Here for brain thoughts; Offspring/Any

[Sahm+Newton]

No other kingdom had a greater resurrection story than the Tundra. In the quiet moments of the night Sahm kept tabs on each of the Beqanna kingdoms. He flipped through channels like a college student in the fits of insomnia. The Tundra had caught his attention on more then one night. For ages it seemed that the stallion land laid dormant. Of course that was until a simple black horse came into power. Over the past few years Offspring brought new life to his lands, and Sahm had grown to admire the king. Unfortunately the Gates had found itself in a similar conundrum that the Tundra was all too familiar with. If Sahm were to awaken the Gates he would need some advice. He may have held within him boundless magic, but wisdom could never be given, it had to be taught. Sahm took a small journey to the Tundra. He wasn’t comfortable with teleporting to unknown destinations plus he wanted to explore the areas that separated the warm and cold lands. Sahm kept to a consistently medium speed. He stopped along the way for curious smells and sounds. It wasn’t until the temperature suddenly dropped that Sahm knew he was closer to the frigid kingdom. With a small amount of concentration Sahm grew out his shorter summer coat to fit his usual winter coat. It helped a bit. The borders were not marked, but the smells were much stronger when Sahm reached the edge of the kingdom. He slowed to a stop and settled onto his side. With his mind Sahm reached out to Offspring. Gently he pried the mind (making sure not to intrude on any personal thoughts or history). He simply placed a suggestion in Offsprings mind that he should wander to his kingdoms borders for there could be a friendly face standing there. sahm the inexperienced, quiet magician of the gates

[Offspring]

LET ME IN THE WALL YOU'VE BUILT AROUND.

WE CAN LIGHT A MATCH, AND BURN IT DOWN.

 The warmth of the progressing season had been halted by a sudden, icy storm that had lasted mere hours - but it had laid a gentle, powdery layer of snow on the many vibrantly blooming flora and fauna that had begun to fill the permafrost-encrusted plain since the massive annual snow-melt. 

  Alas, the heavy cloud cover drifts away with a heavy gust of wind, and now the pale sunlight casts its shadow over the land. The delicate ice crystals glimmer beneath the light, and a soft but still polarizing breeze carries through, soothing him but it is still a startling reminder of the heavy winter that had only just recently been left behind.

 A gentle tug in the very back of his mind urges him from his afternoon complacency, and his burning eyes of crimson peer across the land with careful deliberation. The mild pull draws him from the shadows of a nearby cave, in which he had tucked his behemoth body within as shelter from the impromptu storm. His heavy, muscled legs carry him with deft agility as his pace quickens, matted tresses bouncing in the wind that weaves throughout each matted lock. 

  He pulls himself closest to the tall, icy border that lines their frigid kingdom - built entirely of ice, both intimidating and remarkable, and it radiates a numbing iciness that reminds him of his ice-wielding days. Oh, how he longs for it again.

 Stiffening, he slows his pace to a quiet lope, leaving heavy imprints in the gentle dusting of snow beneath him. Following the heavy boundary, something new emerges - a quiet, solemn but altogether passive figure lingering near to the border. Though he is massive in comparison, he lowers his thick neck for a moment to better gauge the stranger. A faint smile pulls at the corner of his whiskered lips, while his brow furrows slightly, bemused.

 "I have not seen you before, but somehow you have seen me - haven't you? My name is Offspring. What can I do for you?" He does not mention any claim to his royal title; something tells him that the blue-tinted splattered black sabino knows of it already.

OFFSPRING

THE FIRE AND ICE KING OF THE TUNDRA

[Sahm+Newton]

It would have been easy for Sahm to second-guess his decision to leave the Gates. Ever since the war that practically folded his kingdom he hadn’t left the comfort of its boundaries. He wasn’t an adventurous horse. In fact he was quite boring, plain, basic. Offspring was Sahm’s complete opposite- or at least that is what Sahm believed. Offspring had impressed him. He wielded two opposing powers (or used to at least). He was strong, confident, and wise. Sahm was simple. He enjoyed simple things, and he had yet to challenge himself until now. Sahm had not second-guessed his decision. For once he stood in complete resolution. It was time he stepped up to his parents’ legacy. The dark king looked different in person then he had on Sahm’s televised visions. The stallion was large in both size and presence. Sahm straightened his slouched position, and held his head high once Offspring stood in front of him. With great humor the king confronted Sahm on his previous knowledge- clearly Sahm wasn’t much at hiding his admiration. ”Guilty.” Sahm simply said. ”I am Sahm. I have been watching you for awhile now….well you and everyone else.” He paused. ”I am a magician- not a spy. He quickly added in the last part once he realized that watching other horses sounded pretty fishy. ”I came here seeking your help. You see…I am from the Gates, and it seems ever since the great war that it has died both in spirit and numbers. You didn’t allow that to happen here.” Sahm glanced down to his front right hoof that now had kicked out. ”How?…I mean I know this is abrupt. I promise I am friendly. I guess ugh…sorry…” Now he was rambling. sahm the inexperienced, quiet magician of the gates

[Offspring]

LET ME IN THE WALL YOU'VE BUILT AROUND.

WE CAN LIGHT A MATCH, AND BURN IT DOWN.

  A low chuckle rouses from the depths of his throat as he observes the other erect his position upon seeing the natural stature of the King, and the tension ebbs away gently from his rolling muscles as he shifts his behemoth weight. Confidence and wisdom is merely held within the eye of the beholder; for Offspring felt very little of either many days. 

   He simply moved with what he felt course through his veins - an instinct that had settled in after the many years lived, after the many needless wars had faded to dust, and long after the ashes of many had settled within the fertile soil of a new dawn. His heart often pulled him, and he rarely doubted it - deep within, he held an open mind, an understanding that change is not only a part of a devastatingly heart-wrenching reality, but that it is always a necessity.

  Yet, his instinct urges him once more, as forceful as the gust of icy wind that sweeps by - his dark eyes glance across the once barren terrain, but now it is alight with thriving blossoms, with a light glistening layer of snowfall and with many bodies of both sexes loitering at every corner. Once quiet and lulled into a slumber of its own, it now thrived with a vibrancy unmatched by any - and his heart surged with pride at the mere sight of it. Solemn, he listens to the careful but anxious words of the self-identified magician, and with a massive sweep of his broad neck, he wordlessly draws him in beyond their border.

  An inquiring mind, aching to revive what calls to him - it was not too long ago that he, too, had felt the very same drive.

  "You appear to be sincere, Sahm, and so I welcome you. I have nothing to hide, and so your prying eyes do not concern me. I cannot say the same for the others, however - some would not take well to being watched." His chest rumbles with a deep laughter. "To lead is to hold more than a title alone. The title means little, if anything at all, without any to serve. I am a servant to those who reside here, and I do what I can to ensure progression, safety and satisfaction. There are too many that rule with a selfish heart, with greed and vehemence."

  A pregnant pause lingers as he paces heavily through the terrain, marking the previously pristine snowfall with imprints from his weighted gait. His gaze lingers for a long moment upon Sahm, before he pauses, extending a foreleg towards a sprouted blossom, painted as yellow as the blinding sun. Though once thriving, it now bends easily under the fallen snow. 

   "Beneath the weight of a ruler that is too absent, too callous or without compassion, a kingdom will surely rot - its subjects discontent, unmotivated, even resentful. But an open mind, a strong resolve and an understanding of the needs of others?" He nudges the blossom, brushing the heavy ice crystals away, allowing the flower to rise up towards the sun, expanding for its nurturing warmth. "A kingdom will thrive."

OFFSPRING

THE FIRE AND ICE KING OF THE TUNDRA