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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 16:22:54 GMT -6
Memories Under Moonlight
Jala and Tegan
Directly After Chapter III
Time of Day: Night
Roleplay Music: Orphans & Back to the World
Calm has slowly began to usher around Cascade's Hidden Temple. Jala, having been recently reunited with his younger siblings, ponders
over recent news delivered to him, and the current status of his homeland and family. Meanwhile, he is finally given the proper opportunity
to catch up with Tegan and discuss each other's lives while they were apart. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 16:24:37 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ “But the temple floor’s cold, Jal...how’m I sposed to sleep when the floor’s cold?” Makar whined tiredly back to his older brother.
“Oh, suck it up, bozo, it’s not that bad!” Zuri chided back with a bark. Jala flashed a small, stern glare at the both of them.
“Zuri, leave him alone.” The fifteen year-old replied. His dirt-covered snout nudged Makar closer to her side, much to the younger’s dismay. “You just have to huddle up. I know it seems bad but your body will get used to it, you’ll see.” He explained calmly. His own tired eyes looked around the small room in the ruined temple. Most of his siblings were already asleep, all was left was a very tired Zuri and a distraught Makar. The latter was probably restless knowing that their mother wasn’t there.
“I’ll be keeping watch, okay? Jus...lemme know if you need me.” He cooed gently to his younger siblings. Behind his soft voice was something dismal, lining his drowsy tone. Deep down the stallion was still mulling over what had happened only two days before. The morning after the attack, he had woken up expecting to be greeted by the familiar smell of sea salt, and soft cushion that was his bed. Instead, Jala was given stark, grim reminder of his current reality by a few ticks that had found his shoulder, and the roar of a jaguar in the distance, which had startled him awake early that morning.
It had only been two nights and already the wilds had shown detriment onto his coat. A few other horses who had found this place had already tended to the wounds he had gained before, and within a short amount of time they healed. But now, small scars nicked his body. The sweat, ash, and dirt still stuck to his coat, making him feel unclean and uncomfortable. Jala’s muscles were still sore--aching from the travels and the uneven ground beneath his hooves.
As he turned to leave Zuri and Makar to rest, Jala kept his head low, drowsy eyes fixated on the vine-infested floors of the temple. His gait made him sway slowly, and sadly, almost as though the young stallion were in mourning. The quagga finally stopped when he reached the wide entrance to the temple, at the top of its steps; where moonlight poured in from above. It struck his coat and hooves, and with a soft sigh, Jala let himself lay limply on the floor.
Jala ignored the soft pitter patter of Ta’Keet’s feet as the otter made his way toward him. The youth was lost in his thoughts, still drained by the recent events, and very disturbed by the news that had been delivered to him by his relatives. If only I had stayed. If only I could be there. Mom? Mom, where are you…? Why of all horses, would Alya choose to take you and dad away? Please, be safe…
“Judas...please, I need you, wherever you are…”
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Post by arlybarlywartek on Mar 5, 2017 20:37:28 GMT -6
o snap
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 5, 2017 21:50:27 GMT -6
Tegan
“Judas...please, I need you, wherever you are…”
Tegan shivered at the words he heard, oh how much they hurt. The scrawny feathered colt knew little of Judas, in fact, he'd never even met him. Apparently, the stallion had left a year before Tegan had met his best friend, yet Jala had spoken of him so often Tegan felt almost as if they had maintained full conversations.
Tegan had been peering through a largely carved window, thoughts rambling through his head. Where was his family? Was his mother okay? Surely the flock wouldn't take her away with them, right? He couldn't help but think of his sister, the eldest of his siblings and Othala had been the most like him, and oh how he missed her. She would know what to do in a situation like this, yet he was lost.. and alone-- or was he?
The peacock pegasus flicked his curved ears forward toward his friend's voice. Tegan dropped his head and slowly made his way toward the entrance of the corridor. His headache from slamming onto the cobblestone only hours before was mainly gone now, and any bloodied wounds where covered up with bandages.
"Jala?" Said the chimeric colt in a docile manner, quite a different approach than the last time the two spoke... Well, before they were reunited at the ceremony. Tegan's excited and daring mentality was replaced with a frightened and down-trained aura. He was so nervous to step out of line and be whisked away from the herd again, it seemed like the poor colt would snap into a break down at any moment from the stress crowding his withers.
"Quite a way to meet back up again, eh?" He said with a tired chuckle as he collapsed his painted body next to his old friend. The colt's eyes flicked to the wounds on Jala's shoulder, "Thank you for the-- uh, yeah.. The help back there.." He was looking down, almost embarrassed.
"But I'm glad we could see each other. I haven't seen you in so long." With one ear flicked forward, and one flicked back, Tegan's words were genuine. It had been so long since he had been in the company of someone he felt he could talk freely to.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 22:14:53 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "Chur-chur-chur?" One of Ta'Keet's short chatters was cut short by the soft voice of the colt nearby. The quagga mix lifted his head up from the stone flooring, ears flicking in the direction of Tegan's position. They canted to the side, and one flattened entirely. "Hey, Teg." The young stallion sighed, turning his head and managing a small smile in the pegasus's direction. "What're you doing up? It's awfully late..." One could ask Jala the same question, but he was 15 now; in Talori customs, an adult. He had been up much later than this before.
His thoughts rushed back to the stampede and the chaos earlier. Already it made uneasiness stir in his gut. Recalling those recent memories was not a comfortable task--and the smile on his face twisted into an unsightly grimace. Jala forced the corners of his mouth up again, and chuckled. "Yeah, was some--some situation we had there. Lot crazier than a runaway cart..."
He tried to laugh. He could sense the timidness radiating off his friend; Tegan seemed a lot more anxious than usual. He remembered the colt as being spunky, a bit rebellious, and a little foulmouthed. But here that had all washed away, into something...frighteningly more timid. What had happened to him in Torrine? Jala wanted to lighten the mood, and make him feel more comfortable. But with everything he tried, he couldn't make it feel genuine. It was all forced.
"It's the least I could do. Wouldn't want to lose you again, would I...?" He managed to titter. Jala then cleared his throat, loudly, and stared at the stone floor again.
"I was hoping I'd see you again soon...when I heard that the Emperor had let you guys out of Torrine, I looked around every street I took while I was working, tryin' to find you...I knew I'd run into you at somepoint but...I didn't imagine I'd find you there."
Jala paused for a bit, and then turned his head better to face Tegan, feeling Ta'Keet flatten on his withers. "What...made you decide to attend? I didn't see your mother, or even any of your sisters with you..."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 5, 2017 22:31:43 GMT -6
Tegan
The small horse let out a forced chuckle at the thought of their runaway cart adventure. Tegan missed those days, when he wasn't so worried about judgement, and made forced others respect, now he just shuddered under their gaze.
Huddling his feathers against his body to act as a blanket over his smooth hair, he thought about Jala's question for a moment, "Ahh, well.. I don't know.. I guess I was just.. Surprised- Surprised that they would be hosting the ceremony again.. Killing another Pegasus.. It's not right, Jal. I didn't think they would do it again, I hoped they wouldn't." His head lowered even more, he knew we wasn't supposed to say things of this sort.
"I wouldn't have imagined the flock would show up.. I mean, then at least, well-- hopefully the emperor understands that it's a bad idea to kill us off now." Tegan's ears flickered in either direction as his eyes followed. It was nice to speak to his closest friend away, yet he would be horrified to find someone else hear off the things that just came out of his mouth.
As his green-eyed gaze shifted to the temple floor they were sprawled across, the boy let out a quiet sigh and even quieter mutter of, "I just wish my sister was here, she would have a better handle on all of this." Tegan took a moment to recollect his thoughts and look back up at Jala. "But.. Uh.. Why did you attend? I mean, your parents never let you."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 22:55:42 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "If I'm being honest, I'm surprised they'd still do it so soon...With all the riots that I heard broke out during the last one, and everything that occurred after, you'd think they'd maybe...wait at least." As much as he wanted to bring himself to, and as much as he agreed with Tegan's statement, Jala just couldn't bring himself to say "stop." The word didn't roll off his tongue. No, of course his herd wouldn't stop the Sacrifices...of course they wouldn't. It was a religious celebration, and even he decided to go in his piety for Cascade...or was that truly the reason why?
"No...no, you're right, it wasn't right...even if the guy volunteered...I went there and I saw it, and I never expected they did it right before our eyes. Seeing that guy's wings get removed, I..." He couldn't say it. He thought of Tegan, and he thought of Tegan in the recent sacrifice's place. "Cascade is a great, beautiful Goddess, Tegan, she created us with great things in mind." Jala turned his head toward the statue of Cascade sitting in the middle of the main foyer. "So..."
Now he's trying to reassure himself, and bring him back to the Talorian logic he once had. Sacrifices are an honor. To be guaranteed the chance to be reborn in the image of the Goddess herself is a gift, he thought. But why did he feel fear when he witnessed it? Why could all Jala think of be Tegan?
"Well, I guess I was curious. I mean--oh gosh, where to begin..." Jala took one loud breath, amber and gold eyes staring skyward for a moment. Right. He had left home after Tegan had been placed in Torrine. He still had yet to share the events that had unfolded in the colt's absence. Thinking about it now made Jala feel that rising regret again. He shouldn't have left. Oh, how he shouldn't have left. "I...left home, Tegan. While you were gone, I became an adult. And all adults must start contributing to the herd."
He swallowed. "Guess I was just tired of farming for a living. So I left. And I've been on my own ever since." Jala tried to make his explanation brief, reluctant to dig into it quite yet for fear of lingering on the troublesome subject longer. "Anyways, yes, I guess I was curious. Mom had always told me that the Ceremony was something to be celebrated, even if you aren't there to witness it. Since I was finally on my own, I decided to attend it for the first time. But...yet, for some reason, when I watched it happen, all I could feel was...fear, Tegan. I saw that guy and, and I thought of you. All I could think of was you standing there in his place. Next thing I know, bam, the Flock is dropping smoke bombs everywhere."
"You had me worried for a while. While you were in Torrine, I kept writing letters to you. Did you ever get them? I came across a guardian who was willing to help them get delivered, but then you never replied. Were you...unable to send one back?"
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 6, 2017 12:36:35 GMT -6
Tegan
Tegan pulled his painted wings closer to his sides as Jala spoke of the ceremonies. He cringed at the very thought of his wings being severed from his withers, an injury was one thing, but choosing to be thrown from a cliff for others' religious views was something that never would sit well with Tegan. He kept his gaze locked on the stone between his two front hooves, his brows were furrowed in worry.
"While you were in Torrine, I kept writing letters to you. Were you...unable to send one back?"
One of the colt's ears flicked forward, and his eyes slowly peeled from the ground to look up at his striped friend. "I never got anything." He said immediately. "Nothing ever really left Torrine, and nothing came in. Hell, the guardians just stayed outside the gates most of the time. I almost think they were scared of us." Tegan rolled his eyes at the thought, a small smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth. Something he hadn't shown in what seems like years.
"What did they say?" He asked, quirking an eye brow. "I bet it said that you missed me soooooOOOoooo much, didn't it?" Tegan rolled out to lie on his side and peer up at an upside-down looking Jala.
"That, and probably about your new little job too, right? What were you working as?"
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2017 12:57:12 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "Really?" Jala's large ears swiveled forward, wrinkling his forehead as his brows rose in thought. "Oh gosh, I, I thought somethin' had happened to you in there! P eople told me that Torrine was meant to be a safe place...but I could never find it in my gut to trust them." As he spoke, his animal companion slinked off of his back, and scurried toward one of Tegan's white-splashed wings to investigate. Ta'Keet pulled his nose to and from the mess of feathers, chattering away quietly.
"Ah--don't mind 'im. Taka's really quite friendly. He may gnaw at one of your feathers though, I've caught him chewing at my writing pens more than once." Jala clarified. The striped equine got to his hooves for one second, and switched sides, so that he was more comfortably facing Tegan.
"Well--actually--yeah," Jala admitted solemnly. He managed a small chuckle at the colt's smirk. "Being out on my own was lonely for a few weeks...but I got a job, an' met some people..." His thoughts dwelled back to Tethis, Ivarra, Corrine, and even Cassandra who he had the honor of meeting at one point. Selora...Jala's eyes narrowed. Thinking about that tiny mare brought so much conflict inside him. He had gotten over his fears enough to trust her, and see her as a good friend even...but in his eyes the brand he discovered on her shoulder was a mark of her betrayal--to him and to his entire herd.
She had taken his trust and crushed it. And in the recent weeks prior to the ceremony, Jala had never felt so sad and alone.
"Ahaha...Well, ya know how I used to stink at pulling a delivery cart? Well, that worked out real swell, turns out. I got a job under a horse who is in charge of deliveries across Inaria. From stone to incense. I ended up being his delivery colt for a while..." Jala stifled a small wince as he looked down at his dark hooves. "He was real proud a' his job, as small as it was. Kept claiming it was one of the most important tasks in all of Inaria...He was gettin' to be a real friend too, I think he cared for me. Heh...guess I'm out of work now though, for all I know Tethis could very well be dead in the water."
Swallowing down the sudden dryness in his throat at the thought, Jala raised his brows again and turned his head toward Tegan. "If ya don't mind me askin', what was it like in Torrine? Why would they be so scared of you guys?"
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 10, 2017 16:53:26 GMT -6
Tegan
"Well it sounds like you got on alright without me then, huh?" He said with a chuckle, though the colt could feel a lurch in his stomach.
Tegan's ear twitched slightly, with his head-feathers following the short motion. The small pegasus rolled back onto his belly to quickly lower his head down and shoot a sharp gaze at whatever-- whoever, was poking at his feathers. He snorted at the small creature, "You have a familiar now?" Tegan raised a brow at Jala before lifting his neck back upright, "I have one too actually, he's at home though. Remember that peacock my dad got awhile back? Perci? I was supposed to watch over him while we were in Torrine.. He's pretty, but a bit of a grouch though. Not as friendly as your-- er... Ferret."
The boy's ears twitched again, this time backwards as Jala brought up a touchy topic, but then again, they all seemed to be like that nowadays. "Torrine? Hmm.. Well, I- uhh-- I mean there wasn't very much to do. My parents mostly tried to keep my sisters from fighting but that was between their own arguments. Everything was a bit.. On edge, I suppose. I mean we felt safe, really, but there was just this looming presence that I don't think anyone could shake. We could tell something bad was coming, and I mean obviously-- It did." Tegan curled his forelegs underneath his chest and hugged his wings to his sides, the colorful feathers seemed to be a shield from the rest of the world when he was at a loss and provided the child with just an inch of warm comfort.
"I think most of the guardians thought that the pegasi living in Torrine were planning on attacking from the inside out, that's what I heard from my dad at least. As if we can just telepathically speak to the flock? I don't know where they would come up with such a stupid notion. Talori isn't going to like us anymore than the already did, after this, I'll tell you that much." Tegan said with a roll of his eyes, "but maybe it's for the better."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 8:43:44 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________
"Yeah-haha, I remember Perci. He always seemed kinda uptight..." Even before he gained his knowledge of the Familiar language, Jala still felt more connected with animals than the average horse. He had sympathized with familiars in that way...well, sort of.
"Otter," Jala corrected, watching as his faithful mustelid companion flipped constantly from his back to his stomach, obviously growing more invested on chewing on one of Tegan's feathers.
He pulled his head away, stifling a small chuckle before his train of thought ran down deeper tracks, sinking back into the choking pit of gravity. "...For a short while I was thinking about somehow getting myself into Torrine, I was," He admitted. "Jus' so I could see you again. But I stopped myself. I..." A pause. "Ahm' sorry, Tegan. I didn' want to put my family in danger...they probably wouldn' be too proud of me if I did something stupid anyways..."
The thought of the public opinion of pegasi worsening after the attack made a knot form in his gut. Tegan was right; those terrorists had sabotaged any attempts to restore faith into the less open minds of the Talori over the pegasi--and just days after they had all been released from Torrine. The timing could just put the blame on the released prisoners, and bring innocents like Tegan behind bars again.
Not just pegasi though, everyone. Based on what Jala had witnessed, the Flock did no good for his herd; they tore it further apart, this time dividing families, taking innocent lives, and destroying their entire city. Inaria was in shambles. Aquore was in shambles. The thought of the Flock roaming his homeland like a pack of ravenous wolves, searching for more Talorians to slay, made his blood boil.
"Why would they do this..." Jala growled. "Why would they take away so many innocent lives? What if the Emperor's still out there, what'll he do? I don't want you to be taken again---"
His front hooves pressed into the floor, pushing with all their might in an effort to rid of the building stress inside him. Thinking about the Flock and its savage ways made bile rise in his throat. He flashed teeth, though it was directed at the floor beneath them rather than anyone in particular.
"It's not right--none of this is right!"
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 14, 2017 14:00:48 GMT -6
Tegan
"...For a short while I was thinking about somehow getting myself into Torrine, I was," Jala admitted.
"I'm glad you didn't." Said Tegan bluntly before flicking Jala's new companion off his feathers. A short wave of irritability crept over Tegan's withers. Jala wouldn't want to be in Torrine. He didn't know what he was talking about. He should've enjoyed his time away from his family, creating a life for himself.
"I mean of course I would've liked to see you." He said in attempt to correct his first rude remark. "But you wouldn't have wanted to be there. Especially when you were finally getting some control in your life. It was just taken away in Torrine." The chimeric colt rolled his eyes as some of his sudden annoyance seemed to cool.
"I mean, now everything with the flock.. Who knows what'll happen to pegasi after this. It's not like the Emperor didn't deserve it in the first place anyway. They've killed lots of us pegasi before. This whole.. This whole situation is just messed up." Tegan buried his face between his front legs and the cold stone of the temple floor. "It's just.. Exhausting." He muttered with a sigh. "and I'd say I wish everything could just go back to normal, but hell, we all know it wasn't right how is was back then either.. It's just.. It's all wrong."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 14, 2017 15:09:16 GMT -6
Wilbur
He had been rolling back and forth on hard, cold stone floor the past hour and a half.. At least! Yet as the moon had continued to rise higher and higher in the sky, Wilbur figured it had to be more like twelve. Twelve continuous hours.. Twelve hours of back pain and twelve hours of ear-stinging silence.
"Yeah, right! Get a hold of yourself." The striped fjord scolded his brain. Anxiety. That's what was talking.. and for good reasons too. Where were his parents? Right now, the only form of comfort the young colt could find was an occasional glance from his aunt that said a very firm, "Go to sleep, Wilbur." Yet he couldn't. His thoughts twisted into images of his parents being blown to bits, with his little vegetable farm shattered admits Inaria's surrounding villages.
The poor child was exhausted from the scarring day, yet had a hard time wanting to slip into sleep where he knew nightmares would be waiting for him. Instead, his violet eyes shifted over his sound asleep siblings. Junebug was alright, and he wasn't quite sure how. Wilbur wished he had her bravery, or was that still merely childhood innocents? Either way, the colt was proud of his younger sister.
Zuri was kicking and twitching in her sleep. He would guess that she was having nightmares, if it wasn't for the fact that she seemed to sleep walk.. and talk! at home anyway. Little Makar had just fallen asleep, about time too, if Wilbur's eyes were already stinging, he could only imagine the feeling of a three year old's.
And finally the purple orbs shifted to the place he had last seen his older brother. Before his eyes even reached Jala, a tightness seemed to strangle the insides of his chest. Was this anger? He couldn't tell. Yet Wilbur could still only manage a curt nod or a short, "hello" upon there long-past-due meeting. Finding the window where his brother had last been, Wilbur raised a brow as he found no one there. His ears perked at his brothers absence. Where could he have gotten to now? and more importantly, how did Wilbur miss his silent escape out of the room?
The peach colored colt looked back over to his Aunt until he could make out the pace of her breathing. It seemed steady enough that Wilbur didn't feel like it was completely unquestionable to stand and wander in search of his older brother. After all, if everyone was asleep, there was no one there to miss him.
"I'll be back in a moment." He whispered before climbing up onto all four hooves and giving himself a shake. He froze when he thought he saw his aunt's ear twitch, yet she didn't move to scold him, and so he headed out into the hall way.
It wasn't long before Wilbur heard what sounded like whisperers. As he approached the mellow voices they only seemed to grow in volume. Upon reaching the opening of the temple he came across a sight that seemed almost familiar, and a wave of nostalgia ran through the colt's fur. His big brother Jala and his odd looking chimeric best friend laid in front of him. Of course, Tegan was Wilbur's friend too, they all seemed to become quite attached before the two of them left home, actually. Yet at their disappearance Wilbur couldn't help but feel a sting of disappointment, a sting of betrayal.
"What are you doing up?" He said with a firm sense of judgement. It was directed toward Jala the most, Wilbur knew he had no control over Tegan, yet his brother was going to be subjected to his opinion whether he approved of it or not.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2017 15:41:15 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ Slowly, the striped youth's ears flattened, and he stifled a small psh in slight irritation. Spending time away from his family is just what he regretted now. Perhaps the attack was good in that way, made him realize some of his negligence. But then again, was Jala really in the wrong for deciding to leave? The quagga turned his head away sharply, still staring at the soft coal hooves that were pressed against the floor.
"Yeah, well, s'not like pulling carts is much of the life I wanted." He muttered. "But...I guess at the end of the day, ha, it was a good thing that's all I've done. Imagine if we were nobles who worked to get there, only to have it stripped away..."
Jala furrowed his brows slightly, and his lips pursed in a small frown. "Well, maybe the emperor did deserve it. Maybe he did, but not everyone who got hurt today. I didn't. You didn't." He said firmly, before turning his gaze back to the floor. "My mom didn't...for all I know she could be dead," He admitted softly. "...she was with foal, Tegan. How m' I sposed to rest easy knowing she was with--"
"What are you doing up?"
A familiar voice broke through the conversation. Jala's ears swiftly swiveled forward before they flattened again. All at once, he felt a pang of bitterness and uncertainty hit his chest in response to the colt's tone. Jala swallowed it down calmly. "Will..."
The older sibling tapped his tongue to his lips and broke eye contact, staring at the steps ahead of him. "...Couldn' sleep." There was a sudden, awkward silence from him. The young stallion had begun to sense a strange feeling of distance between him and his siblings, a feeling that he did not like. It made guilt stir deep in his gut. "Were...we talkin' too loud?"
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Mar 31, 2017 12:05:30 GMT -6
Wilbur
Violet eyes shifted between his brother and pegasi friend, "No, not loud. I was just wondering where you had gotten to." The colt paused and shifted his weight awkwardly, "what are you doing?" he asked with a judgmental stare. "Obviously not plotting to run out of here I'm sure." Wilbur rolled his eyes before his ears perked at the two colts in front of him, "right?" He said a bit firmly this time.
His focus turned when he heard Tegan scoff in his direction, "Oh, Will!" laughed the painted pegasi as he clambered onto his feet and stepped toward the Quagga cross. "I've missed you too!" Tegan bumped his shoulder on Wilbur's striped one.
"But don't worry, we won't drag you into anything that stupid.. This time." and the Marwari colt gave Will a smirk. "We have just been catching up! Right, Jal? It seems like a lot has happened since I left, huh? Well, since Jala and I left."
Wilbur knew Tegan lacked a filter on his mouth, but did he have to state the obvious? The hurtful obvious? Of course Tegan had left, his poor friend wisped away into the unknown boundaries of Torrine. Yet he had no choice, his brother on the other hand.. Well, he had headed out on his own accord, with not much of a fair well.
"Yeah, a lot's happened, thanks for the update." Sarcasm rolling off of Wilbur's tongue without a second thought, brows furrowed in undetermined forgiveness.
Tegan raised a brow toward him before mumbling an offended, "ouch." and turning to lay back down across from his best friend. "You can sit with us if you'd like, Will?" The pegasus was trying to break the ice between the two brothers, and he was doing an alright job at it considering his upright attitude. Yet as Wilbur's purple orbs followed the chimeric colt as he laid down, he could see his expression slowly begin to drop, recent events had to be weighing on him too.
"No. Uh, thanks, but I'm just going to head back to bed." He had little patience to deal with any more arguments tonight, and as the moonlight shone brightly through the doorway, he could feel his eyes begin to droop. "Goodnight guys." and soon enough he was back down the hallway.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 9:25:07 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ Jala's brows furrowed a little, those floppy ears flattening further against the outline of his skull. But, he said nothing, that tiny glare in return being short-lived before he shot his glance away from his younger sibling. Jala could sense the conflict between them--heck, it oozed from Wilbur's voice, but after the turmoil they had all faced today, Jala was too tired to argue or reply. He was mentally and physically drained from the afternoon's events.
"Don't be rude, Will." Jala only interrupted in Tegan's defense. Though tired, he was still very tense from the stampede--the dust, all the horses, all the noise--and he felt himself prompted to act as a mediator between them. The stare he gave was a little cold, but also exhausted; bags under his eyes and ears level with the rest of his head.
As Wilbur finally stalked off, the teenager turned his head slowly to the entrance again, staring at the grass that wistfully blew about in the night breeze. "...He's angry with me, I know that much. I was so happy to see all four of em emerge from the treeline with Aunt Zaire but...for some reason I'm noticing a divide between us..."
It hurt. He wouldn't admit it, but it hurt a lot. "And now I'm asking myself if I was right to leave them behind. I wasn' there for them, Tegan. I...I wasn't there for mom." Jala took a deep breath, and exhaled through his nose.
"Why couldn't we just...go back in' time and enjoy things when life was a bit more simple for us? Before the Child Sacrifice? Before any of this?" His breath became shaken and laden with small winces. "I still remember--heh--the time we tried to disguise ourselves as adults so we could borrow that thing to repair my dad's cart. Heh."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 1, 2017 10:57:15 GMT -6
Tegan
The colt folded multicolored legs underneath him as his green eyes watched Wilbur leave, "night!" He hollered after him. With a flick of his feathered tail, Tegan turned back to face Jala with a sigh, "well, I mean, you can't stay with them forever. Besides, you had no idea any of this would happen." The pegasus couldn't help but to think of his sister in that moment. There was no way he could be mad at her, he didn't even know what she did or where she went! Though, he did miss her and worry about her nowadays - what was she even up to? and why did she leave? Had he done something to upset her?
The boy's heart ached, "at least you have your siblings here." Gradient green eyes fell to stare between his hooves, "I don't know where my parents or sisters are." He scoffed at his desperate words, and through gritted teeth the colt grumbled, "I never should have gone to that damn ceremony, you shouldn't've either, Jala. Hell! No one should of! Could you imagine if no one attended?" rolling back over and onto his side, the peacock let out a laugh, "the council wouldn't be very happy, haha! I wonder what they would do."
His head rumbled with thought and cluttered ideas, "I wonder why hippocampi don't like pegasi as much anyway." He was staring blankly upwards, eyes shifting between the ceiling of the temple door and the navy stained sky. "I guess Alya did something, huh?" His question came out with a dry chuckle as his eyes shifted back to Jala.
"I still remember--heh--the time we tried to disguise ourselves as adults so we could borrow that thing to repair my dad's cart. Heh."
"Me too! That was loads of fun." Tegan's ears perked (as well as his head feathers) as he rocked his weight forward in excitement. "I miss that!" He laughed, secretly wishing to flip a switch and head back to that time. They were only children after all! They shouldn't be dealing with this, they shouldn't be in the middle of rebel attacks - but Tegan knew there was no point in wishing for better times, "what do you think we are going to do now?" and his enthusiasm quickly dropped.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 11:54:39 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "Should I've, though? I mean, man, I wish I had known mom was pregnant sooner. Ya know, usually whenever my little brothers and sisters were about born, Aunt Zaire would take us to visit our gramma' so we wouldn't disturb mom an' dad...but if I had known I would have tried to convince her to stay. I mean, after the way she come the last time..."
Jala sighed a little. "I'm starting to wonder why they even held the thing. Look, I always believed that those who are sacrificed become hippocampi but...after what we heard happened last time...why not give offerings of food or something for the solstace instead?" Jala sighed.
"Well...I did attend, because I was curious. And I never saw the ceremony before. But...now I don't think I'm gonna go anymore. I don't have the power to change things, Tegan...but I don't think I can stand and watch someone be killed anymore."
His voice was filled with hopelessness. A rare thing to see from the usually ambitious and determined stallion. "I hope your sisters and mother manage to find their way here." But, as stated before, he didn't hesitate to believe that they wouldn't have been spared by the Flock, wings or not. They were still murderers.
"And I still think that was crazy. I'm never wearing a wig again." Jala struggled to comment, struggled to maintain his own enthusiasm--but the quagga's tone just fell flat, and limp when Tegan asked the next question.
Honestly, what were they going to do? Inaria was in ruins, his parents could be dead, and the Flock probably had complete control of Aquore by now. He didn't know where the Emperor was or even if he or any of the council was alive, and Cascade help them if they were dead. The refugees of the Talori herd were helpless, and left to rot within the Aquorian Wilds.
"Hope and pray, I guess. Survive, too, especially where we're at." Jala replied. Ta'Keet had made his way onto his withers again. "My mother always told me that ultimately...we must stand to defend our herd over our family. But I think now...this is our herd. Until we can find out if there are any other survivors. This is all we have. We're each other's family now."
He turned to Tegan. "We have to defend it as much as possible, Tegan. We're on our own now, and unless Mother Cascade answers our prayers, that's all we ever be. If the Flock's taken so much from me...then I'm not going to stand and let them take anything else. That includes you, Tegan. I won't let it happen."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 1, 2017 12:43:39 GMT -6
Tegan
"Well, I'm not sure how you're going to do that my friend, your a bit.. Small." The boy smirked, yet it was innocent and kind, lightening the mood of the serious topic.
"I mean, you're right-- you are, but what can we do, Jala?" Tegan was so unsure on this entire matter, why was Jala so thoroughly against the flock when they were trying so desperately to help other pegasi? It made Tegan anxious, he felt so lost. He needed guidance, someone to help him in the right direction, give him answers. He needed his parents. Yet as he thought, what would they do exactly? Go back to hiding home, hiding in Torrine? Crafting small jewelry and brewing a single bottle of potion only to have no one to sell them to? The colt let out a puff of desperation, until he jumped to his feet.
"I know what we could do! We could find Othala! My sister! She's tall and strong, Jala. She'd know exactly what to do right about now." Multicolored feathers began to extend from behind him as his tail swelled in excitement. "a-and your brother? The older one.. Judas! Judas? That's his name, correct? We could find him too! I'm sure they are experts at living on their own and making tough decisions by now. We could do that, you know. We could. We'd be helping."
They would be, sure, but Tegan's reasons were also selfish. He missed the sibling he could relate to, but didn't Jala miss his brother too? This could solve both of their pain, and most importantly, they had each other to help fulfill it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 14:47:39 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "Pssh, shut up," Jala spouted jokingly. Height? That was a sensitive topic. At only 13.3 hands high, the fifteen year-old was roughly the same height as Tegan, despite the three year gap between them.
The topic of Judas sprung a small leak in Jala's heart. True, he held so much pride and hope for his older brother, the one whom he had looked up to since he was very little. Even in the aftermath of this chaos, Jala still held hope that Judas was out there, making it big somewhere...how many days would it be before he began to wonder again just where his brother was?
"If...he's alive out there." Jala had to hold back the urge to say 'they' and dampen his friend's spirits. Wilbur's attitude and the lack of energy he had was staring to crawl out there. "...How long's it been since you last saw your sister? I mean...well I haven't seen or heard from Jude since he left. And that was three years ago; before I even met you, Tegan."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 1, 2017 15:36:26 GMT -6
Tegan
The young colt's curved Marwari ears couldn't help but flick back at Jala's negativity.. or his strong sense of reason. "He's not dead, Jala." Tegan said with a frown. The quagga colt always had to be so damn sensible. But this was a great idea and he'd be damned before he let it slip away that easily.
"Not all that long ago. Othala left right before my family went to stay in Torrine. Dad said he just doesn't think she could handle being caged up, but my mom usually would just hush him up when he talked about it." Tegan rolled his eyes at the thought. Torrine. Even though he was separated from his parents and other three siblings, he was sure glad he was back out in the world. At the time, he wished he was older so he could slip through the walls by his own accord and no one would be allowed to protest. Or so he thought. Tegan stretched his painted wings at the thought of the confinement and he began to pace.
"Well actually, I think it's good that Othala didn't leave too long ago. It'll probably make tracking her down easier because she probably hasn't started turning all gray and old yet. Wouldn't be able to recognize her then, huh?" Blue and rose hooves clapped quietly on the stone between the pegasi's shuffling steps. "You remember what she looks like don't you? You've met her a handful of times before he went to work with some Cleric." Jumbling thoughts. He turned to Jala randomly with ears perked, "yeah, I've never met Judas. You'll have to tell me what he looks like if we want to find him too!"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 16:10:58 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "I sure hope he's not, Teg." Jala sighed, and placed his head on the floor again. Ta'Keet made his way up into Jala's matted forelock and began to fuss with it. "But, even when I was workin' for Tethis, pullin' carts in Inaria, I never saw nor heard a single thing about him. And when you're a delivery horse, well, you can end up being in the weirdest corners of the city..." He chuckled a little.
It was hard to imagine, but Jala had his reasons to believe Judas was dead as much as he had reasons to believe he was out there still. Jala felt it, and clung to his childish imagination, and the slowly slimming hopes that the rest of his family was safe and sound...but there were so many reasons to justify the idea that it was all for naught, especially in Judas' case.
It felt painful. Jala visibly furrowed his brows and wrinkled his forehead, watery golden eyes fixing themselves onto the floor. A frown could be seen on his face as he struggled to wipe those negative thoughts away. "Ah--what?" He had to take the moment to break away from the negative thought process before speaking again.
"Uh--y-yeah. Yeah, uh, dark pelt, grey feathers, right?" Jala clarified. "She always seemed so tall..." He tapped the roof of his mouth with his tongue in thought, and stared out at the treeline. "It would be nice to see how they're doing...and you're right, maybe she'll end up finding this place and helping us. Because honestly, Tegan...?"
Jala bit his lip. "I'm scared," he hiccuped a little. "I'm scared because, I don't know what to do. That n' itself is scary. And...I miss em. I miss mom and dad a whole lot..."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 1, 2017 17:03:36 GMT -6
Tegan
Tegan's brows creased his forehead and he frowned at Jala. "No, Jal." He stated firmly. "We could go find them. You said you wanted to help right?" but even Tegan's endless enthusiasm was starting to wane as the moon got higher in the sky. His small body was getting tired and he could feel his eyes begin to droop. After everything that had happened today, maybe it was reasonable that the pegasi's boundless energy seemed to be slowing. He slowed is pacing and stared toward his striped friend. "We could do that, ya know? I mean what are the adults going to let us do anyway?"
The young bird kicked a loose stone in frustration. Tegan was used to being shot down for his age. "But we can do j-juuUustt as much." He said through a yawn. Bright feathers extended outward and then shook until they came back into Tegan's sides, he was trying to replenish his energy, wake himself up. Though a few few more steps and the blue and cream colored body slowly folded his legs to the ground to lay beside his pal once more.
"I mean, don't you want to see them again? ...Judas?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 18:42:16 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "Wait--by ourselves?" Jala shot up, causing Ta'Keet to give a startled squeak. The quagga's tail whipped at the ground. "Tegan--" He hated being the voice of reason, Jala really did, but the young stallion had to remind his friend the reality of it all. "Tegan, we can't. The Wilds are dangerous." He stated with a slight stern tone in his voice. "We were lucky enough there was so many of us in one group. We didn't run into any predators today but with just the two of us?"
Jala shuddered, feeling some nervousness quake up in his neck and withers. "We could easily be picked off by predators. My dad and uncle were fully grown horses when they went in here--and still...my uncle died in this jungle."
He bit his lip as he admitted that fact. "It's why I've always been so afraid of this place. Dad told us never to go into the Wilds. He didn't want to lose us like he lost uncle Judas."
And unfortunately, that fear that Nomer had instilled in his children was still strongly present in Jala. He had made sure to stay as far away as possible from the treeline after being reunited with his siblings.
"I'd love to see Judas again, I really would...but, right now, I think it's best to protect what we have while we still have it..." He thought about his brothers and sisters again, and how he had left them before, and how it had impacted their relationship. Oh, if only the stallion knew how desperate he would grow for the rest of them in the coming weeks.
"...Tegan, you consider me a friend of yours, right? I mean...even if your sisters aren't here, or your mom won't be here...I'll still be here. I've still got your back."
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 1, 2017 21:49:33 GMT -6
Tegan
"We wouldn't have to stay in the wilds long!" Burst Tegan, ears shooting forward in a moment's escape from tiredness. "If ol' Nomer really put that much fear into you all, I'm sure Judas wouldn't be hiding out here anyway! Othala neither! They wouldn't have anything to do, after all." At the point, the young pegasi knew he was fighting a loosing battle. He could hear Jala's "adult voice", as he had called in before, begin to kick in. Perhaps this idea was meant to be fulfilled another day.
"but if you could make it happen-" started Tegan, ears slowly leveling out with his poll, "then why not do it?" He scooted a pebble in front of him with a pale hoof, something to distract his gaze and relax the pressing matter. Tegan was smart, and knew when to push a topic to get the best results, otherwise known as, the results he wanted. Another day, a talk for another day.
Peeling his green eyes away from the stone floor, Tegan looked up innocently at Jala, his question seemed to sting a bit, though he wasn't quite sure why.
"You're my best friend, Jala." He let out a small, awkward chuckle, he hated peeling through his emotions like this. "One of my only friends.." His eyes fell to his front hooves, yet again. Tegan loved other horses, he really did, yet his loud, rebellious nature often left him sticking out like a sore thumb. Being born with wings was just icing on the cake. "I just.. I've never been away from my family before." Tegan let out a sigh, "I'm glad we finally got to see each other again though. Torrine got lonely, really."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2017 22:39:42 GMT -6
J A L A
"Where do we go from here?"
___________________________________________________________ "Who's to say they are, though, Tegan?" Jala snapped lightly. "I don't even know if Judas is even in Aquore anymore. I haven't seen him since the night he left, three years ago! I don't even..." Then it all begin to hit him. Would Judas really go as far to leave Aquore? If he did, did he even know what had happened to his homeland? His family? Their parents?
'I may be away, but that doesn't mean I won't think of you.
That doesn't mean I won't miss you. You especially. You're my best friend, you know that?' Words spoken long ago to a twelve year-old Jala now echoed in the stallion's mind. 'I need you to take care of everyone.' His eyes felt droopy. To think his own memories, and his own conflicted mind, could have struck such a cord. Jala gave a long pause. He has to come back. He has to. But neither can I let him down.
"He tol' me...before 'e left, to take care of everyone." Jala finally answered, his voice soft. "...An' for a shortwhile I forgot to do that. An' now Wilbur's mad at me..." He admitted. "...I have to take care of my family here, now, Teg. There's the five of us, Aunt Zaire and Uncle Mic, and Pytia..."
Oh, if only he could be aware of the emotions that would drive him to stray from those words in the coming weeks.
"...an' you." Jala offered a small chuckle and a genuine smile in Tegan's direction. He was tired, but grateful--grateful that after six long months, he had finally found his friend again. "...You're family to me, aren'tcha?"
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 9, 2017 17:10:57 GMT -6
Tegan
The boy let out a tired sigh and his pale eye lids began to droop tiredly. He lifted a soft gaze back up to the quagga who laid across from him. "Alright, alright." He muttered. Tegan couldn't help but wonder if he could get Jala's opinion to budge a bit later on, after all, he had done it so many times before.
He was grateful to be in his friend's presence once again, though there was only a small age gap, and Tegan would never admit to it, there were times that he truly felt he had found the older sibling he so desperately missed since Othala's leave. It was Jala's last question that seemed to make Tegan's heart fill.
"Yeah." Was all he said as he laid his head back down and on to the front of his knees, an awkward smile on his face. The moon casting shadows on the two boys from between the stone doorway. Eyes now closed, the wind began to finally rock the exhausted colts slowly to sleep.
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