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Description

Early Autumn, Year 758 of the New Age

Silverthorne, The Winterflame

Skuldafn , Vanmoriel & Vanessëa



The girls laughed as they walked together, moving in a leisurely pace towards the Winterflame, feeling jovial and carefree. A soft Autumn breeze blew through their manes and twirled the tips of their tails, as they giggled and gossiped about their day. Vanessëa was in an uncommonly chatty mood, and Vanmoriel feed off her older sister's liveliness.

The girls often travelled together, enjoying each other's companionship – but in this instance, they had made specific plans to meet up and walk to the Winterflame together. Autumn was a beautiful season, especially in Silverthorne, but with the change in weather, came a change in hormones and behaviors of the herd as well. And while the majority of the herd behaved with decorum and respect – never forcing a doe to participate in anything she was unwilling to do – it never hurt to travel in numbers, as a measure of safety against unwanted and un-reputable stags. Neither of the sisters were interested in participating in Rut this year, both being distracted by specific stags – not that they would admit it – and therefore had decided to pour some of their extra energy into practicing their fire magic.

Vanny was quite perceptive, and the girls had an unspoken language between each other that made it difficult to keep any secrets. So she was not all that surprised when Mora began asking about her encounters at the Winterflame – remembering, full-well, the night that Mora had met the General, and the roaring fire that had blazed after the encounter – sure the elders had contained the physical bonfire, but Vanny had a feeling that there was another fire burning within Mora that was not going to be so easily controlled. She shot her sister a knowing look, as they began to discuss what they would do at the Winterflame today.

Mora caught Vanny's look, seeing her sister's slight sideways smile that reached all the way up to her eyes. Mora giggled in response, knowing that Vanny was more than aware of her interest in "other" herd members that had been in attendance of the Winterflame, during her previous visits. Sometimes Mora wished that Vanny was not as perceptive as she was – but then, if that had been the case, Vanny probably would not have found a reason to mention all of her sightings of General Skuldafn during her fire magic practices. In fact, it was Vanny who gave Mora the perfect excuse to go back and see if that handsome stag would make another appearance today, given her sister's insistence on "studying together." Mora did not mind the excuse at all.

Ever since Mora had met the General, it was like a new fire burned within her – it was a strange, gleeful sensation that fluttered in her chest and would make her break out in a smile, regardless of what she was doing at the time. She found herself spending more and more time thinking of him – wondering what he must be doing and where he was at, in the midst of other thoughts. She knew that she was probably going to regret this feeling and desire – he was after all, a General of the herd, who was important and highly sought after, and could not have any time in his schedule for the whims of silly does. But her head could not change what her heart wanted – and more than anything, Mora wanted to see Skuldafn again.

As the girls approached the Flame, Mora's breath caught in her throat, mid-sentence, and Vanny turned to look at her sister inquisitively. Mora looked straight ahead with hopeful eyes, and continued walking, although her pace had slowed considerably, and Vanny followed her sister's line of vision to see none other than the magnificent golden General of Silverthorne, his impressive antlers illuminated by the Winterflame, standing not far from where they drew near.

Elation was building within Mora, as she tried to maintain a graceful approach to the flame, without looking overly interested – and yet she was unable to gaze away from the extraordinary buck. She walked slowly and deliberately, feeling a thrill – of excitement and nervousness – that grew inside with each step she took towards the Winterflame and the golden stag. He had turned to look her direction. Would he even remember her, she wondered? Had she even crossed his thoughts since their last meeting – surely he was distracted by more important duties and Fawnlings in his own life? But Mora continued to hope, as the feelings inside her roared to life – rising as she drew nearer to him again.

She tried to exude an air of calmness, pretending she was not fraught with anxiety, her long tail swinging behind her as she walked slowly, the tips of her hair tickling the tops of the Autumn grasses. She felt Vanny's tail bump into hers, ever so subtly for just an instant – anyone watching would assume the girls were walking and happened to swish their tails into each other unintentionally – but it was a quiet sign from Vanny, encouraging Mora to walk towards the General and let her know that Vanny would be there to help ease her tension. Mora cast a grateful glance at her sister, as Vanny reassured her with her eyes. Mora was thankful that Vanny was able to communicate subtly – without causing a scene or drawing unwanted attention to their silent communications.

The sisters walked straight up to the General, and just as Mora began to wonder what she was going to say, Vanny saved her the trouble and broke the ice, "Hello General. It is a pleasure to see you again." She inclined her head just slightly as a sign of respect, and then with a smile continued, "I do believe that you may have met my sister, Vanmoriel, before?"

Mora was grateful for Vanny's introduction, using it to break the ice and hopefully jog the General's memory of their previous encounter. Mora had worried that Skuldafn would not have even remembered her, so when she heard his reply, “I had the pleasure too, aye–months ago, it must have been,” her heart soared in excitement – he did remember her!

"Yes," she replied, unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face, "and it is wonderful to see you again." She bowed her head in acknowledgement, not wanting to look away from his big brown eyes for even an instant.

In her peripheral vision, she saw one of the elders approaching their group, and turned – albeit briefly – to look at him. Daegal had been tending the Winterflame for many years – too many to count – and loved to teach fire magic, especially to his prize pupil Vanessëa. He greeted their group, exchanging customary pleasantries, and then asked if he may borrow Vanny, to work on a special fire magic skill he wanted to practice that evening. Vanny looked at Skuldafn, and then at Mora, smiling her encouragement while her eyes told Mora to be brave, and then turned away, following Daegal's lead as they disappeared beyond the flames.

"You should see her practice magic some time," Mora said, surprising herself with the sound of her own voice. She was not really sure why she was suddenly talking her sister up so much, but at least she was making conversation. "When Vanessëa works with the fire, it's like the power of Grian runs through her veins and the flames bend to her every whim."

She listened incredulously, as he replied, "It couldn't be anywhere near to your level of skill and detail to the art. If she is like Grian, you must be Aeveen, then. Only the creator of something so magnificent and impressive could control its untamed power."

The heat rose to her cheeks, color blooming through her dark coat. She couldn't hide her embarrassment or emotions – not because one so renowned and well-ranked within the herd was giving her the compliment of a life-time – but to hear such praise coming from him, the one whom occupied her mind and was stealing her heart, it was better than anything she could have imagined. Her heart was racing, her body tingling with delight, and Vanmoriel felt as giddy as a twitterpated youngling.

"General, you flatter me," she replied, daring to gaze into his deep brown eyes. "I am but a mere student here, with much to learn and master, before I could ever honor our adored Coal Princess with my use of the magics." She gazed down, steadying her breathing, and continued, "Surely, it is nothing compared to the magic of our elders, or even yours, my beloved General."

Beloved!!! Why in the world did she say that?! Mora felt her insides twisting with awkwardness, certain that Skuldafn would think her nothing more than a silly doe, one of the military 'fangirls' who threw themselves at the soldiers during rut.

To Mora's relief, he did not act offended or annoyed by her comment. Instead, he continued to reinforce his compliment, “I only speak of what I see, Vanmoriel. And you definitely have the talent. I don’t know if I could exactly compare myself to the skill you and the Elders possess, though. Having an ability is one thing, but to wield it with such grace and attentiveness is another. A soldier is taught to wield fire as a weapon; a firebringer is taught to wield it as a tool.” She heard a quiet chuckle, as he continued, “There is much to teach each other, I suppose. To think, we all have this gift, but wield it in such different ways. It’s fascinating.”

Did he truly think so highly of her? Mora's mind was reeling with possibilities.

Adjusting her stance, Mora used the opportunity to move a step closer to him, suddenly wishing that there was no space between them at all. Her tail flicked nervously behind her, as she subconsciously trailed the tips of her hair back-and-forth across the ground. This new feeling was so powerful, and she wondered if it was all raw emotions, or if she was starting to feel the influence of the power of Rut. Mora forced herself to focus.

Her eyes looked up and met his gaze again, as she answered, "Somehow, I imagine that your skill includes a soldier's talent, and a firebringer’s knowledge, Skuldafn." She smiled, as she said his name aloud.

“Aye, It’s good to have both – but being so focused on training in both skills, its near impossible to gain mastery in one of them. Investing your time into the perfection of one talent can mean that you may slack in the other, but the results of the skill you master make up for it.” Skuldafn paused for a moment, and then continued, " Speaking of magic, If I do remember correctly, I believe we had an unfinished magic lesson? Should we continue on that?”

He looked into her eyes, and Mora forced herself to blink, least she become lost in his gaze.

"I would like that very much," Mora answered.

She stepped closer, so that they could both turn and face the fire – but there was already a heat blazing inside of her. It was like every part of her was in tune to the General, aware of exactly how close he stood next to her body. She was filled with longings, which she knew were coming from something much deeper than estrus hormones and a season of Rut – albeit that was not helping, either. Mora would not allow herself to be overcome by urges, behaving like a foolish doe, no she would not – she wanted to spend time with Skuldafn – those hormonal feelings overridden by her desire for a deeper relationship of trust and respect, one that transcended her baser needs.   So she looked forward, staring intently at the Winterflame – she had lost herself in the studies of magic before, and used the strength of that learned concentration to help her focus now.

"I think," she said reminiscing, "that we were beginning to talk about allowing the power inside of us to reach out and merge with the Winterflame - becoming one with the source of the fire, and letting it's strength flow through us."

"Yes," he replied, "Fire is a life source - a magical entity, even. Capable of both good and evil, just like any soul in these Isles. It all depends on who wields it and how it is wielded."

"Those are very wise words, General," Mora commented. His speech was strong and fluid, filled with wisdom and understanding – and Mora wasn't sure what was more appealing to her, his amazing physique, proper and gentleman-like behavior, or his intelligent conversations – truth be told, it was probably a combination of everything. "I am beginning to think that maybe the role of student and teacher here should be switched – as you seem to have a very solid understanding of magic, and the nature of life." She grinned at him, trying to read his expression and continued, "perhaps you are just being a gentleman, and letting me carry on about things you already know?"

“Nonsense, this lesson has only just begun – like I said earlier, we still have plenty of things to teach each other, Vanmoriel – or, If I may, call you Mora?”

Hearing her common name, spoken in his voice, made Mora smile from ear-to-ear. "Yes, I would like that," she answered, delight written all over her face. "Is there a name that you are more comfortable being addressed by, with your family and friends?"

The question was a little presumptive on her part, but she did so want for him to think of her as a friend – if not something more – and hoped that he would not mind, since he seemed comfortable using her nickname.

With a chuckle he answered, “Well, I suppose ‘Skul’ always works, it’s what most friends are accustomed to calling me when they don’t want to say my full name.”

Skul, she liked the sound of it. She liked looking at him, getting lost in his gaze, as new feelings flooded her mind and body. No stag had ever made Mora feel like this before, and she knew that no other stag ever would again. Her heart belonged fully to him now, and there would never be anyone else.

Before she got lost in the implications of those thoughts, Skul continued, "Where were we in our lesson though? Wait – I remember now, forgive me. You were explaining to me on how to connect our strength to the fire. Shall we continue on that?”

Ignoring the flames burning in her heart – so strong they could overcome even the Winterflame, Aeveen forbid – she simply answered, "Yes." And with a smile, Mora stood right next to the General, and looked forward at the rising flames, continuing with the magic lesson, as if no time had passed since they were last together.

Description

Early Autumn, Year 758 of the New Age

Silverthorne, The Winterflame

Skuldafn , Vanmoriel & Vanessëa



The girls laughed as they walked together, moving in a leisurely pace towards the Winterflame, feeling jovial and carefree. A soft Autumn breeze blew through their manes and twirled the tips of their tails, as they giggled and gossiped about their day. Vanessëa was in an uncommonly chatty mood, and Vanmoriel feed off her older sister's liveliness.

The girls often travelled together, enjoying each other's companionship – but in this instance, they had made specific plans to meet up and walk to the Winterflame together. Autumn was a beautiful season, especially in Silverthorne, but with the change in weather, came a change in hormones and behaviors of the herd as well. And while the majority of the herd behaved with decorum and respect – never forcing a doe to participate in anything she was unwilling to do – it never hurt to travel in numbers, as a measure of safety against unwanted and un-reputable stags. Neither of the sisters were interested in participating in Rut this year, both being distracted by specific stags – not that they would admit it – and therefore had decided to pour some of their extra energy into practicing their fire magic.

Vanny was quite perceptive, and the girls had an unspoken language between each other that made it difficult to keep any secrets. So she was not all that surprised when Mora began asking about her encounters at the Winterflame – remembering, full-well, the night that Mora had met the General, and the roaring fire that had blazed after the encounter – sure the elders had contained the physical bonfire, but Vanny had a feeling that there was another fire burning within Mora that was not going to be so easily controlled. She shot her sister a knowing look, as they began to discuss what they would do at the Winterflame today.

Mora caught Vanny's look, seeing her sister's slight sideways smile that reached all the way up to her eyes. Mora giggled in response, knowing that Vanny was more than aware of her interest in "other" herd members that had been in attendance of the Winterflame, during her previous visits. Sometimes Mora wished that Vanny was not as perceptive as she was – but then, if that had been the case, Vanny probably would not have found a reason to mention all of her sightings of General Skuldafn during her fire magic practices. In fact, it was Vanny who gave Mora the perfect excuse to go back and see if that handsome stag would make another appearance today, given her sister's insistence on "studying together." Mora did not mind the excuse at all.

Ever since Mora had met the General, it was like a new fire burned within her – it was a strange, gleeful sensation that fluttered in her chest and would make her break out in a smile, regardless of what she was doing at the time. She found herself spending more and more time thinking of him – wondering what he must be doing and where he was at, in the midst of other thoughts. She knew that she was probably going to regret this feeling and desire – he was after all, a General of the herd, who was important and highly sought after, and could not have any time in his schedule for the whims of silly does. But her head could not change what her heart wanted – and more than anything, Mora wanted to see Skuldafn again.

As the girls approached the Flame, Mora's breath caught in her throat, mid-sentence, and Vanny turned to look at her sister inquisitively. Mora looked straight ahead with hopeful eyes, and continued walking, although her pace had slowed considerably, and Vanny followed her sister's line of vision to see none other than the magnificent golden General of Silverthorne, his impressive antlers illuminated by the Winterflame, standing not far from where they drew near.

Elation was building within Mora, as she tried to maintain a graceful approach to the flame, without looking overly interested – and yet she was unable to gaze away from the extraordinary buck. She walked slowly and deliberately, feeling a thrill – of excitement and nervousness – that grew inside with each step she took towards the Winterflame and the golden stag. He had turned to look her direction. Would he even remember her, she wondered? Had she even crossed his thoughts since their last meeting – surely he was distracted by more important duties and Fawnlings in his own life? But Mora continued to hope, as the feelings inside her roared to life – rising as she drew nearer to him again.

She tried to exude an air of calmness, pretending she was not fraught with anxiety, her long tail swinging behind her as she walked slowly, the tips of her hair tickling the tops of the Autumn grasses. She felt Vanny's tail bump into hers, ever so subtly for just an instant – anyone watching would assume the girls were walking and happened to swish their tails into each other unintentionally – but it was a quiet sign from Vanny, encouraging Mora to walk towards the General and let her know that Vanny would be there to help ease her tension. Mora cast a grateful glance at her sister, as Vanny reassured her with her eyes. Mora was thankful that Vanny was able to communicate subtly – without causing a scene or drawing unwanted attention to their silent communications.

The sisters walked straight up to the General, and just as Mora began to wonder what she was going to say, Vanny saved her the trouble and broke the ice, "Hello General. It is a pleasure to see you again." She inclined her head just slightly as a sign of respect, and then with a smile continued, "I do believe that you may have met my sister, Vanmoriel, before?"

Mora was grateful for Vanny's introduction, using it to break the ice and hopefully jog the General's memory of their previous encounter. Mora had worried that Skuldafn would not have even remembered her, so when she heard his reply, “I had the pleasure too, aye–months ago, it must have been,” her heart soared in excitement – he did remember her!

"Yes," she replied, unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face, "and it is wonderful to see you again." She bowed her head in acknowledgement, not wanting to look away from his big brown eyes for even an instant.

In her peripheral vision, she saw one of the elders approaching their group, and turned – albeit briefly – to look at him. Daegal had been tending the Winterflame for many years – too many to count – and loved to teach fire magic, especially to his prize pupil Vanessëa. He greeted their group, exchanging customary pleasantries, and then asked if he may borrow Vanny, to work on a special fire magic skill he wanted to practice that evening. Vanny looked at Skuldafn, and then at Mora, smiling her encouragement while her eyes told Mora to be brave, and then turned away, following Daegal's lead as they disappeared beyond the flames.

"You should see her practice magic some time," Mora said, surprising herself with the sound of her own voice. She was not really sure why she was suddenly talking her sister up so much, but at least she was making conversation. "When Vanessëa works with the fire, it's like the power of Grian runs through her veins and the flames bend to her every whim."

She listened incredulously, as he replied, "It couldn't be anywhere near to your level of skill and detail to the art. If she is like Grian, you must be Aeveen, then. Only the creator of something so magnificent and impressive could control its untamed power."

The heat rose to her cheeks, color blooming through her dark coat. She couldn't hide her embarrassment or emotions – not because one so renowned and well-ranked within the herd was giving her the compliment of a life-time – but to hear such praise coming from him, the one whom occupied her mind and was stealing her heart, it was better than anything she could have imagined. Her heart was racing, her body tingling with delight, and Vanmoriel felt as giddy as a twitterpated youngling.

"General, you flatter me," she replied, daring to gaze into his deep brown eyes. "I am but a mere student here, with much to learn and master, before I could ever honor our adored Coal Princess with my use of the magics." She gazed down, steadying her breathing, and continued, "Surely, it is nothing compared to the magic of our elders, or even yours, my beloved General."

Beloved!!! Why in the world did she say that?! Mora felt her insides twisting with awkwardness, certain that Skuldafn would think her nothing more than a silly doe, one of the military 'fangirls' who threw themselves at the soldiers during rut.

To Mora's relief, he did not act offended or annoyed by her comment. Instead, he continued to reinforce his compliment, “I only speak of what I see, Vanmoriel. And you definitely have the talent. I don’t know if I could exactly compare myself to the skill you and the Elders possess, though. Having an ability is one thing, but to wield it with such grace and attentiveness is another. A soldier is taught to wield fire as a weapon; a firebringer is taught to wield it as a tool.” She heard a quiet chuckle, as he continued, “There is much to teach each other, I suppose. To think, we all have this gift, but wield it in such different ways. It’s fascinating.”

Did he truly think so highly of her? Mora's mind was reeling with possibilities.

Adjusting her stance, Mora used the opportunity to move a step closer to him, suddenly wishing that there was no space between them at all. Her tail flicked nervously behind her, as she subconsciously trailed the tips of her hair back-and-forth across the ground. This new feeling was so powerful, and she wondered if it was all raw emotions, or if she was starting to feel the influence of the power of Rut. Mora forced herself to focus.

Her eyes looked up and met his gaze again, as she answered, "Somehow, I imagine that your skill includes a soldier's talent, and a firebringer’s knowledge, Skuldafn." She smiled, as she said his name aloud.

“Aye, It’s good to have both – but being so focused on training in both skills, its near impossible to gain mastery in one of them. Investing your time into the perfection of one talent can mean that you may slack in the other, but the results of the skill you master make up for it.” Skuldafn paused for a moment, and then continued, " Speaking of magic, If I do remember correctly, I believe we had an unfinished magic lesson? Should we continue on that?”

He looked into her eyes, and Mora forced herself to blink, least she become lost in his gaze.

"I would like that very much," Mora answered.

She stepped closer, so that they could both turn and face the fire – but there was already a heat blazing inside of her. It was like every part of her was in tune to the General, aware of exactly how close he stood next to her body. She was filled with longings, which she knew were coming from something much deeper than estrus hormones and a season of Rut – albeit that was not helping, either. Mora would not allow herself to be overcome by urges, behaving like a foolish doe, no she would not – she wanted to spend time with Skuldafn – those hormonal feelings overridden by her desire for a deeper relationship of trust and respect, one that transcended her baser needs.   So she looked forward, staring intently at the Winterflame – she had lost herself in the studies of magic before, and used the strength of that learned concentration to help her focus now.

"I think," she said reminiscing, "that we were beginning to talk about allowing the power inside of us to reach out and merge with the Winterflame - becoming one with the source of the fire, and letting it's strength flow through us."

"Yes," he replied, "Fire is a life source - a magical entity, even. Capable of both good and evil, just like any soul in these Isles. It all depends on who wields it and how it is wielded."

"Those are very wise words, General," Mora commented. His speech was strong and fluid, filled with wisdom and understanding – and Mora wasn't sure what was more appealing to her, his amazing physique, proper and gentleman-like behavior, or his intelligent conversations – truth be told, it was probably a combination of everything. "I am beginning to think that maybe the role of student and teacher here should be switched – as you seem to have a very solid understanding of magic, and the nature of life." She grinned at him, trying to read his expression and continued, "perhaps you are just being a gentleman, and letting me carry on about things you already know?"

“Nonsense, this lesson has only just begun – like I said earlier, we still have plenty of things to teach each other, Vanmoriel – or, If I may, call you Mora?”

Hearing her common name, spoken in his voice, made Mora smile from ear-to-ear. "Yes, I would like that," she answered, delight written all over her face. "Is there a name that you are more comfortable being addressed by, with your family and friends?"

The question was a little presumptive on her part, but she did so want for him to think of her as a friend – if not something more – and hoped that he would not mind, since he seemed comfortable using her nickname.

With a chuckle he answered, “Well, I suppose ‘Skul’ always works, it’s what most friends are accustomed to calling me when they don’t want to say my full name.”

Skul, she liked the sound of it. She liked looking at him, getting lost in his gaze, as new feelings flooded her mind and body. No stag had ever made Mora feel like this before, and she knew that no other stag ever would again. Her heart belonged fully to him now, and there would never be anyone else.

Before she got lost in the implications of those thoughts, Skul continued, "Where were we in our lesson though? Wait – I remember now, forgive me. You were explaining to me on how to connect our strength to the fire. Shall we continue on that?”

Ignoring the flames burning in her heart – so strong they could overcome even the Winterflame, Aeveen forbid – she simply answered, "Yes." And with a smile, Mora stood right next to the General, and looked forward at the rising flames, continuing with the magic lesson, as if no time had passed since they were last together.