Silverlight Terrace dragons of spring dawning

Set after Donnelaith burns. Open to herd members and wolves! @Atna @Tseax @Skoonka @Chinook

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It was yet another away mission for Nechako the Brave. He bade farewell to his plump wife, visited with his children, even ran for some time alongside Skoonka — but he was off, inveitably, and eager to explore. He wished to tempt fate again and again; to run so far and so fast that not even the wind could catch him. Nechako thundered through a thicket of obscured trees and around him, it seemed as if stars took flight. They dashed from his path, some spinning in the vacuum of air left by his unconquerable speed.

When that gave way to snow and wide open space, the stallion really took off. He dug his heels in, sucked back a deep breath, and was off at a gallop. There was an odd scent upon the wind that caught his attention. It would have slowed any other stallion, he was sure of it. It would have made any mare nervous — perhaps spooked an entire enclave of horses — but not Nechako. He was brave, sure-footed, and the king of his domain.

Tempted by the mountains - and the odd aroma upon the wind - Nechako turned north and was swept up in the exhilaration of his run. He did not stop until he noticed the fresh snow drifting on the wind; he thought himself to be so fast that even the weather had curbed to his excellence. But he had to stop and catch his breath. It was then, huffing and puffing and gleaming with sweat, Nechako noticed his breath was not billowing from his mighty head like a cloud.

The snow was not snow — it was lighter, and smelled like death. 
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From in her upper elevations, she'd remained undisturbed but she'd seen the horizon looking so ominous. A storm, which of course she'd noticed before it ever reached them. It'd been a long time since that familiar, distant charge crept up the length of her spine, so she'd watched until the cold and the blowing snows drove her to seek shelter -- cozy and comfortable with her little family warm around her.

When smoke eventually tinted the winds, she sensed a sort of déjà vu. Seeing it rise from somewhere on the faraway shoreline didn't worry her as deeply as when the Plateau had scorched and she'd watched from the Sunspire, but she couldn't help but be reminded anyway. Ultimately, it was of little consequence to her personally. Not even her hunting grounds stretched so far, and only vaguely did she wonder of Stavanger Bay's status, with a few other small curiosities here and there. She still didn't like seeing the ashes fall, or the scent of it lingering distinct on the cold air. Her nose kept a small wrinkle in it all the while.

When her lap of the mountain base began to fan wide, and of course, in the general direction of the smoke, she gave in willingly when meadows flattened below her. Steadily, her trot gained speed although never moved to make haste. Half an ear stayed turned behind her, used to often catching the attention of the pups who could roam so much more now, and she did not deter them as much as she once had. At the base of their mountain, she believed in a good grasp of the land, what it offered, and therefore, safety for her lot.

Although she couldn't say she knew the prints she found not long after the thought occurred, nor the scent of it. The ashes were getting thicker, too. Still she kept going.. faster, now with her sights fully forward and the Spear at her back.

In coming upon the strange billowing beast, she slowed up immediately to preserve their distance. Her head lifted and ears swung forward, curiosity renewed coming in a great rush. She didn't know what it was, what to call it exactly, or why it had come. At first glimpse, it seemed alone. She began with a guided a pathway swinging wide around it, unable to peel her eyes away as she neared.. trying to find the best vantage point to smell it even better, and not mostly the ashes.

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Nechako stood prone among the falling bits of ash and did not know what to do. He tried reaching with his long face in to the sky, finding that the substance caught upon his lips. It felt delicate. Not the same as snow, which would've chilled his skin and melted on contact — and then he thought to taste it, but before he could his sensitive ears picked up on a foreign sound near his flank. The twin peaks of his ears spun, and with a duck of his head he turned to look around.

The distance between them was great, and Nechako's faith in his own agility and stamina stopped him from being immediately afraid. In fact, he appeared to be more concerned with the ash. His fixation upon it was hardly dwarfed by the fox-thing; although to be fair, in his experience thus far, wolves were not beasts to be feared. He would learn better eventually.

The stallion snorted another thick breath from his snout, looked to the sky for indication of clouds or other incliment weather, and then gave up with a frustrated shake of his neck and shoulders. Bits of ash fell from his mane only to be replenished once he relaxed.
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In the slow shower of ash, she blinked quizzically at this scene.. this everything she could behold. Never had she seen a creature such as this one and neither had she ever smelled ash so distinct; Something great, or perhaps just impressive, had burned. Or, so she could suspect.

Bordering on surreal, she had to follow his sights upward. If it were not for the ash, there should have been nothing notable about this. It was a chilly, typical Teekon winter by her standards.. just a little colder than last year's relative mildness. But, while it was surely dour for whoever lived in whatever burned, her mountain had remained unscathed. Besides probably a little dusting of ash, if the winds kept swinging that way. With this much in mind, she could soothe herself enough to let the large beast have her attention.

She couldn't approach it purely as a predator because she knew better. Not with intentions to hunt here and now, of course, but she could observe and learn more anyway. In looming closer by a few long strides, she silently tried to urge it into motion. The yearning to see it dance pressured her forward while simultaneously, she stayed prepared to make a mad dash away if it came to it -- not knowing what it was capable of, either, but suspecting it may have a magnificent strength.