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

He stood, like so many times before, at the World's Edge. He was alone, except for the distant crash of waves against the white rock face far below, the cries of a few night-haunting gulls, the gentle breeze and, of course, the stark, bright stars, and their shepherd the Moon. She sat thin and beautiful, high in the sky, soothing the eyes of ragged mortals and allowing them and their strained world to cool off. Her silver light bathed the dark world, and Mauja lifted his regal head towards it, soaking it up. Out here in the open he shone, shimmering in the moon rays. The dark spots on his alabaster coat seemed insignificant, spots of midnight that disappeared in the soft glow. However, while of the same dark hue, the raven feathers seemed somehow more prominent, still retaining their slight blue cast even though the moon edged them in silver. The proud, tired monarch's eyes fluttered open, drinking in the moon; it was reflected in his eyes, full in his pupil, hemmed in by the winter-cold of his irises. It covered the darkness the same way cataracts did, but instead of being a dull gray, it was shifting and silver.

Moon-touched, he mused silently, watching the sliver of moon even as the soft breeze hugged him and the shadows seemed to stretch out longingly towards him. A lone gull cried over the sea. His world smell of brine and sea weed, as ever. So far the Sun hadn't managed to dry up the sea; Mauja gave the notion a humorless smile, and returned to peering over the edge at the waves breaking far below. It was long drop, and you'd be lucky - or unlucky, depending on your purpose in falling - to miss the scattered rocks that clung to the cliff rising up from the deeps. Behind him, his tail twisted, striking his sides and hocks. Another gull cried, and he saw a white-lit form drift over the sea's surface before being swallowed by the night. "Mauja the Moontouched," he hummed softly to himself, then grimaced. Moon-mad, more like it, if Aylin was to be believed. Moonblind. He snorted, alone in the dark, missing the fog that normally hid this precipice from prying eyes. The unwary, who knew not the land, had often found their hooves trying to settle on air, and had either fallen to their demise, managed to scrabble back, or had the luck of having someone with them, who hauled them back to safety.

Or pushed them.

He knew his own coastline so well, that he feared not to tread the edge even in the darkest of nights, knee-deep in thick fog. Now, though, it lay bared, less dangerous in its visibility. Still the King perched so close to its edge, hind hooves planted deep under his body to keep his balance even when he lowered his head to peer down. He knew he was playing with fire each time he came here, frosty hooves mere inches from a certain death, but his entire life seemed to revolve around that one saying. He was even doing it with Deimos, and it had gotten him burned a couple of times, but not enough to put him off it. He never did it to mock the ash-gray stallion, only to try and breathe some warmth back into him. Patience, he chided himself, hauling his head up higher again and restoring his balance, all hooves planted firmly among the rocks. Behind him his twisted, stunted forest rose, bare-branched and desperate. It was like living in a graveyard already, even if you didn't take a trip to the burned face of it. Mauja let out another sigh. They seemed almost eerie when edged in silver, like so many horns thrust towards the dark sky, screaming out their silent plea for water and shade. He pitied them, and the inability to help them tore at him. Patience. That was all he had. The only thing he could do. Be patient. He was tired of it, and the fact that he had nothing else to do but be patient had slowly started to drag him beneath the surface. Powerless. He could only wait, and see if he and his herd would live or die. And he could do nothing about it, nothing to influence it.

Growling, he pawed at a few loose rocks, but the motion was hollow and gave him no satisfaction.

( herdmate bonding times? 8D )