[P] for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - 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: [P] for in that sleep of death what dreams may come (/showthread.php?tid=20992) |
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for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-03-2015 "No no no!" the black-winged mare laughed as water splashed high into the air, glittering jewels that sparkled in the evenings golden light. "Not so hard, not so fast! Like this, "like you want to stir the water. Slow, steady, unyielding!" "Like... like this?" Panting slightly from the continued effort of moving her waterlogged wings the filly frowned in concentration and tried to imitate her mothers graceful motion. Pushing the wings down, forward, up and round, the point of the exercise was to build muscles and practice the movements that would one day allow her to fly freely across the sky. For the better part of an hour she had been splashing around in the water, grateful for the shade of the trees and the cool liquid that staved off the worst of the afternoon's heat, all as frustration mounted. It was hard to get the move just right, so that she didn't splash or wobble or plunge beneath the surface. Her shoulders burned like cold fire, breathing was made even harder by the constant coughs and snivels as the black lung disease kept sapping her strength. Yet the child refused to stop even when Mother began to look concerned. It had taken her days to convince the tired, sickly mare to give her a lesson, and she wouldn't stop until she did this thing right. Straining to control the aching wings Erthë gave it another try. Down, forward, up and... "Good!" "I did it mom!" "VERY good, my dove!" Shadow's voice was warm and dark, serious face split into a wide smile, more brilliant and beautiful than even the rays of light that filtered down through the dense canopy. Erthë beamed back at her, and at a sign from the mare that she was allowed to rest she let herself collapse back into the water, sinking deep into the murky depths to savor the triumph. Once she drifted back up the the surface however the mother was making her way out of the pool, water rushing from coat and wings onto the soft moss. The filly groaned in disappointment - it had been great to spend so much time with the blackbird, she didn't want it to end! "Do you have to go?" she mumbled, watching morosely as the grown mare shook herself, spraying water all around like a fine mist. "I'm not going far" Shadow replied, though upon looking back at the filly and noticing the sad expression on her face she smiled and sighed resignedly. "I am just going to graze, Erthë, don't look at me like that. I am tired and hungry and I need a break. So do you." "You promise? You're not disappearing somewhere again?" The girl couldn't help the prickling worry - it wouldn't be the first time the mother left and was gone for hours, even days at a time. It wasn't unusual. Shadow had been doing that for as long as the filly could remember, but as she grew older it became harder to understand why. Why she left, where she went, why she didn't bring Erthë along... She wanted to ask so badly, but she had yet to pluck up the courage to do so. "Yes, I promise" the mother laughed. "You are welcome to join me, you know. You are so skinny, it would do you well to - " "I'll stay here" Erthë cut in, rather hurriedly. "I want to swim some more... it's so hot still." There it was again, the nagging. Eat more, practice hard, do as I say, little dove... Even though Erthë just wanted to play in the cool shade as the days grew longer and hotter. Even now as she bobbed about in the forest pool the water felt lukewarm against her icy skin, soothing but without the chilly bite she really preferred. "... Alright" Shadow sighed, giving the child a lingering look that was equal parts sad and knowing and scolding - it was rude to interrupt people when they were talking. "I won't be far. If anything happens... " "I know. I'll scream as loud as I can and run away." "Exactly. Don't stay there too long, or your feathers might rot... Love you, precious." "Love you too mom... wait, really?" She stood up rather hastily and looked at her small wings in alarm. But the shadow mare just left with a mysterious laugh, ignoring the angry, worried glares of her daughter that stabbed her back until she had disappeared in the underbrush. Muttering to herself, unable to completely shake off the threat as a lie, the filly slowly sunk back into the cool liquid. She would only stay a little longer then, float around and listen to the world and her own heartbeat. Everything sounded so funny when she dipped the head below the surface, muffled yet amplified at the same time. It was peaceful too, now that the splashing and laughing and instructions had died down. With the setting sun the shadows deepened and grew longer, fireflies emerged and began to dance across the rippling surface. She felt tired where she floated about, limbs heavy and aching - but it was a good pain, and it was such a treat to be able to close the eyes and just drift, bob about in the waves and let the thoughts drift. Little did she reflect over how she might appear where she dozed, unmoving and limp in the pool with the curls spread about her like a pale halo. Like a ghost of ancient pasts, a spirit of children drowned and lost. If one believed in such things. e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle @Volterra RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Volterra - 10-03-2015
RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-03-2015 The water has a way of carrying the sound of everything that goes on in the vicinity. It conveys the rumble and churn of the earth in a hushed melody, a murmur turned lullaby to the rhythm of a beating heart. In the cool, shimmering darkness exist another world, one where distant footsteps become war drums and thunder, where a snapping, crumbling tree is no more distinct than the rush of fish darting back and forth in the gloom. She worries not, because the child is accustomed to the sounds of the forest. She know the deer and the elk, the moose and the fox and the hares, she has listened to bears rummaging in the dead of night and trembled to the hunting songs of the wolves. With her mother so close by she feels safe, sheltered in this submerged world of dreams, of near sleep, the trance-like state of relaxation not so easily broken. Not until sudden, violent ripples and waves lap against her milky chassis and something plunges down much too close to her. With a start the child opened her eyes and saw that a black mountain had appeared in the pond, glistening with moisture and sweat and twitching muscle. A fraction of a second later something big and strong rises up from beneath her and hoists her into the air, squealing and flailing as water rushes away, expose her to the warm summer air and make droplets nearly freeze against her icy cold skin. The world is a jumble of color, green and red and black and a flash of sunset scarlet.. then the flapping wings made her slide off the side of the big bad brute and she splashed down into the water again. Water rushed into her mouth, nose, into ears and eyes. Half blind and choking Erthë thrashed and flapped, panic already setting in because she can't breathe, can't see or hear, fear is wrapping around her like thorny vines... A dainty clove scrape against the bottom of the pool, stirring up mud and leaves and all the hidden things that lurk at the bottom of forest ponds. Somehow managing to right herself the girl pushed herself up to the surface, coughing and hulking with water rushing, no longer sweet or soothing or safe, from mouth and from nose and from the heavy, heavy wings. "Are you crazy!?" she half screamed, half sobbed as soon as she was able to say anything at all. "Why did you do that, are you trying to kill me!?" She glared up at the fool of a stallion, the mountain, made of flesh and muscle but possessing nothing even remotely close to a brain, it seemed. He towered over her, twice as tall at least, but she was so angry and still reeling from the shock and fright that she didn't care that he really could pick her up and throw her wherever. In the back of her mind something registered a familiarity about the bulky figure and the gruff growl of a voice, but she didn't really connect it to anything yet. Still very much considering to call for help, for her mother, for anyone to save her, this wasn't exactly the time for recollections of things she didn't want to think about anyway. e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle @Volterra @Random Event - GLL RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Volterra - 10-03-2015
@Erthë RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-03-2015 She sloshed after him, heaving and plunging through the deep waters without any grace whatsoever. It was hard to be anything of the sort as he enraged her even further, with the snappy superior tone and the complete lack of apologies. "I was not dead!" she snapped back, staggering once the weightlessness of the water receded and she had to carry her own weight. Not only was both curls and wings wet and heavy, her legs trembled visibly from shock and fatigue after having spent so long exerting herself. Holding a shouting match with someone twice her size really wasn't the best idea at the moment, but Erthë seemed oblivious to her diminutive stature and inferior age as she retorted. Feisty, like a small, wet kitten believing itself to be a lion. "I was swimming. You know, bathing, you should try it sometime yourself!" She was too young to appreciate the scent of musk in a stallion. To her, this brute only reeked, a mixture of sweat and rut that made the soft pink of her nose wrinkle in disgust. Pointedly stepping away from him so that he ended up leeward of herself she began shaking the water out of the wings, not even trying to keep the water from splashing in his direction. They looked nearly like grown up pegasi wings now. All the feathers had grown out already, the soft down only lingered on the underside and near the joint, and while they were still too small to carry her it wouldn't be long now until she could start gliding short distances. Her wings were her pride and joy, even more so than the pearly white horns that had begun to poke out of the thick curls, but even though she really tried to focus on adjusting the feathers and admiring the clean, white shimmer of them, it was hard when that oversized thug kept talking. How was she supposed to ignore him when he was that big? "I'm not afraid of wolves" she lied, attempting a contemptuous snort - but had to grimace and wipe the nose clean as it resulted in nothing but an explosion of black slime. "Mom's not far away anyway, so if you do anything she will come and she will kick you until you apologize!" Her faith in her mother was absolute. The black mare was the strongest, bravest and wisest horse she had ever met, and obviously there was no way this, this... But as she glared at the young draft, something about him caught her attention. Something black that sat lodged in his mane, made visible by the water that clumped the coarse hair together. "You have a tooth!" the girl exclaimed, surprise taking over where anger had previously reigned. Not one to hide her actions Erthë stared from the glowing black fang to the one that rested against her own chest, shimmering and ominous against the white skin. Then her gaze turned back to the stallion and studied him more closely, taking in his size, the coloration and the big, thunderous hooves that had... had kicked... a bleeding white.. bear... "You! I know you, you fought the Bear! And the Wolf too, didn't you! And there were... " She looked around, searching the trees with narrowed eyes, "Say, do you know a dragon? A red one, like these rocks?" Recognition softened her expression. The contrast between the spitting rage and this sudden eager beam of a smile was quite startling. Erthë remembered that dragon, and the horse it had flown off to once the battle was over. It had been really pretty and had protected her as she gathered crystals on the orders of the Time god. "Where is it? I never got to thank it for helping me." e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle @Volterra RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Volterra - 10-03-2015
@Erthë RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-03-2015 He quips at her for threatening with Mother. It was childish, of course, but then again she was a child, and unashamed. Fearless too, because if she hadn't been so firm in her belief that the shadow mare would do everything easily and flawlessly, she would have been quite willing to try giving the big idiot a thrashing herself. It might be true that she could only nibble at his knees at best, but had he ever felt how painful kitten teeth could be? The only thing preventing her from hissing something rude and inappropriate back was the turn of subject to the dragon. Being the child who had seen much magic already and whose father was bonded, the topic of companions was no great mystery to her. Barely teethed the first time she asked about the shape-shifting comrade that followed on Vadim's heels, she was disillusioned and jaded. But, well. It was hard to get tired of dragons. Especially when she had never gotten a chance to see one up close. So when the big, glittering red burst through the canopy and sped across the clearing she squealed in delight, entranced by its feral grace like neither the brilliance of the sunset nor the dancing fireflies had accomplished before. "He. Of course" she mumbled, bewitched and ticklish with nervous excitement. The dragon landed before her and she noted with a thrill of fright how big he was. She was slight in stature, and he was an impressive specimen. Not among the biggest, but still almost reaching her elbow. For a filly that was a lot of dragon. It - he - breathed out. The wafting air that reached her was crisp and cool; the hybrid looked down and found that the grass had frosted over, like she hadn't seen in forever. Surprised but delighted she smiled happily at the dragon, bounding in playful bucks as the excitement became too much to contain. "That felt nice!" the ice-child warbled sweetly. "Hi, Verzés. Thank you for helping me before, you were so brave!" It was impossible to be angry when such an exquisite creature stood before her. Erthë felt her heart melt in the face of his beauty, forgiveness extended easily, generously to the bonded stallion as well. "He's so pretty!" she sighed at the nameless stallion, the previous shock nearly forgotten. "Have you known each other long? What's it like to be bonded? Dad is too but I never understood how it actually works, and Vlasi isn't nearly as interesting as a dragon. I don't even know what she is, exactly..." She frowned slightly at this. Vlasi was Vlasi, of course, but what the shapeshifter actually was remained a mystery. e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle @Volterra RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Volterra - 10-05-2015
@Erthë RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-08-2015 Listening with bated breath, the wide eyes and slack jaw spoke volumes of how impressed she was of the description. Though she hadn't entirely forgotten the previous shock and indignation, it was easy to be drawn in by the young stallion. He was, after all, very big, and unlike Rikyn he was actually being almost nice to her! Almost. At least he answered her questions, and if the tone was a bit imperious or his glances superior, it was forgotten in the presence of the dragon. Attempting to measure her wingspan against the ruby-scaled creatures, Erthë sighed enviously. It wasn't fair that others had that kind of bond when she was only herself, just normal without anything interesting. She didn't even have proper magic! Mother said that her icy cold skin and fogging breath was magical, but what good was that in a pinch? No she wanted to have fire and explosions and make the earth rumble and heave under her feet! Now that, that would be cool. "Dunno about the fighting part but it sounds amazing" she said. "Wish I had a companion too - just like Vérzés!" Noticing the raised eyebrow she continues, eager to keep talking now that the conversation actually had started to go somewhere. "Vlasi keep changing, see" she explained. "First she looks like a big dog with lots of heads and then she becomes a deer, and then she becomes something else, and I don't know what version is actually her. Father says he doesn't know either but I think that sounds weird. What do you think?" e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle @Volterra RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Volterra - 10-10-2015
@Erthë RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-13-2015 While listening to the musings of the older boy she resumed the preening of the damp wings, velvety lips smoothing out and adjusting feather after feather with rather astonishing patience. By the time he finished and she hummed in thoughtful agreement only one of the small wings was done. Folding the shimmering pale appendage neatly against the shoulder Erthë made to continue with the other side, but looked up from the rather tedious task when she was posed a question. This surprised her more than the question in itself. Though the exchange about companions had been almost pleasant and closely resembled a civilized conversation, the big stallion didn't strike her as the kind to play or chat. Of course her only real example to compare with was Rikyn and he had been far from pleasant, more interested in the older mare than in the pale, sniveling girl. This encounter hadn't exactly started off well either, but if it continued like this then Erthë feared she was in high danger of actually starting to like this idiot. "I don't think so" she replied, frowning slightly as she looked down over herself. Drops of water had frozen upon contact with the cold body and made her coat glitter like snow in the light of the drifting fireflies. Though the evening was warm her breath fogged as it left the lungs, a fine mist that drifted off among the trees and dissolved in the air. Was he right? Was she dead on the inside, and that was why she felt so cold? But if she was dead, then how could she feel so much? Love and happiness and fear and anger, pain and ticklishness and heat... Did the dead feel all that too? "I was born like this. Mum says it's magic, but it doesn't really do anything. I can't make anything else cold, or do anything magical... Do I look dead?" Because she didn't feel dead. True, her left eye was a bit freaky, all pale and staring and different in color from the right, and she had the black ooze leaking from both eyes and nose and mouth... But aside from that she felt fine. There was nothing wrong with neither body nor head, from what she could tell. She gazed back at him, expression betraying the worry but also the frustration over being so boringly normal. Magic was supposed to be flashy and interesting, not just... passive and unmoving. What was even the fun in that? e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle @Volterra RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Volterra - 10-18-2015
RE: for in that sleep of death what dreams may come - Erthë - 10-29-2015 He was snarky, she was cheeky; put together they made a recipe for disaster, but strangely enough it seemed the big stallion and the small filly actually got along quite well. Whether it was due to her being less naive than most girls her age or to some lingering childishness on his part didn't matter. The important thing was that Erthë felt relatively relaxed in his presence, enough so that she poked out her tongue at him over the offhanded insult. Then she giggled at her own bravery and the feeling of relief. "Good to know" she said airily. No, she probably weren't dead, it felt silly to have fretted about it even for a second, but then again she couldn't be entirely sure either, could she? The earth began to rumble under her feet and with a startled look the filly jumped backwards as the ground changed shape. Gaping she 'ooh'd at the stone pillar, exhilaration and envy bubbling inside her as she looked from the dragon to the magical structure and back to the young stallion. "Oh I hope it will happen to me too" she groaned. "That's so cool." She could have questioned him for the rest of the night, and probably would have too. But before she had a chance, Erthë heard her mother's voice call, distant but distinctly annoyed. The little hybrid girl sighed and gave the black brute an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I gotta go. Thank you for trying to save me" even though it wasn't necessary. "Bye bye, see you around!" And she skipped off into the forest. It wasn't until she had already rejoined her mother that she remembered - she'd forgotten to ask his name. e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle Erthë out! <33 |