N O X Y S



want for nothing.

it was the first time in a long time that the golden brute had stepped his hooves back on laipawa, but not for lack of trying. in truth, noxys prepared for this trek a great number of times, never able to bring himself to do it. alas, the word of a new king spread fast, and he smiled as asami's scout brought him the news; cepheus, laipawa's heir, had returned. a rite of passage by law, wasn't it? that, or merely tradition, the boys father would've relished to see the day. as noxys started for the sister island, he thought twice, almost changing course to seek out the oracle. deciding against it was probably for the better, he woud've used anything as an excuse to avoid leaving, even for just a few minutes longer. the golden brute heaved a sigh as he departed from kekoa, water from the shallow bridge path splashing up against him, inky tendrils whipping in the warm breeze that proclaimed springs arrival. noxys strode on slow, bright coffee eyes searching the shoreline ahead for sign of another to no avail. he wondered if the young king was patrolling his borders, or if he was rallying what remained of their home.

either way, noxys was ready to seek him out.

this was ... a strange feeling that was welling inside of him. a sense of pride, almost, to know that laipawa would not be without it's sacred blood. silly, nonetheless, how devout he had made himself to this place. a thoughtless happenstance had brought him here, noxys could not deny that he'd not have never believed the outcome of that fateful swim from peregrine to aolani. a smile made it's way to the stallions face, mind wandering to jungle rock from which his own blood once lay. a happenstance, but, it made sense. coming back to the real world, noxys realized that he had pushed himself passed the threshold of laipawa. headed straight into the heart of the island, the golden brute slowed to a walk, tipped ears swiveling to take in the sounds. in the moment, he could almost feel the watchful eye of argemmon, or the wonderment of ianthe's violet orbs. the swing caused him to shake his head, starting forward again at a quickened pace. "youngblood!" he called to the skies, a throaty whinny following. "come, there is much to celebrate."

birdorcages with cepheus !
art by noctiilucent

cepheus

the skies are too clear, life's so easy today

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His birth had meant something great for Laipawa - at the time. He had been brought into a once-flourishing island, and with such royal blood running through his veins, their elders were genuinely pleased. The prospects were good - and then it all changed without so much of a returning glance.

Picking up pieces still, it seemed.

In truth, he didn't give himself any room for doubt. Coming home to Laipawa was instinctual. It had been many, many months since anyone had laid claim to the land, and it was apparent in the overgrowth of bushes and vines that the land was starved for inhabitance. Any stragglers who had not already relocated seemed to have been chased from the islands entirely . . . and things here were painfully quiet. His first decree, new suns on the horizon.

Noxys had offered them a home, when there was nothing to go back to. But his real home had been so deeply embedded, that the stars in the sky could not have spoken so clearly to him, the night he chose to return. Becoming quite like an uncle to him, Cepheus knew it would be difficult to leave them all behind, but in truth, the family he had come to know would not be too far away.

He would trample a new path through the forests of Laipawa; overgrown with vine and bush, Cepheus made his way through the trees in the same way his father once had. Repaving would take time, too, but the new king had all of it to himself. Suddenly a sense of leadership took over, an instinct that might have died out otherwise; as the boy breathed in fresh air, he just happened to catch a familiar scent being carried along with the breeze. His heart began to pound, full of eagerness and excitement to show somebody what seeds he was planting.

"I had not expected such noble visitors so soon!" he called to the winds. An eager approach on his part, the colt put his senses to work in order to close the space between them. "It is good to see you. How is my mother?"

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spring, year 3 - #355 - JUNI!