[AW] What we wish shall be

[Tetra]

She follows the sound of the river. From faraway you could mistake it for the wind dancing in the treetops, but she does not. Her thirst magnifies the sound. Mud is caked to her knees and underbelly, and colors brown her white tail. She no longer smells of the rainforest, that scent faded from her weeks ago. That life is miles and miles behind her now, and she only thinks of it when she wakes; just half-aware of where she is, rainforest dreams still filling her senses. Damp, mossy earth and sunlight filtered through tall canopies- dreams she wants to return to, but reality calls. When she shakes the sleep from her head, two rings braided into her mane clink together. The sound grounds her.

She follows the sound of the river. Step by step, slowly first then faster and faster. She has passed through the edge of the Solterran desert and the water calls to her like an old friend. The call invigorates her for more than one reason. Her thirst is first (a rhyme, a smile), and she's long overdue for a bath. But also she thinks this river must be the one that marks Delumine. She moves even faster.

She follows the sound of the river, and then it is before her. She slows to a dance and proceeds until she is knee-deep, laughing in delight as the water laps at her. When she lowers her head to drink, the tips of her braids play in the current of the river. It is calm and peaceful here, but even as her body relaxes a knot of nervous excitement begins to churn in her chest. 

So this is home now.

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ooc: to @Sara, for either of your babes. sorry this is a weird one O_o

[Coraline]

Coraline was always around somewhere. Usually staying out of the way of horses she didn’t know. She was terrified of the strangers. Most of them were simply passing through, not looking for trouble, but how would she know if they were looking for a fight? Or worse – a one-night stand with an unwilling girl? She had heard rumors that things like that happened, and to be sure, she wanted nothing to do with it. So, she spent a lot of time hiding…watching and waiting to see what they were doing before making herself known to them. This newcomer was no different. She was a mare to be sure, but that didn’t mean she was no threat! Mares could be just as dangerous, and she wanted nothing to do with danger. And so, the girl of silver watched with her button eyes until the mare entered the water, and appeared harmless. Coraline crept closer, leaving the safety of the trees, taking a half step at a time until she was near enough to make a soft sound, a hesitant greeting of sorts, gently tossing her dainty head. The filly crept to the edge of the water and stopped. She was not comfortable enough to drop her head and be vulnerable, so she simply stands, curiously watching the other. ”Hello….I’m Coraline.” It wasn’t much, but it was a step in the right direction. One day, she thought she might like to be the Emissary – Flora said it was a great honor to be one, and while the filly wanted nothing to do with status like that…she wanted to be brave and be able to greet others like Flora did. ”Are you lost?” She wasn’t sure how to greet others, or how to welcome them into her home. So instead, she fumbles for words that didn’t sound like she was utterly terrified. The child had lived a hard life, and was trying so hard to be brave. Where was Pan when she needed someone to lean on? ”Speech”

| Silver chain from the pirate siren | Blue Macaw feather in mane | Image © Firenze Design @ Deviant Art

@Tetra

[Tetra]

It is not long before she spies a grey shadow moving slowly closer from the corner of her eye. Tetra pretends not to see the young one, half closing her eyes in relaxation and focusing on the way the river feels so cool against her skin. She begins to hum a gentle song as the younger mare creeps closer. It is a soothing tune the mothers taught her, one they would sing to wounded animals so they would relax. So the healers could do their work without being bitten, kicked, or run out on.

As the filly is close enough to call out, Tetra raises her gaze and returns the greeting with a soft nicker. Coraline. It is a sweet name. "Hello dear, I'm Tetra." She smiles, warm and genuine. The girl before her isn't much younger than Tetra, but it seems they have been cast very different fates, and have very different natures to account for it.

'Are you lost?'

The question brings an even warmer smile to her face. She's never felt lost in her whole life, not really. It must be one of the few things she inherited from her father, wanderer that he was.

"I don't think so,"" She says, voice honey-smooth and low. "Well I certainly hope not." A grin spreads on her face. "I know that's Terminus Peak," She gestures behind her, where the great mountain peaks over the horizon. "And this must be the great Rapax River, border of Delumine?" All these places she knows with deep familiarity, although she has never seen them before. She smiles again.

"You must be a member of the Dawn Court? Tell me, what is it like?" She tilts her head in earnest, feeling like a child herself. There it is, that familiar swell of anticipation in her chest, like the wind catching the sail. Stories do that to her.

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@Coraline

[Coraline]

Coraline had been cast a fate that was far from desirable. Her mother hadn’t wanted her for her “tarnished” appearance. Her coat was of the most pure silver, it glittered in the sunlight and was stunning; but she had black points – muzzle, mane, tail, socks; and worst of all…she had button eyes. The filly’s father must have been something deeply special to the mare, or the mare would have let her die; abandoned her out in the woods, claiming that the filly was perfect, but had died. Instead, Coraline was birthed and kept in secret, the herd knowing about her, but none talking to her. She was raised in isolation, her mother appearing only to feed her; never to comfort or truly teach. All Coraline knew was that the world was full of dangerous things, and everything wanted to kill the silver-and-black girl. She grew up fearful and struggled to find anyone to protect her. She needed a strong figure to watch over her. And then she found Iago. The starry stallion was adopted as her new daddy, and he watched over her until she grew. But the magic of her home changed, and he, too, forgot about her. She was back to being an orphan. But Maaemo had taken pity on her, and had given her a little stuffed fox (who was ALIVE!) to be her companion. Pandora stayed with the filly until they arrived here; and she was gone. Coraline had met several friends along the way – Mew was her best friend, and her first true love. She hadn’t told him how much she loved him, and his dying words were demanding that their hearer relay to Coraline how much he loved her. She had Pan and Florentine, too, and Only; but they all had their own lives to live. Coraline lived the life of a loner most of the time. But she didn’t mind. It was the hand she was dealt, and all she could do was play those cards. The elder mare spoke to her, and she gave a shy smile. The mare began to speak then, about the place they were. The filly hadn’t learned all the names of things yet, of all the places she could see and had been. So all she could do was dumbly nod as the mare named the mountain and river. It sounded as good as any other name, she decided. And then the mare asked if she was a resident of Deliumine. Coraline nodded her dainty head. ”I am. I like it there. Everyone seems very nice, and nobody is mean.” Her body is that of a three-year old, but her mind is still that of a yearling. She is not “slow,” or “touched,” or anything. You see, when she was a yearling, she was snatched up into a magical coma where her body aged, but because she was not able to interact or use her mind, it stayed the same. When she woke, she was in a strange body, even though it looked like hers. She has struggled to learn and grow, and while she is doing well along her journey, she still has much to accomplish. ”It is a pretty place to live, with enough space for everyone, and plenty shelter and food.” She learned early on that shelter was one of the most important things – especially when you were on your own. ”Where do you live?” ”Speech”

| Silver chain from the pirate siren | Blue Macaw feather in mane | Image © Firenze Design @ Deviant Art

@Tetra

[Tetra]

Everyone has their story, it shapes them in both obvious and subtle ways. All in all, Tetra would say she's lived a charmed life. Sure, she never knew her mother, and barely saw her father, and accidentally blinded herself and was banished from the one place she ever called home... but she's felt loved by many others and seen a bit of the world and heard a lot of tales of the rest of it. And she's never felt truly unhappy. It is in her nature to roll with the punches, and she has yet to face something that truly knocks her down.

"Well, I'd like to live here, if your king will have me." She has no real fear of rejection, especially after hearing Coraline's words. "I was born here, but I left before I remembered, and... well, I'm not quite sure where else to go now." Sadness begins to bubble, and she squashes it with a smile. "I could always keep moving, gladly, but- life is better with friends, wouldn't you say?"

She gently steps forward out of the river and to Coraline's side of the bank, where she shakes her lean body of the cool river water. Her long while tail swats one side of her flanks, then the other.

"Would you show me around, Coraline? I know this realm in name only."

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@Coraline sorry so short -_-