Toulouse was glad - not for the first time - for the heavy crimson scarves hanging at his sides.

Of course, it would be better yet if they covered more of him, if they shielded his entire back and belly and legs from the bite of winter. He’s never have to grow a winter coat again, would remain his sleek, summer self forever.

Or, he contemplated as he crossed between snow-laden trees, frost crunching underhoof, I could go somewhere warm, somewhere I never had to be cold. But the only place like that, at least that he had found in Novus, was Solterra. And oh, how he hated the desert - he had done his time there already. Now it was his brother’s turn.

As the trees parted, the white of the fields was nearly blinding. Gone were the vibrant colors of fall, the warmth of autumn’s sun. Wildflowers were a thing of the past, all the color replaced with something cold and sterile. Toulouse nearly jumped back in surprise when the snow reached well past his knees with his first step, so deep compared to the spare inch that had covered the forest floor. And yet, he grit his teeth and trudged on, a dream of spring dancing through his mind.

He almost ignored the other horse at first, intent on walking straight past. But then he heard the sizzling, saw the steam rising from the ground, witnessed the puddles left in the stallion’s hoofprints. And just like that, the horned man altered his course and headed for the stranger.

“Hello!” he called out, pushing snow out of his way with every step. “It’s a bit brisk out for a walk, isn’t it?”

But he was still watching the stranger’s movements, still listening for the steam, wondering - hopefully - if it was only his hooves that caused such a phenomenon, or if it was perhaps the stallion himself?

There was only the one way to find out.



@Sol Bestiam

Steam curls slowly into the air, dancing like ghostly flames in the barren winter landscape. But then the wind comes, and snuffs it with a single breath - only the underlying heat remains, a puddle of clear water in place of the snow.

The stranger turns to face him, his eyes golden and bright against his otherwise dark face. Toulouse smiles innocently, as if he didn’t see the size difference between himself and the other stallion.

”At least the snow isn’t flammable.” Toulouse laughs softly alongside him, his tone carefully. ”Does that happen often?” he asks with thinly-veiled curiosity, taking a slow step closer. How unfortunate it would be (for some), to light fires with every step they took. (Others, of course, might revel in that - a few names already are popping into his mind.)

”I’m as much a fan of fire as anyone else, but I imagine it gets tiring having to constantly think about where you’re walking.” A trail of fiery hoofprints burn in his mind, framed by a burning city in the background, a dark silhouette with horns walking calmly away…

He pushes the thought from his mind quickly. With a small, quick shake of his head, his attention is back on the stranger.

”Sol,” he tries the name out on his tongue. ”My name’s Toulouse.” He dips his head forward, the rings around his horns clinking softly against one another. For a moment, the meadow is alive with the song of metal.

”Well you chose a good season to come, if you like the cold,” he says, his laugh as soft as the music of his jewelry. ”Have you come to see the Dawn Court?”





@Sol Bestiam
thank you for being so, so dang patient <3 <3 <3

Toulouse listened with interest as the stranger spoke, his gaze roving nearly continuously from the gold of his eyes to the steam rising around his hoofprints. His ears twitched, leaning subconsciously into each word he said. A smile curved his lips upwards.

Interesting indeed.

For a moment he let himself imagine what it would be like to have such a power, to light the ground beneath his hooves with nothing more than a thought. The other stallion seemed weary of it, overtly cautious - Toulouse would have no such inhibitions.

He would set fire to the world and everyone in it without so much as a hint of regret. And then with Novus burning behind him, he and his brother could set sail to a new world, and he would burn that one, too.

The wolf inside of him snarled with delight, howling with the imaginary scent of blood and smoke. But he only smiled, although his teeth glinted snow-white between his lips, and nodded his head pleasantly enough. One day. One day his restraint would vanish like a frayed rope, and all that would remain would be fury. But that day was not today.

“True enough,” he said, bobbing his head amicably, hiding the way his eyes glinted with savage delight. “Although it isn’t always like this. Soon enough it will be spring.” And then summer, and dry grass, and heat. And fields of flowers would shrivel up like so much kindling in his path.

He continued to walk alongside him, and the cold of the snow soon had numbed his ankles. He quickened his step - the Court wasn’t far now, and with it the warmth and shelter of the indoors. He looked at his traveling companion from the side of one eye, again envious of the way the cold never touched his hooves. “I hear they accept everyone,” he said smoothly. “They accepted me, even when I knew them not. No one here has to be a nobody if they don’t wish to be.” It was far more optimistic a statement he normally would have made, but he let it slide. This time.





@Sol Bestiam
i guess he loves fire

Toulouse’s lips quirk, and he has to fight the urge to laugh. The way the hulking stallion beside him speaks of spring like it’s synonymous with hope is almost too much for him to take. But he bobs his head along pleasantly enough, and adds an “Oh yes, and Delumine is the perfect place to find rebirth,” for good measure.

But the entire time he’s thinking what a shame it is that a stallion with flaming hooves could turn out to be such a pacifist. Your powers are wasted, he thinks to himself, casting a glance back at the hoofprints they leave behind them. If my hooves did that…



If Toulouse could, he would watch the entire world burn with pleasure. And then he would search for a new world, and he would burn that one, too.

“Well, I suspect you’ll have all the company you could ask for within the Court,” he tells the stallion, and nods ahead of them to the opened city gates.

“And here is where I leave you, I’m afraid.” His smile is just a little too sharp as he says it, his eyes just a little too bright. “I do hope you enjoy Delumine. I’m sure I’ll see you around, Sol Bestiam.” The words taste like a threat when they leave his lips, and Toulouse loves it. With one last amicable tilt of his head, he turns and disappears into the crowd of people entering Delumine.





@Sol Bestiam
ahh sorry for the sudden closing!
maybe they can meet again later c:

“Oh yes, and Delumine is the perfect place to find rebirth,” Sol flicked an ear as he listened to the stallion. There was something about the quality of his words that made him wonder. They were reaching the gates of the city and it distracted him from the curiosity. Frowning, he shoved his focus back on the other stallion. "I hope so... But we shall see as time passes." He responded softly, not wanting to commit to any solid emotions with the curious reaction from Toulouse.

“And here is where I leave you, I’m afraid. I do hope you enjoy Delumine. I’m sure I’ll see you around, Sol Bestiam.” Sol carefully disregarded the comment about company and dipped his head. "Thank you for the company." He bid the stallion farewell before continuing into the city and exploring his new court.




"Speaking."
@Toulouse
Notes: Just an end post from butthead <3