It was such a lovely walk. The moon glowed on his back, but a sweet breeze on his neck. He could breathe here. Haldir could breathe here too. The little fawn was kicking up his heels as usual in the sands. The gold watches him go. He does not glare after him as he had before on this beach when other eyes were watching. Today, the gold looks about, they were alone. And all the better. Though he had tried flight before, and run into the curious dark mare, he wanted to do it again, only this time here, where there was enough space to run. In the dark he could sense no one, and it was all for the better.

Though it turns out, he was not alone. A groan echoes across the sands. The golden and his fawn stop dead. Harks move all about, but he can see no creature. Haldir though moves forward, ever the curious one. His large eyes spot it, and the babe takes off across the sands. Rolling his eyes at his foolish charge the gold rushes after him. “Haldir!” The babe stops, but not for the gold’s command. There before them is enormous turtle. The gold slowly comes to a stop, the fawn by his side. It is a mother. Laying eggs. Her soft groans echo along the sands, and she does not notice them. Earth eyes, near black in this low light grow dull and move to turn away. The fawn waits though, watching. He can’t believe this beautiful sight of a mother turtle, and his small experiences limit him to knowing what is going on.

Snap.

What was that? Large ears turn to the sea oaks swaying gently in the breeze. The babe’s dark eyes shift to see in the low light. Something moves there. Hairs on the back of the babe’s next stand on end. His face dashes to the turtle and back to the reeds. A bleat rings out and the fawn dashes off. He has been here before. He knows what waits to launch itself in the dark of night. Something with teeth. The babe does not run away though, but towards the turtle the creature hunts. He runs towards it, because he is not afraid. He knows, but is not afraid. A stronger calling pulls him to the prey’s side to stop the oncoming doom.

The bleat rings out across the beach and in a flash the gold spins. His accusation of the wrong sound falls mute as he sees the babe take off in a desperate run and two large yellow eyes gleam in the moonlight of the reeds. Like the terror which gripped him before the gold lunges, sending sand spraying behind him like a hurricane. Heart pounding in his ears and call piercing the night. A dog’s head rises from the reeds, snarling. The canine’s determined. He makes a dash for the turtle, but the fawn meets him. Head down like he had seen the golden do, the babe rams the dog’s side, sending the creature off a step or two. It won’t be so easily out done. Shaking its head the dog turns on the fawn. Fawns were far juicer and easier meal. Now was the time for the babe to cringe, to turn and run. But he does not. Small cloven hoof paws the ground and head levels with the might of his ancestors. Haldir would not run. He was no coward. He would fight.

But he was still just a fawn. The dog steps forward, but a call in the night pierces his ears and in anger he looks over the babe to see a charging unicorn. In disgust the dog growls, but backs away. The unicorn does not relent. His comes crashing in, horns low and swinging. Another growl from the dog and it spins and takes off. Leaving the golden to slide in the sands to a halt just beyond the fawn. His sides heaving from the effort the gold watches the dog run in the night, then turns to the fawn. Haldir of course watches like the gold, the dog run. A new feeling begins to flow in him, pride? Victory? Who can say, but he does not grin like a kid when he looks to his bonded. His gaze, still dark and deep turns with a somberness to the gold, and the twin horned is left without complaint as he processes the babe’s change.

It shifts just as quickly though. A grunt from beside them sends the babe’s face to a slap stick grin and he turns to the mother turtle now covering her nest. The trance of pain and hormones keeping her from stopping during the attack. The golden turns to her as well. His head drops and body seems wearier than ever. He hated this. He hated his soul needed another so desperately. The panic which had gripped his heart in icy barbs of hell were horrendous torture he hated to endure. But the last moment. That look in the fawn’s eyes after he charged to death for another. The golden shook his head and looked to where the babe went. A long sigh echoed through the air, and the mother turtle turns to the two. He own eyes were pitch black, with nothing but the reflection of the stars in them. Needless to say, Haldir was enraptured with her.

With an ancient sense of timing she looks from one to the other. Her large head, nearly the size of the gold’s, reaches out to the fawn. The babe’s small tail wags as her nose meets his. They share a moment, before she turns to the golden. The twin horned shifts uneasily in her deep sight. Then her head reaches out to his, in the same way it did with Haldir’s. Harks flick back, he would not stoop to such a level. A snort rings from Haldir, and the gold glances to the expecting fawn. Oh very well. Slowly the proud horned head lowered to the turtle he had saved. He hesitates, then allows the connection.

Pain shot through him like a hot metal rod all the way down his back. A gasp and clench seizes him and his legs buckle underneath. The connection breaks, but the turtle looks on with the empty deep eyes. Haldir rushes to his fallen bonded, eyes shaking with worry. Teeth and jaw clench tight as pain racks the golden’s body so hard it seizes uncontrollably. Head swoons, and breath becomes shallow while the hot molten lava spills into his blood stream. What was happening?! WHAT FUCK MAN, he saved the turtles life and now it does this to him! You do one good thing in your life!

Black spots begin to fill his vision as it shifts to doubles and triples. Shaking head reaches up for his fawn’s face leaning over him. He bleats but the gold does not hear. All he knows is the searing pain stinging every last nerve into a blackness.

A bleating comes through the darkness. Breath jumps and the earth eyes fly open. Only they aren’t earth colored anymore, they’re blue. The moon lite world comes spinning back to him. Haldir’s here, his bleating stopping only when he sees his bonded come to. And the turtle. The mother turtle looks at him with those ever deep and knowing night eyes. She did this! What in hell did she do! Her smug look only enrages him further. A dark leg strikes out to stand and show her what the meaning of pain meant. Wait. Dark leg? The gold freezes and looks back at himself. Only he’s not gold. He’s bay! The shock lifts two large shapes from his sides. Wings?! Sure enough wings, near black with white bands stretch out. The worried faces on both Haldir and the gold’s faces changes to amazement. Standing fully the gold twists to look at himself. He was a bay Pegasus! And what’s more he body shape had changed, it felt larger, and stockier. Swinging his head about he finds no weight of horns on his head, and the most curious thing, his front left leg was banded in a glowing blue bars. The golden had shapeshifted.

So amazed by the change Haldir begins to wander all around and under his bonded’s new form, while the bay tries to comprehend all of this. Slowly his mind begins to register and he looks for the mother turtle. His sea eyes can not find her! Head darts about and finally follows the tracks she made. There she was! Far beyond them, and nearly to the sea. The bay’s head tosses up and a call rings out to her. Wings opening ready to follow her. He needed her to explain this. The turtle will not stay though. She only turns back with those deep ever changing eyes. For a moment she looks down. The gold follows her gaze, and there on her left front flipper are the same sea blue bars as he now possesses. Understanding seems to come to him and the golden lets her go.

Head drops back down as the bay continues to process this. A bitter thought comes searing through. Another form was fine….but could he return to his golden glory? A worry passes over his face, but the bay tries. A deep exhale soothes through his body and a chilling cold rakes his body. For the second time in the night his legs near buckle, but this time he holds. Such cold the gold had never felt, it pricked each nerve like ice. Then relief, and earth eyes open to see the gold forelegs.

----

Having nearly destroyed his body twice tonight the next scene finds the golden stumbling out of the dunes and to the water’s edge. His body ruined for the night. Every muscle ached with strain of a full day’s run. Oh but his mind spinning. Spinning, and spinning. Ideas of every nature fly about his mind, twisting, crashing, and growing. Lost in his mind of thought the gold can’t even see the worried faces Haldir still gave him, or how the babe has now dropped it and gone gallivanting into the crashing waves. For saving a turtle, sort of, he gained such a magic as this! Even his weary body could not keep his spirit from springing forward in plans.

Coming to the waves the gold near falls into them. Their cool touches washing away the remaining pricking feeling along his skin. Cloven hoof lifts and paws at the water to crash up to his body. He paws at it, and waits. No water crashes. Snorting the gold looks down. He paws again, and surely water moves and washes over him, but it makes no sound. Now harks stand on end. The gold moves back the shore. Haldir of course was lost to the endless entertainment of the waves and so remains oblivious. Finding a shell the gold lifts and hoof and crushes it. No sound is made. Brows raise as he lifts his hoof to find the shell in a million pieces. Breath accelerates, but wait. He can’t hear it either, just feel it. A flash of gold rings through his eyes. Slowly the gold looks out at the ocean. Could one night, and one act really change all this? A wild grin played on the golden’s lips and he spins, crashing back into the ocean.

Nothing could stop him. No one could rule him now. Golden body surged through the dark night waves, till it swam out past the breakers. A gleefulness matching only that before the flood and during the eighth murder surged through him. It was a wicked glee. For now growing in his mind were forests of plots and plans, roots in these new gifts. The gifts of the night and the sea.


OOC ::PLEASE do not come in before the small line. I want his second form to remain SEKRIT.
Identity Index:: Cashmere, Destry
"Speech"