In the endless Tallsun, even the frostbreath steppe seems bleached and warm. The giant formations of rock rise around me like great formidable walls, and create a path that my hooves readily follow. I pick across the melting ice and snow with careful steps, making good use of my cleft hooves even as cool water pools around them and splashes up my hocks. My tail, having dragged across the ground, hangs wet and straight, while the moisture in the air brings curls into my mane and beard that the summer heat has deprived them of.

The coolness of the steppe offers some respite at last, but Arbutus seems less thrilled than I with the location. He paces along the line of my back, clutching my hide firmly with his claws and looking at the wet, snow covered ground with trepidation as I carry us further into the territory. Any and all of my attempts to soothe him are in vain- still he watches the surroundings nervously, as if expecting the water at my hooves to engulf him and extinguish his flames once and for all.

I feel his tenseness in every fiber of my being, even as the coolness of the water soaks my hocks and brings me relief from the sun. Worry begins to fall over me as Arbutus' pacing increases in speed and he begins to cry out in short bursts, his song beautiful like that of all bird on Loorien, yet it is tinged with fear. I begin to look around me nervously, searching for whatever could be upsetting my charge so. My tail lifts from the ground and flicks back and forth, shedding droplets as it does so, and my yellow eyes focus down the corridor made by the stone surrounding us. My wings flare suddenly with a snap of my feather, and like a spark from a flint stone, they erupt wildly and without limit. They brush the sides of the stone, leaving faint scorch marks as they give off incredible heat. Their light reflects in my eyes and dances across my hide, bringing light to the shining black of my coat and all the while soothing Arbutus as he dances from foot to foot. In the harsh daylight, aided by my fire, I stand appearing as a powerful force, ready to face whatever turns around the bend.



[[As discussed; magic and companions allowed, three posts each plus closing defense. Teaching spar, judged with VP. WC: 393]]