K A H L U A

The childish mare was galloping through the woods, dodging trees with a grace that was befitting her pretty frame. Today, however, she did not run with the thought of being pretty. Today, she ran with urgency and determination. Despite the oppressive heat she ran, and she let the sweat form onto her body. The black of her coat deepened as the moisture gathered, but she did not care. It had come to her, finally. She had been gifted with the magic of the goddess of the moon, and finally the lady had spoken to her. Not literally, of course. The childish mare was quite certain the gods had more pressing matters to attend to than her own lack of direction. But in a dream, while she had slumbered in the woods, it had come to her. She knew exactly what she was going to make.

Kahlua covered the distance across the Edge in record time, slowing herself through her gaits to a walk as she came upon the little grove of trees that she called her own. Nearby, she could see the little garden that Resplendence had been tending to as her own. Kahlua had chosen her own spot because of its proximity to the garden space. She found comfort in the fallen angel, despite her world-weary attitude. Perhaps it was because they were such polar opposites that Kahlua found the mare such a delight. Regardless of the reason, Kahlua felt drawn to the mare like a moth to the flame. She could not help but settle in nearby.

It would have been smart to give herself some time to rest, but the mare was too excited. The visions in her dreams demanded to be brought to life. They would not wait. Now, Kahlua did not know the exact mechanics of what she was supposed to do. Lace had never managed to give her a proper lesson as she had arrived only days before the gods had left the land; nevertheless, the magic flowed through her blood and she could feel that all she had to do was ask it to obey and it would. So she settled herself comfortably in her trees and began.

Closing her eyes, the mare imagined a dragon. In her mind, she could see the beast. It stood with all four legs on a slanted rock, wings spread and head held up proudly. Behind it, it's tail followed down the rock. There was something majestic about the way it stood there and, though the image was truthfully almost frightening to the simple mare, she could not help but be awed by the raw strength of the creature. Then she opened her eyes and asked. The mists obeyed. Ever so slowly, the fogs consolidated before her and began to create the image she had seen in her mind. First the rock, then the feet and the body and the wings. It seemed to take ages, and perhaps it did. When the thing was nearly complete, Kahlua looked to the small pile of gems that she had gathered throughout the endless night. Her eyes settled on two plum colored stones. They were small, but of high quality. As the mists formed the eyes of the dragon, the gems settled right into place. At its completion, the statue would just touch her belly if she stood over it. The effect was both terrifying and stunning.

Kahlua felt a weariness settle into her bones, but she was not done. Her vision had not been of one creature, a symbol of the Edge and their loving queen. It had been a vision of four. Four creations, one for each herd, a gift of peace and an offer of friendship. Yes, she was far from done. Next, the mare began to imagine an Eagle- it was to be for the Throat. She did not understand the symbolism of her vision, but she connection between the wings of the pegasi and the wings of the bird were obvious enough to her. The bird stood on a rock, crouching its knees and lifting its wings, ready to take flight. Once again, she called upon the mists, and once again they obeyed without question, bending and shaping as she willed them. For the eyes of the bird, she chose two golden-orange stones and settled them into place so they bird might see through glassy orbs. His height matched the dragon. She was pleased with him.

Third was to be for the Foothills, which she had visited only once but had found pleasant enough. A bear had been her vision, so she thought of all the bears she had seen and decided on the grizzly. A large creature, standing with three feet on the ground and the fourth striding forward with determination. He seemed to be on a mission in her mind, and the foggy surroundings were on a mission to make her vision reality. The sun had passed across much of the sky by the time the mare picked two dark green stones to make the creature's eyes but she still could not rest.

Her body ached for reprieve, but the mare was determined to finish before the sunset. She was admittedly less than excited to make a gift for the monsters whom had so cruelly invaded her home, but creating the creature was a compulsion she could not deny. Perhaps some of her own feelings had clouded her judgment, but for the Basin she had a special animal. A scorpion. While the other three creations had been made of glass as clear as the stillest pond, the fogs seemed to take almost a mind of their own as they mixed and mingled with some of the blue stones that Kahlua had found on her travels. The end result was a creature that almost seemed black in the darkening sky, blue stone eyes matching the color of the rest of the sculpture.

When the feat was finally finished, the mare found that she could stand no longer. It seemed so easy, to just ask the mists to do as she bid them, but it had sapped more energy and life out of herself than she had imagined it would. As she sank into the mossy ground beneath hooves, Kahlua fell into a deep slumber. The moon rose and fall, the nocturnal creatures awoke and fell back to sleep, but still Kahlua did not awaken. It was not until the sun was high in the sky the next day that she finally fluttered her eyes open and looked to see what she had done in the full glory of the sunlight. She was both pleased and astounded and could not help but gasp at the beauty of the scene.

Giving herself some time to wake up and eat, Kahlua found that her strength was reasonably restored, though she still looked wearied. Of course, now that she had the things made, she would need a way to deliver them. She conjured up the imagine of a basket in her mind and set to work, the mists seemingly unfatigued by the work they had done the day prior. Perhaps the nighttime slumber had restored them as well. When the basket was done, a large and reasonably flat basket with a handle that would come up and settle into the toothless part of her mouth for carrying, Kahlua once again looked across the way at the herb garden. With her necessary work done, Kahlua felt a compulsion to return a small portion of the favor that the fallen angel had done for her.

Leaving the basket and the statues behind, Kahlua gathered up some pink stones and walked to the edge of the herb garden and looked around. For a while she did not know what she could make the fallen angel, or what she would even want. But ideas seemed to come to her the way that moths came to light, at least for these days. Finding a suitable place at the head of the garden, nestled in between two trees, Kahlua dropped the stones and began to work once again. She knew that once the object was created she would not be able to move it, so she prayed silently as she worked that Resplendence would like the location. Ever so slowly, a shallow box began to form. It was about three feet by three feet, and a foot deep made of gently frosted glass. On the lid was a delicate pattern of swirls, accented by several of the pink stones. The lid attached to the box on the far side with hinges, and a chain (also made of glass) went from lid to base on the left front corner. It would open just past 90 degrees, but no farther, to prevent the lid from falling back and shattering.

It seemed to Kahlua that the day had hardly begun, but already the sun was well past halfway across the sky and Kahlua's body ached for reprieve. Allowing herself the luxury of once again laying on the ground, Kahlua nickered softly. She wondered if Resplendence was nearby, if she was in the shadows watching her work, or if her call was for naught. Regardless, for once in her life, Kahlua thought she might be just as happy with company as without. Still, her blue eyes searched hopefully in the dark for signs of company. Old habits die hard.


@[Resplendence] first, then open if you want
These were my inspirations for the sculptures. All made of glass, of course: Dragon, Eagle, Bear, Scorpion