Shattered?

They moved slowly through the trees, not knowing really if they were headed in the right direction. They had made very slow progress up the mountain path, and they hoped that the land they now saw before them was Ciera. It had been a long journey from what they had learnt was Alaknanda River, but Jinx had inadvertedly known where he was going.

Jinx was the leader of the four foals that stood together, and they had gotten a fair few frights on the way to Ciera. A mountain lion had been the worst of them, and Clovermead had barely gotten out of that one alive. She was lucky to still be with them, the lion had tried to take the rest of her already half misssing leg, and what remained of that leg was badly scratched and had several huge bite marks on it.

Still she knew that she had to keep coming. That mountain lion had only made them realise that they were in danger without an adult horse nearby. That was why they were coming here. Shattered had said that her king would help them stay safe, and they only hoped that it would be so. There were some things out here that they would not be able to defend themselves from.

They heard a rustling sound behind them, and the sound of heavy paws on the grass. Texas looked behind them and squealed in fright. Out leapt that same mountain lion, but the foals were already running from him, away from where they had been. As they moved though, and the lion was chasing them, Jinx called loudly, "Shattered! Help!"

Bás an olc

I looked up, my grey body shimmering slightly as dappled light danced over it. My ears flicked up as I heard the name of Shattered called, and her voice responding. Friends of Shattered? I thought, intrigued.

The third storm was coming, ever closer, ever the swirling blackness surrounded my mind, and my eyes saw the darkness ahead.

Light was speaking to me, among others, but it was to her I listened to. They are young, Bás an olc, there are four. The storm cannot be stopped when it hasn't begun, and friends will be needed. Divding and conquering is their goal, so uniting all is yours.

I shuddered a bit, before trotting towards the five others, my black mask shining with a thin film of sweat. The strain of listening to a single voice in the crowd that begged to be heard had always exacted a painful price from me, and this time was no different. Light, especially, was quiet, and it made it all the harder to hear her among all the rest.

"Hello, I'm Bás an olc," I said as I came upon the group, my socked feet stilling as I stopped, my mane and tail shining like snow. Grey eyes fixed themselves upon the four with interest. They weren't like me, and I could never be like them, but they were interesting none the less. Ocean Sun would likely seek their company sometime, and that was as it should be. None of them had to hear the voices all the time. None of them heard and even saw at times, their dead mother and father, speaking to them as clearly as the first dawn rays.

"My name means Death of Evil. I am the daughter of the Guardian of Wanderers, and a daughter of a storm beyond the seas." I paused, before shaking my head a bit. "Apologies, my father was Jegathema, the first rule of The Gemdas. My mother was one known as Hadley, who wandered within my father's lands. he was killed by a hellion called Exile, while my mother was killed in the battle against Corus." I was far too used to speaking in cryptic phrases it seemed.

I was only here in Ciera for a time, unfortunately. Eventually I'd have to leave again. I'd completed the training I had needed, and both Illusion and Ashton had provided me with valuable abilities. Shattered, however, was as close to my mother as anyone alive ever was."

"We'll be fine," one of them replied. They had been terrified of the huge mountain lion, but they knew there was nothing to be said about that. They had been looking after themselves for so long that it was not easy to be who they really were. The foals they had been when they had their motehrs would come back eventually but at the moment, they were too alert to their surroundings.

"Thank you, Shattered," Jinx added.

Her lavender eyes danced happily as she spotted Bas an Olc, the closest thing she had ever had to a daughter, and most likely ever would. It seemed Kiambu did not want his queen to bare a foal. That was his decision, for she did not mind either way.

"Come, come, let me take you where you can rest," she said softly, her white pelt shimmering in the sunlight as she led them in the direction of a shaded spot with thick, soft grasses. She looked back to make sure the five were coming, as well as Bas an Olc, and smiled to her self. It was good to have company. It seemed as if she never saw Kiam anymore. It saddened her but she knew that he was busy.

They followed after her, some of them slower than the others, but that was thanks to their own handicaps and that they had been travelling for so long. Clovermead in particular was tired, she'd been attacked, as well as already having lost part of one of her legs when Shattered had last seen her.

Because of this, the foals were slow, none of them wanted to leave each other alone at all.

OOC: going to timewarp next post, so I can get these guys going their seperate ways until the battle

ooc ;; okay, i'll jump ahead a bit.

Shattered raised her head from where it rested on the soft, green grass. Her lavender eyes blinked a few times, adjusting to the fresh, morning sunlight. Today was going to be a good day, she could feel it. However, where was her king? Where was her Kiambu?

Her adoptive children were scattered around her and she smiled. They had grown, and matured, and she could not be more proud of them. "Good morning, children!" she called softly to the wind, allowing it to carry her words to their ears.

Each of them had grown up a lot over the past few years. The girls had grown up to be strong and beautiful, well in Clovermead's case as strong and beautiful as a three and a half legged palomino filly could be.

The time was coming when they would all part ways, but they were not looking forwards to it. Though they had never met Kiambu, they felt like they had, occasionally Shattered had spoken of him.

"Morning, Shattered," Clovermead replied, she was never far away, she ahd always worried about the cougars that roamed the area. She never wanted to face one of them alone, they frightened her.

The glistening white mare rested her lavender eyes on Clovermead, her favorite of the foals that she had adopted. The three-legged palomino always managed to warm the queen's heart. "Today is the big day, isn't it, love?" Shattered said quietly, her eyes growing sad for a moment. It was time for them all to go their separate ways. She truly hoped at least one wouldn't leave, like Clovermead, but she knew that was more than she could actually ask for.

Maybe the children leaving was for the best and Kiam would give her an actual foal of her own.

She sighed. "It is, though I do not think I will ever go far from here." Clovermead sighed. "I'm safe here, and I know that out there there would be few who would want me, despite my colour."

She sighed, looking up at Shattered. She knew there were things out there that she ough to see, but she was not sure that a mare like her needed to be out where others were, where she was not so safe. A lot of stallions she'd heard from the wind looked down on a fae like her because she was permanently crippled.

Though she could run as well as any of her siblings now, she was slower than any other horse because her other front leg had to work for all of her weight. She always seemed to glow in the sunshine, but what she'd give to be whole again she knew not. She was too young, too inexperienced. Her brothers and sisters had had their fighting games, but she'd stood back and watched.

She was too gentle when it came ot fighting, and anyway, she couldn't fight even if she tried. "What should I do?" she asked. "I really don't know."