the Rift


[PRIVATE] Family Matters

Byron Posts: 14
Outcast
Colt :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: Three Seasons [Frostfall]
Nova
#1
[Image: byron___bronzehalo_by_arahvir_dan956x_co...an96l3.png]


So engrossed the young colt had been with his emerald and gold gaze fixated on the unusual Sea Creature, that he hadn't realized another body had stopped beside him. Not until her chilled tune reach his ears and caused the tree marked colt to jump, a cloven hooves bounced up and back down into the mushed grasses. His unusual gaze snapped to her as he peered out from underneath the safety of his ma's fanned wings. Luckily, she seemed too preoccupied with her bonded, Kisamoa and his feathered sister to take note of the exchange which happened beneath her muzzle.

Undeterred by the cremello girl's cold question, or the awkward way she regarded him. He perked his ringed ears forward and stepped out from underneath the wing which sheltered him. "My names Byron!" He answered cheerfully, or as cheerful as he could get. Splashed face tipped curiously as he peered at her from underneath silver tipped lashes, if he'd been his usual self, he might've spotted the tree marking which delicately painted her leg but he'd been so preoccupied with her demeanor that his eyes missed it in their scan.

"Uh..." He started and stopped, a small rock formed in his throat as he forced it down. "What's your name?" He finally managed, his usual carefree composure replaced with a curious and slightly wary one. "...why are you looking at me like that?" Of course, he didn't know much of anything to do with his conception, or the trouble he may or may not bring to the family he'd never really known until he'd stumbled across Uncle Barty in the threshold, and then their Aunt Aelf moments later. Heck, he still didn't even know what his pa looked in the flesh, only little bits and pieces his ma had given him. Little pieces which he clutched close to his chest and shared with Jude when the sunset and they peered out from their desert cave. He didn't know much of anything to do with his land dwelling family, and that knowledge caused his heart to twist in an uncomfortable manner whenever he pondered on it long enough.




bronzehalo.deviantart.com | ARE YOU READY BECAUSE I'M READY



♥︎

@Maude @Bartholomeo
[Image: byron_by_ehrendi_daod2ik_by_arahvir-daoxhe4.png]

please only tag Byron in opening posts!

Maude Posts: 140
World's Edge Filly
Filly :: Unicorn :: 15.3 :: Yearling
Bunnie
#2
Byron.

His name is Byron.

It bounces around inside her, causing all sorts of questions and feelings to well up inside her. Not wanting to look at the grown-up he pulls away from, afraid to see a woman prettier than her momma, more worthy of her father, she keeps her steely attentions on her brother, the dark brown figure of the woman a distant blur she refuses to give heed.

He’s got pretty gold rings in his ears, and his warm, honey eyes are framed with patches of white, and moony lashes. His easy smile with which he first greets her, before he notices her hostility, makes her think of daddy, and that makes her heart clench tight with hurt. It doesn’t feel any better when he smile falls away, and he instead nervously questions her intentions.

Why is she so mad at him, anyway? He’s never done anything to her. Heck, she hadn’t even known his name, until five seconds ago! Her glower becomes a frown, her eyes dishearteningly looking at her hooves, and glistening with tears she tries to blink away, before he notices. Her friends and family would be totally ashamed of how she was behaving, but it was so hard! Just looking at him made her whole heart hurt and yearn for closeness at the same time, and she hadn’t the slightest clue how to deal with it.

"I…I don’t know, Byron," she murmurs, looking back at him with a somewhat softer, embarrassed expression, "I’m sorry. My name is Maude. I…"

I think I’m your sister. I had imagined you copper, and cream, with daddy’s eyes. It hurts less that you aren’t so similar to him, after all. And where is the other? Daddy had said “brothers.” I look about for him, nervous to be surprised by another bittersweet arrow to my heart…

"It’s nice to meet you," she decides, instead, returning her citrine eyes to the boy, with a soft smile.


how to be brave
how to love when I'm afraid


Image by Araxel@DA

@Bartholomeo
Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone.

Bartholomeo Posts: 46
World's Edge Protector atk: 5 | def: 9.5 | dam: 7.0
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16'2hh :: 7 HP: 70 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#3


Tilney's words cause the stallion to chuckle. His idol, indeed! His brother knows him far too well. He grins at his sister's words too, a good-natured laugh booming from his chest. Ah, yes, his siblings all know what a thrall the sea holds Bartholomeo in. He adores it, worships it, and a creature who looks like he embodies it is, indeed, the stag's hero!

He allows his attention to wander. There's Byron, his namesake and Tilney's bastard son, and the pirate begins to amble over to the lad. He adores children, of course, and his little nephew is already a favourite! Before he can reach the colt, somebody else approaches him - a young filly, antlered and with a distinctive tree marking winding up her leg. Ah. The stallion pauses as the realisation hits him; Aelfwine had mentioned a daughter, a child with Tilney's wife Arah. This must be her, and a little darling of a girl she is too! Bartholomeo had always hoped that his next child would be a filly, a little daughter for him to dote on and protect and for Jack to idolise. Alas, nature and fate had decided it wasn't to be, but that doesn't mean he can't play out the role with his niece instead.

Oblivious to the fact he's disturbing the foals' first meeting with each other - a potentially life-changing moment - the stag rocks on over to them, his stride jaunty and a wide, jovial smile resting easily upon his jaws. "Byron! It's good to see you again." He beams at the strapping young colt, trying desperately to force images of Jack out of his mind - the boys do look so similar. He turns to Maude, then. "And you must be Maude. Your aunt Aelfwine has told me all about you." He flashes the filly a wink. His sister had been right - she is the most gorgeous thing, with her radiant hues and flowing mane and tail. Tilney will have many a grey hair about this little one, he's sure.

"My name's Bartholomeo, and I'm your father's brother. The fun and dashing brother, naturally." He grins widely and wiggles his eyebrows. "Say, do you two want to help me search for some bones to deliver to Kisamoa?" He glances over at Tilney - he's sure his brother won't mind, as the pirate is a more than suitable guardian for the children. Nothing will happen to them under his watchful eye - no force on earth will ever stop him protecting a child, not this time.

B A R T H O L O M E O
image credits


@Byron

Byron Posts: 14
Outcast
Colt :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: Three Seasons [Frostfall]
Nova
#4
[Image: byron___bronzehalo_by_arahvir_dan956x_co...an96l3.png]


He hadn't meant to upset her, when the dainty filly looked to her hooves, his ears fell backward and his splashed face worried for her. Maybe he'd done something to upset her without knowing? Had she been one of the bodies he'd wiggled and pushed through to get to the front to see the Sea Creature? His mind tried to recall, but he'd never been particularly good at recalling things he'd simply done to get somewhere.

Finally, she looked up at him and he's confused and alarmed at the embarassment which marked her daint features. Byron had never been good with seeing anyone upset, afterall he'd spent countless nights sat up where he'd hummed to his twin brother, jaunty made up tunes that made him smile and soothed his tender and frayed heart. Apparently, that same desire now extended to the pretty filly who stood next to him. "C'mon, Maude. You don't have to look all sad! It's okay! You don't have to apologize. I'm sorry if I did anything wrong." He chirped, his dulcet notes laced with his feeble attempt to cheer her up.

"It's nice to meet you t—"
He's interrupted by the familiar voice of their his Uncle, and the colt if he could of, lit up like a christmas tree. "Uncle Barty!" Byron called out, cloven hooves gave a half-hearted step from one to the other. "Have you found your treasure yet?" It's the only question that managed to come out of his maw before Bartholomeo's next words nearly floored the youngster, instead his body settled on letting his jaw drop instead.

"And you must be Maude. Your aunt Aelfwine has told me all about you."
"My name's Bartholomeo, and I'm your father's brother."


"Maude's my sister?!" The pitch which the words had fallen out of his mouth are patchy and uncharacteristically high, mottled and splashed with disbelief. Eyes snapped to and fro between the larger stag and the pale filly whose now revealed to be his sister, furiously they blinked back the wetness which threatened to envelop them. "I have a sister?" It's uttered like a whisper as his ears half-drooped and pressed forward.

The information is...well. It's something? He didn't know he had a sister. He guessed it was just him and Jude, Ma had never mentioned their father having another child. He also guessed she'd never stuck around with him to find out and he'd never turned up on the edge's of the Dragon's Throat to see them in the days they'd been born. A nervous glance is passed toward his imposing mother, cautiously to see if she'd noticed that her eldest son is suddenly not like himself. Oh boy, if she'd noticed...but she seemed distracted, her attention drawn into a conversation with his other sister perched on her antler.

"I...I guess I can help!" He said slowly, a mental kick aimed to kickstart himself back into his usual cheer. Gentle tendrils grasped and patted through his mind to try find a beacon of light. Once it found it, they wrapped tight and he found himself able to smile again. "And...I can get to know Maude too right, while we do it? Jude is going to be so excited to hear we have a sister!"




♥︎

@Maude @Bartholomeo
[Image: byron_by_ehrendi_daod2ik_by_arahvir-daoxhe4.png]

please only tag Byron in opening posts!

Maude Posts: 140
World's Edge Filly
Filly :: Unicorn :: 15.3 :: Yearling
Bunnie
#5

Despite the fact that his very being makes her sad, there is another aspect to her just barely younger brother that isn’t sorrowful, at all. In fact, she’s reminded of herself, and Gawen, so much so that her brother’s smile becomes infectious, and her teary expression is put away for one of tentative happiness. Sniffling back the last dribbling remnants of her almost wept tears, the girl tilts her head towards Byron, and begins to let her heart open up wide, when her Uncle Bart arrives.

Now, she’d met him once, in a fleeting tangle of tall, adult trees and others, where she’d only been permitted the tiniest peep of a hello, before being swallowed up in the wild rush of activity. It wasn’t much of a meeting, though, and it certainly had sufficed to fulfill all of Maude’s dreams and secretly held ambitions as to just who her free spirited Uncle Bartholomeo was. In her mind, he was just as dashing and brave as he appeared to be in real life, though there certainly less trinkets in his actual hair. However, his smile and blush inspiring wink are certainly enough like the daring, adventurous rogue she’d imagined him to be in all her mentally depicted adventures to distract the little filly from the fact that he’s likely to spill light on her tentative secrets.

An excited glance is relayed between her brother and Uncle at the proclamation of treasure from the child alongside her, her heart also swelling with wonder at the notion of such an amazing thing as hoarded trinkets, and gold.

"It is good to properly meet you at last, Uncle Bart!" she smiles, and juts her chest forward, her smile a literal beam of joy as she hears tell of her Auntie’s praise. Eager to return the compliment, and glad she has a truthful one, at that, she adds: "Daddy told me lots about you, too! Is it true that you’ve got real treasure?!"

Her curled tail wriggles excitedly, despite her desire to keep it still (as would a proper lady), and she even giggles – a giggle which is cut short by the mention of her father, once she realizes what all such a statement might imply to Byron.

Any prayer the ginger and cream maiden might have had that he hadn’t caught on isn’t allowed time to live; his squeaky voice lurches out exactly what that makes him feel, and Maude’s belly bottoms out in all the ways Byron’s voice escalates. Staring again at her hooves, she lets the hurtful truth that her father had told her about Byron, but not Byron about her, settle in. Was he not proud of her? Or had he just not seen her brother enough to tell him?

Neither of them felt good. She doesn’t want to feel them, either, and so she sheepishly looks back up at the golden eyed colt when she believes her heart might bare it. Her easy smiles are tucked away for coy glances, and hidden fears of rejection; when he mentions Jude, her whole chest feels like it’s full of rocks.

What’s he like? she wants to ask, finding it unfair that she couldn’t get this all over with at once; having made it this far into the ordeal of meeting one’s illegitimate sibling, she wasn’t sure she wanted to do it again.

"Of course you can get to know me, Byron!" she blurts, her welled tears again blinked away in favor of strength, and courage, the key ingredients to any hero in any story she’d heard that was of any merit. It wouldn’t do to spend her whole first afternoon with her brother and Uncle crying, like some sort of baby. She was Maude, the brave, the bold, and she was a great adventurer! She’d not squall all afternoon because the imperfect world was what it was, just as she’d not let her mother’s disappearance wear away the vivacity of her spirit. Staring at her brother with an emotional expression, she earnestly states: "I’d really like to get to now you, and Jude, too."

"And you too, of course, Uncle Barty!" the maiden adds with a smile, and a laugh, as she bumps her Uncle Bartholomeo’s shoulder with her soft, copper tinted muzzle.

how to be brave
how to love when I'm afraid


Image by Araxel@DA

@Byron @Bartholomeo
Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone.

Bartholomeo Posts: 46
World's Edge Protector atk: 5 | def: 9.5 | dam: 7.0
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16'2hh :: 7 HP: 70 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#6


He adopts a morose expression as Byron asks about his missing treasure, and shakes his proud antlered head sadly. "Unfortunately not, lad. I'll find them, though. They can't escape the grasp of your Uncle Bart." He wiggles his eyebrows good-naturedly at the colt. Then Maude asks if he's got real treasure, and the stallion nods deeply and solemnly, giving her a conspirational wink. In truth, he'd initially been planning to simply find his items and move on, but now he's fairly sure he'll stay here even when his sides are heavy with his swords once more, and Carlisle's sash is wrapped snugly around his shoulders. He owes it to his family, he thinks - to these wonderful children, to his brother, his sister.

Of course, they may not want him to stay, if he continues to put his foot in it as he's just managed so impressively.

For one who normally has everything under control, it's quite odd to see Bartholomeo flustered. This happens remarkably quickly at Byron's apopletic words - Maude's my sister? "Oh, shit." Only once the swear word has left his lips does he realise he's just plonked his hoof even more deeply into it by saying something so cruede in front of two youngsters - he'd done similar with Jack, his foul mouth accidentally ensuring one of his son's first words had been one not suitable for polite company. His wife hadn't been impressed! "Oh, arse, I didn't mean to say that. Argh, crap, I didn't meant to say that either! Eurk, or that!"

Realising he's just digging himself a deeper hole, the stallion retreats a few steps with an exhausted groan. Not only has he just accidentally imparted information that could change these two little ones' life forever, but he's just taught them some words he sincerely hopes they don't repeat. "Do me a favour, you two, and please don't tell your dad any of what I just said. Otherwise your Uncle Barty might not be long for this world." He offers them a sheepish grin.

Thankfully, the foals don't seem overly perturbed by the information about their heritage, and the stag breathes a sigh of relief. And you too, of course, Uncle Barty, says Maude, and he'll be damned if that isn't so sweet it almost brings a tear to his eye and melts his rogue's heart! Trying not to seem as touched as he actually is, the man gives his niece a warm wink. Glad he hasn't messed things up irreparably, the pirate's boyish grin returns with interest, and he wiggles his docked tail in a similar gesture to Maude's inadvertent one. Byron asks if they can get to know Maude at the same time as they hunt for bones, and the stallion beams. "Of course! The strongest bonds are those forged through adventure. Come, let's hunt!" The bay begins to amble towards the deeper forest, eyes narrowed to hunt for bones whilst he glances behind him to make sure the foals are following. He can see a promising-looking glint of white in the distance, and heads towards this.

B A R T H O L O M E O
image credits


@Byron

Byron Posts: 14
Outcast
Colt :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: Three Seasons [Frostfall]
Nova
#7
[Image: byron___bronzehalo_by_arahvir_dan956x_co...an96l3.png]


The young colt is relieved when finally Maude sniffled, his small ribcage deflated with the breath he'd been holding. A breath he hadn't realized he'd sucked in after he'd attempted to cheer her up. It'd been easy to slip back into a caring role, one that he all but jumped into whenever he so much heard his brother sob. It pulled on his heartstrings cruely, something that would no doubt carry into adulthood on strong shoulders. "Much better." He nodded enthusiastically, as his ringed ears giving a comical wiggle.

Uncle Bart's admission that he hadn't found his treasure brought a frown to the young buck's face, lips scrunched together as a huff escaped his nostrils. They must of been some tricky thieves, if Uncle Bart hadn't found them yet. "When you do, make sure you give them a kick from me!" He's not old enough to go on swashbuckling adventures quite yet, but it doesn't mean he can't dream that he can at least have a taste, even if it really just means just telling his Uncle that he should give them an extra kick or bite on his behalf.

His adventure to finding all of his family is taking a rather unpleasant adventure. Now, he liked adventures, he just didn't like ones that took his emotions through all four corners and back again. Still, despite the tears that threatened to fall from his odd coloured eyes, there's a stab of true genuine happiness in there. He's never been good at being sad, he hated the way it coiled in his stomach and how it made his legs weak. His voice hitched up an ugly notch and wobbled and made him cringe, ears pushed back into curly ringlets so he didn't have to hear himself. Rather than dwell on it, he grasped at more pleasant things until he pushed himself out of the muddy feeling.

Their Uncle's exasperated swear words finally get a bubbled laugh to escape the small boy, just like the time he'd heard that one word he wasn't allowed to tell their father either. Lame, he still didn't know what that meant either. At least he knew arse and shit, the other one? He'd have to try and ask him later. For now, he'd have a little fun at the pirate's expense.

"He's really bad at not saying bad words, isn't he?" His head tipped toward his sister, all sadness which had claimed him moments before disappeared in favor of a smug grin. Byron just might make a dashing rogue yet, not quite a pirate but not quite the archer which lurked in the trees. "I don't know, Uncle Barty. You've said a lot of bad words. I might tell dad. It depends what you wanna give us for our silence."

His swindling plans are sidetracked for a moment by Maude's acceptance of letting him get to know her. Happiness blossomed in his chest like the flowers he'd seen Jude tending to around their desert home, while Byron had rolled down the nearest dune screaming 'Hey Jude look at this'. "You'll have to tell me what you do for fun! Where do you live? Is it like my home? Do you like adventures? And...and.." His words died off as he tried to sift through all the questions that popped into his mind. Whatever malfunction he'd appeared to have, righted itself as he settled into following after their Uncle once he'd given marching orders. "You'd like Jude too! I can't wait until you meet him. He's a bit quieter than me though. He doesn't really like adventures, so I go on them for the both of us."




♥︎

@Maude @Bartholomeo
[Image: byron_by_ehrendi_daod2ik_by_arahvir-daoxhe4.png]

please only tag Byron in opening posts!

Maude Posts: 140
World's Edge Filly
Filly :: Unicorn :: 15.3 :: Yearling
Bunnie
#8

The truth that Uncle’s treasures had been stolen away made Maude’s heart sink. How horrible for him! She would be devastated if her small collection of twigs, pretty rocks, and dried flowers came up missing, and they weren’t even real treasures, just associated with memories and stories she had made up, in her songs. Wonders as to just what sort of fabulous treasures dear Bartholomeo had lost made her feel very peculiarly sad for him, which doesn’t particularly aid to the downwards spiral which swallows the conversation thereon.

Though Byron’s heartfelt request to give the offensive, treasure thieving culprits a kick from him makes a flicker of amusement alight on her face, Maude is still so sullen by the various heartaches that arise with meeting one’s illegitimate brother for the first time (and the loss of wondrous treasures, though she had never seen them) that she feels entirely unlike herself. While she wonders if this horrible feeling will ever stop, her Uncle’s curses begin to fill the air.

At first, she’s very interested. She’s never heard such language before! Her mouth drops open upon the second word, however, her clever little mind clicking together cues from her mother’s stories. Those were curse words!

"Oh my, Uncle Bart!" blurts the damsel, now completely horrified by what has befallen her tender, lady-like ears, stepping backwards in what she assumes to be the proper amount of offense. She watches her Uncle take his own, dizzy steps backwards, pleading with them not to tell her father about what he’d just said (likely because Maude is now staring at him like he’s just chopped off Byron’s head, and doffed it as a hat). Easing her from her stupor, her brother’s remark draws her eyes from her foul-mouthed Uncle Bart to the snow-brimmed face of her newfound sibling.

She can’t help but feel the faintest hint of a smile creep to her lips, as Byron attempts to extort their Uncle. Not sure how to be a big sister, but sure it involves siding with your little brothers, when siding with them is harmless, she tilts her demure, doe eyes back towards her brigand of an Uncle.

"What’s an arse?" Maude asks, hoping it inflicts the proper amount of terror to get them something really good from Uncle Barty.

Before long, however, they are moving, following Bartholomeo’s excited cheer that the adventure had begun. Eager to be out without her parents (a rare occurrence), and glad that the most awkward part of meeting Byron was out of the way, Maude tries her best to remain positive as they make their way towards wherever the cheeky stag decides to lead them. Greeting her brother’s barrage of questions with a somewhat forlorn smile, the ginger-kissed damsel does her best to answer each, while still keeping in mind some of her own.

"I live in the World’s Edge, with my parents, and Auntie Aelfwine," she begins, "I would like to be a healer, like our daddy. There is a big greenhouse in the Edge, and a garden, and I think it is fun to take care of the plants. Weeding is not as fun, but you have to do it or ‘they will soon be all the greenhouse holds!’"

She frowns at the thought of her most dreaded chore, parroting a common remark from the studious nurses who watched over her, while her father was out working, but her smile soon returns.

"Sometimes Katua, she’s my best friend, and I go on adventures, but not very often. Daddy says it’s dangerous in the wilds, so I don’t leave the Edge a lot, unless I sneak away, like I did today... It’s okay though, cause there is lots of stuff to see and do," she pauses, trying to recall everything else, before she adds, "where do you live? Daddy didn’t tell me before..."

…I ran off into a blizzard, crying and calling him names…

"Well, it doesn’t matter. I still don’t know," she laughs, "and what do you and Jude like doing for fun?"


how to be brave
how to love when I'm afraid


Image by Araxel@DA

@Bartholomeo
Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone.

Bartholomeo Posts: 46
World's Edge Protector atk: 5 | def: 9.5 | dam: 7.0
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16'2hh :: 7 HP: 70 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#9


The pirate's eyes widen at Byron's words, before his face creases into a wide smile. I don't know, Uncle Barty. You've said a lot of bad words. I might tell dad. It depends what you wanna give us for our silence. A booming laugh escapes from him and his eyes twinkle with approval as he looks down upon the youngster. "Driving a hard bargain even at your age, I like it! Now I know why you were named after me." He gives the colt a hearty wink. Bartholomeo had lives his life on the addage there's no such thing as getting something for nothing, a saying that can initially seem selfish and avaricious but which insures a man always has a long list of favours he can call in. "I'm yours to command Captain Byron, Lady Maude - anything in return for your silence." Another wink and an exaggerated, sweeping bow downwards until his antlers scrape the dirt, offering his metaphorical sword to the bolshy young lad and dame.

There's potential there, the stallion is even more sure of that now. That's the kind of cheeky thing that Jack would have tried to pull, reflecting the pirate blood in his system.

What’s an arse? asks little Maude, just to further the stag's embarrassment. He unfurls himself from his bow and tries to adopt a stern expression, but it fails in the face of such adorable foal-age. "Never you mind, young lady!" he says with a great guffaw, silently praying to all the Gods in the sky that the girl miraculously forgets what she's learned before she blabs it to Tilney.

Despite the amusement of the situation, Bartholomeo's mind is strictly on business as he leads the foals through the forest. His ears pivot from side to side, hunting for the sounds of predators that may threaten his little trail of ducklings - woe betide them if they try! In the corner of his consciousness he can hear the conversation that the children are conducting, discussing their friends and their lives. It's heart-warming to witness, and the stag's heart swells with sheer adoration for these miniature miracles of life. He only prays Tilney does not take for granted the fact he has not one but three gorgeous offspring, as healthy and playful as a man could possibly desire, because his brother does not know how lucky he is.

Refusing to allow the melancholy to creep into him, the bay brute turns to the children once they're deep inside the forest. Judging by the prints and other signs of damaged foliage, he's willing to guess that there's a lot of animals here, and that means bones. "Keep an eye out, you two....aha!" The exclamation comes as he sees a glint of white in the distance, and quickly hurries his stride towards it. It's a femur, half-buried at the base of a tree, and the stallion uncovers it with a few deft movements of his hoof. "Here we go. There's bound to be more around here, as well....shall we search? Don't stray too far away from me, though." Despite the overall jolly tone of his voice, there's an edge to his final sentence - no cruel fate will befall these two on his watch, and their safety is paramount.

B A R T H O L O M E O
image credits


@Byron


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