trillium & ivy ― gwyneth

[skibbereenfarms]

TIOGA
―the bandit king

Home. While he considered the entirety of Drulan to be his home, there was a special sense of welcome which could be found at the heart of the wood. It's always the heart that makes a beast feel most at home, isn't it? Tioga certainly believed so. With every night the stallion found himself returning to Kilburn to rest, and every morning he departed only to return once more when the sun began to set. With late afternoon settling in, the stallion made his weary trek to Drulan's heart, quite fortunate that the day had ended and rather satisfied that he had a good night's sleep to look forward to.

Young trees transitioned to old as he set foot into Kilburn, and in his tired daze he failed to notice the shift in presence as well. Had it been threatening he would have been more aware, but it seemed that the forest was comforting him, assuring him that nothing was wrong. It took the stallion a moment, but he did eventually realize that something had to be amiss if the trees were telling him that things were okay. They felt okay, so why was there a need to warn him? Picking his head up, he halted, allowing his senses to become aware of what was around him. Perhaps a stranger was nearby? With someone he did not know being so close to Drulan's heart, he should have been extremely defensive, and yet he was not. There was no need to be hostile here; every beast had a chance to explain themselves before action was taken.

"Hello?" He wasn't entirely sure if they were even within hearing distance, yet he felt the need to speak up. The trees around him swayed calmly, undaunted by this strange presence. It was likely that this was something he did not have to trouble himself with, but he was the King after all. All Drulan business was immediately his business, despite what the forest thought about the matter. "Who goes there?"

[/blockquote]

[Silver]

Gwyneth

Hush now.

The birds quiet, and the world ahead goes dim. Still. Pause. Eyes open and eyelashes flutter. Ears flicker, back to the sound. Sound. What sound? Take a breath. In, out, better now. Feel the air trickle through lungs, growing to accommodate. Listen, her heart beating like a drum. Forest drum. Beats to a song, she can hear it. Ears point. Find the sound. Breathe. Trees singing. Wind chanting. Wind creates a harmony. Birds join, orchestra of nature. Listen.

Breathe.

She breathed, and her flanks grew and shrank, according to the air leaving her lungs. The thoughts entered her head and lined up in quick, chopped sentences. She was unlike any other equine she had ever met. Of course, she had met so few equines, so her opinion was hardly valid. Gwyneth was a strange creature, set in a world so completely her own, and of the forest, that few had ever seen her, and fewer still had lasted long enough to understand that her quick, disgruntled pattern of thinking was far more connected to the heart of the wood than theirs. They took her for slow, or shy, when really she felt that she was wiser than all of them. She could think rational thoughts, and still stay connected to the earth around her. The graying mare made her way languidly through the forest, stopping to smell and greet each living thing around her in her silent way.

She thought sometimes, maybe if someone took her in, or visited her regularly, perhaps she would learn to think not in the pattern of a bird or small creature - as she did now - but in the way of a normal equine. Thoughts so complex that she could explain the natural beauty and spirit of the forest to them. Perhaps.

Stop. Listen.

What is it? A sound. A heartbeat, there. Eyes dart, quick blinking. Heart, stop. Stop beating so fast. No need to panic. Forest protects. Ears turn. Breathing quickens. Melody quavers. Continues on. Panic? No. Inspect. Find source. She looks. See him? What is it? King? King of what?

All things are explained in due time.

Gwyneth shushed her flitting brain and peeped out of her spot behind a clump of ferns. She stilled as she saw the newcomer; he was a stallion. She’d never seen a stallion before. Her skin quivered, and she considered pulling back before deciding that knowing what this queer smelling equine was and what it wanted with her. All things would be explained.

ooc: so...gwyneth. she kind of goes between her thoughts and reality (third person limited), separated by the phrases in italics. I imagine she hasn't been around another equine for a long while, so she's forgotten how to think like an equine. it'll get better for her. she'll become more quiet and mysterious, rather than shy and mysterious. ^^
word count: 426
tag: tioga