saoirse

takin' my time, let the world turn

The way exhaustion seemed to tug at every inch of flesh, one would think she would have stopped by now. Mother Ocean had nearly swallowed her up once, and though she had been a little bit more understanding this go-around, for some reason it didn't seem like she could stop and rest. Ever since Saoirse set hoof on the island known as Laipawa, she had been so determined to find what might have been left of a tribe she had once heard many stories about. Exploring the main island had been thrilling, don't get her wrong . . . however, it seemed any semblance of a herd had either died off or moved on, truly leaving the mare in a solitary position. Her eagerness and excitement to explore a world that was brand new to her soon turned to fear and panic. What if she was truly alone, now banished to solitude? This could not be, no twist of fate could be so cruel to her . . .

Forests seemed to blend together; even though separated from smaller bodies of water, she could not tell the difference between island territories as she wandered between what the natives knew as Laipawa and Kekoa. One as silent as the next, Saoirse struggled to carry tired, heavy limbs through the thick brush she found herself in - but her determination duked out with her exhaustion, almost certain that if she ignored it just long enough, she might be successful. Grunting softly, she only seemed to last a few more steps before she could feel knees buckling beneath her. With a graceless thud, a shaking of brush as it shifted beneath her weight, the mare finally collapsed to the ground. Eyes seemed to flutter shut, unable to keep them open any further.

Then came the dreams.

Bubbling to the surface, her anxieties played out before her as poor memories - worry for her mother, regret for what she'd done, regret for having come here in the first place. There was no way she would be able to return so soon, but what else was she to do? Fend for herself in some unfamiliar land? She'd sooner be eaten just for trying. She seemed so incapable of shaking off her own bad luck . . .

- spring year 3, #371, JUNI!  for noxys, FINALLY -

n o x y s

---

nokomis had alerted him to the new presence some days before she came. the vague nature of it felt almost like a warning, and he blamed his skepticism on loss. there was a part of him that felt hopeful, still, that maybe that meant laipawa's blood would return to their respective islands like nothing had happened. after all this time, noxys could not help the feeling of guilt that ate him alive at the consideration of moving on from the past - keeping him locked into place on kekoa, statuesque and unmoving - and feeling a failure to his position as king. and so, in wait for the newcomer (whatever their intention was to be) noxys slipped himself into the darkness of kekoa's jungle. wraith-like, molten brown eyes fixated into the wilds of it's vegetation.

time stood still until her arrival.

from the shadows of his beloved island, he watched as she made way through the brush, sinking deeper and deeper into herself as the exhaustion threatened to spill her into the ground. every time he thought himself ready to approach, he shriveled into himself and remained. it was no surprise that her spindle legs gave out from underneath her. the thud shook him to his core, concern creasing his face. noxys sucked in a breath and sighed, and the golden brute broke from the trees to head for the smoky black apparition who had befallen kekoa rather unexpectedly. the stallion stood close, examining the mare where she lay, trying to decide a best course of action. 

even in grief, noxys was not unkind. he never took well to strangers who crossed his border boldly, but this mare seemed far from a threat. he got to work collecting herbs from around the vicinity, going as far as to find a vacant conch big enough to hold water, laying it next to her along with the greens he'd chosen. once he felt confident there was enough, the stallion stood over here, maw falling to her wither and nipping the fine hairs along her spine. the skin shrunk back into place slow, and noxys knew this meant she was far more dehydrated than he'd thought. kekoa's king was now far more focused on waking her, nosing under her cheek to pull her head into a better position. 

as she lay there, noxys breathed into her with ferocity. "get up," he said. soft, but firm, hoping it would make a difference.  

_{IMAGE LINK
birdorcages | screaming
ART CREDIT TO NOCTIILUCENT OF DA}

saoirse

takin' my time, let the world turn

When she awoke, it was slow. It took a moment or two for the mare to catch up with herself; first, she recognized the gentle birdcalls from the treetops above, then the croaking of some toads hidden in the damp grass.

All was calm. Troubles forgotten. The sounds surrounding her were peaceful - and then, a deep voice, urging her to stand.

Saoirse's eyes practically shot open, as her thoughts and feelings rapidly returned. It took a moment to remember where she was, but once she did, it was almost as though she was ready to resume her futile search . . . but circumstances were different, all of a sudden. The mare moved to lift herself off of the ground, stopping abruptly with only her upper half nearly propped by her front legs. All of a sudden, she was not alone.

The mare did not stare long; eyes drifted to the makeshift setting before her. Few questions came to mind, indeed wondering how long she had been unconscious for, even wondering where he had come from, and wary of such generosities. Though well aware of the hunger pains that begged for her to get something into her stomach, she found herself hesitant to do so. Nervous, perhaps embarassed for herself and the situation she'd ended up in. What had she been thinking? So desperate to return to a place she thought was home, only to find herself in a space which she was not familiar with, and endangering her own life just to end up at the hoof of . . . someone.

That someone, she would eventually come to realize, had been waiting for her.

Though not completely restored, she was able to gather enough energy to stand the whole way. It was easy for her to tell she was still painfully tired, but she at least had enough in her to hold herself upright. He had seemed large before, but from where she stood the stallion absolutely towered over her. But for some odd reason, she did not find herself intimidated by him. Perhaps it was something to do with his whole demeanor, or just the fact that she wasn't one to falter so easily, when it came to confrontation.

Either way, in these moments, she had the upper hand. Any other equine might not think so, but it would be her words that would steer what followed.

However, she did not have much to retort. She was still tired.

"I'm okay, I'm fine." She didn't feel a need to overexaggerate the severity of her condition, though, it certainly was serious. "I was just a bit tired is all . . ."

- spring year 3, #435, JUNI!  is this a first date or what -