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XOLANI
Lani, do you have any siblings where you come from?
The question brought a jolt of surprise to the mare's heart. Her face fell suddenly, and she shook her head. Even if she had been able to speak, that might have been all that she managed, assuaged suddenly by the memories of her parents' disappointment. They had blamed her, after all, young and naive and innocent though she was, for her mother's inability to bear more children. They might have replaced her, if they had been able; tried again and hoped for a child that was neither plain nor boring. But alas, they were stuck with her: an embarrassing misfit that could not be introduced to polite society. Better to hide her away and never reveal that they had brought such a humiliating little brat into the --
She shoved the thoughts aside. Her eyes refocused on his face, and she smiled tentatively as he began to speak of his sister. The mare wondered what it was like, having someone of whom you could speak fondly, someone you could rely on, no matter what. It was clear that Ilios adored his sister, and Xolani found herself wondering if she would ever meet the girl. Where did she live, if not the Dragon's Throat? Why would they not live together? And what of their parents? Was it normal in this land for families to be scattered to the winds? How often did they see one another? Were the herd lands that Ilios had mentioned close enough together to visit that often, or did one simply wonder for seasons whether or not their family was all right?
Ah, to be able to ask such burning questions!
But there was much to learn, and she did not linger for long on the burning desire to be able to speak her mind, as any normal creature could. The Throat, she learned, was an island, and as they drew closer, she noted that there was, in fact, a great piece of land off the coast where they walked. She pricked her ears forward, her pain momentarily forgotten, and grinned at him, imagining that their journey across the waves would be yet another exciting adventure. At his mention of the Aurora in, however, she sobered slightly, nodding her agreement that it was indeed a good thing to be separated from the mainland.
And then, they ran.
She needed no warning, no careful waiting for her agreement - she was built for speed and endurance, with a mind that longed for the spontaneous. It was with great pleasure that she leaped into a run, never overtaking him, but at least holding her own - and it was with a spring in her step and a grin on her face that she returned to him playfully. The mirror of her gesture was met with a brief fluttering in her chest and a surprised pleasure in her eyes, for she had never been privy to such easy displays of affection before.
The arrival of another sent her scuttling behind Ilios, peering carefully around his wing. The mare who greeted Ilios was beautiful and winged, black tinged with an electric blue that drew Xolani like a moth to flame. Again, she wondered how she would possibly fit in here, she who was nothing more than a pale canvas - Ilios and this Ampere were both colorful and lovely, intricate in a way that the equine mare could never hope to match. She quailed before the magnificence presented to her, worriedly wringing her tail as she shuffled slightly closer to the teal stallion.
Little did she know that her coat had began to shimmer with a pale yellow-green, apprehension stirring in her gut. The shapes were ill-formed and vague as they danced across her coat, splattering like water and then falling, disappearing and reappearing as though a gentle rain washed along her spine. The color stayed that same yellow-green, save a smear of teal every now and then, a glimmer of yellow periodically - colors of awe and of submission, dancing in intricate patterns across her pelt.
Ilios introduced her, and she nodded with a tentative smile. A faint orange joined the greens on her pelt for a moment, indicating her interest and anticipation, but it broke down quickly, overwhelmed by the mare's anxiety. She wanted to speak out, to ask for her own acceptance, to beg to stay - where would she go, after all, if she were to be turned away at the gates of her future home? She knew no one and nothing besides Ilios and his Dragon's Throat, and there was no more for her in this land than there had been in her old one. She swallowed hard, hope and fear warring for attention in her mind and on her pelt, greens and yellows and oranges vying for their place.
Please let me in.
OOC :: Xolani's passive magic is beginning to manifest! :D She is completely unaware of the fact that there are colors on her coat atm, and there are no shapes yet to show her thoughts - those will start to show more clearly in the next few posts or perhaps her next thread ;D
The question brought a jolt of surprise to the mare's heart. Her face fell suddenly, and she shook her head. Even if she had been able to speak, that might have been all that she managed, assuaged suddenly by the memories of her parents' disappointment. They had blamed her, after all, young and naive and innocent though she was, for her mother's inability to bear more children. They might have replaced her, if they had been able; tried again and hoped for a child that was neither plain nor boring. But alas, they were stuck with her: an embarrassing misfit that could not be introduced to polite society. Better to hide her away and never reveal that they had brought such a humiliating little brat into the --
She shoved the thoughts aside. Her eyes refocused on his face, and she smiled tentatively as he began to speak of his sister. The mare wondered what it was like, having someone of whom you could speak fondly, someone you could rely on, no matter what. It was clear that Ilios adored his sister, and Xolani found herself wondering if she would ever meet the girl. Where did she live, if not the Dragon's Throat? Why would they not live together? And what of their parents? Was it normal in this land for families to be scattered to the winds? How often did they see one another? Were the herd lands that Ilios had mentioned close enough together to visit that often, or did one simply wonder for seasons whether or not their family was all right?
Ah, to be able to ask such burning questions!
But there was much to learn, and she did not linger for long on the burning desire to be able to speak her mind, as any normal creature could. The Throat, she learned, was an island, and as they drew closer, she noted that there was, in fact, a great piece of land off the coast where they walked. She pricked her ears forward, her pain momentarily forgotten, and grinned at him, imagining that their journey across the waves would be yet another exciting adventure. At his mention of the Aurora in, however, she sobered slightly, nodding her agreement that it was indeed a good thing to be separated from the mainland.
And then, they ran.
She needed no warning, no careful waiting for her agreement - she was built for speed and endurance, with a mind that longed for the spontaneous. It was with great pleasure that she leaped into a run, never overtaking him, but at least holding her own - and it was with a spring in her step and a grin on her face that she returned to him playfully. The mirror of her gesture was met with a brief fluttering in her chest and a surprised pleasure in her eyes, for she had never been privy to such easy displays of affection before.
The arrival of another sent her scuttling behind Ilios, peering carefully around his wing. The mare who greeted Ilios was beautiful and winged, black tinged with an electric blue that drew Xolani like a moth to flame. Again, she wondered how she would possibly fit in here, she who was nothing more than a pale canvas - Ilios and this Ampere were both colorful and lovely, intricate in a way that the equine mare could never hope to match. She quailed before the magnificence presented to her, worriedly wringing her tail as she shuffled slightly closer to the teal stallion.
Little did she know that her coat had began to shimmer with a pale yellow-green, apprehension stirring in her gut. The shapes were ill-formed and vague as they danced across her coat, splattering like water and then falling, disappearing and reappearing as though a gentle rain washed along her spine. The color stayed that same yellow-green, save a smear of teal every now and then, a glimmer of yellow periodically - colors of awe and of submission, dancing in intricate patterns across her pelt.
Ilios introduced her, and she nodded with a tentative smile. A faint orange joined the greens on her pelt for a moment, indicating her interest and anticipation, but it broke down quickly, overwhelmed by the mare's anxiety. She wanted to speak out, to ask for her own acceptance, to beg to stay - where would she go, after all, if she were to be turned away at the gates of her future home? She knew no one and nothing besides Ilios and his Dragon's Throat, and there was no more for her in this land than there had been in her old one. She swallowed hard, hope and fear warring for attention in her mind and on her pelt, greens and yellows and oranges vying for their place.
Please let me in.
OOC :: Xolani's passive magic is beginning to manifest! :D She is completely unaware of the fact that there are colors on her coat atm, and there are no shapes yet to show her thoughts - those will start to show more clearly in the next few posts or perhaps her next thread ;D
@Ilios
