in restless dreams i walked alone ; Vader

[illegal]

K L A D D AN

● hello darkness, my old friend ●

and in the naked light i saw
ten thousand people, maybe more
people talking without speaking
people hearing without listening

I was weak. That was the cold, hard truth. I had been strong for so long, had seen war and death, and now I was falling ill. What kind of fate is that? I refused to let my weakness consume me, which meant that I was never sitting still and never really allowed myself to sleep. I kept my body moving, hoping to force the sickness away. In my travels, I had noticed that all the lands seemed vacant, and bones littered the earth. I wasn't sure what had happened here in my absence, but I hoped that it was over.

I remembered one of the lands in which lost souls gathered, and I suddenly had a purpose. I would go there, and find out where everyone had gone. Perhaps they were all in the plains with nowhere to go. Yes. That had to be it. My heart raced at the thought of some actual interaction, and the screams of my deteriorating muscles stopped momentarily. I felt alive again.

I trudged through the unnaturally tall grass, not liking that it almost reached my belly. It shouldn't be this tall, the population should have kept the growth down. Did this mean that the plains were empty too? I paused to think, and felt the weakness slam into me, causing me to lose my breath. I let out a single cough then bit back the rest, straightening myself and taking a look around. I could see for miles, and what I saw was nothing. No life, not even a meadow lark. I raised my muzzle to wind, breathing in the stale air and searched for anything to give me hope that I was not alone in this world.

There it was. On the light breeze, a faint scent. Something that was alive. I pricked my ears forward and turned my crown, amber eyes searching almost desperately for the other equine. There it was. A black blob in the distance. I forced my body to move, and closed the gap between us. The other stallion was dark and covered in feathers, and my pace game to a grinding halt. A Northerner? What was he doing here? He should be off forcing unexpected fillies and then slaughtering them when he finished. I flicked my ears back and snorted as a sort of greeting, wary of the brute but also starved for attention.

I took a few steps closer then stopped again, assuming that the few dozen feet between us was close enough for the time being. "Good morning." My voice was guarded but was faintly friendly. "I am Kladdan, ruler of the Delphinium Creek. Who might you be?" Today was as good as any to try and make friends, right?

my words like silent raindrops fell
and echoed in the wells of silence
and the people bowed and prayed
to the neon god they made

● i've come to talk with you again ●

S p e c t r a

[S p e c t r a]

The overgrown grass hissed and whispered in the breeze, tall strands combing through the soft feathering that framed his footsteps. He was nearly of age now, and this would be a place to seek out mares when he was older. He found he had little interest in that possibility. Some young stallions were eager for the chance to start their own herds, whether out of a need to belong, a need to be needed, or a desire for authority. Vader found the whole thing a needless distraction. Mares complicated things, or so he'd heard. His sire had warned him of this, that mares were trouble and he was better off steering clear of them. He certainly wouldn't be able to defend a herd any time soon, not with his training incomplete, and he couldn't see the advantage of having so many others to look out for. They couldn't be that interesting. He couldn't see any appeal in foals either, and according to his sire neither mares nor offspring were entirely worth the trouble they brought. There was enough to worry about just learning the ways of the world himself.

He might be able to glean a thing or two from another stallion, especially one smaller than he who likely wouldn't try to impart lessons by blows. Mistakes, reluctance and foolish questions were not well-tolerated in the North. Questioning one's superiors could be seen as a lack of respect for authority, and that was simply not something taken lightly. Now that he had the perceived upper hand, he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. He didn't have to police his words and actions so closely. There were no Northerners watching him for weakness, listening for insolence so they could remind him how a proper soldier should be. No longer the silent, obedient weapon, he supposed he could relax. If he even knew how. What did Southern stallions do if they weren't training like the North or scavenging for food and water like the Weaklands? Did they just lie about and turn breeding into some great lengthy romance? He could only imagine the needless complications that could come from taking the wrong things too seriously.

The stallion's uncertainty pleased him; for once he wasn't the most doubtful one present. It wasn't the fear he'd been taught to foster, but it was better than brazen disregard. There was certainly a fair bit of caution in the space left between them. Out of striking distance, clever. He was an unknown quantity here, a potential threat by his size as much as his heritage. He felt powerful. He liked that feeling. Holding his head high, heavy mane stirring in the wind, he savoured the swell of pride. This was why it mattered to have power. To make others wary of even the possibility of violence from you. His ears pinned back in warning, but did not stay there, flicking to the forth and sides to show his indecision. He hadn't yet decided if there would be trouble here. What he did know was that the stallion had shown him respect, and should he cease to do so, the way of the North made it clear that he must strike.

"Vader, future soldier of the North," he replied flatly, trying to sound more fearsome than his obvious youth would let him. Not some idealistic colt who could be swayed, but a serious young stallion firm enough in his convictions to know that there was no other way. Someone who, even inexperienced as he was, had strength enough to be worthy of respect.