[O] inspired by adolescent dreams - Printable Version +- HELOVIA || The Way to the Sun (http://helovia.com) +-- Forum: Out of Character (http://helovia.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1) +--- Forum: Archives (http://helovia.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=11) +--- Thread: [O] inspired by adolescent dreams (/showthread.php?tid=19306) |
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inspired by adolescent dreams - Sikeax - 05-03-2015
RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Zahra - 05-03-2015 Zahra, It was pride that turned angels into devils
Zahra was cold to the bone, empty… Numb. Not a thought reeled through her mind, not a hint of remorse danced through the hollow trance of her gaze. There was just nothing. Shock, confusion, fatigue… She strode from the scene without even a tear to warm or mellow the glassy, vacant stain in her eyes. Turning for a moment, the tiny filly traced the dark outline of death - that poor mare, fallen - she would never wake up. The notion was both horribly sad and pitifully permanent. Pristine white lashes fluttered hesitantly before lids drew like dark curtains across the morbid scene for the final time. She barely noticed the golden stallion, lingering (or leaving, whatever necessary feat he thought next should happen); he didn’t matter, she didn't - none of this did. It was all a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, obviously. Thin, wobbly legs began again to travel, gliding carefully above the rough, muddy terrain until snow again turned the path south, a foul shade of white. Zahra had never been a fan of snow, of cold weather, and she wondered how on earth she’d come so far without any desire to retreat back to… well, she wasn’t really even sure where she was headed now. She paused for a moment, shivering, teeth chattering, and dipped her small inky lips to brush the thick ashen coat of her sister. ‘Where were we going? I can’t remember,’ she hummed with a soft, tender smile, but the Kitsune returned no reply to the innocent pondering of her older sibling, and instead pressed warmth against the filly’s bony black foreleg; for the moment she placed the old leather bag they had taken at the dying mare’s wish upon the ground. She shrugged gently and continued on towards a ridge of what could only be described as teeth, tips glinting like crystal in the sunlight. Zahra couldn’t remember exactly when her parents had passed - long enough at least for her to have found relative peace with concept. She often thought of them, though her mother seemed only to be a dim blur beside the gallant vision of her kingly father. They were laid together at rest in a golden tomb just east of the Threshold, but she was reluctant to visit; a fierce sense of foreboding warned her away from such thinking. A herd dwelled in a lush region of swollen waterfalls and rolling grass knolls there, and somehow she remembered them to be a vain and immoral group of mercenaries who thought only as far as their own pride - which she gathered too, was not something terribly respectable. It was they who kept the child’s curiosity at bay. But she wasn’t alone in the world. Bird, her sister, was perhaps the greatest gift bestowed by her loving parents (aside from the beautiful memories she otherwise clung to), and for as long as Zahra could remember they had never been apart. The ageing afternoon was warm despite the bitter wind howling down from the cloud encased, jagged mountains still farther north (a wilderness she was certain not to explore any time soon), and though her young coat was still unfortunately thin and soaked wet to the skin, the sun’s delicious rays spilled down upon the darkest stretch of her canvas like the thick feathered embrace of her father’s white wing. An eye turned briefly up toward the heavens found a sky bluer than ever had been witnessed before and each wing flanking her lean barrel shook stiffly. Though she longed to learn to fly, the filly knew well that her beloved sister had not the capacity and she spoke seldom of that desire. ’I've always wanted to see these…’ Zahra hummed quietly and genuinely, distracting that pattern of thought as they descended at last upon the coastal ice-formations - they were undeniably impressive, but not at all something she would normally be drawn to. In truth, there had only been one occasion previously that she had passed by the area - she of course, was blissfully unaware. Bird flanked in silence, intrigued by the giant landmarks, but paused as her sister did abruptly, to scan the unfamiliar area first; sharp milk-teeth tightened around the bag in their grasp. The sisters were each exhausted, as weary as one might be after covering half the length of Helovia in a week without respite - drawn as though emotions had frayed and fractured their minds. Neither had occurred though, and the golden child put it down to the shifting season around them; she had seen Orangemoon wither away leaves and chill the balmy air many months ago, after all. They dabbled about into the evening, half-heartedly searching for a safe enough place to rest their heads. A series of caves dotted a rugged mountainside and it was to these they eventually gravitated - a place out of the elements, where perhaps the ravenous hunt of a predator might not find them. As the light began to wane, Zahra lead towards one entrance that seemed to be set aside from the others, her quivering nose sank to scent the slush across the doorway and she was startled to find that another’s presence lay thick upon it. There was a murmur from within, a voice, and the filly whispered tentatively without daring too close, “is someone there…?” Suddenly a scream rose from the depths and the siblings both leapt from the caves’s mouth in fright. A reckless glance thrown back over her shoulder discovered a faint glow within however, and it caused the foal’s legs to stagger and still. @[Sikeax] RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Sikeax - 05-03-2015
RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Zahra - 05-06-2015 Zahra, It was pride that turned angels into devils
With baited breath and an expanding inclination to just flee the presence of the shrieking, cold-lurking creature within the cave, Zahra stiffened in place. The echo of movement, of clattering and wind echoed from the gaping entrance and her wild imagination reeled with theories - two-legged monsters lathered in hair, feathers, fanged felines prowling, even wicked mice teasing her resolve with amplifying funnels and makeshift wings… Her fine black ears wavered cautiously as her thundering pulse overwhelmed all thought in her mind, and she cast a wide golden eye to where the pale-coated Kitsune had paused a safer distance away. Both trembled with anticipation, terrified but all the same eager. Thought of death and gore faded swiftly, if only for now, and from the surface of her mind. She was a child, too easily distracted, bribed from the claws of pessimism by the prospect of new adventure, excitement - that’s what life was all about. Seconds later, and much to the siblings’ surprise, a creature like nothing Zahra could have ever predicted emerged with scales gleaming in the dusky low-light. It was not quite a lizard of which she had seen many, not really a dragon like that which her mother had shown her both by the gift of new memory and in tales long ago; it certainly was not a bird, though its bi-legged posture was similar, and its voice drew naught but the ricochet of shivers down her spine. She slid backwards artfully, gaze fixed to the most astonishing creature. By no means at all did it seem to be friendly. Behind her Bird growled, reluctant though to rise to any challenge. With no time to spare, to think or even really respond, another horse appeared behind the winged serpent, and the small gold-dusted filly could only listen as she scolded harshly. The creature’s wicked tail curled submissively and it shrank back like a child, warned away from deep water. Zahra’s heart sank for a moment and she thought of her best friend Ze-ro and the instructions he’d bestowed that night down in the meadow… “You gotta take care of her, and never be mean to her…” the brave, wise colt had said, and the trusting girl had thus far adhered to every word. Concernedly she turned, but her sister had slipped nearer already, hackles raised leather satchel resting between pastel claws. “S’ok Bird,” she soothed in vain. The mare stepped closer to the bound couple, and the foal’s weary gaze returned to meet her. Between her pretty blue eyes grew a horn tinged the same - it glowed curiously, enchantingly - and for a long while it held the girl’s undivided attention. "Yes," she answered quickly, stare flinching not even for a second. "But Ze-ro says y-can’t be mean to a ‘panion…" The matter of fact tone lacing each softly spoken word was laced with childish innocence and when Zahra finally did drag her stunned eyes away, they found the mares’ before her, riddled with concern. "K?" she mimicked the colt’s request bluntly. Her taller company’s eyes diverted suddenly, and the filly turned her face around curiously to find the new attraction. Nothing but a flat field of dimming brown and white… The other reached forward in friendly gesture and Zahra smiled gingerly upon return, answering with a soft flutter of nostrils against the stranger's new warmth. "In the cave," she replied genuinely - they lay together beneath a great rugged mountain which belonged to Grampa Earth. She had been without them, wandering like a grown up, for months. Golden pools swung between the Sikeax the Unicorn and Hobbaglobbin the ‘panion, before she too issued her name and Bird’s. "I'm Zah… I’m Zah-ra," she explained with considerable effort, "…and Bird." Thin inky lips danced across the puppy’s white face fondly. "…d'ya got any eggs?" @[Sikeax] RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Sikeax - 05-13-2015
RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Zahra - 05-13-2015 [quote='Zahra' pid='142140' dateline='1430691383'] Zahra, It was pride that turned angels into devils
Of course Zahra knew next to nothing about bonds, companions, or the complexities intertwining any other relationship forged on the planet. She had a handsome two seasons – almost – notched into her girth, and even then, many of the most trying experiences endured had been smothered altogether from her short-term memory. As it were, the young, fussy filly was about as naive and uninformed as she had been the first few months of her life. Nevertheless, she was altogether delighted when the horned mare announced her understanding (albeit a little softly), and the strange creature she called company reappeared between yielding ears – it was perhaps the first time any aside from her parents had actually followed her meaning. That was an achievement in itself, and a brief glance was passed by the dimming heavens as though her fond, faraway family stood as witness. So too did Zahra listen all the more intently as the grown-up continued the conversation. Slim ears pricked perfectly atop the scruffy monochrome poll, and they absorbed every single word issued, regardless of her own struggling comprehension. The creature hissed loudly where he perched, and the filly’s focus wavered off course suddenly as the gleaming, scaled-tail behind snatched her vulnerable eye – he was quite fascinating. She was nodding, appreciating (though vaguely) all mention of his wicked intentions, and returned at last to find a rather stunning smile spread across the other horse’s mouth. It compelled another through the babe’s white expression, but Bird crouched uncomfortably below, still so wary of the winged serpent’s existence. There was a brooding pause afterwards, a moment long enough for Zahra’s nose to dip and nuzzle the soft ears of the unsettled puppy. “Lost?” Small skull shook lightly and she giggled, “No Sia…” But she hesitated suddenly and let her gaze wander back north – towards the grim scene she’d so unfortunately stumbled upon maybe an hour now, ago. “I…” Zahra thought hard, pressing her mind for any logical explanation, any reason she might be here. “Um, they sleeping ‘neath the mountain, next to Grampa Earth’s heart…” and she giggled again softly, entirely oblivious to the truth of each death – the concept, the destruction, the level of her own isolation. Amid the airing of names, the hobbaglobbin performed ceremoniously and innocently enough, the filly fed his blatant ambition. Her bright eyes set upon his display with such intrigue pooling in their midst that it took the mention of hatching to draw her back away – she swiveled slightly on the spot, shoulders bunched enthusiastically and grinned widely. “Bird hatched!” She announced keenly, realizing quickly that Ze-ro had been quite right all along – chicks were not the only babies to be born in that way. She might have liked right then to produce the fragments of shell to show, but alas Zahra had departed (that morning long ago) with such haste that both the remains of Bird’s birth and the poor colt who had kept her safe had been promptly left behind. But that was not the reason for the question, and the foal’s features soon sobered. “Bird’s ‘ungry,” she explained carefully, determined to find the same success that she’d had when the pink and spotty stallion had plucked from the trees a nest filled with more eggs. It dawned then, that there was not another tree anywhere here, as far as her eye could see! Again she descended into thought and behind, the downy tail she carried twitched bewilderedly. “Forest!” she chimed at last, hooves shuffling through the freezing substrate until a full circle had been spun – in the same motion, the kitsune leapt clear of her sister’s legs… Not only was that murky forest the source of Bird’s food, it had within it a hole, and inside that, was something happier about time. Zahra couldn’t remember exactly what her mother had described, much time had passed by after all, but she knew that it was for those times she had been… “I know!” the filly cried out, unable to contain her excitement. “Lookin’ for times in the forest…” That must have been it, she was certain – not that it occurred to her how great a distance had grown between said woodland and this position held now. The issue of logistics was completely irrelevant. @[Sikeax] RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Sikeax - 05-15-2015
RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Zahra - 05-21-2015 Zahra, It was pride that turned angels into devils
It would never have occurred to Zahra that her wandering lifestyle was anything but normal. She had been so inclined, so restless, for just about as long as her memory served to remind her. Perhaps there were snippets of a time within, when she had traced the borderline of a great lush realm with her father, and she knew well of the golden nest that had sheltered their intimate family. Where it was however, that those events had occurred (no matter how long ago they truly had occurred), she was none the wiser – the span of history behind her was a confusing blur. The taller mare tenderly questioned the young foal about the company she kept – or more so, that which she did not. Golden eyes gazed curiously upwards; studying the face nestled beneath the soft blue shadow of that pretty blue horn. A name rose quickly to her mind and she spat it promptly with a lengthening smile. “Ze-ro.” The one-winged colt had been there that night for she and Bird, and she did not quickly forget his words. He was going to look after her. “Ze-ro will look after me,” she announced assuredly – despite the mileage which had evidently growing between them. Truth be told, Zahra felt genuinely that she was invincible – the siblings were more than capable of fending for themselves, it was a proven fact (foundations built on sand). She would see Ze-ro again one day soon anyway. “Grampa Earth looks after me,” she added almost convincingly as an afterthought… The creature keeping Sikeax company, huffed where he perched, and naturally the foal’s gaze sought him out. He was a curious fellow, intriguing, but the little kitsune - pressed again still closer to Zahra’s leg - was little enthused. She was weary, traumatised by the events just unfolded – her young mind had not been so lucky. Bird whimpered softly and grimly in place, unable to communicate in any way more with her dear sister. The mood was broken again by the gentle quality of the mare’s voice, and the puppy witnessed from below, the smile dissolve from the towering horse’s lips. The foal, mind you, appeared oblivious to the somber nature of the conversation she fueled. She danced wildly between topics until at last the Unicorn was breaching the subject of the forest – the name of which when mentioned aloud, drew away a pleased nicker from her throat. Zahra was undeniably relieved to have at last arrived on a topic that would benefit she and Bird directly, and her small skull bounced enthusiastically, “Yes… please.” The prospect of food too was promising, an offer that could not be ignored, and right away the tides of stomach acid within began to vibrate. She was awfully hungry. The kitsune’s four tails lifted as her sister began to turn, and she flanked the filly closely as few dancing strides drew her west. “Deep Forest,” Zahra repeated conscientiously as she delved in the direction she presumed the forest lay (all around them was a vast field of white, except for the caves). “Deep Forest!” Knees clicked jadedly as a sloppy surge of adrenaline purged through her veins – it was really all the energy she had left, though another yawn burst through her smiling jaws. Note: Did you want to reply in the Deep Forest? @[Sikeax] RE: inspired by adolescent dreams - Blu - 08-09-2015 unarchived per request |