Solira: The Ocean: What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; Mordecai

Wish upon a shooting star;
For dreams and things that never are.

Courage was once a blot upon the shores of Solira. She had been abandoned, and as she came upon him, she could not help the smile that came to her face. Courage, the golden mare of Solira, knows nothing of anger and hatred in her lifetime (at least, not that she has experienced yet). She has gotten lucky in that her saddest moments in life were overshadowed by the greatness of her home and its residents. As the golden mare walked she tried to settle her thoughts and pay attention to what was happening around her, like Zeke, the tiny cheetah cub that trailed the golden mare. Her nose turned to him as he stopped just behind her, ceasing in swatting playfully at her swinging tail with a guilty look on his furry face. Of course Courage laughed at him and flicked her tail across his face in an affectionate gesture. And then she turned to her companion with a smile. But then she felt the waters of Solira erupt with joy. Someone new had come to them. With a smile, the mare was swift to greet the new creature to wander into her home.

Becoming a mother has changed Courage. No longer can she remain balanced and steady as she watches her beloved ocean crumble around her. No longer can the golden child of Solira’s shoreline just sit back and let her world, her home fall to the others. Solira, a nation which has housed her and has helped her find friends and family in its watery boundaries, will not fall. Courage cannot help the feeling that she might not be able to fix everything in the world that has happened, and she cannot fully understand the retreat of so many once-loyal Solirans. But for the moment, the golden mare embraces her heritage from Genesis. She emerges with the dawn into the delicate embrace of Solira’s treasured landscape. The ocean (oh, how it roars around her!) crashes against the earth, and the flames flicker furiously in her blue eyes. But she stands not like a warrior, like a leader. For the moment, she is full of shameless glory as she steps firmly on the shores of her beloved home. There is no anger in her eyes, though she has seen many high-tail and leave the salty swagger of Solira. There, inside of her, burn the flames of patriotism for her beautiful, wonderful, perfect home. Her flame and water call to the land, and the world embraces her as it always had.

”Hello,” she said, turning to her new companion and smiling through the demure mood settled on the melancholy landscape. ”Welcome to Solira. I’m Courage. Who are you?” The golden mare speaks, and her voice accompanies the sunlight and her smile rivals the heavens in its splendor as she turns to her. Her beauty shines in the moment their gazes lock, and she smiles still just as the sunlight continues to shine upon Solira. ”Have you been here long? I only ask because if you haven’t had the grand tour I could give it to you,” she said, and it is obvious that hope rides high on her voice as well as throughout her entire demeanor that the new citizen will not leave as so many have done in recent days. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Courage’s gaze becomes like that of an eagle; distant and worried. With her position and new powers, she cannot help but think that something is about to happen to strip away everything she has ever loved. Again. But she tries to hide it, as always, and instead chooses to listen to her new companion for introductions and responses.

AP: C O U R A G E

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