Who Am I?, I knew yesterday, but I'm not certain...

The night was quiet... so peaceful for the stallion that he just laid down and looked at the stars once again. Inside him, anticipation was building. His internment was almost up, and he and his love were going to go on a new adventure... off to a new land, far from the bad memories left in Beqanna. He turned back and moved to speak to Aithne, his love.

Wait... something is wrong. I can't speak! Surial shifted his gaze uncertainly, then tried to hide it by walking to her and nuzzling her gently. No matter... I will make do with life as it is. I have you, my love, and that's all I need. We speak on a level above words, anyway.

With a small nip and a look towards a nearby tree in the oasis, the stallion waited for his love to accompany him to sleep. Relieved for her to accompany him, the pair moved to sleep...

The rising sun woke the stallion from the dream. Aithne had already gotten up and was apparently gone for the moment, leaving Surial to brood over his thoughts. He would be glad to leave these desert sands once and for all. He liked the prairies, like the place he and his love had left to come to the desert, and was now going to find more. She had seemed rather excited about that idea, and eager to start anew.

Melodia, their daughter, had decided to stay back for a while. She had found a colt that she liked to be around.

But what about that dream? It seemed so... real...

And so Surial's journey began....

*

It was night when he and Aithne reached this new land. His breath was taken away by the endless expanse of starlit skies and the light of the moon reflecting off a river running through the land, changing the water into streams of diamonds.

Perfect.

He nuzzled Aithne's shoulder, asking her if she wanted to continue looking, or if this was nice for her. She had just as much say as he in this, as it was her home too.

Aithne followed her love without a moment’s hesitation; she would follow him to the end of the earth if he asked it of her. Life’s hardships were bearable with Surial by her side, Beqanna had proven that. Together they had stood strong and now the difficult moments were behind them, a bright future ahead.

She could almost feel the prospect of a new beginning, calling her name with such happy bliss. Peace and harmony awaited them. How could anything else be ahead of them? They were together, in a new land. True, Melodia had stayed behind but their daughter was happy and Aithne could not have asked her to abandon that happiness for them.

With the vision of bliss in her mind Aithne trotted a few feet ahead of Surial, only leaving his side for moments at a time. She paused, waiting for him to cover the distance between them. Her nose buried into his mane, resting against his neck. A slow breath out disturbed the perfect arrangement of his mane. She knew him well enough to know that his thoughts were troubled but by what she could not see. Perhaps the uncertainty of their journey?

Her image of emotional bliss seemed to harmonize into scenic paradise. Had a small piece of heaven descended down to earth for them or was she dreaming? Wide eyed in wonderment; stillness passed over her. It would seem a crime to disturb such beauty.

Surial’s gentle touch stirred her back into life, breaking her statue like moment. She pawed the earth, marking it as an acceptable home. It would be an honor to dwell in such splendor.

This post has been edited by Larka on Jan 22 2007, 10:19 PM

Any place where his love dwelled was not a piece of heaven. No, it was heaven itself, rather than just a small piece. He would follow his angel to the ends of the earth and back, if for nothing else than to see the sun strike her mane, to see the serenity of the stars reflect in her eyes. She was all he needed. She completed him.

Two paths, one road.
Two voices, one lyric.
Two hearts, one soul.
Two souls, one spirit.

Will you travel my path?
Will you join my song?
Shall we join one another
In the eternal bliss that is love eternal?

He ignored the thoughts of uncertainty that lurked in his dreams... for after all, they were just dreams, weren't they? Should he really pay attention to them? He was worrying his love... he could see it on her for a brief few moments. That was the last thing he wanted to do... yet the perfect composure he usually kept was becoming a bit more disrupted with each passing moment.

Something was amiss, and it was not comforting.

He looked at his love, then moved to speak.... but couldn't manage to make the words come out.

"My love... I wanted to tell you..."

The words merely traveled from his mind... he didn't realize it, but they did. Whether she received them or not was another story... and her reaction to them was something more unknown...

Had she done something to upset him? She watched his usually perfect demeanor crumble with dismay. What could possibly be making him so uncertain? Was it the fact that they had left Melodia behind? Aithne would be willing to return to Beqanna if it would ease his troubled thoughts. Or was it the uncertainty of what lay ahead in this beautiful land?

Questions. That’s all the world seemed to be made up of anymore. Question after question. Some ideal conversation, others deep and thought provoking; but always a question. Life became unsteady when the desired answer to a question could not be found.

She leaned against him, her touch gentle against his side. Removing her nose from its place deep within his mane, she lowered her head under his neck. Breathing softly against his fur she whinnied to reassure him.

Words were not required to soothe another’s woes; the comforts of touch could be just as healing. She knew this first hand, having not spoken a word since she was young. The spoken word was cumbersome to her, always seeming to betray her rather then expressing her properly, so she had traded words in for actions. After all actions spoke louder then words.

But what was this?

She had heard Surial’s voice once or twice before, a sweet chord of poetic verse. Now his voice came to her again, but she did not hear it with her ears as she heard the sounds of the birds singing. Rather she heard his voice in her mind, like a memory of his voice that spoke words she had never heard from him speak before.

Aithne drew away from his, side stepping away from him, her ears flicking in uncertainty. A whinny of questioning mumbled from her, trying to entice answers from him. What was happening, as well as what he had to tell her?

As always, there were more questions to be asked.

Sadly, there was nothing that Aithne could do to assuage the confusion that was beginning to envelop her love. Instead, confusion and he were beginning to become one, as these shadows of a distant past were beginning to take shape.

How is it possible? Who is this that I have never seen before? Why does it feel like I know this woman when I have never seen her before? "Ai..." the thought came to project itself again, bringing the stallion to step back in confusion, lowering his head and ears, then begin to shake it out. What am I doing? I can tell something is going on, but I don't know what it is!

And then Aithne backed away from him. He had frightened her in his confusion. He was now alone, confusing all around him. He looked up at her, hearing her question, then tried to respond... even this new method had to be controllable.

Closing his eyes, the stallion began to think of how to possibly control this. Apparently she reacted when a thought came strongly... so perhaps it might work if he strongly thought of what words he was trying to say.

I don't know what is going on, my love. Surial looked up at his love. No good.

He began to force confusion strongly into his mind, thinking of all images to convey it and then brought the words to mind...

"My love, I don't understand it either..." He didn't know if this one worked, however, but hoped that it did...

He looked at the stars for reassurance. They had always been there for him in the past... when his love had been taken from him by the white stallion, when they lost their first foal... and the hours of careful deliberation when Melodia decided she was ready to go with that stallion of her own. Would they help him now, or were they in the sky, laughing at him for his latest misfortune?

Aithne stepped forward, her nose brushing against his, his statement acknowledged with a sympathic whinny. If she could not vanquish his confusion completely maybe she could at least find a way to help him through it. The path may not have been clear to their eyes but a path was set before them, there was no doubt about that in her mind.

Everyone had a path laid before them. There was of course crossroads to be decided upon, obstacles, mountain and valleys to overcome and hidden paths to consider. All of these things were a natural course of life, unavoidable and irreplaceable. He did not have to walk his trail alone however, she was here with him.

Her hoof struck the soil underfoot with certainty. She had never been one to entertain a somber mood for long; such moods were horribly draining of all energy. Confusion was not at all the way to go about things. After all whoever got anywhere by wandering in circles?

She danced away from him, trying to entice him into a lighter mood. The night was beautiful and their surroundings paradise, how could they waste such a night? Her call was gentle; persistent but understanding in tone. A moonlit walk might soothe his mind and ease the worries. Knowledge of this hidden matter was something they lacked; so it would be no use troubling himself with worry until more information revealed itself.

And when that time came she would walk beside him faithfully. After all she did enjoy taking the path not travelled by many others.

This post has been edited by Larka on Mar 7 2007, 09:20 PM

She would walk with him and he with her for all of eternity, no matter what obstacles were in their way... right?

The stallion felt uneasy about this... deviation... in the path laid before him and his love. Now he could no longer speak if he wanted to... or could he? Her reaction to what he thought were his words seemed like it said otherwise, but that was a guess on his part. He could not tell what she truly said, as she was never one to speak. Did she merely stay with him out of pity, afraid that if she left there would be no other to take such a miserable wretch of a stallion?

His thoughts were broken when she struck the ground, then danced away from him. At first, he stretched forward with a longing look, but then realized that she was calling to him in her exotic way. The night was young, and so were they. This was no night to waste. The stallion cast his thoughts aside and rushed to her side, the old sparkle back in his eyes.

He strode with his love under the moonlit sky for another few hours, walking as the twilight became dawn, then found a pristine hill in the land, walked down while she strode on, and gazed at her.

This is just like when we first met, my love.

The sun blazed over her, bringing back her old golden color, just like that first morning in Beqanna, oh so many years ago...

All the while, he prayed to all the divinities of the realm that this would be all that came of his new predicament, so that he and his love could live in peace... but this was not to be...

She led him on, waltzing away his troubles at they went. In playful maneuvers she spun around him, frolicking like some joyful filly for his amusement. She pranced, her limbs kicking out in an exuberant manner. Why was it that she had boundless energy when she was with him? Her eyes glimmered with all her deep adoration for him as she stepped alongside him. She reached out, tugging his mane in gentle playfulness.

She whispered to him in her soft tones, recalling with amusement their first meeting upon the dawn flushed hill. Her gaze met his and she wondered how she could ever bring him to understand her love. Words were spoken but lost once they were said; even actions were lost as memories were forgotten. How then was she to share her affection? There was nothing she didn’t wish to give him, nothing she wouldn’t strive to provide if he asked it of her.

Her love for him ran deep in her, beating like a second heart. Deep in her core, this second life force resided, fueled by the power of her love. It was an indescribable feeling, something she knew only when she felt it. From the joyful fluttering sensation that made her wish to be a bird so she could sing her delight; to the deep sorrow that made her ache and longing, oh the longing, the most disconcerting of all.

Did he miss her as she missed him during absences? The desire to be by his side again during any separation was all-consuming, like some madness that only he held the secret cure for. She had never tasted such a bittersweet emotion; she was so overjoyed to know that she would see him again that her heart danced but also wept with longing. When she was alone she could close her eyes and see him there, beside her once again.

All of these powerful emotions came from this place, a hidden soul that had awakened for him. It was a quiet place that few would ever come to see, a hidden place that was filled with the flame of her soul.

Aithne snorted at her quandary, irritated that the answer was beyond her. She would find a way one day, a way to express what was so deeply integrated into her heart.

But for now she led him on in the dance, weaving around him in delightful patterns. How she loved to dance and play like this with him. She gave a playful toss of her mane, sending it askew and then leapt away. Circling around him she mirrored the prancing steps that she had danced for him during their first few days together. Indeed it was like the first day of their meeting, a day she had treasured for so long. All the while she watched his eyes, searching for some sign of the glimmer of worry she had seen there before.

This post has been edited by Larka on Mar 9 2007, 01:11 AM

Never made it as a blind man. Couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing. Tired of living as a blind man. I’m sick of sight without a sense of feeling.

Her waltzing led him about, slightly half-hearted at first, but as the night went on, as the dance brought the two souls closer, as the movements became wilder and more complex, his flame reawoke, and he ran with the passion of the ages she had known him. He ran for the sake of running, for the sake of the fact that it brought her closer to him. The stars were nothing but rally points for their dance, cheering the pair on as they wove around and around, delicately painting the lovely picture of their love upon the land.

Yet one drew his eye. One solitary star that almost looked like a tear. He slowed, then stopped for a moment. What was it about this one star that caught his eye?

He was in a cave… it was night time… there was another. It was that woman. The one who had been unsettling him for a long while. He stared at the wall of the cavern, then back at her. She did not look well.. like she had not eaten or drank in days, or at least not much. Her black shirt and pants were ragged, and her cheek and arm swelled with bruises and injuries. Yet, when he bent down to touch them, they sparkled and were gone.

He left the cavern for a short time, returning with fruits, which all but disintegrated before the woman, who ate them rapidly. Wiping her mouth delicately, she turned to him, much more refreshed, as if she had life in her silver eyes.

“I never introduced myself earlier. I am Aislinn.”

Aislinn… The word actually found its way out of Surial’s mouth. Her name was Aislinn. This woman who haunted his dreams. Who was she, though? Why did he remember someone he had never met?

Aithne’s circling, however, drove the thoughts from his mind as he gradually lost himself in the immortal rhythm of pounding hooves against the earth. Nature’s dance. He closed his eyes, willing the dreams, the hauntings away… yet he knew they would come back. Something inside just told him it was only the beginning.

This is how you remind me of what I really am.

The tempo of her heart picked up as the intricacy of their steps increased. She reached out to him, playfully nipping at the threads of his mane and then veering away from him. Aithne never drifted far from his side however, always returning to him quickly with a gentle nudge.

No higher wonderings entered her thoughts this eve; rather she just relaxed into the night’s play, letting herself be lost completely in the moment’s frolicking. There was nothing better than basking in the simple bliss of a loved one’s company and that was exactly what she intended to do.

Her delight was soon quelled however as Surial first slowed and then halted. Aithne mirrored the action, stopping and turning back to watch him. What ghosts haunted his steps now? Never had she heard of such an ill meaning demon following so persistently. One’s dream shouldn't haunt one so, the past was meant to stay in the past after all.

She took a step towards him with a questioning whinny and then halted as he spoke. What she heard was not at all what she expected.

Aislinn…

The first word he had spoken in a long while and it was not even her own name, nor their daughter’s. Rather it was a stranger, and one she did not know. Her nostrils flared and her dark eyes watched him with a note of confusion. Who was this Aislinn he spoke of?

Envy, hurt, doubt and confusion all tumbled within her, all her uncertainties played out in the uneasy movements of her body. She stayed suspended in this state, staring at him as she tried to decipher the meaning of the single word.

As he picked up the steps of the dance again she joined him again. Her movements lacked the enthusiasm now however, her thoughts lost and troubled. Surely she was being foolish. This Aislinn could have been a childhood friend or even a family member. There was no reason for her to be envious of this unknown person.

Still, as Aithne drifted away from him, as she was not so fast to return to him side. Instead the thunder of her hooves on the earth only strengthened, pulling her farther from him as she let the wind carry away her troubled thoughts.

This post has been edited by Larka on Oct 10 2007, 06:53 PM

She pulled from him. Their spirals became separated, almost as if they symbolized their mental separation. Since he lost his ability to speak for the most part, they had been slowly drifting apart, and that observation was like a knife stabbing at the stallion’s heart.

And then there was this… Aislinn… that haunted him so very much. Who was she? Why was she haunting him? Why would she not leave? What had he done to deserve her haunting him?

He looked at her, spiraling away from him in the night sky, his stream of sunlight even in his darkest hour.

{+}Love you, how I love you, crystal of my heart{+}

His thoughts of her rippled through his being. He would die for her, that much he still knew for certain. She was his through and through. And he was hers until the end of time. There could be no one else. He did not care who that Aislinn woman was… he would not let her come between him and his Aithne.

She was his night star, his drop of daylight no matter what happened, but lately, there seemed to be a cloud in her sky any time she looked at him, as if he were hurting her with every second.. he shook his head fervently, snorting as he dashed after her. He would not let them break apart any more! No longer would the painful cycle of his dreams hurt them! They would run this night as one!

Quiet, as usual, he stopped before her, bowing his head before waiting for her. [i]“Aithne… I must apologize for my actions of late.. I see they have been hurting you, that my thoughts have been attacking our closeness… and have been driving you away from me. Come, though… let us run as one. Help me drown these dreams away under the rush of our hearts beating as one, our spirits entwined. You are my heart’s desire, and it pains me to see you so.”

With that, he waited for her. As everything else in their time together, it was her decision whether she wanted it to be this way or not.

She slowed to a stop after he had, her hooves settling easily upon the ground again. There was no denying she was glad for the rest after their merriment but still her eyes shone with energy as she looked steadily at him. Her hurt ebbed away as she watched him. He was ever the gentleman and she could not deny her love for him.

Aithne remained still, or as still as she ever managed to stay, as he spoke. Just when her heart had been to slow from the dash, its rhythm picked up again, fueled by his words. Her eyes closed for a moment, listening to his beloved tone.

Only the rush of her breathing answered him for a moment. Than her eyes fluttered opened, filled with the tenderness that beat so strongly for him. No verbal response came from her, ever the silent one she was. Instead she moved to him and lowered her head under his. She snorted softly in contentment and breathed deeply of his rich scent.

For a moment she was back in their early days together; lost among the youthful bliss of early love. Aithne fondly recalled their first meeting and her outrage with him. Flashes of their time passed before her eyes as she breathed in his scent, reminding her of all the joy she felt with him. Her eyes opened and she nipped at the tresses of his mane that fell within her reach, reluctant to leave his touch even if it was for a dance across the starlit earth.

Aislinn journey had been a hard one. She was exhausted after her long search for the black unicorn, but her hopeful heart would not let her limbs weaken. Stubbornly she pressed on, seeking some magical corner of the globe where her friend had retreated to. Since leaving the Goddess’s temple days earlier she had been traveling, stopping only for water, food and brief moments of rest.

Reaching the edge of a forest, Aislinn rested her hand against the tree to support herself while she rested briefly. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she thought about water. Her throat felt painfully dry from the hike, aching for water.

Staggering away from the tree she set off and soon arrived at a small creek. Gratefully sinking to her knees beside the water, she dipped her hands into the water and took a long deep drink. Sighing contently she dipped her hand back into the cool water and splashed it onto her face to wash away the days of dirt. Passing a handful of water over the back of her neck, her gaze fell on the impression of hoof prints in the mud beside her.

She forgot about the weariness in her limbs as she traced the outline of the print. Aislinn hesitated for a moment and then slowly closed her eyes. She searched for the abilities within her that she had kept dormant for so long. Her next inhale brought the rich variety of scents to her as she made a partial transformation to her wolven form. No external changes marked her transformation as she stopped the changes. Lowering her head she breathed deeply, taking in the scent of a stallion. Reversing the change she smiled and straightened. A stallion was near.

Straightening and with new purpose to her movements, Aislinn began to follow the prints. She moved quickly along the trail, sparing no attention for anything else around her. It did not take her long to reach the plains and spot the two equine forms embraced.

Her heart pounded with anticipation as she stared at the black stallion, her gaze briefly sweeping over the mare but giving her little attention. Even from a distance, Aislinn could appreciate the stallion’s strong build. She would have to be careful with him. Stepping forward, she headed towards the duo.

Aislinn approached, moving slowly so they wouldn’t startle. Her movements were cautious since she had never known a horse to relish her company. Stopping a safe distance away, Aislinn whistled one soft note to attract their attention and decide their next action. Her silvered hair blew in the breeze as she waited with baited breath.

This post has been edited by Larka on Jan 14 2008, 07:37 PM

The stallion closed his eyes as Aithne came to him once more, her closeness making him get restless as troubling thoughts sunk into his mind. He bent down and clutched her tightly, as if when he let her go, she would leave him forever. And for all he knew… she might.

How much longer could he keep getting her to come back? How much longer could she tolerate his mind constantly being gone?

Almost the moment he had set foot outside Beqanna, everything he had known had changed, and he could not place a hoof on why. It troubled him… it troubled him to his very core that something was amiss and he had no way to remedy it for either himself or his now-seemingly star-crossed lover. She was all he had in this world of confusion he lived in and what did he have to offer her?

Hurt and confusion, heartache and uncertainty. He whispered to himself, answering his own question.

And it happened again, his vision dimmed as the visions of the past consumed his mind, the present acting like the lights in a theatre, dimming as the show started.

He felt hot… and cramped. Something held him, and he could not see what it was at the moment.

“Carpe Monocerem!” Someone screamed, and he froze… like a blanket pulled over his eyes. Slowly, he was led out of where he was, someone pulling on… something… attached to his face. Fear etched him as he looked around, the land changing to a world of lumped stone and various two-footed creatures around him. He looked at them and saw the wonder in their eyes as they looked at him….

Slowly, the tips of the hairs of his mane lost their ebony luster, a vibrant purple revealing itself as it slowly slinked up the hairs, the vision slowly progressing. If Aithne’s nose was sharp enough, she would likely also pick up a slight cinnamon-like smell coming into his scent even as he held her closer.

At the tip of his hearing, the stallion heard a whistle. Almost instinctually, he broke out of his daze, looking toward the source of the piercing sound. His heart hit his throat. A silver-haired woman was slowly sneaking toward them. She… looked exactly like the woman who had been haunting his dreams of late…

Instinctively, he let go of Aithne, placing himself protectively in front of her as a small breeze blew at him from behind, letting him see the change in his mane. Shock and fear overwhelmed him, the stallion rearing in response before promptly nipping at his own mane as he frantically tried to get the normal ebony color to return to it.

Why isn’t it coming back? What’s going on?! The thoughts flew about his mind as the stallion almost flew into a frenzy…

((And so you know, Larka... it's one of Imirhein's gifts to Aislinn that's doing this...))

This post has been edited by Dark on Mar 1 2008, 01:59 AM

A peace settled over Aithne as she leaned against Surial. Then as quickly as the tranquility had arrived, it was shattered. She had been so relaxed that the change in his scent went un-noticed, even though cinnamon was a shift in his usual signature. It was the whistle that really seemed to bring thing crumbling down.

Aithne lifted her head as she heard the call for attention. She snorted fearfully as she caught sight of the woman standing there. Humans were a strange enemy. They did not seek to kill, rather to enslave. A life of labor and hardship was not one she wished for either Surial or herself so she started to back away. If they fled now the female would not be able to ensnare them. But Surial did not move, other then to protect her. This surprised Aithne more then anything Surial had ever done before. Why would he risk a fight when it would be just as easy to flee from the human? She would not be able to pursue them on her weak legs.

Then her surprise turned to fear as the wind shifted. A wolven scent reached her and Aithne reared alongside Surial. She crashed back to the ground with a challenging battle cry at the woman. The canine scent mingled with the human scent in an impossible way. How could a creature be two things? It was not possible.

Then she realized that Surial was not attacking as she had first thought, rather he was undergoing some strange metamorphosis. Aithne was startled but she pushed the emotion aside. She had to deal with this wolf-woman first, then she would comfort Surial and find the cause of his problem. With a snort Aithne leapt in front of Surial, shielding him from the woman. Aithne started towards the silver haired woman, pawing the ground threateningly and tossing her head. If this woman was wise, she would flee. Even a wolf would have a difficult time against a healthy full grown horse, especially a lone wolf.