And all that you hold dear shall crumble and fall around you

Again she was off... Older now and not needing her mother near by -did she ever really need her nearby anyhow- she wandered farther now.  Pushing the limits to discover more and more each day.  She wished she could find someone with a power like hers.  To teach her how to use it, to control it... If it was controllable.  Mother did not have any gifts like her nor did her brother.  Her dad?  Maybe but she knew not who he was.  So she traveled now with purpose.  The deadened grass lay limp around her, shockingly not her doing.  Winter was finally coming to a close and soon enough bright green blades would emerge from their slumber... That is if she doesn't touch them...

Picking her way through the tangle of brush and tree she slips through unscathed.  Careful to only touch what she wanted dead... Thorn bush... Boom dead.  Ouch, thorns. Prickly little things.  Her ebony nosed wrinkled upon seeing it and smoothed in satisfaction as she turned it to ash.  She had tested a few theories lately... Depending on her liking she could control the effect she had.  An absent minded touch could harm - where as a thoughtful touch could cause even a mighty pine to fall.  She had yet to control it enough to have no effect if it was unwanted.  So she traveled consciously of what she may do if she came into contact with anything.  Lately she moved along beaten paths of dirt and rock.  They concealed her whereabouts when she wished to be off grid...

Today she remained deep in the forests.  The mighty trees towered over her small frame as she wandered deep... More seclusion from gawkers.  She was in the mood to make a silent scene today.  Dark eyes drawing in what light was available to her below their canopies.  Deciding it was too dark here and that she wished to feel the spring sun upon her back, she found a workable area.  Like a magician before their trick she gathered herself proudly.  A focus and passion upon her features as her thoughts twisted.  Eyes closing momentarily as she felt the powers rising from deep inside her chest.  As they crept from the depths of her she could feel it stronger than before.  Growing as it surfaced.  Eyes shot open and instead of the deep earthy brown of usual they had lightened to yellow tint.  This time was different, stronger.  Her gaze fell upon the cluster of elms before her -in her way- the first twisted and bent.  As if she were strangling it's windpipe... Her grip firm, waiting for it to stop struggling and go limp in her hands.  Soon it gave way, falling upon the forest floor with a thud.  She grinned happily as her focus shifted to another, then another... One by one they fell, revealing the open sky.  As she stood -examining her work- surrounded by the fallen a devilish grin spread across her maw.  The earthy brown of her eyes yet to return...

Kolera

Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Levi is walking through the woods as he usually does mid-morning. it's been three days since he's talk to another soul and he hates to admit it but it, but he's beginning to feel bored. It's spring now and the woods are damp. New life is popping up from the forest floor, a green scent is in the air and he doesn't like it.

Maybe it was about time to move on. But he couldn't move away from Spring. 

The dark stallion had been living in the forest all winter, and most of his time was spent in the shadowy heart of it. As soon he was old enough to realize Tephra did not suit him he had begun to explore the adjoining lands. The meadow was to open, the field obviously not a good choice, and he wasn't about to join Taiga or Ischia... swearing himself a humble warrior at the disposal of whoever happened to be leading. The forest had stood alone in his mind as the only good option. He had grown fond of its wintered solitude. Many times he had even tried to get lose himself in the vast woodland, but without success. Few travelers found themselves this deep in the woods, generally only those who stayed on a more permanent basis wandered here.

But now spring had arrived and there were new sounds, new growth and new visitors. He had become accustomed to the pulse of the forest and something different made his ears prick. A thud, far in the distance. With curiosity he turned his body in that direction and held his breath to hear better. Before long again he heard it again. At an easy lope he startes off in the direction of the unusual sounds. He realizes he is drawing nearer to one of the more well-traveled areas of the woods, leading him to believe the source of the sound was not an act of nature but another horse or two up to something.

Again, Thud. Before long he is close and he slows to walk, picking through the underbrush to make less noise. 

Was there a clearing in this part of the forest before? There weren't many meadows big or small in this dense forest ... and he thought he knew where most of them were. As he's looking up with curiosity at the gap in the trees which he doesn't remember being there, an ancient elm on the edge of the clearing begins to creak, crack, and tip. Simultaneously seeming to be strangled and wither as it falls to the ground. Thud.

Then he sees her. Brown like himself, like a forest creature she blends well with her surroundings. She is playing. Playing much like he plays with his fire. There is a proud smile on her little face. 

Well, he was about to make her game a little more interesting.

The air was dense and damp with spring, not wafting like summer or fall and he doubts his scent would reach her from the distance he stood at. If the foliage was completely grown in he wouldn't be able to see her from here, slightly up hill, but off to her right side. 

He calls his fire from within himself, and she answers promptly. The distance was farther away than he had attempted before, so he kept the flame small, not exactly sure what would happen. The flame appears about two horse lengths in front of the girl's right shoulder, above a felled elm. It takes the vague form of a small round pony and hovers at eye level. The pony begins to bolt from left to right a little frantically covering a space of several feet. He nearly sends the pony into the dead tree surrounding the girl but instead Levi is content with this little show. 

Maybe it's the days of solitude, or the pretty little snip on her nose, but today he isn't feeling particularly disagreeable. He begins to move forward again, this time not taking care to stay quiet. 

Plus, for all he knew she had a powerful mother keeping watch who wouldn't stand by while some young stud set her daughter ablaze. 

Levi

And all that you hold dear shall crumble and fall around you

Yellow tinted eyes slid from one timber to the next that lay before her.  Grin of satisfaction curled her lips as the rush of her powers subsided within her.  Gazing upon her masterpiece as an artist would admire theirs.  Her thoughts turbulent in her mind as to what transpired.  How she had harnessed it so deeply this time... So articulate in execution... So... 

A spark caught her attention before her thoughts finished.  She had only ever seen the fire like glow of the autumn leaves of Sylva as the sunset behind them.  She hadn't ever seen real fire before and her thoughts immediately went to this image consisting of leaf matter.  She had never seen leaves dance about this way... Dashing from one side to the next in miniature equine form not far from her ivory nipped muzzle.  Watching in awe and amusement her eyes softened to their natural hue.  The damage she had caused to the forest was at the back of her mind.  Content with her new muse for the time being...

Ebony tipped ears swiveled in the direction of a sudden twig snap.  Her eyes were forcefully shifted from the small dancing fire pony and onto the dark figure looming nearer.  Slender frame stood at alert but she did not fear the newcomer.  A small warning snort escaped her nares but otherwise she stood quietly.  He seemed focused more on the red pony near her.  Brown eyes shifted briefly to make sure it was still there.  As if it was hers and he plotted to steal it away.  Ebony whips danced at her hocks as she stepped forward and in front of 'her' new toy.  Eyeing the much heftier stallion as if he was a pony himself, her snipped muzzle wrinkled as she spoke, "Can I help you?" Suspicious eyes fixated on him in case he made any sudden moves at her pony... 

Kolera

Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The girl is enjoying the chubby pony fairy he has fashioned and this softens him towards her in a slight amount, although he doesn’t realize it. As he moves forward threw the brush he divides his attention between his creation and the little bay girl. She turns her head toward him, wary but not frightened. There is a protective fierceness in her eyes as he approaches, but instead of intimidating him it makes him almost like her a little ... But not enough to keep him from carrying out the idea that next enters his mind. 

Her black tail whips in agitation, “Can I help you?” Probably not. He shrugs as he looks her in the face for a moment, before quickly snapping his head in the direction of the dancing pony-flame. His eyes are wide in mock dismay. He assumes she follows his astonished gaze and send the pony galloping into the dead elms which encircle her. For a moment there is nothing, but then the entire clearing come to life with red hot brilliance.

He has never burned another’s flesh. Not yet. And he doesn’t plan on this girl being his first. But she doesn’t have to know that.

The lifeless trees who bowed to her touch are dry and the perfect nourishment for his beautiful fire. His red eye keeps a careful watch - he doesn’t allow the heat to creep too close to her young flesh. The dead elms roar with warmth and thrashing flames and he coaxes the flames up, instead of out, into the sky above the new clearing. His eyes are filled with adoration as he watches her, the fire, dance and feed.

But this isn’t challenging. In the time he has spent alone he has done nothing but refine his skill, and simply burning trees is starting to lose its novelty.  His mind reaches to find something more, something new, but instead he turns to look at the filly. 

The flames are gone. In an instant, he pulls it back into himself - pulls the fire buy the neck off its prey. 

Between the two of them what formerly was a copse of elderly elms in now scattered, smoking, blackened logs. A tentative smile creeps across his ivory lips. Did she figure it out? Does she understand what just happened? 

“What’s your name?” Levi's question sounds more like a statement as it breaks the newly restored quiet of the woods. He leaves space between them, he towers over her as it is. And he would be disappointed if she turned and ran of into The Forest; this gift of hers interests him. 
 

Levi

And all that you hold dear shall crumble and fall around you

As he creeps closer, dismissing her questioning with a roll of the shoulder, his natural brown eye upon her face.  She wonders where his thoughts rest and with a quick twist of his chiseled head she knows.  Her dark eyes flick in the direction of his.  Landing upon the fire pony, watching it gallop off to the now dead elms.  

Her features twist into a scowl as her gaze returns to his face.  His focus doesn't falter from where the pony had disappeared.  Igniting a spark with his intense gaze fixated upon it.  She notes a small red flicker in her peripheral vision that grows to consume the area.  Her eyes shift in its direction as does her delicate head.  Wide dark eyes drink in the sight with immense curiousity.  The flames swirl in a brilliant array of red and orange.  Feeding upon her pile of dried timber, reaching for the blue skies above.

  The heat that radiated from the fire stung slightly so she shifted her body away from it.  Turning her small frame so she faced it head on, which in turn placed her at his side.  They watched contently as it burned down to blackened ash. 

 With a refocus of his eyes upon her the flames dissipated.  Turning her face ever so slightly to meet his gaze upon her.  His red eye burning with the same intensity of the flames, his flames.  She had yet to meet another with a similar destructive power as hers.  Without a doubt this was his doing and deep down she was comforted that she wasn't alone in this world.  Her sleek neck craned slightly as he asked for her name.  Ebony lips parted as it was released, "Kolera." A small grin kissed her lips as she contemplated asking him for his.  Formalities weren't her thing so she simply asks another, "Will you show me more?"...

Kolera

Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The girl’s hostility has melted away. She brings her little body to stand parallel with the sabino stallion and together they watch the destruction. Just a taste. To an onlooker, they would make an odd pair, big and small, heavy and sleek. But both are dark and still.

The flames are gone now and his red eye turns on her. She gives him her name and her face changes under the influence of a little grin. She wants to see more. She was very trusting of such a grim stranger, he couldn’t keep from wondering where she came from.  If she had of been a mare, colt, or stallion he already would have moved away from her and been on the other side of the clearing glowering. But her young age, his uncharacteristic loneliness of the morning, and her unusual magic created the right conditions for Levi’s curiosity to grow.

He turns his pale face forward again, standing squarely, his weigh equally divided between four powerful legs. Serval tendrils of flame rise from the earth and meet in the air in front of him. The draw together, twisting into an orb. He is always coming back to this shape he realizes. It’s a natural shape for fire... the shape of the sun.

He suspects she wants a show, but controlling his flames while focusing on someone else is something he hasn’t been able to practice during his time alone. He leaves the skull-sized orb slowly rotating a few feet above the debris and returns his gaze to Kolera. The sphere does not waver.

“What have you learned of your gift so far?” Levi likes open ended questions. It’s better for others to do most of the talking. When they speak, he learns about them and about others. His mind drifts to the orb but his eyes do not. The sphere is a simple form so he decides to complicate it while he mulls over her response. His creation is the brilliant orange color of a medium heat flame. It surges and in the center of it another, smaller, sphere materializes. This smaller shape is white hot and dense. Raging quietly inside the larger orb. The two stay where they have been placed - the lager rotating on an axis, the smaller roiling inside the larger seeking to break free.

Levi

And all that you hold dear shall crumble and fall around you

Ask and you shall receive... Kolera had never been shy of asking for exactly what she wanted.  I guess you could say she got that from her mother.  She knew what she wanted and was fearless in the path to getting it...

He caved to her muse right then.  Giving her all she ever asked and somehow more.  Her powers had always been conflicting with her.  How everything she touched died.  Then there was that one afternoon when another had shown her that it did not affect all.  She has since figured out it only affects vegetation, which she was glad for.  Controlling it had been a struggle though.  She still killed anything she placed a hoof upon.  Mesmerized as she now viewed the powers before her.  As he twist and turns the balls of fire before them.  Maybe one day she would exhibit the same control of her own destruction...

Dark eyes twinkled with the reflection of the flames as he looked down upon her.  She was only a yearling but tall for her age.  Slender legs of high ivory stockings matched her sleek form nicely.  Beside him though she hardly felt threatened.  He asked of her her powers.  Her mind reached for an honest answer, "Not much I guess.  I've only killed trees and grass and bushes and..." Her answer trailing then her attention snapped back, enthusiastically adding, "I don't kill horses with it." 

She smiles innocently.  She was glad for that.  When first learning of her issues as a young foal she had thought she might.  Little aware to her that she could kill horses.  If she were to kill all the vegetation in Beqanna they would soon perish.  She quickly adds, "Yours is pretty neat though.  And look..." Her eyes drift to where the pile of trees had taken over her clearing.  Now ash they could move about freely.  Her small hooves moved daintely to the center of it as her head cast upwards to the sky.  "We have our own little spot in the forest." 

Dark eyes shift back to him and his fire still twisting in itself.  The colors slightly blending but still distinguished.  His fire was created within him she was aware.  Her young mind hadn't grasp the way it fed wildly upon her deadened trees and just how destructive their two powers could be together...

Kolera

Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

 

Levi is unjustifiably disappointed that Kolera’s powers seem to be limited to vegetation. In contrast, she seems relieved that her blight dose not translate to flesh. But the way she trails off in the middle of her sentence, “I've only killed trees and grass and bushes and..."  gave him pause. What she about to list something more incriminating? "and... and possibly my brother." 

Or maybe she just ran out of types of plant life to mention. Like an afterthought, the orbs continue to rotate. 

His eyes follow her form as she moves to the center of the clearing, her heels darkening in the soot. Kolera holds her dainty head high, an innocent smile playing on her lips as she stands with pride in the ashes - as if what they had done was something to be admired and not destruction.  He snuffs the orbs with a thought then turns to leave. What was this yearling doing alone in the woods? Where was she from? Wouldn’t someone be looking for their child? Were they being watched by her protector now? Or worse, maybe she was all alone and wanted to stay with him.  

With three long strides, he is carried out of the smoking clearing and back into the damp spring forest. His heavy hooves sink into the mush of dead leaves and fertile ground, he halts. Conflicted, Levi touches his chin to his chest, nipping himself where the white skin is splattered across his broad chest. A nervous habit. His ebony main and forelock cascade across his face the crest of his neck round and full. After a moment, his miss-matched eyes float back to rest on the living tree trunk nearest him.

He calls her, the heat, she is always at the ready. More than just ready, she is always egging him on, whispering to him in that sly sensuous voice of her. With a feeling like a sigh, he lets her go. At the base of the sturdy elm, she appears – hot and glowing in a band encircling the trunk.  Levi narrows his eyes, he can feel his connection to the flame like an unseen umbilical cord, only, this is not one sided. They feed each other. 

But the living tree is stubborn. The flame does not catch and light this tree like it had Kolera’s felled elms. He has no trouble maintaining the flame, but it is his magick feeding her heat, not the wood. Before the bark can become fuel the water inside must burn of, evaporate and leave they dry fiber for her nourishment.   

He turns his pale face to look behind him, back to the girl.

Together they created a powerful combination, the implications of which were just beginning to be realized. And that thought kept him standing there, in the damp, gazing at her, thoughts in turmoil. 

Levi

And all that you hold dear shall crumble and fall around you

As she stood surrounded by the ash, small embers still lit amongst the soot.  Her deadened trees were gone but still fed the fire effortlessly in the small bits that remained.  Twirling spindles of smoke scattered about the clearing -reaching for the skies above- like spirits escaping their earthly prisons... 

Dark brown eyes landed upon him again as his flame spheres collasped.  No smoke or hint of their existence remained.  As his splashed bay form began to receed back into the depths of darkness that surrounded the clearing his features looked perplexed.  She did not motion forwards but cocked her head slightly as she observed him.  Soon his motion ceased.  A fire igniting with his eye again and extending outwards to the tree beside him.  His darling flames struggled this time.  They did not burn hot and fast as before.  His focus stronger as he kept her burning at the base of the mighty pine.  Her pine...

That feeling returned, rushing beneath her flesh and gripping her insides.  Clawing it's way up her chest, adrenaline fueling it's fight to free itself.  She held onto it for fear of what it would do if she couldn't control it.  Her breathing slowed pace- eyes closed in concentration.  Control it Kolera... 

Upon an even and steady exhale she pushed the feeling down... It would be controlled.  Had to be controlled.  Slowly her eyes opened, the deep bark brown they had been born to her remained.  Watching his flames struggle to feed upon the living form. A grin twisted upon her lips as her delicate crown tucked to her chest as she released her demons with a strike to the ash below her.  Her sooty hoof leaving a scar to the earth as her powers quickly spread.  Any grass upon the ground disintegrated... Roots of the underbrush curled as the poison soaked into them and fed into the heart of the plant, blackening it instantaneously.  Crawling it's way to the pine beside him.  Begging to feast upon something more satisfying.  She directed it's path, careful to not allow the destruction to spread too far.  Dark eyes firmly planted upon the base of the tree- just below his flames...

Reaching it's destination quickly, the poison fed easily into the vulnerable tissues of it's prey.  The protecting bark that encased the pine could not save it now.  Steadily the darkness spread, drying the needles that now fell like rain.  Growths began to protrude along the trunk, black from the disease pushed into it.  The flames began to feed more easily as the bark peeled away, exposing the drying tender tissues.  Rising quickly as his flames claimed more of her pine...

Reclaiming the poisons once again, she drew them back into her.  Chaining them once again within her until she was ready to release the destruction once more.  Grin still prevalent upon her features as she merely watched their powers at work...

Kolera

Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The nameless filly takes a confident step forward, driving a small hoof violently into the earth. That little hoof holds power - the power to feed his demon what she wants.

A current of dark magic fills the pine. The transformation weakening and drying the living plant into nothing but fuel.  With the death of the tree his fire finally takes hold, no moisture is left to call her to heel, and he lets her run.

The ring on fire around the base of the poor tree tightens and hardens, slicing through the trunk. There is a crack and a groan as it tips. Branches of the surrounding trees slow its downward progress but the fall is inevitable. Levi’s heavy skull is turned up to the canopy, the red flames that blossoms there are more beautiful than any flower.

In slow motion the giant leans towards them. The mottled stallion tears his eyes from their handiwork then to find the filly. A genuine smile plays on his lips, for the first time in… forever.

He moves out of the path of the falling pine, his eyes holding the filly fast.

“I’m Levi. I think we will meet again soon.” He is pleased with his new acquaintance, and the possibilities she affords him. He gives her the smallest of nods before turning and trotting off in the direction of the River.

Levi