[PRP] Horizons [Meridah&Vodadragan]

[Tirokio]

[ This is a private rp between Tirokio and Huroggmeten. Please do not post without permission. ]

 

[Tirokio]

The week had come so slowly, but left so quickly.

The first few days back into her 'normal' life had been nothing but a blurr. Meridah had expended more energy than she'd realized and had slept longer than she was awake. Her wounds had been monitored closely by Voda and Phoenix, and when she wasn't busy gathering herbs for her mama the little bird was nested on Meridah's mane as she napped. However, the fourth day she'd slept enough, and with renewed but sore energy the mare had taken to gently walking around the beach.

All the while attached to Voda at the hip.

It was rare they had been apart for more than a brief moment of time; even when he needed to head into the ocean she'd wait close enough the waves hit her hooves till her returned. As uneventful as it was...it was more than she could have ever hoped for.

This. Them. Here.

On the sixth day, with her wounds had clotted fully, scabs formed strong but blended well against her darker pelt. It was this day that Phoenix had taken her leave, the little bird wanting to go speak with her avian teacher who lived far east of their location how to heal scars to make it so they'd barely show. As much as she'd enjoyed the time as a family, she was also eager to help out in a new way and learn a new technique from her teacher...so she'd flown off with the promise to return in a few days.

The Seventh day had rolled around...and it was time.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, as Meridah stood at the edge of the sea which was much farther down the sand at low tide. She'd left Voda sleeping on the patch of grass permanently imprinted with their body forms; her eyes beholding the beauty before her. She'd dreamed of the sea lots over the time she was gone, and still in mental health. It was not nightmares, either. She'd dreamed of the comforting embrace of the waters all around her; which was more or less subbing in for a certain Kelpie but besides the point.

This was it. She needed this step and she was more determined than she'd ever been in her life.

The mare, limping slight on her injured leg walked out into the sea, feeling it rise from her ankles, to her legs, to her belly, to her neck and finally; she stood with just her head poking out of the water. There were no waves; just ripples in the water from its gentle motion to the shore. So far...so good. She wasn't nearly as panicked as she thought she'd be. The mare closed her eyes as her long, fiery locks floated along the surface; simply focusing on the water and how it was moving her fur around in a rather calming manner.

...even if it must have looked very concerning to just see a head bobbing in the water.  

[Huroggmeten]

Voda stirred gently, feeling the sand shift beneath his form as he stretched in the early morning light. A feeling of rushing warmth spread over him, tilting the corners of his lips in a gentle smile as her started to shift his nose around- eyes still closed- seeking the gentle touch that re-assured him that She was Back. Here, now. Together. Forever.
Always <3.

His questing nose stretched his neck to its full limit, and he snorted slightly, slightly perturbed; hm? His sleepy mind snapped to attention as his tail begin to flop gentle around him as he rolled to his feet, his lips turning downward into a slight frown.
It was rare that she woke and was able to move off without disturbing him, so, ... why?

Banishing the panicked thoughts that raced through his mind, he breathed slowly and deeply even as his eyes darted around their resting place, the beach, the waves, the-
She was healing. She was... recovering, though he did not personally feel that she needed to "improve"- she was perfect as she was, as she always was and always would be. There were traumas, sure, old wounds of the heart paired with fresh scars and a story to each, events he would have wished she had never had to endure- but all of those things had shaped the mare she was today. And he wouldn't change her for the world.
Even so, every step she made to feel more whole, more Herself, more Pure- he supported. Gentle presence, quiet tender touches, full-on emotional and spiritual (in the .... Self... sense of the word) support. Whether she needed it or not, he was there, and he would be there and WHERE (he quelled the rising panic)... was he supposed to be, now?

His sharp eyes spotted the bobbing form wading out to sea, just the top of that all-so-familiar beloved head.
Oh.

... Hi. His heart perked up a bit, though the slightly bemused expression would have been comical to anyone around.
He started moving towards her, feeling somehow as though he was intruding but- no, she had things that were all her own as she always did but how could he ever intrude? Then again, she was clearly challenging herself but she was in the Ocean. and crashing waves, a small form high above his, his great tail spiraling them towards the surface Voda swallowed.
The sea was calm, she was strong, she...

He was in the water before he could finish the thought, keeping his movement slow so he slipped in without breaking the water's surface- no splashing, just a gentle glide into the cool embrace of his natural element.
He kept back a little ways, a distance carefully considered to keep him just a few tail-lashes away while still far enough that she could enjoy this moment in peace if she so wished. She always seemed to know when he was around- such was their bond- but- maybe...
He waited, tail stroking gentle while he watched. Quietly, without judgement (never that), simply...acceptance.

Good morning.

 

[Tirokio]

Inhaling deeply along with the rise of the sea, the mare let out a shaken breath; hollow from the sounds of the sea around her. It was not suffocating, not like last time....or the last few times being surrounded by nothing but water. The weightlessness scared her, images of her plunge not only ones - but twice in her lifetime. The sea had stolen her breath, while unable to find any sort of centering...the mare felt the pull into the icy abyss. Panic. It welled in her chest, almost as if the grip of the sea had become too strong on her chest. Why could she no longer expand it fully?

Her throat was dry. Her heart was pounding.

Then, chill. It ran down her spine like the crack of lightning across a stormy night's sky; eyes snapping open as she looked left, then right....and saw him.

Voda, she should have known it would not be long before he noticed she was not at his side.

"Good Morning...Voda. I'm sorry...did I wake you..." She gave a weakened smile, the spirit which had gotten her this far into the sea had seemed to dry up; feeling the swirling sea no longer calm her. Instead, she could sense the pull of the water, her body but a spec in an endless expanse. Her hooves remained firm on the sands below the surface, anchoring her to reason...calm. The current position of her hooves were not the only thing to keep her calm, though, as her eyes locked onto his form with a need. Voda was here, with her. Meridah could always rely on the stallion just a few swimming strides away from her to come to her aid - even when she was the one who was supposed to do the saving.

What kind of Knight was afraid of water?

While she had not kicked off and swam...it was as far as she had ever gotten before; and although innately disappointed she did not push herself father - Meridah was contented enough to call it a job well done. The mare moved her leg under the water, trying to shift her weight on the sand below but found her body shifting to be more than a little unnerving, her pupils constricting as panic once more welled up; muscles tensing. She glanced back to shore with a longing stare...before her stare swept across to the kelpie.

"I...am really glad you're here." She breathed, even her lips quivered a bit as she fought hard to suppress and hold down the emotions ready to leap out if given the chance. She would not....Meridah had suffered enough humiliations the past while to last years at this point. "I..." She swallowed, hard, chin held up a little higher. "IdontthinkIcangetback.." Pace of her words quickened, deep breath, Meridah.

Voda was here.

Voda was always there for her.  

[Huroggmeten]

His heart warmed merely by her presence, but her greeting made him feel whole. Just being here, together, anywhere; he'd never had a home until he met her, and home was called Together.
Always.
A promise, a steady fact. She was here, now, and it was all... going to be... okay.

Voda reached forward, wanting just to reassure her with a gentle touch despite the distance that separated them still. I'm glad i'm here too. He hadn't ignored her comment, he simply hadn't responded because... well. He wanted her to wake him. He wanted to be able to be there, always, and when she wanted time alone- if she wanted time to herself, for reflection or personal business- he wanted to be aware, alert, and ready to return to her at a moment's need.
He never wanted to be away for so long...ever again.
Even as she seemed to fight to control herself, the tide of emotions breaking upon her as the waves broke upon her legs, he struggled to fight off the lingering fear of not-here. Not here any more, not anywhere, not together... not her. Away. Lost.
Alone.
Afraid.

He moved forward, responding as much by instinct as to the words that came tumbling from her lips. A gentle touch, quiet and respectful and yet infinitely intimate in its loving tenderness- a stroke of his nose on the underside of her chin- and he moved behind her in a gentle swirl, circling her form on one side as his body moved to shield her from the deep.
He stood, his own body curving to shield her smaller form as his tail flicked the trailing eddies away from their post.
She'd come so far... what did it matter, if she needed a little help to get back?

He smiled warmly.
"Of course you can. We'll go..." his un-wavering confidence, loyalty of heart and soul; he was here "... together."
He could have, an observer might have noted, forced himself beneath her and popped her hooves up from the sand, unsettling her and probably causing a slight grip of panic to spring anew and towing her back to the shore. But, that would not have been... Him.
I'm here, Meridah...
And, it warmed him in was he'd never thought possible to know that....

She knew. Only, always...
I'm yours.
 

[Tirokio]

Swallowing her fears, her eyes once more closed for a breif moment or two as he was moving around her. Closing in, she only flinched in a moment of surprise before adding a smidgen of comfortable weight into his muzzle as it slid soothingly under her chin. Peeking those same warm eyes open to watch his fins which erupted from the water slice through, his frame floating to her side in which he stood; the pushing of the sea now stilled from the larger form beside her. Her legs were shaking now, silently to her making vibrations in the water around her; but it didn't matter if they did or didn't - eyes focused on Voda as the waves no longer splashed against her chin.

Breathe.

Her hind leg moved back as she tried to back step; but she came to the realization that there was a mound of sand that was a little too prominent for her leg to lift over in its current healing state. She did not trust herself to side step, and well, she couldn't kick off and just swim around it...the thought of it scaring her worse than her current predicament.

Chocolate eyes rose to meet the gold of his, her bangs weighed by their damp tips falling once more around her eyes and face. Together.

Stretching her neck she slid her jawline along his shoulders; nestling her chin into his hair at the base of his neck. Applying pressure she was able to counter balance her front to aid the back, a small time frame where her legs floated up and one attempt...two...and three, she had shifted her leg enough to get around the mound which had been too much to lift over from the healing bite on her leg. The red haired mare was hesitant to pull back, she wanted him to take her to shore but....a more bold, more prominent side of her soul would not allow this. She got this far...she could get back.

Temporary retreat.

Slowly but surely she back pedaled, one hoof at a time, as she water level dropped from her jaw down to just below her belly. The water rolled off her damp fur, tail and mane which stuck to her body dripping water back into the sea whence it came. No longer did the mare feel the grip of the sea as it drifted harmlessly back and forth against her legs, her neck twisted and shook to spray droplets around her.

Once more did her gaze befall his own, a light flickering in her eyes with the colors of the sunrise, a gentle smile stretching the corners of her lips. I did it. Of course....with his help. Support. Presence.

How had he grown into someone so great?
...even if he was truly a special soul as a foal - too.

She turned her head inland, eyes scanning the skies for sign of another kind of sunrise - the little songbird they called theirs. "I couldn't sleep. I miss her." Her breath was barely above a whisper, but knew thanks to his proximity and his intent listening he'd hear her. "How did you do it...?" She felt a skip, a sinking of her heart in her chest as the reminder of it, but pressed on. "How did you raise her to be so..." there was a word she was looking for, dropping her head from the skies to look to the sea at her legs. Turning to look to Voda, her eyes taking on the hues of the skies above as they reflected.

"...incredible?"  

[Huroggmeten]

One step at a time.
In memory of you... in honor of us, of all that is pure and right and good. Natural, nurtured, beloved... Whole.

Their family was whole again.

His heart soared, and he wondered if it would ever come down again, or simply adapt to its existence among the clouds of contentment. He would never be idle, never forget to appreciate every moment with his dearest loves, to let them know how truly thankful he was for their every breath- and for every breath of his. Here. Now.
Then.

Together.

His mind drifted momentarily.
Vodadragan drifted listlessly in the waves, his body coiling and curling without resistance as the tides pulled him further away from land. Barely grown, thinly muscled, he was... youthful, in body if not in mind.
It was not a story of innocence robbed, or of wisdom beyond years.
It was... his present reality.

Waiting.

"The same way you're doing this now..." he met her gaze, a smile blooming from his heart. Even if they were not together every moment, their family (however far apart), was.... whole. "... Living., best we can. Breathing, for there will always be a tomorrow- or, should it never come, the peace of knowing a life lived... here."
His nose gently grazed her temple.

He began to drift towards the surface, though the tide pulled down, floating with the same placidity as one drowning- or already drowned- might sink.
His tail flickered.

Phoenix.
Voda rose from the depths of the water's salty embrace, pulled propelled and welcomed into a more active state of mind by his... their... little egg.
She wasn't an egg any more.
And....
He would always be there.

His nose broke the surface, the rest of him following suit.

Plus... he wasn't going to find Her floating down here.

"Where dreams are made. Nurtured. Grow. Where the heart and mind join to form a strength of union so breath-taking..."
He laughed.

"I don't really know. I just... did."
It felt so good to speak with her again. He couldn't resist another gentle embrace, though they were perhaps not close enough to shore for her comfort. "And... I think I always had you at my side. In my heart. A place, not reserved just... Yours. Always. No matter your form."
They had raised her together, as he knew they would. Whether she was present as a memory and promise, or in full living glory. He hadn't... done. Anything.
He'd just....
Lived.

"Mostly, we just were ourselves." Learning, from each other or another, solitary or together... Living, in life, they'd grown. He'd grown up, she'd matured.
It just... happened.
Like the passage of time.
It required effort, sure. It wasn't always easy. Sometimes it was heartbreakingly hard.
But they pushed forward, they moved on. From the innermost strength of the self to more subtle urges of character, whatever their driving force may be- a mantra, a goal, a childhood friend lost and waiting to be found... it was enough. It was always enough.
No judgment here.
Just wondrous... life.

So much easier, and yet endlessly more challenging, with love.
"I miss her too." And he wouldn't trade it, any of it, for the universe.
Though, if he could... he'd have spared her all the pain. Meridah. Knight.
It had changed her, shaped her, for all that a part of her endured. All of her, any of her, wholly fully completely... her strength, her sadness, her drive, her core. Her uncertainty, her stoic solidity.
He could appreciate that some things had to happen, that some things were 'meant' to be... not fate, just that sometimes Life happens and it may not go according to Plan and it may not be the best version of events but it was his life, it was their life, and he'd be damned if he didn't live it to its fullest.
Even in the quietest moments in the coolness of night, there was... warmth.
Even in rest, there could be vitality vibrancy and energy.
Because....
Because even if she endured pain, sought out and ignored and just dealt with and accepted physical harm as some inevitable cost of her... lifestyle... even if she had changed, grown, been altered somehow or altered herself...
He would never wish any harm upon her. Even if she could rise from the depths of tragedy and become something.... amazing.
She always had been, to him.

She...
Is.

And that was beautiful.