the Rift


home is a fire; open

Gabriel Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#1


"Afraid of decision, I buried my finer feelings in the depths of my heart and they died there."



He had been here before – or may as well have been.

They were all the same after a while, these worlds. Thresholds on thresholds. Forests, deserts, jungles, rivers, and above him the sky split wide by a trail of stars. Once it was this he wished he could follow, but he's since given up such flights of fancy. He's no colt anymore.

Today, he's grateful for the shade, clinging to the forest that winds along the mountain slope. It's summer and it's late afternoon and it's dog-hot; shadows or no, there's a thin sheen of sweat on him, darkening the chestnut to a deeper copper. He's tired, and he's moving slow; browsing and grazing, knowing eventually he will be found, because that is how these things go.

Perhaps it would be easier to simply stay alone. He's done it before, living on the lam, and has enough scars to show he's handled his brushes with the elil a feral horse must deal with, no matter how fleet-footed and wary they are. He doesn't mind it; he's long been accustomed to his own companionship. But then there are the twins – there is Konstantin.

He's never quite lost his north star, though he has slipped away a few times, over the months the three have traveled together; sometimes love is discretion and sometimes it is space. Besides, he'd never be more than a wanderer at heart, a red shadow moving ever toward the horizon. So it went.

But today Gabriel waited for the strangers that would come, coffee-dark eyes half-lidded, drowsy. Here and there he would catch a ghost of a scent, and he would think of stars and mountains and a touch like velvet. But they were in no hurry – they never were – and so neither was he.

gabriel

Solace Posts: 95
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 7
Stallion :: Equine :: 16h :: 6 HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#2
I had a dream I stood beneath an orange sky.</style>


Solace could feel the afternoon’s heat against his skin. He looked up at the sky and snorted. Hot weather was far from his preference, he longed for the lukewarm days of Birdsong. Part of him wanted to stop for awhile and cool himself off, but he knew there was no time to be wasted. Typically, he would arrive in the Threshold within early morning and begin his search. Instead he chose to dawdle about which had been foolish on his part. It could take him till nightfall to even find someone. He always preferred to find new recruits and get them back to the Foothills before the moon goddess took to her work.

After being here so many a time, Solace knew the Threshold like the back of his hand. He had learned short ways, long ways and ways to avoid. This made his job all the more easier. Constantly his ears were swiveling in various directions, hoping to pick up the sound of something, and he was constantly scenting.

For awhile it seemed as though no one else was within these ground. He stopped for a moment and snorted. There was no reason to give up hope and sulk about. Solace pushed himself onward. A foreign scent filled his nostrils. Solace’s ears perked up and he turned his body in that direction. He moved at a walk, wanting to remain quiet for the time being so he could study this foreigner before approaching. Unlike others, he didn’t blindly approached whomever entered the Threshold. First he silently observed, and would see whether these were ones he would want to approach. Though these first observations could be of absolutely no use to him, there was no telling what was going on in the mind of others, but he could at least read body language.

When the stranger came into sight, Solace got close enough to where he could get a good look at them. It was a stallion. He moved slowly, and relaxed. For a long moment Solace contemplated whether or not to approach, or to keep observing. He decided revealing himself would be wiser of the two options, if he lingered too long it may make him seem threatening. Solace stepped from the trees and stopped a good distance away from the stallion, in case things were to go sour, or if the other stallion felt threatened.

“Welcome brother,” Solace dipped his head in greeting. “I am Solace of the Windtossed Foothills, I welcome you to Helovia’s to the land of Helovia.” Now was the time to watch and see how the stallion would receive his arrival, but most of a it was time to see if this was an individual that he could bring back to the Foothills that would benefit them








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Xanthos Posts: 99
Outcast
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 9 Buff: NOVICE
Azel :: King Cheetah :: Quantum Leap Adoptable
#3


The horned steed and his spotted feline friend walked throughout the Threshold once again. Xanthos had been through here many times now, trying to catch up with the events he had missed over time. You could say he was very busy. Yet, he didn't really care at all. As long as he was working underneath his beloved leader, Mirage, he would do anything. Even if it put his own self in danger. He would shed blood for his family to keep them safe and to make Mirage proud. Xanthos was mad at him own self and took the blame upon his self for not being home during an invasion that could've meant disaster. Though his herd brought upon victory (as always), he could no longer bare to remove himself from the borders of Helovia.

The Foothills and the Basin were proved wrong though, for they had thought that a bunch of crazy peace-makers were weak on their hold of the Edge. They were proved so wrong. The Dragon's Throat had also helped and Xanthos had never doubted them before, for their was a strong bond between the commander and Mirage, he could see it in both of them. If one was at lost, the other would help and offer them their needs, but they would also be their to help them in the middle of a deadly battle.

Xanthos had been gone for some time, but he could see that his friends were all still safe. A lot had joined the land of his home and he knew none of their names, like the painted mare named Kahlua that he had met just the other day, but he knew over time, he would meet all of them. And when danger came, he would protect them, knowing of them or not, he would save them from trouble. But, Xanthos knew he wouldn't be able to save himself from what was reeling around inside of his own mind at the very moment.

Romani and Jasiri.

He hadn't seen them since his arrival back at home, and he hadn't even heard of their names being spoken of. Were they even alive? Or did they leave Helovia too in search to find him? Whatever had happened, he knew there was no chance of him finding them soon unless he asked Mirage if they still were around. But Xanthos refused and continued his work, recruiting. He didn't mind the hard work, after all, it was helping his family become better and stronger, so he took the chances.

It wasn't hard to find ones to recruit in the Threshold, they were scattered everywhere. Yet, it was hard to get to them first. As he came along side of the green-haired stud, he smiled. "So we do meet again, brother." The steed chuckled and then turned his dome towards the new comer. "Hello, I'm Xanthos, and this Azel." His nostrils flared at the young cheetah as it came trotted up along side of the dun and then weaved himself through Xanthos's legs, purring like the cub he was. He smiled and then looked up to the visitor, speaking again. "Azel and I hail from the World's Edge, a land of peace. If you wish for a home, you will certainly recieve one there." His lips were still curved upward as he looked towards Solace.

He had met the stud before, right in the same forest. It seemed like he was always about looking for new recruits to welcome, as the same for Xanthos. But he was started to think that he might be taking it to far, knowing the stud might think that he was trying to steal all of the creatures that stepped foot into the land of surprise. Though, that was not what Xanthos was trying to accomplish, all he wanted to do, was please his queen.

Coloring by Dingo!

Gabriel Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#4


"Afraid of decision, I buried my finer feelings in the depths of my heart and they died there."



They came, as he had known they would, and – also as he had known – they were not like him. Oh, they were close enough, flesh and blood and hair, but, like at Nocturne, they were far beyond him. He'd been born into a world of gods, where magic was not uncommon, but the sight of horns, or wings, or anything out of the ordinary still sent a thrill like a shiver through him.

When he nears the big stallion, he draws himself taller, regarding the stranger languidly rather than warily. He'd been seen, that was clear, and it would be bad-mannered to pretend otherwise. Gabriel, swallowed, wetting his throat, and stepped beyond the treeline and toward the stallion. He was rewarded with the ghost of a breeze, and closed his eyes briefly against it. When he opened them again, it was with a polite if not particularly disclosing smile.

“Helovia,” he repeats, by way of welcome, and ducks his head. “A pretty name, though I'm glad to have come to a place with any name at all. Well met, Solace. I am Gabriel.” Words enough for one who hadn't spoken in days. The chestnut eyed the grey, recognizing immediately the build of a warrior. Another common thread in all new lands – each needed its fighters as much as the last. He hoped whatever wars happened here were quieter than the last he'd seen.

Wherever the twins might be, they likely wouldn't be in the middle of that.

Thoughts of war shifted to thoughts of survival as soon as he caught wind of the cheetah.

Unicorns he'd befriended, pegasi he'd conversed with, and even demons he'd fought, but he'd never been in a world with familiars or companions. His eyes and common sense said there was nothing to worry about – the lithe cat, slender as a shadow, clearly posed no threat to the creature it traveled with. But millenia of instincts made him tense, weight shifting, brown eyes widening. He did not move, but his body told him to; instead, he waited, watching Solace's reaction and the other's approach. Neither showed any alarm, and so Gabriel fought his instincts and forced himself to relax. He noted the exchange between the two, but his eyes stayed focused on the cat. It wasn't until he heard himself addressed that he pulled his gaze away, red tail flicking against his hocks as he gave the unicorn his attention.

“Greetings to you both,” he says, eyes darting to the cheetah and back to the grulla's golden eyes. The two stallions clearly knew each other; for a brief moment, Gabriel wished he shared their familiarity. His life, with few key exceptions, was nothing but a string of strangers. “Peace – is that a rare thing here?”

It was only fair to know what he was walking into.

gabriel

Solace Posts: 95
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 7
Stallion :: Equine :: 16h :: 6 HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#5
I had a dream I stood beneath an orange sky.</style>


Solace noted the stallion’s tired movement. Perhaps he had been journeying? His thoughts drifted to Cantante. Hopefully she was faring well in his absence, it wasn’t like she was a child or anything. The mare was though within his care, and he had been doing a rather awful job of it, but he still had duties to attend to within his herd and it be wrong of him to simply forsake them. Especially when Cantante was an adult, and not a child that needed constant attendance. For the time being he would push his friend from his mind, and focus on the other tasks at hand.

“Yes it truly does have a lovely name.” Solace responded, a bit of a smile passing over his lips. ”And it’s a pleasure to meet you as well Gabriel.” When the other stallion appeared, he dipped his head in greeting, but said nothing to the other stallion, not out of spite or anything but out of lack of interest. Solace wasn’t there to socialize with others, he was there to find new recruits and offer a home to wandering souls. That was all that mattered to him in that moment, and he cared very little as to what the other stallion. Solace noticed the other stallion’s reaction to the arrival of the predatory cat, he didn’t blame the stallion. Companions were such a foreign concept to him when he first arrived in Helovia, but they were becoming a normal occurrence in life. Such a bond still didn’t sound particularly appealing to Solace at the moment, and if it did ever catch his interest he wouldn’t want any kind of predator following behind him, even if they were bonded he would still fear at any moment it could turn.

Solace turned his gaze from the spotted cat and back to Gabriel when he spoke once more. The question was indeed an interesting one to him, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer it. Within in his own short time in the land of Helovia, peace had only recently arrive. Like any place, there was of course conflict, but nothing major had occurred since Birdsong. Invasions or wars didn’t occur regularly within the Foothills, he didn’t know about the World’s Edge. All he knew about them is that his own herd had invaded their mercenary days.

“I’ve only been in Helovia for a bit over two seasons,” he began, “So whether peace throughout the entire and is a rarity or not is unknown to me.” He paused for a moment as he collected more of his thoughts. “You have arrived in a time of peace, for my own herd, The Foothills at least. I cannot speak for any other herd, but as I do believe that there is peace throughout the land.” He glanced at the other stallion. What was the unicorn’s name again? Ah yes, Xanthos, Solace hadn’t forgotten his name since their first encounter here I the Threshold. He was curious and was looking forward to Xanthos’s answer. Maybe he would learn more of this World’s Edge he’s heard of.


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Xanthos Posts: 99
Outcast
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 9 Buff: NOVICE
Azel :: King Cheetah :: Quantum Leap Adoptable
#6



It was hard not to think of his family. For Xanthos had been left alone, yet, he was also the guilty one. He was the one that left Helovia in the first place, leaving Romani and Jasiri without a warning. Without telling them goodbye. Had Jasiri replaced her father? That was unknown to the steed, but he couldn't help but think of the trouble he had caused when he left. Because he knew, that it was left in a mess when he took his leave.

But he had no other choice at the time. He had to leave it upon his shoulders to fight, or to leave and think things out before ever returning to his family. He didn't want his love and daughter to see him in such a condition, and so he chose what was best for them, not himself. Yet, it seemed like it had done him no good. For when he came back, he had more troublesome pressured up against him. No return of his own family. Though he still had Mirage and the whole Edge group, no one could replace his mate nor his little girl. So Xanthos was alone.

Very alone.

But that did not stop him from working for Mirage. His heart never stopped beating for her, same as Romani. Although he loved Romani, he still had a passion for Mirage and what she did for him. His mate had a hold of his heart, but Mirage had that little piece that Romani never could catch. Not just because Mirage was his leader, but because she had saved him from all those -- those racist bitches. She gave him a home that he had never found before, and she could never pleased enough for his pleasure. He would never stop working for her, for he would protect Mirage with his life, like he would for Romani and Jasiri.

It was just as simple as that.

Xanthos looked towards the chestnut stallion, forgetting he was ever there. He shook his dome and listened to the question. But of course, Solace had gotten here first and it was him first to speak. And so the dun waiting for him to finish before speaking of his own knowledge. "Peace isn't hard to find here, but like the stars, it comes and goes. Recently, our lands were at battle, but now we are well at peace. But before long, another one will set in, as it always does. Even if we don't know it, Helovia has never reached its destination of peace, for there is always a battle between others. Otherwise, peace is well achieved in the land of Helovians." He smiled and then looked to the green-haired stud with gazing yellow eyes, but looked back to focusing on the chestnut equine.

Coloring by Dingo!

Gabriel Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#7


"Afraid of decision, I buried my finer feelings in the depths of my heart and they died there."



He smiles politely as they answer, giving each his attention as they spoke, and when they finish he nods. “Thank you. That's certainly welcome news.” The unicorn's answer – Xanthos, he reminds himself – was in particular a politician's sort of reply, whether or not he meant it to be one. But what kind of answer had he expected? 'No, we're all at peace here, and always have been,'? He was not so naïve as that.

Regardless of what might happen, Gabriel would not be drawn into a fight – not a war and not a spat between herd-lands. Battle was brought on by beliefs, and there were precious few things the red stallion believed in. It was good to know that, for now at least, there was no trouble stirring. Perhaps he'd finally found a place he could stay. Even wanderers needed a rest now and again.

But not quite yet. Another breeze was stirring, and as evening drew on the stifling, thick heat would give way to something else. Despite the salt-sweat on his skin, the weariness through his lean body, the burrs and dirt and the ribs showing beneath his red sides, he felt drawn further in. Further in, and, eyeing the hills rising along the horizon, perhaps further up.

“I'm grateful for you welcome, friends, but I learn best if I wander alone – and there's much to learn here.” The chestnut flashes a quick smile, inclines his head to both of them and lets his coffee-dark eyes rest for a moment on the young cat. “I hope to see you both again someday.”

And he walks on, though his thoughts linger with the unicorn and the cat, wondering what it might be like to have such a companion – and beyond that, to never be alone.

gabriel


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