Levi's head snaps in the direction of the approaching visitor.
His face is angled, only half visible, and his inky eye watches as a filly nearly spills into the clearing. His powerful shoulders relax, just barely. She doesn't wait to speak, diving into conversation while he takes mental notes of her appearance. Her lithe metallic body, matter of fact attitude, and scars. Scars could be a sigh of weakness or strength, either way, they are unusual on a body so young. She continues to talk - throwing questions and statements at him. He lets her questions hang in the air between them. Now that his fire is gone the clearing seems to grow cold. Somewhere in the distance a raven calls out and his cry echoes, unanswered. Levi rarely bothers to rush.
After this pause he moves suddenly. He lowers his head snaking his neck toward her, lessening the distance by a step, but leaving a horse length between them. Now his red eye is turned to her, burning in its intensity. Evaluating her.
Finally he speaks. His voice is low, not quite as deep as it will someday, but still rich. "Well..." a grunt. "I would never want to be a slinking cat." His tone is bored, his words are evenly spaced. creating a strange contrast with the severity of his glare. "And everyone knows... Feathers can burn." a hint of a grin develops on his pale maw. Giving a glimpse of white young teeth.
Can you control it completely? She prods, but why tell when you can show.
The heavy stallion stares at her with his red eye, seeing if she can hold the contact. In front of his eye, seemingly from within his eye, a flame sparks and makes its way towards her. But it doesn't touch her. It forms into a long spire and hovers above her copper brow creating the illusion of a firey unicorn's horn. He likes the way the fire reflects off her metallic coat.
"And what is it that you can do? What makes you special, filly?" he says almost tauntingly. The fire flys upward, expanding before splitting into two. The two shapeless flames lower to each side of her unfurling into giant dragon's wings. The movement of the fire is delicate yet quick. He holds phantom wings far enough away from her flesh as not to burn her, just close enough that she should be able to feel the heat. His lips are pulled taunt into a smile, but a smile which does not reach his eyes.
Inside his head the fire pleads with him to let her taste the stranger. But he wants to know a little more about this chestnut girl before he scares her off. With any luck she will soon start shooting icicles at him or transform into a hellhound, maybe she will show him a trait he has never seen before.
Levi
so scream you, out from behind the bitter ache.