What Becomes Of Us? (Orion)

[Khiara]

83rd Day of Spring

There wasn't a time where Khiara could remember being happy, not any more. Years had gone by since she'd felt just...happy. Sure, Pygmy made her life vastly better and she did make the woman laugh, but she had still been mourning. Then Vanator had come...with his golden skin and his warm eyes and soothing words. Khiara had felt a new part of her open, she'd found her heart again, but she wasn't happy. She was hurt, still hurting. There had been pain, then feelings, then realisation...then the knowledge she couldn't act on those feelings. They had spoken, kissed, spoke of regrets before they could even occur.

Then Pygmy had come to her yesterday...and torn her heart apart. And she couldn't even tell her. Vanator was getting married. He had already known he would have a matching..a meeting. Pre-arranged or something. But he hadn't told her, and she'd held everything back for the sake of her dear kelvic companion. For what? She'd poured out her heart, opened her soul, sealed it up again...only to have it crushed by a single word.

Marriage.

Ironically, she had missed out on her wedding...and he was onto his second. The Goddess must really have something to teach her.

And then there was Orion, the vantha from out of the darkness. The violet eyed woman hadn't been able to get his face from her mind. He'd haunted her dreams and stalked her day...his blue eyes flashing through her mind. How coincidental could it be that she had met the only vantha she'd seen since leaving Avanthal - just after she'd said goodbye to Vanator. Was Queen Morwen telling her something? Was she guiding her after all?

Watching the last of the sun disappear over the grassy horizon, Khiara leaned against the wooden fence of the coral, letting her thoughts swirl around. She couldn't think straight any more. Endrykas was a blessing and a curse, and the brunette found herself looking forward to escaping. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply and sighed.

"What more do you want from me, Goddess?" She whispered into the slight dusk breeze, keeping her eyes closed...perhaps waiting for a response.

[Orion]

It was a rather strange thing, among thousands of names and faces within his mind, there was only one that never left his eclipsing mind. Khiara. She was truly beautyfull, but how was he who had no connection to her whatsoever going to bring himselfto even think straight when he can`t even touch her. Or maybe he can? Yes, that is right, as long as they have the cover of night, simple contact should be alright, or so he hoped. Selfish, yes....lonely,yes.....missing her.... a lot. But how to talk to her again if he can`t even find her in the dark, and she could not find him durning the day.

He was sitting in the grass somwhere, he was not even sure how long was he there just looking around and trying to make some sense of his mixed feelings. He got lost in his stuff as he was digging through his backpack trying to find some coal sticks in order to draw what was about to happen, in order to draw the sunset. It was at least a bell away before Syna would surrender herself into the embrace of Leth, that was even more time than he needed to put his basic skills to work. Simple strokes of his hand led the coal across the pure paper as he positioned the sun, the grass, the surrounding landscape, trees, hills, the sky. As the basic outlines were done he was smudging the rest of the drawing using his thumbs as he focused all his attention to the almost setting sun that was now very close to the horyzon. Shaping was his art, shaping of thoughts, ideas, images, and now he was shaping the very sun he was worshiping, oh what a divine feeling that was.

The sun was only a few chimes away from setting as he was finished with his unclear drawing. Showing it back into the backpack along with the rest of his stuff carelessly he stood up walking towards the horse coral. Yes, coral was a perfect place for his change to take place, there was not that many people there durning nightfall. His pace quickened as he passed by a few uninteresting figures, his feet were leading him through sime bushes, over tall grass, over a simple road, and just as he thought he was alone, he saw her, Khiara. But it was too late since he started to change already, a glimmering silver and blue light enveloped around him as he stuggled to move in order not to be seen. He could hear her speaking and he could see her turning her head towards him only a few feet away as he knew what was about to happen.

His lips opened as he wanted to say something, but could not bring himself to say anything as he saw her confused face looking back at him, all he could tell her was a simple: " Hello...im sorry for interupting your solace" and so he pretended nothing had ever happened while leaning onto the fence next to her. His now deep blue eyes were dodging her gaze as he pretended to be interested in the stars that were about to fully appear in the distance.

[Khiara]

Khiara stared at Orion for a moment, her swirling gold and violet eyes confused and curious. For just a moment, she had sworn there had been something else there. Not the vantha, but a being...a creature...shimmering in the last dregs of sunlight. Closing her eyes, she shook her head with a scoff and turned back to the view. She'd spent so much time stuck in her thoughts that she'd begun to go crazy - that must be it. Sighing, she watched the horses as they grazed, purple sky above their backs.

"No, its alright. You haven't disturbed me. I'm just talking with the Goddess, trying to find an answer to the questions and riddles in my head." Frowning, she laced her fingers together, forearms resting on the rough wooden fence. She'd changed into her riding tunic, belted around the waist, and her riding leggings. There just wasn't the heart left in her effort to match the endrykas anymore. No reason to. She was a vantha, alone and empty, and thats what she would always be. Even a light sweat touched her brow, reminding her that indeed - the south wasn't where she belonged. Eventually, she had to go home.

Turning her gaze to Orion, the young woman couldn't help but smile as he looked into the horizon with those deep, familiar shifting blue eyes. The Light Of Morwen dancing in his gaze. Even in the low light of the fires started at dusk his hair seemed to sheen a soft blue. Whether he was outcast or lost somehow, Orion was more vantha than she'd met in a long time - and for her he was enough.

"Do you have a horse here?" She asked softly, nodding to the herd in the coral.

[Orion]

His arms resting on the fence he pretended to be interested in the horses, or the dusky sky or something, it did not matter what he was looking to, as long as it keeps him looking calm. He kept a small angle in one of his eyes by which he could see her confused reaction, she did see it, but it was ok, since she was not sure what she saw. He sigshed quietly as he turned back to her not sure where to start, should he tell her, should he keep it a secret? His answer was the one of revealing the truth, but he was still not sure how to do it. He wanted her to know, but would she consider him a freak, would she consider him a monster?

His thoughts broken by her kind words were enough to encourage him to think positive. Not even realizing it, he moved a bit closer to her as he looked at her carefully while saying: "Riddles? Care to share some with me?" his words were filled with a calm tone accompanied by a playfull smile.

As he turned back towards the hryzon, he noticed that she was staring at him a bit, and quite frankly, that made him blush a bit, even if he was all panicing on the inside. He was now ready to tell her, but he needed a perfect moment to do it, a perfect way of doing it. Turning back to her he spoke softly: "No i never rode a horse in my life. How about you? Is any among here yours?" his tone was filled with a slight shame, he was proud of his travels, but ashamed of his inabillty to master the art of riding.

[Khiara]

Smiling as the vantha moved closer, Khiara looked over the horses, leaning closer so Orion could follow the line of her arm as she pointed towards a large white stallion.

"There, Vsenri. He's a truebred Frostmarch, and a very close friend. We've travelled a long long way together, and been through more than most Master and Horse would. If you wanted to, I'm sure he'd let you have a ride." Pausing, she looked at her hands.

"I could teach you how." There was a weight to her silence, as though she was working through something. And in truth, she was. Still the drykas haunted her dreams, but in her waking days....the vantha with the blue eyes chased her thoughts. It was merely the wonder at actually meeting a fellow vantha in such a distant place...but still...

Shaking her head, Khiara looked at him.

"I don't even know where to begin. My head is like a labryinth of twisting turning questions and riddles with no answers. I just...things..." Sighing, she folded her arms on the fence.

"I left Avanthal with a broken heart, a crushed soul. And in Endrykas, I found someone who helped me make it better - whole. But I can't be with him, not at all ever. I think I can cope with that..but...I just don't understand. Why does the Goddess lead me here of all places? Why couldn't I have this same feeling, this same revelation when I was two days from home not two hundred?!" There was frustration at the end of her words, and for a moment it seemed like she didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Looking back at Orion, she finally laughed softly.

"You must be sick of my ranting. The other night, today. Sorry Orion."

[Orion]

He smiled an invisible smile as she was now closer and she did not take him leaning a bit the wrong way. Looking over her thin gracefull arm, he saw a curiously white horse. Vsenri, Frostmarch, his mind was pulsing with new information, and also new questions. Go for a ride? It did seem like a good idea, but he did not want to fall in front of her, it was too embarassing. Shifting between various falling scenarios in his mind, he stopped at the one where he falls clumsy as he was, and she starts laughing. Now that would be a nice reason to try, in order to make her laugh a bit. As she paused, he saw her bring down her piercing gaze onto her arms, and so did he, after all, why not, they were beautyfull. "Would you really teach me?" he whispered in slow lyrical vani as his feet felt like they were on shaky ground.

Not waiting for her to respond, he rewinded onto to her last words, her riddles as she called them, yes those were some memories of a truly troublesome sort. Her broken hear, broken twice, now what kind of idiot would do something like that? Many thoughts he could not understand started dwelling inside his head. She was shaking her head, she must have been confused, he looked at her with a deep feeling of empathy enveloping him as he was not sure what to say to her. His lips parted forming a small spring from wich a silent speech was pouring out: "I am sorry to hear you had that troublesome past, i understand what you mean by that broken heart and the shattered soul, i have been there, a long time ago" he paused briefly as he had the need to look back at the horyzon before continuing to speak: "What i learned from my broken years is that you do not need anyone to make it whole, that is not the way it works. You need someone to be all the things you are not, you need someone to remind you to be a better person every day, you.... his face started blushing as his line of thought was broken by embarassment.

"Nevermind that, that riding lesson, i would like to take you up on that one if it`s ok?" he knew she was breaking down, but to aknowledge her he knows it was not a good idea, so he just changed the topic as he awaited for her sweet lips to part once more.

[Khiara]

Giving the vantha a curious glance, Khiara smiled at his words. She needed someone to guide her, to help her through it. The woman knew that, Vanator had been that. Now...she had to start again. And it was hard - harder even - than before. Leaning back, she climbed the fence of the coral, swinging her leg over and turning her violet gaze on Orion.

"Come on then. No time like the present." Jumping down the other side, booted feet protected from the spiny dried grass on the ground the horses had yet to cut back, Khiara walked towards the group of horses, whistling softly into the wind. Vsenri lifted his white head, nickering to the woman as he walked to her. Meeting up, Khiara rested her hands gently on his cheeks, speaking softly in vani to him.

"Vsenri, I have a friend here, who would like to make friends with you. Be nice, and let him feel what its like to ride a true avanthal stallion." Scratching his muzzle, she turned to Orion.

"I'll show you how to get on." She said with a smile. Vsenri looked at Orion too, ears flicking slightly. There was a look in the stallions eye - nothing to be concerned about. It was more like recognition, as though the horse could see past his vantha form and see him for what he was. Still, he didn't shy from the man as he approached.

[Orion]

He looked into her eyes as she skipped over the fence smiling, for a moment he thought of dropping out, but than sheer curiosity pushed him to jump over the fence. As he was standing inside the coral, only a few feet away from the fence, he saw Khiara get close to Vsenri and whisper to him, it was not so much of a whiper since he heard it, but the very tone of it made his skin tremble. Looking back at the horse, he noticed that it seems to see right through him, right through this mask of fake flesh, through his fake eyes. He was not sure wether to come closer to the horse or not, for his insecurity was binding him in place. What if there was a way for him to show Khiara what he really is before he has a chance to tell her? He swinged his head in denial as he finally realised how a horse can`t speak.

He continued to thread onto the green grass as he was getting near to Vsenri, and the horse seemed even more white, and even more grandiose with each new step he took. He stood next to him and before he knew what he was doing his hand had reached out and touched Vsenri behind one of his ears already. He did not understand his need to do so as he scratched the stallion`s skin gently still not sure how to continue this thing. Turning to Khiara slowly, lyrical Vani flowed out of him silently: "So about climbing onto him, how does that work? Im sorry, i know it`s strange, i just never really had a thing for horses" a nervous smile stretched on his face as he was awaiting for her to help him.

[Khiara]

Smiling, Khiara tilted her head, indicating Orion should follow. Making a soft noise to Vsenri, she walked towards the edge of the coral with the stallion obediently following as though she had a lead rope around his neck. Reaching the fence, she tapped the wood.

"If you want, you can climb up onto the fence first so your high enough to reach his back, then you can get on and get your seating." Demonstrating, she put one foot on the fence and her hands on Vsenri's mane. In one smooth movement, she pushed off the fence to lift herself up, swinging one leg over his back and settling lightly. Patting the patient frostmarch, she slid down, before positioning the horse again and nodding to Orion.

"Give it a try."

[Orion]

Following the woman and the horse, Orion found himself panicing again, and so he walked as slow as possible under the excuse he constantly was looking around. If he heard corectly, it was almost a crime for a man to have no riding skills, even more so in this place, in Endrykas. His heart started jumping in some funny rythmic movement, his breathing got faster, he was sweating.

In an unsure tone of voice, he quickly said in a whispery tone: "Here goes nothing" his face grinned widely as he was climbing onto the fence. Standing on the fence, he was still not sure what to do, but it did not look so tough, or even hard, after all, all he had to was jump and land well, right?

Quickly casting off of the fence and grabbing the mane of Vsenri, he was now onto the stallion`s back. Raising his hand in a victorious way, he yelled cheefully: "I did it, i can` believe i actually...." his words were interupted by a sudden loss of balance as he slided down the horse`s side. As his body hit the ground, he whispered in a shamefull tone, while laughing: "Is it just me, or this was not suppost to happen?"