the Rift


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Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#1

There was a certain scent in the air around this time of year. One of dust and sun-warm soil, of flowers slowly wilting in the sweltering heat, of new death and old greenery. The water in the small lakes and ponds was lukewarm and tasted stale of minerals and the tongues of all other creatures who had stopped for a drink. And, as a dreary summers rain clouded the sky and soaked the creatures in warm curtains of crystal beads, the steaming earth freed even more nuances into the air. Of rocks and roots, leaves fallen and rotting from autumns passed, of whitening bones and the sweet, rich tartness of apples not yet ripened in the trees.

The patter of water upon leaves sounded like music in the deafening silence, a pressure threatening to blow the eardrums of those who listened too carefully now released, made harmless by the constant, endless drizzle. It was a symphony in water and every dust, dry patch of earth, each parched plant and strand of grass seemed to immediately drink up every last drop that fell on the ground. It was the perfect sort of shower to fall now, before the coming of Orangemoon and the subsequent thunderstorms would turn the lands into a raging inferno of wildfire and smoke. And yet, this temporary rain that had swept in from the east with the morning mist was not going to last. Soon the clouds would part, the winds from the ocean would clear away the misty haze that embraced the forest with the arms of a tender lover, relinquishing rule once more to the flaming orb that had yet to fully rise in the sky.

But for now it was still a morning of gray skies, of quietness as the birds and critters in the bushes took the opportunity to sleep in, and the rare sweetness of dewy grasses that seemed to all but melt on the tongue. To the gray stallion who grazed by the lakeside it was a blissful moment of absolute peace - one that he would save in memory and come back to when times became more troubled, when time was short and the need for a moments calm and quiet was rare indeed.

A soft smile played upon the lips as he raised the head from the lush greens for a moment, amber eyes sweeping across the waters until touching upon a larger ripple among the many on the steely surface. He thought he could see the glitter of pale blue eyes, the flick of a white tail; then the dragon was gone below the surface once more, off to discover if there really were fish in the pool. Lace wished her luck - secretly hoping that she wouldn't end up catching anything bigger and more unsettling than a pike - and eventually returned to the tempting grasses below the feet.

A blessed morning, without doubt.


@[Gabriel]
@[Torleik]


Dim vales- and shadowy floods-
And cloudy-looking woods,
Whose forms we can't discover
For the tears that drip all over!
Huge moons there wax and wane-
Again- again- again-
- bg - table - image -
BronzeHalo.deviantart.com
♦ Permission granted to use magic and violence on Lace and Fajira
♦ Only tag in new threads, spars and if it's urgent
The Store | The Warden

Gabriel Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#2


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


Once Gabriel had been a creature of ice, of frost and snow and steaming breath, and he'd never lost his preferences for cooler temperatures because of it. Summer dulled him, bleached the rich chestnut to something lighter, made shallow hills and valleys of his ribs. For days his mouth had tasted of dust, but he was too weary to head north again. It seemed the consequences of his wandering had finally caught up to him.

The prior evening, humid and dog-hot like the inside of a mouth, had driven him here, to rest among the willows, cool and slender even in the last gasp of summer. He'd spent the evening watching lightning flicker away to the south, but it was too far to hear the soft grumble that followed. Even in the darkness the humidity lingered, and the whole world seemed to wait for rain.

With the dawn they were rewarded, a shower in from the sea; Gabriel thought he could taste salt on the air, and the constant, soothing percussion of it made him think of the ocean. As he drowsed beneath the boughs of a particularly ancient tree, only a few drops of rain finding him, he dreamed of it; it was more sensation than anything, more sound and feel than sight, and when he woke it was with a head full of thoughts from years prior, a place now destroyed, a girl who could be alive or dead. He hoped her alive.

Groggy and thirsty, Gabriel shook himself and stepped from his sleeping-place, the wet leaves leaving dark streaks along his sides as he passed. It felt good, a cool caress, and he thought again of the mare. It seemed a lifetime ago; a place only accessible in dreams, now.

The drizzle was slowing, but there was still a morning-haze over the pool, the sound of water on water keeping him subdued. If it hadn't been for the dream, the rain, the reprieve from the bone-dry, dog-tired summer, he would have noticed the stallion before. Instead, he only noticed him when he was too near to leave without an acknowledgement; even so he stepped back, gathering himself, long-bred instincts readying him even as he thought himself a fool for being caught off guard. He blinked against the rain, droplets caught in red hair and eyelashes.

“This rain makes me think there are gods after all,” he said by way of greeting; his voice belied his caution, though it was evident in the way he stood. He hadn't yet run across a stranger with ill-intent, but it was a world of firsts until it was your last.

The dragon hadn't yet surfaced; a blessing, for Gabriel, because there would be a first indeed.


@[Lace]
@[Torleik]

gabriel


Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#3

He had noticed the ruddy equine as he padded down to the edge of the lake, but didn't make a fuss about it. Lace was a gentle soul, a kind spirit who always preferred calm and peace before the violent clash of the battlefields or the thrumming of hearts in the midst of heated arguments. That he always ended up in those kinds of situations was more because of a deeply rooted will to right the wrongs he saw, a general bad luck and infectious curiosity that took overhand over reason at times, than any true desire to measure himself against others.

But, as years had passed this unfortunate tendency to attract trouble had honed the instincts of the grullo. He had become fit and experienced in combat, deftly navigating through tough terrain... It was unfortunate that his faith in the kindness of others had taken a beating in the process. Not quite the knight in shining armor, it was still something of a gentleman that politely ignored the drowsy stranger, comfortable with the silence and the impersonal company.

As the sorrel chose to speak however, Lace obliged with gentle patience and raised the head, strands of grass lodged at the corner of the sooty mouth as he nodded thoughtfully.

"Sometimes it seems they do listen to prayers" he agreed, and arched the neck to rub a sinewy leg with blunt ivories. "It's been a dry summer... Let's pray that this will be the first of many more rains, shall we?" A faint smile drew soft wrinkles around the eyes, their gentle golden hue gleaming softly as he took a moment to study the other. For some reason it was rare for Lace to encounter other stallions. Usually it was mares that flocked around him, for good and bad; he admitted to himself that this was quite the pleasant chance of scenery. Especially since the younger horse seemed both polite and good-natured.

"I'm Lace" he offered casually, rain-wet tail swaying behind inky hocks as he turned and padded down towards the edge of the water, blinking droplets of rain from the long, pale eyelashes before he bowed down to drink.

If only every encounter could be like this. So simple, so uncomplicated. the gold-backed stud could already see himself enjoying the company of this rover, i one of those fleeting encounters that may or may not end up changing the course of ones life. Whether this would be the last and only time they crossed paths was not important; it only mattered whether the now could truly be enjoyed. And, for once, Lace had a good feeling about the day to come.

On the other side of the lake something pale splashed and surfaced among the reeds. The ripple spread across the restless shoal as Fajira rested for a moment, looking at the two horses while catching her breath - suspicious at first, then calmer as the easy mood of her bonded spread over to her. A soft rush of air was almost inaudible as she took a deep breath; then the surface stilled once more as she dove down - that pike was not about to get away from her.


Dim vales- and shadowy floods-
And cloudy-looking woods,
Whose forms we can't discover
For the tears that drip all over!
Huge moons there wax and wane-
Again- again- again-
- bg - table - image -
BronzeHalo.deviantart.com
♦ Permission granted to use magic and violence on Lace and Fajira
♦ Only tag in new threads, spars and if it's urgent
The Store | The Warden

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


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


Gabriel relaxed immediately at the response, relieved again to have come across friend rather than foe. He knew, at some point, it would come to defending himself, and he didn't look forward to it. To pass another day without the need for it was well indeed.

He, too, found it rare to stray across another stallion's path; with the obvious exception of the twins his company had always been women, for better and for ill. To hear a male voice respond to him, even talking about nothing more than the weather, was almost refreshing.

“Perhaps I will,” he said, and there was no sarcasm in it. The grey certainly seemed to take whatever gods Helovia had seriously, and so had Africa; Gabriel wasn't about to scoff at anybody's beliefs, so long as they didn't affect him. His own history with gods – as supposed parents, as destroyers, as fools with the impulses of petulant children – he'd never shared with anybody. It seemed unrealistic to think Helovia could be the place where his viewpoint changed, but stranger things happened. He'd certainly changed in other ways since he was a colt.

“Well met, Lace,” he replied, and inclined his head to the stallion. “I'm Gabriel.” With the giving of his name he took a few more steps forward, not quite following the grullo to the shore but coming close, and paused to pull at a mouthful of grass sweet with rain. A flash of white, just south of being distinct, rose from the opposite bank; it's sudden appearance made the red stallion raise his head with comical sharpness, coffee-dark eyes not leaving the foreign shape until it had once again vanished below the surface.

He cast an eye to Lace, who seemed not in the least alarmed, and forced himself again to relax – an action he was that was becoming increasingly common. He thought of the stallion in the Threshold, and his savannah-cat; he thought of Africa and her bird. The idea of a companion was still a strange concept to him, but it was no longer a foreign one.

Still, he'd never seen a dragon before.

“Is it with you?” he asked, already guessing at the answer, and then added “and what is it, if you don't mind my asking?” He smiled a self-deprecating little half-smile, comfortable enough in his role as the newcomer, the fool. The red stallion had found that owning up to your ignorance meant more quickly overcoming it.

There was a time when Gabriel felt and thought he knew the whole world, and knew, too, that it held nothing for him; what a pleasure it was, to find himself proven wrong so often.


@[Lace]
@[Torleik]

gabriel


NPC Posts: 298
User-based Random Event
Stallion :: Equine :: ::
#5
Ripples and vibrations from the pale dragon's darting to and fro beneath the lake's surface reverberated into the deep, past the reach of Tallsun's bright, glaring sun, past the penetration of sight.

Blind eyes, milky-white and vacant, slid open behind amphibious lids, a thin, protective film creating a slimy barrier between the eyeball and the pitch-black water outside. The fish were no fools. They knew not to delve so deep. They knew not to make such a ruckus.

The monster that slumbered at the bottom of the lake was not to be trifled with. It was to be feared and avoided, left alone at all costs, for hell followed when the beast was awakened. Stirring, rising, the settled silt falling from its limbs, the ancient beast waited, patient, for the dragon to swim by again.

The pike had made a mistake. In its fear of being eaten it had gone down, down, hoping to outlast the dragon; hoping a land-walker would not be able to swim so far and so long. In the effort to preserve its life it had endangered them all.

Sensing the little noisemaker was passing above him, the monster launched itself from the floor of the lake, churning up layers of soil, silt and refuse as it hurtled towards the surface, calculating its trajectory to intercept the vibrating cacophony that was Lace's companion. The monster did not miss.

Breaking the surface with a roar, water billowing out of its massive, open jaws, it held Fajira in its maw for mere moments - but it had miscalculated. It did not know of wings; it did not know Fajira could fly. Lucky for the little dragon as it escaped the loud SNAP of the reptilian jaws just in time by taking to the air. Enraged, the monster slammed into the once-placid surface of the lake, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sound the surface world held. Confused and disoriented, it slipped below the surface again, waiting, recalculating - sensing the warmth and noise of something near the lake's edge: the stallions.

It angled its body towards the heat and the noise and began to swim with powerful thrashes of its body.

One of the noisemakers would be in its belly by the time it was done.


@[Lace]
@[Gabriel]

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#6

The chestnut was offered a kind smile and a polite dip of the head as he presented himself, before Lace returned to the cool waters. Sipping the liquid slowly he scanned the surface of the lake with gilded eyes - a habit really, that perhaps was uncalled for in these parts of the world. There were no sharp-toothed monsters lurking ready to pounce from the depths, not it a peaceful location like this, no crocodiles or giant snakes, no sea-monsters... The greatest threat he could see came from the soft-spoken stallion next to him, and that... well, it wasn't more than Lace could handle.

The splashing of the white dragoness seemed to bother Gabriel however, and the grullo found himself facing the other with a calming hum that vibrated through the chest, a slight grin tugging inky lips.
"She's a dragon" he said, "named Fajira. And yes... We are bonded, tied together by the soul since many years ago. I wouldn't go as far as saying she's with me though... the opposite might be more true." With the muzzle dripping with clear water the silver-maned stallion began to turn away from the lake, unconcerned about the stir of movement that could just barely be discerned below the surface, convinced it was just said dragon frolicking about...

Then all of a sudden the lake erupted in a cascade of water wings and snapping jaws. Lace wheeled around and reared in surprise, dancing backwards away from the shore while wide eyes stared in horror as massive teeth threatened to close around his soulmate. In pure reflex he lashed out with his mind, connecting with the trees that grew in abundance around them and commanded the branches to move; a tall, slender willow began whipping its leafed vine-like branches across the surface, hoping to strike the monster (he thought there were no monsters here!?) back to the depths it had come from.

"Watch out!" he cried to Gabriel, a reflex rather than a logical move, because how could the rover avoid noticing the now boiling water and the huge dark shape that slowly glided towards them through the water, practically oozing menace as it went.

Gravity pulled him back to the earth, but the ground where he touched down was uneven. A flash of agony shot through his right foreleg as the hoof slipped on a rain-wet rock, a sharp edge cutting the sensitive frog before twisting the joint in a painful jerk that had him gasping for air.
"Fuck" he hissed and limped to the side, trying to avoid putting pressure on the hoof as he limped aside, eyes searching frantically for Fajira before he found her, hovering high up in the air on furiously beating wings. She was upset, fire licking the alabaster maw and tail thrashing furiously; she waited for the beast to resurface once more, prepared to strike without mercy once it did.

"Stay away from the water" Lace ordered his new acquaintance unnecessarily, "and make sure you're not too close to me... I can't quite control all my abilities... You have magic?" Because as much as he disliked it Lace couldn't deny that in times like these it was very convenient to have. The expression on his face was strangely calm despite the danger of the situation, blood burning hot through the veins - but it was a fire under control, tempered by years of battling experience and the knowledge that he was anything but defenseless. Besides, this wasn't the first time he had fought a monster...


Dim vales- and shadowy floods-
And cloudy-looking woods,
Whose forms we can't discover
For the tears that drip all over!
Huge moons there wax and wane-
Again- again- again-
- bg - table - image -
BronzeHalo.deviantart.com
♦ Permission granted to use magic and violence on Lace and Fajira
♦ Only tag in new threads, spars and if it's urgent
The Store | The Warden


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