[PRP] Moonlit Sun [Shikouten & Nokomis]

[Apotropaics]

Shikouten stood, staring out at the lands as the gentle breeze ruffled his golden mane. Light and airy, those tendrils of pure silken gold moved willingly in even the lightest breeze- unlike the strong and sturdy steed they belonged to. Steadfast, resolute. He was a savior, a protector, his noble heart always pointing towards Truth.

And, the truth was... right now, he was a little wistful. His face was calm, though his eyes seemed somehow distant, as if he were gazing at the past.
The moon taken mortal form. Shining, shimmering, inside and out- such an admirable spirit. There were few that the stallion respected utterly, though there were many whom he offered respect and courtesy. She was one.

How long had it been?
The moon in the sky was waning, her light fading as the stars hid behind dark clouds. The winds brought change, though at a slow and steady pace. And the flaming orange stallion shimmered still, aflame amidst the night, his thoughts on distant times.
Perhaps it was the moon that reminded him of her. Perhaps it was the mare he had helped earlier that day, so graceful and yet lacking the kindness of the one who lingered now in his thoughts. And perhaps it was just one of those times, one of the little moments in which quiet reflection leads to an individual being instead of some grand revelation.

Their foals had grown, and they had gone to live their lives. That was how long it had been...
His daughter's features flashed through his mind, and he marvelled at how great she had grown. She was still a little too reckless (his heart seized at the thought, and his muscles twitched as though he was about to take flight... but, no, this daughter could save others as well as herself) but she was grown, and a fine mare... pride now shone in his eyes, joined all too quickly by remorse. And their son? What of him?

He drew a great breath, letting it out slowly and silently- not quite a sigh.
Looking to the moon, he closed his eyes, letting what light remained in the sky- and in his memories- soothe him.

With another breath, he strode forwards, leaving his perch on the hillside and moving on towards the next mare, stallion, foal, familiar, or collective in need.
That, he could do. That, he knew. Help others. Be strong. Stay true.

 

[stormflower]

Had it really happened, was it true, how did it happen?? She was still in disbelief but she had felt it happen. Though she was not there her heart ached with a great loss and somehow she knew that her love was gone. There were still unanswered questions, and they would remain so. Several months had now past but the would still was fresh on her heart, especially when the stars were alive in the sky without the moon. She had her precious children and they helped ease the pain but they could not make it heal any faster.

She was normally more alive at night, but she found greater comfort during the day with the sun high in the sky, warming her wings. She had begun traveling again, searching for herself and in these travels she found the sister she never knew she had. It made her happy to have her but she still felt empty and decided to continue her travels alone for a while.

She had been traveling, wondering the lands for about a week and things started to feel different, feel familiar though she could not place the feelings. The sun had long set and her mother moon was in the sky when she came across a small pool. She lay by the edge and drank and then looked at her reflection, the familiar feeling was still there laying in the mysterious glow of her horns reflection. She shook her head trying to place the feeling and her bells jingling lightly.

It was then she saw the moons reflection in the pool, but instead of the moon she saw the sun and she thought to one who she knew well and often thought of. The father of her first children, a grand stallion with a heart of gold. Why she thought of him at that very moment she didnt know, but she wondered where he and her daughter Akiyo were and how they were. She hoped they were well, and the more she thought this the more she realized how much she missed them. They were once kindred spirits and held a fondness for one another like none she'd since met. She was sad that they parted ways but was glad it was on a good note. She had meant to try and see him and Akiyo but Aruhe came and she couldn't find the time nor had she heard word of their whereabouts.

She thought back to those early days, when she was new to these lands and when she met Shikoten, and when Kohaku and his sister came. Such happy days they were, with these thoughts she had a genuine smile appear on her face for the first time in a long time.....  

[Apotropaics]

The stallion wandered for a while, his ears ever alert- waiting for the sound of trouble, of Need. In his heart of hearts, he wished such sounds would cease forever- but he knew that the world was more complex than that, that dark and light were complimentary and not complete opposites, that if everyone always told the complete truth there may even be more fighting as unkind words were said in haste. The moment he stopped listening was the moment the peace would end. Such was the way of the world, was it not?
So, he was always watching. And some days, he found... nothing. He passed through secluded territories that had yet to be settled, with not a soul about. Some days he counseled, some days he used his strength to defend. Defend, protect, never attack. Put himself between the innocent and the... he stopped. His eyes twinkled. So that's where his daughter got it from.

Sometimes, the fates were kind. Though he believed each being lived a life of their own making, in freedom of choice and the ability to change one's circumstances, fate was one of those ethereal concepts that simply summed up too many thoughts at once and was far too useful to discard on a technicality.
In himself, traits like selflessness were mere fact. In his daughter, their daughter, it made him uneasy and strangely proud. They had let their children make their own decisions, their own.... mistakes... after all the nurturing, the caring, the love. It was the right thing to do.
He was thankful for those memories, those moments locked away in time. Fate had been kind.

He saw it not as an unkindness that they had parted, rather a decision of two equals. Yet sometimes... not regret, no, but a quiet longing. The tranquil cousin of desire, a yearning for... his mind had wandered again, for the need to act had not come soon enough.

His ear flickered briefly as his hooves turned automatically towards a tinkling sound. Gentle, soft, barely there- was it just a memory? No, his senses would not lie.

He flicked a glance at the sky.
A familiar tinkle as stars failed to twinkle...

His gaze met Moon on land.
 

[stormflower]

She raised up and stared at her reflection, how long had it been. She was a different mare, or so she felt like she was. She wondered if she would see him and her first daughter again, but as she thought this a strange sensation surged through her, an odd warmth in her heart. Her ears twitched to the sound of hooves behind her. She turned abruptly, causing her bells to sing again and her eyes grew big as she gasped at the Sun in front of her. Had she fallen asleep, was she dreaming of days long past? She took a few steps forward as the wind blew her closer to him. "Shikouten.....my Sun in the night....is it really you? Or am I dreaming of past days? Has the day merged with the night, please tell me Im awake. I couldn't bear the cruelty if this were a dream dear friend.", her voice was shaky not as clear as it once was as she moved forward only mere feet from the Sun she once knew her eyes welling up with tears of both happiness and sorrow.  

[Apotropaics]

The stallion blinked once, dispelling his ambling thoughts and focusing instead on the mare before him. There was no mistaking her, for she was utterly one of a kind.
Upon hearing the tremor in her voice, he closed the distance between them in a few swift strides, positioning himself to be a shoulder to lean on (quite literally) should she so need. "This is no dream." his assurance was sincere, for surely he was himself and not some apparition for a dream could not be self-aware... and he would never imagine her so... frail. Such a word he thought would never describe this wonderful, astonishing, strong-hearted mare- but here she seemed shaken to the core. Concern etched on his features, he continued "I do not know whether you have dreamed all of yesterday..." or any day since they had last parted, for that matter... "but I feel it is unlikely. Know that you are awake now." Was her sorrow that of happy tears, disbelief at their reunion? He felt it went deeper than that, and he wished fervently for the power to ease her pain.
He was strong, sturdy, steadfast... but of emotional matters, all he could offer was simple truths and deep conversation. His physical strength was naught to matters of the heart, his nobility a solid pillar amidst the confusion of emotional turmoil but not a healing salve. He could offer all of himself, and it still might not be enough- but he could try.

For the mother of his only children, for his greatest friend in times long past, for the one soul who perhaps truly understood his own... "I'm here, Nokomis." ... and i'll be here for as long as you need me, for whenever you need me, and please... even if you don't need my assistance... let us not part again just yet.
 

[stormflower]

She found herself leaning against Shikouten's neck with a small sigh...of relief, happiness, perhaps both. "Oh Im so glad, for if it were to be a dream Id ask to not wake from it...not yet." She felt so safe there with him, it was hard for her to believe fully. In her heart she knew she was awake, her dreams wouldn't deceive her she knew his warmth too well. She stepped back a few paces and looked up the stallion, she had forgotten how tall he was. She seemed to be tall for a mare, but Shikouten was taller still. Kohaku was almost his height she mused as a brief smile flashed on her face as a tear escaped down her cheek. "I fear I may have been dreaming for longer it seems....Dreaming of days long since past of faces Ill never see again....."

She found more tears falling down her face and she quickly stepped back and turned around moving to the waters edge. "Forgive me Shiko I fear the days of late of not been kind. I do not mean to prattle on. Im so glad to see you my Sun Knight. How fares your travels and our daughter?" She said trying to muster a smile again for she was truly happy to see him and know how he has been. She couldn't however to bring herself to turn back to face him, her gaze instead was fixed on her reflection in the glassy pool.  

[Apotropaics]

As she leaned against him, he felt himself wishing he could infuse her with strength- not just be there to support her, but help her regain her resolve.
When she withdrew, his skin seemed to ache and tingle a little, as though reaching for her. Let me help... she looked at him, and looked away. Seeing a mare, any mare, in need- fragile- tugged at his heartstrings. But seeing her like this... "Dreams... come often to those for whom reality is too harsh to bear." An escape, an alternative, an imaginary paradise... though he himself had never retreated to such, he often dwelled in fond memories. Truths of the past, kindled hopes of the future.
"May your future be as cherished as the past you wish was Now."

He paused, resisting the impulse to seek to smooth away her tears. Sometimes emotions needed to be released, and though he could offer support he could not remove her source of pain. At that thought, he wondered whether it was in fact that absence of something that made her weep...
When she asked forgiveness, he mentally shook himself. "There is nothing to forgive."
"I am glad of our reunion as well. I have... " he paused, considering. "... done well." Helped, aided, assisted, rescued... because it was right, because it was the right thing to do. A fond smile tugged at his lips as he gazed at the mother of his beloved daughter. "Akiyo is well. She travels much as we do, helping any who cross her path- and she learns to save herself so that she may continue to help others." he let out a breath, not quite a sigh. "Some day she will value herself as more than a tool, appreciate her inner strength and sense of self. She grows."
"And... our son?" A surge of concern that perhaps, that brilliant colt- no, stallion, now...- was the source of the moon's tears. But, no... surely he would have felt it?
He watched her as she looked into her reflection, radiating strength and affection. Perhaps he could channel her... but, no, such pure spirit but be reclaimed by oneself and could never be truly lost. She only had to look deep enough to find it, heal enough to accept herself again.
Or... was this the new her?

He frowned slightly. No.
 

[stormflower]

She smiled through the tears that found their way down her cheeks and dropped into the water below. Shikouten always had a way with words, he always knew how to make her smile and lift her spirits. Though remnants of tears stained her cheeks she found the courage to turn around again a small smile returning to her face. "Im glad to hear Aki is doing well, she is still young she has time to discover herself yet. Kohaku is bright and strong much like you with a kind heart and strong will. He also has found a wonderful mate of his own. They are perfect for one another......You would like Luminary."

She sighed as she stepped forward a bit and looked to the moon high in the sky. She was happy thinking of her family but sad at the same time, but having Shikouten by her side she was beginning to feel more joy then sorrow. "They have all been there, especially Aruhe......" she paused realizing Shiko didnt know of her other daughter, her bright star. She was suddenly nervous and found she couldn't look him in the eye. She knew he might ask so she took a deep breathe and looked up into Shikouten's eyes. I have a second daughter, she was a gift from the stars.....I had met another and we were so happy and sought a family and we wished upon a miracle star and we were blessed with Aruhe. She is all I have left of him aside from my memories......."  

[Apotropaics]

Shikouten watched the tears fall, wishing with all of his being that he could end her tears for good. Not rob her of her ability to express emotion, never that, merely to end her reason for crying at all. Whatever it was, he wished to make it better; whatever lead her to such sorrow, he wished to remedy it. Not remove, or replace, simply make her feel whole again and in so doing help her to be the stunning, splendid creature she was. Even at her worst, she was a far cry above any other soul he had ever met.

Except, perhaps, their children.
He smiled, glad to hear that their son had turned out so well. He was not surprised, merely proud. "I am glad... He deserved all the happiness this life has to offer." he paused, to look upon her and smile again "As do you."

It was strange, how he could smile while she yet cried, and yet his heart soared to be near her again. And, just maybe, his smile could help ease her pain- if for no other reason than to know she was the cause of it.
Aruhe... An unfamiliar name, and one that caused her to avoid his gaze. His smile fell a bit, but because she so avoided his eyes- and not for any reason she might have thought.
He listened respectfully as she explained.

"It is Just, that the stars saw fit to bless you with a daughter of this love." he was glad, truthfully, that she had found one to share her... ah, but therein was the problem. It was not a life they shared, together and unified, rather she had shared his life and she yet lingered on.
Compassion shone through from his familiar eyes. "I am deeply sorry that you could not remain together, though I am joyed to know that you have your memories of him and your time with her to comfort you in his passing." Thought there could be no comfort in lives lost, he knew that in life there was joy and in pure and good memories of the lost one there could be solace. The loss itself would never get easier to bear, but with time the good memories would outweigh the bad and only bliss and a silent pang of sorrow would come when thoughts arose of the lost love... no more endless tears.
And, in remaining among the living, the lost one lived on in the memories of the ones who love them still.

And those who loved the ones who yet mourned would be there, too, loving and supporting and ever willing to listen when memories or tears neared be shared or shed.
Their children, this child of the stars... and him.

"I'm here." he reached out gently to offer her a comforting touch "I'll always be here, when you need me. Whenever you wish, whenever you want. As long as you desire."

stormflower

*hugs*