[➳ T e c h n o ➳]

Interlude

Kalila stood before him upon the shores of a lake somewhere deep in the heart of the Neutral Kingdom. He was young, so he couldn't be sure which land they were in, but it definitely wasn't Tremala Woods. It smelled different here, the air was more crisp. Autumn leaves tumbled to the ground as the pair walked in relative silence. Kalila had told her son that she'd wanted to share some things with him, but had wanted to take him somewhere else first. He wondered if it would be the remnants of Linossa, the place where his parents had met. 

So far, Draum only knew a little about their meeting and how far they'd come together. His mother had a past that he did not know about though, and she had expressed the desire to share with him one day. Now that he was approaching the age of a yearling, he had a feeling that today would be the day his mother shared with him about her homeland. Technically it was his homeland too, as well as his siblings. Though they were all born in Wild Equines, it was still an ancestral home of sorts. That was an interesting thought to the young prince. Alistair, his father, was still sat upon the throne as Kalila spent her days tending to the children.

His elder brother Avinash was still in training to be king, and the chestnut did not envy his brother. That seemed like so much work and stress. All Draum wanted to do was spend his days talking with others of all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life. Kalila finally came to a halt and turned to peer at her son. Draum stopped and peered back expectantly at his mother. "We're far enough out now..." Kalila trailed off as she allowed her gaze to travel back to the land. 

It really was desolate out here, and there were no lingering scents of any other equine. The land felt abandoned and forgotten. Draum remained quiet as he waited for his mother to begin speaking again. "Draum, I wanted to tell you about where I come from. Your ancestral home. I know you've always been more curious about it." The bay mare with a porcelain face began. The chestnut youth gave her a firm nod of understanding. It would be nice to learn more about the other side of his family. 

On Alistair's side of things, there wasn't really many secrets. Most of their family was still here, but his mother's side was a mystery. "My side of the family were not kind. I had been born with an illness that... was scary. They took advantage of that illness and used me to carry out horrible things. Things I won't repeat to you ever.  It took a long time for me to let go, but I did. I think what I really am getting at is, it's okay to be curious about where we come from... but know that that knowledge comes with a price, and in this case that price is peace of mind. I can tell you if you really, and truly desire to know." His mother explained. Draum felt conflicted as he heard the very guarded explanation from his mother.

It explained why there were no other relatives of his mother around. Why she never talked about them or what it was like to live there. Draum frowned in response, although it was mostly to himself. He stared at the ground, at the space between his mother's hooves. The youth was still curious, but he didn't want to make his mother relive something that sounded so horrible. "Perhaps there will be a day where my curiousity will grow larger than I can contain.... but today, I don't need to know anything more. I wouldn't want to know any relatives who were unkind to anyone else. They don't sound like they'd add any value to my life, nor yours to relive what you went through." Draum answered, and it surprised his mother. He truly was growing up.

Kalila's eyes shone with pride as she peered at her son who looked and reminded her so much of Alistair. "Let's enjoy our day then. I'll show you where I met your father..." Kalila trailed off as the pair disappeared into the surrounding woodland.


WC: 724

Link to image // Table by Aliyaah // Manip by MagnumMoonShadow(Monstera)