take what you can. Posted on May 13, 2020 at 02:55:10 AM by Rade
to live and burn is
the most exquisite form of self destruction
The sun’s warmth had begun to touch even the highest elevations of the Peak, thawing the frozen ground in small degrees. Tender new shoots of grass began to poke up in even the tiniest gaps between unyielding stone, carpeting the landscape in shades of emerald. And all around them was evidence of life both new and re-emergent; birds collecting materials for their nests, insects busily visiting each new blossom, and foals learning how to use their spindly legs. And yet Rade could find no joy in the simple pleasures that surrounded him. Instead he felt claustrophobic, as if the many residents of the Peak - whether willing or captive - packed close to him, until they pushed the air from his lungs and left the stallion short of both breath and temper.
Of course, this wasn’t truly the case. There was enough room for all, though not without some flares of temper and minor scuffles over certain more desirable spaces. It seemed some of the bachelors had made themselves too much at home, and the Vulcans were unappreciative of their presumed comfort. The white-dusted palomino suspected that there were as many sisters who would find joy in hurling the stallions bodily from their home as there were who wished to resume their captivity. And as the spring progressed without evident progress in rousing the men against their leader, Rade suspected that their tolerance would wane even more.
He needed to act quickly; decisively.
Not today, however. After the tensions of speaking to a large grouping of Vulcans and then on a more personal level with their Codebreaker - not to mention attempting to diffuse tensions between the two starkly contrasting groups that were now forced to coexist - the golden stallion was sorely in need of a break. With a last glance at the gathering of bachelors, Rade began to descend the path that twisted through the mountain’s spine, and which would eventually take him to the Falls. The activity helped to take the edge off his own acerbity, and the need to pay close attention to where his hooves fell kept his mind from wandering to the thoughts that had been troubling him. By the time the roan stallion gained the comfort of level ground, a sweet ache had settled into his muscles, and the twinges of arthritis had returned to the joints of his long-abused limbs. It was an unpleasant but much-needed reminder of his mortality; the seasons of Rade’s life had passed from summer and into the slow decline of autumn long ago. Winter could not be far behind.
Though he had originally departed with the vague plan of seeking out Leto - the foal he’d filled her belly with was undoubtedly due any day - Rade was given pause by the sight of the spotted creature who haunted the trail between Peak and Falls. Something about the other was familiar in a way that his mind could not quite touch - a dim impression of bodies colliding surfaced, and the memory of Conquistador’s voice calling out to him with concern. A soldier. This stallion had once been a soldier of the Lagoon - though if the scents that clung to his coat were any indication, this was no longer the case. But neither did it seem that he hailed from any of the isles on which the herds made their home - the distinctive perfumes of Tinuvel, Luthien, Atlantis, and Salem were as absent from him as that of the Lagoon.
Perhaps his return to the isles was recent, and his home was yet unchosen - perhaps he was a drifter like Rade himself, a piece that could not fit into the too-complex puzzle that the islands had become. ”If you’re considering a visit to the Peak, I wouldn’t,” Rade spoke with an indifference that belied his words. ”Between the new children and the number of captives, one more spark is all it could take to set that place ablaze. And with the Lagoon under the control of an utter fool - well, let’s just say that homelessness isn’t the worst fate for one of our gender right now.” The golden stallion had never been one to censor his thoughts, even when he was uncertain as to how they would be received. Of course, even though both his voice and his slender body appeared relaxed, he watched the other male closely, prepared for the possibility of any reaction - including a physical blow. After all, it was entirely plausible that Cullen was already working to amass new recruits, and this one had the look of someone that you’d think twice before tangling with.
But if his loyalties weren’t already claimed, perhaps he should attempt to win them for his own cause. The bachelors’ integrity, after all, was dubious at best - placing the entirety of his faith in them would be a fool’s errand. Perhaps an outsider with no allegiance was just what he needed.