Post by + ebonite + on May 26, 2018 20:23:24 GMT -7
linkin park
It was finally here. Finally time for the Neutral Kingdom to fight back. Word had spread of the gathering at the Battlegrounds to determine the outcome of the war. All of the Neutral Kingdom and their allies and all of the Helkaer and their allies. It was going to be an endeavor. It was going to be awful. But, ultimately, it was the time to fight back, to release the pent-up anger and frustration. Linkin had tried his best to help Dark Woods when it had burned and though he cursed himself for not being faster with the Versai aid, he knew that his actions had saved a bit of the forest. Even the tiniest bit would help the land to rebuild. Despite the nervousness threatening to throw him into a catatonic state, Linkin forced his mind to stay clear, to focus. This was the time for them to fight back and force the Helkaer away from their lands once and for all. He refused to stand idly by while his home burned - and the homes of others in the Neutral Kingdom burned. They might have been abandoned by Utopia, but they could still fight back. Linkin had not trained for nothing. He was angry. Perhaps his anger was the thing giving him clarity, despite his anxiety trying to claw its way up his throat and force him back down. No. No matter what, he was going to fight for his homeland.
Reth had just called a herd meeting to gather everyone to see who would fight - or at least that's what Linkin figured this impromptu gathering was about. He made his way through Dark Woods, not getting over the uneasy, eerie feeling of wandering through blank spaces where there were once trees. The clearing where gatherings like this were held was no longer distinguishable from the rest of the territory, but Linkin knew where it was after years of living here, even without trees to mark it.
He arrived at the gathering, suprisingly one of the first to arrive. Reth gave him a nod when he paused in front of her and he returned it. He held great respect for his cousin. Despite what she had gone through the past few weeks, she still held herself as strong and regal as ever. He didn't know if he could ever be as strong as she was. Here, he was, fighting through a mental breakdown through pure spite and frustration. He chuckled a bit to himself, watching other horses file into the gathering. Not everyone was back from Mount Vigilum yet, but most of the herd had returned.
When most of the herd had gathered, Reth started to speak. Linkin murmured his agreement to fight back against the Helkaer. His shoulders flexed. He would take out his frustrations and anger out on the Helkaer and their allies tomorrow. He would bring them a good fight no matter the final outcome. It felt kind of rushed, but he also wanted it to be over with. With Dark Woods burning down, he felt anxious that at any moment something else terrible could happen. Even if the lands were regrowing again there was still the possibility that it wouldn't work, or the Helkaer would burn it down again, or the Underworld would interfere. There were too many unknowns. Even a final outcome would probably not eliminate the unknowns, but perhaps it would help some. If they won, maybe that would knock the Helkaer down a peg or two. He snorted. It was about damn time.
At Reth's call for volunteers, he stepped up immediately and felt a flash of anxiety at realizing that he was the first to do so. He gave himself a shake as he stepped closer to Reth. He was doing this for Dark Woods, for his family, and because he couldn't idly stand by while a bunch of pyromaniacs burned down peaceful herdlands without provocation. "I'll fight with you," he said solemnly.reth
Now that the land had been repopulated and the growth stimulated through the help of Utopia, Reth had taken it upon herself to venture beyond the Neutral Kingdom and into the Free lands. She wanted to know what was going on with everyone else, what news there was, if other places had been attacked. She was desperate for information. The news she had heard might have been the best news she'd had since the start of this war. The Neutral Kingdom was planning a face off with the Helkaer and their allies. They were calling upon anyone who wanted to fight. Reth had been waiting for this for so long - ever since her home had burned down. She would show up without a doubt. She was itching to punish those who had ruined her territory and terrified her herd members. She knew that she would not be alone, either. She'd headed home immediately and sent out a call across Dark Woods. They were having a meeting now to see who wanted to fight. The battle would take place tomorrow. It was hardly enough time to prepare, but it was better than nothing. Most of her herd had basic battle training and more than a few of them could hold themselves well in a battle.
She waited in the clearing area for members to arrive. Slowly, they began to trickle in. She gave a nod to each and every one of them. Not everyone was back from Mount Vigilum yet but hopefully they would return soon. The land was beginning to grow, slowly but surely. It was cleared out. Their water source was safe. It was not as magnificient as it had been, but Reth refused to back down. Her herd would not crawl away like cowards because of this.
As soon as the trickle of herd members died down, Reth cleared her throat and began to speak, "hello members of Dark Woods. Today I've gathered you here to see if any of you wish to fight back against the Helkaer." Murmurs of agreement met her words immediately. There was fire in the eyes of her herd members. She resisted the urge to grin. She felt such a surge of pride for them, knowing that they were ready and willing to fight back. "That's what I thought," she said, chuckling. "There have been rumors of a fight brewing in the Battlegrounds. The Neutral Kingdom and the Helkaer will be bringing all of their fighters to determine the final outcome of this war," she continued on. Reth was ready for this fight to be over. She hoped that her Kingdom would come out victorious, but there was no way to determine such a thing until they saw the numbers. Reth had no idea how many fighters either side had. She pushed down a pang of frustration at the Neutral Royals for their disorganization. This could have turned out so much better.
"Those who wish to fight with me will follow me to the Battlegrounds tomorrow," she said. "Any volunteers?" She quirked a brow. Immediately, Linkin volunteered and Reth nodded gratefully to him. After him came Vojorn. Both of them had fire in their eyes at the prospect of a fight. Reth felt the same way. She'd always enjoyed fighting given how she'd been trained. But fighting like this - for a good cause made it all the better.
However, the next volunteer in line was none other than her son, Radovan. He looked up at her with pleading eyes. She felt so proud of him for wanting to help in whatever way he could, even if it was impossible. There was no way she was going to allow him to fight in such a battle. He could easily be killed. The Helkaer would not hesitate to murder a child. They'd burned down homes. It was hardly a leap. "I'm sorry, son, but you can't," she said to him. "There are other ways that you can help," he looked crestfallen, his gaze drifting downward. "But I'm so proud of you. You're so brave," she said to him, beaming at him, meaning every word. He was such a good child. He would make a great leader someday.vojorn
As soon as the call had rung out, Vojorn had headed in the direction of the call. She didn't know exactly what it was about, but she had a sneaking suspicion. Her herd had finally recovered from the fire, though "recovered" felt like a strong word to use. Most of them were living in the herd again and the growth had been stimulated. Vojorn was ready to take the fight to the Helkaer. She had to use her training for something, didn't she? She snorted and walked faster, noticing that so many of the herd had already gathered in the clearing to hear what Reth had to say. She could feel the anticipation building. Never had she been more ready for a fight. She would show the Helkaer and their allies exactly who they were dealing with. They may not have had a great start to the war, but they were definitely going to finish strong. Dark Woods itself could supply an incredible amount of fighters if they so chose to.
She halted and watched the rest of the herd pour into the meeting. When it seemed that everyone was here, her mother started to speak. Vojorn joined the murmurs of agreement, nodding resolutely, her eyes burning with fire. She had never wanted to fight anything so bad. She finally understood a bit what Klaus was talking about when he said his father was a monster. Though Toxic was no longer a Helkaer, the Helkaer were still monsters. Who else would come into a peaceful herd and burn it to the ground? Dark Woods had never done anything against the Helkaer. And if they had, it was probably because the Helkaer had attacked first. Vojorn snorted. Such immaturity.
When Reth called out for volunteers Vojorn's cousin Linkin Park was the first one to step up. Vojorn stepped up after him, "of course you can count me in, mom." She said, her tones a touch of amusement, determination, and anger. They needed to do this. They needed to show that they would fight back against an enemy like this. If they didn't do something about the Helkaer, then who would? Who better to do it than someone that was in a war against them? And if they stood up against them, perhaps others would do the same thing. The Light Kingdom seemed awfully quiet, especially considering they would probably be next regardless of the outcome here. Why wouldn't the Helkaer check another Kingdom off their bucket list? Vojorn sighed. Perhaps the Versai would stand up as well. Vojorn knew that a Versai mare had helped put out the fire in Dark Woods, but other than that, they seemed largely absent.radovan
He had no idea what the call was for when it rang out, but it was his mom making the call for the entire herd, so it must be important. He would never get used to how bland and blank the land looked. It was so sad. So bleak. His mom told him that the lands were going to grow back, but it was going to take time. He wondered just how long it was going to take. How long did it take for trees to grow? One year? Two years? Ten? A hundred? He felt afraid to ask the question. He had no idea why anyone would burn his home down when they'd done nothing wrong. His mom had tried to explain it to him. They were the Helkaer and they were at war with the Neutral Kingdom. They burned down Dark Woods to instill fear. To show that they could. To show that the Royals couldn't protect them. Radovan wanted to laugh at that though because what horse could fight fire? Apparently the Versai could though. Radovan liked them. Perhaps he could be one of them when he grew up. Fire was awful and he never wanted to see it again anywhere ever.
He followed the crowd to the clearing where the meeting was taking place. It looked like the whole herd was here. What was his mom going to talk about? The war maybe? His ears twitched. He was curious about it, but it sounded so scary. He hated fleeing his home and living in Mount Vigilum. The mountain was nice enough and the Vigilum were kinda cool, but it wasn't his home. He felt so useless there. I did save that colt though, he thought to himself, shifting his weight. At least he'd managed to do something, even if it wasn't against the Helkaer in this war.
He listened to his mom speak. Voices were murmuring all around him. He could feel the energy, the anger. He glanced around the remnants of his home. Trees used to surround them. They couldn't see the sky or the stars. They were sheltered and safe. They lived with the birds and rabbits and squirrels. Now, there was nothing else. It was just them and the big empty sky. He felt his blood beginning to boil. If they were going to fight back against the Helkaer, he wanted to fight back too.
When his mom asked for volunteers he watched Linkin and Vojorn go up first and volunteer. Watching them go up there strengthened his resolve and he took steps toward his mom. "I wanna fight too," he said, desperately wanting to help, to do something other than sit around and wait. He could fight! No one would expect a foal to be there so they would underestimate him. "Everyone would underestimate me. No one would suspect a foal," he pleaded. He hated feeling so useless.
timeline probably not canon
count
linkin: 662
reth: 702
vojorn: 449
radovan: 486
total: 2299
notes Scenario 4: Pre-Battle of the Ages
- Mama Bear (Reth with Radovan)
- Multiple Characters
- You Talk too Much
- Overachiever (4th scenario done yas)
- Young Blood (Radovan is 8-9 months)
- Bonus Go-Getter
