| Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5 |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT |
|
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger
RedGod |
05-19-2016, 08:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-19-2016, 08:56 PM by Torleik.)
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Their time spent up north had been deeply refreshing to his soul, and quite pleasurable to both his heart and body. Now that it seemed Ophelia trusted him not to leave her broken and alone, her appetite for the more intimate intricacies of their relationship had reached a beautifully palatable and robust level. Torleik was certainly not complaining as his rib cage expanded to allow in the deep inhalation his nostrils sought to perform. The warming weather had crooned a siren's song to draw them south, but the Bloodskald had kept them to the east coast of the land much as he was able, avoiding the hotter parts of Helovia.
Now, the heat of the slowly drooping sun dissipating, it still managed to shimmer off the wet, salty ground of the Halcyon Flats as they came upon the borders of the still newer and somewhat unsettling land. Rumors had spread of this place driving others mad with the optical illusions it might play on the eyes and mind, trapping wanderers in a falsely constructed maze of their own doom. Torleik didn't find himself called to wander aimless and endless through the flat ground that reflected so perfectly the sky above. Instead, he felt as if...he was somehow in the sky, and that was what unsettled him so. These hooves were meant to stay on the ground; horses were not meant to fly.
Memories of seasons past bubbled to the surface of his brain, visions of the Sun God standing with Ophelia, away from the others; the feeling of hope and despair mingled at once; the mute acceptance of the truth that he was only mortal and, should Ophelia desire the love of a god, there was nothing this mortal could do; the dumbfounded joy and overwhelming love upon realizing the perfect blood angel that walked next to him had chosen him over an endless being who desired her... A wry smile quirked lightning-marked, scarred lips and he leaned to his right, taking in Ophelia's scent - more alluring as of late than it had somehow ever been before - and pressing his muzzle to her slender neck in an affectionate touch.
All of his failures, all of his mistakes in this place had led him to this woman, and she was everything he could ever want. The anger that had seen him burn like an arsonist's target some season or two ago had dimmed to low, barely kindled embers waiting for a worthwhile spark. Yes, the World's Edge had spat him out like chaff; yes, the Moon Goddess had shown him how little she valued the objects she used; yes, his pride had been wounded and his sense of purpose and self bruised and battered, but that was then. Now...now none of that seemed so important. The Bloodskald watched the sun dip even lower, the water that froze in little expanding circles around his hooves each time he stepped burnished orange and ruddy with the dying light, and felt peace.
He had ascended heights and fallen to craggy depths, and through it all, had learned and come out wiser, and stronger. Torleik could not complain - much, at least, he thought with a somewhat audible snort. He could still give an earful about the damned gods...but perhaps no longer the Sun God. The deity did seem to truly care for Ophelia, and he had not attempted to smite Torleik when the mortal had usurped his place in the blood angel's heart. If he honestly looked after Phi, then Torleik had no quarrel with him, and would offer his respect honestly and gratefully. Perhaps one day soon he might convince the god of the great, burning orb falling from the sky that he didn't deserve derision when he came with dutiful worship and that he only wished to be...in harmony with him, as much as he was able.
The Moon Goddess could choke on a giant, immortal phallus, but that was neither here, nor there. Torleik was done with her entirely; the only moon in his life was the pale one next to him, warm and loving and brilliant. He needed no other.
"talk talk talk"
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D
Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
| Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7 |
| Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK |
|
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath
Tamme |
05-19-2016, 09:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-19-2016, 09:27 PM by Ophelia.)
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Somewhere between here and there, there and here, her armor had been stolen. It had to have been one of the rare and few moments she and Torleik had been apart, mostly likely when she was taking one of her frequent naps (as of late she had been completely exhausted). The thought angered her, but the instinct to go chasing whatever asshole had dared take from her across the map and beat them inch by bloody inch into the ground was distinctly missing. She furrowed her brows in consideration as they moved slowly south - far more slowly than usual due to her exhaustion.
Why didn't she feel the desire to go absolutely obliterate the one who stole her armor? She grumbled quietly, closing her two colored eyes as she turned into the thickly built, winter stallion at her side. As they walked for hours, she got lost in her own head, thoughts jumping with questions that went unanswered and making circles in her mind - deep tracks of frustration until she felt something in her side shift.
Ophelia snapped her eyes open and blinked. Wait... could she be?
Pregnant?
She hadn't thought it was possible since Roskuld. Her blood was tainted. Her father was a warlord, and she was a hybrid of two species. Not only that, but she and Torleik had been quite... active... with each other for quite some time without a pregnancy. Why now? Or was she further along than she thought?
Either way, this was the only thing that made sense and answered all of her questions. Of course the instinct to go mind rape a bitch was gone; she had to protect her offspring at all costs. Ophelia knew that the most important thing was the life in her belly and she would do whatever it took to guard the little life. Her days of waging war were going to be limited until they were born and perhaps after; she couldn't risk leaving a babe to fend for itself. She even made sure she stayed by Roskuld until the girl was old enough to wander on her own.
Not that she had been a prime example of a mother to her first child, but she was intent on doing things right this time. If not for herself, then for Torleik.
When her cloven hooves splashed on the halcyon flats, she paused, breathing heavily and leaning against his thick, dark frame. He inhaled her scent and she buried the side of her face into his braids, wondering just how to drop this bit of news on him. In typical Ophelia-fashion, she did it ungracefully and without warning. "I love you and I'm pregnant," she finally stammered, looking up at him openly and perhaps a little afraid. "We are going to have a kid."
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
|
Please tag me in every response!
| Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5 |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT |
|
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger
RedGod |
|
It had not escaped his notice, the theft of his woman's armor. He had spoken briefly to Phi on the matter and had noted the anger with which she had informed him of the loss of the object - and he understood. He'd been angry when the Moon bitch had taken back the armor she'd given him; it was a slap in the face to have something of yours taken, no matter how it happened. The Bloodskald had resolved to get it back for her, whatever it took, though simmering over it now would do him no good. They had come across no one to find information from on their current path, but surely someone soon would know something. Ophelia and her armor were well known in Helovia.
Torleik also hadn't failed to notice that Phi seemed more tired as of late. He attributed it to sleeping poorly since the theft of her armor, and from the somewhat constant traveling they were partaking in now. Her flagging energy concerned him, but she didn't look unhealthy - so he'd held his tongue and simply watched her more closely, knowing that she would tell him she was fine and not to worry if he'd brought it up. But now, they paused to take a breath and regain some strength, and he felt Ophelia lean against him.
Suddenly, she spoke, and laid upon him the heaviest words his ears had ever heard - nearly for a second time.
A pregnancy. A child.
The first time he'd been told this, it had turned out to be a lie, and no love had ever been involved. This, here, now, with Ophelia and the knowledge that there was no way her pregnancy could be from any other male...
Torleik's eyes went wide as the enormous sun to his left, his knees feeling as weak as the rippling, shallow saltwater beneath their hooves. He replayed the words just to make sure he'd heard them right and not somehow imagined this; to make sure he wasn't losing his mind.
"I love you and I'm pregnant. We are going to have a kid."
Was his mouth as agape as his eyes were wide and his mind glaringly blank? "I..." he tried, brows furrowing as he blinked once, twice, again, again, again... "You're...?" The fear hit hard and clamped down on his throat like a vise, and he looked down, searching for comforting ground to remind himself he was still on the earth. But the water reflected only the sky and it felt like he was trapped, falling with nothing solid beneath him. Quickly, he snapped his gaze up, back to the two starkly different and equally beautiful eyes that belonged to the woman he loved so deeply.
Who was pregnant.
With his child.
Reality slammed into him harder than the fear, and suddenly a ragged smile burst forth across his face. "You're pregnant!" Torleik popped, a slightly strangled laugh following the words. "You're pregnant...with my baby..." he murmured much quieter, his glacial orbs searching her face, finding no deceit, no duplicity. This was really true, really happening.
And for as terrified as he was, he couldn't possibly be happier.
"Gods I love you," the Bloodskald grunted, throwing his neck around hers and crushing her close. "I love you so much. And I love the child inside of you - my little son or daughter...you're both perfect."
"talk talk talk"
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D
Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
| Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7 |
| Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK |
|
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath
Tamme |
|
Ophelia was glad that they had spoken on the matter of her armor and was glad that Torleik would do his best to return it to her. She wouldn't have minded so much if it had not reminded her of the god who had given it to her: the Sun God. That she let such a precious reminder of his light get away was shameful and upsetting, and she knew that her lover would understand. He had this way of knowing how she felt even when she did not fully understand it herself, and even if he was jealous, he would do his best to make her happy.
That as another thing she liked about him. He was able to shed his own fears, jealousies and feelings for her own, and no one else had been able to do that. No one she met anyway. Ophelia believed that was something that love brought - the ability to let go of yourself for the good of another. She wanted to get better at this skill, but it was difficult, having been alone and taken advantage of for so long.
But she was a firm believer in what she told Thranduil during their battle. The love she shared with Torleik was a shield. With him guarding her heart, no words could damage the tender flesh. No other opinion mattered, so why would they hurt?
Beneath the setting sun in the flats, she mused on love and her current state. She was pregnant, without a doubt. And in a tumble of words, graceless and fumbling, she had told Torleik exactly what she knew. Nervously, she watched his expression, seeing his deep, blue eyes widen with shock. Was it good shock? Bad shock? Yes, this wasn't exactly a great time, and no, she didn't share this news with the best segue. But surely he wasn't upset...
With bated breath she waited until a handsome, heart-wrenching smile pulled at the corners of his dark lips, and she felt as if she became weightless in joy. Ophelia nodded when his excited words praised her and their unborn child, his bearded jaw crushing her to his body. She laughed even as her neck was wrenched a bit, to avoid her horn from poking into his body, but she had never felt happier. With her face pressed into his body, grinning from ear to ear, she felt complete.
This was her family.
"I love you too, Torleik," she murmured back. "I never thought I could, but I do. This... this more than I deserve and more than I could ever imagine, but this is my family. You are my family..." she said, stammering a little. "And I am happy."
Ophelia stood there, pressed against him and basking in their joy for quite a long time. The sun had set, leaving them embracing beneath a warm, spring starry sky. Stars even sparkled around them, seemingly, as the water made a nearly perfect image of what was above, and she exhaled calmly. "Can we go to the Dragon's Throat, Tor?" she asked finally. "I want to be surrounded by an island that none else can enter. After my armor getting stolen... I don't... our child..." she whispered, trying to manage her words.
"I want to take every precaution to help our child. I've seen how fragile life is, even in the womb." Guilt hit her suddenly as she remembered challenging a pregnant Confutatis. She hadn't given a damn then, and she had been ready to destroy the mare and her children. "And I want us to be able to wander without looking over our shoulders every step. Will you do this for me? Please?"
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
|
Please tag me in every response!
| Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5 |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT |
|
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger
RedGod |
|
Her laugh was musical and the Bloodskald felt it skitter across his heart, only increasing the joy he felt in this moment. Ophelia returned his love, claiming she never thought she could love him and that she didn't deserve this perfection they had built together. With a marginally irked grunt, his irritation caged by the absolute excitement and happiness that was still overwhelming his system, he pulled back and shot her a look. "I believed you could love me. Even if I thought it might be a while, and would move slowly. And don't you dare say you don't deserve this - you're a good woman. You deserve all of this that I can give you, and more," he stated firmly, nosing her muzzle as if he could shove his words into her somehow, and make her understand and accept them.
But, as all good things must end, it was more words that broke the placid, serene sense of contentment Torleik had settled into while nestling himself against his woman's body once more.
Dragon's Throat.
Protection.
In spite of himself, the Bloodskald felt the wound to his fragile pride and stiffened like a stone, jaw clenching. Did she not think he could protect her? Did she think that her armor being stolen, an object that was much more easily absconded with than a living being, showed he could not keep what was valuable to the both of them safe? And she wanted to go to the Dragon's Throat? A swelteringly hot island filled with flying bastards? Ophelia certainly knew how to push all of his buttons at once, it seemed, and he stepped away to pace and consider her request. But what made him angry about it was that she asked if he would do this for her.
Torleik could not possibly say no to that, for if he did reject this beseeching, then he would be telling her unequivocally that he would not do this for her - that there were things he would not do for her. Now was not the time to put such a doubt in her mind; now was the worst possible time to put such thoughts anywhere near her. Still, it did no mean he couldn't show he was frustrated. "I hate the sand, I hate the heat, and I hate more of those flying ones than I like," the Bloodskald grunted. "And I hate that you seem to think I can't protect our family." He clenched his jaw again. "But you are right, a herd is inherently safer. And if that is where you would feel safest...then...that is where I want you to be," he finally acquiesced.
He did love her enough to do this for her. He would just grumble about it the whole time. If she loved him like she claimed, then she would love him enough to put up with it. He hoped.
"talk talk talk"
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D
Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
| Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7 |
| Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK |
|
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath
Tamme |
|
Surprised when he pulled back, she gave him a look, softening at his words. It was cute how adamant he was that she believe she was worthy, and it was admirable how thoroughly he tried to change her mind. Maybe over time, she would feel it as securely as he spoke, but regardless, she smiled. His bearded face shoved into hers, tickling her whiskers, and she chuckled, squinting her face up in response. "If you so say, Tor," she sighed in reply, lipping at his braided beard. "I will do my best to believe."
After some time, she made her case, stating that she would feel safer in a herd and wanted to go to the Dragon's Throat. She sure as hell wasn't going back to the Aurora Basin, not to have children. While she trusted Archibald in the Falls, she wasn't sure who else was there. The Edge seemed slightly unstable, and going back there with Torleik seemed to be a rather sour suggestion. In the Throat, Gaucho and Meg were protective, and she respected them both. Cera, the sweet prince, was also there. Plus, it was an island, and she had spent some of her youth in the sands.
When he withdrew, she stiffened, feeling her heart hurt in response. She grit her jaw defiantly and stood firm. His emotions would not sway her resolve, and she wouldn't let his pride get in the way of what she knew would be the best for their child. Ophelia listened to his words and blinked with glassy eyes in offense at his accusation, and she squeezed her cloven toes in the sands in her anxiety.
"I am not saying you can't protect us," she growled, withdrawing emotionally from the sting. "Never once did I say that. But if there is a chance that we can be even safer than we are, then I want to act on it." Surely he couldn't be angry with her over that logic. Surely he understood just as well that this wasn't about him.
"There are good ones there, and thank you," she said with a frown, lowering her neck slightly in defeat. "We should start that way," she added quietly, beginning to trek through the beautiful sky mirror of the flats toward the sandy Throat. Ophelia sighed heavily, wondering if she could bear the weight of his emotions and her own. Still, the life growing inside of her kept her moving on. She shed her doubts and hoped that Tor would just accept her for who she was: protective.
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
|
Please tag me in every response!
| Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5 |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT |
|
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger
RedGod |
|
Protective wasn't the problem. He was probably more protective than was healthy, and would have preferred to seclude them both back to the caves they'd been living in amongst the Frostbreath Steppe, if it weren't for the cold. A herd was inherently more safe, yes, but also inherently more of a wide-painted target. The Bloodskald wasn't built for large herds, to be among them and fit in within all the moving pieces and vying ambitions. Simplicity and smallness, these were things he desired. The ability to be his own man, to move about as he saw fit and right (within reason), and a clear social structure that didn't present itself as a towering structure ready to crumble at the slightest perturbation.
As always, it made him angry that the moment things went slightly sideways, Ophelia withdrew and became defensive. Did she still not understand they were in this together? Even more so now that they were having a child? Did she not...inwardly, he sighed, wondering if he expected her to understand him too greatly without him explaining. Torleik didn't think himself complicated; there were only a few things that motivated him in life, and most of them revolved around family in one way or another. That Ophelia might have understood this by now was something he'd hoped for, but perhaps she didn't. Finally, these rumbling thoughts made their way to the surface and he shook his shaggy head. "Clever at politics as you are, love, sometimes it catches me by surprise when you don't realize the implications of your words," he murmured. "I know you don't see them clearly because you speak plainly to me and mean no other depth than what is said," the Bloodskald added, to show that what he meant there was no insult just...almost bemusement at how her candor with him somehow could backfire.
"When you tell me you want to go somewhere because you want to be safe, to have others protect us...I am a simple man, Phi. I was raised to protect my family and rely only on close brethren for aid. I have only Ulrik here to rely on; the herds here are..." Torleik trailed, sighing. He gave her a weak smile, trying to mimic the expression but aware that it was a poor emulation. "We are in this together. I love you, and you are carrying my child. There is nothing short of death that would keep me from you both. Ask of me what I think, what I want - don't just tell me what you want and then place the burden at my feet in a request to do it for you. I will do anything for you. But it would be pleasant, the reassurance that you would take into account what I might wish. As it stands, I know that look in your eyes. If I chose to say no, you would go to the Dragon's Throat anyway, without me - and I think you know I would follow, whether I wanted to or not."
The disappointment was clear as he finished those words. One day, perhaps they would be a strong unit, working together. One day, perhaps, they would be equals in this partnership. Torleik wondered if this was how his mother felt towards his father, hoping that one day he would see her as more, that they would be equal with each other. He missed her terribly and wished more than ever that she was alive now, that he could speak to her and ask her advice. The dark stallion sorely needed guidance.
He nodded to her suggestion that they should head towards the Dragon's Throat. "I could take us to the heart caves, but from there, you will have to lead. That was as far south as I have ever gone - other than the Veins," he murmured, glancing up at Irelyn wheeling in the sky. "And it has been some time since I ventured either place." The Bloodskald remembered the heat, the fear, and the reward of a new, precious life after that. It had been worth it, undoubtedly. Perhaps this was his new trial by fire: a slow, miserable burn in the hot sand.
It would make him a better man, surely. Right?
"talk talk talk"
"This winter breath, taste of death
Where iron meets flesh. we'll take it all"
|
No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D
Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
|
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![[Image: 531c0b471919e]](http://images.helovia.net/index.php/view/531c0b471919e)
