’We should never have left…. I should never have gone with him’
Over and over, the beast grumbled the words into his mind, twisting his already disgruntled expression into a downright scowl. Though they made it quite clear on many occasions that neither had a need for him, the silver stallion could not help but to picture Vihar and Hyacinth in his mind. No doubt they both would be fuming and have quite a few colorful words to burn into his ears. ’If they are still there at all.’ That last little noteable tidbit causes his churning hooves to slice even faster against the salt water’s current. He should not have left.
Despite his aloof demeanor and sarcastic quips, Annubis felt a new anxiety burning within his breast. Vihar. Already his son had been lost to him, what of the one that she carried now? Would this too disappear? Though he was no father figure to write home about, he had begun to feel a sort of warmth coursing through his veins when he noted her swelling belly. Would she even still be in Paradise waiting for him? Though she had come to live with him as spoils of war (well a race), she made no effort to hide her love of Tinuvel. Though it was a subject they never talked of, her defensiveness of her sire and the almost longing gaze that she sent out over the oceans was enough to assure him that whatever it was that bound them together dangled by a tattered thread. Even now, even on the mainland, he felt her absence the most when he slept and her warmth was not pressed against his back. Would Paradise even still be home if she were not there? Was she waiting?
And Hyacinth. Oh Hyacinth. How the fiery minx teased and toyed with him. Though there always seemed to be some heat to their encounters, he could not help but to miss it, especially since these last few months he only had the company of his silver haired sire. Was she waiting there? Had their coupling produced a child? Surely she would not pass up the opportunity to use her vivid imagination against him. Right?
Obsidian hooves find purchase on the malleable sands beneath the shallow waters that surround Atlantis. Yellow-gold eyes scan the familiar white sand shores and bright emerald palm leaves as they sway to the billowing zephyrs. Here and there, hints of brightly colored flowers bloomed, their sweet fragrant scents pungent despite the salt air. Home. All at once the memories that had begun to fade rush forward. The cool afternoon rain showers that caused the jungle to come alive, the brightly colored parrots and songbirds that Akela always found so amusing, long patrols amid the twisting pathways that wound through the humid underbrush. Home.
And yet, it was not.
Raven tipped ears pitch forward amid the tangle of water logged mane. Though the familiar screech of feathered fowl is present, the sounds of the herd are no more.
Tension builds beneath his silver hide as the stallion stalks from the white foamed surf. Droplets of water fall onto the oblivion that is the sandy shore. Aside from a quick shake to rid the majority of salt from his coat, Annubis finds his focus on the shadows beneath the thick canopy of trees. Where were they? Where was the herd? Where were their scents? Once more he lifts his muzzle to catch the passing breeze. Nothing. At least, not one familiar scent.
He starts towards the treeline, hoping against hope that perhaps the herd was gathered at the far end of Paradise for some reason today. However, the summons of an unfamiliar baritone causes him to halt midstep. Pale brows narrow as his ash dusted lips press together into a fim line. Sleek sterling neck arches as the stallion pivotes back to the beach with renewed passion. With father gone, at least for now (or so he told himself), it was up to him to protect the pack of Paradise and the faithful herd within it. Slender legs strike down onto the white sands, sending sprays in the wake of his steps. With each beat of his hooves, his resolve strengthened and determination pressed harder into his mind and onto the beast that lurked there. Like some great warlord he screams his own call in reply, giving his proud head a toss, sending the damp ends of his mane snapping audibly against his neck. Who dared? Even if father left them undefended… who dared to rise against the wolves?
There. Just beyond the fierce sunlight that glinted off his own coat, stood the shadow of an unfamiliar face. Like some great statue, the figure focused on the jungle before him as though he expected even the trees to greet him with welcoming arms. ’How dare he!’
The stranger moves forward, breaking free of his vision-field to enter the ground palms and veil of spanish moss that hung heavily near the maritime trees nearest the shore. Annubis quickened his pace, lengthening his stride to close the distance that separated them as he launched onto the familiar worn path in the stranger’s wake. Away from the blinding brightness of the sun, Annubis sees the stranger now for the first time. Tall. The stallion of dappled storm clouds is quite tall, more so than even father, perhaps even Solomon. Tall and large, not nearly as muscular as some of the Tinuvel horses but way more than he could ever hope for. In all aspects, the odds might not seem quite in his favor and despite his determination, even the beast falters. Yet Annubis had come too far now to give up.
Long black tail switched back and forth against his silver sides as the stallion blasts a loud snort from his nostrils, coiling his neck like a brightly jeweled viper. ”You are brave to have come here…. Even if most of the wolves have disappeared.” he begins, taking another bold step forward to cock his head to the side, making no disguise of eyeing the stranger from hoof to ear tips. ”My name is Annubis, son of Rougaru,” he continues, pausing for a moment to let his words linger between them. ”And he never had taken lightly to trespassers.” he finishes blinking with languid slowness, making an effort to bite back the rest of the words that threaten to spill from his lips. Not like the old wolf would take kindly to his son announcing to the islands that he had left on a wild goose chase. Rougaru had not thought so when he came, demanding Annubis come with him, if only to prevent the islands from burning in the chocolate-colored stallion’s absence. Despite the years, he still held hope for finding Zjeena and Monster.
Silence lingered long enough and Annubis gave his head a shake as a rather monotone chuckle resonated in his lungs, ”What is your name? Surely the mares call you something other than tall, dark stranger.” No doubt he had plenty of names. Annubis had gained quite a few himself. Bastard. Boy. Idiot. Smartass. Wolf pup. Those were just a few of the less colorful favorites.
There is something in the way the gray stallion stands, a manner in which he surveys the jungle that Annubis does not like. It is a look that often gleamed in the green eyes of Rougaru when he gazed over his herd. No doubt this stallion had come to place his claim.
’Shit. Damn him’
It is an effort to keep his ears from pinning backwards and the scowl from once more forming on his lips. If Rougaru had never decided to search the mainland. If he had never pressed for Annubis to join him then perhaps the silver buckskin would not now be looking up into the eyes of their would-be replacement. The question was… was Annubis really ready to take on such a challenge just to defend his father’s throne? Maybe not? But perhaps….
A thought brightened his thoughts that had only moments ago been darkened by current events. Perhaps he could finally have his own herd. Maybe then father would see him. A suave smile danced across his ashen lips as the stallion watches his counterpart closely. ”I take it you are here to displace our pack of its home? Or perhaps an arrangement can be made?” Of course he has no idea truly how likely his plan is to succeed. But, then again, there are always other options AND he still had Vihar and Hyacinth to locate. Like the old god mother had named him for, the silver stallion was not ready to be forgotten.