[PRP] Help Me... [Alyssum and Laurelin] [Fin~]

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

Alyssum trudged back to the forest with little of her pep and vitality. After her bath, she had fallen asleep while drying in the sun. She had not intended to do so, but after all the time spent in the cave system smothered in the unnatural heat, the kiss of the sun had felt sweet against her dappled hide, comforting and nourishing as it must have been to the grass, the trees, the flowers. Before she had even realized she was growing drowsy, her purple eyes had closed, only opening again as the sun sank, leaving behind an array of purples, reds, and golds. The rich colors made her think of the collection of treasures, to her merely "stuff," that she had seen.

The recollection made her shiver slightly, and she increased her pace to a trot as she began to weave through the first patch of trees she saw. She did not want to think about the Golden One or his current plight, not yet, not until she knew a way to return to the underground and save him. The forest, with its familiar surroundings, would help her to find a solution, she was sure. The only company she needed was that of the trees...  

[Tsunake]

She had never known one's heart could ache so. There was no physical torment, no wound or illness to blame for her suffering. If she strained back to that night within the river, she could remember when it started. Three words, simple... and yet, had doomed her to these silent days of staring out at the forests. These trees had once harbored her, kept her safe and never lonely--but she had learned that for all their ancient wisdom and everlasting patience, they could never take the place of the golden beast who she'd stumbled upon so ignorantly.

A slow sigh slipped past her darkened muzzle, and the mare stood as silently as the plant life surrounding her, the bright strands of her tail and mane tugged and tossed around by the gentle breeze that twisted through her fur. The sun was fading away, and she already missed its warmth, linked it to a strong, scaled body that pressed against her own and promised to keep her safe.

But that was all gone, now. He had done what he had to, what he needed to. She had let him go.

An unexpected rustle of movement sent her bright eyes snapping towards the source of the noise, feeling her heart beginning to beat faster. No, no, it couldn't possibly be... but how she wished! Last time she had prayed he would see her, and he had stumbled from the forest in a daze to join her in the cool waters of the river, and how happy they had been...

...But the dark female that pushed forth through the greenery was not the stallion she wished to see, and her surprised expression quickly faded, distant, and yet so sad. Not Chimalsi, he was gone. The realization was so devastating that she never even thought to call out to the younger female, and stood in mournful silence.  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

The rustle of wind in the trees soothed her, the sound of leaves brushing against one another, of twigs straining to hold onto them, and branches swaying as though to say that something was solid and would not let go. Alyssum drank in the sound, half-closed her eyes to enjoy the scent of her lush surroundings, the feel of soft grass and giving soil beneath her hooves. She had missed this, all of this life and energy, and she gave a whinny of true glee and relief as she plunged into a small clearing. Tossing her head back and opening her eyes fully, she allowed herself the simple thrill of relief. She was home.

When she landed, however, she immediatly spotted the Soquili before her, half-hidden by trees, and the chocolate mare's voice stopped in mid-cry. Pear gold with tinges of brown, mane smooth and colored like bees wax, and it seemed as though she had gotten tangled in one of the trees. But... a closer inspection revealed no end to the branches that crowned the other mare's head or crossed her chest, and the small, blooming tree behind her seemed... different from the others around her. The leaf color, the shining fruit... was the plant... a part of the mare?!

Swallowing, Alyssum's voice came out much smaller than normal, and the question was honest, "Are... are you a goddess, Great Lady?"  

[Tsunake]

The joyful sound that burst forth from the young throat startled her, her widened eyes quickly flickering over the mare and her vibrant energy. To be so happy... A flashback of a time on a beach, where she, too, had run and danced like a filly again with her darling. No, not her darling. Someone else's. And even as her eyes began to glaze slightly as she remembered, the soft, almost timid question reached her ears which pricked with surprise.

"No," Laurelin spoke just as softly after a time, and her tail flicked quietly behind her. "It is said that my brother and I were gifts from the trees... but I am no more different than you, save that I hail from a place far from here." After a moment, she dipped her head in a slow, elegant bow to the younger, and straightened soon after. "...Forgive me for not speaking to you. My mind has been wandering as of late."

To think she had thought herself a mere observer before! So like the trees, always watching, but never actively stepping forth in this world to act. She knew that was wrong now, that she had been granted this form for a reason. "I am Laurelin. ...May I ask your name, spirited one?"  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

Stranger and stranger... Alyssum stepped closer to the mare before her, continuing to soak in her appearance as she had earlier the light of the sun. The air around her felt... peaceful, soothing, and it was a welcome change from all of the earlier excitement. Her ears swivelled to catch the words that the golden mare offered, repeating the name softly. "Laurelin." Organic, lilting... perfect.

She imitated the bow given her, sloppy in comparison to the natural grace of the one before her, but passible and polite, before lifting her blazed head. "I'm Alyssum. Like the flower."

The second addition was habitual, and the mare felt uncharacteristically embarassed by it. Surely this mare would need no explanation as to the origin of her name, not someone who came from the trees, embodied them quite literally in a way that the dappled mare could never hope to do. However, none of that crossed her mind as she continued to marvel over the living plant growing from the other mare's back. "It's... amazing. A gift from the trees... I've lived my whole life in the forest, and I've recieved plenty of gifts. Shade and fruit and stuff but... but never anything like this. The trees must like you and your brothers alot, Laurelin! You're so lucky!"  

[Tsunake]

Laurelin could not remember a time where she had come across another mare in this place, and surely never one so young. Young, but unafraid, still so vibrant and filled with life. The dark one's name was enough to unconsciously pull at her muzzle, a faint smile appearing there as an unexpected spark of pleasure briefly lessened the lamenting of her heart.

"Alyssum... A strong and beautiful flower that resists almost all of life's harshness, that grows and blossoms regardless of the conditions if only to prove that it can... It is a pleasure, Alyssum." And so apt. She wondered briefly how perceptive this one's parents must have been to recognize such strength within their daughter, but that only brought the pain back. He, too, had been so keen to notice details.

"I am lucky," She admitted, and it was almost a shy statement. "I do not know why they chose to share their gifts with me... But then again, they share their gifts with everyone. Perhaps it is my duty to nurture one of their own so that all may enjoy." Her face fell slightly, bright eyes slowly dimming as she gazed out at the outskirts of the forest. "...But such things do not come without a price."  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

Alyssum nodded, her violet eyes bright. It was... nice to have someone that understood how important a name could be, how choosing it could push you towards a life through goals and ideals. "Yep! I picked it when Momma and Daddy mentioned it because I liked it so much."

"Price?" The mare queried, tilting her head as she looked up to the older Soquili before her. "What do you mean, Laurelin? Like... because it's heavy or... people keep trying to steal your fruit or something? Because I'll help protect you, if it's something like that!"

She dug a black hoof into the grass, her cream tail snapping away a random fly with a well-timed flick. She had always done her best to protect the forest, and if this was a living incarnation of that charge, with a gift of the forest perched on her back, as much a part of her as her golden fur, then Alyssum would do whatever it took to protect this gentle mare before her. Nothing else made any sense to her.  

[Tsunake]

How could her features not soften at the simple, honest statement? For this young one to offer her protection... There was a tiny shake of her head, a gentle smile. "No, no, it's not a physical price..." She hesitated for a moment, debating how to explain herself. Did she even want to? Could she bear to?

"...For so long, I have lived by myself with only the company of these trees. I never thought to venture out, to discover who else shared this world with me. What happened... was an accident. I met a stranger... A stallion. He had dropped a gift for his dear one, and I helped him to retrieve it. ...But... I fell in love with him." She stopped there, feeling her heart threatening to break. "...It was not meant to be. He had his love, and I had my place here, among these trees."

She caught herself with a start after some time, her ears tipping back guiltily even as she shook her head. "I am sorry. I did not mean to ramble, it has just... been a very recent turn of events." The mare apologized quietly.  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

The mare listened carefully to the story the golden lady before her had to tell, her ears drooping slightly at the amount of sadness that she heard in her voice. Alyssum didn't like sadness, but... how could she help? Love... she had never been in love, not a love like this!

"There's no need to apologize," Alyssum interjected quickly, moving closer on impulse to offer whatever comfort her presence would allow. While she didn't dare touch the other mare without permission, she hoped that just being there would be enough. "I don't know what's wrong with that guy... but I guess when you love someone, it can't be helped, right? It's not like you're not pretty and nice, and at least you helped him out. I know what's like to have help mean a whole lot of nothing... or just to not know how to help or what to do."

Remembering the predicament she had left the Golden One in, the chocolate mare huffed slightly to herself. Still, she didn't want to burden Laurelin with any further problems, so she turned back to the one at hand, "What kind of gift was it, anyway, that he needed you to help him get it back? I mean, if it was a pretty flower, he could've just picked another one..."  

[Tsunake]

Such a foreign concept a thing like physical contact was still, yet she could now fully understand and appreciate the sentiment. Her tail flicked slightly on instinct when the younger spoke only truth, and she dipped her head in acknowledgment. "...Yes. As long as he is happy, I can be content." She smiled then when she was asked to recall, and though it was wistful, she did so gladly.

"It was a shell. A sea shell. Pale as the moon when it first rises... and yet, within its center was a shimmering sort of beauty. It was something to admire." To think she'd found him, his nose and face all stuck with thorns from the nosy brambles that had hidden it away from his sharp eyes. "It had fallen into some thorns... He'd been trying to fish it out, but was doing himself more harm than good." And then they'd exchanged gifts, of sorts; his seashell for the thorns that he'd accidentally dislodged in his haste to retrieve his treasure.

"It was a wonderful gift from the sea." Laurelin mused, her ears shifting to and fro. "Perhaps a flower would have done... but a thing like that would last for so very long." There was a sigh then. "...His loved one did not like it. ...She... is not good for him, I do not think." And how her throat clenched with guilt at admitting such a thing to another. "She hurts him."  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

"A seashell?" The mare repeated, trying to imagine such a thing. How could someone capture the sea in a shell? The sea, from what little she knew, was made of water, and all the water she'd ever seen was loose and free. Not closed off in a shell like a nut. Still, it sounded pretty... because the moon was pretty and anything that shimmered with a similiar light would be beautiful too.

Something niggled in the back of Alyssum's mind, something telling her that the situation Laurelin described sounded familiar, as though it happened before... as though the chocolate mare had heard or seen something similiar. A beautiful gift, seeking to impress a love... and pain. Her eyes crossed in frustration as she struggled to remember, and a bit of this came out in her exasperated tone, "But... how can you love someone that hurts you? That's never satisified with what you give them? I get excited when I get ANY kind of present! I can't imagine hunting for the perfect thing all the time... you'd never be done!"

And there it was again - that certainity that even her own words were rolling around something, someone, right on the edge of her memory, her tongue, but it just... wouldn't come out!  

[Tsunake]

She nodded quietly at that, not even thinking to explain how the thing for Alyssum's benefit. The other went cross-eyed without warning, and Laurelin blinked, tilting her head slowly with concern while she hesitated asking if the mare was all right. But she spoke then, made her arch her neck some as though surprised. "...That was how I felt, too. But is it my place to say such a thing, to him? If he loves her..."

A slow, unhappy sigh drifted from her then. "...It was only a few days ago that I saw him last. ...There were these... ugly wounds, small and perhaps insignificant, but they stood out so horribly against his coat. Like little blemishes against the sun." She swallowed a little thickly at that, dropping her head as though ashamed.

"Alyssum," The whisper finally came. "...Have I done wrong by him, leaving him in such a place? I thought I would ruin his chances at happiness if I tried to intervene..."  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

"I dunno, Laurelin," Alyssum answered honestly, uncrossing her eyes to look up into the other's bright blue ones. "I love... my family, and the forest, and fake stars and... friends and everything, but that's not the same thing as being in love with a guy, I don't think. It seems like it'd be okay to tell him if you're worried, though. -I- would because..."

The words trailed off, and her head snapped up, her violet eyes widening. Wounds. Blemish. Sun. Seeking out precious things, treasures. A giant horde. Agression and showmanship against an unseen mistress. Red leaking from gold, sprinkling her face. It all connected now... it all made sense! The dappled mare found herself taking a step closer, the words exploding from her mouth, "Golden One! Your stallion sounds like Golden One!"

Not wanting to let the thought escape, she plunged into a description, "Covered with scales like a... dragonfly with a heavy gold necklace on a chain? Eyes like honey and all shining, shining like the sun? Is that him?"  

[Tsunake]

A little sigh slipped from her without her meaning it to, and her lips had quirked quietly at Alyssum's description. She, too, had been oblivious to what it meant to love someone, to want to spend the rest of one's life with them... She wouldn't trade the knowledge for anything now that it was hers and hers alone, but it, too, had come at a price.

The mare's unexpected reaction made her falter, wide-eyed and curious at such open emotion. "G.. Golden One?" The description she was then offered was enough to make her eyes as round as saucers, inhaling sharply with surprise before-- "Chimalsi! That... Yes, that's Chimalsi, that's him..." Her hooves were shifting her anxiously now, and Laurelin had to steady herself for a moment.

"Alyssum... Did you see him? Is he well?" She couldn't help herself from flooding the poor mare with questions, suddenly agitated.  

[Quicksilver the Archangel]

The open anxiety in the other mare made Alyssum antsy herself, her charchoal hooves alternatively dancing in place and grounding themselves in the solid soil. Now that her bottled thought process had spilled out, however jumbled, she felt much better, though her heart rushed as the excitement of the moment built. The peak came from the name that Laurelin breathed, a name that tickled her ears and set her stock still as she repeated it, closing her eyes to breath it in and taste it, "Chimalsi. Shim-all-she. Chimalsi..."

She had never heard Golden One's name before, had never asked for it as he had never asked for hers, but now she had it, now it joined the collection of others that nestled with meaning deep in her brain. Chimalsi. Reminiscient of the word 'shimmer' that could so accurately describe him, but with a stronger feel nestled in its soft syllables. The hushing 's' towards the end indicated a secret, only too appropriate, and Alyssum opened her eyes again to retake in her companion when the questions interupted her musings.

She only half-hesitated, believing more strongly in the truth than sparing another's feelings, "No, I don't think so. Well, not the same way we are, anyway. I got lost in a cave and came across this big pile of... stuff, stuff that he says are treasures. Gold and gems and furs and things, you know? They didn't mean anything to me, but he obviously likes them. And he was scary... he lashed out at me and pushed me out, but I don't think he WANTED to do it. He told me 'she' didn't like me... that I had to get out, and I ran!"

Then, the chocolate mare lowered her voice, unable to hide the concern that glistened in her violet eyes, "But Laurelin... Laurelin, I didn't see anybody else there. I don't know who he was talking about, unless she was buried under all those things..."