the Rift


[OPEN] Near Light
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#1
och jag växte upp snabbt, från min barndom var det allt—jag föddes redan slagen
då tänker du tyst och skriker högt, memorerar hela jävla monologen som skrevs för din inre röst,
So they set out west, Spacelady and he. West, to the ass-end of the world—to its edge, or as Aurelius had said: World's End.

He—damn... That had been so long ago. Half his life ago. Or more? Something like that. Long ago, anyway, in days of arrogant blood-glory and false promises and carefully laid plans that never came to fruition.. had he been too cautious already then? With his soft smile and quiet reassurances? Had he squandered some chance, should he have been the one to strike the first blow?

Pointless questions that touched upon a life he no longer wanted anyway.

Every once in a while he would turn to Katerina, to peer at her, but he said little unless she asked. They passed out of the Threshold, across the Thistle Meadow, and finally, the land began to slope gently upwards and evergreens claimed the horizon. "Home," he said, his voice a little rough from the long silence. He cleared his throat and gave his head a gentle shake. Home, for him. In the past and now again.

The only place in Helovia that, at least once, had truly been home to him.

But would it be home to the silvered lady pacing along with him? She had been thrust into a foreign world from very far away, with little preparation and less choice—much like Myrrine, the butterfly-winged girl roaming his foggy sanctuary. Mauja had left his world behind partly by choice, partly by a necessity (there was nothing for him there but guilt and shame—), but he had been able to go back. He'd even gone back a few times.

"The official border is just up ahead," and his legs kept carrying him up the familiar terrain, the gentle incline of the ground, towards a broken glass wall shimmering with the dying sunlight. "A broken glass wall, the remnants of another herd and their judgmental ways." He snorted. "There's more than enough gaps to get across, but some edges are still sharp." His head turned sideways, to peer at her.

"What was your home like, Katerina?"

[ 3,000 years later, welcoming for @Katerina <3 ]
du lät exakt som ismael.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Katerina Posts: 37
Outcast
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.1 HH :: 97[8 in Helovia]
ShadowMare
#2
Your sorry means little
Not after you've broken it

Her thoughts and attention was completely consumed by her surroundings, the wet and damp soil that her hooves sunk into felt foreign and strange. This land, Helovia, as they called it, was remarkable. It had it's own sense of beauty, with the blue skies and the dense tropics, only those void of emotion could say that there wasn't something striking here. She knew that soon she would miss her home, but for now she felt content with this new adventure she had come across.

Drapes dragged behind her in their thick long mass, diamonds glittering as the ray's of this world's star caught her gems. Occasionally Katerina would ask the white about this land, the names of things she crossed that she had never seen before, as well as the details about his herd. His answers always intrigued her old soul, she remembered being young and eager, always curious and always putting her muzzle in places it didn't belong. Now, with the years of knowledge she had under her belt, Katerina looked at the world with aged eyes but her curiosity never ceased. It was the only side of her that never got the chance to grow up, her childish desire to explore would surely be her bane.

A rough single word awoke her from her walk in daydreams, "Home." Mauja had spoken, Katerina's silver pools looked at the green blanketed hill. Would this new "home" for her really take claim as that; her home? She couldn't say she wasn't slightly skeptical that this place was only going to mean little to her, but Katerina reminded herself that she couldn't be afraid of the what ifs, she could only be afraid of what was in the now. "This land is beautiful" She said with soft silky tones. Breathing in the fresh crisp scent, she relaxed into her skin, everything would be alright.

Glancing towards Mauja, she listened to him as he spoke of the glass wall that separated this herd from the wilds of the rest of this planet. Her ears perked forward, she was infatuated with stories. Was there one hidden behind the shards of crumpling glass? Saving the thought for a later time, she nodded her kudu horned cranium, a small smile whispering onto her features. Mauja spoke again, this time personally questioning Katerina. His striking eyes looked into her own silver ones, the question bringing bitter-sweet memories. How strange it was, that all the recollections of her old home were now just memories. Katerina's story there had ended, her future cut short, no more memories to be remembered. A few seconds passed by before she answered the white knight, her chords low but still holding their soft charm. "My home was composed of soft blue grounds that stretched far and wide. The sky was an array of rich purples and deep blues, the stars of other galaxies and the planets of other worlds was my view everyday. Time worked much differently there then it seems to here, do you know of any that are a few centuries old per chance?" She asked with a tilt of her head. It was obvious that as she spoke, her tone became saddened by the constant realization that this was all past tense, and that there was never going to be a present tense for her, ever. "The people were truly remarkable, all loyal and caring, I would be a stranger to the darkness that encompasses other lands if my curiosity wasn't always bringing me into trouble." She said with a smile, remembering her childhood. Katerina's orbs had drifted to the hills around her, but as she asked a question in return she settled them back on Mauja.

"What of you? Is Helovia your true home?"

OCC: Well, this took me ages. SO SORRY!! @Mauja


"Talk?"

image credits

Tembovu the Elephant Posts: 805
World's Edge Captain atk: 7 | def: 9.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 18hh :: 10 HP: 77 | Buff: SWIFT
Mbwene :: African Elephant :: Ashen smitty
#3
Only the dead have seen the end of war.

He felt the lingering crispness of the air as he waited along the borders. He had seen his lead wander off sometime ago— presumptively to the Threshold. Tembovu had wandered, cleaning glass, grazing, exchanging pleasantries with herdmates. Though curiosity had piqued in the lull of his activities, and he wandered along the border of patchwork glass wall.

So when he has caught sight through the mist of a familiar white form, he waited. Waited to either greet his friend, or welcome a new herdmate, or (hopefully) both. A lightening of mist— perhaps the moon’s way of welcoming the new members— allowed his deep blue eyes to see that this was a welcoming.

He grinned, the lopsided movement spreading across his broad, inked face. Though his eyes narrow, for was the fog playing tricks on him? It was not nearly thick enough to do so, but one never knew with the moon goddess. Was this mare painted with the figures of the stars?

Indeed, the constellations spread across her ashen coat. Some were peaking from beneath her mass of wavy tresses. They were captivating. He blinked, shook his head, and turned his attention to his spotted comrade. “Mauja,” he bobbed his head in greeting, careful to not use the man’s title, “I see you've brought a lovely new herdmate,” he returned his questioning eyes to the mare. “I am Tembovu,” he says simply, “And I would love to know the names of the constellations on your coat.” Belatedly, he realizes by the way the two are looking at each other, that he has interrupted a conversation. Oops. He falls silent.

Tembovu


@Katerina

Please tag Tembovu.
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#4
och jag växte upp snabbt, från min barndom var det allt—jag föddes redan slagen
då tänker du tyst och skriker högt, memorerar hela jävla monologen som skrevs för din inre röst,
"This land is beautiful." And he agreed—but for different reasons. Mauja had not come from a starscape of swirling galaxies and nebulosas; he came from a realm as mortal as this, but still, the Edge was beautiful to him. There was a sense of peace in the tall, sturdy trees, a mystique in the thick fog, and when the sun rose to set it all on fire ... or as now, when it sunk blood-red in the west, a brilliant glow still strong enough to shear through the fog. Come night all would be dark and sort of cold, hidden in the embrace of the white fog, but still light as starlight and moon rays struck the water droplets suspended in the air. The Edge did not have the vibrant splendor of the Hidden Falls, or the same cold, crisp beauty as the Aurora Basin, but it was still beautiful—when it wasn't just a drab, uniform gray mass of fog, that is.

So it wasn't until Katerina began to answer his question that he realized just how alien all of this was to her. Because if her world sounded alien to him, the opposite had to be true, right? And as she spoke his mind painted the images as best as it could, drawing inspiration from the Veins of the Gods and the northern lights in the Basin, stringing it together in something that probably did not at all resemble the truth but was spacey enough for him. At her mention of time, he chuckled, throwing her a glance from the corner of his eye. "No," he agreed amiably, wondering, in a less than serious fashion, if her age was the reason she was so silver.

And if they were all loyal and loving and caring ... it was probably a good thing she had been curious in the past. Mauja had been born in mental midwinter darkness and an age-old feud—the kind of war in which the flames ran dark blue and the forged steel was long since cold and heartless.

And the things he had gone on to do since ...

But she turned the question back on him, and much as he wanted to flee from the curious words launched into the foggy air between them he knew he had to answer; she had indulged him, he had to indulge her. "No," he began to say with a fog-breath sigh, a heaviness in his voice that hadn't been there before. But he got no further, because someone said his name, and true enough, there in a fog that deepened with the passing of the sun stood Tembovu, ever-vigilant. Mauja could still tell he had been a soldier before he'd turned crafter—it was something in the way he held himself, the way he saw the world... A kind of habit that would never die.

"I have," he managed to answer with a slight smile. Was Tembovu born a charmer—the total opposite of Mauja? Where the Glazier seemed to dole out compliments and flattery like light flirting Mauja shrunk away. He shook his head to himself, masking his unease with amusement. Ladykiller, that Glazier of his. "Katerina was just asking me of my home. Join us, won't you?" And with a simple beckoning motion with his head Mauja resumed his regal walk, leading both Glazier and newcomer deeper into the fog.

"I am not from Helovia—I come from a place far to the north. It is a beautiful place, but wild and cold. Snows and darkness reign for the better part of half a year, and the summers are short, and mild. Just as the sun never rises in the depths of winter, it never sets in summer. Mountains and valleys are abundant, and at the heart of the land lies the mountain known as the Heimasborg. For generations a war waged between my ancestors, who were renegade unicorns, and the local tribes of bears, but.. it recently ended," and I hope they haven't started fighting again in my absence.

The single war Mauja had won, and it had changed a nation. Now, he could only hope they were brave enough to see it through, until all of that which was new and frightening and difficult became normal, everyday.

Something sly came into his gaze as he looked to Tembovu. He had never asked the large stallion much of his past, out of respect for the scars littering his hide. But now.. "What of you, Tembovu? What was your birthland like?"

[ I'm not much better xD @Katerina @Tembovu ]
du lät exakt som ismael.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Katerina Posts: 37
Outcast
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.1 HH :: 97[8 in Helovia]
ShadowMare
#5
Your sorry means little
Not after you've broken it

A single ear twitched at Mauja's reply, this world did not have any that are at least a century old? She sighed with a sadness growing about her, this world was so foreign. "Oh dear."  She muttered, a frown growing on her lips. A helpless coldness grew about her, this wasn't going to be any easy thing to adjust too. It hadn't quite hit the silver traveler yet, but Katerina's immortality would be void here. All the years she had learnt about the way of life and grown her morals, were now going to be put to the test. She didn't have time to waste any longer, her life was now going to be dramatically shortened. Once this hit her, everything Katerina may've thought she knew about time would change, she would be but a spider caught in the zephyr with no clue where she was heading. 

Her mind drifted away, to her home lands, the warmth of the blue soils bringing an aching about her. She was in shock she supposed, awestruck wonder and painful memories all conflicting with each other at once. His plain answer brought her back to the world of blue skies and jade terrain, as well as the entrance of another. The change in the white's chords weren't unnoticed, and she noted it in a mental file named Mauja, perhaps she would question him another day(or whatever the next cycle was, because quite honestly she wasn't even sure simply logistics of life applied here.) Silver lanterns flicked to the stallion, a dusty tan cloaking his masculine hide. Striping and black markings accessorized his coat, a cropped mane and a strange, twisting horn-a-majigg spiraled from his head.  At her home there was a certain uniformity about everyone's appearances, she wondered what type of coats and chromes this Helovia contained. The muscled man introduced himself as Tembovu, the name sounding unique on the traveler's lips as she whispered it to herself, tasting the the language not of home. She wondered if his name was different where he was from, like hers. She wished her beautiful native tongue transferred over, but English would suffice she guessed. Katerina bobbed her head to the newly friended Tembovu, letting him know that she would his answer his question another time. She was joyous to see their interest in her life pre-interstellar traveling, reciting memories may be painful, but they kept her home that was millions of miles away close, even in the pain of it's recollection. 

Just when she thought Mauja wasn't going to give her a developed answer, he surprised her with the paintings of his homeland. As she listened and drew colors and landforms that she did know, she imagined his home as best she could. His description helped her realize that new lands can mean good things,   looking at the stallion he seemed to be just fine, managing in a world not of his original familiarity. She would be fine, and she rested assured in that goal. "Do you miss it?" She asked, kudu crowned cranium tilting, wondering how far she could poke around until he closed up around her curiosity. She didn't mean to be rude, but it was just who she was-- always wondering.

 After he had finished, another question filled their travels, this time directed to the tan man. Her orbs switched to gaze upon his face, what was his story?



OCC: lol can't quite figure her out ety @Mauja  @Tembovu


"Talk?"

image credits

Tembovu the Elephant Posts: 805
World's Edge Captain atk: 7 | def: 9.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 18hh :: 10 HP: 77 | Buff: SWIFT
Mbwene :: African Elephant :: Ashen smitty
#6
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
“Be glad to,” he replies to the invitation to join them. His heavy hooves fall instep beside Mauja as his Queen leads both Glazier and constellation-mare further into the Edge. His ears are perked, for indeed the gargantuan stallion’s curiosity is piqued. He called Mauja his lead, fell under his rule, and recruited new equines to dwell within his lands. But he knew so little about the spotted stud. In fact, he realized, he new next to nothing about the snow leopard. Except that his fire birds hurt. A lot.

Quietly, he listens to Mauja’s description of his home. He alternates looking ahead of him, glancing at Katerina, and closely studying the lead’s face as he speaks. A soft snort escapes him as he describes the cold— certainly not a place for Tembovu. But it surely suited the feathered legs of Mauja. And perhaps the feathers and thick hair of Katerina. The mammoth would forever be a hot-weather beast. Though as his mind painted a picture of lush mountain valleys and long summer days, he felt as though he might understand the allure of such a place.

He glances sharply to the side as Mauja mentioned a war, and the end of it. Though he could not read the secretive depths of the lead’s face or pale blue eyes. Then he found himself staring into the sly glimmer of that pale gaze, and his lead was voicing a question that he (perhaps) should have seen coming.

He swept his eyes away from the stallion, looking ahead as he mulled over the thoughts. Speaking of the lands was safe—fine, good even. It was the equines which he could not speak of. “Dorobo?” the name of his homeland slipped out of his lips as a mindless question— almost as if asking himself. “Dorobo was- is- a land of vast plains as far as the eye could see. Quite different from your mountains and valleys, Mauja,” he glances towards the white stallion. “It was dry and warm- outright hot at times. But the rains came yearly to cool things off, and everything became so lush and green then. The rivers and ponds filled, and life came out of the very ground…” his slight smile fades and his face clouds as he continues, “Our generals expanded the territory south to encompass the rainforests and east for the plateau’s resources. Greed replaced integrity and,” he shrugged, “I left as it fell apart.”

Liar. He whispers to himself. But he hadn’t lied— he just omitted his integral role in the collapse of the empire. It wasn’t important. Or, more appropriately, it was behind him.

“Do you miss it?” Shocked gaze flies to Katerina at this question. His head begins to shake and he opens his mouth to respond— before realizing that this question was aimed at Mauja. He snaps his thick, ashen lips closed. Though he was still surprised that he so easily admitted to not missing Dorobo.

He supposed Helovia was his home, now. He swung his eyes towards his friend as he plodded along, interested in his answer.
Tembovu


@Katerina

Please tag Tembovu.
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#7
och jag växte upp snabbt, från min barndom var det allt—jag föddes redan slagen
då tänker du tyst och skriker högt, memorerar hela jävla monologen som skrevs för din inre röst,
“Dorobo?”

Dorobo—Tembovu—Dorobovu—Temborobovublah.

Point in case: the names seemed to line up (unlike Mauja and Frostvíðr), and shared the same funny trait of being able to be played around with an elongated at will. Tembovovu. Dorobobobo.

“It was dry and warm- outright hot at times.” Mauja's 'brows went up, arching in a rather ironical fashion. Dry and warm, and hot? Definitely not a place for a stallion born in the north, for a camouflage of snow and mountain, and a winter coat more than capable of keeping heat, and a summer coat meant to filter out the chill edge of the breeze—

No. Dry and hot was not a place for Mauja, and they both knew it, but still he listened, as much to the tone of his voice and the flick of his tail and the twitch of his ears and the way his eye went (listening to his body—) as to the words themselves. And wasn't that how it always went? There was a love for the terrain itself, for the sheer and simple beauty of the world, but someone had to go and fuck it up. For Mauja, it had been himself—perhaps Tembovu had been spared that mistake, but.. ugh. No point in wondering about it. If someone else had been Mauja's devil, would his life had been easier? Would some kind of revenge, or understanding, have made it better?

Still, he was built on guilt and shame, and if that had not happened, and he had been built on pure loss and honest battle scars and glory—who would he be?

Surely not Mauja, with his soft blue eyes.

"Do you miss it?" Katerina was saying, asking of him, but as his gaze lingered on the large Glazier he saw the hint of shocked movement—but it faded so quickly, and silence at the words that now would never be said in that exact, same way. Slowly, Mauja's gaze slid off of him, and back to the silver mare. It was a question for later, when no strangers were around—heck, if even Mauja was enough of a familiar face to deserve the full tale of how Dorobo fell apart.

And who was he to demand it, anyway? Have a right to it? Had Mauja told fucking anyone aside from Sarazheha and the war council what had actually happened back then?

No.

"Sometimes," he admitted easily, a casual shrug of his shoulders. "It's beautiful, but it's more a matter of missing a time and a place—and it will never come again, in that shape and form." He paused for a moment to rub his cheek against a white knee, before moving on with a slight shake of his neck.

Going back wouldn't bring anyone back to life.

[ @Tembovu @Katerina || This has been slow-going and is pretty old, so how about just fading it out here? :) ]
du lät exakt som ismael.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here


Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture