solace [dawn]

[Lyrics]

WANT A LITTLE LIGHT,

Day after day, the air felt a little more brisk, the little sunlight that peeked through in the north becoming less present despite it not being anywhere near dusk. Boredom had become an unwelcome visitor in Pyra's life these days, and she found herself traipsing further and further north in pure obstinate frustration, figuring she'd eventually either find some sort of different terrain than snow and stone, or be forced to turn back as the conditions got too severe to endure. Judging by the worsening wind, it looked as if it would be the latter, but it seemed to be the only place left she was free to explore and hadn't done so yet. She could see why not many inhabited this far north; so far all that had changed in the terrain was an increase in snow and a lack of vegetation. If she wasn't careful, Pyra knew she would start losing weight; not a good situation when wandering the frozen tundra, but she was confident in her ability to turn back if these conditions became too harsh. At least this investigating this new ground gave her a sense of purpose - lately not much had engaged her interest at all and it had left her gloomy and bad-tempered. So the previous day she had turned towards the shape of the mountains, dark against the bleak grey of the clouds, and impulsively decided to see if she could reach the foot of those distant summits and how long it might take. So she had taken a few impatient mouthfuls of the soggy grass available and headed towards there, almost at a trot in her eagerness.  

The air from her nostrils condensed with each puff, only just visible in the waning light. She had maintained such a brisk pace that sweat had gathered underneath her thick creamy-coloured mane, and with a graceless snort she shook her head to flip the tangled mess onto the other side of her neck. She'd never been particularly fussed about her appearance but it occurred to her she probably looked like a bit of a savage. She'd never had the elegance of her mother, dignified even when life was rough. At times she wondered what had happened to her mother after they had parted ways - the palomino she would be reaching middle age now, a fact she'd fond curious as she couldn't picture her dam as frail and elderly. Pyra assumed she would have soon gone and joined a herd elsewhere once her yearling daughter had bade farewell, however, the young mare couldn't really say for sure what her mother planned to do after their departure. Whatever it was, she hoped she was happy.

The snowflakes, previously drifting lackadaisically down to the ground, began to be propelled by the wind and hit her in the face, little icy stabs that irritated the delicate areas of her eyes, ears and nostrils. At this her pace slowed, ears folded back to block any icy flakes getting into the delicate part of her inner ears. The path ahead had been foggy for sure, but now it seemed she could only make out a few ten steps ahead, even the nearby landmark becoming murky shadow. Alarm struck her as the wind quickly picked up, blowing her thick mane and tail so that they streamed whichever direction the wind deigned to turn. Blizzard. She cursed, frustrated at herself for not recognising the warning signs as she traversed further into frozen territory, and fear began to flood her stomach. Struggling to see as her course mane flew into her eyes, she forced herself to remain rational and recall what to do during a particularly vicious storm. Find some cover, when did you last see some form of cover? She remembered to the left of her there was a small alpine forest, which she'd only glanced at while in passing. Craning her head and peering in that direction, she could just make out the form of trees a distance away - she guessed a few hundred metres or so. With no other choice, Pyra turned and trekked towards the woodland, praying that she'd get there before the visibility became too poor.

Despite the icy wind flipping snow and bits of her own hair into her dark eyes, they remained glued to the shape of the trees; she was terrified that if she looked away, she'd lose sight and be trapped inside the oncoming snowstorm. It was becoming to the point that the air was buffering her movement, forcing Pyra to take a slow and steady pace to remain balanced. Thankfully, however, she was getting closer, the silhouettes slowly becoming more detailed out of the snow. She thanked the gods that the forest appeared to be surprisingly thick and sheltered from a close point of view - she probably wouldn't have found a better form of refuge even if she'd left herself a little more time before the blizzard hit. She snorted as she passed the first line of trees, instantly feeling the blast of the wind lessen slightly. It wasn't much at first, snow still whipping through the space of the trees but as she delved further into the woods the whooshing of the air past her ears became quieter, her body felt relief from the gale. The white-spotted mare let out a slow exhale, attempting to settle her nerves; who knew how long this tempest would last, but at least she was safe from the brunt of it in the thick alpine woodland.

BUT WHO'S GONNA SAVE A LITTLE LIGHT FOR ME?
lyrics- "unbelievers" vampire weekend

[Dawn]

The end of another day was approaching, and Aurora was glad for it. In sleep, at least, her dreams could entertain her, and not this vacuum full of nothing that was officially termed a day. And she planned to have an early night. What more could she do in a land so devoid of equine life, except to fulfil her bodily needs and wander the expanse of the North? She was getting good at navigating the endless landscape of unchanging scenery, even despite the shadows that kept creeping across her vision, causing her to shy and snort until she realized that they were figments of her imagination. The silver bay had celebrated her fifth birthday up here in the frozen North, and she no longer looked and felt like a child. Her body had matured into a feminine form, with lines of muscle in her back and flanks from the constant travel she put herself through. A white marking on her back took the appearance of wings outstretched in flight, as if maybe someday, she too could fly. Aurora didn't quite know what to do with herself these days. Her original goal was to find her father, Kuguar, but it had been so long now. It seemed that nobody she spoke to knew his name, and honestly, sometimes she believed that her mother Callypso had made him up to appease her. It felt like she was chasing a ghost, and getting no closer with all the time that was passing. It was a fruitless goal, which frankly, Aurora was tired of working towards. She was done with family, done with equines, and had embraced the life of a loner. But of course, nobody had told her how completely unfulfilling it was.

Her left eye was giving her grief at the moment; it throbbed and teared up, and she found herself pausing often to scratch it against her knee. Sometimes the sight in it blinked completely out of existence, if only for a moment or two, and without fail it unnerved her every time. It was losing half of her world, not being able to see out of that eye. Equines depended on their wide-set eyes to have an almost perfect range of vision, with small blind spots only just behind and in front of them. When Aurora's sight dimmed in her left eye, she lost all of the information coming in from that side, and it left her feeling vulnerable and afraid. But what could she do about it? Pretty much nothing, so it was pointless for her to dwell on. Still, she found herself favoring her right side a lot more, and if something interested her, she was more inclined to want to look at it out of her right eye - her good eye - because it had never given her reason to distrust it before. It angered her that her own body seemed to be betraying her. Weakness was something Aurora scorned, and as far as she was concerned, this was a malady that would turn others against her. All she could do was hope it would resolve itself on its own.

Snowflakes had been falling lazily down as white pixels from the grey sky, but now they seemed to be attacking her, zeroing in on her eyes, her nostrils, her ears, and all other sensitive places she did not want snow to reach. Aurora blinked and lowered her head as she trudged onward through the snowy wasteland, turning her head this way and that as she searched for shelter. A thick wooded area caught her eye, somewhere off to her left; adjusting her course, she angled towards it, buffeted by erratic blasts of wind. The storm was in early stages still, and she had plenty of time to get herself under cover before it hit with full force. Flaxen tail streaming out behind her, mane snapping angrily in the forces of the wind, she nosed in between the trees and made her way deeper into the forest, glad for the convenience of shelter so close by. It was as if a blanket of silence was dropped over the forest, the wind still whistled between the trees, but overall the storm was much tamer in here. Thick tree trunks did a good job of disrupting the wind and stilling its force, and the pine needle canopy overhead caught most of the wayward snow, allowing small bits to float down through gaps. Aurora widened her stance, lowered her head, and with a mighty heave, shook as much snow from her coat as possible. Her caramel-colored winter coat was thick and fluffy, grown out of necessity of weathering this harsh environment up North, and it did a fine job of protecting her skin from the worst of the water. It was fluffed out, her hair standing on end to trap heat close to her skin, and she felt comfortably warm despite the elements raging on outside.

Huffing a contented sigh that the feeble wind quickly blew away all traces of, Aurora allowed her frame to relax, one muscular hip drooping as she cocked the corresponding hind hoof. Time trickled by as she rested within the protective haven of trees, and periodically she would lower her head to lip at the ground, hoping to find grass. The low light prevented any real growth, but she did discover that tree bark was edible, if not the tastiest thing she'd ever eaten. She was in the middle of tearing off another long strip when a crashing in the trees came to her attention. Pausing in her activities, Aurora peeked out between the tree trunks, her eyes sharply combing the nearby surroundings. A shape resolved itself somewhere off to her right, quickly confirming it to be equine. She hardly dared to breathe, not at all sure if she was ready for interaction with another Northerner. Some of them can be quite aggressive, herself included, of course. She was no saint. But the silver bay wasn't in the mood for snark and sarcasm. There was a void inside her that only companionship could fill. She was tired of chasing her dad. Tired of meeting the world head-on, treating everybody like a mere stepping-stone in her ascent to success. Amongst the creaking trees and the hurricane winds outside, she and this other equine had found sanctuary together. There was some kind of poetry in that.

Carefully Aurora approached the nearby mare, her ears pricked forward, trying to portray herself positively. Branches cracked and gave way beneath her heavily feathered hooves. When she judged herself a metre or so away from the other silver bay mare, she halted, leaving plenty of space between them should this creature be homicidal. You can never tell for sure, with all of the half-crazy creatures drafted into Tartarus' army. "I'm glad to know I'm not the only one to be caught by surprise out there. I'm Aurora," she introduced herself, ears flicking uncertainly. Niceness was not something she was accustomed to, but it seemed fitting to use her manners in this scenario. After all, the two of them were stuck here until the storm blew itself out. She would rather make friends than enemies at this point in time.

[Lyrics]

WANT A LITTLE LIGHT,

She pushed her way towards the thick centre of the coniferous forest, not being particularly quiet or careful in her haste to find the best place to shield herself from the elements. The smell of pine was thick and strong, overwhelming her nostrils, making it difficult to detect anything. In pushing past a particularly low hanging branch another swung to hit her in the face and she let out a small indignant squeal, her temper flared momentarily. She had a temptation to try and snap the stupid bough off onto the ground but instead she took another slow breath to calm herself, carefully nosing her way past it. Despite being safe and guarded inside the woods she still felt irritable; perhaps what she thought would be a fun day trip to waste her time was probably going to take a lot longer than expected, more time milling about by herself with little to occupy herself with. Just what she needed. Deciding where she was sufficiently dense enough to be vaguely comfortable, she stopped beneath an especially immense fir tree, cocking a hind leg with ears tipped back. Maybe she'd be able to take a nap or something.

A small burst of sulky frustration hit her, causing her to look down at the snowy ground sullenly. Suddenly she was entirely sick of the constant cold, just enough to survive but do little else in. Normally any draft like she would just head to the Weaklands if they were seeking warmer climate, but with it teeming with the rapidly spreading sickness anyone with half a brain and a survival instinct wouldn't risk venturing down there simply for some sun. She felt a flutter of resentment for those down in the far south, enjoying their green, temperate conditions, every place in the area so damn habitable while. Obviously she had never been there herself, but she often saw it in the distance when wandering the far Weaklands border in the past, seeing the sandy wasteland gradually become a teeming verdant forest where she could picture anyone inside living in comfort. She pictured herself as a lighter horse; perhaps if she'd had a leggy thoroughbred father instead of a heavy Percheron cross. Even her mother, elegant as she was, had the slightly stocky build of a Spanish mare, which probably contributed to Pyra's own substantial frame. Nonetheless, she felt envy at those who lived in the South as she pictured herself living in tranquillity among those rolling green woodlands, instead of being stuck in the midst of a vicious blizzard without any idea how long she'd be trapped there. At that thought she was brought back to the whooshing of the wind outside; what was previously was a deafening howl now just a low moan as the strength of the air currents lessened through the forest.

Now that the snow and ferocious draughts wasn't assaulting all her senses, it allowed Pyracantha to feel how truly cold she was. Her ears hurt from the harshness of the gale and she was shivering, but thanked whatever mysterious forces, whether fortune or divine intervention, that such shelter just happened to be nearby when this storm hit. Had she been even further north the young mare wasn't sure she would have been able to find cover, and she didn't even want to think about if she'd gotten stranded with no protection within sight. One thing this place had given her was a healthy respect for nature, and just how brutal it could be. When she'd first arrived the land had definitely tested her self-sufficiency and resourcefulness, and fortunately she'd proven herself as independent even in the frozen terrain. However, she'd been feeling the strain recently and she was further shaken how she had still failed to take note of the warning signs of a blizzard until it was imminent. With renewed clarity Pyra could see that her boredom was causing her to put herself in riskier and riskier situations and dulling her sense of caution. Needless to say Pyracantha would be abandoning her little trip to the mountains when she got herself out of this mess; even if the weather became better she'd spooked herself into retreating back down where the main dwellings of the North were.

The somewhat quieter but still constant sound of the wind almost masked the crackle of branches underfoot, but not quite. Almost subconsciously, her ears rotated in the direction of the sound, and deciding the sound was suspicious enough to investigate, raised her head to examine the source. The very shape of the other equine made her eyes widen in surprise; she knew there would probably still be some Northerners wandering up this far, but to be caught in this very same forest in the blizzard, those chances couldn't have been very high. Her counterpart, also a mare, was just a little shorter than her, and shared the same fawnish coat, same creamy coloured mane and tail. It struck her how they could have resembled sisters save for Pyra's white spots (currently disguised by the snow still stuck in her coat) differed from the stranger's eye-catching white patches on her back. The more she looked at them, the more they appeared like wings, perhaps that of a dove, sloping down her shoulder. She stood a distance away, which made sense at least. Pyra wasn't sure how she'd react if the other mare had come into her personal space. But she didn't look too reserved or hostile at all, like many of their kind had a tendency to become. In fact, her body language appeared hesitantly inviting, ears pricked forward in interest. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one to be caught by surprise out there. I'm Aurora.

Pyra wasn't used to such openness from her fellow Northerners she was almost taken aback. And it felt...nice? The past few encounters she'd had with others were less than pleasant and Pyra hadn't been given a chance for friendly conversation for so long it seemed strange now. She came to realise her mouth was open as if to say something, and she decided she better introduce herself in return before she appeared as the rude one. She wasn't sure whether this mare's friendliness was sincere or a farce, but the Warlander-cross figured she'd better return the favour seeing as they were here together for the next few hours at least.

"Hi, I'm...Pyracantha. How did you end up here?

BUT WHO'S GONNA SAVE A LITTLE LIGHT FOR ME?
lyrics- "unbelievers" vampire weekend

[Dawn]

Aurora could not help but stare as she observed the lady standing before her; their coats were almost exactly the same! She had never seen another silver bay before. She eyed the thick blanket of snow that still remained on the stranger's back, curious about what might lie beneath. No markings? Or maybe a pinto pattern like hers? She was glad to note that her approach wasn't met with open hostility from the other mare. Sometimes interacting with other Northerners can feel like high school all over again, with the smallest of situations a platform on which to establish dominance. She was aware of her own need to put others down occasionally to feel better about herself. It was just the way she was, nurtured by the cutthroat world she lived in. In an environment that victimised the weak, Aurora was determined to be strong. From the moment she was born, she had spurned frailty. Instinctively, she knew that her mother was not made of the iron needed to survive up North. So she found herself another mare that had recently foaled a stillborn, and fed off her milk as she grew up in the Weaklands, hoping she could surpass her weak constitution to be a worthy member of the Northern effort. Something must have worked, because Aurora soon blossomed into a capable young girl, full of herself and wanting to test her ability out in the real world. She tracked down Callypso, her birth mother, and got the name of her father. Kuguar. Well okay, she wasn't thrilled with the name, but it was something to go on. Striking out on her own in the Northern wilderness, she set off on a quest to find him, thinking to meet him and figure out if he was worthy to be her sire. She met many equines, dodged a few fights, tried on a few personalities, and learned what would work for her. But she didn't find her father. It was a mission she was now well and truly sick of, and she would have to content herself with not knowing who the other half of her genetic makeup was.

The fellow silver bay seemed hesitant. Perhaps she was like Aurora, not used to politeness. Or maybe she was deficient in other ways. Whatever the case, Aurora was glad for some company. Her fluffy ears flicked forward to catch the mare's words, listening as the stranger introduced herself as Pyracantha, and then inquired about how Aurora came to be here. A snort left the Gypsy-Saddlebred cross. "I was minding my own business when this foul weather put an end to that." A note of discontent was in her voice, although why, she couldn't say. It wasn't as if she was doing anything important before having an orderly evacuation forced upon her. Perhaps she just didn't like being told what to do by anybody, not even the elements. Now that she knew her company was agreeable to Pyracantha, Aurora took another two steps towards the mare, so that they were not overly close, but definitely near enough to feel each others' body heat. Which was certainly very welcome in times like these, where the temperature was going to drop well below freezing as night began to fall. If some thought the days up here were cold, they should try spending an entire night in the North. And when a snowstorm was brewing like the one they were in now, well, they would be lucky if the sun came out at all the next day. The two mares were truly about to be completely snowed in. And Aurora found that she didn't mind at all. She was looking forward to getting to know this stranger even better. A little bit of shared body heat, some girl talk around the campfire ... what's not to like?

"I don't complain, though. At least this way, we got to meet, right? I haven't had anyone to talk to in months. It's been boring as hell. I hope you had nowhere important you needed to be, Pyracantha, because it looks like we're going to be here for quite a while." Pausing, she observed the other mare with unabashed curiosity. Whether it was because she had been bereft of company for so long, or because they shared a similar coat color, or simply because there was some other chemistry at work, Aurora found Pyracantha to be irresistibly compelling.

ooc: I hope this is okay! I'm new at this xD

[Lyrics]

WANT A LITTLE LIGHT,

Her sable ears tipped forward uncertainly, returning the mare's warmth hesitantly but her gestures not unwelcomed. She broke gaze for a moment as she shuddered the remnants of snow off her body, and stretched her neck out to give her tangled mane a shake. A mist of hidden white flakes burst forth, only slightly affected by the air currents as they settled down to the ground. The other girl's coat was fuzzy and sticking out, giving her a childish, cute appearance which made the corners of Pyra's lips turn upwards. A closer inspection of her similarly-coloured counterpart led Pyra to believe she was perhaps a little older than herself, but was still relatively young in her adult life. One of Aurora's brown eyes was bright and earnest, but she noticed the other seemed unfocused and weepy; she could see a small amount of rheum collecting in the inner corner. This small sign of ailment initially caused Pyra to spring to the idea she was struck by the illness, causing unease, but otherwise the draft mare seemed alert and healthy, leading to the far more rational conclusion she must have accidentally poked herself in the eye with some pine needles or something. Alpine forest was just about the closest thing the Northerners got to leafy comfort, and even then it had a tendency to sting and prickle if you got too close. She felt a renewed twinge of envy at her picture of the Southerner's comfort. She had no idea as to how they had been affected by the illness that struck many and scared off the rest, but she imagined their cushy lifestyles would surely mean they had been less affected than the other lands.

The heavy cloud of gloom had lifted with the distraction of company. To be truthful Pyra wasn't sure whether she had avoided others so long totally because of the fear of sickness or a sort of reluctance brought on by her previous unpleasant encounters. Most recently, she'd been near assaulted by a deranged-looking brute named Khepri, who'd snarled about her being his inferior. She'd tried to hold onto her wits and stand up for herself, but was eventually was forced to flee as he became more and more violent. It was heartbreaking to fail to assert herself yet again, but she certainly didn't want to be claimed by a bloodthirsty beast like that, basically frothing at the mouth for a fight. But unlike that time, she was feeling curiously giddy; probably what was causing her such trouble to think of the right words, in the right order, and spit them out. Last meeting she had felt like that, a certain auburn fellow with handsome ivory splashed up to his legs and face, blue eyes as striking as nothing she'd seen before...

Dammit. She pushed the memory away from her mind, cursing the thoughts. She'd gotten this far without thinking about him, and honestly she thought she had been over it a long time ago. How come every time she had the chance to assert herself as a strong, clear-minded individual she had horribly failed? It was a challenge she'd never really had to face until now; in her childhood many got the impression she was more mature than others her age, but now almost fully grown she was having trouble thinking herself more than a clueless filly drifting here and there, completely incapable of even a straightforward conversation. Aurora's answer rose above the constant whistle of the wind I was minding my own business when this foul weather put an end to that. Pyra bit down the obvious, same, but appreciated the thought someone else was out here doing the exact same thing when they got stranded.

It was so subtle Pyra almost didn't notice Aurora had advanced another couple steps towards her. "I don't complain, though. At least this way, we got to meet, right? I haven't had anyone to talk to in months. It's been boring as hell. I hope you had nowhere important you needed to be, Pyracantha, because it looks like we're going to be here for quite a while. At this, Pyra felt dumbstruck. Hell, she had been so isolated lately, it hadn't occurred to her that there were perhaps other equines, especially another young female, that felt the same way. She remembered back to her first few attempts to join battle training with the stallions; laughed out, ridiculed, easily overpowered. Before that, Pyra had always valued herself as a good fighter, but she lacked finesse, discipline these soldiers had but would refuse to teach her. She knew it couldn't be impossible; surely there were mares in the northern ranks somewhere, but getting into the system, the filly had found, was extraordinarily difficult. In fact, she was no longer sure she was willing to stand as a warrior, and uncertain where that left her in terms of options.

"No, I've got no place to be. The North hasn't been too kind recently, it's a relief to find someone who feels the same way"

Her voice felt muffled from the pine forest around them; at least there was something about the evergreen vegetation and the somewhat soundproofing quality of pine that was comforting. The young mare honestly hadn't meant to whinge, but to brighten thing Pyra nudged her playfully, acknowledging her closer proximity with affability, even playfulness.

"So! If we're to be stuck here together, maybe we should get to know each other a little better. Are you from here, or did you wander onto the North like I did?"

BUT WHO'S GONNA SAVE A LITTLE LIGHT FOR ME?
lyrics- "unbelievers" vampire weekend

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