Posted on February 2, 2020 at 11:00:12 PM by TAVAS & Vita Nova
And the cold lonely air. On the rock restless seas. It was harder to leave the Ridge than she anticipated. Even with Bjorn's blessing, she felt a little teary eyed as she stood on the Ridge's shore, her ankles in the surf, with every intention of leaving Atlantis to go back to Tinuvel. She'd thought about this moment for months, mostly while pining away when she was stuck on Salem and hating the Icelandic stallion's guts. But now it was here and she was having... second thoughts. So she thought of Vita Nova. Her heart thumped away in her chest with worry about her mother - it wasn't like the opinionated, sassy Queen to be so silent all these months. Tavas could feel it in her bones that something was wrong. So she asked Bjorn to let her go, albeit temporarily, with the promise of her return. She wanted to let her mom know she was okay. And Tavas needed to know that Vita Nova was okay, too. The swim was harder than she anticipated. Maybe that was because the palomino mare rarely left an island once she got there. Tavas had hardly explored the chain of islands at all, beyond where some stallion had forced her follow. But she still remembered the way home, back to the Inlet. She rose up onto the black pebble beach of her adolescent home and a chill ran down the length of her spine. It felt good to be in the crisp mountain air again, and to see the light plumes of her exhales evaporate in front of her. She clamored across the beach and trudged farther into her home, stopping only to snap a leaf or branch or two of her favorite hometown snacks along the way. Eventually, she issued a shrill call for Vita Nova. Her whinny rung out into the air, but it seemingly went unanswered. Tavas kept walking, keeping her gold-flecked eyes peeled for the likes of her mother, but the sooty-colored Queen of the Inlet never came. Tavas' gut churned and she just knew something was wrong. Her pace quickened to a trot as she veered between the pine and evergreen trees. Eventually she caught a whiff of her mother's familiar scent in the brisk air, and she followed it to a clearing. Her gaze settled on the form of a dark filly first, then the skeleton-like form of her mother hanging in the distance. The image was eerie and haunting, to see her once beautiful mother in such a condition. Her rump and hind legs were black and the hair was caked and swirled there with some type of thick, dried gunk. Her mother had lost all of her muscled condition - her skin hung from her bones. The sheen of her healthy coat was gone. Emotion caught Tavas right in the throat, and suddenly she couldn't breathe. Tears poured from her eyes as she rushed to her mother's side. "Oh my god." She murmured, as she pressed the length of her face into her mother's bony neck. "What happened? Was it Warsaw? I'm going to murder him.... We have to get you out of here." Her nostrils flared in quick & shallow huffs as adrenaline and shock coursed through her veins. Vita Nova looked equally shocked, to see the brilliant, golden form of her Tavas standing there before her. "Tavas." She croaked, her voice hoarse and raspy from weeks of little use. She nickered warmly to her daughter as they embraced, and the tears began to fall from her own eyes. The emotion of the moment was hard to contain, and Vita Nova allowed herself the long-stunted moment to release everything she'd bottled up for so long. Together they sobbed, moaned, and whimpered, until there were no more tears left to stain their cheeks. "You look so beautiful. So grown up." Vita Nova offered finally. "Meet your sister. Brunhild." She said, casting her gaze to the young filly beside them. "It was the pregnancy, Tavas. Not Warsaw." She finally revealed, answering her daughter's question. "Gosh, it feels like ages since I've seen you last. I'm so sorry he sent you away with that stallion. I was really rooting for that sweet Requiem. He just adores you." Tavas listened to her mother's words with perked ears. She was astounded at her Vita Nova's resilience, that despite her clearly failing health, she could continue on so cordially, like this was just another day. "Mom - stop it." Tavas finally said with a flick of her wavy blonde tail. "I'm fine, clearly. The Ridge isn't so bad. But where the hell is Warsaw? He just leaves you alone in this condition? Jesus Christ." She spat. "The war..." Vita Nova replied. "He and his allies are off to Luthien..." Vita Nova couldn't keep the tears from coming a second time. "God, I'm sorry. I just - I- I can't help but feel responsible. All this time, I've just sat here and supported my brother's enemy, after everything he's done for me and our family. Warsaw is going after all of them." Tavas nickered warmly to her mother then, unsure of what else to do. "I just wish I could go home. Like my real home, the Prairie. Where I born. Where you were born. At least to see Shamwari again and say sorry. Before this all happens." Tavas snorted and tossed her head. "So why can't you? She voiced, shifting her weight over her legs "You're not a prisoner here." Tavas lets her gaze drift out over and through the trees, and she listened to the familiar sounds of the wooded terrain all around him. She sighed and then returned to look at her mother. "I have an idea." T A V A S Palomino | Mare | Vita Nova x Nephilim | 15h | Photo © Carina Mailwald |©Vinyl |
