Something unusual, unsettling, had sent the Wild Rose prowling through the wooded bowers of her home. It was too quiet for spring, even if the Sun's lack meant the ground was still hard and cold. The season's change was something she'd felt in her blood, echoed in the behaviors of the smaller creatures that shared the woods with her. But now they seemed to hide, perhaps sensing the onset of a great clash of sound that soon would fill the woods.

Ears tilted at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, calling encouragingly toward... what? Nothing good, that much was sure. Bold steps carried the grulla toward the source of the cry, monochrome figure sticking to the deeper shadows that helped hide the greys and blacks and whites that marked her. Strange figures passed beneath the mists, bringing with them a strong urge to pursue, to chase out. But then her dark eyes fell upon one that stood significantly closer.

It was a lean and lightly built mare, darkly colored but gilded with gold upon legs and horn, the same color dusting her sides and streaking through her mane. Nares flared as the Moon Doctor took in the unwelcome scent of the intruder, and her ears swept back against her skull as the unmistakeable smell of the Basin reached her. It was a scent she'd caught a number of times before, if in more pleasant situations. On Mauja, on Roux. Was the FrostHeart here somewhere? Was Roux's father, the murderous d'Artagnan who'd struck down Solstice? Some small part of her was glad she had not found Mauja, been obliged to fight the stallion who'd tentatively begun to be counted as a friend. A greater part of her rued the fact that she would not get the chance to pit her skills against the Basin's doctor, one healer against another, to see who was the better of inflicting the wounds they were obliged to patch up on their comrades after battle.

Oh well, this foolhardy mare would have to do. With slow steps Smoke shifted through the darkness, avoiding the pale beams of moonlight that would silver her outline and light up the white marks of fire that were scattered upon her. It was with great deliberation that she circled wide around the tree that this other mare thought to shelter beside, and mentally called to the blue dragon that shared her soul. A silent beckoning that asked for Zaffre to make as much noise as possible on his approach, to simulate a charge from a bonded equine-dragon pair from the front.

Pausing, she waited until she heard the blue's shriek, his war-cry, followed by a surprisingly loud ruckus as the dragon disturbed as many bushes and branches as he was physically capable of. It was then that the Wild Rose made her move, her careful stalk bringing her around the broad tree. Then she engaged her powerful hindquarters for a quick lunge of speed. Hopefully her foe would be too preoccupied with awaiting an attack from the front and not notice the sudden charge from behind and to the right. Either way, Smoke intended to barrel into Illynx's right side, to drive her left shoulder into the taller but more delicately built mare's ribs. Bared teeth snaked forward to bite at her opponent's neck, seeking to catch hold of the narrower flesh upon the unicorn's crest. All the while her front hooves sought to strike at the invader's right fore, with every intent to lacerate cannon and fetlock and make it difficult for the gilded mare, who thought to take her home, to walk. Try to spear me with that pretty horn of yours when I'm behind you! It was a viciously vindictive thought, born of memories dating back to another unicorn who'd been able to pierce her skin twice. But the Moon Doctor was quite certain that this unicorn would not turn to water beneath her attacks, melt away instead of take the beating that was deserved.

[669 words, 1/4 posts]