The cold did not bother him. It was a blessing in white, a cool hand on his searing skin that helped to stave off the heat that constantly fueled his anger. Cathun didn't even know why he raged, only that absolutely everything grated on his nerves lately. His temperament had always been tilted towards the unpredictable but lately it had grown much harder to feign a smile or speak politely to others. Always teetering on the edge of a tantrum, it was easier to simply withdraw from company; at least he wouldn't end up hurting anyone if he lost it while he was on his own.

Snow creaked and chirped beneath his feet as Cathun shifted in place, eyes glued to the perfect orb of the egg. He had been staring at it for a while, perplexed at first but more grimly as he understood what it was. It was a dilemma, this. On one hand it was in his nature to help those in need, even if it was a soul with neither voice nor clouding breath, and thus he ought to rush over and save the unborn creature within. But if he did... That egg wasn't just any egg. He felt it in his bones, sensed the magic of the situation like icy waters dribbling down the spine. Cold enough to make him shiver with premonition. Eggs like these were special. It was from them the followers came, the dragons and phoenixes, those bound souls that tethered themselves to whomever and never let go again.

If he picked up this egg, even if it was just to save it, would he be able to let it go again? Oh, the thought was tempting, tantalizing, a true challenge. To be tied to another with bonds no one could break, was that not the ultimate happiness? Cathun knew of such a bond, he had seen it between his father and the white dragon and knew how deep it went.

That... was kinda the problem though. He, who was living on borrowed time. What right did he have to tie another to his fate, uncertain as it was? Two white beads drew the line between life and death and the glow of the middle one had already begun to fade. Soon it would be red and dead like the first one, soon this mortal guise would fade, disintegrate and reveal him for the monstrosity he really was.

A year, maybe two. That was all he had left.

Ah, but... the egg didn't even have that. Did he have the right to decide the fate of anyone else? It would be easy to simply push the egg over the edge and spare this unborn creature the pain of a certain end. A step, a quick tap with a hoof to shatter the ice and it would plunge into the frigid waters. A quick end, painless.

Cathun played with the thought, but with a heavy sigh the young stallion discarded it and went to look for a tool instead. It wasn't in him to kill, not in cold blood. Perhaps if he didn't touch the egg it wouldn't react to his presence. He could find a way to carry it, maybe give it to someone who actually needed an innocent creature to love and cherish. He rummaged through the snow with feet and nose while drifting embers sizzled and melted watery holes in the white blanket, found a branch with an L shaped prong at one end and returned to the egg, the pond, an unknown fate.

Gingerly he reached out, concentrating with bated breath as he tried to hook the twig around the egg and drag it over. Carefully...


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::[Companion: Dragon | Toxic ] Wishlist
One previous refusal: Link

Cathun

The firebrand