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06-30-2015, 01:09 PM
A Night of Fire
By the warmth of firelight,
let all our stories be told.
We can exhaust the night with this:
our loyalty against the cold.
ASHAMIN
BEAUTY IS PERCEPTION
There was no time of attention for Ashamin to make note of the filly's answer, for soon his cave was filled with the breath and beating heart of what felt like all of the Basin. BEAUTY IS PERCEPTION
It began with sounds at the entrance of the cave, mixed with the spirit's fading song as it left the scene. Ashamin started, his ears swiveling and his black eyes focusing on who might arrive next. But there was no one, only a sound, and so he turned back to his present company with a smile. Ki'irha's congratulation filled him with pride--his sunken chest swelled and his black eyes seemed to glow with the reflections of the flames. And the kindness with which she treated him and his new companion, well, it was enough to confirm what Ashamin had already come to believe: his corporal had a good soul.
And then the antlered mare made herself known--he nodded in response, glad that he had thought right. But just as he was about to reply in kind, a voice broke through the storm's roar and the fire's crackle, and Thranduil had suddenly arrived.
Though the laurelin was clearly disappointed in the weather, Ashamin was glad for a moment that it had driven his leader to see him. It had not been long since they'd last encountered each other, before the mirror, but it was always good to see him again. Ashamin drew closer to the cave entrance, murmuring a polite "one moment," to the two mares and the filly, and gathered up his posture as he prepared to greet his leader. But Thranduil was, perhaps, a little worse for wear. And at the sight of young Lochan, who stared up with bright white and wide eyes at the other beast, shivering from the cold in between Ashamin's hocks, the golden seemed to remember something with a curse. Ashamin watched, mouth parted to speak but unable to, as the fox-sort of man lifted his companion, dripping, from the snow outside. The sight of the pair, snow-soaked and not at their usually coiffed best, was entertaining to say the least. Ashamin surpressed a small laugh out of respect, and instead reached his cheek out to touch Thranduil's. "An honor to see you again, Thranduil. Please, join us," the haruspex insisted with a further nudge of his nose towards the elder stallion. He doubted Thranduil would refuse.
But before he could lead his superior towards the warmth of the fire, another appeared. Erebos, he dubbed himself--Ashamin found him to look strikingly like the darker third of his leading trio, but said nothing other than a deep, sincere, "welcome, Erebos. It is good to meet you, I am Ashamin."
Another congratulations turned Ashamin to look towards his young 'panion, who, to his surprise, was no longer between his feet. The painted haruspex watched as the little buck bounded towards the larger one, butting his head in a relentless playfulness in Haldir's direction. The two seemed to be a likely pair, and Ashamin was thankful that his companion wouldn't have to grow up alone. Though his eyes were trained on Lochan, Ashamin's dished ears caught everything--and with a glance and an uttering from Erebos, he now knew the young filly's name.
The two others who then arrived shifted the scale more towards the female persuasion. Tiamat and Rexanna, two friends he was happy to see again, had come by. Trusting neither party would get hurt, Ashamin let Lochan be and turned towards the mares, extending his roman features to Tiamat and waving his tail in greeting towards Rexanna. "Tiamat, Rexanna, it is good to see you both..." he murmured, letting his black eyes catch Tiamat's even as her gaze wandered to Lochan. Again, more congratulations--and this time, of course from Tiamat, a question. Ashamin was eager to answer.
"His name is Lochan," he spoke, his voice louder, confident, and unshaking. He began to walk towards the fire again, the biting cold beginning to get to him, and watched with pleasure as the dark cerndyr followed him closely. The young creature turned, at times, to look back for Haldir, but seemed just as eager to return to the warmth as his bonded. "Come in, friends, you are always welcome in my home."
And once there, once surveying the crowd that had gathered together in the middle of this dark storm, Ashamin's heart was full. His black eyes gleamed and his long tail draped over his back, its new adornment crackling with faint shocks. "Friends, let us join together in a night of warmth and history," Ashamin announced, his voice shaking now only at the prospect of addressing so many, and as if he had any authority. "Tell us your stories and the stories of this valley so we might keep the storm at bay and find wisdom in each other's knowledge," he added, slightly hesitant. Was this right, then? Was he doing the right thing? He turned to Thranduil, seeking guidance of a sort, and stepped closer to the fire as it ebbed and rose. Perhaps the Laurelin could start them off with a tale--surely a silent leader such as he had plenty to tell.
""
[[STORYTIME! Feel free to share a story, a song, or just listen! All who are here and participating as Basin members are eligible to receive points for listening/telling stories, which is a visionary rank task (but all can get points for it), and you are welcome to take the story you share here and modify it so it serves as an OOC herd story, which is an OOC task that can also get you points. Please try and not hold this up for too long, and maybe no more new people join in if that's ok. Ashamin will be hosting another gathering like this soon, so if you didn't get in here don't worry!
@[Själ]--skipped you to keep this moving but please feel free to join back in again! Next comes @[Thranduil]!
Others mentioned: @[Ki'irha], @[Enna], @[Erebos], @[Tiamat], @[Rexanna].]]
Table by Jen, with help from Avis
See Ashamin's profile for more information about Lochan, Rakt, and his various items.
All magic and force allowed, barring death and permanent injury.
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