Tembovu & Mbwene

The Elephant King stood in the icy waters— he had had to break a thin layer of ice at the Grove’s edge to wade so deeply into the pool. Generally, he avoided anything cold. He dreaded the cold weather, he avoided the frigid breezes up the Edge’s cliffs, he gave icy pools wide berths. But not, now he stood stifle-deep in freezing water (he wasn’t brave enough to submerge himself any deeper due to shrinkge).

Though it was mildly comically to see the giant, breaths shallow and back arched to keep his barrel from touching the arctic water, the reason for his frigid soaking was anything but. The burns on his knees from his deadly magic exploding in the Deep Forest had been severe— and one of them had begun to mildly fester, despite the cool weather. The elephantine stallion was concerned, the warm swelling was over his right knee, so close to the joint was a dangerous place for infection…

A sigh escaped his nostrils as a vaporous clouds, dark blue eyes lined with sadness sweeping to the shore to find Mbwene. She, in all her wisdom of youth, had deemed trekking into the cold water pure insanity, and he remained on the dry, icy banks. She had plunked herself on the ground, sitting in boredom as she cracked and molded ice with her trunk. Flapping ears perked as her blue gaze met Tembovu’s searching, navy one. Could they go now?

No. The giant’s head swung to she side and her ears fell back down in disappointment. Bored.

Though Tembovu’s eyes left Mbwene’s because his gaze was drawn to movement, and his ears perked as a voice floated into them. Likewise, his elephant companion spun on her butt, ears and trunk raising as some delicious smell floating into it.

And then a small shriek had the giant moving, leaving the water to go aid the peppermint pony. Legs were dripping icicles onto the soil before he realized that he had left the pond. Perked ears and sharp eyes ear and see the cracking egg, Mbwene far ahead of him as she had followed the alluring smell.

She stomped onward, straight up to the man inspecting the egg (the little elephant did nothing more than glance at it), with Tembovu in her wake. His flared nostrils caught the scent once again, it was familiar— from the evening of the turtle and tree? Before he had been distracted by Rexanna…

The sadness and darkness grew in his face, shadows of his mind extending to Mbwene and dulling her curiosity, outstretched trunk falling limply and waving ears collapsing alongside her head. Confused, sad eyes leave the peppermint man, swinging back to look at the Elephant King.

He sweeps his gaze to Johnny, focusing on the pleasant, delicious smell and excitement of a hatching companion, rather than the shadows that threatened to enshroud his mind and face. “Congratulations, it seems you soon will have a companion, as well.” His words, so usually filled with genuine sentiments, sounded hollow even to his ears. He gently rested his front right leg as feeling returned and throbbing began again in his knee.