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 Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:01 am
 Never let it be said that Firestorm was wanting for much of anything. While it was still his first spring, and Firestorm was unarguably still very much a foal, he was very much his Father's son. And beyond that, as far as he knew, he was his father's only son. Balrog disavowed ever having any other sons, and while he was immensely proud of his daughters (and now granddaughters), Firestorm was his pride and joy.
Stormwild had even taken the little alicorn under her wing to raise as her own, after Anemone had left the herd after bearing him and his two siblings. The tension of the herd was over by the time his horn speared his basket - and thus with his birth came a new dawning in Balrog and Stormwild's herd. All of those soquili who were not not of pure enough blood - who did not bear the gift of wings - had left the herd and took with them the few that might have stood against Balrog's ideals. Anemone - the mare with whom Balrog had mated with when the blood was hottest between he and Stormwild, had also left when she saw she was unwanted there.
Now, the herd had been trimmed of those unworthy, leaving the strong. Those who believed in the true way of strength and to embrace the skies. And things were good. Firestorm had spent very little time away from his parents. Balrog had taught him a great deal - and while his wings were not yet strong enough to do much more than short glides, he knew he would some day be at least as good of a flier as his father. He was the 'prince' of this herd, and he was treated like it. He had the favor of the alpha and the protector. One day, these lands might very well be his.
And what fine lands they were - crystal mountain springs, a high alpine valley removed from the inferior herdlands below. Tall, protective peaks. It was beautiful. But... Firestorm hadn't even seen all of it. Usually, it was only so far that his foal-wings could take him, and the herdlands were chosen because it catered to those gifted with flight.
But Firestorm was getting more confident, and headstrong. Balrog often left the foalgrounds to patrol the borders of their lands, and one morning, Firestorm decided that he better learn the same. After all - he was Balrog's son! And he was big for a foal - certainly he could handle himself! If a Puma showed up - well! He'd give it a strong kick to the head! Pumas weren't any bigger than a foal, anyway! HE could certainly protect these lands, too! And he was getting sick of the 'nursery' grounds.
So with a sparkle in his eyes, he set off to explore. Balrog had taken him to the central peak before, and shown him the boundaries of their territory, even though Firestorm had never made the trip himself before. But what better time than now? He set off along the mountain stream, following it down where it played over the rocks, and finally, at the mouth of a massive waterfall. It was tough going, and Firestorm had to make several stops, walking for a ways before taking quick flittery flights where the brush was too thick to walk, and there was no distance between the foliage and the river. But as Firestorm stood proudly at the top of a brilliant waterfall, letting the droplets splash against his face like a drizzling rain, he felt accomplished. His tail was held high and he let out a chirping laugh of triumph.
"Ha ha!" He tossed his head. "Even the water flees from the presence of FIRESTORM!"
Oh he was going to be an AWESOME protector.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:02 pm
'I dunno, looks more like its just trickling away as if you don't exist.'
Shinoma snickered, clambering into view from over a rock partly obscured by a flourishing bush. Finally! she'd thought, upon seeing the colt and hearing his silly words. Finally she'd stumbled into something that was larger than a bug, made this fool trip all the way up here at least slightly worthwhile.
She walked over to him in a deliberately slow manner, folding her smoky wings, and flicking at the ground with her tail tendrils.
'So..Fluffstorm wasn't it? I'm Shinoma..' she eyed his horn. Well, she supposed he wasn't completely stupid, because he was a little bit like her Father. She doubted he ate meat though, nor was even half as cool as Taraxippus was.
'So, you are trying to be all big and scary. Well - I am out hunting.' she said the last word with a grin.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:05 pm
Firestorm started and spun quickly. He was not expectin any company here at the edge of his territory.
Seeing a crimson and indigo filly before him, he puffed, trying to regain his composure despite her chiding.
"Firestorm." He huffed in correction, looking over her batlike wings and cluster of twitching tail-pieces. "And these are my lands!" He boasted. Well, they were his herd's lands. But his daddy was the protector, and his stepmother was the alpha. So it might as well be his lands. "There is no trying about it." His puffy little tail flicked up in a confident posture.
Who was she? What was she? Well, she had wings, so that was a mark in her favor. She wasn't one of the horses that his daddy sneered about.
"Well. Maybe I could let you hunt here..." He drew out. "These being my lands ya know?" He cocked his head. "What are you out hunting?" Firestorm had "hunted" before - sneaking up on sparrows or rabbits and startling them. It was a fun game.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:03 am
Shinoma just snickered;
'I don't know, you look more like a 'Fluffstorm' to me..what with your birdy wings.' she canted her head to one side, her amusement growing as the colt carried on speaking.
'They are? Well..' she looked around the ground, pushing a small rock with a hoof, turning it over and looking under that.
'Don't seem to see your name anywhere here..so they can't be.'
She flicked her wings idly, ignoring him for a moment to preen at one of her intangible winglets.
'I'll hunt and kill where ever I feel like doing so..' she corrected him, finally giving him some of her attention again.
'Anything small, and warm.' she said, her eyes narrowing and her tongue flicking out to lick her lips in anticipation.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:07 pm
Firestorm snorted indignantly. "My family and I have the wings of the proud eagles. That's much better than a blind 'ol bat!" Birdy indeed! Of all the things she could tease him about, Firestorm had an unwavering pride in his wings that ran strongly through his veins. Nonetheless, his eyes were drawn to her strange, transparent wings. "Can you even fly with those?"
"You don't know territory, then?" Firestorm countered. "I guess that whoever you sire and dam are that they are vagrants?" His little fluffy tail swised. "I guess that would make sense... after all, here you are tresspassing on our herdgroun- er... I mean... my lands!"
And kill? Was that some sort of game? He chased enough small animals and birds, but he never killed them. His face screwed up. "You eat meat? " He stuck his tongue out in distaste.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:09 pm
Shinoma snorted back.
'You look like a birdy to me anyways..' she didn't really care what the colt said, it would take alot for him to dent her childish ego.
'Stupid head, bats aren't blind, they are silent hunters..' those weren't her words, they were her mother's, because Shinoma had indeed questioned the merit of her wispy bat-like wings. But her mother had assured her that with much practice she would fly, and fly well.
'My mother goes where she wants to because she can. My father has his own herd, a big herd full of strong Soquili's.' she said, her own pride showing through. She'd not actually met her father's family, but she knew of them.
'Of course I do!' she laughed, showing her little pointed teeth.
'It tastes good.' Shinoma licked her mouth again, eyeing him casually.
'You don't?'
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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:40 pm
"Well, Eagles don't have to be silent. They've got deadly talons and swoop down to snatch their prey." Firestorm was brash, and it was only natural that he admired animals with similar characteristics.
"And if your father's herd is so great, why aren't you with it?" There was some honest curiousity behind the mocking tone. "Our herd is strong - and each and every one of us bear the gifts of the wind and can fly." He held his head high. "None of the weaker soquili here."
"And... well... I've never tried it before.." He hesitated for the first time. Was that weird? Maybe she was the weird one. But his herd aspired to be like the eagles, like the mighty Thunderbird. They ate meat...
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Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:23 am
'Well you definately aren't an eagle, you're a twittery birdy.' Shinoma grinned again. She quite liked riling this colt up, and it seemed to very easy so far.
'I am with it,' she lied as easily as she told the truth, her young face radiating false honesty.
'I hang around with my mother as well, she doesn't need a herd to be powerful, she has enough power of her own!' she boasted back.
Shinoma snorted. How strong was his herd and him then if they didn't eat meat, or know the warm taste of a living creatures blood? She said as much as well;
'Why not? You said there weren't any weak Soquili here, but if you are strong as you keep saying then you would have killed by now.'
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Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:53 pm
"Pfft." Firestorm responded oh-so eloquently to Shinoma's final birdy quip. Indeed. He'd show her.
"Well, then you should know how dangerous it is to wander into someone else's territory..." Firestorm boasted. "And I don't see this fearsome Mommy around." He shook his head. "Awful brave for a little filly."
"And... and... I'm perfectly capable of killing somethin' if I want to." Ah, peer pressure. Firestorm wasn't one to show weakness to another soquili, especially a filly about his age. If that was what made a soquili strong - then darn it - maybe that's what he needed to do? "In fact... I bet that I can do it better than some girl!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:45 pm
Shinoma merely grinned back at his extra wounding retort, flapping her winglets, and giving the floor a nonchalant scuff with a hoof.
'Is it?' she said, giving him her attention again for a moment.
'So far I haven't seen anything scary, or to worry about. And my mother isn't with me because she knows I can look after myself.'
That and if anything did threaten her, she would scurry home quick as you like and tattle to Izusa. She gave a little snort at his words, his protestations about his abilities.
'Show me then..' she challenged.
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Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:20 pm
"Well, maybe that's just because I'm letting you have safe passage." He responded arrogantly. "You should thank me."
He puffed up at her challenge. "Al... Alright then! I will!" How hard could it be if a little girl like her could do it? She didn't look like she weighed half as much as he did what with all that... wispiness. It looked like a strong wind could blow her away. Yeah.
"And I bet I can do it better than you, too!" He couldn't leave well enough alone.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:41 pm
Shinoma laughed out loud, changing it nonchalantly into a cough.
'Yes I am sure I should be thanking you.' she managed to reply, but neglected to actually give said thanks.
'Really? You can hunt better than me when you told me you've never done it before?' her tail tendrils flicked the ground, this colt was so funny!
'C'mon then, let's find you something warm and bloody to kill..' she purred the last word, letting her small tongue dart out and lick along her mouth in anticipation of the..well possible hunt to come.
'You know this place, take us where there are small creatures.'
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:34 pm
Firestorm didn't care that she laughed. He knew better!
"Darn right!" He agreed with her. She should thank him. However, he didn't quite catch her sidestepping saying the actual words. So with her "consolation" he flicked his tail up again and trotted further into the herdgrounds, skirting the edges that he had explored on his way here, glancing back to make sure that she was following him.
"All right, then! I WILL show you. After all, even if I haven't done it before... I've chased plenty of critters! Sides, you don't look like you weigh hardly anything. If you can do it, I sure as heck can!" For all Firestorm's bravado, he did actually believe what he said, regardless of whether or not it was true...
"Follow me!" He sewed his way through the thick underbrush, his small, colt build slipping among the brush and thick leaves, looking out for rustles in the underbrush. "Lots of things live around here."
Maybe he'd impress Balrog the day that he took him out hunting! Maybe he just didn't think he was old enough and that's why he hadn't been taught yet. WEll, imagine how impressed he'd be when he found that he knew what he was doing before he started the lessons!
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:30 am
'My size means nothing, it's all about the will..to kill.' Shinoma said, purring a touch again.
'And chasing is meaningless if you never actually catch them.' she said, trying not to laugh again. After all, you could chase any number of things. But if your intent was to feed, you made sure you caught your prey, or you went hungry.
'Okay, we'll see if you actually know this place like you say you do.' the filly followed him, falling silent, her wings tight to her body, her tail held stiffly behind her so that it didn't snag. She was listening the entire time, her nose taking the air in and checking for smells, and her eyes darting, sweeping from side to side, using everything her parents had taught her so far in order that she would be a fine predator.
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 2:43 pm
Balrog and Stormwild had very deliberately chosen this land as their herdgrounds based on its location and natural features. The land was lush, with both thick alpine meadows above steep cliffs as well as high-altitude forests. This served two purposes: one, it was very difficult for any soquili without the blessing of wings to reach the area, especially if they did not know the narrow, steep paths. But primarily, very few predators could make it past the land's natural defenses. And those that did had Balrog and other adults to deal with who guarded this land vigilantly. There had been more than a few times were a cougar had slipped up the mountains hoping to pick off a young, still flightless foal in the nurserygrounds who had been kicked off a cliff by Balrog or Stormwild. Therefore, with the carefully policed herdgrounds by attentive winds, a side effect was the bounty of small "prey-animals." Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and even the occasional deer utilized this haven of a territory. Many had grown bold or lazy.
For the foals like Firestorm, they were entertaining to chase, and like he bragged, he had chased the rabbits numerous times. It was a fun 'game'.
However, today Firestorm wasn't playing. With a sniff towards Shinoma, he lashed his tail like a cat's and stepped quietly through the brush as he headed further into the territory. The crashing water of the falls were still quite audible, and he hoped that the noise would help cover the quiet crunches that he did make.
His ears were priced, swiveling from time to time to listen for other noises. He wasn't nearly as practiced as Shinoma in this task. His sense of smell wasn't nearly as finely honed. But his eyes scanned the woods for movement.
Then, he froze, ears swiveling to the right, followed quickly by his head. There, a rabbit was crouched, frozen mid-chew on some soft clover. Its big, black eyes were wide as it stared at the pair of ruddy foals, its ears pressed back against its head. Shinoma could smell the fear in the bunny as it froze in indecision: to freeze (maybe it was not spotted) or to flee.
With a quick lash of his tail as a sign of his impending movement, the rabbit was off, followed quickly thereafter by Firestorm.
The rabbit was quick, and had its small size as an advantage in maneuvering through the woods, but Firestorm was unimpeded by larger obstacles like fallen logs and thick clumps of brambles, his long legs and supplementary flaps by his wings letting him clear them when the rabbit took longer.
The rabbit zigged and zagged, trying to lose the colt, but it looked like Firestorm with his foalish energy, was gaining on it.
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