It's best to have failure happen early in life.
It wakes up the Phoenix bird in you
so you rise from the ashes.
– Anne Baxter

A vibration thrummed up the bones and tendons of his legs – four separate beats, like the hammer of powerful hooves upon the earth. His head jerked higher, dark ears flickering to and fro trying to locate the source which didn’t seem to be moving away but intruding deeper into the territory. Wide-open eyes stare into the depths of the trees' shadows where the direct morning sunlight had yet to pry past the forest’s canopy.

There a strange scene unfolds before his burning crimson eyes. Fog hasn’t been seen drifting through The World’s Edge since the Sun God became angry and yet there was a mist now, but that isn’t the only strange thing about it. This fog glowed green. It drew him forward like a will-o’-the-wisp but Cineviam is no unsuspecting victim. He is suspicious by nature and comes to a halt at the edge of the burned clearing, unwilling to let the vapor touch him. It made him fear for his ashes, especially once he saw what happened to the residue that coated the ground and trees.

What sort of witchcraft did he stumble upon?

He made out two distinct forms, illuminated by the unnatural light. One had his hooves buried in the dirt, rooted to the earth, and he seemed to be the one in control while the other looked on. It took him a few moments to realize that the second was his king, that the light had cast a queer tint to the Frostheart’s coat and spots. The newsprint behemoth strained to hear what the king said to the stranger. If he was not mistaken, it was gratitude. Then perhaps Mauja had gone to the Veins of Gods seeking help for his scarred lands and this was yet another deity.

Even after bearing witness to the miraculous speedy recovery of the forest, Cineviam does not share the same emotions that currently flooded through the frost-king. As far as he was concerned the Gods meddled too much in the affairs of mortals. The forest would have healed by itself, just slower and had it not been for one of their brothers, the land would not have needed assistance in the first place. Perhaps he would have felt differently if the entire thing burned down, leaving the region inhospitable. But it hadn’t, and the affected area had served as a reminder to the unicorns of the Sun God’s spitefulness. Would they forget now? Thankful and relieved to have their land healed. The sun god still had to be held accountable or it wouldn’t end, Tallsun would arrive fresh every year.

That is if this one ever ended...

“Is it safe to come out now?” he called out to Mauja and the visitor. His ashes are far too precious for him to risk with his usual bold approach.