A path for the future he seeks it set into motion that night. The meeting against the red hot glow of the volcano had went as he figured it would have. Warrick, the ever proud ruler he has come to know, denies his ideas. It was expected for any king to wish to remain of power. No matter how insignificant it was.
On any other occasion he would have flown to the challenge grounds but tonight was a glorious evening. His path is illuminated by the orange glow of the lava that remains fluid along his body. The heat felt good on this chilly fall night. At this hour, he expected to find very little activity in the shadows of the trees. Maybe the occasionally quickening of night dwellers, but nothing for him to fear. Most of his kind were busily dreaming and would hardly notice his trek through the land. If one did, the sight they may see would send them fleeing, he is sure.
Before long the heated rock along his body begins to cool and harden. Making it difficult to travel and so he begins to shed the lava rock formations along his joints. Leaving some to guard his chest and back. The lavender reappearance of his feathers fold neatly at his sides. They brush gently against the ashy black of the coals still clinging to his body.
Without warning, he stops abruptly. His nostrils flare to catch a hint of unfamiliarity among the stagnant dew of the forest. His left ear flicks back as his right tried to hone in on a location of a muffled noise. He is sure he had heard something but is unable to catch just what or where it had come from. A snort bellows from his nares with a cautious bob of his high crown, "Who goes there?" He demands as senses search for placement of the intruder...