[P] the bliss

[Indrani]

The part of this world above for her was that there were other water sources - not just the ocean. For her, the deep was everything and had always been. Her source of living, of eating, drinking, energy and vibrant magic that brought their underwater world to life in a way that would, most likely, be utterly bewildering to those of the surface. How she felt walking, four-legged, with hair in place of sails, of fins - the only part of her that remained herself was her colour, the horns upon her forehead and her eyes - still had her at odds.

She preferred her tail.

Indrani, exploring Terrastella and always hunting for materials for the new supply to create art, had come to a watery land that was nothing like she expected. She’d wanted water, followed the scent but this place… When she stepped in the water, expecting it to trail out into depths she might immerse herself into, found that the majority of this did not go much higher than her chest. Sometimes she felt it almost go across her back, but she did not feel safe allowing the magic in her core to escape and let her try to swim in this.

Not only that, the freshwater felt strange. She was sure that, unlike most of the animals of the ocean, she would have no issues with breathing but the lack of salt might make it harder for her, so she did not wish to risk it. Instead, she rose to a small mound of earth, where several flowers were growing and there was a series of crystalline growths at the base of a type of tree she knew nothing about, but they were bright and what she was looking for.

She set about, breaking them, enjoying that they did not lose their colour as she broke it apart. Indrani had brought a large flatleaf and she moved the small pieces to settle upon it, alongside the other colourful materials she’d collected samples of. She was so busy in what she was not paying attention to her surroundings, not used to the open air at all and so… was oblivious to know if there was anyone approaching…

Or nearby at all.

@Caspian <3

Image

[Caspian]

the salt is on the briar rose,
the fog is in the fir trees.

Caspian does not wander often into Tinea Swamp.

It’s not that he’s particularly superstitious (though he had grown up listening to the stories of the Ilati and their magics and strange rituals), only that he preferred the open expanse of the cliffs and beaches, the wind tousling his salt-stiff hair, watching the clouds move across the horizon. Being among the dense trees, the jutting knees of cypress, the tangle of vines and liquid warbling of birds he couldn’t name gave him a kind of claustrophobia that he never got in the caves that marked the shoreline.

Today, though, he and Benvolio move beneath the arching boughs, the little bat swooping just ahead to feast on mosquitoes (of which there were plenty) and Caspian following more slowly, searching for the slender leaves of Labrador tea. His sister had asked him to gather some, and since she was heavily pregnant with her first child, the young stallion hadn’t argued.

Now, damp with sweat and bogwater up to his knees, he wishes he’d just told her to buy some in the market.

Caspian, says the bat through their mental bond, and the paint lifts his head, pausing to stretch out his neck and shoulders. Yes? Find some? He can just make out the dark shadow of Ben, flitting like a moth between the branches. No. But maybe this unicorn has?

Now the stallion’s ears prick forward with interest, though he takes his time picking through the tangled roots and waterways. When he sees the stranger, he takes a moment to observe her before saying anything; the long, bright horns, the rich brown coat with marbled blue. Because he is also blue-marked, he likes her already.

Caspian does not much feel like swimming - though it might dissuade the biting flies - so he nickers at the mare to get her attention. “Find something good?” he calls.



 @Indrani  

☁