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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 18, 2018 8:15:57 GMT -6
The Surrounding Villages
early morning, sunny, clear skies
Tegan
The cobblestones twisted into different shades of grey below his feet, oh what a dramatic comparison to his recent months; the ocean, the docks. His time at the temple. His time as a 'refugee' as they were called. It made him uncomfortable, and his stomach twisted, though it wasn't nerves exactly. It was more sadness. An aching sadness that pulled at your insides until it bled back into the guilt he had for running away. What a disaster all of this was shaping out to be.
He missed his sister.
Othala. He'd seen her a few months ago before he made his dash. Tegan wondered if she even knew that he had made the mistake. He knew she'd been writing to their mother, but in the few letters he'd managed to scrounge up, he'd avoided his name if it were to surface under his teal gaze. The thought made him embarrassed to think Othala was disappointed in him too. After all, the lecture he'd received from their father was already more than he wanted to hear.
The last letter he'd managed to intercept, a page of writing he had caught from the carrier pigeon even before his mother managed to get a hold of it. And what a lucky snag it was. Othala wanted to meet her, and Tegan hummed to himself in a moment's consideration; he wondered if she would have agreed had she seen the thing. He knew his mother missed Othala too.
But so did he. And he was damn near positive she wouldn't have allowed him to travel with her if she had made plans to go on her own accord because, "it's too far," or "it's too dangerous," or "your father needs you here.". So he took matters into his own hands. He'd be back in a few days.
Though the scene felt oddly familiar as he slipped from home yesterday morning, Tegan was ready for it. It seemed much of Talori's mentality was beginning to change since the Flight's invasion. Perhaps they were actually doing good? If Othala was working in line with them. They couldn't be too bad, right? After all, his sister had a level head, and she was smart. He doubted she'd align with something irrational. It was something he had been thinking about a lot lately. And he couldn't wait for his doubts to finally be cleared.
Mulling through the thick of the crowded streets, his curved ears perked forward and he paused. He swore he saw one ahead... Someone familiar... Were those dark feathers?
first post, 425 words. |
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Post by ebbarie on Apr 21, 2018 9:12:05 GMT -6
 Anxiety was rushing through her veins for days and it was about to reach a whole new level just now. She hadn't been good-for-nothing the whole week. And all that just because of a meeting.
Slowly she had initiated contact by letter with her mother, uncertain if she'd ever receive a response. She wouldn't even blame Ehani in case that she wouldn't answer. So much had happen. Maybe too much for even a mother to forgive.
Astonishingly the answer had arrived promptly.
The rapprochement was hesitant at first, but soon it became more familiar again. Almost normal.
And after a few months of writing, Othala had suggested a meeting. The response was much shorter than all other letters before, but mother agreed. And that was good...right?
The days between the arrival of the letter and the actual meeting had been filled with anxiety, anxiety, doubts and even more anxiety. She had been unfocused, absent-minded and even a little rude to the horses around her.
Was she doing the right thing?
Would mother understand?
Would she try to persuade her to come home? Of course she would.
Well there was no turning back now. She had started this. And she was about to meet mother, her mother, and not some kind of monster. So no need to worry...right?
A moment of hesitation, then she landed close to the entrance of the village. It felt weird to be back home again after all that happened, but at the same time so familiar that it almost hurt. She had so many memories, good and bad alike, from that place.
One more deep breath, and Othala passed the borders of her past. The village seemed familiar and strange at the same time. Many parts of it must have been destroyed during...during the Flights attack so many months ago. The majority had been rebuild and looked different than the streets and houses she knew from her childhood.
She had considered wearing a shape shifting amulett, or a cloak at least, but she doubted than many horses here would recognize her. Most childhood friends had move to other villages or cities. Many others were gone.
Furthermore she also had Argus blessing. In case of need would she be able to simply erase the memories of anyone that recognizes her.
Horses crossed her path, and the few that even noticed her either nodded friendly into her direction or tossed a grim glance at her feathers, but didn’t said anything.
Othala ignored them. She was used to that behavior. It was just as familiar as this place. Her focus laid elsewhere. Tirelessly she observed her environment, looking for the pale coat and the strikingly blue feathers of her mother.
Ehani was nowhere to find, instead, she found a pair of eyes that was staring at her from the crowd.
A unique combination of color. Green and blue.
Brother.
He wasn’t supposed to be here. But he was, and he looked directly at her.
She should be scared of what he might think about her, after all that had happened, should be ashamed, but the second she saw her brother, a wide smile spread across her face and her legs started moving without her even thinking about it.
Othala paved a way through the crowd, and then she had reached him. Without a second of hesitation, she spread her dark wings around Tegan and pulled him into a hug. Whatever might stand between them now, they were still siblings. They had been close since the day of Tegan’s birth and she was just incredibly happy that to see him, alive and well.
“I missed you so much” she whispered, her voice full with emotion.
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Apr 25, 2018 15:55:19 GMT -6
Tegan
Another step from the strangers in front of him and his eyes fell straight onto a familiar face. One he was expecting, yet that didn't make his feelings any more relaxed. But before he had a chance to conjure up what exactly he was going to say to his big sister, he was lost in a grasp of dark, warm feathers.
Othala. It felt like she never left. and he just buried his head into her shoulder, allowing the feelings of past nostalgia to flood over him in waves. His eyes squeezed shut in more relief and remnant memories. He really had missed her.
When her warm, quiet voice echoed recognizably in his curved ears, he made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a choking sob, something he'd prefer not to permit, but his childish nature seemed to be breaking him too far down in that moment, into something he couldn't control. When he pulled apart his lips a second time, Tegan meant to return the statement, a desperate; I missed you too. but what came out instead was just as desperate, but worseningly guilt riding.
"Come home." He croaked pathetically through strands of his sister's white mane.
Maybe the Flight was important, maybe things were changing, and just maybe they were for the better. But Othala was his sister before she was a world-changing Flock member, and he wanted her back.
Before he knew it, he was blinking away moist eyes. The boy allowed a moment of recollection and just another moment of his sister's embrace before pulling away. He was getting older, he had to act like it. He knew he did.
"I missed you, too." he choked again, but this time displaying more control. "We all miss you. Othala, please come home!" The emotion he gasped out was unexpected to himself, but he ignored it. "Charini's left too. Everything's a mess." he said, a heavy layer of devastation crushing his words, "but we've moved to Inaria! and the place is wonderful. I'm sure you'd like it, you'll come back with me, won't you?"
Perhaps the bustling street was not a proper place for such a reunion, but Tegan's attention was so far caught on his sister, the crowd seemed to almost fall silent in his ears.
Second post, 379 words. |
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Post by ebbarie on Apr 25, 2018 23:47:31 GMT -6
When her brother returned the hug, she released shaky breath and hold him even tighter for a moment before Tegan pulled away.
Her brave, stubborn brother was still the same, even after all that had happened. No one should witness what he had gone through in such a young age.
And that she herself had caused so much of his pain made it only worse. She couldn’t undo her decisions but she would never forgive herself that he had left Tegan behind.
Maybe he could forgive it...one day.
"Come home."
Two small words were enough to put a heavy weight onto her shoulders and Othala could feel hot tears burning in the corners of her eyes.
“I wish I could Tegan, I really do.”
Yet, what she wanted was meaningless. If she allowed her brother to bring her home, she would put the whole family in danger. How long would it take until a neighbor would recognize her? After the Flights attack she had worked tireless in and around Inaria, to heal the wounded. Someone would remember her. She would be sent to jail, or even worse. And her family would be labeled as Flock sympathizers. Never would she risk that.
When Tegan told her that Charini had left, she gazed at her brother in shock. The pegasus siblings were always closer to each other than to their unicorn siblings, but Charini was still her sister. Worry and anger spread in her mind. How could she leave the family in such a moment?
And the family had moved to Inaria? Mother had not mentioned that. She didn’t even mentioned that her sister had gone missing! Damnit she felt like an outsider in her own family!
Well, somehow she actually is. For a moment she allowed her thoughts to go astray and wonder what Tegan would do if he learned that she was only his half-sister. Would it change anything for him? Perhaps.
“That sounds great Tegan. Inaria is a wonderful city, I’m glad that our family got the opportunity to move there….”
For her the city was lost. Even if she could, she’d probably wouldn’t want to live there anymore. Her childhood dream had become a nightmare. She had seen so much death and destruction in Aquores capital...Not to forget the last time she was there, mere weeks ago when she and a flightless Whitaker had to pass through the city just after the Talorians had reclaimed their homeland.
The louder and more hopeful Tegan’s voice became, the more citizens focused their attention on the siblings. And not all of them seemed friendly. Maybe she would have to alter a few memories before she would leave…
Memories…
The thought hit her like a rock. The hope and despair that her brother radiated was terrible to witness, because she knew that she couldn’t fulfill him his wish. But she could erase the pain from him...she could alter or even erase his memories...of her.
The dismissed the idea without a second thought. It was selfish, but she don’t wanted him to forget her.
“Where have you been all this time? I came back to the temple twice, but you were nowhere to find. And also, how come that you are here today? Have you intercepted the letter I wrote?” she asked in an attempt to sound stern, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Of course he would find the letters. It was Tegan.
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Jun 24, 2018 19:20:33 GMT -6
tegan
His green eyes flicked desperately across his sister's face. He knew that look, and it made his jaw clench. She hadn't said ''no" but she hadn't said "yes" either. She was trying to let him down lightly. Adults always tried to avoid the question, but he could see through it. His sister's acknowledgment of their new home in Inaria was similar... Acknowledged. But unenthusiastic. Kind, for him, but he could tell she wasn't coming home. And it crushed him.
"Othala, please--" and his voice cracked to match his disheartenment as well as his growing age. Tegan fell silent for a moment, but he watched his sister as she seemed to succumb to her own thoughts. She looked so... wild. He couldn't help but remember her all done up in their mother's jewelry. Ehani's talent was extraordinary, but a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth at her new appearance. Her long silver mane, her proudly protruding feathers. It reminded him of his few short months among pirates. He thought this look fit her well.
When she spoke again, the boy quickly found himself biting his own tongue. Where had he been? That was one of his greatest embarrassments. Oh, how his plans had fallen apart. And oh, how he was ashamed of them. Ashamed for running. If only he could have been braver, or if only he hadn't felt so alone...
He didn't know what to say. "I was at the temple." but then words tumbled out too quickly. "You must have missed me." His tone was flat, but he rushed to answer her next question quick enough, to where he hoped Othala wouldn't notice.
The letters. His face scrunched at that. He had half a mind to play it off as mere coincidence, but soon realized that this would be much easier to confess to. After all, he could tell his sister was onto him. His mouth pursed until it twisted into a lopsided grin. "Letters?" He paused for a moment. "Ha, well, they were not too hard to find. I know mother keeps anything of real value in her small jewelry box. I could catch onto the pattern of the mail soon after that."
He was smirking to himself now. But his gaze quickly fell to the cobblestone between his hooves. And so went his grin. "Mother misses you very much, too. I'm almost sorry I took her chance to see you."
third post, 405 words. |
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Post by tarriedsea on Jul 1, 2018 12:01:57 GMT -6
 Whit wasn't used to seeing anyone shuffling around the Aerie this early except for the other Sentinel patrolling the cliffs overnight. Other than a few hawks fighting over a dead rabbit, the night had been eventless. Boring, even. A few more hours and he'd be in his cave- happy to sleep the day away.
The sky began to melt into deep oranges at the horizon. Mist and darkness made the mountains disappear into to the background, as if they spanned for eternity. Stars faded. He felt on top of the world.
A rustle below and a dark figure emerged to the clearing. Initially they were unrecognizable until their wings stretched out, and his heart leapt to his throat. He'd recognize them anywhere. She was stunning.
And then she took off.
Whit looked around. His partner on the other cliff was staring in the same direction. They looked at each other. In a flash he soared across the rock and called to his partner "I'll take care of it." He pulled out his bow and followed the small blur of Othala into the fog.
- - -
Hours into the flight, and his stomach began to twist with doubt. He didn't really have any right to follow Othala concerning her own business. It was made doubly creepy considering it was him, given their history. Given his own feelings.
His wing started to ache- the one that Othala had touched, that had become almost completely healed save for minor pangs. He hadn't been on a long flight since his injury and it was starting to surface again.
But he was a Sentinel commanded to keep the Aerie protected. Someone disappearing so early, obviously preferring to leave unseen, was suspicious. So he was just doing his job... right?
That's how he justified it once they landed and Othala walked unfazed into one of the Talori villages, disappearing into the crowd. Whit stood a few hundred feet behind in the treeline. What the hell was she doing? No Flock member was safe among the Talori; relations were fragile, if strained. And she used to live among them. She could be recognized.
Sighing, he slipped his bow back onto his saddlebags, shook his head to brush his mane back into place, and strode into the village. Pretend you're Talori. Assimilate. Just make sure she's okay, then leave. Draw no attention.
His skin prickled with unease as he walked among the Talori bodies. The last time he had seen any, he was stumbling along the Inarian wall trying to remain unseen. Now he had to step among them in plain view.
From a distance over bobbing heads he saw her dark wings fan out, and when they retracted there was a small pied boy at her chest with his own bright green & teal plumage. Whit squinted and dove into a merchant's stall where he hid behind hanging baskets full of fruit and flowers. The merchant, a small gray pony mare, glanced at him quizzically but returned to her conversation with another patron and paid Whit no mind.
Had Othala planned this? Why didn't she tell anyone?
Meaning you, he chastised. Again, he didn't really have a right to her personal affairs. She had an entire previous life in Aquore that he wasn't privy to. It was selfish to think he deserved to know all of her business. And yet, he felt frustratingly like an outsider.
Whit pretended to be interested in the produce & flowers in the shop stall while keeping Othala in the corner of his eye. She was facing away. Good.
Whit smoothly strode into the next stall, a few meters closer to the pair. Still out of earshot but he could more clearly see the boy.
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Post by ebbarie on Jul 1, 2018 13:00:36 GMT -6
He knew immediately. She hadn't answered his question on purpose, but Tegan was smart enough to see the truth behind her silence. Her brother could read her better than anyone else - and vice versa.
"I wish I could...but it's to dangerous...for the moment." she didn't wanted to dishearten him completely and foremost she didn't wanted to crash her own hopes. Deep in her heart she still wanted to believe that someday the fight was won, and that she could return home. But reality looked somewhat different.
The next time he spoke, Othala narrowed her eyes, as she was faced with a blunt lie. It was a certain tone in his voice, and the revealing twitch of his ears, that made her sure of that. He hadn't stayed at the temple. She had come back to visit him again but he hadn't been there anymore.
For a moment the mare was disappointed and a bitter feeling swept over her, they this sensation was replaced by guilt. How often had she lied to him? Especially in the weeks before she had left. Some secrets had to be kept, and like her, maybe Tegan would open up one day and tell her the truth about where he went after he left the temple. Maybe.
However her grim face was quickly replaced with a amused smile as he mentioned the letters. Of course had he found them. "You are too smart for your own good Tegan" she laughed, but there was no reproach in her voice. "I know, I miss her too...and dad. I'm sorry for what I have done to them with my disappearance..." For a moment she went silent and went er gaze towards the ground, before she looked at her brother again. "I'm glad that you are here. I..I honestly wouldn't know what to say to her. It's been so long that I last saw her. Writing letters is easier." she freely admitted.
Then she took a moment to observe him a little closer. He looked differently than the last time she had seen him. Tegan had grown a little, and there was something new to the way he carried himself. More confident than before. Not to forget the soft strands of his mane, that were longer than ever.
"And...I know it isn't an easy topic for none of us, especially after all that he Flight has done...but you should know that you can ask me anything, at any time." There was so much anxiety in her, that he could see her differently now. That he would think badly of her. Probably only time would tell if and how much her decisions damaged their relationship.
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Post by kaiyacksoda on Oct 5, 2018 14:28:10 GMT -6
tegan
When he heard Othala's laugh Tegan's eyes flicked upward and he quirked a brow. A lopsided grin lasted a moment before the atmosphere shifted back to a serious, almost solemn air. "Disappearance" wasn't an unrealistic word for how his sister had left, but the thought had still hurt him. He would have felt better with an explanation, less in the dark but equally as down-put. There had been a few times the tenderfoot had wished she'd taken him with her, wherever she'd gone, he was sure it had to have been better than here. More exciting.
But she had been serving The Flight. A group Tegan had hardly been aware existed until the past few months, yet now seemed to primarily over-take his thoughts. In all honesty, he didn't know what to think of them. They had taken lives, destroyed buildings, held captives. But they were fighting for pegasi. He twisted the thought in his brain for what seemed like the millionth time, pulling and stretching its meaning and weight in hopes to finally reach a liable decision, hoping to find something he'd missed before.
Othala's voice broke his thoughts to instigate questioning, he could get answers. Real ones. Yet at this point, at this moment, anything he would have asked her over the past few months seemed childish and irrelevant. He chewed on the inside of his lip a moment, pondering a question that's answer would bring him the most satisfaction. He almost wanted to push her, grill his sister for an answer that he knew she couldn't generate— if she'd be home "soon", when exactly was that?
He knew it was a waste of time. It was unnecessary to ask again.
"When," he began, but his voice cut short as his brain seemed to jump between his own words, "The Flight..." Tegan paused again. When his mismatched eyes flicked sideways to gather his wandering thoughts, they landed on another figure who seemed to stick out from the passing crowd. Tegan quirked a brow and scrunched the right side of his nose as his vision settled on a light-colored pegasus that kept throwing uneasy glances toward the two of them from a tidy produce stand. Odd.
And Tegan's voice perked up quite quickly, his attention stolen from his sister in a moment. "What're you looking at?" He asked flatly. Not a trace of aggression as much as genuine surprise, and perhaps a bit of suspicion.
post 4. 406 words. |
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