died... when I was really young." She turned her head and fought to contain the pain again. Pol hated showing the sorrow and heartache that came with even thinking of her mother. Other than Seascape, Bel had been the closest thing to a mother that Pol had ever had.
"Seriously though, is there anything I can get you for your tail, to help at all? I'm a medic, so I'd be happy to help in any way I can." Pol nodded and then paused as she heard the title. "I actually asked to learn more about medicine when I officially joined our court! I am so glad that I was able to meet another medic! Maybe we can learn more together! I mean... if you still need to learn." Pol blushed and looked down as she realized that she sounded like an excited pup. "I would even be willing to be your assistant and help you." She ended rather lamely, lavender eyes looking at Cael and hoping that she wouldnt be offended by the burst of youthful enthusiasm.
"the sharp knife of a short life
i've had just enough time"
Names could mean so much.
How a clan, or tribe may choose names could say so much. Her own family had believed in the power of the old language, that it might grow their own. Powerful names for a powerful, a ruling family. It had Caelum pondering on what the young aquatic's people would name for. The names given were elegant, however, many with their own powerful tale to tell. She noted the way the final name had been a painful one, however. In fact, all the names used in the example had been crafted with a variety of emotions. Anger, Love, sorrow. The youth had clearly led a time of terror and trouble. Caelum chose to not broach the subject, knowing that unfamiliarity with an individual could lead to closing things off when topics turned painful. Caelum herself would shut down when her past was prodded for too long. No, she'd let the other have peace, but should she feel like time had come to talk, Caelum would also be willing to listen.
She couldn't not want to help.
It was in her nature to care, and help others. Perhaps it was this that allowed her to immediately think of a potential herb to assist in Polar's condition. Spinach Leaf could assist, in a variety of ways. Especially as winter fell and joints would grow more painful as the weather acted upon them. Caelum offered a soft smile when the Polar North appeared to not be familiar with the herb and its ability, but admitted to a fascination of medicine. "Medicine can be interesting to study, but it can be difficult at times as well, so much to learn, so much to remember. Turmeric can have its' uses, but typically it's better to be used in conjunction with other medicinal herbs as well. I'd recommend mixing it into a tonic of a variety of herbs to help with mobility, pain relief, as well as swelling. Ginger has its uses as well, but it's typically better for exercise-related pains. However, if you make it into a poultice to place upon your hide, it might be a bit better. Especially if you use sesame oil and cinnamon. Perhaps, if just one is not cutting it, you can try combining methods. Perhaps take Turmeric with Spinach Leaf and Dandelion Root, and create a topical application to use nightly to aid keep your tail more mobile?"
It was a new subject to study.
No, that was improper. It was more along the lines that she had someone with a need for assistance. And, well; Caelum could never turn away those in need. Caelum tilted her head quietly when the other admitted to not having really had a mother, her muzzle twisting into a soft frown. Her words came softer this time, gentle and filled with the understanding of someone who had lost someone (many someones) herself; "Death is a painful ailment that affects those left behind . . . . It comes suddenly, and without warning, and unfortunately, it leaves those it touches a second hand to bear the weight of it." Her eyes closed briefly, a steading breath helping to recenter her thoughts, "But, you should also know . . . a mother doesn't ever stop loving her children, and I'm sure yours is looking down upon you even now." A child growing up without their mother was a cruel turn of fate, perhaps just as cruel as her own fate of having outlived her child.
No mother should bury their child.
Caelum was startled to learn that the youth was a medic herself, having placed the mare at a bit younger, and perhaps not yet ready to choose a profession. Of course, as the other suddenly began to spew information and ideas that ranged from learning medication together, to being an assistant to help. Caelum's eyes remained wide as the other spoke, voice quieting into embarrassment until Caelum couldn't help but laugh, her smile warm and understanding, "I believe a Medic's job and learning is never finished, there is always more information to learn, more knowledge to take in. I would be more than happy to learn with you at any point. Perhaps, having someone to study with could assist in making all different kinds of previously unknown uses for the flora around us." Besides, Caelum found the youth enduring.
And perhaps, she just wanted to feel like a mother again.
