the Rift


!! Lullaby [Open]

Noxia Posts: 10
World's Edge Mare
Mare :: Equine :: 14.3hh :: 3 years (born Tallsun || Year 5)
Abba
#1
What day was it? What month? When did it get so warm? Her head spun - baby blue eyes moving sporadically in a futile attempt to take in every single aspect which was around her. The trees. Yes. Focus on the trees. Let's see. This was tree... twenty-five? Yes, that sounded about right. She would go with that. Just count the trees. After all, the trees couldn't move - unlike her thoughts. Apparently her thoughts could flutter away... leave blank spaces in her memory. How on earth had she gotten here again?!

Noxia let out a sharp snort. For goodness sake, she didn't think she could even remember how she got in this forest, let alone why she had woken up within its boundaries. A dark grey forelock quietly fell across her right eye, blocking most of the sights on that side. Only flashes of light would dance across her iris, but she didn't care enough to shove it away - to deal with the entirety of the world which seemed to exist in order to pacify the animals in the area. Birds chirped, her ears twitching with each note of the songs that floated through the air. Yet, other than that she seemed inexplicably alone.

So. Birds. Trees. Oh, there appeared to be rabbits too - since one just scampered in front of her only to disappear again. Yeah. Who was she kidding. Just because she was staring at the world around her did not mean that she was going to end up figuring out just what had gotten her to this point. Part of her ached, wanting to find somewhere that she could truly rest - but another part of her kept nudging her to keep her limbs moving.  One hoof in front of the other. That's how the saying went, right?

Goodness gracious. For the love of everything that was holy! Was it too much to ask for someone to come along? Perhaps then she could figure out a way out of this forest. She was already at tree seventy, and there didn't seem to be any kind of end in sight. She really did not feel like walking in circles (if she wasn't already, because let's be honest she probably was) for the rest of eternity.

Yeah. Noxia... You'll still be walking in circles for the rest of eternity my dear. That sense of direction? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but... You don't really have one.


Feel free to join! I'm a little rusty, it's been about a year since I last wrote like this.
No clue where she'll go - will be based solely off of interactions here.
Noxia
and you can't tell, I'm scared as hell
'cause I can't get you on the telephone
so just close your eyes. Well honey, here comes your lullaby
Image Credit

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
#2

let the winds erase me,

like the memory of a kiss

It’s been a while since Lyanna’s been to the Threshold. Well, maybe that’s not exactly true. She comes now and again, but not as often as she once did, or even as often as she might like. Life as a Moon Doctor seems to keep her busy, spending much of her time tending to the garden and the greenhouse, collecting herbs from all over Helovia, and tending to those in need when necessary. It’s a busy life, and a good one. It keeps her mind busy and her ghosts at bay. But still, she likes coming to the Threshold, and wants to come more.

Though she’s been in Helovia for a few years now, she still remembers coming here. Remembers how alone she felt, how overwhelmed, how hopeless and lost. She’d met three wonderful mares that day, and they’d offered her the Edge and the Throat, both of which just sounded like hope. The hopelessness still comes, longing for her home, for the things she’d lost and could never have back. Perhaps it always would, some sense of regret that she will just never be able to shake. And perhaps having your life torn from you should do that.

But still, Helovia had given her a second chance. And she wants to do the same for any looking for it. And maybe some don’t need a second chance at life. Maybe some just need a chance at all. Maybe some just don’t know where to go. Or maybe some are just lost in the trees. Lyanna lands outside the forest of the Threshold as she always does, knowing it’ll be too hard to try and land in the gaps in the trees. From there, she walks, listening for sounds of others around her.

Eventually, footsteps catch her attention, and she turns in that direction to find a beautiful pale mare with a dark mane and tail. Lyanna nickers warmly, not wanting to startle the other, before speaking. “Hello!” she calls, her voice friendly as always, her teal eyes kind. She may have lost everything, but it didn’t change who she was at heart. “I’m Lyanna, from the World’s Edge. Are you new here?” She asks, never sure, but often the horses she finds here don’t even quite know where they are.

lyanna

let these waters takes me

Image © Rhiaan


@Noxia

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

Noxia Posts: 10
World's Edge Mare
Mare :: Equine :: 14.3hh :: 3 years (born Tallsun || Year 5)
Abba
#3
Well, hell. Had she seen that tree before? It looked familiar. It definitely looked familiar. No. Wait. The tree next to it looked almost exactly the same. Perhaps all of the trees in this place looked familiar. Hell, they probably did and that would explain why she felt like she was going in circles. Nox, deciding that was the better option out of the possibilities before her bobbed her head in approval.

Yeah. Sweetie. Just go with your mind is playing tricks on you. It'll make you feel better in the long run. After all, when you're walking in circles sometimes it is best to pretend that you are actually accomplishing something. Something... like finding your way out of this damn place.

She let out a gentle snort, body trembling with the light breeze that blew in from between the trunks of the trees. What little grass was left on this so-called path tickled against her fetlocks and she stomped hastily to try and keep it at bay. Why wasn't she at home again? There hadn't been this many trees anywhere near her homeland the last she could recall. What, did Mother Earth randomly give them a forest as a respite for the heat? Then again... what was this heat existing for. It was supposed to be getting colder. Freezing over, snow beginning to fall. Instead the trees were blooming - the birds were chirping and rabbits were trying to find a way to trip her as she moved forward in her daze.

Oh, Nox darling. You see... you've forgotten the passage of time again. Tsk tsk. You really should stop doing that. Ahh. I see, you can't stop it. Well, at least I'll know what happened during these six months you so conveniently seemed to have forgotten...

Okay. Just keep counting the trees. She had reached tree ninety (which, for all intents and purposes was probably really only tree thirty but she still didn't quite realize that) and she still saw no exit to the endless maze. Perhaps if she marked the ground she could make sure she wasn't back tracking? The fact that the trees kept looking familiar was nagging at her brain. So, she scraped a line in the dirt near the base of one of the trees (probably the one place she'd not notice until it was far too late) and tried to keep moving forward.

Thank the Gods above! A pegasus (which doesn't intimidate me in the least, I mean it's just so cool that they even exist) seems to have come in close enough to you to be of help. Nox, darling. Please... just let her get you out of this forest and on your way to something other than this repetitive scenery I've had to watch!

Oh! Wait! A nicker. Someone's here?! Okay, she had been asking for help to find her way out in her head, but Nox truly hadn't intended to stumble across another. Oh, and definitely not one with wings. Like. Hold on. Was she dreaming? She had to be dreaming. Her mind is still stuck dealing with the fact that the mare before her has wings that she misses her name and only catches something about the "World's Edge", which for all she knew entailed her doom.

Instantly, her baby blue eyes widened in a state of panic, forelock still covering one of her orbs, and her ears twirled around to attention. Her mouth opened, but words couldn't come out - she just stood there dumbfounded and with every single muscle in her body twitching ever so slightly.

You've got to be kidding me Nox! Just freaking speak. Ask about the wings or something for the Gods' sake. I swear, you want to give me headaches sometimes, don't you...

Carefully, she shakes her head - forelock shifting ever so slightly out of her eye - before she finally reopens her mouth to speak. For Nox, it felt like years since words had truly left her mouth, and the normal lilt in her voice was missing - replaced with an almost scratchy tone at the beginning which slowly began to smooth out. "I-I. You. Wings?! We can have wings?"

Oh my goodness. So smooth, Nox. So freaking smooth. I'm facepalming right now. I hope you realize that.

She breaks for a moment and takes in a deep breath before finally speaking again. "I-I. I'm sorry. Uh. I didn't catch your name, Miss from the 'World's Edge'," she says, testing out the name of where the mare was from on her tongue and deciding that it did still seem ominous. Very ominous. "I'm - uh - You can call me Noxia, or Nox, or... whatever you want I guess..." She swallows, just barely audibly and shuffles her limbs as if how she stands would make the nerves that were always on high start to calm down. "I... I have no clue what the World's Edge is so... yeah. I'd guess that would make me new... Does... does this f-forest ever... ever end?"
Noxia
and you can't tell, I'm scared as hell
'cause I can't get you on the telephone
so just close your eyes. Well honey, here comes your lullaby
Image Credit


@Lyanna

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
#4

let the winds erase me,

like the memory of a kiss

Lyanna was pretty plain in the world of Helovia. If wings were impressive, wait till the girl met some of the other horses that called this place home. Mesec, with wings and horn and his glowing stomach. Tiamat, who looks quite like something that the ocean birthed. Roskuld and Chico who were well…Roskuld and Chico. Lyanna can’t help but laugh at the first words that come out of the other mare’s mouth, though her laugh too is kind, like everything about Lyanna. “Many here have wings, yes. Though I was born with mine. I’m not sure if they are something you can get after birth, though you could likely get some sort of magic to fly.”

She smiles, and then shakes her head, looking almost sheepish. “Sorry, that might be information overload. If wings are new to you, perhaps magic is too?” The girl continues, seeming a little flustered, and Lyanna tries her best to smile reassuringly at the other mare. She remembers coming here, remembers being flustered and scared and truthfully, sadder than she’d ever been. Because when she finally made it here, to a place that seemed safe and secure, she’d stopped long enough to let the horror of her old life wash over her.

To this day, she has never entirely escaped it. The threshold holds ghosts for her. Adelene, mostly, disappearing between the trees. She’d thought she’d been doing the right thing, leaving her sister to choose her own path. But instead, the girl had simply gone, and Lyanna can only blame herself. She should have stayed, should have gone wherever Adelene had wanted to go. But how could she have known then?

“I’m Lyanna. It’s a pleasure to meet you Nox. This land is called Helovia, and right now you are in the Threshold. I promise, it ends,” she smile grows a bit and she nods her head, indicating for Noxia to follow, clearly leading her to the border between the Threshold and the rest of Helovia. “The World’s Edge is one of the three herds here. The other two are the Dragon’s Throat and the Aurora Basin. The Edge is named for the cliff that makes up one of our borders. It’s a beautiful view.” She falls silent then, figuring she’s given the other more than enough information to chew on for the moment.

lyanna

let these waters takes me

Image © Rhiaan


@Noxia

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

Noxia Posts: 10
World's Edge Mare
Mare :: Equine :: 14.3hh :: 3 years (born Tallsun || Year 5)
Abba
#5
Noxia
And it only hurts when I'm breathing
My heart only breaks when it's beating
Laughing. All of the laughing. Well, it wasn't really much laughing. It was more like a lilting giggle at the pure shock on Nox's face. So. Uh. Apparently like a lot of others here have wings. This is... weird. Wait. Magic? Magic?! Her mouth dropped again, eyes widening in more of a panic. "M-Magic? There's magic too. What kind of crazy dream is this?!" she says, almost mumbling it out. Right after that, though the mare said that magic was probably also new, realizing it after the fact.

Nox's ears flick around - showing the awkwardness of the encounter as she felt the nerves all across her body lighting up in a slight panic. She could hear her heart in her ears, afraid that someone else might drop into the interaction and push her to her limit for the moment.

Nox. It won't be the end of the world if someone else appears. I know you think it will be, but it definitely won't be.

Lyanna. Lyanna. Lyanna. She rolls the name around in her brain in an attempt to memorize it. Oh, who are you kidding? Your anxiety will probably kick in and you'll completely forget her name by the next time you meet her anyways. Then, with the nod of the other mare's head Nox begins to follow the black mare as she (hopefully) led her toward the border and out of this damn forest.

As they move, more words fill the air. Helovia. Threshold. World's Edge. Dragon's Throat. Aurora Basin. Cliffs. That sounded... dangerous? Dangerous but beautiful in a sense. Nox nods her head quietly for a moment before allowing words to start to filter out of her mouth. It's a slow stream - hesitant in nature, and certainly one that might portray her unease with social interactions as well as the new situation. "Are they nice? The herds I mean. I just... I really don't want any trouble. I-I didn't mean to intrude in this land." She really hoped that no one else would drop in. She really hoped that nothing strange would happen. She really hoped that everything would just start start to even out - that her heart would stop racing in her ears before she had difficulties breathing. Because, holy shit, she was talking to a horse with wings. And there was magic. And some horses could fly. And there were so many different lands. And she just didn't know anymore. She. Didn't. Know.

Image Credit

@Lyanna

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
#6

let the winds erase me,

like the memory of a kiss

At least when she had come here, magic was something she was familiar with. She’d seen pegasi before and unicorns and though the residents of the Helovia were often even more elaborate than that, she at least wasn’t overly shocked. As for magic, the shocking part had been losing hers. Once, she’d controlled the winds. Now? Now she had a horn that produced a small wind shield, and nothing more. But she understands feeling overwhelmed, remembers how she felt when she arrived. It was only thanks to her upbringing as a Princess that she managed to keep any wits about her at all.

She tries her best to look as reassuring as possible as they walk and talk, making sure she doesn’t overwhelm the girl even more. “I can do my best to answer any questions you have,” she says, trying not to bring up magic or Gods or anything else at the moment until the girl wanted to learn about all that. “If it is a dream, it’s a good one, I promise. And you’ll get used to things around here.”

The trees begin to thin around then, the landscape familiar to Lyanna as they begin to approach the western edge of the Threshold. Though in truth, the trees don’t thin a ton, because the Hidden Falls lies in their path. But it’s clear the landscape is beginning to change. “The herds are all very nice. I was welcomed to the Edge with open arms when I was new here, though I think you’d find a similar reception at any of the herds. But I can speak for the Edge when I say that we would definitely welcome you as well, even if you just need a place to rest and get your bearings for a while.”

When she’d come, no one had told her she’d have to stay. They’d simply offered her a place to rest her head, to figure it out, and she’d ended up staying of her own volition. The Edge and it’s residents had won her heart. “Where are you from, if you don’t mind my asking?”

lyanna

let these waters takes me

Image © Rhiaan


@Noxia

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

Noxia Posts: 10
World's Edge Mare
Mare :: Equine :: 14.3hh :: 3 years (born Tallsun || Year 5)
Abba
#7
Noxia
And it only hurts when I'm breathing
My heart only breaks when it's beating
There is a small sigh as she tries to get comfortable with the situation. Her eyes lingered along the tree-line, watching as the trees seemed to shift a little. The thinning of the trees is minimal, but it appears to change at the very least. The mare says that she is willing to answer whatever questions that Nox had, before saying that there would be some way to get used to it all. But, what questions did she even have? She didn't know. It was all so much, her brain was starting to fry. Nerves firing too quickly and thoughts fading to the idea that her whole body was tight.

Well, at least the herds were all nice. Or, they were supposedly nice. Open arms? That sounded lovely. Especially if there was no requirement to stay while Nox tried to get her bearings in this new place. She ponders over the thought for a while before she is shaken from her thoughts with a question. She catches the whole question but it takes her a moment. "What? Oh. Wait. Where I'm from. Uh. I guess - I guess you could say it was a small herd situated in land surrounded by a bunch of i-islands?" She sighs, baby blue eyes closing as she remembers the life she used to have down there.

Well. You're only remembering the parts your brain allows you to remember, Nox. I hope you know that. But, who am I kidding. You probably don't even realize it. Hell. You still think your parents are just missing and that they'll show up again at some point.

As she finishes speaking the breaking of a branch from an animal scares her. Her hooves scatter across the ground as she shies off to the side in an attempt to flee away from whatever was going to attack her. Nostrils flared, eyes wide, she finally gains sight of a squirrel. "C-can I stay with you?" she stutters, pausing for a moment. "I don't think I'm exactly fit for this whole... a-alone t-thing..."

Image Credit

@Lyanna

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
#8

let the winds erase me,

like the memory of a kiss

The questions came. She still had questions, truthfully, and she’d lived here for a long time. Questions about the history of this place, about the way everything worked, but it had gotten easier. Things started to make sense. She found, in a strange way, she was used to not having her old magic anymore and though she sometimes missed it, she had learned who she was without it. Learned who she was when stripped of everything and just left with herself. It was overwhelming and tiring and beautiful and freeing all at once.

The herds were unlikely to turn away newcomers though. Each one looked for more numbers, for active members that wanted to serve their homes. She didn’t know about the other herds, but she knew the Edge was also happy just to have those that needed a place to stay and they did not demand that their residents take up a job or do anything but what they wanted. And sometimes, that was all someone needed when they were new, because it is all a lot to take in at once. How do you choose a place to live when you don’t know more than the names of some of them? You start somewhere, you learn, and then you decide.

The mare offers some information about where she’s from, though no name, and Lyanna doesn’t press. Likely she hadn’t heard of it anyway, and even if she had, she’s never been one to pry. “Was your journey here long?” She’s rather tightlipped when it comes to her own past, so she can understand preferring not to talk about things. Helovia had been, mostly, a clean slate for her, and sometimes she just wanted to keep it that way. Sometimes, it just still hurt too much to voice aloud the things she had run from.

Lyanna hears the branch snapping, eyes turning instead as the other mare skitters away afraid. She smiles lightly when the squirrel comes into view. Lyanna has, admittedly, spent so much of her life in forests that the sounds are normal to her now, and she doesn’t flee when perhaps she should. “I would love to have you come live with me,” she says warmly, meaning it. “I don’t know very many horses that like being alone.” It wasn’t natural, though some did prefer to live as outcasts.

Lyanna nods again, encouraging the mare to follow. Through the remains of the Hidden Falls, the land still beautiful of course, just wrong without the members of its herd. And then onward, to the Edge. “It’s beautiful, really. I’ll show you the view from the cliffs when we get there.”

lyanna

let these waters takes me

Image © Rhiaan


@Noxia - I'll go post now to get your rank updated so you can post in the Edge once that's done!

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


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