The wind whipped and howled and screamed between the slender bamboo rods, bending their lengths in its vicious strength. This storm was dark and angry, trying to grab and yank the twin’s young, slender legs out from under them.

But the darkling prince leaned his young shoulder into the wind, ears pinned as he sheltered his sister from the brunt of the gusts. Yet, again, had they wandered away from mother. And yet again had Marembo followed closely in their shadows.

But this time was different. In the dark gusts and intermittent spouts of torrential, stinging rain they had lost the soaked, miserable polecat. And now they, too, were likewise lost in the shadowed, ominous maze. But what would frighten most foals barren of their mother’s comfort simply intrigued the dark colt. There was so much power in this storm— could it be used? Could it be harnessed to later steal the rebuking words from his mother’s lips or flatten the colt who had thrown Kiada to the ground?

“We need to get out of the wind,” his assertive, young voice yelled over the force of the gale, intense eyes probing the shadows that loomed around them as the clouds blocked out more and more light—

and more, and more, and more.

It was black. The wind stopped, leaving a sudden, eerie silence in its wake. He stepped closer to Kiada, his own shoulder against her own to know that she was there beside him as much as he felt her soul near his. He widened his eyes, bright blue gaze rimming in white as he tried to strip through the darkness that he had once felt so at ease in.

A wailing howl filled the air, much like the wind that blew before. But this was singular, solitary, and almost greedy. It prickled the drenched, golden skin on the colt’s back just as it warily raised his head. What was it?

“Kia,” his murmur of her name was meant to reassure both of them. He found solace in her name, in her presence. But making any noise at all was the wrong thing to do.

The scream stopped, silence reigned for a few moments longer. And then a cacophony of shrieks, wails, and screeches filled his ears as wind ripped at their bodies from every direction. He snorted in fear, small black hooves scrambling to find balance and leverage against the strong gusts in the slick, wet grass.

“STOP!” His commanding shout was pushed out of his lips without thought, not really intending it to work or have an effect, but his terrified mind and body had to do something.

But, oddly enough, it did have an effect. The windstorm abated slightly, and some of the shadows left his eyes. Nostrils flared as his head swiveled and searched for where the light was coming from: a pair of eggs.

One black, one gold, both mottled with the opposite color. They were negatives of each other, mirror images. And shadows hungrily encroached on the patch of sunlight the shone through the clouds on the eggs.

With a gentle nudge of his sister's neck, golden onyx legs started towards the two eggs.

kianzo

"The prince of darkness is a perfect gentleman."

The filly would be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a tiny bit frightened by the thundering storm. It howled and yanked at her small uncertain footfalls while the rain pelted her flesh. Pushing into her brother, she sought out the comfort that the colt often gave her. She squinted through the rain, shaking her head to rid her face of the plastered ivory forelock that had managed to get stuck to the little nub of a horn. Despite the small looming fear in the pit of Kiada’s stomach, she was also interested. Her veins felt electrified and the small flickers of flame that erupted from the line along her back was graced with sparrows as they flickered in and out with wide spread wings. Interested, with the slight flighty feeling in her barrel. But she’d never leave. Even if it was the only thing she wanted to do. She wouldn’t leave without her brother. And wherever he went, she was sure to follow.

The shadows reached for her, pulling at her in a sharp contrast to the flicker of light coming from her back. “We need to get out of the wind.” Ivory rimmed ears tipped toward him as she pressed into him further. “Yes.” Was all she could muster as a response - doing her best to let her innocent sounding voice deafen out the wind. She walked with him, in time, the two of them a simple single being separated only by circumstance. “Kia.” Her ivory striped ink dipped head swiveled to her brother, worry growing within her oceanic orbs. “What is it, Bro-” She began to question before the wind picked up further, screeching and calling all while shadows reached for them from every direction. She threw her head up as Kianzo released a fearful snort. A small screech of a whinny escaping the filly.

And then the colt shouted at the wind. And as if it were listening, it pulled back. Her eyes left her brother for mere moments as she ducked her head again, pressing the side of her striped face to her golden brother’s neck. She felt his head move to survey the land before them, so she opened her eyes letting her blue gaze drift where he was looking - instinctually knowing where he would be seeking out their solace. A light emitting from a pair of eggs, it was so very reminiscent to them. Lifting her head up and stepping away from her brother, ears perked in the direction of the eggs with a curious gleam in her eye. She opened her lips to speak, but she felt the gentle nudge from the colt as he began to walk toward them.

The princess followed quickly, falling into the rhythm the two always carried. Upon approaching, instinct brought the filly to the ebony marred one with golden stripes. Peering down at it with wide blue eyes, a smile found her lips. “How strange, isn’t it Zo?” She questioned, tilting her head before letting her pink dipped lips brush by the shell. She felt some sort of power within it, a surging electricity that pulled at her inner being - unlike anything she had experienced with Kianzo since their birth. “There’s something inside it. Maybe it needs help getting out?” Lifting her head from the egg, she looked to her brother with a sad look upon her face. Of course, the concept of an egg was foreign to the filly still, so she thought the worst. What kind of torture that must have been, to be trapped in such a beautiful cage.

"Talk?"

"I play with the fire of my own truth,
I will burn for the things I love."

Sister’s fearful whinny had ripped into his ears, igniting equal parts anger and terror in his small heart. She was his, and his alone. The wind—this storm— did not deserve to cause her fear or harm; he would not allow it. So it was with magnified relief that the wind did heed his demand to cease its curse of terror on the twins.

Warmth spread, in more ways than one, from where she pressed her small head against his chest— and he cradled it gently there for a few moments, tiny neck arching and soft muzzle stroking along her horn-nubbed face, before he had nudged her neck and they began to move towards the illuminated eggs.

Though staying beside her and closely watching the eggs and the surrounding shadows with alert, blue eyes, he let his sister choose her egg. Not that it really was a choice, for he felt drawn to the golden just as he felt she was drawn to the ebony one. But, where Kiada fell upon her egg with probing lips and a smile (a smile he caught and savored, as he did with all of sister’s smiles, giggles, and grins), the darkling prince simply approached and inspected his with an acute stare.

“Yes, Kia,” he quietly murmured in agreement with his sister’s assessment. The eggs were strange— again his own gaze leaves the golden egg to watch Kia’s pink lips brush the black, smooth surface of hers. His gaze narrows, feeling the same powerful pull from his as she did hers— but where Kia was drawn to it, Zo resisted.

The only connection he wanted was with sister. Black-rimmed ears tipped back, gaze flickering between Kia’s sad eyes and the two eggs. While he may be defying the pull of his egg, there was no part of his soul that ever want to deny his sister anything.

So he nodded, “We can get it out,” he paused, shifting closer to the golden egg to help her, “I can use my magic if it’s…bad,” his young speech didn’t yet know the word for ‘threatening,’ and he was loathe to call anything ‘scary.’ He also didn’t know quite how to use his magic, having only had it explode out of him once without warning at the monster-colt in the meadow. But, if it came to keeping sister with him, he would stop at nothing.

Attention focused on the ebony egg as he tapped it roughly with small, black hooves to help Kia release whatever was in it, the spiderweb cracks that silently spread across his gilded egg went unnoticed.

kianzo

"The prince of darkness is a perfect gentleman."

“We can get it out, I can use my magic if it’s…bad”

Kianzo’s voice reached the little filly’s ears as she hesitated. She truly hoped it wasn’t bad. She could understand if it was upset, she would be upset too if she had to be stuck in a cage like that. Lifting her head to face him, she nodded. The little black tuft of her tail flicking with anticipation. Her oceanic eyes trailed to his ink dipped leg as it reached for the shell of the egg she picked. There was a certain tension in the air, almost like an invisible string was keeping her glued to the blackened egg. Every time she tried to pay more attention to the golden one of her brother’s, she was drawn back - as if the presence from within it was upset that it wasn’t the priority.

Yet, Kiada watched as her brother tapped the egg. Once he removed his leg, she lowered her head again to it, watching as the creature within it began to poke up - angry and frustrated at the sudden awakening. Little bumps occurred, spiderweb cracks becoming more visible with the rough movement of what was inside. Pulling her head away, she peered at it with a scrutinizing look, hooves holding her firmly in place. The little flames that flickered upon her back took the shape of little deer, emotions full of curiosity and almost hesitance, as she watched the event unfold.

Though, it didn’t take long. The thing inside it was full of spark and determination. After mere moments, a little tiny ashen beak appeared through the cracks as little fragments of the shell fell to the earth beneath it. It began to rock slightly until it had managed to make more of an opening to stick its head out of. The creature inside was none other than a chick - an angry one at that. With a little tiny black beak, bright black eyes, and way too much white fluff to know what to do with. It shook some of the fragments off of its down before viewing Kiada, completely disregarding her brother. It squeaked to her, almost in urgency and confusion, and Kiada suddenly began to feel overcome with a strange feeling. “He looks so silly!” The filly giggled, poking her head closer to the little bird. It stared straight at her with a completely unamused face.

A few more giggles escaped before it began to peck through the rest of the shell, hobbling on unsteady legs toward the filly. “He likes me! Can we find out what’s in yours?” A bright smile grew on her pink splotched lips as she viewed the little chick before turning her head to Kianzo - beaming with excitement and the strange feeling that resided within her.

"Talk?"

"I play with the fire of my own truth,
I will burn for the things I love."

As his small black hooves stopped their tapping assault of the egg, he head drew back to watch the cracks spread across its surface. Aquamarine eyes flicker to the movement of small, flaming fawns along Kiada’s back (forever watching his sister), before returning to see a small beak break free of the ebony egg’s imprisonment. Black shards cracked open, falling and splintering on the grassy rocks on which the eggs ere perched.

Sharp, aqua eyes narrowed as the creature emerged. He studied the indignant chick, all white fluff and snapping black eyes. And, for the first moment since his creation, the colt felt a silver of aloneness as the small chick entirely ignored him for his sister. And Kia—his sister was likewise engrossed in the hatchling, dropping her head in response to its urgent chirps.

His ears perk forward, hearing her giggle. And it was a true giggle, the first one that he hadn’t caused. Still ignored were the growing, spreading cracks in the ebony egg behind him; forsaken for watching the bonding of his sister to another creature, other than himself.

Small lips press together (in an expression eerily similar to his yet-unknown father) at Kiada’s further giggles, unhappiness plain on his black-lined face. For the first time, his emotions ran directly against his sisters, with her being amused and delighted while he was dejected and annoyed.

But then, a something dark tickled the back of his young skull. ”Can we find out what’s in yours?” His body was already turning away from her as she asked, attention sweeping to the golden egg that splintering into pieces before their young eyes.

A loud, high-pitched squeal rent the air in answer to Kia’s bright question. Small, sharp, brilliant white teeth were out, snapping and tearing at the egg shell while sharp, small claws were mangling the pieces that trapped her.

And, suddenly, all was still, save for the flaring nostrils and wide eyes of Zo. A black face surrounded by golden fur stared back at him, teal eyes boring into his own. The small cub had eyes for no one else, only the colt that towered over her newly hatched body. He was hers.

On wobbling, black paws, the small cub made her way towards the darkling prince. And he felt her in his mind, a soft threatening hum that sounded beneath the small shadows in his skull. The colt hesitated for a moment, then dropped his head in response to a sudden, pealing and demanding cry from the cub.

She rocked onto her striped haunches, plopping down as balance fled her in the face of the sudden movement and appearance of her bonded’s face in hers. A black paw gently batted his muzzle, and he snorted. Her sharp claws left only shallow scrapes in his tender, thin skin— but still, she had marked him. She yowled in cub satisfaction, ridged fur along her back raising.

“What do you think mother will say, Kia?” His question was amused— for both of the creatures were so decidedly different than Rexanna’s Marembo. A dark smirk crossed his scratched muzzle, eyes glancing as the polecat’s striped body suddenly emerged from a tight cluster of bamboo rods.

And the cub gave a decidedly hungry yowl.

kianzo

"The prince of darkness is a perfect gentleman."