the Rift


[PRIVATE] the good die young

Darwin Posts: 74
World's Edge Protector atk: 5.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.0
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15 hh :: 4 Years (Ages in Birdsong) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Antaa :: Common Zephyr :: Phoenix Skylark
#1
It was growing darker as the time passed. Frostfall caused the time of day to seemingly drift away each passing second. Each day shorter than the last. Each moment feeling quicker than the last. It was almost an uneasy feeling for the Pegasus. He had forgotten how short winters could be, ever since he had left Helovia. Upon his return caused many rather still fresh wounds to open. If it weren’t for Antaa, he probably would’ve hidden himself away further. He couldn’t, not now. Not with a screeching companion by his side, learning to hunt and fly on her own. It was easier for him to try and teach her to fly when he was in his Phoenix form. Two Phoenix’s flying side by side, it almost seemed surreal. Yet, the burning flames from Darwin illuminated the fading light like it were day again as the two descended into the Deep Forest.

As he shifted back into his normal pristine ivory form, he tucked his wings into his sides, looking back to Antaa happily fluttering above his back. The feeling of her wings flapping against the chill in the wind sent a shiver down his spine as she seemed to purposefully blow the frostbitten wind at the ivory stallion. He grumbled to her, rolling river stone eyes, before the phoenix settled down along his mane, tangling her talons into snow colored tresses. She seemed content, clicking her beak every now and then, seeming to chatter to herself. Darwin still hadn’t any idea what she was saying, but he could understand her feelings further. She was growing more prideful every passing day. It was a feeling he could understand. When you came from something so small to become inevitably a force to be reckoned with.

He passed her a sigh, an ear flickering back in annoyance as they passed through the shadowed trees. Many of them he had seen before leaving. The towers of foliage lived a lifetime before he was even born, not even batting an eye at the creatures that came and went. Aside from the few that had fallen, that he took care in stepping over. Feathered hooves getting stuck on branches that poked out was quite possibly one of the least fun things on his list. He hated pulling out the leaves from his feet. He also hated preening his feathers. But there was something about him where he always wanted to look clean and perfect. He had always wanted to be that picture image of perfection. Whether it was out on the battlefield where his once strong and toned muscles rippled beneath ivory hide. Ever since his return to Helovia, he hadn’t battled much at all, but he knew he could be at least slightly prepared for the unexpected. At least he hoped he would be.

"Talk."
It’s like marrow without bone,
to live in a house
with no home.
image credits


@Knox FAMILY REUNION !!

Pixel by BronzeHalo @ Deviantart


Permission given for moderate power play.
Feel free to use magic/force on Darwin, without killing him.
Please tag in every post!

Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#2
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ Knox is in his own form ]

The hunter is filled with rage. Rage at the festering wound that has overtaken his once clear and beautiful features. His right side is red and pus-filled, a hideous display of all of his failures.

{Anaan:} I told you to never play with fire.

But did the hunter listen? No. No. No. No. NO. Never! So he walks now with one eye blind, glittering and smoking with the silver of his magic just so he can see. It is empty of a pupil, lacking all life. He hates, he burns, he smolders with the fire of passion of want. Is it murder that he longs for? Does he miss the taste of blood, the thick sludge of it as it congeals on its way down his throat? He pounds through the wood. He was born here. He was born in blood. But what about now, half blinded, wounds pricking like a thousand beetle-bugs. Beetle-bug beetle-bug beetle-bug.

{The Imps:} Oh Beetle-bug beetle-bug beetle-bug ay!

Silence. Quiet. The utter impossibility of madness.

{Roanne:} Sun, yuh must remembur yurself.

But how can he? He is alone, utterly, completely, entirely alone. Well... except for Milo.

Knox looks back at the boy now, following a short distance away and pretending not to be seen. He had forgotten Milo was there at all.

"DON'T YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY?"

A screaming roar, an echo of hate. "Stop just standing there like an invalid, son! Your father is blistering and breaking apart and you've still nothing to say?"

Suddenly Milo is more present than ever before. Knox sees the boy and channels all hate, channels all rage... he moves towards him with stamping hooves and flared nostrils. "Speak! Speak! SPE--"

No. Wait. The glimmer of fire, the memory of hurt. Knox sees it through the trees and finds himself struck dumb. It is a bright warning, a massive flash to turn and run. Anaan's words echo in his ears.

I told you to never play with fire.

But Milo... what does Knox want from the boy? What does he expect to get, to lose? He is already burnt and buried alive, already in constant pain from the grief and the burns. When the fire fades so too does the flash of fear. He feels drawn to it, feels he must move closer.

{Huric:} But these were the woods...
{Anaan:} ...the woods where he's failed so many times.

And it is true, that in this forest Knox has made his greatest mistakes. He has lost half his vision, lost his morality. Gained his closest friend, only to lose her and with her his heart. Buried the remnants of the dead. He is where he is born, and perhaps where he deserves to die.

"Move," he says without sympathy, pushing past his son and moving towards the place where the light came from. Get the hell out of my sight, he thinks with the bitterness of fire.



""

running in the shadows
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Milo Posts: 60
Outcast
Stallion :: Equine :: 16.2 hh :: 2 years [Birdsong]
Jen
#3
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ ooc/notes | word count | tags ]

I follow. Like an idiot sworn into some larger cult of idiocy, like a monk flocking to the falsest of gods, I follow. His shadow is long in Frostfall's cold. When I look back at my own it feels small--insignificant compared to the weight of my father's.

But is he really my father? Why must I hide from that power, if it's meant to nurture? Is it because I've given up hope on finding affection? Is it because I've lost all interest in affection? Why at all do I follow?

For oh, I am only a fool. The recognition of the fact hits the moment he turns to me, fixing his one, wide, functional eye upon me. His right side is covered in a creeping wound, something he will not explain. He just screams. He screams. He screams, and I stand in silence.

He stops. He moves. His body presses, a persistent force against my being. Does he not love me? Does he not care? Of course not.

He has never cared. And so when his massive weight strikes my growing figure and I am knocked aside, knocked out of the careful balance I always strike and into a tide of pain, I feel something not unlike his own outrage. Why does he torment me, neglect me, when all I have done is be silent and dutiful, out of his way? Isn't that what he truly wants in a child that he abandons with his brother, that he never calls by name?

When he tells me to move I know, deep down, that he wants me to leave. Move does not mean move to follow, it means move to get the hell out of my sight. I know my father well, even if he understands nothing of me. To others he may be an enigma, but to me he is a swiftly read book.

I ignore his order, however, and press on. When he cuts through the border of the clearing to move towards the light, seeming hesitant at first, I have no pause. Fire has come during painful times in my life, times of the halycon flats and crocodile gods, of tiger tar blood set aflame and the death of my only friend. In the wake of it all, though, despite the pain I carry, I am strong enough to confront the flicker of that flame.

It is Knox's face that I notice, though, and not the beautifully mated pair of winged beasts before us. Knox's face, so struck with shock that his wounds seem to fade, that the silver inhabiting his ruined eye falters as if he cannot control it.

From his lips come a single word, or perhaps a name, I cannot say. He whispers it loud enough for all of us to hear, like a promise long broken, and I am shocked to hear in it something that could be love.

"Darwin," says my father into the hollow wood. And so my education begins.



""

running in the shadows
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Darwin Posts: 74
World's Edge Protector atk: 5.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.0
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15 hh :: 4 Years (Ages in Birdsong) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Antaa :: Common Zephyr :: Phoenix Skylark
#4
The chick, as he so fondly called her in his mind, squabbled on, Darwin began to try and focus on other things. Antaa spent a few moments of pause, preening a feather here and there before chatting on about something else and something more. Images flash into his mind and he almost falters in his step, watching as she gave him pictures of her hunt. A grimace reached the bearded man’s muzzle briefly before he shook his head. He tried to block the images out, but still show pride to her. His wings relaxed slightly, the ivory tips brushing by his knees as he walked on.

Yet, the stallion faltered in his step once more as a sound erupted from the woods. Ivory ears flitting back and forth in uncertainty of what that creature might be. Better off, what he’s after. The sound died, but it still didn’t keep Darwin from losing his edge. His wings lifted tightly against his back, pulled in sharply to his sides. Antaa began to puff out behind him, watching the woods with wide eyes wondering what might come to them. She had grown silent then, watching and waiting as her ride stopped in place. Unsure of whether or not he should continue, Darwin took measured breaths, watching the breaks in the trees for any form of movement.

But it wasn’t movement he received. It was his name. His head flung in the direction of where the sound had come from, a shadow of a figure staring straight at him. Half of his face mutilated in a grotesque vision. There was a younger beast that strode behind the man as well. Darwin’s eyes strayed away from the man with the destroyed face to the smaller beast beside him only to return and do the same thing over again. His brows furrowed slightly as he shifted his weight, Antaa began to look upset – mimicking Darwin’s feeling exactly. ‘Who was this man, and how did he know my name?’ Ran through his head. Where Darwin was great at hiding his feelings behind his mask, Antaa seemed to display them perfectly in her stance and flames as they grew slightly brighter.

Uh, can I help you?” His eyes lingered on the man with the mutilated face, his voice a deep rumble leaving his chest. “I don’t think we’ve met, so how do you know my name?” He questioned, cocking his head in an almost degrading manner. His eyes hardened on the stallion. When he had left, he had merely been a bay colt that couldn’t fly. Who could even remember that well, anyway? He had grayed out immensely. Perhaps it was someone closer than he thought. If only he knew.

"Talk."
It’s like marrow without bone,
to live in a house
with no home.
image credits


@Knox

Pixel by BronzeHalo @ Deviantart


Permission given for moderate power play.
Feel free to use magic/force on Darwin, without killing him.
Please tag in every post!

Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#5
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ Knox is in his own form ]

It's the black lines beneath Darwin's blue eyes that give it away.

Of course, Darwin is the spitting image of his father, Knox's brother, Wilder. Of course there is that oddity of a mutthood, the awkward hairy mix of arabian and draft that is both beauty and grace. Of course there is the smell, the one you couldn't shake, the scent of a twisted family that subsists on blood even after its empire has fallen. Of course there is the pang in his heart, the sort of hurt that comes only with memories like these. Maybe Darwin is different now, maybe he is no longer a child, but he is still Knox's brother.

He will always be Knox's brother.

And so against his better judgement, Knox speaks the colt's--no, stallion's--name out loud. He admits the relation unintentionally, traps himself in a corner. He isn't sure if he expects to be met with recognition or joy or disgust.

Whatever Knox expects, he doesn't expect to have been entirely forgotten. And it hurts, because Knox feels things for Darwin he hasn't felt in some time. Not what he feels for Archibald--that is a deep sort of loyalty that runs steady like the sea. No, this is a loyalty as cutting and hard to navigate as a canyon river.

{Dovev:} He doesn't remember you.

But...

{Dovev:} You are worthless.

But I...

{Dovev:} You should have killed him when you had a chance Knox.

No! The thought is a scream, so difficult to suppress that Knox finds him shutting his jaws tight, trying to wire them shut with some invisible force. He has forgotten his son, he has forgotten his grief, he has forgotten the pain of the burn that eats across his face. How could Darwin recognize him like this? How could he know who Knox is? How could Darwin love him?

Somewhere behind him, Milo nickers softly. Is that the sound of fear? Is the boy seeking attention? Does he want love? Does Milo even love the hunter? Could anyone?

Knox feels weak. His knees shake, his breath comes in heavy, soft puffs that burn white in the air. He wants to tell his brother his name, to beg Darwin to return to their family. But if he isn't family to Darwin, if he is only a stranger... shouldn't he treat this pegasus like any other?

The preening companion that his brother now bears is a distraction.

{Manhattan:} He is free of the pack comes the whisper of his companion's ghost, a haunted lie that he concocts for himself as he tries to remain calm. It is true, but to see his brother so changed, so free of the oppression Knox was raised under...

What kind of stallion has Darwin become? Is he noble, is he wise? Is he gentle? Perhaps. He has never tasted blood, only the delicate scent of fresh air and affection. Knox wants to know all he has missed, to make up for it. So much lost time, so many years, gone... where has his littlest brother, the last, ever been?

"I..." it is difficult to speak. He is vaguely aware of his son at his back, hurting and wanting, needing love Knox cannot give.

He wants, he wants, he wants... but he cannot.

"I apologize. I met you once when you were just a colt, many years ago. I lived in the Windtossed Foothills when you were born, we..." we who? His family? His brothers? His fallen pack?

"...we call the land the Hidden Falls, now. Much has changed." A drop in his tone, the drop of the lump in his throat. He wants to ask where his brother has been, where he has gone and how he has lived, if he has fallen in love with just his companion or with another, if he has a family or if he is alone, if he... if he missed his family. But it's too hard. He can't tell Darwin his name, he can't tell Darwin who he is.

How can he, if the colt has just grown to be another stranger?

""

running in the shadows
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Darwin Posts: 74
World's Edge Protector atk: 5.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.0
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15 hh :: 4 Years (Ages in Birdsong) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Antaa :: Common Zephyr :: Phoenix Skylark
#6
Darwin watched the mutilated man before him, his river stone gaze entirely stuck on the creature as he seemed to clench his jaw. His ears flickered to the sound of the nicker from the yearling at his side, but still his gaze never leaves the ebony stallion. Antaa stood with a watchful gaze, her wings settled at her side but ready to spring out in an instant. The flames harmless to the ivory skin of Darwin, but still bright against the flickering wind and dimming light. Darwin’s posture was entirely on defense as he seemed to refrain from blinking – afraid he’d miss the slightest movement if he did so.
 
Even still, the man’s voice reached out to him. Darwin began to relax slightly, understanding that this creature didn’t seek to harm him. Not yet, at least. And so, the ivory Pegasus offered the man and boy a smile. “Oh. I’ve changed a bit, haven’t i?” He grinned then, laughing slightly – the sound of a gruff man with a history unknown to any but himself. However, his smile began to fade as the creature spoke of the Hidden Falls. “I’ve heard of the Hidden Falls. So that’s what they call it now? Archi and Knox haven’t left after all this time?” His smile was completely gone now, instead replaced with a bit of determination. His voice lingering on the word “Archi” in a bit of a sarcastic endearing tone. Remembering as Aeolus told him that the two brothers of his lived in the Falls. He shifted his weight then, glancing to Antaa who dug her talons into his ivory mane. She chirped to them in a slight greeting but nothing like she usually gave to strangers.

She knew something felt strange about this one. Darwin couldn’t place it. Instead, he offered the man a shrug. “I apologize for being so standoffish. I pretty much only remember two things from before I left Helovia.” He offered the man another shrug, deciding it better that he didn’t mention the fact he felt endangered. He figured he could just leave it as a simple “I left” and “I returned, so yeah” statement. “It’s been years since I’ve been back, but I remember these woods.” He tore his gaze away from the man, his ashy beard swinging with the motion as he glanced across the trees. However, his gaze trailed back to the two creatures, awaiting a response.
 
"Talk."
It’s like marrow without bone,
to live in a house
with no home.
image credits

Pixel by BronzeHalo @ Deviantart


Permission given for moderate power play.
Feel free to use magic/force on Darwin, without killing him.
Please tag in every post!

Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#7
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ Knox is in his own form ]

All of it just causes him more pain. The longer he watches the deeper the hurt cuts, like a bitter knife forged by time and neglect. How many years had Knox spent away, hiding like a coward from everything? Aylin had been his only company, and know where was she? Gone.

He'd banked everything on her. On whatever he thought they had, maybe love or friendship or more than either of those things combined. Her had told her his secrets, shared every form and its ancient history. How many nights had he lain beside her, telling her of all the pasts in his mind?

She is gone now, but he is back. Back, alone, and forced to deal with his mistakes. Leaving Darwin, just a child... was that not one of his greatest?

Milo, standing just a few feet behind him and not too small to go unnoticed, remains forgotten.

"You have powerful friends. Archibald is the Czar of the Falls. He has ruled fairly and justly, for as long as I've been there," Knox says as coolly as he can manage, trying to contain himself. What is he to say of himself? Surely he cannot reveal himself, but how is he to maintain his usual distance when standing before the face of his grown brother? "Knox was only recently promoted to the position of the herd's sleuth, but I can't say I'd heard of him until recently. As I understand it, he was away for several years."

A knot the size of several dead frogs--a phenomenon Knox remembers swallowing in younger years--forms in his throat. It becomes difficult to speak. "No need to apologize, I understand."

He pauses, his heart beats uneven and quick. What is this feeling? He asks in vain. But there's no answer. Not a single consciousness is willing to explain what he should already know.

"These are good woods," Knox says aloud, remembering all the horrors that have happened here. It is where he was born, where others died--where his most shameful trophy rots, slowly and under the dirt.

Milo, too scared to reach out for affection or attention, remains forgotten.


""

running in the shadows
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[[I'll be posting Milo too, so hold your horse :P]]

Milo Posts: 60
Outcast
Stallion :: Equine :: 16.2 hh :: 2 years [Birdsong]
Jen
#8
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ ooc/notes | word count | tags ]

Given that he does not speak to me, I cannot even begin to understand. Given that I cannot speak to him, I cannot even begin to explain that I want to.

We remain distant. My father's life, his emotions, even his identity, are entirely separate from mine. Is it that I'm trying to entangle them and am constantly being rejected, or that I don't know how? I'm tired of watching, of following, of pretending that I can be like him. How can you mold yourself into the form of an unfamiliar shadow?

Father I-- what? What do I? Do I want to know him, to love him? The thoughts that would be words are dumb echoes in the front of my mind, dragging my head down. I take a few tentative steps forward, but angling farther from my father and the stranger. I am not a part of this. I am not a part of this fiery creature's companionship with the white pegasus' bond, I am not a part of my father's experiment to erase himself from existence. I am, in the face of their interaction, nothing.

He doesn't even mention that I am his son. He doesn't even give this Darwin my name.

Knox has said my name once, perhaps. There is only the one time that I can remember, when Manhattan died. Now he says a stranger's name with more recognition, as if he has known this other beast longer. But aren't I his child, aren't I supposed to be special?

Of course not. I'm just a boy. So I scratch at the ground of the woods, the same ones my father says are special, and tear up the dirt with an anxious forehoof. Occasionally I have wandered here, found white and gold feathers strewn about.

My father says these are good woods. I think they smell of death.


""

running in the shadows
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Darwin Posts: 74
World's Edge Protector atk: 5.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.0
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15 hh :: 4 Years (Ages in Birdsong) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Antaa :: Common Zephyr :: Phoenix Skylark
#9
A sharp snort escaped Darwin’s nostrils, taking Antaa completely off guard. Her wings spread out, red and orange in a flurry of shock. He flicked an ear at her, not paying much attention. He couldn’t get past the words that came from the unnamed man’s lips. “Friends… No. I guess I have powerful brothers.” He narrowed his eyes on the creature, shifting his lips into a slight frown. “Doubt they remember me. At least you did. Though I was trying to avoid Knox and Archibald, honestly. After what happened that made me leave.” He shrugged to the man, eyes trailing down to his shadow – the young gray child at his side with golden eyes. “Ah, seems like a fitting role for him.” A small smile grew on his lips as the conversation began to change.

So, what’s your name? That way I’ll know who remembered me?” A chuckle escaped his lips, his beard floating with the wind of such movements. Antaa had begun to grow annoyed with Darwin’s emotions as they battled within their bond. His distaste for his family and yet, a small amount of excitement and happiness from being recognized. However, his gaze stayed on the child as he pawed at the dirt. “And his name, what’s his?” Darwin questioned, Antaa following his gaze with curiosity, struck out her wings once more – this time to jump off of Darwin’s back and onto the earth below him. She never let her gaze leave the young one as she practiced what Elsa’s zephyr had taught her and hopped over to him. Her wings tucked into her sides, she pushed her head out to him, sharp beak gleaming the fading light. She wanted to know what to do about the boy as he pawed the earth. She was always curious, too curious at times.

Darwin shifted, his wings tightening across his back as he watched his companion try to greet the boy. Despite being a bit happy at the recognition, he couldn’t help but to wonder who this one was. He had to be protective, just not for himself anymore. He had to protect her and the foolish things she did every so often. He couldn’t trust her to not get into trouble yet, and Darwin only watched with his river stone eyes, a hint of worry gleaming behind the mask.

"Talk."
It’s like marrow without bone,
to live in a house
with no home.
image credits

Pixel by BronzeHalo @ Deviantart


Permission given for moderate power play.
Feel free to use magic/force on Darwin, without killing him.
Please tag in every post!

Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#10
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ Knox is in his own form ]

It hurt. To be standing unknown in front of a brother you loved and to be told, in not so many words, that he did not feel the same, hurt. Archibald and Knox, the hunter before Darwin now, were not friends, just brothers. Brothers to be avoided, like old burdens shed. After what happened.

What did Darwin know about "what happened?" Had Darwin ever lived under Mandrake's oppressive reign? Look at him, with his flighted companion. No dog for the free boy. No bloodthirsty packmate to train him to hunt like a monster. And he thinks he knows what happened?

Sadness turns to rage in a shimmering second. Knox finds his teeth gnashed together, his spine stiff with conflict. How he wishes to step forward and snap at this child, his only little brother. You know not of what you speak.


But no, he cannot. He only watches, hollow, as Darwin asks questions he has no right to get an answer for. That zephyr hops from his shoulder and to the ground, moving towards Milo. Right. Milo. Once again, Knox has forgotten about his son.

Remembering himself, Knox feigns surprise. "Brothers? Then you must be... Mandrake's last son, aren't you? The lucky one who never knew her." He frowns then, feeling honestly in his heart all the ways that his mother hurt him. All the things Darwin would be free of...

"Look, I can't speak to your history with the pair, but I know now they're quite different than they used to be. Since they've been freed of their mother's tyranny they've both done nothing but good for this land and their herd, if it's of their manners with her that you speak," Knox says.

{Dovev:} Liar.
{Zekiah:} Liar.
{Zsoka:} Eyes on fire!

The hunter grunts and turns to look down at Milo absently, ignoring the taunting voices in his mind. "You might not realize it, but Mandrake was a great force of evil, her wickedness harmed many; that much is common knowledge. Who knows how many lives they saved by ending hers, and how many they've helped since as upstanding members of the Hidden Falls," he adds. Better to make himself sound good now, while Darwin was still listening.

As for the names... "If you don't mind, I'd rather not give out my name. I don't make a habit of it. But this..." He turns again to his son, lets his frown raise slightly. "This is Milo, Knox's son. I suppose that makes him your nephew."

A pause as he turns to look at the bird-creature on the ground before his son. Something flares in him--protectiveness? He wants to ask Darwin to call his companion back, but suddenly feels as if he doesn't have the authority. "Don't expect much from him, he's gone mute," Knox adds, his frown deepening again as he watches Milo step closer to the zephyr.

Broken, stupid son.

""

running in the shadows
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(Milo tag coming when I return)

Milo Posts: 60
Outcast
Stallion :: Equine :: 16.2 hh :: 2 years [Birdsong]
Jen
#11
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ ooc/notes | word count | tags ]

My understanding of morality is tenuous. I know only as much as I can observe. So I know that when my father speaks of himself in such great terms, and as if he is not himself, that he is lying. I do not, however, quite know that lying is bad.

None of that matters, though. I learn soon enough that this white stallion is somehow my father's brother, my uncle, a relative beyond the small scope that I knew and thought was everything. And my father's mother... so, my grandmother? What is this wickedness that father speaks of, the evil in her bones? Is that where my father has gotten his troubles from? Will they take root in me?

I shake my head, looking away from them both. It's all too much to take in, and I find that the fiery bird moving closer to me is not only fascinating but simpler than dealing in the interaction between the pair. I keep just one ear turned to my father, in case he says anything more, but there's only the insult to my silence.

Then again, am I really able to think that much should be expected of me? What am I to do to prove myself if I can't talk, if I can barely talk?

Softly I extend my nose and exhale, hoping to gently nuzzle the creature's beak, then the top of its head that it offers. The creature feels warm, almost. I cast a sidelong glance at my father. Is he really right? Can I really say nothing at all?

I open my mouth to speak, to whisper a soft hello to the creature. My lips part, my gold eyes flutter closed. Something like a half-breath comes out, a beautiful attempt at a syllabic confession, but... no.

Why would anyone want to listen?

""

running in the shadows
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Darwin Posts: 74
World's Edge Protector atk: 5.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.0
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15 hh :: 4 Years (Ages in Birdsong) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Antaa :: Common Zephyr :: Phoenix Skylark
#12
His eyes flickered to look at the man as he spoke. Nodding along to him, the words rang in his ears. It caused him to flicker one of them in uncertainty at the comment that had been made. The lucky one? He thought to himself, Antaa too preoccupied to help with the confusion that billowed in the stallion’s chest. What was lucky about losing your mother? Forced to leave Helovia in fear for your life? He felt a lump in his throat as he opened his maw to speak, but quickly clamped them shut as the man continued. Darwin looked away, at that point, sighing internally before letting his wings relax a bit. “I – I don’t understand.” He muttered, his gray beard flicking with the wind and movement. Refraining from looking at the man, he let his gaze fall on Milo. The man continued on, and Darwin listened with ears perked. His wariness still enveloped in his chest. “They wanted to rid every trace of her, right? That’s what I heard. I was just a child.” His voice grew huskier as his frustrations came to light. Darwin looked away from Antaa and Milo, afraid his anger would be directed at the innocent child.

I was shuttled off right after I was born. I didn’t know what was happening, all I knew is that the familiarity of being a child was gone in that instant. I didn’t get to enjoy my youth. No, instead when I was old enough to find out what happened and who had done it, I believed they would come for me next. I couldn’t do anything to protect myself except for that.” He motioned to Antaa, speaking of his transformation magic that he had been born with. “I ran from here – told no one where I was headed. Couldn’t even fly and barely fend for myself. But does that, THAT make it redemption?” Raising an eyebrow to the man, his lips forming into a tight line. He wouldn’t reveal his name, and that frustrated Darwin further. But the words that came next had the rage of his stone eyes back down onto the child. “My nephew?” He grumbled, the rage beginning to simmer – unable to force his anger onto a mere child (for he knew the consequences of such actions so close). “I see. Was he born that way?” He questioned, watching the child with a hint of anxiety. Darwin’s wings now flexed against his back – ready to spring forth in any moment, yet he kept them close to him as sympathy spread within him from his bond.

Meanwhile Antaa could tell from the bond that despite the anger that Darwin felt for Archibald and Knox, he would never harm a child. She wasn’t worried about that, instead she constantly cast sidelong glances at the man. Her focus was mostly on the child, the nephew, that Knox had spoken of. She didn’t know what any of these words meant, but she could feel the sudden closeness and attachment that Darwin suddenly began to feel for the creature with golden eyes. He reached his nose out to her, and she cooed gently – happily letting him brush his warm muzzle against her sharp beak, moving up to her crown. She listened to his sigh, her feathers fluttered in happiness and she continued to coo. Her eyes gleamed with pride at the gentleness the child offered, her chest puffing out slightly with her wings tightly closed in around her small frame. Milo, despite being Knox’s son, was alright in Antaa’s mind. She’d make sure that he’d be fine in Darwin’s mind as well.

Darwin couldn’t watch the events of Antaa cooing to the child any longer, and instead watched the man. A sigh escaping his lips as he lowered his head slightly. “You think they’ve really changed? You don’t think they’d persecute me for leaving?” He questioned the unnamed man. He hadn’t questioned the fact that he didn’t want to give his name. Darwin had learned in the wilds outside of Helovia, that names were uncommon commodities. Some barely knew their names, others couldn’t stand to stop and chat. That didn’t bother him. What did bother him, was how much the stallion knew of himself and his family. Perhaps it could be used to his advantage. Perhaps it was time for a family reunion. “I mean, I can handle myself now. But for future reference. Might be worth it to see just how much they’ve changed, don’t you think?” He questioned again, his anger subtly hidden behind his mask once again, his temper ready to lash out at any moment.

"Talk."
It’s like marrow without bone,
to live in a house
with no home.
image credits

Pixel by BronzeHalo @ Deviantart


Permission given for moderate power play.
Feel free to use magic/force on Darwin, without killing him.
Please tag in every post!

Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#13
Milo | Knox
And if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again
[ Knox is in his own form ]

It is all too much. The hunter can't find the words, can't form a reply. He listens to Darwin's lament, his furious cry of how I was the victim, you the betrayer! I was the beaten, you were the weapon! I the abandoned, you the beloved! And it isn't that Darwin is wrong that hurts. At first that might be so but it doesn't take more than a moment's reflection for Knox to consider his own fault.

Shouldn't he have helped his brother? Shouldn't he have lifted Darwin up, watched over him as he learned to fly, and shown him the good he could have in a free, glorious world?

Knox didn't want to blame himself, he was never a good honest sort that could take criticism well, but there was no avoiding what he had denied Darwin. He and his brothers had killed Mandrake to end the torment, to bring about a new era in which Darwin could be loved and free, and they had failed. They had torn down the queen and failed to elect a new government.

Truly, he knows, that it is his fault. So he doesn't defend himself, for he can no longer stand to lie so obviously and attribute good character to a monster. His wounded eye burns as tears try to force themselves out of a duct molded shut. No, he'll never cry that way again.

His mouth hangs, his good eye shuts. Knox is cold and ashamed, but there's little he can do. He tries to compose himself, tries to appear unaffected, but finds that he must look away entirely. It's only when Darwin changes the subject, turning instead to Milo, that Knox is able to speak.

"No," Knox answers softly, not entirely knowing if he's right or not. Strength flows into him and he turns suddenly to Darwin, taking in every word off his younger brother's lips that follows. "Darwin... you, him, the entire family you left behind has suffered. Tragedy follows you." He pauses, considers his own father, and then goes on, "Maybe you're all cursed, I can't say. But I know that the only way those brothers of yours have survived this long is by sticking together." The image of Wilder, wrapped traitorously around their mother and alone, burns in his mind. No, nothing good ever comes of leaving the pack.

"If you would have them, I am sure they would welcome you home without a moment's hesitation," Knox offers as reservedly as he is able, "and if you'd like to see them now, I'm happy to show you the way."

Knox's breath is caught, his ears turned forward in rapt anticipation. He doesn't know if he can bear rejection now.

""
running in the shadows
Full Image

Darwin Posts: 74
World's Edge Protector atk: 5.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.0
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15 hh :: 4 Years (Ages in Birdsong) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Antaa :: Common Zephyr :: Phoenix Skylark
#14
The unnamed man’s first words chilled the stallion’s heart. In turn, Antaa turned her head to look back at him – sensing the unease that found its way into their bond. “Tragedy follows you.” The rest of the words seemed like a blur, mixing in with the rest of the speech of curses. A snort passed the ivory man’s bearded maw. “That’s not true. I’m not cursed. Tragedy hasn’t followed me. The only tragedy I can recall is my birth.” He muttered, seeming to ignore the moments that passed. What if what this man said was true? What if now, since he had returned to Helovia, that the curse would come and seek him out too? His lips formed into a frown as his eyes drifted from Knox and turned to look at Milo and his companion. Darwin’s ears flickered back in uncertainty as he let the moments pass between them as he pondered this man’s offer.

Well.” He started, clearing his throat and turning his eyes back to the man – the creature that seemed to hang onto whatever he was about to say. “Take me home. This ought to be an interesting reunion.” He lowered his head, turning his attention back to Antaa. The phoenix bouncing over to him, climbing up his face and settling her place in the cradle his wings created. Darwin cast another long glance at Milo, wondering how much his own brothers had changed. He hoped deep down that there would be a chance that they would welcome him with open arms. Even if not, he was sure that now that he could control his magic better than when he was a child – he might stand a chance against Knox and the Dauntless.

He turned his head in the direction he was previously headed into, the light from Antaa dancing across his hide in a display of colors. Before, he was just a little chestnut colt. Now, pristine and ivory stepping in to take place of a missing brother. Oh how interesting this would go. Darwin didn’t think it to be true before, but he never felt more ready than he did in this moment. His subconscious seemingly saying ‘Bring it on

"Talk."
It’s like marrow without bone,
to live in a house
with no home.
image credits

Pixel by BronzeHalo @ Deviantart


Permission given for moderate power play.
Feel free to use magic/force on Darwin, without killing him.
Please tag in every post!


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