the Rift


[OPEN] where the sky hangs

Ultima Posts: 57
Outcast
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.3hh :: 4
Snapdragon :: Turkish Andora Cat :: None Kairi
#1
ultima
Most people had the courtesy not to ask, but it’d take a proper fool to believe they really didn’t know. Girl like that, big, beautiful wings strapped to her back, walking everywhere? Maybe not on first glance, maybe not even on the second, but by the third curious appraisal, who wouldn’t have known? Even Ultima thought it was a strangeness, and she was one who’d been grounded since birth. She couldn’t imagine anything more uncanny than a flightless bird, and certainly nothing more pitiable; content as she thought she’d been, there was always something in her chest, poised and ever-ready, that took hold of her little heart and clenched anytime she so much as considered a life spent on flatland. It wasn’t what she was meant for. None of this was. If she could right that wrong, she thought, maybe the road ahead would come clear. Maybe she could finally go home, Raistlynn and crocodile be damned.
 
(Could you leave Tilney? Could you leave Maude? Oh, sweet thing.)
 
Asking around was rubbing salt in the wound, but it was a necessary pain. The last year had given her perspective; her life still glowed at the edges, but she understood that there were real hurts, savage hurts; this small blow to her pride would pay for itself hundreds of times over if she’d give a show of faith and leap.
 
But. Not literally.
 
“No!” she shrieked, her poll drawing back along the long, thin neck, her ears pinned. Her tail swished back and forth in agitation, the thick hair sweeping at the tall meadow grass. They’d been having lessons whenever all the ladies had a chance, and the hard and fast option – of bounding off the Edge – came up at least twice every single session. It would’ve been nice to say she understood why; it also would’ve been nice to say that she was a shining example of decorum and restraint, paving the way for young Gawen, who was learning alongside her and Queen Alysanne. Alas. “I’m really very sorry, ‘Ona, but I’m really not going to jump off! I’d rather eat beetles!” (She hated beetles.) Even with all of her progress, the idea of so much water and so little good, solid earth gave the girl so much anxiety she could’ve collapsed on the spot. And she nearly did, though more for exertion than anything. Her lungs burned. Her wings and back, not used to so much stress, were heavy and aching, and she felt bruisey all over.
 
Still, vain little things took well to challenges. Once she had finer motor control, she’d skip right off that cliff, mark her words – for now, though, hop-and-glides and bouncing suited her just fine, even if she was practicing them alongside an actual infant.. “Come on, Gawen,” she said, her smile tight, but plucky and encouraging nonetheless, “Let’s see how much higher we can jump this time, hm?”
dear god, make me a bird so i can fly far away from here


@Iona @Alysanne @Lyanna @Auriel @Gawen + anyone else who might want to pop in! xo
please tag ultima in all posts!
force/magic a-ok, shy of killing/maiming her!

Gawen Posts: 26
Outcast
Colt :: Hybrid :: 16.3hh :: 6 Months
Atlas :: Royal Nine-tailed Kitsune :: None Brit
#2
Gawen
When the fire's at my feet again, and the vultures all start circling
They're whispering you're out of time
but still I rise

Gawen does not like the edge.

No, not The Edge. He does not like the edge. The cliff face that had given his herd its name. The evil, monstrous, terrifying, evil thing. Did he say evil?

Despite having been born practically on its precipice, Gawen holds no fond feelings for the bleached rock of the cliff face, nor the way the stone gives way if one stands too close to the cusp. It makes his already weak, awkward limbs tremble and shake with vertigo, and every time he ventures towards it it seems every other part of his body aside his hooves leans as far backward towards solid earth as physically conceivable. For such a clumsy, awkward boy, it seemed like a death sentence to even practice near the cliff much less on it.

Grumpily, Gawen kicked his umber hoof at a random pebble only to stumble and nearly fall, forcing a flush of embarrassment to his swirled cheeks as he cast his blues around nervously, hoping nobody had seen that. Why had he been born with wings, again? Mother and Father did not have them, after all. Not that the hawk knew that Tembovu was not his real father, as nobody had deigned to correct him. If Ultima could go for years without learning to fly or needing to, and if his parents had never been capable of flight, surely Gawen did not need to learn?

As Ultima shrieked her defiant, terrified rejection of Miss Aly's gentle repetition, Gawen sidle up to the pale dove with his own neck arched low as if hoping to avoid detection. He was firmly with Ultima on this one, knees already shaking again with the idea of jumping off a cliff. Surely those were drastic measures?

Oh if only the Edge had more hills to coast and glide down.

"Beetles," Gawen echoed in his tiny, childish voice, nodding wisely as if he had any idea what beetles were or why they were so detestable. If Ultima was using it as a point of reasoning, then Gawen would back her up on it. At least the quad-winged beauty was an adult and could walk away from the conversation, signifying its end, unlike the quiet, fumbling colt. But he happily stumble-skipped after the pale maiden, a boyish smile on his face as she beckoned him to her side. "'Kay!" he chirped, nearly tripping but catching himself and scuttling to join his flying partner.

There was a sizable boulder that was just rough enough to scale without issue (well, if you were anyone other than Gawen) and he went tottering up it, his legs and back tired with all the work they had been doing day after day. With a shaky jump he let his wings carry him back to the earth, easy enough to simply hang the useless things out to the side to catch the air. But as soon as he landed, he went flailing and crashed right back into the earth as was his prerogative. Whining, he lay slumped and defeated for a moment before huffing out a weary sigh and heaving himself back to his hooves to go join Ultima and try to cheer her on.

"Can do it, Tima," he said shyly, incapable of pronouncing the odd "Ult" sound of the beginning of her name without sounding like he was choking on something. Maybe she would have better luck with the landing than he did.


Image Credits


@Ultima

Lyanna the Windswept Posts: 313
World's Edge Queen atk: 7 | def: 11 | dam: 4.0
Mare :: Pegasus :: 15.2 :: 5 years HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Kyra
#3
so i listen to the    wind for an answer
She gets out of the Edge less and less. How times have changed, but she finds herself so busy around this place that she doesn’t frequent the Threshold as much as she used to. Let alone find time to wander Helovia, harboring some quiet and secret hope she’d run into Apollo again. Once in a while she simply goes, taking to the sky and nearly skimming the trees, looking for the blue horn and black form that makes her heart skip a beat. She hasn’t found him again though, and she wonders if she ever will.

She’s coming back from a rather quick excursion to the Deep Forest’s border, knowing she’d never find him if he was inside, but hoping maybe she’d catch him coming or going. No such luck. She doesn’t stay long either, so it’s not like her chance of finding him had been good. But either way, it was nice to stretch her wings, to take a sort break from collecting herbs and learning about others. But still, she knows her place is in the Edge, so she comes back quickly, coming over the cliff to land in the clearing. It’s quickly becoming her favorite way in and out of the kingdom, given that it saves a lot of time as compared to wandering through the woods. Not, that she doesn’t still love wandering through the woods.

A rather shrill No catches her attention as she lands though, and she’s already in doctor mode then, setting off at a canter to try and find the source of the sound. Hopefully, no one was injured, but shrieks never boded well. It’s not long before she finds them though, Ultima and Gawen. She is just in time to watch Gawen tumble to the earth after jumping off a sizeable boulder. He comes back to his feet soon enough, looking mostly fine, so she doesn’t worry. Instead, she comes to join them, offering a friendly nicker in greeting. “Who’s been teaching you guys to fly?” she says with a kind smile on her face. “Because jumping off a rock is probably not the easiest way.”

lyanna

art by yewrezz


@Gawen and @Ultima

Please tag in all posts
Magic use/power playing is okay, but check before serious injury/death
Image by Kiki

Alysanne the Devoted Posts: 641
World's Edge Queen atk: 7 | def: 10 | dam: 3.5
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16 hh :: 11 years HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Hemlock :: Flammulated Owl :: Heal & Cypress :: Great Horned Owl :: None Sarah
#4

we heal with love

Despite Iona’s insistence that it would be a quick and effective way to learn, Alysanne was glad when the rest of the student seemed disinclined to leap off the cliffs of the Edge and go soaring down to the bottom. Just the idea of Ultima and Gawen leaping off sent her heart beating wildly because what if something went terribly wrong? And she no longer had her healing magic to help? Lyanna could, of course, and she had every faith in her teal-accented friend and flight teacher. Who, thankfully, had less dramatic suggestions for settings than her sister.

Alysanne had to agree with Ultima on the beetles.

Maybe boulder-diving wouldn’t be at the top of Lyanna’s suggestions, but Alysanne couldn’t blame the colt because that was exactly what her instinct had been too. Find somewhere high - but not too high - and use the power of the drop to get some air beneath her wings.

It still felt a little strange, to be learning how to fly with an actual group. And for her secret to be out to Iona - but when you get caught leaping around a meadow trying to get air, it’s a little difficult to explain your way out of that one. Alysanne was improving though, she could maintain flight for several minutes at a time - if she stayed low. And she was growing fond of their flying meetings, whenever they all had a spare chance to get together and learn from one another. Landings were still her least favourite part and she sympathized greatly with Gawen when he fumbled on his.

“You are getting better!” Alysanne complimented as she caught up to them, checking over young Gawen to make sure that his tumble didn’t cause any damage. But, luckily, the great thing about foals was that they usually just bounced right back.

Hemlock, for his part - proving to be as unhelpful as he had been with her private lessons - swooped effortlessly over the group and hooted at Gawen. Even Alysanne wasn’t sure whether the hoot was a laugh or an encouragement, but the small owl appeared to be in good spirits. He felt happier when his bonded did, and flying was a pastime they should both appreciate.

Sure enough, her flying teacher and friend Lyanna approached and immediately offered some kind advice to the young would-be fliers. Abandoning her own attempts to fly, temporarily, she came to stand beside Lyanna - reaching out to greet the teal-accented mare by bumping her muzzle against her neck. “Iona suggested the cliffs, so we decided on smaller rocks.” She smiled at Gawen with a wink before looking back to Lyanna. “But it’s probably better that you take over instruction from here.”

alysanne & hemlock

image credits
please tag Alysanne in replies
[Image: alysanne_by_schwartze-d89se15.png]
made by the lovely tamme
non-life threatening physical force is allowed at all times, but preference is to be checked with beforehand for any injuries

Ultima Posts: 57
Outcast
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.3hh :: 4
Snapdragon :: Turkish Andora Cat :: None Kairi
#5
ultima
She’d just taken a plucky glide towards where Gawen had fallen, her expression tight with determination as she held the tired muscles firm. He was right, the landing was the tricky part; there were times when she quite had the hang of it, coming to a tidy rolling stop with only a bit of a stumble, but that was when she was fresh. Flying was more mentally exhausting than she thought it was. There was so much she still had to think about: how well she launched from the earth, her down-thrust, the angle of her wings, the feel of the wind, all these fundamentals that the other ladies never seemed to think about anymore. And her whole body was just heavy, the muscles fit to burst— Drat, she hissed, nearly running tail over teakettle—

Her poor little knees would be sore for days. 

Picking herself up, Ultima managed to suppress the irritated snort but not the quick stamp of her hoof. “So close! she said, pursing her lips at the boy. Not unkindly though, or discouragingly. Gawen’s steady improvement had kept her own resolve from faltering, his willingness to try – over and over and over again, and fifty times more – keeping her impatience in check. And Alysanne was right: he was growing stronger and stronger, though he might not have noticed it for all the tumbling. It renewed her own hope, especially on days like these when she felt like a proper rock. “We’ll get it next time,” she declared, leaning down to ruffle his tufty mane with her muzzle. “All of us, and then—”

“Who’s been teaching you guys to fly? Because jumping off a rock is probably not the easiest way.”

Oh, she said, balking before even turning. Making an about-face, her expression was considerably less stern than she’d planned – Please don’t say it’d be faster to hop off the cliff.” – ever the open book, her eyes, gold as new coins, betrayed her anxiety in full. “Please. It’s hard enough as it is.”

Alysanne she saw first, recognizable both as Queen and classmate. The other was— ‘Lyanna. That’s right.’ The mare with the kindly expression and the bright blue-green eyes was a Moon Doctor, just like Tilney was. Ultima had seen her frequently out and about the Edge, conducting her work; from what the girl knew, Lyanna was the gracious sort, responsible, and as capable at flying as she was healing. And Aly trusted her. Ultima, who placed great faith in the Edge’s leaders, didn’t have the gall to question that credention.

So a little warily, Ultima frowned but made herself game. “Well, alright, then.” They wouldn’t know unless they tried. That’s what this was all about, after all. “What do you suggest?”
dear god, make me a bird so i can fly far away from here


@Gawen this is a lil messy but sorry for the wait!!! 
tagging @Iona too, in case you want to slip in! xo
please tag ultima in all posts!
force/magic a-ok, shy of killing/maiming her!

Gawen Posts: 26
Outcast
Colt :: Hybrid :: 16.3hh :: 6 Months
Atlas :: Royal Nine-tailed Kitsune :: None Brit
#6
Gawen
When the fire's at my feet again, and the vultures all start circling
They're whispering you're out of time
but still I rise

Gawen could scarcely keep proper track of his limbs and various extremities on a normal day, on solid earth, standing still. Flying was like trying to do yoga blindfolded on a beam the size of his hoof. It just wasn't a good relationship, you see. But Raeden and Tembovu were both wingless, and as such had ushered him straight into lessons as soon as they'd caught wind of their existence. Gawen wasn't sure it was the best decision, personally. Look at Ultima! She didn't know how to fly either and she was far older than he! Then again, if she had to receive lessons too, then maybe he should try to learn earlier when his clumsiness was excusable. Before others realized, as he grew older, that he simply wouldn't outgrow his "awkward-phase". And all the bruises and tumbles that came alongside his condition.

Ultima's gentle nuzzling of his fluffy mane made the boy giggle, any thought of bruises and sore, crying muscles scattering like startled butterflies. Sapphire gems stared up at her adoringly, her sass and forthright honesty appealing to his childish heart that did not understand deception. She was far more fun than a normal boring adult, and while he would harbor no romantic feelings for her even as a boyhood crush, he'd happily toddle after her with wings outstretched like faulty training wheels wherever she bid him. "Yes! Doing a lot better, Tima," he cooed, echoing Alysanne for the sake of understanding the formation of a compliment but uttering it with heartbreaking sincerity. Even if he had no real example to hold Ultima against as to what a pegasus in flight should look like.

The boy turned to grin blindingly at Alysanne as if thanking her both for complimenting him and for giving him the necessary words to reflect them back on Ultima. Even for a boy burdened with his own inadequacy, Gawen seemed unbothered by absolutely everything. He knew physical pain, but the rest of the world was bright and gleaming with knowledge and experiences that he couldn't wait to dig his little hands into.

And then a familiar voice crooned over the gathering of bodies, amused and lighthearted. Gawen nearly killed himself spinning around in a flurry of limbs, eyes sparking bright like struck flint as he threw himself towards the dark mare. "ANNA!" He went barreling towards her, seeking the expanse of her breast in exuberant greeting that would likely steal the wind from her lungs if she did not brace herself. Gawen craned his head up to smile adoringly up at her, the ache of his tired wings fleeing with her presence.

"Hi," he chirped primly, as if the singular word was entirely deserving of such frantic machinations. Without proper understanding of familial relations, Gawen had simply begun to collect a little assortment of individuals that he placed in maternal and paternal roles. Lyanna had been there at his birth, her scent and voice imprinted into his mind like a duckling, and he was as excited to see her as his own mother. And just as trusting when it came to taking her advice, although Ultima was displaying some weary distrust. Not that Gawen could blame her when some had suggested leaping off a cliff.

"Gonna help us?" he uttered hopefully, big eyes only turning rounder with pleading, aiming to snuggle beneath Lyanna's nearest wing and send a big, clumsy wink towards Ultima. As if saying he would occupy Lyanna's wings to give them both some time to avoid the action of flying, give their muscles a break. What a grand sacrifice he was making, too, to be pressed up against his second mother in such a way!


Image Credits


@Lyanna @Alysanne

Lyanna the Windswept Posts: 313
World's Edge Queen atk: 7 | def: 11 | dam: 4.0
Mare :: Pegasus :: 15.2 :: 5 years HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Kyra
#7
so i listen to the    wind for an answer
She’s always glad to see Alysanne – her first real friend here, her mentor, and now her Queen as well. Lyanna returns the greeting, bumping her own nose against her black and white friend, before laughing at the first comment. “Well, that probably would work. It’s quite amazing what one can do when they are about to go splat on some rocks. But I’m not sure I’d want to try that either.” Of course, she loves diving off the cliffs herself, but she learned to fly years ago. It comes as easily as walking to her now, and she knows the strength of her own wings. On a particularly windy day, she would never dream of jumping off that cliff – even after flying for so long. It is dangerous.

Once, she could have just moved the wind away from the cliffs, or angled it beneath her wings to lift her up. It had made learning to fly far easier for her than it probably was for everyone here. But even now, without her power, she still felt at home in the sky with the wind in her hair. It wasn’t the same, but it was something. Ultima asks what she suggests, but before she can reply, Gawen’s cry of ANNA, cuts her off. Thankfully, he’d announced his exuberant greeting, so she’s somewhat ready for the barreling sort of hug he gives her. She exhales with a bit of a oof, but otherwise manages not to get bowled over by the boy.

“Gawen,” she says with a warm smile and a laugh on her lips, reaching her head down to press her muzzle to the boys neck. His love for just about everyone in the Edge still amazes her, and still warms her heart. She can’t help the soft spot in her heart for the boy. “Gonna try,” she says in response to the boys question, slowly untangling herself from his brown and white body. Though she lets him linger for a moment before she does, rather enjoying having him tucked beneath her wing. Even if he might be using the gesture to get out of flying for the moment.

She turns to the assembled group when she’s got a bit of space between herself and Gawen. “You want to go up, not down. So we won’t jump off things, because it’s just going to get you moving downward anyway. And no, I promise, I will not ask you to jump off a cliff.” She gives them a playful grin, winking one of those teal eyes. “It’s easier if you get a running start while you are learning. Then, you are going to leap off the ground and think up. While of course, using those wings in big, powerful strokes to get yourself off the ground.”

She turns, backing away from the group a bit so she has some running space. She recalls showing this very method to Alysanne not all that long ago in Thistle Meadow. Which had been a much better place for teaching – no trees, no cliffs – but there’s enough space here for it to work. She picks up a canter and after a few strides, pushes off from the ground and unfurls her wings, using a few powerful flaps to get herself into the air. She turns, hovering off the ground a bit and watching them. “You guys try,” she says, climbing a bit higher in the air in order to get out of there way, but also with a quirk to her smile that says come and get me!

lyanna

art by yewrezz


@Gawen @Alysanne

Please tag in all posts
Magic use/power playing is okay, but check before serious injury/death
Image by Kiki


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