| Deceased |
| Mare :: Equine :: 15.0 HH :: 8 |
| Adoptable |
03-11-2013, 09:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-13-2013, 02:39 AM by Ailith.)
No matter what we breed, we are still made of greed
This is my kindom come, this is my kindom come
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The storm had really begun. Fear and faith and denial all consumed what she thought would feel like clear-cut glory. She had fought, she had lost, and yet she felt as if there was more to be said. Her heart no longer possessed the life it once had and she wished to understand as much, but alas, no answers came. Where had she gone wrong? Better yet, where was she to go now? She didn't feel as if she had lost much in the way of family during the invasion- Jackal hadn’t even known her by name. Perhaps it was the thrill of the fight or the sense of belonging, despite her actually belonging nowhere. Her heart beat, but she wasn't sure what for. She thought back on the day that the Grey had invaded… they were much more a family than the Foothills had ever been in her short time there. Did it make sense for her to feel at such a loss now that she’d come away from war without as much as a plaque to reward her for her efforts?
Instead she felt even more muddled than she had before the invasion. There was no purpose for her here; none at all. Or at least that she could see.
Her muscles quivered, still singing faintly from the Warlord’s merciless blows as she pushed once more into the dunes, clearly at ease in finding their dips and rises beneath her toes. She hadn’t waited along the borders as she would have done just days before, no; she was still far too familiar with the Foothills to treat them as a stranger, as if she’d never looked upon them with affection.
She turned a lavender gaze into the tree line as she slowed to allow the breeze to toy idly with a few stray frosted threads. Home- this had once been home… but for who? Surely not herself. At one time she had longed to call it such but did she still feel those tender emotions drifting low beneath the surface of her rigidity? She had been quite attached to the idea of finding comfort in the dunes and perhaps she could still make it so, though, she wondered what the Grey would make of her. She did not come to them a broken follower of Jackal begging pathetically at their Threshold for a kindness that she did not wish to have. Upon such a thought she reminded herself that they would be just as privileged to have her as she them.
However, there was still much to be discussed. She had heard Locket had given up in the final fight and for that she could not blame him. But she wondered how he had been able to give them everything that he had been fighting for. Had it been simple? Obviously she had not come prepared; instead she came on a whim more than anything that wavered about as much as the summer breeze.
Once again she peered out into the trees half expecting the growling of thunder followed by the soft pitter patter of rain upon the dry grasses when they came. She knew not who would find her here, trespassing upon lands that were once her own, but only that they would find her here all the same. Resting back onto her hips she closed her eyes and imagined what her life would have been like before she had been reduced to submitting to the enemy. For a short time she would imagine that she had never known the land before now- she was just as true to The Grey as any other.
Then she wondered just how long such a fairytale could last. |
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| 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's back leg was smarting, but she clenched her jaw and braced her body through the pain. Though exhaustion was overwhelming, she tightened the muscles across her back and gut to relieve some of the strain on her hindquarters. One of the fighters for the former Foothills lingered on the borders, but Ophelia did not have a chance to observe her fully on the battlefield. They never crossed paths in that war. Why did she remain? The alabaster mare of the Grey was continually curious as to why so many lingered. Was it a tie to the land itself? Nostalgia? Disbelief? Or did they simply not want to be on the losing side?
As her cloven hooves drew her closer, Ophelia saw the way the smaller mare was peacefully resting with the Tallsun breeze touching her mane. Her eyes were closed, but the white one knew that she would be able to hear her approach. Though the ability would be nice to have, silence was not a gift Phi possessed. What did she dream? The sun continued its ascending path, and the heat was displeasing. She longed to be in the north, touched by the ever present snow and whiteness of winter. Another land in the frosty tundra would have been preferable, but the meager might of the Foothills made this land an obvious choice. Had the Grey invaded elsewhere, they would have been fools.
Ophelia was still not pleased with the fact that the battle had been handed to them in Jackal's absence. The fight did not settle well in her gut and only brought more anger to her throat. She wanted to earn the land they fought for, not... tear it away from broken and tattered hooves who desperately clung to a dead dream. Even the thought brought a frown to her gray lips and a wild, irritated flash of her pale and crimson tail. Finally, she moved close enough to Ailith that her presence would be known and simply waited for her to awaken and acknowledge her presence.
The alabaster mare was rarely in a foul mood, but she was tired, irked at the entire battle, and just... dwindling in energy. "You remain. Why?" Ophelia asked in her typical chime-like tones. The question was not demanding or mean, only... tense. She had no interest in having to chase anyone off of the borders right now. The idea was absolutely unappealing. Sleep, now sleep sounded... pleasant.
|
COME TO ME
we run away forever from this misery
|
tangled-stock | Salsola stock
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!
| Deceased |
| Mare :: Equine :: 15.0 HH :: 8 |
| Adoptable |
03-14-2013, 04:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-14-2013, 04:49 PM by Ailith.)
No matter what we breed, we are still made of greed
This is my kindom come, this is my kindom come
|
The distant thudding of hooves upon the dry grasses made Ailith awaken from her daydreaming. She hadn't been expecting this vision in white nor had she expected this war-beaten queen to appear so haggard. But what was it that she had been expecting anyways? They had both come away from invasion with much more (or less) than either could have foreseen and yet here they were neither a winner nor a loser. For what could have been said of the Grey, a band of misfits who had been lucky enough to rip the Foothills from beneath Jackal's absent heels? Or what had been lost to his former followers, a herd with no real purpose who had thought it wise to rely on their ghost-like patriarch (who so willingly left them in ruin)? Ailith had experienced many things since finding herself a part of these very lands but of all her experiences, she had not found much in the way of belonging. What she had found had been only fear and sorrow in the eyes of those who had looked upon her that day before battle. No one had guided them into that fight and now no one guided them away from it. Each held their own that day and Ailith was not likely to forget it. Instead, like many before her, Ailith was only searching for purpose in the bones that remained of her loyalty to a Stallion that she had never even spoken to.
Perhaps Ailith thought she would find purpose here with the Grey, or perhaps not. Only time would tell.
Gazing into the dual-toned glare of the alabaster queen, Ailith nodded solemnly upon her approach. The silence between them was not perceived as kindness and yet there was no malice in the way that she presented herself. For a moment it was easy to imagine that this was just another day, another casual meeting that had been happened upon out of mere curiosity. But beneath the surface of such an amiable exterior lie questions with inevitable answers.
However, expectations no matter how large or small were never something that Ailith liked to concede to. But as she stood before this icy queen, her resolve wavering against a sea of emotions, her fantasies were suddenly long forgotten. Reality tasted of ash upon her tongue and her response was little more than a whisper. "How could I leave?" She gestured towards the dunes as if an explanation could be found amongst their highs and lows or as if the hills themselves had obliged her to stay.
Again she peered into the eyes of a mare that was in all respect, no different than Ailith herself and tried to find some trace of humility there. Ahead of them, the rolling grasses blew haphazardly in the breeze while silence ensued. Would they ever see common ground or would the wall between them only grow thicker? "Let me join you." Her words were quiet upon the wind and held all the greatness of promise or demise. How this mare interpreted her request would decide whether or not she would once again watch the skyline from these very hills or from a different life entirely.
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OOC|| ....errr. I don't know if I like how this turned out.
| 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 |
03-14-2013, 05:28 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-14-2013, 05:29 PM by Ophelia.)
Ophelia waited patiently for a reply, her eyes wandering to the creek running through the center of the grassy hills. The blood on her body was thick and cracking, and she wanted to wash away the red from her figure. However, some of the red was inherent, it resided in her soul and manifested at the ends of her pale hair. The crimson was rebellious, a sign of a taint and a metaphor for the paths that now forked before her life. Inside, the mare held all the promise for darkness. She could be a dark queen of wickedness and violence, and a power or reckoning. Yet another path, illuminated by light, shone brightly alone her life. Still, she could choose to follow a destiny of helping and kindness, much like who she was as a child. Right now, she was truly the Grey, stagnant in the middle of light and dark with no impetus to push her to either side.
Oh, how she longed for sleep and the clarity it brought to her weary mind.
How could you leave? The same way she left Isilme so long ago - by force. She could have chosen to stay and her bones would have been scattered across the Tides by the darkness and shades that overwhelmed her old home in a shadow that still had yet to lift. Instead, she ran. Ties to the earth itself only allowed for heartbreak. The land did not give a damn how much you cared for a tree or rock, or the subtle horizon of familiar landscape. Even now, the Foothills did not mourn - the grassy fields accepted the Grey like brothers and sisters, and just as fickle, it would reject them when the time came.
The choice to stay resided with who was there to accept you with open arms. The choice remain was to belong to a group that you once fought, and that was no simple task to the heart of a warrior. Ophelia guessed that this was why Paladin had left the Foothills as soon as her and her brethren had crossed its borders with the intent of war. She did not blame her father. She knew that his soul followed a code unique to his long history, and to change that would be to change him.
"Do you know who we are?" she asked, dual colored eyes returning to reality and settling on Ailith's magenta ones. "I cannot deny that you are a capable fighter and we would be fortunate to have you as we do Locket, but to join would be to accept who we are and what we do. Many cannot, and that is of no ones fault - they need to follow their hearts and code." Ophelia paused. "We are a band of mercenaries and spies, a neutral group with no alliances and promises. To belong to us is to belong to only us."
The alabaster mare paused, watching curiously. "Can you accept that?"
|
COME TO ME
we run away forever from this misery
|
tangled-stock | Salsola stock
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!
| Deceased |
| Mare :: Equine :: 15.0 HH :: 8 |
| Adoptable |
No matter what we breed, we are still made of greed
This is my kindom come, this is my kindom come
|
Did she know the Grey? What she knew of them was very little; in fact all she knew of them was their lack of humility when it came to getting what they wanted. But could she blame them for something she would have done if she’d been placed in their position? Had they not fought for family and the pride that came with such a heavy title? Truth be told, she couldn’t hold a candle to their acts of propriety. They hadn’t asked for war but merely insisted that if their demands were not upheld then they would be forced to violence. Jackal had not been among the Foothills to support their decision to participate in the invasion and perhaps if he had been, a better solution could have been agreed upon.
But where were her thoughts leading her?
Had she not just days ago felt entirely the opposite? But what, really, had she been fighting for? It certainly wasn’t a place among “friend and family” because she had yet to even call them that. So maybe, just maybe, there was nothing standing in the way of her acceptance other than pride. She wet her lips in preparation to endure once again what she felt was best but something caught her eye. Perhaps it had been just a stray branch in the distance, swaying in the dry breeze, but she turned her head just the same. What she saw there was really nothing other than a few leaves dancing in the wind, but somehow it didn’t sit well with her.
Was she just a leaf blowing in the breeze, searching for purpose that she was unsure if she could ever find?
Truth be told, she felt lost in a mix of emotions and when she turned back to gaze into those two-toned eyes that looked entirely too forgiving, she found hope. It was not a hope that came from her acceptance into the Grey but more so a hope that she hadn’t been wrong to seek such a thing. “If that is what you are then I believe that I can agree to your terms. My code, as you say has been unchanged since the day I became part of this land. But as a part of this land I am only that- I was never given the chance to swear loyalty to anyone other than myself and I offer it to you and your Grey should you have me.”
For a moment she paused, her eyes widening in a sense of realization. There was much ahead of her and while the road looked dim, she believed there to be a light beyond the darkness. Time and again she had fought the possession of her will but at least here, it would be put to good use (as far as she could tell). This Grey, no matter what their plans, saw more than a pretty face and planned to shape something of her nothing. That was enough for her to decide upon. “Put purpose behind your words and see them fulfilled.” |
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| 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 listened to the mare, her curiosity ever rising. Why did the buckskin fight if she did not swear loyalty to Jackal? The name brought back memories of being a child. Long ago, in a time that seemed so distant to her heart but so close in her mind, she, Ktulu, and Jackal had met on the beach. She remember the melancholy loneliness that had seemed to shake his core, and she vividly remember him walking away from her when she had approached to help. The memory still stung as it did when she was a child, and she realized through reexamination that perhaps that was an integral moment in her childhood. That moment may have been when she learned to wall herself from others, to hide her compassion.
The alabaster princess furrowed her brows and stared into the magenta orbs more deeply with her dual colored once, as if she could pry the answers from her mind. Though... Ophelia could, but she would prefer to learn from those she respected through talk rather than... rape. Truly, her power was mental rape. She took without asking, forced her way into a private place and read what was not hers to read. Useful, but afterwards, having someone else's memories permanently in your own mind was aching.
She tilted her weight onto a back hip, no longer threatened since negotiation was being handled so beautifully. Why did they not relinquish the Foothills when she had offered them the opportunity? What did they gain? No leader stood among them now to offer heartbroken condolences and promises of a brighter future; they were entirely alone, broken. "Why did you fight then, if not for Jackal? You fought for the land?" Ophelia did not feel for the land itself what her father and others seemed to hold in their hearts. She felt alive in the north where the falling snow and the crisp wind lifted her soul to the highest. The herdlands were just that - herdlands. Since they were protected by the gods, they offered benefits and safety that the wilds could not.
But the land was just that. The mountains shift, the rivers rise and fall, and the grasses die and are reborn. Nothing is constant. The disconnect between feeling tied to territory and Ophelia's heart was clear. She was a wanderer at heart, never belonging. Even her birthright seemed to express that she was resting on a line of halves, never entirely whole.
"You are welcome to join the Grey, Ailith, as a warrio - I hope?" she asked with a small, hesitant smile. "Should you realize that my family is not suited for your desires, you are welcome to leave; I only ask that if you do that you keep our secrets." Ophelia nodded her head back over her shoulder to where the band was regrouping. "Come, meet everyone."
[OOC: I will change Ailith's rank now! ]
|
COME TO ME
we run away forever from this misery
|
tangled-stock | Salsola stock
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!
| Deceased |
| Mare :: Equine :: 15.0 HH :: 8 |
| Adoptable |
03-18-2013, 03:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-19-2013, 01:35 AM by Ailith.)
No matter what we breed, we are still made of greed
This is my kindom come, this is my kindom come
|
She couldn’t blatantly say why she had fought for the Foothills because there really was no rhyme or reason to it. It could have been any number of reasons ranging from impulse to madness, but it had all ended the same hadn’t it? She was still here before alabaster mare, the enemy at one time, asking for mercy. Looking at her now, she saw the confusion in her eyes and perhaps she felt that it was mirrored in her own, but she didn’t have a single word to share in which to justify her actions. So she simply didn’t, at least for now. Instead she humored herself with thoughts and excuses other than the truth. But lies had gotten her nowhere so far and with the breeze hinting towards a light rain coming in from the east, she decided it was better to start admitting the truth before they turned her into a danger to herself.
But was truth existed if she was unaware of it altogether?
“I believe that I fought for myself more than anything, as now I have proof of a strength that I have long questioned.” She shifted amethyst eyes onto those of crimson and azure, clearly vexed as to how a creature could come by such rare jewels before smiling softly. It was more to herself that she spoke next; somehow trying to convince her conscious that she had done no wrong. Whatever happened in the past would stay there as the future was ultimately looking bright. “A warrior to execute your bidding... Though, I have no worries that I will find your family suitable, as my last has primarily ended up here as well.” A devious smile is passed between the two and before she turns to follow after the mysterious queen of the hills, she vows next to find a name in which to call her by. |
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| 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 respected the dun mare's response, deeply. The young, alabaster femme knew intimately the desire to test one's self, to know one's limits. She had done quite the same by taking up offers for spars and purposefully putting herself in precarious situations. The memory of taunting Deimos in the World's Edge so long ago came to mind, and her expression turned grim very briefly. What she had learned that day was invaluable, and it had humbled her deeply. She knew that that moment in time was now integral to who she was, so she admired Ailith for her choices in this war. She admired the mare for having the courage to test her limits.
The pale one smiled, understanding. "I am even more impressed then," she replied. "Not many are brave enough to confront themselves and their weaknesses. I admire your honesty."
Phi chuckled at her next words. "Those who proved themselves in battle against our numbers and showed understanding like you and Locket are assets to the Grey. How could I refuse your entrance when you have such inspiring qualities?" She asked rhetorically. Then, the uniquine sighed. "I believe many thought that the war we waged against the Foothills was personal and illogical, but it was the most logical design the Grey could make. The Foothills was decaying under Jackal and those who fought valiantly and align with our ways should not have to leave."
"As long as we remain passionate creatures, war will always exist. I believe many have lost the understanding of this fundamental cog in the machine of life..." she mused aloud before shaking her head. "I am sorry, I am Ophelia. You may call me Ophelia or Phi. I am not one for formalities. You are my equal."
|
COME TO ME
we run away forever from this misery
|
tangled-stock | Salsola stock
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!
| Deceased |
| Mare :: Equine :: 15.0 HH :: 8 |
| Adoptable |
No matter what we breed, we are still made of greed
This is my kindom come, this is my kindom come
|
The sudden passing of darkness across Ophelia’s face alarmed the golden girl for a moment; had she said something out of turn? For a time she debated the possibility but when her eyes returned to mare, the sorrow that had been present had long passed and appreciation dwelled in its wake. What did Ophelia see in her anyhow? Perhaps she would never know and she really didn’t feel much for asking and so she let it lie. That had somehow become her motto in life as of late- “Let it lie, just let it lie.” A rather gusty breeze began to toy with her frosted threads and she chanced a single glance out into the dunes, she was thankful for this chance to redeem herself… She was thankful for this new start.
Ailith chuckled lightly at the other mare’s assumptions upon returning her attentions to the frosted Queen. “I wouldn’t call it honesty as much as admission. ” The conversation had grown a bit more balanced in that Ailith no longer felt obliged to fulfill the other’s expectations. A respect had been established between the two, at least as far as the golden mare was concerned. She couldn’t speak on behalf of Ophelia though.
Again a tinkling laugh erupted from the little mare’s gut; she was certainly in the best of company as entertaining as she was. “I’m not certain that I would call them inspiring, though I thank you for your optimism. It is a great relief in light of recent events.” Her voice seemed to trail off now as she thought back to the battle despite her former exuberance. Her heart had been there, in the fight, but where had it gone afterwards? She wasn’t certain whether she had lost it somewhere along the way or if it simply hadn’t existed before the invasion. “I do not doubt your intentions in the least and in fact find them moving- you acted in your best interest. It is the least that you could do to maintain the empire that backed you, believed in you. I fear that I cannot say the same for Jackal in his reign...”
Ailith looked pained now, torn between trying to justify Jackal’s cruel lack of caring and merely letting the thought die. Of course, in spite of her need to validate him, there was no feeling left in his name. “A pleasure to meet you, I am Ailith.” |
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