the Rift


[PRIVATE] Butterflies are the Worst

Ki'irha Posts: 176
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15hh :: 5 years old HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Noella
#1
Ever since she had been gifted the magic from the bird, something within her glowed. It ebbed and flowed and fizzled, captured within her breast like a restless sparrow wanting to fly. The blue girl had no idea how to harness the magic, no idea how to summon it and even see what it, what she, was capable of. All she knew was that it was something glowing. It must be, that's what the bottle held. She considered those who stood around her, discussing what they would use the magic for. Maybe the magic was specific to an element? Some asked for healing powers, so maybe the glow was for powers of health and regeneration. Her mother was the healer, and though Ki'irha wished to have a piece of her mother to hold close, she couldn't imagine herself as anything other than a warrior. Maybe she could use the powers on herself to heal after devastating injuries? Others had asked for magic related to fire. But did she really want to play with something as dangerous and unpredictable as fire? Her father was always volitile, wild like a fire raging through a meadow. The girl didn't want to become her father, nor did she wish to ignite the world around her and watch it burn. So what magic had she been imbued with? The bird had appreciated her words, how she wished for the magic to be an extension of her soul. She wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Maybe that's why others asked for specific things, so there was no questioning or wondering.

Long legs carried her over a path cut through the dunes by many wandering hooves. The dune grass, though stunted in it's growth because of the frostfall season, reached and waved in the ocean breeze. She could hear the crashing tide past the mountainous sand, thunderous and unpredictable, and it drew her in. The salt of the air settled into the velvet rims of her nose, and she breathed in the sea air. The wind off of the Endless Blue was harsh and cold, and she was thankful for the fleece-lined scarf that hung around her neck.

Cresting the hill, the beautiful horizon met her. Rolling foam-capped waves greeted her, and above a gull cried as it was carried by an updraft. She looked around, ensuring she was alone, and stormy eyes met no other soul. She wasn't sure how this was going to play out, and certainly didn't want to embarrass herself around anyone else.

The star girl walked forward, waiting until she found a perfect spot. What made it the perfect spot didn't matter. She wasn't sure how this whole "discovering the magic within" thing worked, so just found a spot that felt right. She stood stiff-legged in the sand, lids falling heavy as she attempted to block everything out. She tried to reach deep within, grip the warm glow that was nestled deeply in her ribs. She could imagine it twisting and writhing, but she couldn't pull it out. Brows furrowed and a single hoof stomped as she grew more frustrated. The ocean air beat against her hide, the cold sneaking into her muscles. The ocean's thunder filled her ears, muffling her thoughts. The world around her seemed to stifle her very being. Eyes fluttered open and she sighed, defeated, wondering if she was even doing this right.

Maybe that was her problem. She was trying too hard. Whatever magic flowing in her veins was certainly more than she could simply command and have happen. She needed to relax and allow it to work on it's own. She didn't tell her heart to beat, nor did she will her lungs to inflate. Maybe magic was the same. Magic was subconscious, and would happen as it desired to. Closing her eyes again, she focused on her breathing. In, and out. In, and out. The crashing tide that before drowned her senses suddenly seemed to coincide with her breathing. The bitter air that bit at her hide began to caress her shoulders, encourage her to relax. She gave into her surroundings, and let herself just be. The fizzing sensation in her chest seemed to subside for a moment, and then everything began to tingle. The odd sensation coursed down her spine, reached down her legs into her cloven toes. Her nose tickled, and her tail twitched back and forth at the tassel. As the magic found it's place within her and began to settle in, it began to feel more natural. Her eyes lazily opened, and she tried to blink away the spot that was burned into her retinas, But it didn't take her long to realize that the spot was so much more. She focused on it, and the thrill of seeing what it was caught the breath in her throat.

It started small, nothing more than a spark and fizzle. It hovered for a moment before her, no larger than a june bug, before it began to grow and take shape. A sudden dizziness disturbed her focus as she realized she was holding her breath, and with the smallest pop, it disappeared. She shook her crowned skull, removing the haze from her eyes. Was... was that it? No, it couldn't be. She sighed, a long exhale, shaking herself loose from the feeling of exertion she felt. Opening her eyes again, she reached in where she before had laid hands on the magic, and tried again. the sparkling fizz appearing again in a small spot before her. She pulled at it, tried to give it shape, urged it to take the form it was destined to become. It's edges became fore defined as it stretched out, and excitement pushed the magic along as she impatiently urged it to become something wonderful. Her vision began to blur, an ache blossoming in her head as she strained herself. She breathed deeply, clearing her sight, and suddenly it was over. The hard part was over. She couldn't explain the sensation she felt. Still she worked to have the shape stay formed, but it didn't demand as much attention as it had when she formed it. But what fluttered before her wasn't what she had hoped for or expected.

It glittered and sparkled, nearly transparent, but was made entirely of light. Every flap of it's wings seemed to reflect a different fractal as it continued to glow and glitter. A butterfly. My magic is glowing butterflies. "What the fuck is this?" she muttered, disappointed. What kind of laughter would she illicit on the battle ground when she summoned pretty sparkly butterflies? It hovered and fluttered, not at all sentient, but it would not obey her commands. She attempted to make it move left and right, but it continued in a circular erratic circuit. She watched it, attempting to control it, but slowly it floated towards her face. "How pretty," she scoffed, voice dry and unimpressed. Certainly this wasn't what her soul was made of? It came closer, beating its ornate wings, and the more she evaluated it, the more she couldn't help but admit that it was beautiful. No detail was spared. Within it's wings were ornate designs, and even it's antenae were sloped perfectly, twitching and twisting as if attempting to sense something. It came closer still, and she reached her soft maw towards it, encouraging it to land.

That was a mistake and a half.

As it touched upon her nose, every delicate detail suddenly became haunting and painful. A blistering burn occured, paired with a violent sparking and popping noise as it seared her flesh. The stench of burnt hair invaded her nostrils as they flared, and pained whinny bursting from her lips as she yanked herself away from the butterfly that had already dissipated. She shook her head, mane splashing wildly down her neck as she shook herself. Ears twisted back as she cussed, begging for the sensation to end. She dropped her skull, rubbing a knee against the raw flesh, as tears swelled in her eyes. Suddenly the pathetic butterfly seemed like something much more devastating.

Was that who she was inside? Destruction masquerading as beauty?

She stumbled desperately to the water, dipping her nose into the curling waves. That was another mistake. The salt water worsened the burn. Pulling her head away from the surf, she turned her head, hoping to see something that could help cool the burn. After calming the pain, she wanted to see what else this magic could do.  

Talk
Love forever, love is free,
Let's turn forever, you and me.
image credits


@Tiamat ~
[Image: 5581b91112f69]
Colored by Kels ♡
Lines by Bronzehalo

Please Tag Me ○ Permission for magic and injury is granted. Just no death or permanent harm.

Tiamat the Ocean's Light Posts: 360
Aurora Basin Lady atk: 8 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: 6 years HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Nimue :: Common Orca Leviathan :: Boil Reli
#2
“I did it, Papa!” Tiamat giggles breathlessly, her slender figure playing in the ocean’s waves. Winter’s frosty bite does little to dampen her spirits, or dissuade her excitement; she has been ever so eager to share this moment with her father, and she’s not about to let some silly little chill discourage her rapture. She can feel it bubbling through ever part of her; every bone, every muscle, every fiber, it seems barely contained by her skin. “Time Mender,” she breathes again, still hardly able to believe it, that her herd as seen her fit enough to entrust her with such a gift. It is a title she will bear with nothing less than honor and responsibility—and, of course, delight!

It is a piercing whinny that manages to distract the ocean mare from her euphoria, the distressed sound cutting through her attention and snagging her like a hook, her healer’s heart and sheltered mind demanding that the cry not go unnoticed. Sharply she spins, sending a spray of foamy water scattering out from her legs, dainty ears standing erect and tilting in the direct from where it had come. Brushing her nose briefly against her father’s frothy fingers in a stroke of farewell, Tiamat pushes herself towards the shore. Once cloven hooves find purchase on solid sand, she breaks into a canter, the length of her tail twisting behind her.

“Hello?” She calls out across the pearly sands, hoping that the wind has not played with her today, and has lead her in the right direction. Before long, a figure rises from the horizon, quickly taking shape of a fellow equine. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Tiamat recognizes her from the herd meetings, and is sure that this starry stranger is a fellow herd mate. However, the excitement that would normally blossom with such a discovery is postponed, overshadowed by concern when she notices the blistering wound on the mare’s muzzle.

Coming to a halt with long hair and seashells cascading over her shoulders, the blue mare gives the other a soft, brilliant smile. “My name is Tiamat, I’m a healer,” she assures gently, already calling on the magic within her as she speaks. Like an extension of her body, a small orb of water slowly gathers from beneath the sands, hovering and twisting and dancing in its circular cocoon. She searches for the moisture that has not been salted by her father’s hand (guessing that the star-speckled mare has already made this mistake, judging by the added irritation of the raw, sweltering skin).

Directing the orb upwards, she moves it closer to the wound. “Hold still, and hold your breath,” she instructs with an amused smile, not looking away from her pocket of water (for fear that it might fall apart if she were to do so). Carefully, she presses it forward until the cool liquid encases the other mare’s muzzle, the gentle current within the orb cleansing her injury of any debris or damaged skin. Tiamat works quickly, allowing the water to splash onto the sands after a moment. With a practiced touch, she snatches an aloe leaf from the herbs braided into her hair, stripping it with her teeth and pressing the cool, exposed gel against the burn.

“There,” she steps back, “that should ease the pain.” Bright white eyes seek to find their stormier counterpart, a breath of silence passing before she dares to continue. “I have healing magic as well, though I have yet to use it,” the ocean mare confesses almost bashfully, her happiness laced with a shadow of reservation, “I can try if you would like?” Delicate ears are trained forwards, not wanting to overstep her boundaries, but wanting to do all she can (and, though it is hidden beneath her selflessness, she is eager to try out her new gift!).

notes; SO SORRY AGAIN FOR THE WAIT ._.
“Speech.”

dreaming the day away!

@Ki'irha | art by Mar ♥
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.


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