Mauja the FrostHeart
ice cold man watches earth die, eternal winter takes its reign

Small, black and brazen, the colt brushed path the grimy pegasus and ended up straight in front of Mauja - who simply remained where he was, leaning slightly towards one side, mockingly relaxed with one hip cocked. For a moment, he felt absolutely huge and god-like as the colt's eyes drank him in, small black head moving to grasp the entirety of the FrostHeart's tall, majestic frame. Oddly enough, it made him feel very self-conscious, but years of controlling his own emotions and body made him keep still, merely flicking his tail on occasion. With reverence in his eyes, the child drew nearer, the pup on his back making anxious noises, as if pleading with him to not grow closer. Who knew, perhaps Mauja excelled in executing foals in narrow ice caves. Neither of them certainly knew, and he wasn't about to tell. This was certainly a first, though; he wasn't sure if he'd ever come across someone who stared at him with such worship in their eyes, starstruck on first sight. The young were impressionable, though, and he knew that he struck a sight far more impressing than the stunted pegasus'. Still, old and curious as Mauja was, he was far more interested in such stunted creatures than those who were beautiful.

"I have no interest in sharing things with the likes of you," the pegasus said, letting them know in no uncertain terms that he didn't like them. "Now now, there's no need for such behavior, is it?" he chided the grumpy thing, using the soft voice one might use against an unruly child. Next came the colt's voice, deep despite his young age - still, it had some of the pitch of youth, but it wasn't unpleasant to listen to. The observation touched them, bounced off the walls, too softly spoken to create a proper echo yet leaving a lingering thrum hanging in the air. Mauja snorted. Either the kid was seeing double, or he had no idea what he'd just said. He didn't know what to hope for - the former or the latter? He didn't want to be paired with a hornless, but he had to admit to the twisted, grumpy creature being interesting. He didn't know if his own marbled frame could merit the term, but the fascination evident in Knox's eyes seemed to say it did. He seemed mad, with the sickly green light reflecting along the convex bulge of his eyes; Mauja let his eyes trace the white thing, which emitted the glow, then gave his head a small shake. Such a strange adornment, and he couldn't help but think of Coris and his leathers.

It seemed that the comment hadn't sat too well with the grumpiest of the trio either; he managed to sputter out some demeaning remark to the colt, and Mauja gave a soft laugh. It was entirely out of place, at odds with the hostility of the creature. "Aren't we all fools?" he mused, his baritone voice quiet, but strangely warm; there was something glittering in his gaze, like sunlight over a crust of cold snow. His head tilted slowly to the side, and the slick walls held a blurred white shape which mirrored the motion. The damp had settled in his coat, cold against his skin, worming its way into his throat with each breath he drew. He wondered if his lungs would grow moldy if he stayed here for too long. It certainly wouldn't surprise him, since each breath felt a bit like breathing water.

A drop of water struck the tip of his ear. Outside, the world was burning; in here, it was drowning.